JPH0842945A - Icemaker - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To continuously make ice from subcooling water while holding the thermal efficiency at the time of making ice high by eliminating the closing of a discharge nozzle at the time of detecting the closure of the nozzle by providing detecting means for detecting that the nozzle is closed due to icing of subcooled icemaking water in the nozzle. CONSTITUTION:An icemaker 1 makes ice by icing icemaking water to be circulated to the second channel of a subcooler 3 by an icemaking water circulating unit 5 with brine circulated to the first channel of the subcooler 3 by a brine circulating unit 6, and comprises a detecting plate 14 rotatably mounted at a position isolated by a predetermined distance from a discharge nozzle 7 in an ice storage tank 2. A detecting switch 15 is disposed at the position near the plate 14. When the switch 15 detects that the icemaking water discharged from the nozzle 7 flies to the plate 14, the closure of the nozzle 7 by the ice iced in the nozzle 7 is decided, the energization of a heater H is started to eliminate the closure.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ice making device capable of making ice by discharging ice making water supercooled from a discharge nozzle through a supercooler, and more particularly to a supercooled ice making device in the discharge nozzle. It is possible to detect that water has frozen and the discharge nozzle has been blocked, and at the time of detection it is possible to release the blockage of the discharge nozzle due to ice that has frozen, thereby maintaining high thermal efficiency during ice making and from supercooled water. The present invention relates to an ice making device capable of continuously making ice.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, various ice making devices have been proposed for making ice in various forms using supercooled water. For example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-141824, a supercooling type in which water is cooled to a supercooled state through a refrigerating device and the supercooled state is released by a supercooling releasing means to produce sherbet-like ice water An ice making device is described, and in particular, an outlet nozzle for discharging supercooled water is provided with a heating means such as an electric heater to keep the outlet nozzle at a temperature at which the supercooled water does not start to freeze, Describes an ice making device which prevents freezing of supercooled water and prevents the outlet nozzle from being blocked. In such an ice making device,
At the time of ice making, the heating means is constantly heated so that the supercooled water does not freeze at the outlet nozzle.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional ice making device, there is no means for detecting whether or not the outlet nozzle is blocked by the freezing of supercooled water, and therefore, the outlet nozzle is provided. The heating means is always heated when ice is produced regardless of whether or not the outlet nozzle is closed. As a result, heat is constantly applied to the supercooled water discharged from the outlet nozzle via the heating means, resulting in a problem that the thermal efficiency during ice making becomes extremely poor.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and detects that the supercooled ice-making water is frozen in the discharge nozzle and the discharge nozzle is blocked, and at the time of the detection. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ice making device capable of releasing blockage of a discharge nozzle due to frozen ice and thereby continuously producing ice from supercooled water while maintaining high thermal efficiency during ice making.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a subcooler having a double structure including a first flow path portion and a second flow path portion, and a brine cooling device for cooling brine. A brine circulating device for circulating the brine cooled by the brine cooling device along the circulation path returning from the first flow path portion of the subcooler to the brine cooling device, the ice storage tank, and the ice making water in the ice storage tank. An ice making water circulation device that circulates along a circulation path returning from the second flow passage portion of the subcooler to the ice storage tank, and ice making water circulation through the brine circulated in the first flow passage portion by the brine circulation device. An ice making water discharge nozzle continuously provided in the second flow passage of the subcooler in an ice making device for producing ice by freezing ice making water circulated in the second flow passage by the device. , The ice making water is discharged inside the ice making water discharge nozzle. The ice-making water discharge nozzle is provided with a detection means for detecting whether the ice-making water discharge nozzle is blocked by tying, and the heating means is provided in the ice-making water discharge nozzle, and the heating means discharges the ice-making water through the detection means. It has a configuration to be heated when clogging of the nozzle is detected.

Further, the detecting means is arranged apart from the ice making water discharge nozzle and is arranged close to the detecting plate, which is movable by receiving the ice making water discharged from the ice making water discharge nozzle. The detection switch may be configured to perform switching in response to the movement of the detection plate. Further, the detection means may be composed of a splash detector which is disposed at the tip of the ice making water discharge nozzle and detects a splash of ice making water scattered from the ice making water discharge nozzle.

Further, the detecting means may be composed of a pressure sensor arranged in a circulation path in the ice making water circulation device. Further, the ice-making device is arranged below the ice-making water discharge nozzle in the ice-making tank and receives ice generated by freezing of the ice-making water, and an ice container whose bottom is formed like a net, and below the ice container. A residual water tray that is placed to receive the ice making water that has flowed down from the bottom of the ice container, a discharge pipe that is provided at the bottom of the residual water tray to discharge the ice making water from the residual water tray, and a discharge pipe that is arranged in the middle of the discharge pipe. And a flow rate detector that detects the flow rate of the ice-making water discharged from the device.

[0008]

In the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, when the ice is made from the supercooled water, the brine cooled by the brine cooling device is cooled by the brine circulation device from the first flow path portion of the supercooler. It is circulated along the circulation path back to the device. At the same time, the ice making water in the ice storage tank is circulated through the ice making water circulation device along the circulation path returning from the second flow path portion of the subcooler to the ice storage tank. Then, the ice-making water circulated in the second flow path portion is supercooled through the brine circulated in the first flow passage portion, and the ice-making water is frozen by eliminating the supercooled state of the supercooled ice-making water. Is produced to produce ice.

During such ice making, the supercooled ice making water is discharged from an ice making water discharge nozzle continuously provided in the second flow passage of the supercooler, and the ice making water is released based on the elimination of the supercooled state at the time of discharge. The water is frozen, and while the ice making water is being discharged from the ice making water discharge nozzle, it is detected through the detection means whether the ice making water is frozen inside the discharge nozzle and the nozzle is clogged. When the detection means detects the blockage of the ice-making water discharge nozzle, the heating means arranged in the ice-making water discharge nozzle is heated. As a result, the blockage of the ice making water nozzle is released, and ice production is continuously performed.

At this time, when the detection means is composed of the detection plate and the detection switch, whether or not the ice making water discharge nozzle is blocked is detected as follows. That is, when ice-cooled water in a supercooled state starts to freeze at the tip of the ice-making water nozzle, the ice gradually freezes from the inner wall of the nozzle toward the center of the nozzle. As a result, the ice making water nozzle is gradually blocked by the ice. When the ice-making nozzle is closed in this way, the supercooled water is discharged from the nozzle with a constant discharge pressure. The water force in the area becomes large, and it is flown farther. As a result, the supercooled water flies to the detection plate, and the detection plate is moved by the water force to switch the detection switch. As a result, the blockage of ice making water is detected via the detection switch.

Further, when the detecting means is composed of a splash detector arranged at the tip of the ice making water discharge nozzle and detecting the splash of the ice making water scattered from the discharge nozzle, the ice making water discharge nozzle is closed. Whether or not it is detected is detected as follows. That is, when the ice-making water nozzle is closed in the same manner as described above, the ice grows unevenly in the discharge nozzle, so the ice formed on the inner wall of the tip of the discharge nozzle has fine irregularities. It is formed. Therefore, the ice making water ejected from the ice making water nozzle cannot be ejected in a certain direction, and is ejected while splashing in various directions. Thereby, the splash of ice-making water is detected via the splash detector, and the blockage of the ice-making water is detected based on the detection signal from the splash detector.

Further, when the detecting means is composed of a pressure sensor arranged in the circulation path in the ice making water circulating device, whether or not the ice making water discharge nozzle is blocked is detected as follows. That is, when the ice making water nozzle is blocked in the same manner as described above, the discharge area in the ice making water nozzle is reduced, and therefore the pressure in the circulation path increases corresponding to the blocked state. Thereby, the pressure increased in the circulation path is detected through the pressure sensor, and the blockage of the ice making water is detected based on the detection signal from the pressure sensor.

Further, the detecting means is arranged in the middle of the discharge pipe of the residual water tray for receiving the ice making water flowing down from the net bottom of the ice container, and detects the flow rate of the ice making water discharged from the residual water tray to the discharge pipe. When the ice-making water discharge nozzle is closed, it is detected as follows. That is, when the ice making water is normally discharged from the ice making water discharge nozzle, a predetermined amount of ice making water flows down from the ice container to the residual water tray, and accordingly, a predetermined amount of ice making water is discharged to the discharge pipe. On the other hand, when the ice making water nozzle is blocked in the same manner as described above, the discharge amount of the ice making water discharged from the ice making water nozzle is reduced, and accordingly, the ice making water discharged from the residual water tray to the discharge pipe is discharged. The amount will decrease.
Therefore, when the ice making water nozzle is blocked, the flow rate of the ice making water detected by the flow rate detector decreases in accordance with the closed state. Therefore, the ice making water is blocked based on the decrease in the detected flow rate. Is detected.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An ice making device according to the present invention will be described below in detail based on embodiments embodying the present invention with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 1 shows the ice making device according to the first embodiment.
This will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a schematic configuration of the ice making device, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing an enlarged inside of the ice storage tank. In FIG. 1, an ice making device 1 is provided in an ice storage tank 2 for making ice from supercooled water and storing the ice made by the ice, an upper portion of the ice storage tank 2, a brine flow path 3A outside, and an ice making inside. The subcooler 3 having a double tube structure in which the water channel 3B is formed, and the ice-making water stored in the ice-making water storage section 4 of the ice storage tank 2 is transferred from the ice-making water channel 3B of the supercooler 3 to the ice storage tank 2. It is composed of an ice making water circulating device 5 for circulating ice making water along a returning circulation path, and a brine circulating device 6 for circulating brine in the brine flow path 3A of the subcooler 3.

The subcooler 3 has a brine flow path 3A on the outside,
It has a double tube structure in which the ice making water channel 3B is provided inside, and since such a structure is known, the description thereof is omitted here. Further, one end of the supercooler 3 has an ice storage tank 2
The discharge nozzle 7 is connected to the ice making water flow path 3B from one end of the supercooler 3 facing the inside of the above.

The discharge nozzle 7 discharges the supercooled ice-making water in the ice-making water flow path 3B onto the ice container 8 arranged in the ice storage tank 2, and discharges onto the ice container 8. The ice-cooled water in the supercooled state is released from the supercooled state at the time of discharging and freezes on the ice container 8 to generate ice C. In addition, the bottom of the ice container 8 is formed in a net-like structure, so that the excess ice-making water that has not been frozen in the ice-making water discharged from the discharge nozzle 7 to the ice container 8 is moved downward from the bottom of the ice container 8. And is collected and stored in the ice making water storage unit 4. In addition, a heater H is attached to the tip of the discharge nozzle 7, and the heater H is caused by the ice making water being frozen in the discharge nozzle 7 by the subcooler 3, as described later. This is for melting the ice that has been frozen by being driven by heating when it is detected through the detection plate 14 and the detection switch 15 that the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked.

The ice making water circulation device 5 is composed of an ice making water feed pipe 9 for connecting the ice making water storage part 4 and the ice making water flow passage 3B, and an ice making water pump 10 arranged in the middle of the ice making water feed pipe 9. The ice making water stored in the ice making water storage portion 4 of the ice tank 2 is circulated so as to return from the ice making water flow passage 3B of the subcooler 3 to the ice making water storage portion 4. Further, the brine circulation device 6 includes a brine cooler 11 and a brine cooler 1.
From the brine feed pipe 12 that connects 1 to the brine flow passage 3A of the subcooler 3, and the brine pump 13 that circulates the brine cooled by the brine cooler 11 to the brine flow passage 3A via the brine feed pipe 12. Composed. As a result, the brine cooled to 0 ° C. or lower by the brine cooler 11 is supplied from the brine feed pipe 12 to the brine flow path 3 of the supercooler 3 by the action of the brine pump 13.
While being sent to A, it is circulated from the brine flow path 3A to the brine cooler 11 via the brine feed tube 12.
Thus, while the brine is circulated in the brine flow path 3A of the subcooler 3, the ice making water circulated in the ice making water flow path 3B through the ice making water circulation device 5 is supercooled in the subcooler 3. The supercooled ice-making water is put into a state, and when it is discharged from the discharge nozzle 7 onto the ice container 8, the supercooled state is released and freezing is started.

Next, the structure of a detection device which is arranged in the ice storage tank 2 and detects that the discharge nozzle 7 is closed due to freezing of ice making water will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, at positions separated from the discharge nozzle 7 by a certain distance,
The detection plate 14 made of a stainless plate or the like is attached to the upper wall of the ice storage tank 2 via the attachment member 14A. Mounting member 1
4A has a function of holding the detection plate 14 rotatably in the direction of arrow A in FIG. In addition, a position near the detection plate 14 (see FIG.
At the middle right position), the switch mounting plate 15A has the ice storage device 2
Is fixed to the upper wall of the switch mounting plate 15A.
A detection switch 15 is arranged in the. The detection switch 15 is composed of a micro switch and a pressure sensor. The mounting position of the switch mounting plate 15A is set within the range in which the detection plate 14 can move via the mounting member 14A as described above.

In the detecting device constructed as described above, as the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked by ice as described later, the ice making water flies linearly over the ice container 8 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the ice making water collides with the detection plate 14, and based on the collision of the ice making water, the detection plate 14 is rotated rightward in FIG. As a result, the detection switch 1
5 is for switching from the off state to the on state or vice versa to detect that the discharge nozzle 7 is being blocked by ice. The detection signal of the detection switch 15 is used as a heating drive signal of the heater H,
The heater H melts ice frozen in the discharge nozzle 7.

Next, the ice making device 1 constructed as described above.
The operation of will be described. When the ice making device 1 is turned on to start ice making, the ice making water stored in the ice making water storage part 4 of the ice storage layer 2 is supercooled from the ice making water feed pipe 9 via the ice making water pump 10. The ice making water is delivered to the ice making water channel 3B of the container 3, and the ice making water is further discharged from the ice making water channel 3B through the discharge nozzle 7 onto the ice container 8 in the ice storage layer 2. At the same time that the ice water circulation operation is performed, the brine cooler 11
The brine cooled to 0 ° C. or less by the above flows into the brine flow path 3A of the subcooler 3 from the brine feed pipe 12 via the brine pump 13, and is further circulated from the brine feed pipe 12 to the brine cooler 11.

When the cooled brine flows into the brine flow path 3A in this way, the ice making water flowing in the ice making water flow path 3B is cooled to a supercooled state via the brine, and the discharge nozzle 7 discharges the ice making water. At the time of discharging, the supercooled state is canceled and freezing starts on the ice container 8. Then, the frozen ice C is stored on the ice container 8. At this time, since the bottom part of the ice container 8 is formed in a net-like structure, the supercooled water that has not been completely frozen is allowed to flow downward from the bottom part and is collected in the ice-making water storage part 4.

As described above, while the ice-making water is being circulated and the brine is being circulated, ice C is produced from the supercooled water. It has the property of being easily dissolved and frozen. In particular, when the supercooled water is discharged at the tip of the discharge nozzle 7, pressure change, shock, and temperature change are likely to occur, which may cause freezing and block the inside of the discharge nozzle 7. high.

Therefore, when ice making water starts to freeze near the tip of the discharge nozzle 7 while ice is being made from the supercooled ice making water as described above, the ice gradually comes from the inner wall of the discharge nozzle 7. Freezing toward the center. As a result, the discharge nozzle 7 is gradually blocked by the ice.
At this time, the ice-making water is discharged from the discharge nozzle 7 through the ice-making water pump 10 at a constant discharge pressure. Therefore, the discharge area of the nozzle 7 is narrowed, so that the subcooling discharged from the nozzle 7 is performed. The water tide becomes stronger, and the ice-making water is thrown further away.

As a result, when the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked more than a certain limit, the supercooled ice making water is flown up to the detection plate 14 as shown in FIG. 2, and the detection plate 14 is attached to the mounting member 14A. It is rotated rightward in FIG. 2 through the action. As a result, the detection switch 15 is switched by the detection plate 14. The switching signal from the detection switch 15 is used as a detection signal, and the heater H is heated and driven based on the detection signal. The heater H is heated until the switching state of the detection switch 15 changes. By the heating of the heater H, the ice that has frozen in the discharge nozzle 7 is melted, and as a result, the operation of making ice from the ice making water can be continuously performed.

As described in detail above, in the ice making device 1 according to the first embodiment, the detecting plate 1 is attached by the mounting member 14A at a position separated from the discharge nozzle 7 in the ice storage tank 2 by a certain distance.
4 is rotatably mounted, and the detection switch 1 is provided near the detection plate 14 via a switch mounting plate 15A.
5, the detection plate 14 and the detection switch 1 indicate that the ice-making water discharged from the discharge nozzle 7 has flown to the detection plate 14.
By detecting it in cooperation with 5, it is detected that the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked by ice that has frozen inside,
Further, since the heater H is driven to be heated based on the detection signal from the detection switch 15, if the heater H is heated as needed when the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked by ice, the inside of the discharge nozzle 7 can be heated. Ice can be efficiently melted to continuously produce ice. As a result, the heater H
Unlike the conventional ice making device described above, there is no need to constantly heat the ice making process, and therefore, ice making can be performed with good thermal efficiency without adding extra heat to the supercooled ice making water. Is what you can do.

Further, in the ice making device 1 of the first embodiment, it is ensured that the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked by ice only by disposing the detection plate 14 and the detection switch 15 in the ice storage tank 2. The detection device for the discharge nozzle 7 can be embodied with a structure that enables detection and is simpler to manufacture and easier to maintain. In addition, the first
In the embodiment, the detection device for detecting the closed state of the discharge nozzle 7 is composed of the detection plate 14 and the detection switch 15. However, a detection plate having a plurality of temperature detection elements such as thermistors mounted on the detection plate 14 is used. It is also possible to use In this case, when the supercooled ice-making water ejected from the ejection nozzle 7 flies to the detection plate, the ice-making water is detected via the temperature detecting element, and the heater H is heated and driven based on the detection signal. In such a case, the switch mounting plate 15A and the detection switch 15 in the first embodiment are unnecessary.

Next, an ice making device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 3 shows the second
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a schematic configuration of an ice making device according to an embodiment, FIG. 4 is an explanatory view schematically showing a state in which ice making water is discharged from a discharge nozzle, and FIG. 4 (A) shows that ice making water is normally discharged. FIG. 4B is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the ice making water is being ejected when the ejection nozzle is closed. Further, FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the tip of the discharge nozzle is being closed.

The ice making device according to the second embodiment is basically
The ice making apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment has the same configuration as that of the ice making apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, and the same configuration as that of the ice making apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be referred to in the above description. Only the differences from the device 1 will be described. In FIG. 3, the same members as those of the ice making device 1 of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 3, the difference from the ice making device 1 of the first embodiment is that instead of the detection plate 14 and the detection switch 15, ice making water discharged from the discharge nozzle 7 is provided at the tip of the discharge nozzle 7. The point is that a droplet detector 16 is provided for detecting the droplets of the ice making water when the droplets are accompanied. As will be described later, the splash of ice-making water is generated when the ice-making water is discharged from the discharge nozzle 7 in a state where the tip end portion of the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked by the freezing of the ice-cooled water. Therefore, the droplet detector 16 constitutes a detection device for detecting whether or not the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked by ice, like the detection plate 14 and the detection switch 15 in the first embodiment. The other configurations are the same as those of the ice making device 1 of the first embodiment.

The droplet detector 16 is formed in a box shape from a metal plate or the like, and a plurality of temperature detecting elements such as thermistors are attached to the inner walls of the box. Since the ice-making water in the supercooled state is cooled to 0 ° C. or lower, when the splash of ice-making water collides with the inner wall of the detector 16, the ice-making water is sprayed via the temperature detecting element. Along with this, it is detected that the ink has been ejected. Further, when the droplet detector 16 is attached to the discharge nozzle 7, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the ice-making water is normally discharged from the discharge nozzle 7, a parabola is drawn to form the ice-water detector. It is attached so that it does not hit 16.

Next, the operation of the ice making device 1 according to the second embodiment having the above structure will be described. Ice maker 1
When the ice making is started by turning on the power of the ice making water, the ice making water stored in the ice making water storage section 4 of the ice storage layer 2 is passed through the ice making water pump 10 as in the case of the first embodiment. Is sent from the ice making water feed pipe 9 to the ice making water passage 3B of the subcooler 3, and the ice making water is further discharged from the ice making water passage 3B through the discharge nozzle 7 onto the ice container 8 in the ice storage layer 2. At the same time that the ice water circulation operation is performed, the brine cooler 11
The brine cooled to 0 ° C. or less by the above flows into the brine flow path 3A of the subcooler 3 from the brine feed pipe 12 via the brine pump 13, and is further circulated from the brine feed pipe 12 to the brine cooler 11.

When the cooled brine flows into the brine flow path 3A in this way, the ice making water flowing in the ice making water flow path 3B is cooled to a supercooled state through the brine, and the discharge nozzle 7 discharges the ice making water. At the time of discharging, the supercooled state is canceled and freezing starts on the ice container 8. Then, the frozen ice C is stored on the ice container 8. At this time, since the bottom part of the ice container 8 is formed in a net-like structure, the supercooled water that has not been completely frozen is allowed to flow downward from the bottom part and is collected in the ice-making water storage part 4.

While the ice-making water and the brine are being circulated as described above, the ice C is produced from the supercooled water, but the supercooled water is in a supercooled state due to a slight impact or a temperature change. It has the property of being easily dissolved and frozen. In particular, when the supercooled water is discharged at the tip of the discharge nozzle 7, pressure change, shock, and temperature change are likely to occur, which may cause freezing and block the inside of the discharge nozzle 7. high.

Therefore, when ice making water starts to freeze near the tip of the discharge nozzle 7 while ice is being made from the supercooled ice making water as described above, the ice gradually comes from the inner wall of the discharge nozzle 7. Freezing toward the center. As a result, the discharge nozzle 7 is gradually blocked by the ice.
At this time, the ice-making water is discharged from the discharge nozzle 7 through the ice-making water pump 10 at a constant discharge pressure. Therefore, the discharge area of the nozzle 7 is narrowed, so that the subcooling discharged from the nozzle 7 is performed. Although the water force of the water increases and the ice making water is blown away further, as shown in FIG. 5, ice C gradually adheres and grows on the inner wall of the discharge nozzle 7 with fine irregularities. Therefore, the discharge nozzle 7
The ice-making water discharged from the air cannot flow in a certain direction, and as shown in FIG. 4 (B), it will be discharged from the outlet of the discharge nozzle 7 while splashing in various directions. .

As a result, when the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked more than a certain limit, the supercooled ice making water is discharged as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the temperature detectors attached to the inner walls of the droplet detector 16 are used to detect whether the ice-making water discharged from the discharge nozzle 7 through the temperature detectors is discharged with droplets. Is. Then, the heating drive of the heater H is performed based on the detection signal from each temperature detection element of the droplet detector 16. The heating of the heater H is performed until the temperature detection element does not detect the droplet. By the heating of the heater H, the ice that has frozen in the discharge nozzle 7 is melted, and as a result, the operation of making ice from the ice making water can be continuously performed.

As described above in detail, in the ice making device 1 according to the second embodiment, the droplet detector 16 is arranged at the tip of the discharge nozzle 7 in the ice storage tank 2, and the droplet detector 16 makes ice-making water. By detecting the droplets from the discharge nozzle 7, it is detected that the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked by ice that has frozen inside, and further, the heater H is driven to be heated based on the detection signal from the droplet detector 16. Therefore, as in the first embodiment, if the heater H is heated as necessary when the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked by ice, the ice in the discharge nozzle 7 is efficiently melted and continuously iced. Can be manufactured. As a result, unlike the conventional ice making device, the heater H does not need to be constantly heated during the ice making process, and thus is good without adding extra heat to the supercooled ice making water. It is possible to make ice with high thermal efficiency.

In the ice making device 1 of the second embodiment, it is possible to reliably detect whether or not the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked by ice only by disposing the splash detector 16 at the tip of the discharge nozzle 7. Therefore, the detection device for the discharge nozzle 7 can be embodied with a structure that is easy to manufacture and easy to maintain. In the second embodiment, the droplet detector 16 is formed in a box shape, but the shape is not limited to such a shape, and it goes without saying that it may be formed in various shapes, for example, a cylindrical shape. . Further, although the droplet detector 16 detects the droplet through the temperature detecting element, a vibration sensor, for example, on the inner wall of the droplet detector 16,
A pressure sensor may be attached to detect vibration generated when the droplet hits the inner wall.

Next, an ice making device according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a schematic configuration of the ice making device according to the third embodiment. The ice making device according to the third embodiment is basically the same as the first embodiment and the second embodiment.
It has the same structure as the ice making device 1 according to the embodiment, and here, the same structure as the ice making device 1 of the first embodiment and the second embodiment is referred to the above description, and the first embodiment Only points different from the ice making device 1 of the second embodiment will be described. In FIG. 6, the same members as those of the ice making device 1 of the first and second embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 6, the difference from the ice making device 1 of the first and second embodiments is that the detection plate 1 of the first embodiment is different.
4. Instead of the detection switch 15 or the splash detector 16 of the second embodiment, the pressure sensor 17 is arranged in the ice making water supply pipe 9 which serves as a circulation path of the ice making water in the ice making water circulation device 5. That is the point. Such pressure sensor 17
As will be described later, when the ice-making water is discharged from the discharge nozzle 7 under the condition that the tip end portion of the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked by the freezing of the ice-cooled water, the pressure in the ice-making water feed pipe 9 is Based on the fact that the discharge nozzle 7 is high, the detection device for detecting whether or not the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked by ice is configured. In addition, about the other structure, it has the same structure as the ice making device 1 of 1st Example and 2nd Example. A known sensor can be used as the pressure sensor 17.

Next, the operation of the ice making device 1 according to the third embodiment constructed as described above will be explained. Ice maker 1
When the ice making is started by turning on the power source of the ice making water, the ice making water stored in the ice making water storage part 4 of the ice storage layer 2 is made in the same manner as in the first embodiment and the second embodiment. Water pump 10
From the ice making water feed pipe 9 to the ice making water passage 3 of the subcooler 3.
The ice making water is sent to the ice container 8 in the ice storage layer 2 through the discharge nozzle 7 from the ice making water channel 3B.
Simultaneously with the circulation operation of the ice making water, the brine cooled to 0 ° C. or less by the brine cooler 11 flows into the brine flow passage 3A of the subcooler 3 from the brine feed pipe 12 via the brine pump 13. Further, it is circulated from the brine feed tube 12 to the brine cooler 11.

When the cooled brine flows into the brine flow path 3A in this way, the ice making water flowing in the ice making water flow path 3B is cooled to a supercooled state through the brine, and the discharge nozzle 7 discharges the ice making water. At the time of discharging, the supercooled state is canceled and freezing starts on the ice container 8. Then, the frozen ice C is stored on the ice container 8. At this time, since the bottom part of the ice container 8 is formed in a net-like structure, the supercooled water that has not been completely frozen is allowed to flow downward from the bottom part and is collected in the ice-making water storage part 4.

While the ice-making water and the brine are being circulated as described above, ice C is produced from the supercooled water, but the supercooled water is in a supercooled state due to slight shock and temperature change. It has the property of being easily dissolved and frozen. In particular, when the supercooled water is discharged at the tip of the discharge nozzle 7, pressure change, shock, and temperature change are likely to occur, which may cause freezing and block the inside of the discharge nozzle 7. high.

Therefore, when the ice-making water starts to freeze near the tip of the discharge nozzle 7 while ice is being made from the supercooled ice-making water as described above, the ice gradually comes from the inner wall of the discharge nozzle 7. Freezing toward the center. As a result, the discharge nozzle 7 is gradually blocked by the ice.
At this time, the ice making water is discharged from the discharge nozzle 7 through the ice making water pump 10 at a constant discharge pressure. Therefore, the discharge area of the nozzle 7 is narrowed, so that the ice making water feed pipe 9 and the subcooling are performed. The internal pressure in the ice making water flow path 3B of the container 3 increases. Then, it is detected via the pressure sensor 17 that the internal pressures in the ice making water feed pipe 9 and the ice making water flow path 3B of the subcooler 3 have exceeded a certain pressure.

In this way, when the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked more than a certain limit, the increased internal pressure in the ice making water feed pipe 9 and the ice making water passage 3B of the subcooler 3 is passed through the pressure sensor 17. Is detected and the heating drive of the heater H is performed based on the detection signal from the pressure sensor 17. The heating of the heater H is performed until the pressure sensor 17 no longer detects an internal pressure above a certain level. By the heating of the heater H, the ice that has frozen in the discharge nozzle 7 is melted, and as a result, the operation of making ice from the ice making water can be continuously performed.

As described in detail above, in the ice making apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment, the pressure sensor 17 is arranged in the middle of the ice making water circulation path in the ice making water circulating apparatus 5, and the pressure sensor 17 causes the ice making water feed pipe 9 and the ice making water to flow. By detecting that the internal pressure of the water flow path 3B has reached a certain pressure or more, it is detected that the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked by ice that has frozen inside, and further based on the detection signal from the pressure sensor 17. Since the heater H is driven to heat, the discharge nozzle can be heated by heating the heater H as needed when the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked by ice, as in the first and second embodiments. The ice in 7 can be efficiently melted to continuously produce ice. This allows
Unlike the conventional ice making device, the heater H does not need to be heated at all times during the ice making, and therefore has a good thermal efficiency without adding extra heat to the supercooled ice making water. It is capable of making ice. Further, in the ice making device 1 of the third embodiment, it is possible to reliably detect whether or not the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked by ice only by disposing the pressure sensor 17 in the circulation path of the ice making water circulation device 5. As a result, the detection device for the discharge nozzle 7 can be embodied with a structure that is simple to manufacture and easy to maintain.

Next, an ice making device according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a schematic configuration of the ice making device according to the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged view showing the inside of the ice storage tank. The ice making device according to the fourth embodiment basically has the same configuration as the ice making device 1 according to the first to third embodiments, and here, the first embodiment and the second embodiment. The ice making device 1 of the third embodiment
With respect to the same configuration as the above, the above description will be referred to, and only the points different from the ice making device 1 of the first embodiment will be described. In FIG. 7, the same members as those of the ice making device 1 of the first, second, and third embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 7, the difference from the ice making device 1 of the first to third embodiments is that the detection plate 1 of the first embodiment is different.
4, the detection switch 15, the splash detector 16 of the second embodiment or the pressure sensor 17 of the third embodiment, and a residue for receiving the ice-making water which is arranged below the ice container 8 and flows down from the mesh bottom of the ice container 8. A water tray 18, a drainage pipe 19 provided at the bottom of the residual water tray 18, and a flow rate detector 20 disposed in the middle of the drainage pipe 19 for detecting the flow rate of the ice making water discharged through the drainage pipe are provided. That is the point.

The flow rate detector 20 is composed of a known flow meter, and the flow rate detector 20 is used when ice is made on the ice container 8 from the ice making water discharged from the discharge nozzle 7 during ice making. It is not used for ice making and flows down from the net bottom of the ice container 8 to the residual water tray 18, and detects the flow rate of the ice making water discharged from the discharge pipe 19 of the residual water tray 18. Here, the amount of ice-making water discharged from the discharge pipe 19 is, as will be described later, the ice-making water from the discharge nozzle 7 under the condition that the tip of the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked by the freezing of the ice-making water. Is reduced when discharging
Accordingly, in the flow rate detector 20, the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked by ice, like the detection plate 14, the detection switch 15 in the first embodiment, the droplet detector 16 in the second embodiment, and the pressure sensor 17 in the third embodiment. The detection device is configured to detect whether or not it has been performed. The other configurations are the same as those of the ice making device 1 of the first to third embodiments.

Next, the operation of the ice making device 1 according to the fourth embodiment constructed as described above will be explained. Ice maker 1
When the ice making is started by turning on the power of the ice making water, the ice making water stored in the ice making water storage section 4 of the ice storage layer 2 is passed through the ice making water pump 10 as in the case of the first embodiment. Is sent from the ice making water feed pipe 9 to the ice making water passage 3B of the subcooler 3, and the ice making water is further discharged from the ice making water passage 3B through the discharge nozzle 7 onto the ice container 8 in the ice storage layer 2. At the same time that the ice water circulation operation is performed, the brine cooler 11
The brine cooled to 0 ° C. or less by the above flows into the brine flow path 3A of the subcooler 3 from the brine feed pipe 12 via the brine pump 13, and is further circulated from the brine feed pipe 12 to the brine cooler 11.

When the cooled brine flows into the brine flow path 3A in this way, the ice making water flowing in the ice making water flow path 3B is cooled to a supercooled state via the brine, and the discharge nozzle 7 discharges the ice making water. At the time of discharging, the supercooled state is canceled and freezing starts on the ice container 8. Then, the frozen ice C is stored on the ice container 8. At this time, since the bottom of the ice container 8 is formed in a net-like structure, the supercooled water that has not completely frozen is allowed to flow downward from the bottom and stored in the residual water tray 18.

Here, when the ice-making water is normally discharged from the discharge nozzle 7, a certain amount of the ice-making water is frozen to the ice and the remaining excess ice-making water is received by the residual water tray 18. It is collected from the discharge pipe 19 into the ice making water storage section 4. At this time, the amount of ice-making water discharged from the discharge pipe 19 becomes a constant amount, so that the flow rate detector 20 always detects a predetermined flow rate value. As described above, ice C is produced from the supercooled water while the ice-making water is circulated and the brine is circulated. However, the supercooled water is released from the supercooled state due to a slight impact or temperature change. It has the property of being easily frozen. In particular, at the tip of the discharge nozzle 7, when discharging supercooled water, pressure change, impact, and temperature change easily occur,
Therefore, there is a high possibility that the inside of the discharge nozzle 7 will be easily blocked by freezing.

Therefore, when ice making water starts to freeze near the tip of the discharge nozzle 7 while ice is being made from the supercooled ice making water as described above, the ice gradually comes from the inner wall of the discharge nozzle 7. Freezing toward the center. As a result, the discharge nozzle 7 is gradually blocked by the ice.
At this time, the ice-making water is discharged from the discharge nozzle 7 through the ice-making water pump 10 at a constant discharge pressure. Therefore, the discharge area of the nozzle 7 is narrowed, so that the subcooling discharged from the nozzle 7 is performed. The water force of the ice making water becomes large, and the ice making water will be sprayed further away.

When the ice making water is spattered to a distant place in this way, the amount of ice making water discharged into the ice container 8 decreases, and the amount of ice making water flowing down to the residual water tray 19 accordingly. Decrease. Therefore, the amount of ice-making water discharged from the residual water tray 19 through the discharge pipe 20 is also reduced,
The flow rate of ice making water detected via the flow rate detector 20 decreases. Based on the fact that the flow rate detector 20 detects that the flow rate of the ice making water has decreased below a certain amount, whether or not the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked by ice is detected. Then, the heating drive of the heater H is performed based on the detection signal from the flow rate detector 20. Heater H
Is heated until the flow rate detector 20 no longer detects a flow rate below a certain amount. By the heating of the heater H, the ice that has frozen in the discharge nozzle 7 is melted, and as a result, the operation of making ice from the ice making water can be continuously performed.

As described above in detail, in the ice making device 1 according to the fourth embodiment, the residual water tray 18 is arranged below the ice container 8 to receive the ice making water flowing down from the mesh bottom of the ice container 8, and By detecting the flow rate of the ice-making water discharged from the residual water tray 18 through the discharge pipe 19 through the flow rate detector 20, it is detected that the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked by the ice frozen inside, Furthermore, since the heater H is driven to be heated based on the detection signal from the flow rate detector 20, when the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked by ice, as in the first to third embodiments. If the heater H is heated as needed, the ice in the discharge nozzle 7 can be efficiently melted and the ice can be continuously produced. As a result, unlike the conventional ice making device, the heater H does not need to be constantly heated during the ice making process, and thus is good without adding extra heat to the supercooled ice making water. It is possible to make ice with high thermal efficiency.

Further, in the ice making device 1 of the fourth embodiment, it is ensured that the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked by ice only by disposing the flow rate detector 20 in the discharge pipe 19 of the residual water tray 18. The detection device for the discharge nozzle 7 can be embodied with a structure that enables detection and is simpler to manufacture and easier to maintain.

In the fourth embodiment, the discharge pipe 19
Although it is configured to detect whether or not the discharge nozzle 7 is blocked by ice through the flow rate detector 20 provided in the above, as shown in FIG. 9, the residual water tray 18 can be moved vertically. , A weight detector 21 on the bottom wall of the residual water tray 18
May be provided, and the closed state of the discharge nozzle 7 may be detected by detecting the amount of ice-making water flowing down from the ice container 8 to the residual water tray 18 via the weight detector 21. Good. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, a temperature detector 22 is arranged on the upper surface of the bottom wall of the residual water tray 18, and it is possible to detect whether or not the ice making water has accumulated in the residual water tray 18 via the temperature detector 22. Thus, the closed state of the discharge nozzle 7 may be detected.

[0057]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is detected that supercooled ice making water is frozen in the discharge nozzle and the discharge nozzle is blocked, and the discharge nozzle is blocked by the frozen ice at the time of detection. It is possible to provide an ice making device that can be released and thereby continuously make ice from supercooled water while maintaining high thermal efficiency at the time of ice making, which is a great effect on the industry.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ice making device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing an enlarged interior of the ice storage tank.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ice making device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view schematically showing a state in which ice making water is discharged from a discharge nozzle, and FIG. 4 (A) is an explanatory view showing a state in which ice making water is normally discharged, and FIG. 4 (B). FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which ice making water is being discharged when the discharge nozzle is closed.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the tip of the discharge nozzle is being closed.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ice making device according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ice making device according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing an enlarged interior of the ice storage tank.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing another example replacing the flow rate detector in the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ice making device, 2 ... Ice storage tank, 3 ... Supercooler, 3A ... Brine flow path, 3B ... Ice making water flow path,
4 ... Ice making water storage part, 5 ... Ice making water circulation device, 6 ...
..Brine circulation device, 7 ... Discharge nozzle, 8 ...
Ice container, 9 ... Ice making water feeding pipe, 10 ... Ice making water pump, 11 ... Brine cooler, 12 ... Brine feeding pipe, 13 ... Brine pump, 14 ... Detection plate,
15 detection switch, 16 ... splash detector, 17 ...
Pressure sensor, 18 ... Remaining water tray, 19 ... Discharge pipe, 20 ... Flow rate detector, C ... Ice, H ... Heater

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A subcooler having a double structure consisting of a first flow path portion and a second flow path portion, a brine cooling device for cooling brine, and a brine cooled by the brine cooling device. A brine circulation device that circulates along a circulation path that returns from the first flow path portion to the brine cooling device, an ice storage tank, and ice-making water in the ice storage tank from the second flow path portion of the subcooler to the ice storage tank. And an ice making water circulation device that circulates along the returning circulation path, and is supercooled by being circulated to the second flow passage part by the ice making water circulation device via the brine circulated to the first flow passage part by the brine circulation device. In an ice making device that freezes ice making water to produce ice, the ice making water discharge nozzle continuously provided in the second flow path part of the supercooler and the ice making water freezes inside the ice making water discharge nozzle As a result, the ice-making water discharge nozzle was blocked A detection unit for detecting whether or not the heating unit is provided in the ice-making water discharge nozzle, and the heating unit is heated when blockage of the ice-making water discharge nozzle is detected via the detection unit. An ice making device characterized in that 2. The detection means is arranged apart from the ice-making water discharge nozzle and is movable in response to the ice-making water discharged from the ice-making water discharge nozzle, and is arranged close to the detection plate. The ice making device according to claim 1, further comprising a detection switch that is switched and that corresponds to the movement of the detection plate. 3. The splash detecting device is arranged at the tip of the ice-making water discharge nozzle and detects the splash of ice-making water scattered from the ice-making water discharge nozzle. 1. The ice making device according to 1. 4. The ice making device according to claim 1, wherein the detecting means comprises a pressure sensor arranged in a circulation path of the ice making water circulation device. 5. An ice container, which is arranged below the ice-making water discharge nozzle in the ice storage tank, receives ice generated by freezing of the ice-making water, and has a net-shaped bottom portion, and is arranged below the ice container. The residual water tray that receives the ice making water that has flowed down from the bottom of the ice container, the discharge pipe that is provided at the bottom of the residual water tray and that discharges the ice making water from the inside of the residual water tray, and the discharge pipe that is installed in the middle of the discharge pipe. The ice making device according to claim 1, further comprising a flow rate detector that detects a flow rate of the ice making water discharged.