JPH0643657Y2 - Automatic ice machine - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] a. Industrial Application Field of the Invention This invention has a water tray that can be joined to the lower surface of an ice making member having a plurality of ice making small chambers that open downward, and is tiltable so that the water tray after ice making is The present invention relates to an automatic ice maker that tilts to remove ice in an ice making compartment.

b. Prior Art FIGS. 6 and 7 show an example of a conventional automatic ice making machine described in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 57-16773, and in FIG. The ice-making member 2 has a plurality of ice-making small chambers which are opened downward and are formed in a rectangular column shape so that ice cubes can be obtained. An evaporator 3 of a refrigerator is provided on the upper surface of the ice making member 2. Ice making member 1
A water tray 4 is tiltably mounted on a lower surface side of the shaft by a shaft support 5 in a cantilever manner. A circulation pump 6 and a water storage tank 7 are integrally provided on the lower side of the water tray 4.
The ice making water in the water storage tank 7 is cyclically supplied to the ice making water supply passage 8 provided in the water tray 4 by the circulation pump 6, and from the ejection holes 9 formed in the ice making water supply passage 8 to the ice making small chambers 1 respectively. It is jetted and supplied inward. An outlet 10 is formed at a position adjacent to each ejection hole 9 of the water tray 4, and the residual ice making water is returned to the water storage tank 7 through the outlet 10.

The water tray 4, the circulation pump 6, and the water storage tank 7 are configured to be tiltable together with the water tray 4, and are tiltably arranged as shown in FIG. 7 by electric means such as a gear motor (not shown). A drain port 7a is formed at a predetermined position of the tank 7.

A receiving port 7b is formed at the upper end of the water storage tank 7, and a water supply pipe 12 having a water supply valve 11 is arranged above the water tray 4, and the water tray 4 is tilted to move the water supply pipe 12 from the water supply pipe 12. Water supplied to the water tray 4 is guided into the water storage tank 7 through the receiving port 7b.

A drain tray 13 having a drain port 13a is disposed below the water storage tank 7, and drainage from the water storage tank 7 is received by the drain tray 13.

The conventional automatic ice making machine is configured as described above, and
The operation will be described.

When the ice making is completed, ice cubes grow in each ice making compartment 1 of the ice making member 2, and the ice making member 2 and the water tray 4 are integrally connected by the growth of the ice cubes.

Next, when shifting to the deicing cycle, the geared motor of the electric means is actuated, the integral connection of the water tray 4 and the ice making member 2 due to freezing is forcibly separated, and the water tray 4 and the water storage tank 7 are shown in FIG. It is tilted downward like. At the same time, hot gas is caused to flow into the evaporator 3 to heat the ice making member 2,
The ice cubes in each small ice making chamber 1 are melted so that they can be dropped from each small ice making chamber 1.

In this case, the water pipe 12 is placed on the water tray 4 before the ice cubes fall.
Is sufficiently supplied, and the ice adhering to the water tray 4 and the ejection holes 9 is removed. This water flows down the upper surface of the water tray 4 and is guided into the water storage tank 7 through the receiving port 7b of the ice storage water tank 7, and through the drainage port 7a together with the ice making residual water to the water level of the aa 'line. Will be guided to.

In the above-mentioned state, the ice cubes that have dropped from each ice making compartment 1 by their own weight slide on the water tray 4 and are stored in an ice storage (not shown).

After a lapse of a predetermined time to completely melt the ice attached to the ejection holes 9 and the outlet 10 of the water tray 4, the water tray 4 is returned and rotated in the closing direction by the gear motor. And water tray 4
Is returned to its original position, and when the water level in the water storage tank 7 reaches the line bb ′ shown in FIG. 6, the water level detection device (not shown) detects the water level and the water supply valve 11 closes to stop water supply. Then, the next ice making cycle is started.

c. Problems to be solved by the invention Since the conventional automatic ice making machine is configured as described above, when the water tray 4 is tilted in the deicing cycle, the water tray 4 and the ice making member 2 are moved by ice. Since the water tray 4 is firmly connected, a geared motor having an extremely large torque is required to tilt the water tray 4, which is extremely disadvantageous in terms of cost and space.

In addition, when the ice tray 4 and the ice making member 2 are separated from each other, in most cases, a small lump of protruding ice remains on the water tray 4, and the ice cubes that slide on the water tray 4 cannot slide smoothly. There was also a problem that the small ice blocks on the water tray 4 had to be removed by the water supply from the water supply pipe 12 before the sliding of the water.

Further, if the jet hole 9 and the outlet 10 are clogged with ice, it will be a serious obstacle in the next ice making cycle such as the generation of badly shaped ice or cloudy ice.
There was also a problem that the residual ice on the water tray 4 had to be melted and removed by a large amount of water supply from 12.

Furthermore, if adhered ice remains on the water tray 4, the ice cubes may not only be caught when sliding down as described above, but may also remain on the water tray 4, and when the water tray 4 returns, There is also a problem that ice cubes are caught between the ice making member 2 and a large overload on the geared motor, which damages the geared motor and its peripheral portion.

Further, as described above, when the adhered ice on the water tray 4 is removed by supplying a large amount of water from the water supply pipe 12, most of the water that has flowed down on the water tray 4 is discharged to the outside, and water is wasted. There was also a problem that it was used.

The present invention has been made to eliminate such problems, and an object thereof is to obtain an automatic ice-making machine that can very easily separate the connection between the water tray and the ice-making member when the water tray is tilted. And

d. Means for Solving Problems The automatic ice making machine according to the present invention is provided with a melted ice water conducting portion for melting the ice on the water tray on the back side of the water tray, and an outlet of the water supply pipe and the melted ice water conducting portion. A switching valve is provided on either one of the pipes.

e. Action In this invention, when the ice making water is guided to the molten ice water conducting portion by the operation of the switching valve, the ice sticking the water tray and the ice making member is melted as deicing water, and the ice making water is also placed on the water tray. If the ice making water flows down, melt the small ice blocks on the water dish.

f. Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which the same or corresponding parts as those in FIGS. 6 and 7 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the figure, each ice making water supply passage 8 is configured to be integrally communicable by a communicating portion 8a. The communication portion 8a is connected to the discharge pipe 6a of the circulation pump 6.

At a position adjacent to the water supply passage 8 for ice making disposed on the back surface of the water tray 4, a melted ice water conducting portion 14 for passing and supplying ice making water is provided.
Are arranged in a planar shape in the form of a serpentine tube. An inlet pipe 14a and an outlet pipe 14b are connected to the molten ice water conducting portion 14, and ice making water is supplied from a water supply valve 11 via a three-way switching valve 15 which is a switching valve attached to the water supply pipe 12. It is like this.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a refrigerator having the evaporator 3 as one component member. The compressor 17, the water-cooled condenser 28, the expansion valve 18 and the evaporator 3 are connected in series, and the hot gas valve 19 is compressed. Machine
It is connected between 17 and the evaporation pipe 3. A water supply pipe 20 connected to an external water supply is connected to a valve 21 and an automatic water supply valve 22 via a water cooling condenser 28. Therefore, during ice making, the water discharged from the water-cooled condenser 28 has a temperature considerably higher than that of the raw water for making ice, and the amount of discharged water increases or decreases according to the opening degree of the automatic water supply valve 22.

Next, when the ice making operation is finished and the high-pressure side pressure is lowered, the automatic water supply valve 22 is closed, and the heated ice making water is stored in the water-cooled condenser 28. In this state, by opening the valve 21 according to the time chart shown in FIG. 4, the hot liquid can be supplied to the melted ice water conducting portion 14 via the water supply valve 11.

In the automatic ice maker configured as described above, when ice making water is supplied to the three-way switching valve 15 by opening the water supply valve 11 and guided from there to the melted ice water conducting portion 14, the water tray 4 By exchanging heat with the back side and raising the temperature of the water tray 4, the ice adhered to the water tray 4 is melted during ice making, and the water tray 4 and the ice cubes are easily separated when the ice making is completed. On the other hand, when the ice making water is directly discharged from the water supply pipe 12 onto the surface of the water tray 4, when the ice cubes and the water tray 4 are peeled off, the projecting small ice blocks are melted on the water tray 4, Moreover, the ice making ice is stored in the water storage tank 7 and provided for ice making.

Now, the operation of the ice maker shown in the present invention will be described below.

After a predetermined time has passed in the ice making cycle, ice grows in each ice making chamber 1, the lower surface of the ice contacts the water tray 4, and the water tray 4 and the ice making member 2 are integrally fixed by ice through the ice.

The inlet pipe 14a to the fourth time t ₁ before ice completed the ice-making water as shown in FIG. (T ₁ predetermined time determined equal to or larger than 0)
Is continuously supplied to the ice-melting water conducting portion 14 for t ₂ until the fixing surface between the water tray 4 and the ice cubes is melted. The ice-making water passes through the melt-melting water conducting portion 14 and then is drained to the outside from the outlet pipe 14b. After that, the hot gas valve 19 is opened and the evaporator 3
At the same time as heating
Make a tilt. When t _{3 has} passed since the water tray 4 started to tilt, the water supply valve 11 is opened again and the three-way switching valve 15 is switched to flow the ice making water onto the water tray 4. The ice making water melts the small ice blocks remaining on the water tray 4 to improve the sliding of the ice cubes at the time of ice making, and then enters the water storage tank 7. The water is bb ′ shown in Fig. 1.
Overflows above the line.

When the ice cubes from the ice making compartment 1 fall on the water tray 4 on which the ice making water from the water supply pipe 12 is flowing down and the temperature of the evaporator 3 rises, the deicing detector (not shown) changes its temperature. Is detected, the deicing is completed, and then the geared motor starts to rotate in the direction opposite to that at the time of ice removal. By the time the water tray 4 closes the respective ice making compartments 1 of the ice making member 2, the ice making water supplied from the water sprinkling pipe 12 keeps the water in the water storage tank 7 full, even after the completion of deicing. Then, after the ice making compartment 1 is closed, the ice making cycle is started, and the ice making water is immediately used for ice making.

In the above embodiment, the water supply pipe 12 is provided with the three-way switching valve 15 to operate the three-way switching valve 15 so that the ice-making water is melted into the melted water conducting portion.
As shown in FIG. 14, the inlet pipe 14a of the molten ice water conducting portion 14 is connected to the water supply pipe 1
By directly connecting the melted water 2 to the outlet pipe 14b of the melted water conducting portion 14, a three-way switching valve is provided so that the ice making water passing through the melted water conducting portion 14 flows down onto the water tray 4 or is discharged to the outside. You may

Although the operation of the three-way switching valve 15 is not shown in the figure, the drive mechanism is operated by some method of detecting the position (angle) of the water tray, even if it is a mechanical one that moves in conjunction with tilting of the water tray. Whatever it does, it doesn't care about the type of drive system.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a heating body 23 and an overflow pipe 24 are provided in the heating tank 16 as an ice making water supply source, and a ball tap 25 for suppressing the amount of water from the external water supply pipe 20 and a discharge pipe 26. Ice water supply pump with
The ice making water heated by the heating body 23 is provided with the ice making water supply pump 27 through the water supply valve 11 to melt the ice making water.
It may be supplied within 14.

g. Effect of the Invention As described above, the automatic ice maker of the present invention is an ice-melting water that guides ice making water to the back side of the water tray and melts the ice that fixes the water tray and the ice making member with the heat of the ice making water. The following effects can be obtained by providing the connecting portion and providing the switching valve on either the water supply pipe or the outlet pipe of the molten ice water connecting portion.

(1) In the deicing cycle, the torque required to separate the water tray from the ice making member may be small, and a small and inexpensive low torque electric mechanism can be substituted.

(2) The remaining adhered ice on the water tray after peeling is very small, and therefore the ice-making water discharged onto the water tray to melt the adhered ice is
Much less than conventional ones.

(3) There is very little remaining adhered ice on the water tray, and it only needs to be melted in a short time, so that when ice cubes leave the ice making chamber, they remain on the water tray due to the adhered ice on the water tray. Without
During the ice making cycle, ice is not caught between the ice making member and the water tray, and there is no risk of damage to the periphery of the electric mechanism.

(4) It is possible to prevent clogging of the spout holes and outflow ports of the water tray due to adhered ice, making it impossible to supply a sufficient amount of ice-making water to the ice-making small chamber, resulting in cloudy ice or defective ice that is not well-shaped. Absent.

(5) Since water having a large heat capacity is used as a means for heating the water tray during the deicing cycle, it is possible to melt the ice sticking to the water tray and the ice making member in a short time immediately before the peeling of the water tray. it can. Further, in the case of this heating means, the water tray can be heated in a short time as compared with the one in which the electric heating means is embedded in the water tray, and at a low cost, further, as a heating medium for the water tray. Since ice-making water is used, the running cost is low.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a refrigerator used in the automatic ice maker of FIG. FIG. 4 is a time chart diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a heating tank for producing deicing water showing another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a conventional automatic FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of an ice making machine, and FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing another usage mode of FIG. In the figure, 1 is an ice making chamber, 2 is an ice making member, 3 is an evaporator, 4 is a water tray, 6 is a circulation pump, 7 is a water storage tank, 8 is a water supply passage for ice making, 9 is a jet hole, 12 is a water supply pipe, Reference numeral 14 is a molten ice water conducting portion, and 15 is a three-way switching valve. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An ice making member (2) having a plurality of ice making small chambers (1) opened downward together with an evaporator (3) of a refrigerator.
And a water tray (4) provided so as to be capable of being joined to the lower surface of the ice making small chamber (1) and tiltable, and ice making water connected to the water tray (4) and supplied to the ice making small chamber (1) A water storage tank (7) for storing water, and the ice making water in the water storage tank (7) provided on the back side of the water tray (4) are jetted toward the ice making small chamber (1) by a circulation pump (6). Spout hole (9)
A water supply channel (8) for ice making and a water supply pipe provided near the water tray (4) for supplying ice making water from an ice making water supply source to the water storage tank (7) through the surface of the water tray (4) (12), and after the ice is made in the ice making compartment (1), the water tray (4) is tilted to be separated from the ice making compartment (1) and the ice in the ice making compartment (1) is removed. In the automatic ice maker configured as described above, the ice making water is guided to the back side of the water tray (4) and the ice that fixes the water tray (4) and the ice making member (2) is melted by the heat of the ice making water. An ice water conducting part (14) is provided, and a switching valve (15) is provided on either one of the water supply pipe (12) and the outlet pipe (14b) of the molten ice water conducting part (14). After the water tray (4) is tilted, the ice making water is replaced with the water by the switching operation of the switching valve (15). (4) that is adapted to flow over an automatic ice maker according to claim. 2. The automatic ice-making machine according to claim 1, wherein the ice-making water supply source comprises a water-cooled condenser (28) connected to the evaporator (3).