JPS647309B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an improvement of an ice making machine, and more specifically, an ice making operation that produces ice on an ice making plate, and an ice making operation that removes ice produced on the ice making plate. This paper relates to measures to improve the ice removal performance of an ice maker that alternates between repeated operations.

(Prior art) Conventionally, as an ice maker, for example, JP-A-58-
As disclosed in Publication No. 28964, an ice-making plate for producing ice, a watering circuit for sprinkling water on the ice-making plate, and an ice-making refrigerant circuit for circulating a liquid refrigerant through cooling pipes of the ice-making plate. During ice-making operation, water is sprayed down onto the ice-making plate from above, and low-temperature liquid refrigerant is passed through the cooling pipe of the ice-making plate, thereby cooling the water flowing down to the ice-making plate by the endothermic action of the low-temperature refrigerant. It is known that ice is generated on the ice plate by freezing. In this device, during the ice-removing operation, hot gas is passed through the cooling pipe, so that the ice on the ice-making plate is removed by the heat transfer action of the hot gas from the ice-making plate.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the above-mentioned conventional system, the amount of heat of the hot gas during ice removal is set to a level that allows the ice to be removed from the ice making plate, but does not melt the ice itself. For example, if the ambient temperature around the ice plate becomes considerably low or if a large amount of ice is formed, ice may not be removed sufficiently. In this case, during the next ice-making process, water sprinkling on the ice-making plate will help the ice break away, and some of the ice remaining on the ice-making plate will break off, but the low-temperature refrigerant will not flow through the cooling pipes of the ice-making plate. Since the ice is still being cooled, not all of the ice is removed, and more ice is formed on top of the remaining ice, which can lead to not only defective ice removal but also defective ice making. become. For this reason, during ice removal operation, hot gas may be allowed to flow until the ice is completely removed, but this may unnecessarily lengthen the ice removal time by melting some of the ice that has formed, which may increase the cycle time. invite

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and its purpose is to prevent hot gas from flowing into the ice making plate when a portion of the ice begins to break off from the ice making plate during ice removal operation. The purpose is to assist ice-making by sprinkling ice-making water for a time such that the ice does not melt very much, and thereby to completely and quickly remove ice from an ice-making plate.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the solving means of the present invention is as follows.
As shown in the figure, ice making plate 1 for producing ice
, a water sprinkling circuit 8 for sprinkling water on the ice making plate 1, and an ice making refrigerant circuit 11 for circulating a liquid refrigerant through the cooling pipes of the ice making plate 1, so that water is sprinkled on the ice making plate 1 from the water sprinkling circuit 8. In an ice-making machine that generates ice by cooling and freezing water, an ice-removing refrigerant circuit 1 that circulates hot gas through the cooling pipe of the ice-making plate 1
2, an ice-removing operation command means 50 for instructing the ice-removing operation of the ice generated on the ice-making plate 1, and an ice-removing operation command means 50 which receives the output of the ice-removing operation command means 50 and operates the refrigerant circuit 1 for ice removal.
2, a first ice-off control means 51 for operating the ice-making plate 1, an ice-off state detection means 52 for detecting a state in which the ice generated on the ice-making plate 1 starts to be removed from the ice-making plate 1, and a water temperature control means 52 for controlling the water temperature of the water sprinkling circuit 8. water temperature detection means 22 for detecting
, a water sprinkling time setting means 53 for receiving the output of the water temperature detecting means 22 and setting a water sprinkling time for ice breaking according to the water temperature of the water sprinkling circuit 8; and the above-mentioned ice breaking state detecting means 52.
A second ice-removing control means 54 receives the output of the water-sprinkling circuit 8, operates the water-sprinkling circuit 8, and stops the water-sprinkling circuit 8 and the ice-removing refrigerant circuit 12 when the water-sprinkling time set by the water-spraying time setting means 53 has elapsed. The configuration includes the following.

(Function) As described above, in the present invention, during ice-making operation, water is sprinkled on the ice-making plate and at the same time, low-temperature liquid refrigerant flows through the cooling pipe, so that the sprinkled water is cooled and frozen. While ice is generated on the ice-making plate, during ice-removal operation, hot gas flows through the cooling pipe of the ice-making plate, and based on the flow of this hot gas, ice begins to be removed from the ice-making plate, that is, from the ice-making plate. When the ice is in a state where it can be removed, water for ice making is sprinkled on the ice making plate for a time corresponding to the temperature of the water along with the flow of the hot gas, so that the ice making time is not increased and the ice is not melted very much. Instead, the ice is assisted in detaching from the ice plate, and the ice is completely removed.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings from FIG. 2 onwards.

FIG. 2 shows the overall configuration of the ice making machine, in which 1 is an ice making plate for producing ice, 2 is a watering tank placed above the ice making plate 1, and having a large number of watering holes 2a at the bottom, A water tank 4 having a water tray 4a disposed below the ice-making plate 1 is connected to the water tank 2 through a water pipe 3, and the water in the water tank 4 is stored in the water tank 4. A water pump 5 is disposed to pump and supply water to the watering tank 2 via a pipe 3, and the water receiving tray 4a of the water tank 4 has an opening at the other end of a water supply pipe 7 with a water supply solenoid valve 6 interposed therein. After supplying the water from the water tank 4 to the water sprinkling tank 2, this water is sprinkled down from the water sprinkling hole 2a onto the ice making plate 1 for ice making.
A water sprinkling circuit 8 is configured to return the water falling from the water tray 4a to the water tank 4, and to restore the water level in the water tank 4, which has fallen due to ice making, to a predetermined high water level by supplying water from the water supply pipe 7. There is. Note that 9 is an overflow pipe for discharging excess water from the water tank 4.

Furthermore, 10, 10 is the ice making plate main body 1 of the ice making plate 1.
a, the cooling pipe provided in 1a, 11 is the cooling pipe 10,
an ice-making refrigerant circuit that circulates liquid refrigerant to 10;
is an ice-removing refrigerant circuit that circulates hot gas through the cooling pipes 10, 10 of the ice-making plate 1, and the ice-removing refrigerant circuit 11 includes a compressor 13 and an air-cooled condenser 15 equipped with a fan 14. , an expansion valve 16 and cooling pipes 10 and 10 serving as an evaporator are successively connected by a refrigerant pipe 17. Note that 18 is an accumulator.

On the other hand, the deicing refrigerant circuit 12 is connected to the compressor 13.
The ice-removing electromagnetic valve 20, which opens when ice is removed, and the cooling pipes 10, 10 are sequentially connected by a refrigerant pipe 17.

When making ice, the refrigerant is circulated in the compressor 13 as shown by the solid arrow in the figure by closing the ice-removing solenoid valve 20 and opening the expansion valve 16.
After the heat of the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the cooling pipes 10 and 1 is radiated to the outside air in the condenser 15,
0 (evaporator) repeatedly absorbs heat from the water flowing down the ice making plate 1, and the ice making plate 1 cools and freezes the water to generate ice. By opening the expansion valve 16 and closing the expansion valve 16, the refrigerant (hot gas) is circulated as shown by the broken line arrow in the figure, thereby transferring the heat of the refrigerant (hot gas) from the compressor 13 to the cooling pipes 10, 10.
The structure is such that the ice produced on the ice-making plate 1 is released by repeatedly dissipating heat. The water supply pipe 7 is arranged around the ice-making plate main body 1a of the ice-making plate 1, and when replenishing water to the water tank 4 during ice removal, the calorie of this replenishment water is used to make ice. It is applied to the ice on the plate 1 to improve ice removal efficiency.

In addition, 21 is a float switch for detecting predetermined high and low water levels in the water tank 4, 22 is a water supply pipe thermistor as a water temperature detection means for detecting the water temperature of the water sprinkler circuit 8 based on the water temperature of the water supply pipe 7, and 23 is a compression A suction pipe thermistor for detecting the refrigerant temperature of a suction side refrigerant pipe (suction pipe) 17 to the machine 13,
The detection signals of the respective devices 21 to 23 are sent to the controller 2.
4, and the controller 24 controls the operation of the water pump 5, the compressor 13, the condenser fan 14, the water supply solenoid valve 6, and the ice removal solenoid valve 20.

Inside the controller 24, as shown in FIG. 3, an ice-making end control device 30, a watering time selection device 31, a watering start control device 32, and an ice removal end control device 33 are provided. The ice making end control device 30 receives a low water level detection signal from the float switch 21 or an ice making period elapsed signal from the ice making end timer 34, and stops the operation of the pump 5 at the end of ice making, and starts ice removal. Open the ice removal solenoid valve 20 and turn on the condenser fan 1.
4 is stopped, and the water supply solenoid valve 6 is opened for a predetermined time (t ₁ ) (for example, 2 minutes) in order to replenish the water tank 4 with water. Also,
The watering time selection device 31 includes a water supply pipe thermistor 22
A first timer 35 (e.g., timer time T ₁ =1 minute) and a second timer 36 (e.g., timer time T ₂ =3 minutes) for setting the watering time during ice removal are set according to the water temperature value. ) or the third timer 37 (for example, timer time T ₃ =6 minutes). Furthermore, the water sprinkling start control device 32 receives the suction pipe temperature signal from the suction pipe thermistor 23, and selects the water pump 5 with the water sprinkling time selection device 31 when the suction pipe temperature value is equal to or higher than a predetermined value (for example, 16° C.). The rotary drive is performed for only the timer time T ₁ , T ₂ or T ₃ . In addition, the ice removal end control device 33
is the water pump 5 by the water sprinkling start control device 32.
At the end of driving, that is, at the end of ice removal, the ice removal solenoid valve 20 is closed, the condenser fan 14 and the water pump 5 are driven to rotate, and the water level drop in the water tank 4 due to the rotation of the water pump 5 is compensated for. Turn on the water supply solenoid valve 6 for a predetermined time (t ₂ ) (for example, 40 seconds)
It can only be opened. In the figure, reference numeral 38 denotes a water cutoff check control device that checks for water cutoff in the water tank 4 based on the detection signal from the float switch 21, and stops the operation of the compressor 13 when the water cutoff occurs.
Moreover, 39-43 are electromagnetic contactors, 44 is a water supply timer which sets the closing time of the electromagnetic contactor 39 of the electromagnetic valve 6 for water supply, and 45 is an operation indicator light.

Next, the operation of the controller 24 will be explained based on the flowchart of FIG. First, in step S ₁ , when the run/stop switch (not shown) is operated to the operating side, the operation indicator light 45 is turned on in step S ₂ , and then the detection from the suction pipe thermistor 23 is turned on in step S ₃ . Based on the signal, it is determined whether or not the suction pipe temperature T _F is higher than a predetermined temperature (for example, 15°C). If YES (T _F ≧15°C), it is determined that it is time to start ice making, and the process proceeds to step S ₄ and onwards. On the other hand, in the case of NO with T _F <15°C, it is determined that it is time to start the ice removal operation, and the process immediately proceeds to step _S10 and subsequent steps.

Then, in step _S4 , the water pump 5, compressor 13, and condenser fan 14 are rotated to start the ice-making operation, and the ice-releasing electromagnetic valve 20 is closed, so that water is sprinkled from the water tank 2 and the cooling pipe 10 is rotated. ，
Ice making on the ice making plate 1 is started by flowing the low temperature refrigerant to the ice making plate 10. At this time, the water is pumped up into the sprinkler tank 2 by the rotation of the water pump 5, and the water supply solenoid valve 6 is operated for a predetermined period of time (t ₂ ) to compensate for the immediate drop in the water level in the water tank 4. (e.g. 40 seconds)
The water level in the water tank 4 is maintained at a high level by opening the water tank 4.

After that, in step _S5 , it is determined whether or not there is a high water level detection signal from the float switch 21, and if the high water level detection signal is NO and there is no high water level detection signal, it is determined that there is a water outage, and in step _S6 , the water pump 5 and the compressor are switched on. After stopping the driving of the ice making machine 13 and the condenser fan 14, the process waits for reception of the ice making period elapsed signal from the ice making end timer 34 in step _S7 , and then returns to step S4 to replenish the water tank ₄ with water. On the other hand, if the high water level detection signal from the float switch 21 is YES in step _S5 , it is determined that there is no water outage and the process proceeds to step _S8 to continue the ice making operation.
In step _S8 , it is determined whether or not there is a low water level detection signal from the float switch 21, and the step
In _S9 , the presence or absence of the ice-making period elapsed signal from the ice-making end timer 34 is determined, and the ice-making period elapsed signal that has not been received is determined.
In the case of NO, the ice making operation continues as it is, while on the other hand, if either signal is received and the answer is YES, it is determined that it is time to finish ice making, and the process proceeds to step _S10 .
Proceed to.

Next, in step _S10 , the water pump 5 and the condenser fan 14 are stopped to start the ice removal operation, and the ice removal solenoid valve 20 is opened.
Refrigerant (hot gas) from compressor 1 is transferred to cooling pipe 1
0 and 10 to start ice removal, and open the water supply solenoid valve 6 to restore the water level that has dropped due to the ice-making operation to a high water level in the water tank 4, and set the opening operation time to step S. ₁₁ , the water supply timer 44 measures the water supply time.

Then, in step _S12 , it is determined whether or not the timer time (t ₁ ) (for example, 2 minutes) of the water supply timer 44 has elapsed.
After determining that the water level has returned to the high water level, proceed to step S ₁₃ .
The solenoid valve 6 for water supply is closed to finish supplying water to the water tank 4, and at the same time, in step _S14 , a stable water temperature signal from the water supply pipe thermistor 22 (see Fig. 5) is sent to calculate the water sprinkling time during ice removal. ), and in step _S15 , the higher the water temperature, the shorter the watering time. For example, when the water temperature is 0 to 7°C, the third timer 37 is set to T ₃ (6 minutes), and when the water temperature is 7 to 14°C, T ₂ (3 minutes) is input. ) second timer 3
6 and the first timer 35 of T ₁ (1 minute) at 14° C. and above.

After that, in step _S16 , the suction pipe thermistor 2 is
After waiting for the suction pipe temperature T _F signal from 3 to become 16°C or higher, that is, for the ice on the ice making plate 1 to substantially start to break off due to the flow of hot gas, proceed to step _S17 .
At step S18, the water pump 5 is driven to sprinkle water on the ice making plate 1, and then at step _S18 , the above steps are carried out.
After waiting for the watering time T ₁ , T ₂ or T ₃ selected in S ₁₅ to elapse, in step S ₁₉ the drive of the water pump 5 is stopped;
At step _S20 , it is checked again that the suction pipe temperature T _F signal from the suction pipe thermistor 23 is 16°C or higher, and the process returns to step _S4 .

In addition, after the start of ice removal operation in step _S10 , the water tank 4 is filled with water based on the opening operation of the water supply solenoid valve 6.
The predetermined time (t ₁ ) for the water level to return to the high water level (2
If the suction pipe temperature T _F becomes 6°C or higher during the period of 6 minutes), the water pump 5 is activated for a short watering period T ₁ in step S ₂₂ regardless of the water temperature signal from the water supply pipe thermistor ₂₂ . (for 1 minute) to start watering for 1 minute from the watering tank 2. Then, at step _S23 , wait for the timer time ( _t1 ) of the water supply timer 44 to elapse, and at step _S24 , the water supply electromagnetic The valve 6 is closed to complete the water supply to the water tank 4, and the process returns to step _S4 .

Therefore, in the operation flow of _the controller 24 shown in _FIG . In addition, in step _S10 , the ice-removing operation command means 50 is configured to command the ice-removing operation of the ice generated in The ice removal refrigerant circuit 1 is opened by opening the valve 20.
2, the first ice-off control means 51 operates
It consists of Further, in step _S16 , a state in which the ice generated on the ice making plate 1 starts to be removed from the ice making plate 1 indirectly based on the suction pipe temperature T _F signal from the suction pipe thermistor 23 is detected. It constitutes the ice state detection means 52, and
Step _S15 constitutes a water sprinkling time setting means 53 which receives the output from the water supply pipe thermistor 22 and sets the ice-release water sprinkling time T ₁ , T ₂ or T ₃ according to the water temperature of the water sprinkling circuit 8. ing. Further, in steps S ₁₇ to _{S 20} and S ₄ , the de-icing state detection means 5
2, the water pump 5 is rotated to operate the water sprinkling circuit 8, and the water sprinkling time setting means 53 sets the ice-breaking water sprinkling time T ₁ , T ₂ or T _{3 .}
A second ice removal control means 54 is configured to stop the water sprinkler circuit 8 and the ice removal refrigerant circuit 12 based on the stop of the water pump 5 and the closing operation of the ice removal electromagnetic valve 20 when .

Therefore, in the above embodiment, during the ice-making operation, water is sprayed down the ice-making plate 1 by the water spray circuit 8, and the cooling pipes 10, 1 of the ice-making plate 1 are sprayed with water.
The low-temperature liquid refrigerant from the ice-making refrigerant circuit 11 flows through the ice-making refrigerant circuit 11, so that the water sprayed down is cooled and frozen, and ice is generated on the ice-making plate 1.

During ice removal operation of ice generated on the ice making plate 1, hot gas from the ice removing refrigerant circuit 12 flows through the cooling pipes 10, 10 of the ice making plate 1.
Heat is given to the ice, and the water tank 4 is replenished with water from the water supply pipe 7 to prepare for the next ice-making operation. At this time, the water temperature in the water tank 4 is indirectly detected by the water supply pipe thermistor 22,
Watering time T ₁ during ice removal according to this tank water temperature,
T ₂ or T ₃ is selectively set by the watering time setting means 31. And the cooling pipe 10 of the ice making plate 1,
When the ice on the ice-making plate 1 begins to substantially break free due to the flow of hot gas to the ice-making plate 10, water is sprayed onto the ice-making plate 1 by the water sprinkling circuit 8 along with the flow of hot gas. Since detachment is assisted and promoted, even if the ambient temperature around the ice-making plate 1 becomes too low or a large amount of ice is formed, it can be easily detached. In addition, the time for spraying water on the ice-making plate 1 is set short when the tank water temperature is high and long when the tank water temperature is low, so that the ice-release performance based on the water spray on the ice-making plate 1 can be made uniform, and the ice-release performance can be made uniform. This can be ensured along with promotion. In addition, since the above-mentioned promotion of ice removal is performed by the existing equipment, the water sprinkler circuit 8,
It can be easily implemented without requiring additional equipment.

In the above embodiment, the ice-off state detection means 52
is configured by detecting that the suction pipe temperature T _F to the compressor 13 has become 16°C or higher, but it is also possible to detect that the temperature T F of the suction pipe to the compressor 13 has become 16°C or higher. It may also be configured by detecting the progress of. In addition, the setting of the ice removal time during the ice removal operation was performed in stages by selecting the three timers 35 to 37, but it could also be set continuously so that it would be gradually shortened as the water temperature in the water tank 4 increases. good.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the present invention, ice is generated on the ice-making plate by sprinkling water on the ice-making plate and flowing a liquid refrigerant through the cooling pipe of the ice-making plate. In the ice-making machine, when ice is removed, hot gas is passed through the cooling pipe of the ice-making plate, and from the time when ice starts to be removed from the ice-making plate, water for ice making is sprinkled on the ice-making plate for a time corresponding to the water temperature, Since it assists ice removal, even if the ambient temperature around the ice-making plate becomes too low during ice-making or a large amount of ice is formed, this can be done reliably and quickly with a simple configuration using existing equipment. It is possible to remove the ice from the ice, thereby improving the ice removal performance and shortening the ice removal time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the present invention. 2 to 5 show embodiments of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram, FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the controller, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart diagram showing the operation of the controller. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the change characteristics of the feed water temperature with respect to time. 1...Ice plate, 2...Water tank, 4...Water tank, 7...Water supply pipe, 8...Water circuit, 10...
Cooling pipe, 11... Refrigerant circuit for ice making, 12... Refrigerant circuit for ice removal, 20... Solenoid valve for ice removal, 22... Water supply pipe thermistor, 24... Controller, 50...
... ice removal operation command means, 51 ... first ice removal control means, 52 ... ice removal state detection means, 53 ... watering time setting means, 54 ... second ice removal control means.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Ice-making plate 1 for producing ice, and the ice-making plate 1
The ice making refrigerant circuit 11 is equipped with a water sprinkling circuit 8 for sprinkling water on the ice making plate 1, and an ice making refrigerant circuit 11 for circulating a liquid refrigerant through the cooling pipe of the ice making plate 1, and cooling and freezing the water sprinkled from the water sprinkling circuit 8 on the ice making plate 1. An ice making machine configured to generate ice includes an ice-removing refrigerant circuit 12 that circulates hot gas through the cooling pipe of the ice-making plate 1, and an ice-removing operation that instructs the ice-removing operation of the ice generated on the ice-making plate 1. a commanding means 50; a first ice-removing control means 51 which receives the output of the ice-removing operation commanding means 50 and operates the ice-removing refrigerant circuit 12; An ice-free state detection means 52 detects a state in which ice begins to break off, a water temperature detection means 22 detects the water temperature of the water sprinkling circuit 8, and a water temperature detection means 22 detects the water temperature of the water sprinkling circuit 8. Watering time setting means 5 for setting watering time for ice removal
3, receiving the output of the ice removal state detection means 52,
A second ice removing control means 54 is provided which operates the water sprinkling circuit 8 and stops the water sprinkling circuit 8 and the ice removing refrigerant circuit 12 when the water sprinkling time for ice removing determined by the water sprinkling time setting means 53 has elapsed. An ice maker featuring: