JPH08136100A - Vertical ice making machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a vertical ice making machine having an ice guiding member capable of separating water and ice without damaging an opening or a closing of a water pan. CONSTITUTION: This machine comprises an ice guiding member 119 rotatably suspended below an ice making chamber 105, and an ice guiding member rotating mechanism spaced apart from the ice guiding member during an ice making operation and abutted against the ice guiding member during an ice removing operation. More practically, the ice guiding member rotating mechanism is fixed to an output shaft 147 of a driving motor and the ice guiding member rotating mechanism is comprised of a main body 153 having a threaded hole and a small screw 155 threadably engaged with the threaded hole. In addition, the ice guiding member may be provided with a projecting part abutted against the water pan positioned at a closing position at a surface of the ice guiding member facing against the water pan, for example, as a clearance forming part forming a clearance with the water pan.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vertical ice making machine having an ice making chamber composed of a plurality of small ice making chambers or ice making cells arranged in a grid pattern.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Today, most of the places of use of ice produced by an ice making machine are eating and drinking-related stores such as cafeterias and coffee shops.
Its purpose is not only simple cooling, but also various things such as improvement of aesthetics and improvement of refreshing feeling. Therefore, there are various requirements for ice produced by an ice maker. For example, after being made, the ice in the ice storage needs to be maintained in an aesthetically pleasing shape that impresses the customer. Or, of course, the ice is separated individually so that it can be quickly supplied without waiting for the customer. Further, as for the ice making machine itself, it is required that it can be installed without occupying a wide area and that the ice can be taken out easily.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a conventional vertical type ice making machine to meet such a demand. The ice making chamber 1 of this ice making machine is composed of a plurality of small ice making chambers 3 that open horizontally, and a cover 5 is pivotally supported above the front of the opening, and the ice making chamber on the opposite side of the opening is made. A tubular evaporator 7 is attached to the outdoor surface. An ice making water tank 9 is provided below the ice making chamber, and a suction side of the motor pump 11 is arranged near the bottom of the ice making water tank 9. The discharge side of the motor pump is connected to the end of the hose 13, and the opposite end of the hose 13 connected to the motor pump is connected to a sprinkler 14 arranged above the ice making chamber. Further, an ice guide plate 15 is fixedly provided between the ice making chamber 1 and the ice making water tank 9 so as to block a passage to the ice making water tank 9. The ice guide plate 15 is provided with a large number of holes to allow the ice making water to pass therethrough, but the ice falling during deicing cannot pass through the ice making water tank 9 and is stored in an ice storage (not shown). It is designed to slip off. The ice-making water in the ice-making water tank 9 is pumped into the hose 13 by the motor pump 11, rises, and then is discharged from the sprinkler 14 above the ice-making chamber 1. Then, it flows from the uppermost part of the ice making chamber 1 into the uppermost ice making chamber, where it is cooled by the evaporator 7 and gradually frozen from the inner wall surface of the ice making chamber 3. The ice-making water that has not reached freezing flows down to the next ice-making small chamber 3 along the inner surface of the ice-making small chamber 3 or the surface of the ice, and is cooled there again. Then, as shown by the arrow in the figure, the ice-making water that has flowed into the ice-making small chamber 3 below one after another is not frozen, and the ice-making water from the lower end of the ice-making chamber 1 is perforated or creviced in the ice guide plate 15. It returns to the ice making water tank 9 through the.

However, the ice produced by this ice-making machine had a major drawback. That is, the connecting portion 17 between the ice pieces made in each ice making chamber becomes thick. If the connecting portion 17 becomes thick, even if the ice is removed and falls into the ice storage, the ice may not be separated but may be stored as ice just by the impact of the fall. In that case,
It is very inconvenient for the user to break the ice when using it. It was also a bad factor in evaluating the performance of the ice making machine. In order to prevent this, there is a measure to end the ice making process before the connecting portion 17 becomes thick, but this time, since the ice making time is short, a large dented portion 19 remains in the central portion of the ice, which improves the problem. I couldn't do it.

Therefore, the applicant of the present application filed on March 4, 1994 as a Japanese Patent Application No. 6-60030 for the following vertical ice machine. That is, in this ice making machine shown in FIG. 8, a tiltable water tray 31 having a structure described later is used instead of the cover so that the ice pieces are not connected to each other. In addition, the structure of the ice making water tank 33 has been changed accordingly. still,
The structure for pumping the ice making water in the ice making water tank above the water tray is almost the same as that of the ice making machine of FIG. 7.

The whole structure of the water tray 31 is a vertically arranged hollow dish-like member, and a front wall 35 is provided at a slightly recessed portion on the side facing the ice making chamber 1. An injection port 37 is provided at a position of the front wall 35 facing each ice making chamber 3 during ice making, and the ice making water in the ice making channel inside the front wall 35 enters the ice making chamber 3 from the injection port 37. Supplied. Further, the front wall 35 is provided with a plurality of return ports (not shown) so that ice making water that has not been frozen during ice making can return to the water tray 31 through the return ports. At the time of ice making, the front wall 35 and the outer frame of the ice making chamber 1 contact or come close to each other, and the inside surrounded by the ice making chamber 1 and the front wall 35 is kept substantially liquid-tight. Therefore, the ice-making pieces are connected to each other by a connecting portion whose maximum thickness is the difference in which the lattice (partition plate) for partitioning the small ice-making chamber 3 terminates on the inner side of the outer frame of the ice-making chamber 1. Therefore, the depressions are small, and the thickness of the connecting portion between the ice pieces is suitable for making ice.

However, the fact that the fixed ice guide plate used in FIG.
It was difficult to realize. The reason is that a mechanism for driving the water tray 31 is provided between the ice making chamber 1 and the ice making water tank 33, and when the water tray 31 is opened / closed by this drive mechanism, it becomes an obstacle. (See FIG. 9). Further, even if the ice guide plate is provided below the tip of the water tray 31 at the time of ice making, the ice making water tank 33, the ice storage 51, etc. are arranged at the lower portion or the volume ( It is necessary to reduce the capacity itself, and as a result, the size of the ice making machine as a whole becomes large, or it becomes inconvenient to take out ice, and in any case, the evaluation of the ice making machine is deteriorated.
Another reason is that when the ice dropped during deicing collides with the ice guide plate lowered downward and shatters, the fragments adhere to the water tray 31, the ice making chamber 1, the water tray drive mechanism and the like. , Water tray 3
This is because it will block the closing of 1 and waste ice.

Therefore, the structure of the ice making water tank 33 has been specially devised so that the ice can be stored separately from the water without using the ice guide plate. That is, in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the ice making water tank 33 is provided so that the falling ice 47 does not enter the ice making water tank 33 because there is no ice guide plate.
Has a through passage 33a in the center and a water receiving portion 33b around the through passage 33a.
It has a rectangular ring shape and has an ice 47 through the passage 33.
Water enters the ice storage 51 through a and is guided to the water receiving portion 33b. More specifically, the inner peripheral edge 43 of the ice making water tank 33 is arranged close to the frame 45 which is out of the falling passage of the ice 47, and the ice making water 39 which has not been frozen at the time of ice making is stored in the ice making water tank 33.
The lower tip 41 of the water tray 31 is shaped like a "kettle spout" so that it can flow down to the water receiving portion 33b (see FIG. 9). Further, the water receiving portion 33b of the ice making water tank is located just below the lower tip 41 of the water tray 31 during deicing, and it is taken into consideration that falling water does not enter the ice storage 51.

Thus, although the drawbacks of the ice maker of FIG. 7 have been improved, new problems may occur in this ice maker. That is, in FIG. 8, when the ice is released from the small ice making chamber 3, hot gas is flown into the tubular evaporator 7 to melt the contact portion of the ice with the wall surface of the small ice making chamber, but the inner peripheral edge 43 approaches the frame 45. Therefore, the water 49 melted at this time may fall into the ice storage 51 from the lower end of the ice making compartment 3. The water 49 that has fallen comes into contact with the ice stored in the ice storage 51 and re-freezes to solidify the ice, making it difficult to take out the water when using it, or as described above, the user breaks it up each time. Must be used. Or, the outer shape of the ice may be deformed, which may adversely affect the aesthetic appearance, causing a problem such as a decrease in the commercial value of the ice. Further, there is a possibility that the ice 47 is separated during the fall and falls into the water receiving portion 33b.

[0010]

In the conventional vertical type ice making machine having the water tray, as described above, even if the ice guiding member is provided, the water tray is provided between the ice making chamber and the ice making water tank. Since the driving mechanism is provided, it also hinders the opening and closing of the water tray, which makes it difficult to arrange. For example, even if the water tray is lowered downward, the ice making water tank and Either the ice storage, etc. will be lowered or the volume (volume) will be reduced, which will either increase the size of the ice making machine as a whole or make it inconvenient to take out the ice. Evaluation of the machine will be reduced. In addition, as another problem, when the ice that has fallen during deicing collides with the ice guide plate that is lowered downwards and shatters, the debris, a water dish, an ice making room,
It adheres to the water tray drive mechanism and the like, which obstructs the closing of the water tray and wastes ice, making it virtually impossible to install the ice guide member.

However, without the ice guiding member,
The ice-making water melted in the deicing process falls into the ice storage and re-freezes there to solidify the ice, or melts and deforms the surface of the ice to damage the commercial value of the ice, and is collected during de-icing. If the ice is separated during the fall, it will be scattered and enter the ice-making water tank.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the vertical ice making device is provided with the rotatable ice guide member so as to suitably separate the ice and the water without obstructing the opening and closing of the water tray or increasing the size of the device. The purpose is to provide a machine.

[0013]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a vertical ice-making machine of the present invention has a plurality of small ice-making chambers which are opened in the horizontal direction and which is arranged in the vertical direction, and An ice making water tank arranged below the ice making chamber and a vertically arranged tiltable portion between the closed position and the open position of the opening so as to open and close the opening of the ice making small chamber, and the ice making small chamber is formed in each of the ice making small chambers. A water tray provided with a fountain for supplying water, which receives return water from each of the ice making compartments, a water tray driving mechanism for tilting the water tray, and an ice storage tank arranged in the vicinity of the ice making water tank. A storage, an ice guide member rotatably arranged below the ice making chamber and above the ice making water tank, and when the water tray tilts from the closed position to the open position,
When the ice guide member is rotated so as to come close to the boundary between the ice making water tank and the ice storage and the water tray is tilted from the open position to the closed position, the ice guide member is moved to the water tray. An ice guide member rotating mechanism arranged in a rotating region of the ice guide member so as to rotate to a position that does not hinder tilting, and the water tray drive mechanism is provided directly below the ice making chamber. A rotating shaft extending across the ice making chamber in the width direction, a drive motor coupled to the rotating shaft, and a pair of levers whose base ends are fixed to the rotating shaft at positions separated from both sides of the ice making chamber. And a pair of springs stretched between the ends of the pair of levers and both sides of the water tray,
The ice guiding member rotating mechanism is attached to the rotating shaft so as to be able to come into contact with the ice guiding member, and the ice guiding member is loosely fitted on the rotating shaft and is supported by being suspended.

The ice guiding member rotating mechanism includes a body portion with a screw hole attached to the rotating shaft, and a screw screwed into the screw hole so as to project from the body portion. The member has a plate-shaped main body portion and a gap forming portion that projects from the plate-shaped main body portion toward the water tray and abuts on the water tray when the water tray is in the closed position.

The ice-making water tank has an ice drop passage from the ice-making chamber to the ice storage in the center of the ice-making water tank.
Having a cross section of a V-shape or a "B" shape,
The inner wall of the ice making water tank that defines the ice falling passage is
In addition to the above, the plate-shaped main body portion of the ice guiding member also projects the ice making water tank toward the inner wall side. The lower end may be curved in a V shape.

[0016]

In the deicing step of the ice making machine of the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, the water tray is tilted by the water tray drive mechanism from the closed position where the opening of the ice making chamber is substantially closed to the open position. It Along with this tilting, the ice guide member is rotated by the ice guide member rotating mechanism such that the lower end portion thereof is close to the boundary between the ice making water tank and the ice storage. Therefore, the ice separated from each of the small ice-making chambers of the ice-making chamber is stored in the ice storage under the action of the ice guide member regardless of the separated or dropped state. Further, the melted ice water generated in the deicing step flows into the ice making water tank without being guided to the ice storage by this ice guiding member.

On the other hand, in the ice making process, the water tray is moved from the open position to the closed position. At the time of this tilting, the ice guide member is rotated to a position that does not interfere with the tilting of the water tray under the action of the ice guide member rotating mechanism. Thus, the ice making water that circulates via the water tray during the ice making process smoothly returns to the ice making water tank. When the ice guide member is loosely fitted to the rotary shaft of the water tray drive mechanism and the ice guide member rotating mechanism is provided on the rotary shaft, even if the rotary shaft is rotated outside the certain angle range. The ice guide member does not rotate and is in a free state. In other words, the ice guide member is rotated only within a certain angular range before and after the angular position of the rotating shaft when the water tray is at the open position. Further, as the ice guide member rotating mechanism, if the main body having a screw hole is provided on this rotating shaft and the screw is adjustably screwed, the length of the screw protruding from the main body is changed. It is possible to change the rotation angle range of the ice guide member. Further, when the ice guide member is provided with a gap forming portion that abuts against the water tray when the water tray is in the closed position, it is possible to ensure that the ice tray is between the water tray and the plate-shaped main body of the ice guiding member. Since a gap is formed in the water, the flow of the circulating water from the water tray to the ice making water tank is not obstructed. In this case, the plate-shaped body of the ice guiding member is
If the bottom end of the ice-making water tank is curved in a V shape so as to project to the side of the inner wall that defines the ice falling passage in the center of the ice-making water tank, the plate-like main body part above the bottom end Is inclined to the ice storage side, which is convenient for guiding the falling ice.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts. FIG. 1 is a diagram of a state of an ice making process of an ice making machine of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram of a state of a deicing process of an ice making machine of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an ice guiding member and an ice guiding member. It is an exploded perspective view showing how a rotation mechanism is attached to the axis of a drive. FIG. 4 is a diagram specifically showing the position of the ice guiding member in FIG. 1.

In FIG. 1, an ice making chamber 105 extending in the vertical direction.
Are attached to the frame 123 by appropriate fastening means such as bolts 125. The ice making chamber 105 has a plurality of vertical and horizontal partition plates 105a, 10 that intersect at right angles.
It comprises a plurality of small ice making chambers 101 defined by 5b and an outer frame 105c, and each ice making small chamber 101 is opened in the horizontal direction. Of the partition plates, a partition plate 105b extending in the lateral direction is inclined downward in the vertical direction from the inner side of the ice making small chamber 101 toward the opening side.

Near the opening of the small ice making chamber 101, a water tray 1
03 are arranged vertically. The water tray 103 is rotatably supported on the frame 123 by a shaft 127 in the upper portion. The rotatable angle of the water tray 103 is limited by the operation and length of a cam lever and the like, which will be described later, and the contact with the outer frame 105c of the ice making chamber 105. Water dish 1
03 is a water supply channel 129, an ice making channel 131 and a pressure chamber 1
33 and 33. The lower part of the water tray is gutter-shaped,
Details of the gutter-shaped part 135 are as shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, the trough portion 135 is provided with a wall portion 137 laterally facing the frame 123 side. Further, an opening 139 having a required size is provided on the side surface adjacent to the wall portion 137. Referring again to FIG. 1, a plurality of fountain ports 141, each of which faces the one small ice making chamber 101, are formed in the wall of the ice making chamber 105 side which defines the ice making water passage 131. And one fountain 14
At least one return port (not shown) is formed in the periphery of 1. Further, the wall is the ice making chamber 1 in the embodiment.
05 is in contact with the outer frame 105c, but the ice making chamber 105
The partition plates 105a and 105b extending in the vertical and horizontal directions are separated from each other. That is, the partition plate is shorter than the outer frame. One end of the water supply pipe 145 is attached above the water supply passage 129, the other end communicates with the solenoid valve 143, and a water supply source (not shown) is provided upstream of the solenoid valve 143.

Below the ice making chamber 105, a water tray drive mechanism for operating the water tray 103 is provided. To describe with reference to the overall views of FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 and the exploded view of FIG. 3, first, the reversible motor (drive motor) 146 disposed at a required position below the ice making chamber 105 is a frame. 12
It is supported by a motor bracket 148 that is fixedly attached to the motor 3. At least one, in this embodiment, two cam levers (levers) 149 are attached to the motor shaft (rotating shaft) 147, which is the output shaft of this motor, with their base ends integrally fixed to the motor shaft 147. Has been. That is, the cam lever 149 is attached so as to tilt by the same angle as the rotation angle of the motor shaft 147.

Between the two cam levers 149, the two projections 119a with holes at the upper side are loosely inserted into the motor shaft 147, and hang down in a "pendulum" -like state with the motor shaft 147 as the axial center. An ice guide plate (ice guide member) 119 is arranged. The ice guide plate 119 may be, for example, a relatively rigid wire mesh having eyes of a size that does not allow ice to pass, or an appropriate hardness that has water absorbability and does not bend due to collision of ice. In the present embodiment, a plate-shaped stainless steel member having a large number of holes 117 having a size that does not allow ice to pass through is conceivable although various sponges and other substances may be used. The ice guide plate 119 is bent in a dogleg shape so that the lower end portion 119b thereof is substantially in contact with the inside edge of the ice making water tank 115 during deicing described later. In addition, the water tray 103 is provided on both sides of the ice guide plate 119.
A protruding portion (gap forming portion) 151 bent to the side is provided, and when the water tray 103 is in the closed position during the ice making process, only the protruding portion 151 abuts and the ice guide plate 119.
The plate-shaped main body 119c is separated from the water tray 103 to form a gap (see FIG. 4). Regarding the gap forming portion, it is not necessary to use the above-mentioned protruding portion 151, and the columnar member may be installed substantially vertically on the surface of the ice guide plate 119, or a screw hole may be formed at a predetermined position of the ice guide plate 119. , A screw protruding toward the water tray 103 side and screwed, or a magnetic material having the same polarity is arranged on both the water tray 103 and the ice guide plate 119 to form a gap with a repulsive force. May be used.

Further, in the present invention, an ice guide member rotating mechanism is provided, and its mounting member and position are arranged in the motion transmission path from the motor to the water tray 103, and the number of cam levers 149 and the like. It is possible, but
In this embodiment, it is integrally fixed to the motor shaft 147 at a position where it can be engaged with the ice guide plate 119. Therefore, the ice guide member rotating mechanism moves by the same angle as the rotating angle of the motor shaft 147. As shown in FIG. 3A, the structure of the ice guiding member rotating mechanism is such that the cylindrical main body portion 153 having “screw holes” whose movement direction of the ice guiding plate 119 is the direction of the thread cutting axis is It is attached to the motor shaft 147, and a screw 155 is screwed into the screw hole 154. In the case of the above, the amount of protrusion to the water tray 103 side can be adjusted by turning the screw 155. Further, the ice guide member rotating mechanism may be considered in addition to the above-described configuration, and in general, it is preferable that only a part of the outer shape has a protruding portion that is farther from the center of rotation than the other outer shape portions. As one such example, FIG.
There is an egg-shaped or claw-shaped member 156 as shown in FIG. The member 156 has a hole 156a through which the motor shaft 147 is inserted and a protruding outer shape portion 156b protruding more than the perfect circular outer shape portion 156c, and is integrally formed with the motor shaft 147.
That is, the motor shaft 147 is attached so as to rotate by the same angle as the rotation angle. Therefore, the true circular outer shape portion 156c, which is a substantially circular outer shape, does not contact the ice guiding member and thus does not rotate the ice guiding member, but as the rotation of the motor shaft 147 progresses. The projecting outer shape portion 156b comes into contact with the ice guiding member, whereby the ice guiding member is rotated to a predetermined tilt position.
The motor shaft 147 has a substantially leg-shaped shaft support member 157 fixed to the frame 123 by the vertical leg 157a.
It is inserted and supported in the cylindrical portion formed at the tip of the horizontal leg 157b.

With reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a lever piece 159 is integrally and fixedly attached to one of the cam levers 149. A switch 161 provided on the frame 123 is provided on the tilt locus of the lever piece 159. A spring holder 163 is provided at the tip of the cam lever 149. One end of the spring 165 is attached to the spring holder 163, and the other end is attached to a spring holder 167 provided below the water tray 103. There is. Therefore, at the time of ice making, the spring 165 is in a stretched state, and the water tray 103 is in contact with or close to the ice making chamber 105 due to the elastic force (tensile force).

Below the water tray 103, an ice making water tank 115 for collecting and storing the ice making water 113 and the like is arranged.
The ice making water tank 115 is provided with an ice drop passage 173 leading to the ice storage 109 in a portion that serves as a passage for falling ice, and a water receiving portion 169 around the ice fall passage 173 is provided.
The ice-making water that falls is collected or stored. That is, a square ring with a hole in the middle, "B"
It is a letter-shaped tank. By the way, a structure in which a part of the trough is not a ring shape but a “U” shape is acceptable, but in that case, the part that is broken is opposite to the opening 139 of the trough-shaped part 135 of the water tray 103 with the ice falling passage 173 interposed therebetween. The condition is to be on the side. At the bottom of the ice making water tank 115, an overflow pipe 171 is provided at a position where it does not interfere with a circulation pump 175 described later (in this embodiment, the position is a position facing the circulation pump 175 with the ice drop passage 173 interposed therebetween). It penetrates only the length and sticks out.

The circulation pump 175 disposed below the ice making water tank 115 has its suction side communicating with the bottom of the ice making water tank 115, and its discharge side being connected to one end of a circulation pipe 177. The other end of the circulation pipe 177 connected to the circulation pump 175 communicates with the pressure chamber 133 above the water tray 103.

Next, the operation of the ice making machine of the present invention will be described. First, the water supply to the ice making water tank 115 in the ice making machine according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. When the ice making step is completed and the deicing step is started, the water tray 103 is rotated to the open position as shown in FIG. When the water tray 103 is fully opened in this manner, the solenoid valve 143 is opened, and tap water is fed to the solenoid valve 14
3, the water enters into the water supply channel 129 of the water tray via the water supply pipe 145, and is supplied to the ice making water tank 115 from the trough-like portion 135 at the lower end of the inclined water tray 103 as shown in FIG. The solenoid valve 143 is held in this open state for 90 seconds, then closed and the water supply is also temporarily stopped. When the ice in the ice making chamber 105 is separated due to the progress of the deicing process, the temperature of the ice making chamber rises. Therefore, a sensor (not shown) provided in the ice making chamber 105 detects the temperature rise as completion of deicing, and the water tray 103 Rotates from the tilted state shown in FIG. 2, ie, the open position, to the vertical state shown in FIG. 1, ie, the closed position, and the ice making machine enters the ice making process. In this embodiment, the solenoid valve 143 is set to be opened again when the water tray 103 starts to be closed, so that the water supply is performed again as described above, but the water supply amount per unit time through the solenoid valve is increased. Since the number of the openings is not so large, the wall portion 137 of the trough-shaped portion 135 shown in FIG. 5 is not exceeded, and the opening 139 of the trough-shaped portion 135 is kept until the water tray 103 is completely closed.
After that, the water is stored in the ice making water tank 115. More specifically, as described above, the ice making water tank 115 is
Since it has a V-shaped or "B" -shaped cross section, water from the opening 139 at the end of the trough is received in the ice-making water tank 115. When the water tray 103 reaches the closed position, the ice maker starts the ice making process as described above, but the solenoid valve 143 is kept open, and the valve is closed 15 seconds after the water tray is fully closed. . At this time, the ice making water tank 115
The level of ice-making water inside is a constant level defined by the overflow pipe 171.

When the water tray 103 is in the closed position, especially for 15 seconds until the solenoid valve 143 is closed again, the water tray 103 is closed.
In the trough-shaped portion 135, water supply through the solenoid valve 143,
As will be described later, a part of the ice making water pumped by the circulation pump 175 flows in, so that the amount of water increases and the gutter-shaped portion 1
35 not only falls through the opening 139, but also the gutter-shaped portion 13
5 falls over the lateral wall portion 137 of 5. In the embodiment of the present invention, a gap is formed between the wall portion 137 and the ice guide plate 119 by the above-mentioned protruding portion 151 contacting the wall portion 137, so that the wall portion 137 is formed. The above-mentioned flow that has passed is smoothly flowed into the ice making water tank 115 without being disturbed by the ice guide plate 119.

In the ice making process, referring to FIG.
The ice making water 113 in the ice making water tank 115 is the circulation pump 1
Is discharged into the circulation pipe 177 by the operation of 75,
Raise the circulation pipe 177 as shown by the solid arrow,
It is guided to the pressure chamber 133 above the water tray 103. Ice-making water 113 in the pressure chamber 133 extending in the width direction perpendicular to the paper surface.
Flows into the ice making channel 131 from a small hole (not shown), a part of the water is sprayed from each fountain port 141 into the ice making chamber 101, and the rest is further supplied from the end of the ice making channel 131.
Run down to 9. The ice making water 113 jetted into the ice making small chamber 101 is deprived of heat by the evaporator 111 and gradually freezes. At this time, ice-making water that did not freeze up 11
3 flows back into the water supply passage 129 from another return passage (not shown) through another water passage. Then, the ice-making water 113 collected in the gutter-shaped portion 135 below the water tray 103 rides over the wall portion 137 as described above and falls into the ice-making water tank 115 through the opening 139.

The ice making water tank may be of a type in which the lower limit water level is detected to complete the ice making process. When a sensor (not shown) detects the completion of ice making in the ice making chamber 105, the deicing process is started. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the circulation pump 175 is stopped and the motor shaft 147 of the drive device is rotated. Cam lever 149 fixed integrally with motor shaft 147
Rotates clockwise around the motor shaft 147 in FIG. 1 to contract the spring 165. Then, during the ice making process, the water tray 103 that has closed the ice making chamber 105 by the elastic force of the spring 165 separates from the ice making chamber 105 by the cam action of the cam lever 149, and at the same time, the spring 165.
In addition to the decrease in the elastic force of the spring 165, as the spring 165 moves leftward in the drawing, the upper shaft 127 is tilted and separated clockwise toward the fully open position as shown in FIG. . Further, the main body portion 153 having the screw hole 154 portion integrally fixed to the motor shaft 147 and the screw 155 also rotate together with the above-described rotating cam lever 149 and eventually come into contact with the ice guide plate 119. Then, the ice guide plate 119 is rotated as it is while being pushed up. Therefore, the ice guide plate 119 is tilted to a suitable position near the edge of the ice making water tank 115. By the way, at the same position, the amount of protrusion is changed by turning the screw 155 in the manner of tightening or loosening the screw, and it is possible to adjust it according to the relative positional relationship between the ice making water tank 115 and the ice making chamber 105. .
On the other hand, the lever piece 159 integrally fixed to the cam lever 149 also rotates together with the motor shaft 147 at the same angle and in the same direction as the cam lever 149, and the water tray 103 is moved to the position shown in FIG.
When it is fully opened, the switch 161 attached to the frame 123 is switched to stop the driving device (see FIG. 2). In this way, as shown in FIG. 2, the ice guide plate 119 is held at a suitable position during deicing. The mounting angle of the lever piece 159 to the cam lever 149 is closely related to the movement of the water tray 103. However, by conducting a preliminary experiment or the like, as described above, the water tray 103 is fully opened or fully opened. It is assumed that the switch 161 is designed to be switched immediately after closing.

Further, when the deicing step is started, hot gas is caused to flow in the evaporator 111. As a result, the ice in each ice-making small chamber 101 is melted from the contact surface with the ice-making small chamber 101, and since the horizontal partition plate 105b is inclined downward, it passes through the ice drop passage 173 in the center of the ice-making water tank 115. And falls into the ice storage 109 by its own weight. At this time, even if the ice 107 tries to drop toward the water receiving portion of the ice making water tank 115, it is blocked by the ice guide plate 119 and guided to the ice storage 109. In addition, since the ice guide plate 119 is extremely close to the ice making chamber 105 and has a steep inclination, even if the ice 107 collides with the ice guide plate 119, it is unlikely to be severely crushed.

The water produced by melting in the ice making chamber 101 during the deicing process is from the bottom end of the ice making chamber 105 to the ice guide plate 119.
It falls to the ice making water tank 115 without dropping to the ice storage 109, from the hole 117 provided there, or along the ice guide plate 119, and from the lower edge. Further, the ice making water tank 115 is provided below the water tray 103 at the fully open position and below the opening 139 of the tilting water tray 103.
Since there is a water receiving portion 169 of the
The tap water supplied for 0 seconds, the tap water supplied during the tilting of the water tray 103 from the fully open position to the fully closed position, and the ice making water remaining in the water tray 103 without being completely dropped are also stored in the ice storage 109. Without falling, the water is collected in the water receiving portion 169 of the ice making water tank 115.

Thus, the deicing step is completed, and the motor shaft 147 of the drive unit is rotated in the opposite direction, and accordingly,
Cam lever 149, spring 165, lever piece 15
9, a base portion 153 having a nut portion and a screw 155
Causes the water tray 103 to close the opening of the ice making chamber 105 by the elastic force of the spring 165. At the same time, the tip of the lever piece 159 switches the switch 161 provided on the frame 123 again,
The drive is stopped (see Figure 1). At this time, the ice guide plate 119 rotates and descends counterclockwise in the drawing around the motor shaft 147 while balancing its own weight and the support of the screw 155.
When 55 is separated from the ice guide plate 119, the ice guide plate 119
Converges to a position where only gravity acts and stands still (see FIG. 4). Therefore, the ice guide plate 119 is rotatable,
Even if the ice removing condition from the ice making chamber 105 is bad and the ice is bitten between the ice guide plate 119 and the water tray 103, the ice immediately falls into the ice making water tank 115, and the closure of the water tray 103 is hindered. Does not mean

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. is there. For example, in the vertical ice making machine according to the modified embodiment shown in FIG. 6, only the structure different from that of the previous embodiment will be described.
3 has a mounting plate portion 223a that is inclined forward as a whole, that is, toward the water tray 103 side, and the ice making chamber 105 is mounted therein. In the case of this modified embodiment, the mounting plate portion 223a
Since the ice making chamber 105 also inclines in accordance with the inclination angle of (No. 7 is exaggerated in the drawing, the inclination angle may be about 7 °). Therefore, the center of gravity of ice in each ice making small chamber is also forward. Since it moves to, it becomes easier to remove the ice during deicing.

[0035]

As described above, the vertical ice maker according to the present invention according to claim 1 has an ice guide member rotatably arranged below the ice making chamber and above the ice making water tank. When the plate is tilted from the closed position to the open position, the ice guide member is rotated so as to be close to the boundary between the ice making water tank and the ice storage, and when the water plate is tilted from the open position to the closed position, Since the ice guide member is provided with an ice guide member rotating mechanism arranged in the rotation region of the ice guide member so as to rotate the ice guide member to a position that does not hinder the tilting of the water tray, during the deicing step The ice released from each ice making compartment of the ice making chamber is stored in the ice storage under the action of the ice guide member regardless of whether it is in the released or dropped state, and the melted ice water generated in the deicing process is Flows into the ice making water tank without being guided to the ice storage by the guide member On the other hand, when the water tray is tilted from the open position to the closed position for the ice making process, the ice guide member is rotated to a position that does not hinder the tilt of the water tray under the action of the ice guide member rotating mechanism. Thus, the ice making water that circulates via the water tray during the ice making process smoothly returns to the ice making water tank, so that water and ice are suitably separated without obstructing the opening and closing of the water tray, and as a result, Therefore, it is possible to solve the conventional problems such as a decrease in the commercial value of ice due to the solidification of ice and the change in shape of ice.

According to the vertical ice making machine of the second aspect, the ice guide member rotating mechanism is attached to the rotating shaft of the water tray drive mechanism so as to be able to contact the ice guide member. Since the guide member is loosely fitted to the rotation shaft and is supported by being suspended,
Since a special member is not required for pivoting the ice guiding member, not only can the device itself be prevented from becoming large-sized (in other words, if it is attempted to avoid making it large, the ice storage is small It is difficult to remove the ice, which can be avoided), and the ice should be used only in a certain angular range before and after the angular position of the rotating shaft when the water tray is in the open position. Since the guide member is rotated, even if ice is caught between the water tray and the ice guide member, the sandwiched ice can easily rotate the ice guide member and fall. Moreover, when the ice guide member and its rotation mechanism are provided on the rotary shaft of the water tray drive mechanism for tilting the water tray at the time of switching from the ice making process to the deicing process and vice versa, A stable operation of the ice guide member is obtained, and since the ice guide member is loosely fitted to the rotating shaft, low-temperature circulating water flows on the ice guide member during the ice making process and adheres to the ice guide member. Even if the water is cooled to such an extent that it freezes, the heat transfer is limited and the rotating shaft does not lock.

Further, according to the vertical type ice making machine of the third aspect, the ice guide member rotating mechanism has a body portion with a screw hole attached to the rotating shaft, and the body portion so as to project from the body portion. Since it has a screw that is screwed into the screw hole, the length of the screw protruding from the main body can be changed, and the rotation angle range of the ice guide member can be changed, so when the water tray is in the open position. The position of the ice guide member with respect to the ice making water tank can be optimally adjusted according to the manufacturing error of the ice making water tank or the like, the mounting error, and the like.

Further, in the vertical type ice making machine according to the fourth aspect, the ice guiding member projects from the plate-shaped main body portion toward the water tray, and when the water tray is in the closed position. Since there is a gap forming portion that abuts against the water tray, a gap is surely formed between the water tray and the plate-shaped main body of the ice guide member, so that ice making water can be smoothly transferred from the water tray to the ice making water tank. Can be returned to.

Finally, in the vertical type ice making machine according to the fifth aspect, the ice making water tank has a substantially "U" shape or "B" shape having an ice falling passage from the ice making chamber to the ice storage at the center thereof. The inner wall of the ice making water tank that defines the ice fall passage is inclined so that the cross-sectional area of the ice fall passage becomes wider as it goes downward. Since the plate-shaped main body is curved in a V shape at the lower end so as to project to the inner wall side,
Above the lower end, the plate-shaped main body is inclined toward the ice storage, so that the falling ice can be reliably guided into the ice storage.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view showing an ice making state of an ice making machine according to this embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an overall view showing an ice removing state of the ice making machine according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3A is an exploded perspective view illustrating an assembling state of a cam lever, a motor shaft, an ice guide plate, and an ice guide member rotating mechanism in the present embodiment, and FIG. 3B is an ice guide member rotation. It is a figure which shows the modified Example of a moving mechanism.

4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a cam lever, a spring, a lever piece, a switch and the like for driving the water tray are removed in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view below the water tray for explaining the gutter-shaped portion.

FIG. 6 is an overall view showing a deicing state of the ice making machine according to the present embodiment when the ice making chamber is attached at an angle.

FIG. 7 is an overall view showing a deicing state of a conventional ice making machine.

FIG. 8 is an overall view showing an ice making state in an example of an ice making machine having an ice guide member in a conventional ice making machine.

FIG. 9 is an overall view showing a deicing state in an example of an ice making machine having an ice guide member in a conventional ice making machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

101 ... Ice making chamber, 103 ... Water tray, 105 ... Ice making chamber, 109 ... Ice storage, 115 ... Ice making water tank, 11
9 ... Ice guide plate (ice guide member), 119b ... Lower end,
Reference numeral 119c ... Plate-shaped main body portion, 141 ... Fountain port, 146 ...
Reversible motor (drive motor, water tray drive mechanism), 147 ...
Motor shaft (rotary shaft, water tray drive mechanism), 149 ... Cam lever (lever, water tray drive mechanism), 151 ... Projection portion (gap forming portion), 153 ... Main body portion (ice guide member rotation mechanism), 154 ... Screw Hole (ice guide member rotation mechanism), 1
55 ... Screw (ice guiding member rotating mechanism), 165 ... Spring (water tray drive mechanism), 173 ... Fall passage (ice falling passage).

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An ice making chamber vertically arranged with a plurality of ice making small chambers opened horizontally, an ice making water tank arranged below the ice making chamber, and an opening of the ice making small chamber is opened and closed. As described above, it is provided in a vertical direction so as to be tiltable between the closed position and the open position of the opening, has a fountain port for supplying ice making water to each of the ice making compartments, and receives return water from each of the ice making compartments. A water tray, a water tray driving mechanism for tilting the water tray, an ice storage arranged near the ice making water tank, and a rotatably arranged below the ice making chamber and above the ice making water tank. When the ice guide member and the water tray are tilted from the closed position to the open position, the ice guide member is rotated so as to be close to the boundary between the ice making water tank and the ice storage, When the plate tilts from the open position to the closed position, A vertical ice making machine comprising: an ice guide member rotating mechanism disposed in a rotating region of the ice guide member so as to rotate the ice guide member to a position that does not hinder the tilting of the water tray. 2. The water tray drive mechanism comprises a rotary shaft extending right below the ice making chamber so as to cross the ice making chamber in the width direction, a drive motor coupled to the rotary shaft, and both side portions of the ice making chamber. A pair of levers whose base ends are fixed to the rotary shaft at a position deviated from the above, and a pair of springs stretched between the tip ends of the pair of levers and both side portions of the water tray. The member rotating mechanism is attached to the rotating shaft so as to be able to contact the ice guiding member, and the ice guiding member is
The vertical ice making machine according to claim 1, wherein the vertical ice making machine is loosely fitted to and supported by the rotary shaft. 3. The ice guide member rotating mechanism comprises a main body portion with a screw hole attached to the rotary shaft, and a screw screwed into the screw hole so as to project from the main body portion. The vertical ice machine described in 2. 4. The ice guide member has a plate-shaped main body portion, and a gap formed to project from the plate-shaped main body portion toward the water tray and contact the water tray when the water tray is in the closed position. The vertical ice maker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: 5. The ice making water tank has a substantially U-shaped or R-shaped cross-sectional shape having an ice falling passage from the ice making chamber to the ice storage in the center thereof. The inner wall of the ice making water tank that is defined is inclined so that the cross-sectional area of the ice drop passage becomes wider as it goes downward, and the plate-shaped main body portion of the ice guiding member is closer to the inner wall. The vertical ice maker according to claim 4, which is curved in a V shape at the lower end so as to project in the direction of the arrow.