JPS6214534Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention includes a water tray that rotates together with a water storage tank between a cell open position and a cell closed position, and an actuator that drives the water tray in both directions to the cell open position and the cell closed position. Regarding ice making machines equipped with an inverted cell type ice making mechanism that has a motor and a circulation pump that communicates with a water storage tank, and a cell that opens downward receives water for ice making from the circulation pump, it is particularly important to avoid water outages and water supply valves. This invention relates to an ice maker equipped with a water cutoff detection circuit that reliably stops the ice making operation of the ice maker when ice making water is not supplied to a water storage tank to a predetermined water level due to a water leak or the like.

The structure of an automatic ice maker conventionally incorporated into a vending machine is as shown in FIG. That is, ice-making water in the water storage tank 1 is pumped through a circulation pump (not shown) into a water pipe 2 provided at the top of the tank. The upper part of the water pipe 2 is a water tray 3, and the water tray is provided with a plurality of fountain holes 5 corresponding to a plurality of cells 4 (ice making sheds) located above the water tray. Therefore, the ice-making water forced into the water pipe 2 is fed into the cell 4 via the water fountain hole 5. Here, an evaporator 6, which is part of the refrigeration system, is disposed on the back side of the cell 4, and is designed to cool the cell 4 during ice-making operation and warm it during de-icing operation. Therefore, during ice-making operation, the ice-making water supplied from the fountain into the cell 4 is frozen by the cooling of the evaporator 6, and the unfrozen water for ice-making is returned to the water storage tank 1 and is again fed from the water pipe 2 to the cell 4 by the circulation pump. supply is becoming available.

When the ice in the plurality of cells 4 has grown sufficiently in this way, the completion of ice making is detected by a known ice making completion detection device, and the operation shifts to deicing operation. Moving axis 7
Rotate in the forward direction (counterclockwise in Fig. 1).
Here, an arm 8 is attached to the motor AM, one end of a spring 9 is attached to the upper end of the arm 8, and the other end of the spring is attached to the upper end of the water storage tank 1. Further, a changeover switch _S6 is provided close to the upper end of the arm 8, and the switch _S6 is opened and closed by rotating the arm in the forward and reverse directions.

Therefore, actuator motor in counterclockwise direction
When the rotating shaft 7 of the AM rotates, the water storage tank 1 and the water tray 3 rotate clockwise around the support part 10 and come to rest at a position where the tension of the spring 9 is balanced. Hot gas is then flowed into the evaporator 6, and the ice cubes in the cell 4 fall and come into contact with the water tray 3, after which they are stored in the ice storage 11. Then, when the removal completion is detected by the deicing completion thermometer Th ₃ (not shown in Figure 1),
The rotary shaft 7 of the actuator motor AM rotates clockwise to press the changeover switch _S6 , closing its contact and restarting the ice-making operation.

However, with this conventional vending machine, if the water supply is cut off or the tap water supply is extremely reduced,
The water tray 3 is completely restored and the ice-making operation is started in a state where sufficient ice-making water is not supplied to the water storage tank 1 or there is no ice-making water at all. As a result, no ice is formed in the cell 4, and the temperature of the evaporator 6 drops rapidly compared to normal ice-making operation, reaching the predetermined detection temperature, and the ice-making thermometer Th ₂ (Fig. (not shown) detects this and detects the completion of ice making. As a result, the water tray 3 is lowered by the rotation of the rotation shaft 7 of the actuator motor AM (that is, it comes to the position during deicing operation), and ice making and deicing operation starts even though no ice cubes are formed. This has resulted in damage to the ice making mechanism and other equipment.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, and is an ice maker equipped with a water cutoff detection circuit that can reliably stop the driving of the ice making mechanism when the ice making water in the water storage tank does not reach a predetermined water level. The main purpose is to provide.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an ice maker equipped with a water cutoff detection circuit that can also stop the sales operation when the ice making water in the water storage tank does not reach a predetermined water level.

For the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a water tray that rotates with a water storage tank between a cell open position and a cell closed position, an actuator motor that drives the water tray in both directions to the cell open position and the cell closed position. ,
and an inverted cell type ice making mechanism having a circulation pump communicating with the water storage tank, the cells opening downward receiving water for ice making from the circulation pump, and the water tray being in the cell open position when ice making is completed. In the ice maker, the water tray rotates downward, and the water tray rotates upward to the cell closing position upon completion of deicing,
a switch for switching the rotational direction of the actuator motor, which opens and closes in conjunction with opening and closing of the water tray, so that the actuator motor can selectively drive the water tray in both directions; A water level switch that detects a predetermined water level in the water storage tank is connected in series between the changeover switch and the water level switch, and when the water level switch detects the predetermined water level, the changeover switch is operated by the actuator motor to a detection timer that starts counting time when the water tray is rotatably switched to the cell closing position; a control relay controlled by a normally closed contact of the detection timer; and a control relay that is normally closed. an ice storage timer controlled by contacts, the circulation pump being activated when the changeover switch is switched to allow the actuator motor to rotate the water tray to the cell open position; is connected to the changeover switch,
The normally closed contact of the ice storage timer has one end connected to one terminal of the power supply and the other end connected in series to the changeover switch, and when the water level in the water storage tank falls below a predetermined water level, the water level switch is activated. energizes the detection timer through a predetermined period of time, opens the normally closed contact of the detection timer, de-energizes the control relay, closes the normally closed contact of the control relay, and energizes the ice storage timer. The ice making mechanism is characterized by comprising a water cutoff detection circuit that opens the normally closed contact of the ice storage timer after a predetermined period of time and stops the operation of the ice making mechanism.

The ice maker of the present invention is also characterized in that a vending control circuit is connected in series to the normally open contact of the control relay, and the vending operation is stopped when the water level in the water storage tank drops below a predetermined water level.

Next, a vending machine as an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows a water cutoff detection circuit for a vending machine according to the present invention. S ₆ is a changeover switch that is controlled to open and close by an arm 8 attached to an actuator motor AM that can rotate in forward and reverse directions. When the pan is in the closed state, arm 8 conducts between contacts b and c of changeover switch _S6 . On the other hand, when the rotary shaft of the actuator motor AM rotates in the positive direction (counterclockwise) and the water tray is in an open state, the contacts a and c of the changeover switch _S6 are electrically connected. This actuator motor AM is designed to rotate its rotation shaft 7 clockwise when the deicing completion thermometer Th ₃ , which closes when the temperature exceeds a predetermined temperature, closes when the deicing completion is detected. Clockwise rotation is an ice making timer that performs a time delay of T ₃ .
Due to time-up of TM ₃ or ice making thermo Th ₂
Keep relay X _K
is reset (by opening its normally open contacts to stop condenser fan motor FM and pump motor PM) and closing its normally closed contacts to energize actuator motor AM.
This keep relay X _K is configured to control the opening and closing of the contacts by a reset coil R and a set coil S. When the set coil S is conductive, it closes the normally open contact of the keep relay X _K (the normally closed contact opens), On the other hand, when the reset coil R becomes conductive, the normally open contact of the relay X _K is opened (the normally closed contact is closed).

The ice making timer TM ₃ and ice making thermo Th ₂ connected in parallel are connected in series to a keep relay X _K , and the reset coil R of the keep relay X _K is a water level switch S ₇ that detects the water level in the water storage tank 1.
is connected in series to the contact d. The contact e of this water level switch _S7 is connected in series to the water supply valve WV connected in parallel, and to the series body of the timer _TM0 and the changeover switch _S6 , so that the ice-making water in the water storage tank 1 reaches a predetermined water level. Water supply valve WV when not
The contacts e and f connected in series are electrically connected to open the water supply valve WV, and when a predetermined water level is reached, the contacts d and
When the gap F is electrically connected, the water supply valve WV is closed and the water supply is stopped. Water for ice making is supplied into the tank 1 by a water supply valve WV, but in the ice maker of the present invention which has a water tray 3, when ice making is completed, the water tray 3 opens the lower cell. When the cell is rotated to this position, water is sprayed to melt the ice adhering to the surface of the water tray, but since the water tray 3 in the cell open position is tilted, the water that is sprinkled flows down the surface of the water tray, causing the water to melt. Water is not stored in the water storage tank 1 until the plate rotates again and reaches a certain level.
The detection timer _TM0 provides a time delay of a delay time _T0 , and the other end of the detection timer TM0 is connected in series to the contact b side of the changeover switch _S6 . This detection timer _TM0 is supplied with power via a changeover switch _S6 and a water level switch _S7 .

The normally closed contact of the detection timer TM ₀ is connected to a control relay for power outage protection, as shown in the upper part of Figure 2.
Connected in series to X ₀ . This control relay X ₀ is energized when the push button PB ₀ is closed, thereby closing the normally open contact of the relay X ₀ and self-maintaining the energization of the control relay X ₀ even if the push button PB ₀ is opened. The normally closed contact X ₀₂ of this control relay X ₀ is connected in parallel to an ice storage detection switch S ₅ that detects that the amount of ice stored in the ice storage 11 is greater than a predetermined amount, and these are connected in series to an ice storage timer TM ₂ to detect the amount of ice stored in the ice storage 11. I am trying to control timer TM ₂ . This ice storage timer TM ₂ performs a time delay of delay time T ₂ , and its normally closed contacts are connected to the compressor CM, the condenser fan motor FM, and the pump motor that circulates the ice-making water in the water storage tank 1 into the water supply pipe 2. PM, changeover switch
S ₆ , ice making timer TM ₃ , ice making thermo Th ₂ , and keep relay X _K are interposed between the ice making mechanism and the power line to control the driving of the ice making mechanism. That is, the normally closed contact of the ice storage timer _TM2 is connected in series to the contact c of the changeover switch _S6 and the other end of the water supply valve WV whose opening and closing are controlled only by the water level switch _S7 .

Note that HV is a hot gas valve for sending hot gas to the evaporator 6.

Next, the operation of the vending machine equipped with the water cutoff detection circuit of the present invention will be explained.

When starting normal ice-making operation, the water tray 3 closes the lower opening of each cell 4, and the keep _relay
The normally open contact of is closed, and the changeover switch _S6 is connected to contacts b-c.
There is continuity between them. In addition, the ice making timer TM ₃ and the ice making thermo Th ₂ , which are ice making completion detection devices, are both open, and the normally closed contact of the ice storage timer TM ₂ is closed. Water for ice making is provided. Therefore, the compressor CM is energized via the normally closed contact _TM2 of the ice storage timer _TM2 to drive it. In addition, the fan motor for the _compressor and _condenser is
The pump motor PM, which circulates and supplies FM and ice-making water to the cell 4, is also driven at the same time.

In this way, the ice-making operation is carried out, and ice grows sufficiently in the cell 4, and the delay time _T3 of the ice-making timer _TM3 times up, and the contacts gh are closed, or the contacts of the ice-making thermo _Th2 are closed ( When the completion of ice making is detected), the reset coil R of the keep relay _XK becomes conductive (at this time, the contact point of the water level switch _S7 has already been switched from ef to df). As the reset coil R conducts, the normally open contact of the keep relay X _K is opened and the normally closed contact is closed. As a result, the rotation shaft 7 of the actuator motor AM rotates in the positive direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 1), and the arm 8 is rotated counterclockwise around the rotation shaft 7, causing the water tray 3 to rotate. Then, the water storage tank 1 is rotated clockwise around the support part 10, and the tank comes to rest at a position where the tension of the water storage tank 1 and the tension of the spring 9 are balanced, as shown by the dotted line in FIG.

When the water tray 3 is opened by this rotation of the arm 8, the contacts of the changeover switch change from b-c to a.
-c, and deicing operation is started. That is,
Due to the conduction between contacts a and c of the changeover switch, the set coil S of the keep relay X _K becomes conductive, and the relay X _K
Closes the normally open contacts and opens the normally closed contacts. As a result, the hot gas valve HV is brought into conduction and opened to supply hot gas to the evaporator 6, thereby warming the cell 4.
As a result, the ice cubes in the cell 4 separate from the cell and fall, are guided while contacting the water tray 3, and are stored in the ice storage 11.

When deicing is completed in this way, the temperature of cell 4 begins to rise rapidly, and deicing completion thermometer _Th3 detects this and closes its contacts, causing the rotation shaft of actuator motor AM to rotate clockwise. The water tray 3 and water storage tank 1 are returned to their original positions. At this time, the arm 8 rotates clockwise to operate the changeover switch _S6 and make the contacts b and c conductive. At this stage, the circulation pump motor PM is driven. In this way, one cycle of ice making and deicing operation is completed. This ice making and deicing operation is continued until the ice storage switch _S5 detects that the ice storage 11 is full of ice. When the ice storage switch _S5 detects that it is full, its contact is closed and the ice storage timer _TM2 is energized. This starts a time delay of delay time _T2 of ice storage timer _TM2 , and opens its normally closed contact after time _T2 has elapsed. In this way, the power supply to the changeover switch S ₆ is stopped.
The driving of the ice making mechanism including the compressor CM, condenser fan motor FM, and pump motor PM stops.

Next, a case will be explained in which there is a water outage or the supply of tap water becomes extremely low.

In this case, when the ice-making operation starts after the water tray 3 rises and closes, the water level switch is activated because the ice-making water in the water storage tank 1 has not reached the predetermined water level.
The contacts of S ₇ remain conductive on the e-f side, which energizes the detection timer TM ₀ through the contacts b-c of the changeover switch S ₆ and starts a time delay of its delay time T ₀ (normal Delay time T ₀ during operation
(The contacts of the water level switch _S7 have been switched from the e-f side to the d-f side before the time elapses). and time T ₀
When , the normally closed contact of timer TM ₀ opens,
This deenergizes control relay X ₀ and closes its normally closed contacts. In this way, the ice storage timer _TM2 is energized and starts a time delay of delay time _T2 . When the time _T2 has elapsed, the normally closed contact of the ice storage timer _TM2 is opened, stopping the power supply to the compressor CM and the changeover switch _S6 , and also stopping the driving of the condenser fan motor FM and pump motor PM. Furthermore, even if the ice making thermometer Th ₂ closes before the timer TM ₀ times up when the outside temperature drops, the contact point of the water level switch S ₇ does not switch to the df side when the water is cut off, so the reset coil R of the keep relay X _K is not energized, the detection timer _TM0 is reliably delayed, and its normally closed contact is opened.

Also, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 2,
If the sales control circuit SC is connected in series to the normally open contact X ₀₃ of the control relay X ₀ , when the control relay X ₀ is de-energized, _the normally open contact
The sales control circuit SC is de-energized and the sales operation can be stopped.

In this way, when water is cut off or the supply of tap water becomes extremely low, the driving and sales control circuits of the ice making mechanism including the compressor CM, condenser fan motor FM, and pump motor PM are de-energized.

As described above, in the vending machine of the present invention, when the water level in the water storage tank drops below a predetermined water level, the detection timer is operated via the water level switch, and after a predetermined time, the normally closed contact is opened, and the control relay Equipped with a water cutoff detection circuit that stops the power supply to the ice making mechanism and closes its normally closed contact, and energizes the ice storage timer and opens its normally closed contact after a predetermined period of time to ensure that the operation of the ice making mechanism is stopped. It is possible to protect the equipment by preventing the generation of ungrown frame ice and damage to the ice making mechanism.

In addition, if the sales control circuit is connected in series to the normally open contact of the control relay, when the water level in the water storage tank drops below a predetermined water level, a command to stop sales will be issued to the sales control circuit, preventing erroneous sales to customers. can be eliminated.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a layout diagram of an automatic ice making machine equipped with an inverted cell type ice making mechanism, and FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing a water cutoff detection circuit for a vending machine according to the present invention. 1...Water storage tank, 3...Water tray, 4...Cell,
7...Rotation axis, 8...Arm, 9...Spring, AM
...actuator motor, CM ...compressor,
FM……Compressor condenser fan motor, PM……
Pump motor, _S5 ...Ice storage detection switch, _S6 ...
Changeover switch, S ₇ ... Water level switch, WV... Water supply valve, Th ₂ ... Ice making thermo, Th ₃ ... Deicing completion thermo, TM ₀ ... Detection timer, TM ₂ ... Ice storage timer, TM ₃ ... Ice making timer, X _K ...Keep relay, SC...Sales control circuit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] a water pan that rotates with a water storage tank between a cell open position and a cell closed position, an actuator motor that drives said water pan in both directions to said cell open position and a cell closed position, and circulation communicating with said water storage tank. A reverse cell type ice making mechanism is provided, which has a pump, and a cell that opens downward receives water for ice making from the circulation pump, and when ice making is completed, the water tray rotates downward to the cell open position, and the ice is removed. In an ice maker in which the water tray rotates upward to the cell closing position upon completion, the water tray is linked to the opening and closing of the water tray so that the actuator motor can selectively drive the water tray in both directions. A switch for changing the rotational direction of the actuator motor that opens and closes the actuator motor, a water level switch that detects a predetermined water level in the water storage tank, and a water level switch that is connected in series between the selector switch and the water level switch, and the water level switch a detection timer that starts counting time when the actuator motor switches the water tray so that the water tray can be rotated to the cell closing position when the predetermined water level is detected; The circulation pump includes a control relay controlled by a normally closed contact of a detection timer, and an ice storage timer controlled by a normally closed contact of the control relay, and the circulation pump is configured such that the changeover switch causes the actuator motor to control the water tray. A normally closed contact of the ice storage timer is connected to the changeover switch so as to be activated when the cell is rotatably switched to the open cell position.
One end is connected to one terminal of the power supply and the other end is connected in series to the changeover switch, and when the water level in the water storage tank falls below a predetermined water level, the detection timer is activated via the water level switch. After a predetermined period of time, the normally closed contact of the detection timer is opened, the control relay is deenergized and the normally closed contact of the control relay is closed, and the ice storage timer is energized and the ice storage timer is activated after a predetermined period of time. An ice maker comprising a water cutoff detection circuit that opens the normally closed contact to stop operation of the ice making mechanism.