WO2018021052A1 - Ice dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an ice dispenser in which a shooter can be easily removed for cleaning. An ice dispenser (1) is provided with an ice retaining chamber (20) for retaining ice, an ice guiding unit (23) for guiding ice ejected from a discharge port (22) of the ice retaining chamber, and an ice sensor (33) for detecting the quantity of ice that passes through the ice guiding unit. The ice guiding unit includes: a slope (24) that guides at least the ice ejected from the ice discharge port downward at an incline and comprises a fixed ice guiding unit secured to the ice retaining chamber or a housing of the ice dispenser; and a chute (25) that is disposed downstream of the slope and that guides the ice downward. The ice sensor is attached to the fixed ice guiding unit, and the chute can be attached to and removed from the fixed ice guiding unit.

Description

Ice dispenser

The present invention relates to an ice dispenser that stores and provides a predetermined amount of block ice.

Ice dispensers have been developed that provide a predetermined amount of ice to a cup when a beverage is provided in a store or the like.
For example, an ice dispenser (ice supply device) described in Patent Document 1 includes an ice making mechanism that produces lump ice and an ice storage (ice storage part) that stores ice produced by the ice making mechanism. The ice stored in the warehouse is discharged from an opening (discharge port) provided in the lower side of the ice storage, guided by a chute (shooter), and provided to the cup. In addition, an ice amount detection sensor (light sensor) is attached to a portion through which the ice discharged from the opening passes, so that the amount of ice provided to the cup can be detected.

JP 2000-130902 A

In the ice supply device of Patent Document 1, a discharge cover is attached so as to cover a discharge port (opening) provided at the lower side of the ice storage part (ice storage), and ice discharged from the discharge cover is provided below the cover. A shooter (chute) is installed. The shooter is equipped with an optical sensor (ice amount detection sensor) for detecting the amount of ice passing through the shooter.
Here, the inner surface of the shooter is a portion that easily gets dirty because pieces of passing ice, powdered ice, frost, and the like adhere and melt and become wet. Therefore, the shooter needs to be periodically removed and cleaned.
However, since the optical sensor is attached to the shooter, when removing the shooter for cleaning, the optical sensor is removed from the shooter (or the wiring connected to the optical sensor is connected to the control unit at the connector). Workability is not good. In addition, there is a possibility that the optical sensor and the wiring connected to the optical sensor may be damaged by trying to remove the shooter while the optical sensor is attached.
The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ice dispenser in which a shooter can be easily removed for cleaning.

To achieve the above object, an ice dispenser of the present invention passes through an ice storage unit for storing ice, an ice induction unit for guiding ice discharged from a carry-out port of the ice storage unit, and the ice induction unit. An ice sensor for detecting the amount of ice, wherein the ice guiding unit includes at least a slope for guiding the ice discharged from the carry-out port obliquely downward, and is fixed to the housing of the ice storage or the ice dispenser. The fixed ice guiding unit and a chute disposed downstream of the slope to guide the ice downward, the ice sensor being attached to the fixed ice guiding unit, and the chute being fixed ice guiding It is detachable from the unit.
Preferably, the chute is detachable in the front-rear direction with respect to the fixed ice guiding unit.
Preferably, the ice sensor is attached to the slope.
Preferably, the fixed ice guiding unit further includes a bracket for supporting the ice sensor, and the ice sensor is attached to the bracket.
Preferably, the chute is detachably attached to the slope.
Preferably, the chute is detachably attached to the bracket.
Preferably, the chute includes a guide on an outer periphery, and the guide is engaged with the bracket.

According to the ice dispenser of the present invention, the ice sensor for detecting the amount of ice passing through the ice guiding unit is attached to the fixed ice guiding unit fixed to the ice storage or the housing of the ice dispenser. That is, an ice sensor is not attached to a chute that is arranged downstream of the slope that constitutes the fixed ice guiding unit and guides ice downward. The chute is detachably supported with respect to the fixed ice guiding unit. Therefore, when removing the chute for cleaning, it is not necessary to remove the mounted parts from the chute in advance, and an excellent effect that the chute can be easily detached is obtained.

It is an external view of the ice dispenser of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of the ice dispenser of this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the ice guidance unit of this embodiment. It is a single perspective view of the chute which constitutes the ice guidance unit of this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the chute | shoot from FIG. 3A. It is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the housing of the bracket further from FIG. 3C. (A)-(F) It is sectional drawing which shows the structure in the vicinity of the opening part of the ice storage of the ramp part of the slope of this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the ice storage and the stirring mechanism in the ice dispenser of this embodiment. It is a circuit diagram of the cooling mechanism in the ice dispenser of this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control system of the ice dispenser of this embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an external view of an ice dispenser according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the ice dispenser of this embodiment.
The ice dispenser 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed on a counter near a cash register of a convenience store, for example, and is used by an employee or the like to put ice in a cup when serving a cooled beverage.
The ice dispenser 1 of the present embodiment is an apparatus that provides only ice without an ice maker, and is made at a lower temperature than the ice made by an ice dispenser with an ice maker purchased from an ice maker and put into a beverage. In this case, block ice, such as Rock Ice (registered trademark) or crush ice, which is difficult to melt in some cases, particularly irregular shaped ice having a size within a predetermined range, is stored and provided to the cup in a predetermined amount.
As shown in FIG. 1, the ice dispenser 1 has a substantially rectangular housing 2. On the upper surface of the housing 2, there is provided a lid portion 3 that covers an ice slot into which massive ice is poured.
A front door 4 is provided on the front surface of the housing 2 to cover the upper and middle portions of the front surface. In addition, a discharge port 5 is provided on the front surface of the housing 2 to discharge massive ice from the lower end of the front door 4 downward. An ice discharge lever 6 (discharge operation means) is provided behind the discharge port 5. The ice discharge lever 6 is arranged so that when the user holds the mouth of the cup below the discharge port 5, the ice can be pushed backward by the back of the hand or the finger holding the cup. Note that the ice discharge lever 6 may be provided with push-type operation means instead.
On the surface of the front door 4 of the housing 2, four button switches for instructing the discharge of ice are arranged in the vertical direction. Of the four button switches, the upper three are ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7 (discharge operation means, notification means) for discharging a fixed amount (first predetermined amount). The fixed amount discharge button 7a can be set to a large discharge amount, the constant amount of ice discharge button 7b can be set, and the fixed amount discharge button 7c can be set to a small discharge amount. The button switch arranged at the bottom of the four button switches is an ice trace discharge button 8 (discharge operation means) for discharging a trace amount (for example, several: a second predetermined amount) of ice. The ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b, and 7c and the ice small amount discharge button 8 are button switches with built-in LEDs.
Below the discharge port 5, a tray portion 9 is provided for receiving and storing spilled ice or the like.
As shown in FIG. 2, an ice storage 20 for storing massive ice is provided inside the ice dispenser 1.
The ice storage 20 is a substantially cylindrical tank arranged so that its axis extends in the vertical direction, and is formed of a highly heat-conductive material such as aluminum or stainless steel, and is configured to cover its periphery with a heat insulating material. ing. The ice storage 20 is open at the top, is provided with an ice inlet 21, and is closed at the bottom.
In the lower part of the front side surface of the ice storage 20, an opening 22 (a carry-out port) for discharging the ice in the ice storage 20 is provided. In addition, an ice guiding unit 23 that guides ice from the opening 22 of the ice storage 20 to the front lower side is provided.
The ice guiding unit 23 is fixed to the side surface of the ice storage 20 and has a slope 24 (fixed ice guiding unit) for guiding ice obliquely downward from the opening 22 and a chute 25 (discharge) for guiding ice downward from the tip of the slope 24. Road) and a bracket 26 (fixed ice guiding unit) that is fixed to the housing of the ice dispenser 1 and supports the chute 25. The lower end of the chute 25 is opened downward in front of the ice discharge lever 6, and this opening serves as a discharge port 5 for discharging ice.
As will be described later, the ice guiding unit 23 is provided with an ice sensor for detecting the amount of ice passing therethrough. However, some conventional ice dispensers have a sensor mounted on a chute. However, the inner surface of the chute adheres to pieces of ice that pass through and melts and gets wet, so it is a site that tends to get dirty and needs to be periodically removed and cleaned. When a sensor is mounted on such a chute, when removing the chute for cleaning, the sensor is removed from the chute (or the wiring connected to the sensor is removed from the wiring connected to the control unit in the connector). ) It is necessary and workability is not good. Moreover, there is a possibility that the sensor and the wiring connected to the sensor may be damaged by trying to remove the chute while the sensor is attached.
Therefore, the ice guiding unit 23 of the present embodiment is configured so that the chute 25 for cleaning can be easily removed.
Hereinafter, the structure of the ice guiding unit 23 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3D.
3A is a perspective view showing the structure of the ice guiding unit 23, FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the chute 25, FIG. 3C is a perspective view showing a state in which the chute 25 is removed from FIG. 3A, and FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the housing 26b.
The slope 24 includes a flange portion 24a and a ramp portion 24b.
The flange portion 24 a is provided at the upper end portion of the slope 24 and has a function of fixing the slope 24 to the lower portion of the front side surface of the ice storage 20. The flange 24 a is provided with an opening 24 c having substantially the same shape as the opening 22 of the ice storage 20. When the slope 24 is fixed to the lower part of the front side surface of the ice storage 20, The positions are aligned.
The sloping portion 24b extends obliquely upward from the lower wall 24d extending along a plane extending obliquely downward from a position spaced apart from the lower edge of the opening 24c in the flange portion 24a, and the upper edge of the opening 24c. The upper wall 24e is formed shorter than the lower wall 24d. The ramp portion 24b includes a side wall (side wall) 24f that extends forward from the left and right edges of the opening 24c. The side wall 24f is formed by integrating a lower part extending obliquely downward with substantially the same height as the left and right edges of the opening 24c, and a triangular upper part connecting the lower part and the upper wall 24e. It has the shape made into. Thereby, the part near the opening part 24c of the ramp part 24b is formed in a pyramid shape composed of the upper wall 24e, the side wall 24f (upper part and lower part) and the lower wall 24d, and the part far from the opening part 24c is The side wall 24f (lower part) and the lower wall 24d are formed in a substantially U-shape.
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D, the ramp portion 24b is formed in a bowl shape as described above, but the whole may be formed in a cylindrical shape.
Bosses 24g are formed on the outer side surfaces of both side walls 24f near the lower end of the ramp portion 24b, and a pair of ice sensor housings 24h are mounted on the bosses 24g. Note that a gap is formed between the outer side surface of both side walls 24f and the inner side surface of the pair of ice sensor housings 24h that can accommodate both left and right edges of the peripheral wall of the chute 25 described later.
In one ice sensor housing 24h, for example, light emitting elements and light receiving elements are arranged in the vertical direction in this order, and in the other ice sensor housing 24h, light receiving elements and light emitting elements are arranged in the vertical direction. The light emitting element and the light receiving element, which are arranged opposite to each other across the ice passage between the side walls 24f, constitute a pair of ice sensors 33a and 33b (detection means), respectively. The emitted light is received by the light receiving element (hereinafter, the ice sensors 33a and 33b are collectively referred to as the ice sensor 33). Then, when ice is present in the ice passage, the light emitted from the light emitting element is blocked by the ice and is not received by the light receiving element, so that the passage of ice in the ice passage is detected, and the detected ice is detected. The amount of ice that has passed is detected based on the time and number of passes.
As shown in FIG. 3B, the chute 25 includes a scoop portion 25a and a cylindrical portion 25b connected to the lower portion thereof.
The scoop part 25a includes a peripheral wall having a substantially U-shaped cross section in plan view with the rear side (side facing the ramp part 24b of the slope 24) and the upper part open, and both the left and right sides of the peripheral wall in the vicinity of the open end part on the rear side. It comprises a bottom wall connecting the edges at the lower part, and has a function of receiving ice discharged from the ramp portion 24b of the slope 24 and guiding it to the cylinder portion 25b. In addition, a pair of slits 25c extending in the vertical direction is formed in the lower part near the open ends of the left and right edges of the peripheral wall of the scoop part 25a.
The cylindrical portion 25b is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, guides the ice that has reached through the ramp portion 24b and the scoop portion 25a of the slope 24, and carries it out into a cup (not shown) set below the chute 25. It has a function. A pair of upper guides 25d and lower guides 25e that protrude from the same height position are formed on the left and right sides of the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 25b. Each of the upper guide 25d and the lower guide 25e is formed as a plate-like member that extends substantially in a horizontal plane. When the chute 25 is mounted on a bracket 26 described later, the chute 25 is guided and It has a function to support.
A bracket 26 that supports the chute 25 is fixed to the housing of the ice dispenser 1 below the lower end of the ramp portion 24 b of the slope 24.
As shown in FIGS. 3C and 3D, the bracket 26 includes a support body 26a and a housing 26b that accommodates the support body 26a.
The support 26a includes a substantially U-shaped support spring 26c whose front side is opened in plan view, and an insertion guide 26d attached to each of the open ends of the support spring 26c.
The support spring 26c is made of an elastic material, and includes a base portion 26e and a pair of arm portions 26f that protrude forward from each end of the base portion 26e at an acute angle. An insertion guide 26d having a mountain shape with the top facing inward in plan view is attached to the tip of each arm 26f. The distance between both arm portions 26f of the support spring 26c is substantially the same as the width in the left-right direction of the cylindrical portion 25b of the chute 25, and the interval between the top portions of both insertion guides 26d is the distance between the cylindrical portion 25b of the chute 25. It is set narrower than the width in the left-right direction.
The housing 26b includes a base portion 26g and a pair of arm portions 26h projecting forward at right angles from both ends of the base portion 26g. The housing 26b is formed in a U-shape with the front side open in plan view. ing. The base part 26g and the arm part 26h have a substantially U-shaped cross-section with the lower part opened, and the base part 26e and the arm part 26f of the support spring 26c are accommodated in spaces formed therein, respectively. . The front end portion of the arm portion 26h of the housing 26b is opened, and an insertion guide 26d attached to the arm portion 26f of the support spring 26c protrudes therefrom.
In order to attach the chute 25 to the bracket 26, the chute 25h is sandwiched between the upper guide 25d and the lower guide 25e formed on the left and right sides of the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 25b of the chute 25. After adjusting the position of 25, the chute 25 may be pushed backward. At that time, the cylindrical portion 25b of the chute 25 is guided by the insertion guide 26d of the support body 26a, and passes between the insertion guides 26d while spreading the arm portion 26f of the support spring 26c outward, so that the housing 26b of the bracket 26 is provided. Is housed in a space surrounded by the base portion 26g and the arm portion 26h. At this time, the arm portion 26f of the support spring 26c is in the original state, that is, the distance between the top portions of the both insertion guides 26d is narrower than the width in the left-right direction of the tube portion 25b of the chute 25. The portion 25b is prevented from falling forward. In order to remove the chute 25 from the bracket 26, it is only necessary to pull the chute 25 forward.
Further, in the state where the chute 25 is attached to the bracket 26, the part on the open end side of the left and right edges of the peripheral wall of the scoop part 25a is the outer surface of the side wall 24f of the slope 24 and the ice sensor. It is accommodated in a gap formed between the inner surface of the housing 24h. As a result, the ice sensor 33 (light emitting element and light receiving element), which is an optical sensor housed in the ice sensor housing 24h, faces the slit 25c, and the light emitted from the light emitting element passes through the slit 25c and is received. Head to the element.
As described above, in the ice guiding unit 23, the ice sensor 33 for detecting the amount of ice passing through is accommodated in the ice sensor housing 24h attached to the side wall 24f of the slope 24. That is, the ice sensor 33 and its related parts are not mounted on the chute 25. Therefore, when removing the chute 25 for cleaning, it is not necessary to remove the mounted parts in advance. The chute 25 can be easily attached to and detached from the bracket 26 by simply pushing the chute 25 backward or pulling it forward without using a fastening member. Thus, the ice guiding unit 23 of the present embodiment has an excellent effect that the chute 25 for cleaning can be easily attached and detached.
In the above embodiment, the ice sensor 33 is disposed in the vicinity of the lower end of the ramp portion 24b of the slope 24. However, the ice sensor 33 may be disposed in the middle of the ramp portion 24b. You may arrange | position in the vicinity of the upper end part, ie, the opening part 24c of the flange part 24a. As will be described later, the ice dispenser 1 of the present embodiment is configured such that the shutter 27 is closed when it is estimated that the amount of ice detected by the ice sensor 33 reaches a predetermined amount. The ice on the upstream side of the ice sensor 33 is discharged although it is not actually detected by the ice sensor 33, but the actual discharge amount has a larger error than the predetermined amount. For this reason, the ice sensor 33 is preferably arranged as close as possible to the shutter 27, that is, in the vicinity of the opening 24c of the flange portion 24a.
In the case where the ice sensor 33 is disposed in any part of the ramp portion 24b of the slope 24, the ice sensor housing 24h may be attached to any part of the slope 24, the ice storage 20, the casing 2 or the like. You may attach to the bracket for exclusive use attached to etc.
Further, when the ice sensor 33 cannot be disposed in any part of the ramp portion 24b of the slope 24 due to space restrictions or the like, the ice sensor 33 may be disposed in the middle of the chute 25, for example, the cylinder portion 25b. . In this case, the ice sensor housing 24h is preferably attached to the arm portion 26h of the housing 26b of the bracket 26, but may be attached to a dedicated bracket attached to the ice storage 20, the housing 2, or the like.
In the above-described embodiment, the chute 25 is detachably attached to the bracket 26 in the front-rear direction. However, the bracket 24 is not provided, and an attachment / detachment mechanism is provided on the slope 24 to connect the chute 25 to the slope. You may comprise so that it can attach or detachably with respect to 24 in the front-back direction.
A shutter 27 that covers the opening 22 is provided at the front of the ice storage 20. The shutter 27 is urged by a spring 28 in a direction to close the opening 22. The shutter 27 is swung in the opening direction against the biasing force of the spring 28 by the operation of the opening / closing motor 29 (discharge means).
The output shaft of the opening / closing motor 29 is connected to a cam (not shown) via a gear reduction mechanism. Therefore, when the output shaft of the opening / closing motor 29 rotates, the rotational motion is transmitted to the cam via the gear reduction mechanism, and the cam rotates. A bar (not shown) attached to the shutter 27 is in contact with the side surface of the cam. The shutter 27 is biased in a direction to close the opening 22 by a spring 28. However, when the bar attached to the shutter 27 moves along the side surface of the cam by the rotation of the cam, the shutter 27 is positioned above the opening 22. The rotating shaft 27a is rotated in the opening direction. Then, when the cam rotates by a predetermined angle, the pressing of the bar in the opening direction of the shutter 27 by the side surface of the cam is released, and the shutter 27 is closed at once by the action of the spring 28.
By such a series of movements of the shutter 27, the opening degree of the shutter 27 changes with time, but the amount of ice discharged is considered to be approximately proportional to the total opening degree obtained by integrating the opening degree over time. Therefore, by increasing or decreasing the rotation speed of the opening / closing motor 29, the amount of ice discharged can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the total opening.
Note that the opening / closing driving method of the shutter 27 by the opening / closing motor 29 is not limited to the above. If a motor capable of normal rotation / reverse rotation is used as the opening / closing motor 29, the shutter 27 can be opened by normal rotation of the motor, and the shutter 27 can be closed by reverse rotation of the motor. At this time, by increasing / decreasing the maximum opening degree of the shutter 27 with the rotation speed of the motor normal rotation / reverse rotation being constant, or increasing / decreasing the rotation speed of the motor forward / reverse rotation with the maximum opening degree of the shutter 27 being constant. By doing so, the amount of ice discharged can be adjusted.
In this way, by using the motor for driving the shutter 27, compared with the case where a solenoid is used as in the conventional case, the required space can be reduced, the starting power can be reduced, and a large operating torque can be obtained. Excellent effects such as improvement in silence can be obtained.
By the way, if the shutter 27 is closed when the shutter 27 is opened and the ice is being discharged from the opening 22, there is a possibility that the ice may be caught between the lower end portion of the shutter 27 and the slope 24.
In order to prevent this, the lower wall 24d of the ramp portion 24b of the slope 24 is configured to extend along a plane extending obliquely downward from a position spaced downward from the lower edge of the opening 24c in the flange portion 24a. Has been. That is, the plane in which the lower wall 24d extends is at a position separated from the lower edge of the opening portion 24c in the flange portion 24a, that is, the lower end portion of the shutter 27 in the vicinity of the closed position.
Further, the connection between the outer surface of the ice storage 20 and the lower wall 24d of the ramp portion 24b of the slope 24, in one embodiment, the surface of the lower wall 24d and the surface of the flange portion 24a below the opening 24c. The corners formed in the are provided with an ice accumulation preventing part.
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the ice accumulation preventing unit will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 (A) to (F).
In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, the lower wall 24d and the flange portion 24a are configured to intersect at a position spaced downward from the lower edge of the opening 24c. A protrusion 24m (filling member) is provided at a corner formed by the above-mentioned, that is, a corner formed between a portion of the flange portion 24a below the lower edge of the opening 24c and the lower wall 24d. . The protrusion 24m is provided over the entire width of the lower wall 24d, and the surface thereof is formed as an upwardly convex curved surface, preferably an upwardly convex cylindrical surface, or an upwardly convex bent surface.
The protrusion 24m avoids leaving the above-mentioned corner as a dead space. Moreover, since the protrusion part 24m is formed as the cylindrical surface where the surface is convex upwards, powdery ice does not adhere easily. This prevents powdered ice from accumulating in the corners described above, does not cause sanitary problems, and does not prevent the shutter 27 from being opened and closed by the accumulated powdered ice.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 4D, the protrusion 24q (filling) is formed as a protrusion with a concave surface on the surface, preferably a concave cylindrical surface on the top, or a concave bent surface on the top. Even if the member is provided, the same effect as described above can be obtained.
Instead of providing the protrusion 24m separate from the lower wall 24d at the corner, the protrusion is provided integrally with the lower wall 24d. That is, the lower wall 24d is provided near the flange 24a. An effect similar to the above can also be obtained by configuring the part as having an upwardly convex curved surface, preferably an upwardly convex cylindrical surface, or an upwardly convex curved surface. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, the lower wall 24d and the flange portion 24a are connected to the upper end portion of the lower wall 24d, and the surface thereof is an upwardly convex curved surface, preferably an upwardly convex cylindrical surface, Or you may connect by the wall part 24n formed as an upward convex bending surface. Further, as shown in FIG. 4C, the lower wall 24d and the flange portion 24a are connected to the upper end portion of the lower wall 24d, and the surface thereof is a downwardly convex curved surface, preferably a downwardly convex cylindrical surface. An S-shaped cross section comprising a formed first wall portion 24p1 and a second wall portion 24p2 connected to the flange portion 24a and whose surface is formed as an upwardly convex curved surface, preferably as an upwardly convex cylindrical surface. You may connect by the wall part 24p.
As shown in FIG. 4E, the lower wall 24d and the flange portion 24a are connected to the upper end of the lower wall 24d, and the surface thereof is a concave curved surface, preferably a concave cylindrical surface. You may connect by the formed wall part 24r. Further, as shown in FIG. 4F, the lower wall 24d and the flange portion 24a are connected to the upper end portion of the lower wall 24d, and the surface thereof is connected by a wall portion 24s formed as a concave bent surface. May be.
One side (left part) of the lid 3 is supported by the housing 2 via a hinge 30 so as to be swingable. An electric lock mechanism 31 that locks the lid 3 that closes the ice slot 21 is provided at the top of the housing 2. The lock mechanism 31 locks the lid 3 by closing the front door 4. The lock mechanism 31 unlocks the lid 3 by operating a lock release switch (not shown) that can be operated with the front door 4 opened. Even when power is not supplied to the ice dispenser 1, the lock mechanism 31 can be unlocked manually with the front door 4 opened.
In order to replenish the ice storage 20 with the lump of ice, the lock mechanism 31 is unlocked, the lid 3 is opened, and the ice lump 21 is filled with lump of ice.
Here, as described above, since the ice dispenser 1 is installed, for example, on a counter in the vicinity of a cash register of a convenience store, the height of the ice slot 21 from the floor is about the same as the average height of a person. It becomes. Therefore, when the height of the person who throws the lump of ice is low, the inside of the ice storage 20 cannot be directly seen, and the ice storage 21 is checked from the ice insertion port 21 to confirm whether or not the ice storage 20 is full. It is anticipated that a hand will be inserted into 20, and this is not preferable for hygiene purposes.
Therefore, the ice dispenser 1 according to the present embodiment includes an ice full detecting means that can confirm whether or not the ice storage 20 is full even when the inside of the ice storage 20 cannot be directly visually recognized. Yes.
The full ice detection means of one embodiment is constituted by a mirror disposed on the back surface of the lid 3. With such a configuration, when the lid portion 3 is opened, the inside of the ice storage 20 can be indirectly visually recognized by the mirror disposed on the back surface thereof, and it can be easily confirmed whether or not the ice storage 20 is full. Can do.
The mirror preferably includes a dew condensation prevention heater. When the outside air comes into contact with a mirror that is at the same low temperature as the inside of the ice storage 20 when the lid 3 is opened, water vapor contained in the outside air condenses on the surface of the mirror and becomes cloudy, so that the inside of the ice storage 20 can be visually recognized. It is expected to disappear. Therefore, energization of the dew condensation prevention heater is started with the detection of the opening of the lid 3 or the previous stage (for example, opening of the front door 4 for releasing the lock of the lock mechanism 31) as a trigger. Good. Thereby, by the time of visually recognizing the inside of the ice storage 20, the mirror is heated by the dew condensation prevention heater, and the water vapor contained in the outside air can be prevented or eliminated from being condensed on the surface of the mirror. .
Note that the mirror may be disposed around the ice slot 21 at the top of the housing 2 (for example, the rear or right part of the ice slot 21) instead of the back surface of the lid 3. In this case, since the mirror is disposed at a position outside the ice storage 20 with the lid 3 closed, it is not necessary to provide a dew condensation prevention heater.
Further, the full ice detection means of another embodiment is constituted by an optical sensor disposed at the upper end of the ice storage 20 (in the vicinity of the ice slot 21) and full ice notification means connected to the optical sensor. The More specifically, the optical sensor includes one or more pairs of light emitting elements and light receiving elements, each of which is ice on which light rays traveling from the light emitting elements to the light receiving elements are accumulated when the ice storage 20 is full. It is arranged at a position where it is blocked by. Then, when the state where the light beam from the light emitting element to the light receiving element is blocked continues for a predetermined time or longer, the full ice notification means connected to the optical sensor notifies that the ice storage 20 is full. The full ice notification means can be constituted by an appropriate device such as an indicator lamp, a display, or a buzzer. With such a configuration, when the thrown-in ice falls into the ice storage 20, or when the ice temporarily accumulates in the ice storage 20 and then collapses, the light beam traveling from the light emitting element to the light receiving element. When the time during which the light is blocked is less than the predetermined time, the full ice notification is not performed, the ice storage 20 is full, and the time during which the light rays from the light emitting element to the light receiving element are blocked by the accumulated ice is longer than the predetermined time. Only in the event of a failure, full ice notification is given. Therefore, it can be confirmed reliably whether or not the ice storage 20 is full.
Further, the full ice detection means of another embodiment includes a weight sensor arranged so as to be able to measure the weight of ice in the ice storage 20 and a full ice notification means connected to the weight sensor. The weight sensor may be arranged so that the weight of ice in the ice storage 20 can be directly measured, or the weight of the ice in the ice storage 20 can be indirectly measured by measuring the weight of the ice storage 20 as a whole. It may be arranged so that it can be measured automatically. In any case, when the weight measured by the weight sensor reaches a weight corresponding to the full ice state of the ice storage 20, the ice full notification means connected to the weight sensor indicates that the ice storage 20 is full. Inform you. The full ice notification means can be constituted by an appropriate device such as an indicator lamp, a display, or a buzzer. When the full ice notification means is constituted by a display, the weight measured by the weight sensor may be converted into a percentage with respect to the weight corresponding to the full ice state of the ice storage 20, for example, and displayed. By configuring in this way, the amount of ice in the ice storage 20 can be grasped in real time, so that it is easy to avoid the inconvenience of throwing in ice that greatly exceeds the full state.
Further, the full ice detection means of another embodiment is constituted by a temperature sensor disposed in the upper part of the ice storage 20 (in the vicinity of the ice inlet 21), and full ice notification means connected to the temperature sensor. As the ice accumulates in the ice storage 20 and approaches the full state, the temperature of the upper part of the ice storage 20 decreases. Therefore, the correlation between the amount of ice in the ice storage 20 and the temperature of the upper part of the ice storage 20 is previously determined. If it is grasped, the amount of ice in the ice storage 20 can be estimated from the temperature of the upper part of the ice storage 20. Therefore, when the temperature measured by the temperature sensor disposed at the upper part of the ice storage 20 becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature, the full ice notification means connected to the temperature sensor notifies that the ice storage 20 is full. What is necessary is just to comprise. The full ice notification means can be constituted by an appropriate device such as an indicator lamp, a display, or a buzzer.
In addition, even when any of the above-mentioned full ice detection means is employed, there is a possibility that ice will be thrown in exceeding the full state. In addition, it is considered that the thrown-in ice often accumulates in a conical shape in the ice storage 20, and even when an amount of ice corresponding to a full state is charged, the top of the accumulated ice is stored in the ice storage. It may be higher than the upper end of 20 (ice inlet 21).
Therefore, even in the above case, it is preferable to form the back surface of the lid 3 in a dome shape (that is, to provide a recess) so that the top of the accumulated ice can be accommodated. With such a configuration, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the lid 3 cannot be closed by the accumulated ice.
Further, even when the top of ice accumulated in a cone shape is higher than the upper end (ice inlet 21) of the ice storage 20, by breaking the cone by stirring the ice in the ice storage 20, The height of the top of the accumulated ice can be lowered. Therefore, even when the lid 3 is in an open state, it is preferable that a stirring mechanism 36 (discharge means) described later is operated by pressing a predetermined button or the like. Alternatively, the stirring mechanism 36 may be configured to automatically operate when it is detected that the lid 3 is closed.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the structure of the ice storage and the stirring mechanism in the ice dispenser 1 of the present embodiment.
In the housing 2 of the ice dispenser 1, a cooling mechanism for cooling the ice storage 20 and a stirring mechanism 36 for stirring the ice in the ice storage 20 are provided.
The cooling mechanism includes an electric compressor 40 that compresses the refrigerant and a condenser 41 that cools the compressed refrigerant. As shown in FIG. 2, the electric compressor 40 and the condenser 41 are disposed in the lower part of the ice storage 20. The capacitor 41 is provided with an electric fan motor 42 for cooling the capacitor 41.
As shown in FIG. 5, an evaporator 43 of a cooling mechanism is provided at the upper part of the outer surface of the ice storage 20. The evaporator 43 is configured such that a pipe having high heat conductivity such as copper or aluminum is wound around the outer surface of the ice storage 20. When the low-temperature refrigerant passes through the evaporator 43, heat exchange with the ice storage 20 can be performed, and the inside of the ice storage 20 can be cooled.
The evaporator 43 is wound only on the upper part of the ice storage 20. This is to prevent the lower part of the ice storage 20 from being overcooled. For example, when the lid 3 is opened or the power is turned off while the ice is stored in the ice storage 20, the temperature of the ice storage 20 rises and the ice is partially melted. If the evaporator 43 cools the lower part of the ice storage 20 too much, the ice may stick to each other, or the ice and the opening 22 or the slope 24 may adhere to prevent the ice from being discharged. In the present embodiment, the evaporator 43 is wound only around the upper part of the ice storage 20 to prevent the lower part of the ice storage 20 from being overcooled, thereby preventing such ice discharge. Therefore, the position and capacity of the evaporator 43 may be set so that the cooling mechanism cools to about 0 degrees Celsius below the ice storage 20.
The stirring mechanism 36 includes a stirrer 45 and an electric stirring motor 46. The stirrer 45 includes a plurality of stirring rods 48 on a cylindrical shaft portion 47. The shaft portion 47 is disposed coaxially with the ice storage 20 at the bottom of the ice storage 20. The stirring bar 48 is formed of a cylindrical bar, is bent obliquely in the vertical direction from the shaft portion 47, and extends radially outward to the vicinity of the inner peripheral wall of the ice storage 20. The stirring rods 48 are arranged radially on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 47 by several tens of degrees, for example, and are arranged in three stages in the vertical direction. The stirring motor 46 is disposed at the lower part of the ice storage 20. The agitation motor 46 has an output shaft connected to the shaft portion 47, and rotates the agitator 45 in the ice storage 20 by rotating the shaft portion 47. Further, the upper surface of the bottom wall 49 of the ice storage 20 is inclined downward from the central portion toward the outer peripheral portion.
The bottom wall 49 of the ice storage 20 is provided with a pipe 50 for draining the water in the ice storage 20 so that the water in the ice storage 20 can be discharged to the outside of the ice dispenser 1.
FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of the cooling mechanism 35 in the ice dispenser 1.
As shown in FIG. 6, the cooling mechanism 35 of the ice dispenser 1 is provided in the refrigerant circulation path 51 in turn with an electric compressor 40 (compressor), an electric first on-off valve 52, a condenser 41 (condenser), and a dryer. 53, a check valve 54, a capillary tube (capillary: having an expansion valve function) 55, an evaporator 43 (evaporator), and an accumulator 56. The cooling mechanism 35 is a known cooling circuit that drives the electric compressor 40 to circulate the refrigerant, compresses and expands it, and cools it by exchanging heat with the refrigerant at a low temperature, and will not be described in detail.
In addition, a communication path 57 is provided that connects the circulation path 51 between the electric compressor 40 and the first on-off valve 52 and the circulation path 51 between the capillary tube 55 and the evaporator 43. The communication passage 57 is provided with an electric second opening / closing valve 58.
Then, by operating the electric compressor 40 in a state where the first on-off valve 52 is opened and the second on-off valve 58 is closed, the inside of the circulation path 51 as shown by the solid line arrow in FIG. The refrigerant circulates, and the evaporator 43 cools the ice storage 20 by exchanging heat with the low-temperature refrigerant.
Further, by operating the electric compressor 40 with the first on-off valve 52 closed and the second on-off valve 58 opened, the circulation path 51 and the communication path 51 are connected as shown by the broken line arrows in FIG. The refrigerant circulates in the passage 57, and the refrigerant, which is compressed by the electric compressor 40 and becomes high temperature, exchanges heat in the evaporator 43 to heat the ice storage 20. By heating the ice storage 20 in this way, a defrosting function for removing frost attached to the inner wall of the ice storage 20 is possible.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the ice dispenser 1.
The ice dispenser 1 includes an electric compressor 40, a first on-off valve 52, a second on-off valve 58, and a control unit 60 (control means) that controls the operation of the fan motor 42. The control unit 60 includes an input / output device, a storage device (ROM, RAM, nonvolatile RAM, etc.), a timer, a central processing unit (CPU), and the like. The control unit 60 operates when the power switch 61 is on. The power switch 61 is disposed, for example, on the surface of the front door 4 or in the front door 4. The control unit 60 operates each device of the cooling mechanism 35 when the cooling switch 62 disposed in the front door 4 is turned on, and cools the ice storage 20. In addition, the control unit 60 switches the first on-off valve 52 and the second on-off valve 58 of the cooling mechanism 35 by turning on the defrost switch 63 disposed in the front door 4, so that the electric compressor 40 is driven and a defrost function is performed.
Further, the control unit 60 inputs an operation signal of the ice fixed amount discharge button 7, the ice small amount discharge button 8, the ice discharge lever 6, and the detection signal from the ice sensor 33, and controls the opening / closing motor 29 to control the shutter 27. The opening motor and the stirring motor 46 are operated to discharge a predetermined amount or a small amount of ice set by the ice fixed amount discharge button 7 or the ice small amount discharge button 8.
The control unit 60 operates the stirring motor 46 for a predetermined time (for example, several minutes) every predetermined period (for example, several tens of minutes to several hours) when the power is turned on. Thereby, sticking of blocky ice in the ice storage 20 is suppressed.
Note that a shutter lock mechanism that locks the shutter 27 in the closed state may be provided, and the shutter 27 may be locked in the normally closed state and controlled so that the lock is released only when the ice is discharged. By providing such a shutter lock mechanism, unnecessary discharge of ice from the opening 22 can be prevented when the agitation motor 46 is operated so that ice does not stick as described above.
In addition, the control unit 60 has a safety function that controls the operation of the lock mechanism 31 when the agitation motor 46 is operated to restrict the opening of the lid 3. Further, the lid 3 is provided with an open / close sensor 66 for detecting opening and closing, and the control unit 60 is a safety function for stopping the rotation of the stirring motor 46 when it is detected that the lid 3 is opened. It also has.
A rotation sensor 67 for detecting the rotation speed is provided on the rotation shaft of the agitator 45 or the agitation motor 46. The control unit 60 has a motor protection function for stopping the operation control of the stirring motor 46 when the rotation of the rotation shaft is not detected for a predetermined time (for example, several seconds) regardless of the rotation control of the stirring motor 46. Thereby, for example, when the ice adheres to the vicinity of the opening 22 or is sandwiched between the stirrer 48 and the edge of the opening 22, the stirring motor 46 becomes unable to rotate. The stirring motor 46 can be protected by stopping the operation.
Further, the ice dispenser 1 is provided with an ice adhesion preventing mechanism. The ice adhesion preventing mechanism is configured by, for example, a heater 68 provided on the slope 24, the lid 3, and the shutter 27.
These heaters 68 may continue to be heated with a relatively weak calorific value when the power of the ice dispenser 1 is turned on, for example, or may be heated every predetermined time. Alternatively, when ice is replenished, heating may be performed with a relatively strong heating value until a predetermined time elapses or a predetermined amount is discharged. Thereby, it is suppressed that ice adheres to the slope 24 and the shutter 27, and the discharge property of ice can be improved.
The control unit 60 has a remaining amount determination function for determining the remaining amount of ice in the ice storage 20. A temperature sensor 70 that detects the internal temperature of the bottom of the ice storage 20 is provided at the bottom of the ice storage 20. If the temperature in the bottom of the ice storage 20 detected by the temperature sensor 70 is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature set near 0 degrees Celsius, the control unit 60 remains at least a predetermined amount that ice can be discharged into the ice storage 20. It is determined that This is because if the ice remains in the ice storage 20 by a predetermined amount or more, the temperature in the bottom of the ice storage 20 decreases to below 0 degrees Celsius due to the ice.
Note that the evaporator 43 is disposed on the outer surface upper part of the ice storage 20 and is not provided on the lower part of the ice storage 20, so that the influence of cooling by the evaporator 43 on the detection value of the temperature sensor 70 is suppressed. That is, although the ice is hardly left in the ice storage 20, it is erroneously determined that the internal temperature at the bottom of the ice storage 20 is lowered to a predetermined temperature or less due to cooling by the evaporator 43 and the remaining amount of ice is small. This can be prevented.
If the control unit 60 determines that the remaining amount of ice is greater than or equal to a predetermined amount in the power-on state, the ice constant discharge button 7a, 7b, 7c and the small amount of ice discharge button 8 are turned on, and the user can discharge ice. Notify that. When the control unit 60 determines that the remaining amount of ice is less than the predetermined amount, the control unit 60 turns off the ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b and 7c and the ice small amount discharge button 8. Further, not only when the remaining amount of ice is less than a predetermined amount, but also when the device of the ice dispenser 1 is out of order, for example, the ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b, 7c and the small amount of ice discharge button 8 are turned off. .
The control unit 60 operates to blink the selected ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b, 7c when the ice fixed amount discharge is being performed by operating the ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b, 7c. The buttons 7a, 7b, 7c and the ice trace discharge button 8 are turned off.
Note that the remaining amount determination function is not determined based on the inside temperature of the bottom of the ice storage 20 detected by the temperature sensor 70 as described above, but may be other methods. For example, if the ice discharge amount per unit time detected by the ice sensor 33 is less than a predetermined amount when the ice is discharged by operating the ice quantitative discharge button 7, it is determined that the remaining amount of ice is low. Also good. Further, when it is determined that the remaining amount of ice is less than a predetermined amount, a notification such as a buzzer may be used.
In this embodiment, as an operation means for instructing ice discharge, an ice discharge lever 6 is provided in addition to the three types of ice constant discharge buttons 7a, 7b and 7c capable of setting large, medium and small discharge amounts. By operating both the ice constant discharge buttons 7a, 7b and 7c and the ice discharge lever 6, a fixed amount of ice can be carried out.
In an ice dispenser equipped with only the ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b, 7c, for example, when the ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b, 7c are accidentally pressed without a cup placed under the discharge port 5, or discharged If you place a cup under the outlet 5 and operate the ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b, 7c, or if the cup is accidentally tilted, or if the cup falls due to discharged (falling) ice, There is a risk that the ice will be wasted. In addition, once the ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b, and 7c are pressed to start discharging the ice, it cannot be stopped until the set amount is discharged, and there is a possibility that a large amount of ice is wasted.
In the present embodiment, the control unit 60 performs the opening operation of the shutter 27 and the stirring operation by the stirrer 45 when both the ice fixed amount discharging buttons 7a, 7b, 7c and the ice discharging lever 6 are operated. , Drain the ice. The operations of both the ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b and 7c and the ice discharge lever 6 are the operation of the ice discharge lever 6 after the operation of the ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b and 7c and the operation of the ice discharge lever 6. Any of pressing the ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b and 7c may be performed. The control unit 60 confirms the operation state of the ice discharge lever 6 when the ice fixed discharge buttons 7a, 7b, and 7c are operated, and controls the ice to be discharged when the ice discharge lever 6 is operated. Thus, it is confirmed that the ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b and 7c are pushed while the ice discharge lever 6 is operated. If the operation of the ice discharge lever 6 is canceled while the set amount of ice set by the ice fixed discharge buttons 7a, 7b, and 7c is being discharged, the ice discharge is stopped.
The ice discharge lever 6 is provided in the vicinity of the discharge port 5 (the lower back side), and is disposed at a position where the user can operate when holding the cup and approaching the lower side of the discharge port 5. When 6 is operated, the cup is positioned below the discharge port 5.
Therefore, in the state where the cup is not disposed close to the lower side of the discharge port 5, even if the ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b, 7c or the ice small amount discharge button 8 are erroneously pressed, the ice is not discharged, which is useless. Ice discharge can be suppressed.
Further, the urging force (returning force) of the ice discharge lever 6 may be set relatively large so that the operation is released even when a lightweight cup made of paper or the like is placed on the tray 9 below the discharge port 5. . Thus, even if the user places the ice tray lever 9 without holding the cup, the ice discharge lever 6 is not operated, and even if the ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b, 7c are pressed, Emission is suppressed. Thereby, it can prevent that ice is discharged | emitted in the state which the cup fell down.
Further, the control unit 60 discharges the ice when the ice discharge lever 6 is operated again after a predetermined time elapses after the ice discharge lever 6 is stopped by releasing the operation of the ice discharge lever 6 during the fixed amount discharge of the ice. Is controlled so that the set amount of ice set by the ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b, and 7c is discharged together with the amount of ice discharged during the fixed amount discharge until then.
Thus, even if the ice discharge lever 6 is erroneously canceled during the fixed amount discharge of ice, the fixed discharge of ice is resumed by re-operating the ice discharge lever 6 before a predetermined time elapses. The discharge becomes possible.
The control unit 60 stops the constant discharge of ice when the ice discharge lever 6 is released during the fixed discharge of ice and a predetermined time has elapsed. Even if the ice discharge lever 6 is operated after the ice quantitative discharge is stopped, the ice quantitative discharge is not performed until the ice fixed discharge buttons 7a, 7b and 7c are operated again.
The control unit 60 controls the operated ice quantitative discharge buttons 7a, 7b, and 7c to blink during the quantitative discharge, but when the operation of the ice discharge lever 6 is canceled during the constant discharge of ice, the control unit 60 performs a predetermined time. It is good to control so that this blinking operation may be continued until it passes. As a result, when the ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b, and 7c are blinking, it becomes a notification means for notifying the user that the fixed amount discharge of ice can be resumed. Judgment can be easily made and the usability is excellent.
Note that the timing at which the quantitative discharge of ice is switched from resumable to impossible may be such that quantitative discharge can be restarted until a predetermined time has elapsed since the operation of the ice discharge lever 6 was canceled as described above. The fixed discharge may be resumable when the ice discharge lever 6 is operated again after a predetermined time set appropriately from the start of the fixed discharge.
Further, in the present embodiment, an ice trace discharge button 8 for discharging a trace amount (for example, several pieces) of ice is provided as an operation means for instructing the discharge of ice. As for the ice small amount discharge button 8, both the ice discharge lever 6 and the ice discharge lever 6 are operated in the same manner as the ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b and 7c.
In a conventional ice dispenser that does not include the ice micro-discharge button 8, when ice is discharged by operating the ice quantitative discharge buttons 7a, 7b, and 7c, for example, if a portion of ice spills from the cup, Insufficient ice supply. Here, if the ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b, and 7c are operated again to add ice, the ice is excessively supplied into the cup, and there is a possibility that the ice is consumed wastefully.
On the other hand, a small amount (several pieces) of ice can be supplied to the cup by providing the small amount of ice discharge button 8 as in the present embodiment. It should be noted that several ice pieces are discharged every time the small amount of ice discharge button 8 is operated.
Thereby, when the fixed amount of ice indicated by the operation of the fixed amount discharge button 7a, 7b, 7c is discharged, for example, when a part of the ice spills from the cup and the supply of ice into the cup is insufficient. The amount of ice supplied to the cup can be adjusted by pressing the ice micro discharge button 8.
Further, the ice dispenser 1 is provided with a micro discharge amount setting device 8a (second discharge amount setting means). The micro discharge amount setting device 8a is, for example, a dial switch, and sets the discharge amount when the ice micro discharge button 8 is pressed. The trace discharge amount setting device 8a may be provided on the surface of the front door 4 or on the inner side of the front door 4. By appropriately setting the amount of ice discharged when the small amount of ice discharge button 8 is pressed by the minute amount discharge setting device 8a, the supply amount of ice can be further easily adjusted.
As for the ice trace discharge button 8, a small amount of ice may be discharged every time it is operated, or it is continuously discharged little by little while the ice trace discharge button 8 is operated. Also good. Further, the ice discharge by the ice minute discharge button 8 may be controlled to be performed without the operation of the ice discharge lever 6.
Further, regarding the discharge of a small amount of ice by the operation of the ice small amount discharge button 8, the predetermined amount of time (first predetermined time) is discharged after discharging the fixed amount of ice indicated by the operation of the ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b, 7c. ) Should be accepted. Or after discharging the fixed quantity of ice instruct | indicated by operation of fixed quantity discharge button 7a, 7b, 7c, you may make it receive discharge | emission of the trace amount ice by operation of the ice small quantity discharge button 8 to predetermined times. As a result, it is limited that a small amount of ice can be discharged by operating the small amount of ice discharge button 8 after the fixed amount of ice is discharged by operating the constant amount of ice discharging buttons 7a, 7b, 7c. Unnecessary operations can be suppressed.
In the above embodiment, a small amount of ice is discharged by the ice small amount discharge button 8 after the fixed amount of ice is discharged. However, a small amount of ice is discharged by operating the ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b, 7c. It may be. For example, the control unit 60 discharges the fixed amount of ice indicated by the operation of the fixed amount of ice discharge buttons 7a, 7b, and 7c, and then passes the fixed amount of ice discharge button until a predetermined time (second predetermined time) elapses. By operating 7a, 7b, and 7c again, control is performed to discharge a small amount of ice. That is, after the fixed amount of ice is discharged, the discharge operation means for instructing the operation of discharging a small amount of ice is changed from the ice small amount discharge button 8 to the ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b and 7c. Thus, ice can be provided and adjusted with one button, and operability can be improved. Then, after a predetermined time (second predetermined time) has elapsed, the discharging operation means for instructing a small amount of ice discharging operation is returned from the ice fixed amount discharging buttons 7a, 7b and 7c to the ice small amount discharging button 8. Thus, after a predetermined time has elapsed, a fixed amount of ice can be discharged anew by operating the ice fixed amount discharge buttons 7a, 7b and 7c.
When the discharging operation means for instructing the operation of discharging a small amount of ice is changed from the ice small amount discharging button 8 to the ice fixed amount discharging button 7a, 7b, 7c, for example, the ice fixed amount discharging button 7a, 7b, 7c is changed. The user should be notified by blinking. Thereby, when the user gives an operation instruction for discharging a small amount of ice, the user can easily operate without making a mistake.
Next, a method for detecting the amount of ice carried out will be described in detail.
In an ice dispenser that stores massive ice and discharges a predetermined amount as in this embodiment, the size of ice is generally in a predetermined range, but the size of all ice is not constant. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately detect the discharge amount of massive ice, and it is difficult to provide a set amount of ice with high accuracy.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the ice sensor 33 for detecting the amount of discharged ice is constituted by two (two sets) ice sensors 33a and 33b arranged in the ice sensor housing 24h. The ice sensors 33a and 33b are provided at the lower end portion (including the vicinity of the lower end portion) of the slope 24 extending obliquely downward from the opening 22 of the ice storage 20, and are substantially perpendicular to the extending direction of the slope 24, that is, The ice movement direction (discharge direction) on the slope 24 is arranged away from each other in a direction substantially perpendicular to the ice discharge direction (for example, the vertical direction), and the passage of ice at each installation position can be detected. It has become.
The control unit 60 includes an ice discharge amount measuring unit 80 that estimates the amount of ice passing by receiving detection signals from the two ice sensors 33a and 33b every predetermined time (for example, 1 msec).
The ice discharge amount measuring unit 80 estimates the size of ice based on the detection signals detected by the two ice sensors 33a and 33b. Since the slope 24 is inclined obliquely downward, the ice discharged from the opening 22 and passing through the slope 24 slides down on the lower wall 24d of the slope 24, and a relatively small ice is not formed at the lower end of the slope 24. It generally passes near the tip (lower end) of the lower wall 24d of the slope 24. Therefore, when ice is detected only by the ice sensor 33b disposed below the two ice sensors 33a and 33b, relatively small ice passes and the ice is detected by both ice sensors 33a and 33b. It can be accurately estimated that relatively large ice has passed.
And the ice discharge | emission amount measurement part 80 calculates the passage amount of ice based on the magnitude | size of ice and the detection time of ice detected by ice sensor 33a, 33b. Specifically, for example, Ag in the case of one sensor, B (≈2 × A) g in the case of two sensors, each time it is detected that ice has passed (1 msec), it is estimated that ice has passed. . Note that A and B correspond to the volume information of the present invention, and may be confirmed and set in advance by a test or the like.
Therefore, for example, when 600 msec ice is detected by one ice sensor 33a or 33b during 1000 msec, it is estimated that 600 × Ag ice has passed, and 400 msec ice is simultaneously detected by two ice sensors 33a and 33b. In that case, it is estimated that 400 × Bg of ice has passed. Then, the total ice passage amount, that is, the ice discharge amount is calculated by adding the ice passage amounts.
Thus, since the ice size is estimated and the ice discharge amount is calculated based on the detection results of the two ice sensors 33a and 33b as well as the detection time of the ice sensors 33a and 33b, the ice discharge is accurately performed. The amount can be estimated. Therefore, when the fixed amount of ice is discharged by operating the fixed amount of ice discharge buttons 7a, 7b and 7c, the timing of closing the shutter 27 is controlled based on the estimated amount of discharged ice, thereby discharging the ice with high accuracy. Is possible.
The ice sensor 33 may be provided in the range on the slope 24 instead of the lower end of the slope 24.
Moreover, you may provide the ice sensor 33 in the chute | shoot 25, for example. In this case, the ice discharge amount measuring unit 80 passes large ice when the two ice sensors 33a and 33b detect the passage of ice substantially simultaneously, and only one of the two ice sensors 33a and 33b passes. When the passage of ice is detected, it may be estimated that small ice has passed.
Three or more ice sensors 33 may be provided. In this case, it can be estimated that the larger the number of ice sensors 33 that have detected ice, the larger the ice.
And the ice dispenser 1 of this embodiment supplies and stores lump-like ice from the outside, supplies an appropriate amount to a cup or the like, and does not have an ice making function. Can be Thereby, it is easy to install in a place where the installation space is limited, and the supply amount of ice can be increased by installing a plurality of units, and an ice dispenser with a wide use range can be obtained.
In addition, the ice dispenser of this invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The present invention can be widely applied to ice dispensers that supply an appropriate amount of stored massive ice. At that time, the ice dispenser may include an ice making machine.

1 Ice Dispenser 20 Ice Storage 22 Opening (Outlet)
23 Ice guidance unit 24 Slope (fixed ice guidance unit)
25 Chute 25d Upper guide (guide)
25e Lower guide (guide)
26 Bracket (fixed ice guidance unit)
33, 33a, 33b Ice sensor

Claims (7)

1. An ice storage for storing ice,
   An ice guiding unit for guiding the ice discharged from the outlet of the ice storage;
   An ice sensor for detecting the amount of ice passing through the ice guiding unit;
   An ice dispenser comprising:
   The ice guiding unit is
   A fixed ice guiding unit fixed to a housing of the ice storage or the ice dispenser, including at least a slope for guiding the ice discharged from the carry-out port diagonally downward;
   A chute arranged downstream of the slope to guide the ice downward;
   Consisting of
   The ice sensor is attached to the fixed ice guiding unit;
   The ice dispenser, wherein the chute is detachable from the fixed ice guiding unit.
2. The ice dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the chute is detachable in the front-rear direction with respect to the fixed ice guiding unit.
3. The ice dispenser according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ice sensor is attached to the slope.
4. The fixed ice guiding unit further includes a bracket for supporting the ice sensor,
   The ice dispenser according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ice sensor is attached to the bracket.
5. The ice dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the chute is detachably attached to the slope.
6. The ice dispenser according to claim 4, wherein the chute is detachably attached to the bracket.
7. The ice dispenser according to claim 6, wherein the chute includes a guide on an outer periphery, and the guide is engaged with the bracket.

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