JPS62245060A - Controller for ice machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to an automatic ice maker that circulates ice making water in an ice storage tank to an ice making member constituting a refrigeration device using a pump device to generate ice cubes in the ice making member, and particularly relates to This relates to control when the ice storage chamber is full of ice.

2. Description of the Related Art An example of a conventional ice making machine will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 3 shows the structure of a conventional ice maker, and Fig. 4 shows a flowchart of its operation. 1 is the ice maker main body formed of a heat insulating wall, and is composed of an ice maker 2 and a machine room 3. has been done. In the ice making chamber 2, an ice making member 5 including an evaporator 4 is installed at an angle. Further, an ice storage tank 6 for storing ice-making water and a circulation pump device 7 are installed in the ice storage tank 6, and together with the ice-making member 6, a running water circulation type ice-making system is constructed. An ice-off detection device is closely attached to the ice-making member 6 and detects ice-off by detecting a predetermined temperature of the ice-making member 6.

Further, below the ice making member 6, there is provided an ice storage chamber 8 and an ice plate cutting heater device 9 for cutting the ice cubes into ice cubes of a predetermined size after being removed. Further, in the machine room 3, an electric compressor 10 and a condenser 11, which together with the evaporator 4 form a refrigeration circuit, are arranged. Reference numeral 12 denotes an air cooling fan for the condenser 11 and its motor.

Further, reference numeral 13 denotes an ice storage detection device having a temperature sensing part for detecting a predetermined amount of water in the ice storage chamber 8, and is set to detect ice storage by sensing the contact temperature of ice cubes. A water supply valve 14 serves as a water supply device that electrically opens and closes a water supply pipe 16 connected to a water source to introduce ice-making water into the ice storage tank 6. Inside the ice storage tank 6, there is a drainage pipe 16 that maintains a predetermined water level, and an upper water level detection device 18 that detects an upper level water level 17.
A lower water level detection device 20 for detecting the lower level water level 19 is provided.

21 is an evaporator 4 used to remove ice generated in the ice making member 6;
This is a solenoid valve that electrically controls hot gas flowing from the electric compressor 10.

Next, its operation will be explained. First, ice making starts when the ice storage tank 6 is filled with ice making water, and as ice is generated in the ice making member 6, the water level in the ice storage tank e decreases to a lower level where the ice thickness is set to a predetermined level. When the water level 19 is reached, it is detected by the lower water level detection device 20, and the ice making cycle is stopped and switched to the ice removal cycle. In the deicing cycle, the solenoid valve 21 switches so that Shihonoto gas is transferred to the evaporator 4.
The ice cubes formed in the ice making member 5 are released, and ice making water is supplied to the ice storage tank 6 by the water supply valve 14. When the ice making water reaches the upper water level 17 of the ice storage tank 6, it overflows by a certain amount and then the supply is stopped. At this time, the water level in the ice storage tank 6 is maintained at a constant level by the drain pipe 16. When the ice sheet is removed from the ice making member 5 and the ice making member 5 reaches a predetermined temperature, the ice removal detection device 22 is operated to stop the ice removal and switch to the ice making cycle. The released ice sheet is cut by an ice sheet cutting heater device 9 provided at the bottom of the ice making member 6 and stored in the ice storage chamber 8. When a predetermined amount of ice blocks is stored in the ice storage chamber 8, it is detected by the ice storage detection device 13, and after completing the ice making and ice removal of that cycle, only the ice sheet cutting heater device 9 is energized and the rest are completely stopped. .

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the ice maker having the above configuration, the ice storage mode is immediately set after the ice is removed, so the temperature of the ice making member is high. Also, since water is being supplied at the same time as water is being taken off, the water temperature inside the ice storage tank is high and the heat capacity is large for the inside of the ice maker.

This caused a problem in that the stored ice melted quickly.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, when ice storage is detected, a pre-cooling timer is provided which operates after the ice-off detection device detects ice removal, and after pre-cooling operation for a predetermined time, It is designed to stop ice making and switch to ice storage mode.

Effect of the Invention With the above-described configuration, the present invention does not shift to the ice storage mode immediately after ice storage is detected, but performs preliminary cooling operation for a predetermined period of time or until the water temperature in the ice making member and the ice storage tank reaches a predetermined temperature. This is to minimize the melting of stored ice.

Embodiment Hereinafter, a control device for an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the configuration of the ice maker main body except for the control device is the same as the conventional one, so a description thereof will be omitted.

1 and 2 are block diagrams and flow charts showing a control device for an ice maker according to the present invention, the main part of which is comprised of a microcomputer (CPU) 23. FIG. This microcomputer 23 stores a well-known program for the ice maker (water supply, ice making, and ice removal operations), and also includes a precooling timer 24 that starts operating after ice removal is completed after the ice storage detection device 13 detects ice storage. Equipped with:

Explain the following operation. During the ice removal cycle, if the ice storage detection device 13 detects ice accumulation after the ice removal detection device 22 detects the end of ice removal, the ice storage mode does not immediately shift from the ice removal completion to the ice storage mode, but the precooling timer 24 sets the precooling timer 24 to wait a predetermined time A preliminary cooling operation is performed to lower the water temperature in the ice making member 6 and the ice storage tank 6. After that, the preliminary cooling operation is stopped and the ice storage mode is started.

As for the pre-cooling timer of 24 hours, it has been determined from various studies that 3 to 6 minutes is the best time for preventing ice from forming on the ice-making member 5 from the standpoint of preventing loose ice.

As a result of the above, when the ice storage mode is entered, the water temperature in the ice making member 5 and the ice storage tank 6 decreases, and the heat capacity in the ice storage becomes the minimum, so melting of the stored ice is suppressed.

In addition, without performing preliminary cooling operation with the precooling timer 24,
A temperature detection device provided in the ice making member 6 (in the case of this embodiment, it can also be used as the ice removal detection device 22) and a temperature detection device provided in the ice storage tank θ (not shown) until a predetermined temperature is detected by convention. A similar effect can be obtained by performing a preliminary cooling operation.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above explanation, after the ice storage detection device detects ice storage, the ice maker of the present invention performs preliminary cooling operation for a predetermined period of time using a precooling timer that immediately shifts from ice removal to ice storage mode. Therefore, the heat capacity inside the ice storage during ice storage is minimized, which has the effect of suppressing the melting of the stored ice, and when the ice is removed from the ice storage and the ice making cycle is switched again, the ice storage tank has already been drained. Since the internal water temperature is lower, it also has the effect of making ice quickly.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a control device for an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the same control device, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a conventional ice maker, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of a conventional ice maker. 5...Ice making member, 7...Circulation pump device, 6...Ice storage tank, 22...Ice removal detection device, 13... Ice storage detection device, 24...
...Pre-cooling timer. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person13
-m-Ice storage detection device 22-11 Water release detection device Kaoru 24--3P timer Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 yy /2 j'/ /U Fig. 4

Claims (1)

[Claims] An ice-making device that includes an ice-making member that generates ice blocks, a circulation pump device that circulates ice-making water to the ice-making member, and an ice storage tank that stores the ice-making water, and that detects that ice has been removed from the ice-making member. It is equipped with a detection device and an ice storage detection device that detects that the ice storage is full of ice made in the ice storage, and when the ice storage detection device detects ice storage, the ice removal detection device removes the ice. A control device for an ice maker characterized by providing a pre-cooling timer that operates after detecting the end of ice making, stopping ice making after a pre-cooling operation for a predetermined period of time, and shifting to ice storage mode.