JPH0416133Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (a) Industrial application field The present invention relates to a water-flow ice maker, and particularly to a cooler for freezing ice-making water.

(b) Conventional technology As a conventional water-flow ice maker, for example,
The automatic ice maker disclosed in USP 2940276 exposes the head 22 of the button 23 flush with the surface plate 17, and freezes the water sprayed from the spray 31 onto the head 22 of the button 23 to form a lens-shaped ice maker. ice pieces 30 are manufactured, and these ice pieces 30 are
By applying electricity to 2 and heating the button 23,
It is of such a structure that it detaches from the head 22, slides on the surface plate 17, and is discharged into the storage 51.

(c) Problems to be solved by the invention According to the prior art, since the head of the button is a flat surface, ice pieces that come off the button slide downward while remaining in close contact with the top plate, which causes the ice to fall off. When the pieces of ice are melted and released into the storage, the pieces of ice stick to each other, creating a problem in which it is not possible to provide ice in a frozen shape to the head of the button.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, the present invention provides a cooler configured for the purpose of minimizing ice melting and preventing ice from joining together in a water reservoir.

(d) Means for solving the problem The present invention consists of a water plate installed approximately vertically, a cooling pipe of the refrigeration system, and a water plate placed in a heat exchange relationship with the cooling pipe and exposed on the surface of the water plate. This is a cooler for a down-flow ice maker that is equipped with a heat conduction button that has a concave spherical ice making surface.

(E) Effect According to the above configuration, convex spherical ice is frozen on the ice making surface of the heat conduction button, so the contact area between the ice detached from the ice making surface and the flowing water plate is reduced, and less ice melts. It is also possible to prevent ice from bonding to each other in the water storage.

(f) Example Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cooler of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the relationship between the button and the cooling pipe, Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 The figure is a system diagram showing the overall configuration of the down-flow ice maker of the present invention, Figure 5 is a perspective view of the cooler and water system, and Figure 6 is a side view of ice made with the cooler of the present invention. The cooler 1 of the embodiment includes a pair of water flow plates 2A and 2B installed substantially vertically with a gap between them, a cooling pipe 3 of the refrigeration system, and heat conduction buttons arranged on both sides of the cooling pipe 3. Mainly composed of 4A and 4B. The cooling pipe 3 is connected in an annular manner with an electric compressor 5, a condenser 7 that is forcedly air-cooled by an air blower 6, an expansion valve 8 as a pressure reducing device, and the like to form a refrigerant circuit.
This cooling pipe 3 has a meandering shape, and on one side of the cooling pipe 3 running horizontally, buttons 4A made of tin-plated copper with high thermal conductivity are arranged at equal intervals, and on the other side. The buttons 4B are arranged at equal intervals so as not to overlap the buttons 4A. These buttons 4A and 4B have arc-shaped grooves 4A1 and 4B1 on one end surface that fit in contact with the approximately semicircumference of the cooling pipe 3, and the other end surface has a concave spherical surface exposed on the surface of the water flow plates 2A and 2B. It has shaped ice making surfaces 4A2 and 4B2. The openings at the peripheral ends of the water flow plates 2A and 2B are closed by a cover 9 made of rubber or resin with extremely poor thermal conductivity. This cover 9 has an upper water guide section 9A and a lower water guide section 9B, each of which has a steeple shape at the top and bottom.
is formed.

Next, to explain the water system, reference numeral 11 is a deicing water sprinkler having water sprinkling ports 11A and 11B that spray water toward the upper back surfaces of the water flow plates 2A and 2B, and extends from the water sprinkler 11 to the outside of the cover 9. The existing water supply pipe 12 is connected to a water pipe via a water supply solenoid valve 13. 14 is a water spout 1 facing the upper water guide section 9A.
4A and 14B, and a water guide pipe 15 extending from the water sprinkler 14 is arranged in a water storage tank 17 that communicates with a gutter 16 that collects unfrozen water falling from the lower water guide part 9B. Circulation pump 1
Connected to 8. Reference numeral 19 indicates an ice storage located below the cooler 1, reference numeral 20 indicates an overflow pipe of the water storage tank 17, and reference numeral 21 indicates a temperature sensor for controlling ice making operation and ice removal operation.

Next, the operation of the present invention will be explained. First, the water supply solenoid valve 13 is opened to start supplying water to the water storage tank 17. In this case, water sprayed from the water sprinkling ports 11A and 11B of the deicing water sprinkler 11 via the water supply pipe 12 passes through the water supply passage 10 formed in the lower water guide portion 9B, falls into the gutter 16, and flows into the water storage tank 17. be guided. When water is supplied to the predetermined water level of the water storage tank 17,
The water supply solenoid valve 13 closes to end the water supply. Next, the electric compressor 5 operates to circulate the low-temperature refrigerant gas through the cooling pipe 3, and at the same time, the circulation pump 18 operates to force the water in the water storage tank 17 through the water conduit 15 to the ice-making water sprinkler 14. , water sprinkling ports 14A and 14
The ice-making water sprinkled from B is guided to the water flow plates 2A and 2B, respectively, by the upper water guide section 9A.

Therefore, the ice-making water flowing down the water plates 2A and 2B is efficiently cooled by heat conduction from the cooling pipe 3, and the ice-making surface 4A of the buttons 4A and 4B
2 and 4B2, and the unfrozen ice-making water falls from the lower water guide part 9B to the gutter 16, is returned to the water storage tank 17, and is circulated again to the upper part of the water flow plates 2A and 2B. As a result, all buttons 4A
As shown in FIG. 6, ice 22 having convex spherical surfaces on both sides is finally frozen on the ice making surfaces 4A2 and 4B2 of 4B, and when the temperature sensor 21 detects the growth of such convex spherical ice 22, electric compression is performed. The machine 5 is stopped and the circulation of low-temperature refrigerant gas to the cooling pipe 3 is stopped.
At the same time, the circulation pump 18 is also stopped, watering to the water plates 2A and 2B is stopped, and the ice-making operation is ended.

When the ice making operation is finished, the water supply solenoid valve 13
is opened, and the de-icing water sprayed from the water sprinkling ports 11A and 11B of the de-icing water sprinkler 11 via the water supply pipe 12 flows down the back surfaces of the water plates 2A and 2B, and the heat sensitivity of the water at this time causes the water to flow. In order to raise the temperature of plates 2A and 2B and buttons 4A and 4B, button 4A
The convex spherical ice 22 frozen on the ice making surfaces 4A2 and 4B2 of 4B is removed from the ice making surfaces 4A2 and 4B2. Due to its spherical shape, this ice 22 slides on the water plates 2A and 2B in a state of almost point contact and falls into the ice storage 19 without almost melting, and in this ice storage state, the convex spherical shape of the ice 22 joins each other. Ice is stored without any ice.

When the temperature sensor 21 detects the detachment of the ice 22, the water supply solenoid valve 13 closes to end the ice removal operation and start the next cycle of ice making operation.

In addition, although the present invention performs deicing operation using the heat sensitivity of water, if deicing is performed using hot gas from the refrigeration system or heat from an electric heater, the effects described below will be even more effective. It becomes noticeable.

(g) Effects of the invention As described above, the present invention forms convex spherical ice on the ice-making surface by forming the ice-making surface of the button exposed on the surface of the water plate installed approximately vertically into a concave spherical shape. Due to its convex spherical shape, the ice that freezes and detaches from the ice-making surface during the deicing operation slides on the flowing water plate in almost point contact, reducing the amount of ice melting.
Moreover, it also has the advantage of being able to prevent ice from joining together in the ice storage.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the cooler of the present invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the relationship between the button and the cooling pipe, Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 2, and Figure 4 is a falling ice making system. A system diagram showing the overall configuration of the machine, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cooler and water system, and FIG. 6 is a side view of ice made with the cooler of the present invention. 1... Cooler, 2A, 2B... Water plate, 3...
Cooling pipe, 4A, 4B... Button, 4A2, 4
B2... Concave spherical ice making surface.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In a water flow type ice maker, a water flow plate installed substantially vertically, a cooling pipe of the refrigeration system, and a concave spherical surface arranged at intervals in a heat exchange relationship with the pipe and exposed on the surface of the water flow plate. A cooler for a down-flow ice maker characterized by being provided with a heat conduction button having a shaped ice making surface.