JPS63140272A - 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 a water 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 6 including an evaporator 4 is installed at an angle. A water storage tank 6 for storing ice-making water and a circulation pump device 7 are installed in the water storage tank 6, and together with the ice-making member 6, a running water circulation type ice-making system is constructed. An S ice-off detection device 22 is attached to the ice-making member 5 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 a water storage chamber 8 and an ice plate cutting heater device 9 for cutting the ice cubes into blocks of ice of a predetermined size after being iced. 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 a water storage detection device having a temperature sensing part for detecting a predetermined amount of water in the water storage chamber 8, and is set to detect water 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 water storage tank 6. Inside the water storage tank 6, a drainage pipe 16 for maintaining a predetermined water level, an upper water level detection device 18 for detecting an upper level water level 17, and a lower water level detection device 2o for detecting a lower level water level 19 are arranged.

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 water storage tank 6 is filled with ice-making water, and as ice is generated in the ice-making member 5, the water level in the water storage tank 6 decreases, and the lower level is set to a predetermined ice thickness. 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, hot gas is transferred to the evaporator 4 by switching the solenoid valve 21.
At the same time, ice-making water is released into the ice-making member 6 and ice-making water is supplied to the water storage tank 6 by the water supply valve 14. When the ice making water reaches the upper water level 17 of the water storage tank 6, it overflows by a certain amount and then the supply is stopped. At this time, the water level in the water 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 6 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 (-J) is cut by the ice sheet cutting heater device 9 provided at the bottom of the ice-making member 5 and stored in the water storage chamber 8. When a predetermined amount of ice cubes is stored in the water storage chamber 8, water storage is detected. After the cycle of ice making and ice removal is completed, only the ice sheet cutting heater device 9 is energized and the rest are all stopped.Also, as soon as the ice storage detection device 13 is deactivated, Switch to ice making cycle.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the ice maker with the above configuration, during water storage mode,
Due to the influence of ambient temperature, the temperature inside the reservoir rose over time, leading to a point where the stored ice melted faster.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the present invention includes a timer that operates during the ice storage mode, and the timer performs cooling operation at predetermined intervals during the water storage mode.

Effects According to the above-described configuration, the present invention performs a cooling operation at predetermined time intervals during the water storage mode, so that the temperature inside the water storage can be lowered periodically and the stored ice can be prevented from melting.

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 is the same as the conventional one except for the control device of the ice maker body, so a description thereof will be omitted.

1 and 2 are block diagrams and flowcharts showing a control device for an ice maker according to the present invention, the main part of which is composed of a microcomputer (CPU) 23. FIG. This microcomputer 23 stores a well-known program for the ice maker (water supply → ice making → ice removal operations), and also enters a water storage mode after ice removal is completed after the ice storage detection device 13 detects ice. It is equipped with a timer 24 that operates on a regular basis.

Next, the operation will be explained. During the ice-off cycle, after the ice-off detection device 22 detects the end of ice removal, if the ice storage detection device 13 detects ice storage, the mode shifts to water storage mode, and at this time the timer 24 operates. The early timer 24 is
Cooling operation is performed for a predetermined period of time. This cooling operation is
It cools the inside of the water storage without making ice, which is different from normal ice-making operation. In other words, the circulation pump device 7 that circulates ice-making water to the ice-making member 5 is not operated.As a result of various studies, we have found that the best cooling operation for each predetermined time during the ice mode is approximately 6 to 10 minutes per 2 hours. It is clear that

As a result of the above, the cooling operation is performed periodically during the water storage mode, and the temperature rise in the water storage is periodically suppressed, so that melting of the stored ice is suppressed.

Furthermore, as stated in claim 2, the cooling operation by the timer 24 in the water storage mode is activated when the outside temperature is above a predetermined temperature, and cooling is performed only when the outside temperature is high and there is a lot of heat absorbed into the water storage. Almost the same effect can be obtained even when the system is operated, and it is also possible to save electricity when the outside temperature is low.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above explanation, the ice maker of the present invention performs cooling operation at predetermined time intervals using a timer that operates during the water storage mode, so the temperature inside the water storage chamber periodically rises during water storage. This has the effect of suppressing the melting of stored ice.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

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. 6...Ice making member, 7...Circulation pump device, 6...Ice storage tank, 22...Ice removal detection device, 13...Ice storage Detection device, 24...
··timer. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person13
-Aishui Chichika Stomach 24-Dimer Figure 1 Figure 3

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) An ice-making member that generates ice blocks, a circulation pump device that circulates ice-making water to the ice-making member, and a water storage tank that stores the ice-making water, and detects when ice is removed from the ice-making member. an ice storage detection device that detects when the ice storage is full of ice made in the ice storage; and an ice storage detection device that detects when ice storage is detected by the ice storage detection device; A control device for an ice maker, comprising: a timer that operates during an ice storage mode that shifts after a cycle is completed to the end; and the timer performs a cooling operation at predetermined time intervals during the ice storage mode to cool the inside of the ice storage. (2) The control device for an ice maker according to claim 1, wherein the cooling operation using the timer is performed when the outside temperature is higher than a predetermined temperature.