JPH0686973B2 - Automatic ice machine controller - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control device for an automatic ice-making machine equipped with an ice-thickness setting device that sets a desired ice thickness by varying the thickness of plate-like ice generated on an ice-making member. It is a thing.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a control device for an automatic ice making machine has been equipped with an ice thickness setting device for setting a desired ice thickness by varying the ice thickness of plate-like ice generated on an ice making member.

Hereinafter, an example of the control device for the above-described conventional automatic ice maker will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic ice making machine, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control device of a conventional automatic ice making machine.

Reference numeral 1 denotes an ice making machine body formed of a heat insulating wall, which is composed of an ice making chamber 2 and a machine chamber 3, and an evaporator 4 is provided in the ice making chamber 2.
An ice making member 5 having the above is installed in an inclined manner, and a water storage tank 6 for storing ice making water and a circulating water pump device 7 are installed in the tank 6 to form a running water circulation type ice making system. Below the ice making member 5, there is provided an ice storage chamber 8 and a plate ice cutting heater device 9 for receiving the plate ice after deicing and cutting it into an ice block of a predetermined size. In addition, an electric compressor 10 and a condenser 11 that form a refrigeration circuit together with the evaporator 4 are arranged in the machine room 3. Reference numeral 12 is an air cooling fan of the condenser 11. Numeral 13 is an ice storage amount detection device having a temperature sensing portion for detecting a predetermined amount of ice in the ice storage chamber 8 and is provided so as to detect the contact temperature of the ice blocks and stop the ice making operation.

Reference numeral 14 is a water supply valve as a water supply device for electrically opening and closing a water supply pipe 15 connected to a water source to introduce ice making water into the water storage tank 6. In the water storage tank 6, a drainage pipe 16 that maintains a predetermined water level, and a water level detection device 20 that includes an upper limit setting switch 18 and a lower limit setting switch 19 that detect the water level 17 are provided.

Reference numeral 21 is a solenoid valve for electrically controlling the hot gas flowing from the electric compressor 10 to the evaporator 4 when the ice generated in the ice making member 5 is deiced.

Reference numeral 22 denotes an ice release detecting device which is adhered to the ice making member 5 and detects the end of ice removal by a predetermined temperature rise of the ice making member 5.

In the block diagram showing the control device of the automatic ice maker shown in FIG. 4, a main part thereof is composed of a microcomputer 23 (hereinafter referred to as a microcomputer). The microcomputer 23 has a well-known operation program (water supply → ice making). (→ Ice removal operation) is stored.

The input signal of the microcomputer 23 is a water level detection device 20 for detecting the water level 17 (composed of the upper limit setting switch 18 and the lower limit setting switch 19 as described above) (input signal I ₂ to the microcomputer 23), and the deicing detection device 22. Output (input signal I ₃ to the microcomputer 23) and output of the ice storage amount detection device 13 (input signal I ₄ to the microcomputer 23)
There is.

Further, reference numeral 24 is an ice thickness setting device 24 composed of a volume or the like for adjusting the plate-like ice generated on the ice making member 5 to a desired ice thickness. The output of this ice thickness setting device 24 is a digital / analog conversion (hereinafter D / A) that converts the output signal O ₁ of the microcomputer 23 into an analog value.
It is input to the comparison circuit 26 together with the output of the circuit 25 (for conversion). (Input signal I ₁ to the microcomputer 23) On the other hand, the relays 27, 28, 29, 30 are operated by the output of the microcomputer 23. That is, the relay 27 drives the circulating water pump device 7 by the output signal O ₂ of the microcomputer 23, and the output signal O _{3 of the} microcomputer 23.
The relay 28 drives the water supply valve 14 and outputs the output signal of the microcomputer 23.
The relay 29 drives the solenoid valve 21 by O ₄ , and the relay 30 drives the electric compressor 10 and the air cooling fan 12 by the output signal O ₅ of the microcomputer 23.

The operation of the automatic ice making machine configured as described above will be described below.

The ice thickness setting device 24 obtains an arbitrary ice thickness by continuing the ice making operation from the constant ice thickness generation, and therefore the microcomputer 23 has an ice making timer 31 for continuing the ice making operation. . The ice making duration by the ice making timer 31, that is, the relationship between the ice making duration and the set value of the ice thickness for producing a further desired ice thickness after producing a constant ice thickness (for example, 15 mm) is to obtain a constant value in the ice making machine. For example, the output of the compressor 10 is 180 W, the area of the ice making member 5 is 700 cm ²
The characteristics shown in FIG. 5 are obtained by actual measurement with an ice making machine. The characteristics of the ice making duration time are stored in the memory circuit 32 in the microcomputer 23. That is, the microcomputer 23 operates to determine the ice making duration time t by the ice making timer 31 according to the ice thickness setting device 24. For example, if the ice thickness setting value is set to 20 mm, which is 5 mm thicker than the standard value (constant value) of 15 mm, the ice making timer 31
Is set by the memory circuit 32 so that the ice making operation is continued for 15 minutes. The ice making operation duration by the ice making timer 31 is set after the operation of the lower limit design switch 19, that is, after completion of the ice making at a constant value.

In addition, FIG. 6 shows the ice making cycle time and the plate ice cutting time from the start of ice making to the completion of ice removing at each set ice thickness value. The thicker the set ice thickness, the longer the ice making cycle time and the plate ice cutting time, and the thinner the set ice thickness, the shorter the set ice thickness.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the above-described configuration, during the ice making cycle, that is, during the ice making operation, or the ice separation detecting device 22 is detecting the presence of plate-like ice in the ice making member 5, and the plate ice cutting heater device is used. When the ice thickness setting device 24 is changed from thick to thin (for example, the set ice thickness value is 25 mm to 15 mm) while cutting the plate ice on the plate 9, the heater device for cutting the plate ice is shown in FIG. 25mm ice thickness on 9
In the middle of cutting the plate ice (completed in 32 minutes), that is, in the ice making operation with the ice thickness setting value of 15 mm and the ice making cycle of 20 minutes, the plate ice cutting heater device 9 was set to have an ice thickness of 25 mm and ice as shown in FIG. There was a problem that the 15-mm-thick plate ice may overlap.

In view of the above problems, the present invention changes the set ice thickness of the ice thickness setting device 24 from thick to thin during the ice making cycle, that is, during the ice making operation or while the ice separating device 22 detects the presence of plate-like ice in the ice making member 5. It is intended to provide a control device for an automatic ice making machine in which plate ice does not overlap on the plate ice cutting heater device 9 even if it is performed.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the control device of the automatic ice maker according to the present invention is configured so that the ice thickness of the plate-like ice generated in the ice making member is variable and the desired ice thickness is set. A setting device, a deicing detection device that detects the presence or absence of deicing of plate ice from the ice making member, a water level detection device that detects the water level of the ice making water in the water storage tank, and counting starts when the water level detection device is activated, An ice making timer that counts the ice making time according to the ice thickness set by the thickness setting device, and the ice removing detector starts counting when there is no plate ice detected on the ice making member, and the ice making operation or the ice removing detector Is provided with a delay timer that delays the start of ice making in accordance with a change in the set ice thickness value of the ice thickness setting device while detecting the presence of plate ice.

Action The present invention tells the microcomputer that the set ice thickness is changed from thick to thin by changing the ice thickness setting value while the ice making operation or the ice separation detecting device is detecting the presence of plate ice in the ice making member by the above-described configuration. After the input, the ice-free detection device completes the ice-free operation of the ice-making member with no plate ice, that is, the plate-like ice generated in the ice-making member from the ice-making member, and delays the start of the next ice-making by the delay timer.

Embodiment Hereinafter, a control device for an automatic ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a control device for an automatic ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, except for the delay timer 33, the configuration is the same as the block diagram of the control device of the conventional automatic ice making machine shown in FIG. 4, and its description is omitted.

The delay timer 33 changes the ice thickness setting value from thicker to thinner than the ice thickness setting device 24 during the ice making cycle or while detecting the presence of plate ice in the ice separation detecting device 22 to change the input signal I ₁ to the microcomputer 23. On the other hand, T = t ₁ (For example, as can be seen from FIG. 6, when the ice thickness is changed from 25 mm to 15 mm, the ice making time is shortened from 45 minutes to 20 minutes 25 minutes. ₁ =
It is designed to be set for 30 minutes.

The operation of the control device for the automatic ice making machine configured as described above will be described below with reference to the operation flowchart of FIG.

When the ice making starts, the relays 27 and 30 are turned on to drive the circulating water pump 7, the electric compressor 10 and the air cooling fan 12 (step 1 in FIG. 2) until the water level detector 20 is turned on (the lower limit switch 19 is turned on). I do. (Second step 2) When the ice thickness setting device 24 is set to a desired ice thickness, the ice making timer 31t is set accordingly (step 3 in FIG. 2) and the ice making operation is continued. (Fig. 2 step
4) After ice-making operation is continued for the time that ice-making timer 31 is set, relay 27 is turned off, the circulating water pump is stopped, and relay 2
8, 29 are turned on to drive the water supply valve 14 and the solenoid valve 21 to release the plate ice generated in the ice making member 5. (Fig. 2 step 5) Water is supplied to the water storage tank 6, and the lower limit setting switch 18 of the water level detection device 20
When turned on (step 6 in FIG. 2), the relay 28 is turned off and the water supply valve 14 is stopped (step 7 in FIG. 2).

During the ice removing operation, when the ice removing device 22 detects the completion of the ice removal of the plate-like ice generated on the ice making member 5 (step 8 in FIG. 2), the relay 29
Is turned off and the solenoid valve 21 is stopped. (FIG. 2, step 9) Next, when the ice storage amount detecting device 13 detects that the inside of the ice storage chamber 8 is full of ice, the relay 30 is turned off, and the electric compressor 10 and the air cooling fan 12 are turned on.
To stop. (Steps 10 and 11 in FIG. 2) When the ice storage amount detecting device 13 detects that the ice amount is not full, it is inputted to the microcomputer 23 whether or not the ice thickness setting device 24 has changed (the set ice thickness changes from thick to thin) (second) If there is a change, the delay timer 33t _{1 is} set (step 13 in Fig. 2), the relay 30 is turned off, the electric compressor 10,
Stop the air-cooling fan 12, (Fig. 2, step 14) delay timer
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the ice removal detecting device starts counting from the time when the ice making member does not detect the plate ice, and the ice making operation is performed or the ice making is started. When the detection device is equipped with a delay timer that delays the start of ice making in response to changes in the set ice thickness value of the ice thickness setting device while the ice making member is detecting the presence of plate ice The problem of overlapping can be solved.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION As described above, the present invention detects the presence / absence of deicing of plate ice from the ice-making member, and an ice-thickness setting device that sets the desired ice thickness by varying the ice thickness of the plate-like ice generated in the ice-making member. The ice thickness detection device and the ice thickness detection device start counting when no ice cube is detected on the ice making member, and the ice thickness setting device is set during ice making operation or when the ice ice detection device detects ice sheet on the ice making member. By providing a delay timer that delays the start of ice making in response to changes in the ice thickness value, the ice cubes overlap on the heater device for cutting the ice cubes, and the ice cubes on the top may break, creating irregular ice during cutting. Or
A large load is applied to the plate ice cutting heater device, which prevents the reliability of the plate ice cutting heater device from being deteriorated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a control device for an automatic ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an operation flowchart of the control device for an automatic ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. Schematic configuration diagram, FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control device for a conventional automatic ice making machine, FIG. 5 is a characteristic diagram of ice making duration time and ice thickness set value, and FIG. 6 is ice making cycle time and plate ice cutting time. FIG. 7 is a characteristic diagram with an ice thickness set value, and FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory diagram of a control device of a conventional automatic ice making machine. 22 …… Ice release detector, 23 …… Microcomputer, 24
...... Ice thickness setting device, 31 ...... Ice making timer, 32 …… Memory circuit, 33 …… Delay timer.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plate ice cutting heater comprising a vertical wire heater and a construction line heater supported between frames for receiving plate ice manufactured by an ice making member equipped with a refrigeration system and cutting into ice cubes. A device, an ice thickness setting device that sets a desired ice thickness by varying the ice thickness of the plate-like ice generated in the ice-making member, and an ice-breaking detection device that detects the presence or absence of ice-breaking of the plate ice from the ice-making member. A water storage tank for storing ice making water circulating in the ice making member, and a water level detection device for detecting the water level of the ice making water in the water storage tank,
An ice-making timer that starts counting when the water level detection device is activated and counts an ice-making time according to the ice thickness set by the ice-thickness setting device, and the ice-release detection device causes the ice-making member to have no plate ice. A delay that starts counting from the time of detection and delays the start of ice making according to changes in the set ice thickness value of the ice thickness setting device during ice making operation or while the ice separation detecting device is detecting the presence of plate ice on the ice making member. A control device for an automatic ice maker, comprising: a timer.