JPH06341745A - Ice making machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the generation of nebular intransparent ice by a simple structure, in so-called reverse cell type ice making machine. CONSTITUTION:An ice making machine I is provided with a cooler 1, having a multitude of downwardly opened ice making chambers 1A and the evaporation pipe 2 of a cooler is arranged on the outer surface of the upper wall thereof, a water pan 5, arranged tiltably and restorably below the cooler 1 and provided with water injection holes 3 as well as returning holes 4, which are opposed to respective ice making chambers 1A, a water tank 6, communicated with the return holes 4, and a circulating pump 9, injecting the water in the water tank 6 from injecting holes 3 to circulate it through respective ice making chambers 1A. Nozzles 14 are bored at positions, to which the water injecting holes 3 of the water pan 5 on the upper wall of the cooler 1 are faced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a so-called reverse cell type ice making machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of reverse cell type ice making machine is a cooler having a large number of downwardly opening ice making chambers, as shown in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 3-260572 (F25C1 / 00). The evaporation pipe of the cooling device is provided on the upper surface, and a tiltable water tray is provided below the evaporation pipe.When the water tray closes the ice making chamber, decompressed refrigerant is supplied from the compressor of the cooling device to the evaporation pipe. It is made to flow and evaporate, and water is sprayed from the fountain holes formed on the surface of the water tray to each ice making chamber to make ice, and in the state where the water tray opens the ice making chamber, the high temperature refrigerant from the compressor is flowed to the evaporation pipe. It is configured to heat and to remove ice.

[0003]

Here, especially in an environment where the outside temperature is low and the water temperature is high, the water sprayed in the ice making chamber is supercooled in the initial stage of ice making, so that the needle on the lower surface of the upper wall of the ice making chamber is Ice cubes are produced. This needle-shaped ice is compressed and remains on the surface of ice cubes generated in the ice making chamber, and becomes cotton ice to form a cloudy layer, which causes a problem of hindering the production of transparent ice. In addition, the needle-shaped ice drops due to the fountain, which accumulates in the water tank and clogs the circulation pump. The ice melts in due course, so that the circulation pump comes to operate normally again, but the circulation of water is temporarily hindered, which causes a problem that the ice making efficiency is reduced in any case.

Therefore, both Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-96881 (F25C1 / 00) and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 64-23076 (F25C1 / 22) are flow-down type ice machines, but in the former case, they are ice-making machines. Predicting the occurrence of cotton ice by changing the state of the mechanism, thereby reducing the amount of water circulation to prevent the occurrence of cotton ice, and in the latter case, the water in the raw water tank dropped to around 0 ° C. The same raw ice was added to prevent the generation of similar cotton ice.

However, in the former case, various control elements for detecting the state change in the ice making mechanism and controlling the pump are required, so that there is a problem that the structure becomes complicated and the cost rises. Further, in the latter case, since the raw water is added when the water temperature drops to 0 ° C, the water temperature rises, the ice making efficiency decreases, and there is a problem that the cost for changing the control program is required. It was

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned conventional technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to prevent the production of cotton ice with a simple structure in a so-called reverse cell type ice making machine.

[0007]

That is, an ice making machine I according to the invention of claim 1 has a large number of downwardly opening ice making chambers 1A, and a cooling system in which an evaporation pipe 2 of a cooling device is arranged on the outer surface of the upper wall. And a cooler 1 which is arranged below the cooler 1 so as to be capable of tilting and moving,
Water tray 5 having fountain holes 3 and return holes 4 corresponding to each ice making chamber 1A, a water tank 6 communicating with the return holes 4, and water in the water tank 6 is ejected from the fountain holes 3 to make each ice making machine. A circulation pump 9 that circulates in the chamber 1A is provided, and an ejection hole 14 is formed in a position on the upper wall of the cooler 1 facing the water ejection hole 3 of the water tray 5.

In the ice making machine I according to the second aspect of the present invention, the cooler 1 is attached to the lower side of the support beam 11 and the ejection hole 14 is provided between the upper wall of the cooler 1 and the support beam 11 in the above.
A cover 16 is arranged to restrict water spouted from the outside of the upper wall, and the cover 16 is attached to the support beam 11 via a spacer 17.

[0009]

According to the ice making machine I of the first aspect of the invention, a part of the water sprayed from the fountain hole 3 in the initial stage of ice making is perforated on the upper wall of the cooler 1 at the position where the fountain hole 3 faces. Spout 1
It is spouted from the outer surface of the upper wall of the cooler 1 from 4. The jetted water receives the cooling action of the evaporation pipe 2 and freezes on the outer surface of the upper wall of the cooler 1 to form an ice layer around the evaporation pipe 2, so that the cooling action in the initial stage is alleviated. Therefore, supercooling in the ice making chamber 1A is eliminated,
The generation of cotton ice due to the formation of needle-shaped ice is also prevented.

Further, according to the ice making machine I of the second aspect of the present invention, since the cover 16 is arranged between the upper wall of the cooler 1 and the support beam 11, the water spouted from the spout holes 14 becomes the upper wall. It is prevented from scattering outside. Therefore, the inconvenience that water is sprinkled on the ice stored in the ice storage and refreezing is eliminated. Further, since the cover 16 is attached to the support beam 11 via the spacer 17, the support beam 11 is not cooled by the jetted water, and the problem of dew condensation on the upper surface of the support beam 11 is prevented.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of an ice making machine I of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cooler 1.
3 is an exploded perspective view of the water tray 5 and the like. The ice making machine I is a so-called reverse cell type ice making machine, and has a large number of ice making chambers 1A opened downward, and a cooler 1 in which an evaporation pipe 2 of a cooling device is arranged on an outer surface of an upper wall, In a horizontal state, each ice making chamber 1A is closed from below with a sufficient margin, and a water tray 5 having fountain holes 3 and return holes 4 corresponding to each ice making chamber 1A on the surface is fixed, and fixed to the lower side of this water tray 5. And return hole 4
A water tank 6 having an upper surface opening communicating with the water tank 6 and a circulation pump 9 attached to the outer surface of the water tank 6 for ejecting the water in the water tank 6 from the fountain hole 3 through the water supply pipe 7 and circulating the water to each ice making chamber 1A. It consists of

The cooler 1 is mounted below the support beam 11 with a space. The water tray 5 is rotatably supported by a rotating shaft 12 on the lower surface of the support beam 11 and is rotationally driven by a reduction motor (not shown).
Thereby, the water tray 5, the water tank 6 and the circulation pump 9
1, the water tray 5 can be tilted back and forth between a horizontal state in which the water tray 5 closes each ice making chamber 1A of the cooler 1 from below and a water tray 5 in an inclined state in which the ice making chamber 1A is opened.

Further, on the upper wall of the cooler 1, jet holes 14 are formed at positions facing the above-mentioned part of the jet holes 3 (two places in the embodiment). The ejection hole 14 vertically penetrates through the upper wall of the cooler 1, whereby the ice making chamber 1A in which the ejection hole 14 is formed communicates with the outer surface of the upper wall. Further, a cover 16 is arranged between the cooler 1 and the support beam 11. The cover 16 has a plate-like shape, and its front and rear ends are fixed to the lower surface of the support beam 11 via heat insulating spacers 17, 17 and face the upper wall of the cooler 1 with a small clearance. ing. In addition, projecting ridges 18, 18 that are bent in a triangular shape downward are formed in the front and rear portions inside the spacers 17, 17 and outside the ejection hole 14, and at both ends, Also, flanges 19 and 19 which are located outside and are bent downward are formed.

Next, the operation of the ice making machine I of the present invention having the above construction will be described. When the water tray 5 is in a horizontal state, the control device (not shown) first enters an ice making process, opens a water supply valve (not shown), and starts water supply to the water tank 6 from a water supply pipe (not shown). Further, the control device operates a compressor (not shown) of the cooling device, supplies the decompressed refrigerant to the evaporation pipe 2 to evaporate it, and the cooling action caused thereby causes the cooler 1 to cool.
The water tank 6 by operating the circulation pump 9 while cooling
Pre-cool the water inside. When the circulation pump 9 is operated, the water in the water tank 6 is sprayed from the fountain hole 3 into the ice making chamber 1A and is circulated in the route from the return hole 4 back to the water tank 6, so that the temperature of the circulating water is gradually increased. Goes down to. After that, when the water tank 6 becomes full, the control device closes the water supply valve.

On the other hand, a part of the water sprayed from the spray hole 3 is sprayed from the spray hole 14 of the cooler 1 to the outer surface of the upper wall.
The water jetted to the outer surface of the upper wall is directly cooled from the evaporation pipe 2 and freezes around it, so that an ice layer is formed on the outer surface of the upper wall of the cooler 1 at an early stage, and then the jet holes 14 It is blocked by an ice layer.

At this time, the water ejected from the ejection holes 14 collides with the lower surface of the cover 16 and is repelled in the horizontal direction.
Jetty 18, 18 and flange 1 are provided outside the ejection hole 14.
Since the projections 9 and 19 are formed, the bounced water is smoothly guided toward the cooler 1. Therefore, the ejection hole 14
Water spouted from the water tank 6 is prevented from splashing outward from the water tank 6 and falling into an ice storage (not shown) below, and refreezing of the ice stored in the ice storage is eliminated. Also, cover 1
The presence of 6 prevents water from directly splashing on the lower surface of the support beam 11, and since the cover 16 is also fixed to the support beam 11 via the spacer 17, the support beam 11 is cooled by the jet water. The occurrence of dew condensation on the upper surface is also eliminated.

On the other hand, when the temperature of the water in the water tank 6 drops to a predetermined ice making start temperature (around 0 ° C.) by the precooling operation, the control device starts the ice making timer to start the ice making operation. Further, due to the circulation of the water by the circulation pump 9 as described above, the ice gradually grows from the inner wall surface of the ice making chamber 1A, but as described above, around the evaporation pipe 2 from the initial stage of the ice making process. Since there is water from the ejection holes 14 and an ice layer is formed thereafter, the cooling action from the evaporation pipe 2 in the initial stage of the ice making process is alleviated.

Therefore, since supercooling of water in the initial stage in the ice making chamber 1A is suppressed, needle-shaped ice is not generated in the ice making chamber 1A, whereby the above-mentioned cotton ice The occurrence and the occurrence of ice clogging of the circulation pump 9 can be eliminated. After that, when a predetermined ice making time has elapsed and the ice making timer counts up, the control device ends the ice making process and shifts to an ice removing process described later.

In this ice removal process, the controller rotates the deceleration motor in the normal direction, tilts the water tray 5 to open the ice making chamber 1A, and opens a hot gas solenoid valve (not shown) to open the evaporation pipe 2.
Then, the high temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor is circulated to heat the cooler 1 to remove the frozen ice in the ice making chamber 1A. The ice cubes separated from the ice making chamber 1A by the heating from the evaporation pipe 2 travel along the upper surface of the inclined water tray 5 and drop to the lower right in FIG. 1, and are stored in the ice storage provided therein. . Further, the ice layer around the evaporation pipe 2 is also melted by the heating from the evaporation pipe 2, and the melted water is dropped into the water tank 6.
After that, when the temperature of the cooler 1 reaches a predetermined deicing end temperature, the hot gas solenoid valve is closed to end the deicing process, the deceleration motor is rotated in the reverse direction, and the water tray 5 is returned to the horizontal state. Then, the ice making chamber 1A of the cooler 1 is closed.

In the embodiment, the ejection holes 14 are provided at two places, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a larger number may be provided.

[0021]

As described above in detail, according to the invention of claim 1, the water spouted from the fountain hole is spouted from the spout hole around the evaporation pipe on the outer surface of the upper wall of the cooler. Supercooling in the ice making chamber can be mitigated.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent the generation of needle-like ice, so that it is possible to eliminate the cloudiness of ice due to cotton ice and the clogging of the circulation pump, and to prevent a decrease in ice-making efficiency while keeping the transparency clear. It will be able to produce clear ice. In particular, since the structure is simple, the cost increase can be suppressed to a low level.

Further, according to the invention of claim 2, since the cover is arranged between the upper wall of the cooler and the support beam, water spouted from the spout hole is prevented from scattering outside the upper wall. It Therefore, inconveniences such as water splashing on ice stored in the ice storage and refreezing are eliminated, and the cover is attached to the support beam via the spacer.
The support beam is not cooled by the jetted water, and the disadvantage that dew condensation occurs on the upper surface of the support beam is prevented.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of an ice making machine of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a cooler, a water tray and the like of the ice making machine of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 I Ice Maker 1 Cooler 1A Ice Maker 2 Evaporation Pipe 3 Fountain Hole 4 Return Hole 5 Water Tray 6 Water Tank 9 Circulation Pump 11 Support Beam 14 Spout Hole 16 Cover 17 Spacer 18 Jetty

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A large number of ice making chambers opening downward,
A cooler in which the evaporation pipe of the cooling device is arranged on the outer surface of the upper wall,
A water tray disposed below the cooler so as to be capable of tilting and having a fountain hole and a return hole corresponding to each of the ice making chambers, a water tank communicating with the return hole, and water in the water tank. In an ice making machine equipped with a circulation pump that circulates water from the fountain hole and circulates the water in each of the ice making chambers, a spout hole is formed in a position on the upper wall of the cooler facing the water hole of the water tray. And ice machine. 2. A cover for mounting a cooler on a lower side of a support beam, and for restricting water spouted from a spout hole between the upper wall of the cooler and the support beam to be scattered outside the upper wall. The ice maker according to claim 1, wherein the cover is attached to the support beam via a spacer.