JPH0245737Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] This invention relates to an apparatus for producing prismatic ice, and in particular, to eliminate the formation of cloudy ice in the center of the ice and to obtain a new control circuit to prevent ice from melting during storage. This is related to the improvement of

In conventional prismatic ice making equipment, the operation of the air pipe stirring device was stopped as soon as ice production was completed, resulting in the formation of cloudy ice in the center of the block ice. . That is, in Fig. 1, in order to make one large block ice A (approximately 10 kg), the temperature of the evaporation pipe must be lowered. For this reason, the temperature of the ice around the tank near the evaporation pipe is sufficiently low to sufficiently freeze the center of block ice A, and the negative heat capacity of the entire block ice A becomes extremely large. Even if it is possible to remove the ice by stopping the operation of the compressor and performing deicing, the ice-making water B in the center of the block ice A has the ability to partially freeze due to the large amount of negative heat in the entire block ice A. 1st because
As shown in the figure, cloudy ice C was formed in the center of block ice A. In addition, the power to the refrigeration circuit is cut off after ice making is completed, so when ice is stored in the block ice manufacturing equipment, block ice A will melt over time, and over a long period of time, the amount will decrease or disappear. A problem had arisen.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an extremely effective means to promptly eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks.In particular, the purpose of this invention is to provide an extremely effective means to quickly eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks. After that, the air pump continues to operate to supply air to the air pipe to prevent cloudy ice from freezing, and if the stored block ice after ice-making begins to melt, the ice-making thermostat is turned on again. The compressor is energized to start, and regular block ice is always stored. In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the block ice making apparatus according to the present invention is such that an air pipe is provided in the ice making water tank to make block ice in the freezing part while stirring the ice making water with air. an air pump for supplying air, a compressor provided in the freezing section, an ice making thermostat connected to the compressor, a deicing heater provided in the ice making water tank, and an ice making heater provided in the ice making water tank; A de-icing thermostat connected to a heater and a manually operated ice-making/de-icing switch are provided, and the ice-making/de-icing switch has an ice-making terminal connected to the ice-making thermostat, and a manually operated ice-making/de-icing switch. A movable contact piece that is connected to a common terminal at one end and selectively connected to either the ice making terminal or the deicing terminal by manual operation at the other end. death,
The ice-making thermostat and the ice-removal thermostat are connected so that their operations are controlled by the ice-making/removal switch.

The block ice making apparatus according to the present invention is generally used to make ice once a day to make the ice needed for the day. 1
Since the ice making cycle time is 10-15 hours,
When using this block ice production device every day, there is no problem if the deicing operation is automatically completed, but if the user uses the automatic mode during a store holiday, for example, , ice is left in the manufacturing equipment for more than one day.
Particularly in the summer, when the store is closed on holidays, the temperature inside the store is quite high due to the heat generated by the refrigerator and manufacturing equipment. According to an experiment in which it was left for one day,
The amount of ice melt reaches approximately 35%.

In other words, the first business day of a store after a holiday is approximately the same as a normal day.
I only got 65% ice. Even if the ice-making cycle is operated immediately after a holiday, it will take about 15 hours (at a room temperature of 30 to 35°C) to complete ice-making, resulting in a shortage of ice. Recently, in urban areas, there has been a strong tendency for people not to stay overnight in stores and stores to be unmanned on non-business days, so the lack of ice as described above has become a problem.

Therefore, by installing an ice making/deicing switch as in the present invention, keeping the ice cold after ice making is completed, and removing ice when necessary, it is possible to ensure the necessary ice for the whole day, even the day after a holiday. It is also possible to solve the above-mentioned problem.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the block ice production apparatus according to this invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 2, a body designated by the reference numeral 10 is box-shaped as a whole and has a lid 10a, and a freezing section 11 is disposed at the bottom of the body 10. An ice-making water tank 12 is arranged at the position. An air pipe 14 is attached to the bottom plate 13 of the ice-making water tank 12 so as to protrude upward, and an air hose 16 of an air pump 15 provided on the upper side of the main body 10 is connected to the lower part of the air pipe 14. There is. The freezing section 11 is installed on the side plate 17 of the ice-making water tank 10.
Evaporation tubes 18 and heater wires 19 connected to the evaporator tubes 18 and heater wires 19 are alternately arranged.

The air pipe 14 is shown in detail in FIG. Air supplied from the air hose 16 is supplied to a first air outlet 20 provided at the lower side of the air pipe 14 and a second air outlet 22 provided at the ceiling 21 of the air pipe 14. The air outlets 20 and 22 are connected to the air hose 16, and are provided at different positions in the longitudinal direction of the air pipe 14. Further, inside the air pipe 14, a heater 23 and a temperature-sensing tube 24 serving as a temperature-sensing means are installed inside. Furthermore, this temperature sensing cylinder 24 is connected to the ice making thermostat _Th1 of the control circuit 25 shown in FIG.
Th ₁ and the compressor CM provided in the refrigeration section 11 are connected in series, and the air pump 15 is connected between the ice making terminal T ₁ of the ice making/deicing switch S ₁ and the power supply. has been done. A de-icing thermostat Th 2, the heater wire _{19 and the heater 23 are connected to the de-icing terminal T 2 of} the ice-making and de-icing changeover switch S ₁ between the ice making and de-icing switching switch S 1 and the power supply side.

Describing the case of operating the block ice making apparatus according to the invention with the above configuration to make ice, when the freezing section 11 is operated and refrigerant is supplied to the evaporation pipe 18 and the ice making water tank 12 begins to be cooled, As shown in FIG. 2, the ice-making water in the ice-making water tank 12 is caused by air supplied from the first and second air outlets 20 and 22 to undergo convection as shown by the arrows due to the air agitation effect. As the ice-making process progresses, ice-making starts from the inner side A and the bottom B of the ice-making water tank 12, as shown in FIG. 5, while stirring. Freezing progresses in the central part C and the central upper part D. In this state, the first air outlet 20 of the air pipe 14 is already closed, but air is discharged from the second air outlet 22 and the ice-making water is stirred, as shown in FIG. The ice-making thermostat detects the ice temperature near the ice-making water (below 0° C.) in the characteristic diagram shown in FIG.
Th ₁ opens and stops compressor CM, completing the ice making cycle. In this state, the ice-making and de-icing switch S ₁ is still connected to the ice-making terminal T ₁ and the air pump 15 is still on, so that the ice-making residual water E that is about to freeze after ice-making is completed is removed by the air pump 15. Because it is stirred, it does not become cloudy ice. Next, if you want to take out the block ice that has already been generated and is in storage, switch the movable contact K of the ice making/deicing switch _S1 and connect the common terminal C and the deicing terminal _T2 .
The compressor CM and the air pump 15 are stopped, and since the temperature inside the ice-making water tank is low, the de-icing thermostat _Th2 is closed, so current flows through each heater wire 19 and 23, resulting in a de-icing state.
When the deicing temperature reaches the completion temperature as shown in FIG. 6, the deicing thermostat _Th2 is opened and the power supply to each heater wire 19 and 23 is stopped, and the block ice 26 is removed. Therefore, the control circuit 25 of this embodiment
According to the operation, even after ice making is completed, while the ice making and deicing switch S ₁ is switched to the ice making mode, the air pump 15 is driven to agitate the remaining ice making water, and the cloudy water in the block ice 26 is removed. Freezing can be more reliably prevented.

Furthermore, in the control circuit 25 of this embodiment, if the ice-making and slowing switch _S1 is switched to the ice-making mode, the ice-making thermostat _Th1 will be opened after ice making is completed.
When the block ice 26 melts due to heat entering from the freezing section 11, main body 10, etc., and the temperature rises,
As shown in the characteristic diagram of FIG. 6, the ice making thermostat _Th1 is closed and the compressor CM is activated to enter the ice making cycle, so deformation and melting of the block ice 26 is completely prevented when stored for a long period of time. Traditional obstacles will no longer exist.

Next, it is also extremely effective to use the circuit configuration shown in FIG. 7 as another embodiment of the control circuit 25 in this embodiment. That is, the different part from the control circuit 25 in FIG. 4 is that a relay X is further connected in parallel to the parallel body of the heater wire 19 and the heater 23,
The ice making terminal T ₁ of the ice making/deicing changeover switch S ₁ and the air pump 15 are connected in series through the normally closed contact of the relay X, and the connection point between the air pump 15 and the normally closed contact of the relay a, and the connection point b of the deicing thermostat Th ₂ and the relay X are connected via the normally open contact of the relay X.

Therefore, according to the control circuit 27 in FIG. 7, the compressor CM is driven through the ice making thermostat _Th1 , which is closed during ice making, and the air pump 15 is driven through the normally closed contact of the relay X, which is also closed. be done. When ice making thermostat _Th1 turns off, its contacts open to stop compressor CM, completing the ice making cycle. At this time, since the air pump 15 continues to operate, cloudy ice from the ice-making residual water E does not occur. Furthermore, when switching to the deicing mode, the heater wire ₁₉ , the heater 23, and the relay
5, it is possible to reliably prevent cloudy ice from freezing. In particular, after the ice making is completed, the compressor CM is controlled by the ice making thermostat _Th1 to prevent the block ice generated in the ice making water tank 12 from being frozen. Even after switching to the de-icing mode, the air pump 15 is driven to agitate the ice-making residual water E, so that cloudy ice does not become cloudy.

Since the block ice making device according to this invention has the above-mentioned configuration and operation, even if the ice making thermostat is turned off after ice making is completed, the air pump for stirring the ice making water remains in operation. Cloudy ice does not form, and highly transparent ice can always be obtained. In addition, if the block ice is not taken out even after entering the deicing cycle, the temperature will rise and the ice making cycle will begin, so even if stored for a long time, the block ice can be stored without abnormal melting or deformation. Because you can
For example, even when used in a store that is unmanned on holidays, the required ice can be immediately obtained on the business day after the holiday.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing a conventional device, Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing a block ice manufacturing device according to this invention, Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing the air pipe in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a control circuit. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the ice making state, FIG. 6 is a temperature vs. time characteristic diagram showing the operating characteristics of the ice making and deicing thermostat of the control circuit, and FIG. 7 is another implementation of the control circuit. FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing an example. 10...Main body, 11...Freezer section, 12...Ice making water tank, 14...Air pipe, 15...Air pump, 19...(For ice removal) heater wire, 23...
(For deicing) Heater, CM... Refrigerant compressor, Th ₁ ...
Thermostat for ice making, Th ₂ ... Thermostat for deicing, S ₁ ... Ice making and deicing switch, T ₁ ...
Ice making terminal, T ₂ ... Deicing terminal, C ... Common contact,
K...movable contact piece, 26...prismatic ice.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In an apparatus for making prismatic ice by providing air pipe in an ice-making water tank and stirring ice-making water with air and cooling from a freezing section, the apparatus includes an air pump for supplying air to the air pipe, and an air pump for supplying air to the freezing section. A compressor provided, an ice-making thermostat connected to the compressor, a de-icing heater provided in the ice-making water tank, and a de-icing thermostat connected to the de-icing heater. an ice-making and de-icing switch that is operated, and the ice-making and de-icing switch has an ice-making terminal connected to the ice-making thermostat, an ice-making terminal connected to the ice-making thermostat, and a de-icing terminal connected to the ice-making thermostat; a movable contact piece connected to a common terminal and selectively connected at the other end to either the ice making terminal or the deicing terminal by manual operation; A prismatic ice manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that it is connected so that its operation is controlled by the ice making and deicing changeover switch.