JPH0117017Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to an automatic ice maker, and more specifically to a configuration of a splash type ice maker.

As an automatic ice maker that makes a large number of small ice cubes at once, a fountain-type ice maker is known from Publication of Utility Model Publication No. 57-54538, etc., but this type of ice maker makes ice with a large number of ice-making chambers that open downward. A water tray is arranged opposite to the opening side of the ice-making chamber, and ice is formed in the ice-making chamber by directing water to each ice-making chamber through the water tray. be.

However, this ice maker requires a nozzle, a pump, and piping for water sprinkling, making it a complex structure, resulting in an economical disadvantage due to increased equipment costs.Furthermore, the water nozzle can become clogged with limescale during long-term use. It is also troublesome that this occurs easily and requires careful maintenance.

The present invention was developed in view of the fact that fountain-type ice makers have many drawbacks. The main objective of the present invention is to make it economically efficient and reliable.

To this end, the present invention includes an ice-making section consisting of a large number of ice-making chambers arranged in parallel that open downward, a water tank disposed directly below the ice-making section to store raw water for ice, and a water tank between the water tank and the ice-making section. An ice maker is equipped with a wall for preventing water droplets from scattering that covers the surrounding area except for the ice cube outlet, a curtain for preventing water droplets from scattering that is hung over the ice cube outlet, and a water sprinkler device installed near a predetermined water surface in the water tank. The sprinkler device comprises a horizontal shaft connected to a motor to apply rotational power, and a plate piece having a small width in the direction of the horizontal axis and a large length in the orthogonal direction, The water in the water tank is transferred to each ice-making chamber by forming a plurality of paddles mounted in parallel at appropriate pitches, and rotating the paddles around the horizontal axis while making the paddles appear and disappear from the water surface. It is made so that it can be distributed evenly,
It has a very simple structure where the paddle rotates and splashes water at the point where the paddle is unfolded, and it is almost maintenance-free, and the fear of clogging has been eliminated and the intended purpose has been fully achieved. It's something you get.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In Figs. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes the ice-making section of a splash-type ice-making machine, and the ice-making section 1 is constructed by arranging a large number of downward-opening ice-making chambers 2, 2 in parallel in multiple rows and columns. configured.

3 is a water tank, which is horizontally installed directly below the ice making section 1;
The water in the water supply tank 9 is replenished using a cartridge system, so that an appropriate amount of water is always stored at a predetermined water level.

Note that the mechanism for supplying water to the water supply tank 9 is not limited to the illustrated example, and various mechanisms such as water supply using a float water supply valve can be used.

In addition to the illustrated arrangement, the water supply tank 9 may also be arranged in front of the ice making section 1 and directly above an ice storage (not shown) that stores ice cubes that have fallen from the ice making chambers 2, 2. good.

The ice making compartments 2, 2 are provided with evaporation pipes 10, 10 on the outside of their upper surfaces, and these evaporation pipes 10, 10, a compressor 11, a condenser 12, an expansion valve 13, and an ice release valve. 14 forms a known refrigeration circuit capable of ice removal operation using hot gas.

A wall 4 is installed around the area between the ice making section 1 and the water tank 3 to prevent water droplets from scattering, and a part of this wall 4 on the exit side from which small ice cubes are taken out after ice making is on the upper side. A curtain 4A with a fixed edge and a free lower edge is used to make it easy to take out small ice cubes.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a water sprinkler device, which is disposed near a predetermined water surface in the water tank 3.

This watering device 5 has a structure in which a plurality of paddles 7, 7 are attached to a horizontal shaft 6, which is connected to a motor 8 and is supplied with rotational power, and arranged vertically in appropriate pitches.When the horizontal shaft 6 is rotated, the paddles 7, 7, As a result of the scraping portion at the tip of 7 rotating around the horizontal axis 6 while appearing and retracting from the water surface, water is splashed up and is formed so that it can be uniformly dispersed in the form of water droplets in each of the ice making chambers 2, 2. .

The paddle 7 is formed of a plate having a small width in the direction of the horizontal axis 6 and a large length in the perpendicular direction, and is raised up according to the size and arrangement pitch of each ice making chamber 2. The width dimensions and spacing are determined so that the width of the water curtain is an appropriate value.

In this case, the direction and amount of water splashed up are determined by the shape and dimensions of the paddle and the rotational speed of the horizontal shaft 6, but matching this to the ice-making capacity can be easily selected at the time of design.

In addition, rather than arranging the paddles 7 and 7 in the same phase with respect to the horizontal axis 6, if they are arranged out of phase as shown in Figure 2, the ripples on the water surface will be stabilized and the appropriate amount of water will be distributed. This is a preferred embodiment as it allows for continuous dispersion.

In the figure, reference numeral 15 denotes a "grilled board" which slopes downward toward the drooping part of the curtain 4A, which is the ice removal side, and is installed obliquely between the ice making section 1 and the water tank 3.
It is formed so that the ice cubes falling from the ice making chambers 2, 2 can slide down to the ice removal side.

On the other hand, 16 is a water spray guide provided below the water surface in the aquarium 3 so as to circumscribe the rotation area of the paddles 7, 7, and serves to restrict unnecessary water splashing in the direction of the dashed line arrow in FIG. The function is to properly spray water only in the direction indicated by the broken line.

Note that 17 is a fan for the condenser 12.

In the ice maker configured as described above, when the compressor 11, the fan 17, and the motor 8 are energized, the water scraped up by the paddles 7, 7 of the water sprinkler 5 is cooled by the evaporator tube 10. Small room 2,
2 and is then frozen to produce ice.

The water scraped up by the paddles 7, 7 passes between the windows and is sprayed into the ice-making compartments 2, 2, and the water that has not frozen becomes low temperature and falls into the water tank 3.
The water is returned to Japan and used again as raw water for ice.

When the ice making is completed, the ice releasing valve 14 is opened by a timer or an ice making detection thermometer to cause ice to be removed using hot gas, and during this time the fan 17 and motor 8 are stopped.

As ice removal progresses, the ice cubes in the ice making chambers 2, 2 fall and land on the gridiron 15, push the curtain 4A and roll out of the machine.

Once this ice-off is completed, ice-making operation resumes and 20
Ice making operation for 40 minutes and ice removal operation for about 5 minutes are repeated.

According to the present invention having the above-described configuration and operation, the rotation of the paddles 7, 7 can be carried out in the ice-making compartment 2, at the point where the paddles 7, 7 are deployed so that they appear and retract from the water surface of the water tank 3. Therefore, water pumps, water nozzles, and piping between them are not required, resulting in a very simple structure and extremely low equipment cost.

Furthermore, with the present invention, the amount of water that one paddle 7 stirs up and scatters is quite large compared to the shape of the paddle, so the number of installations can be reduced, and the water can be sprayed gently without increasing the rotational speed too high, so ice can be It has the advantage of being quick to generate, and since the paddle 7 acts as a fan, it functions as an agitator, contributing to the prevention of cooling and heat loss.

The water splashed up by the paddle 7 is prevented from escaping to the outside by the surrounding wall 4 and the curtain _4A , thereby minimizing cold water loss and maintaining operational economy. obtain.

Further, while the conventional type using a water spray nozzle required regular maintenance to eliminate clogging, the present invention has the advantage of requiring almost no maintenance and being easy to handle.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an example of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the same. 1... Ice making section, 2... Ice making chamber, 3... Water tank,
4... Wall, 4 _A ... Curtain, 5... Water sprinkler,
6...horizontal axis, 7...paddle, 8...motor.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] An ice-making section 1 consisting of a large number of ice-making chambers 2, 2 that open downward and arranged in parallel; a water tank 3 disposed directly below the ice-making section 1 for storing raw water for ice; and this water tank 3.
and a wall 4 for preventing water droplet scattering that covers the surrounding area except for the ice block outlet between the ice cube outlet 1 and the ice cube outlet, and a curtain 4 _A for preventing water droplet scattering that is hung over the ice block outlet.
a water sprinkling device 5 provided near a predetermined water surface in the aquarium 3; It is made of a plate piece with a small diameter and a large length in the orthogonal direction, and is provided with a plurality of paddles 7, 7, which are respectively attached to the horizontal shaft 6 in parallel at appropriate pitches, and the paddles 7, 7 are placed on the water surface. By rotating around the horizontal axis 6 while appearing and disappearing,
An ice making machine characterized in that the water in the water tank 3 is formed so as to be able to be evenly distributed to each of the ice making compartments 2, 2.