JPH0343575Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] a. Industrial application field The present invention relates to an ice block feeding device, and in particular, to remove arching of stored ice blocks, improve ice storage efficiency, and discharge each ice block effectively in a well-balanced manner. Concerning new improvements.

b. Prior Art Various configurations have been proposed and adopted for this type of ice block feeding device that has been used in the past.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,343 shown in the figure can be mentioned.

That is, in FIG. 5, what is indicated by the reference numeral 1 is a main body having an ice making mechanism section 9, an ice discharge port 2 is provided in the upper part of this main body 1, and an ice storage provided in this main body 1 is provided. Inside the section 3, a cylindrical ice guide member 13, which rotatably houses an ice discharge screw 4, is arranged inclined by an angle A. A rotating member 6 is provided as an agitator.

Furthermore, this screw shaft 5 is configured to be rotatable by a drive motor 7 disposed below the ice storage section 3.

The conventional ice block supply device is configured as described above, and its operation will be explained below.

First, when the drive motor 7 is operated in the state shown in FIG. 5, the rotation of the screw shaft 5 causes the ice discharge screw 4 and the rotating member 6 to simultaneously start rotating.

In this case, the ice block 8 stirred by the rotating member 6 is guided to the lowest end of the ice discharge screw 4,
The ice is gradually fed into the upper part of the ice guide member 13 and is supplied to the outside through the ice outlet 2.

c. Problems to be solved by the invention Since the conventional ice block supply device was constructed as described above, there were various problems as described below.

(1) There is only one rotating member as an agitator, and it is installed only below the ice discharge screw, so only the ice blocks at the bottom of the ice storage section are agitated. Only the ice block was stirred, and arching was likely to occur at the top, and the ice block became only scrap ice, which was discharged by the ice discharge screw.

(2) Furthermore, as mentioned in item (1), if only the broken ice is sent, even if new ice is made one after another from above the ice storage section and falls, the new ice will be sent downward. Therefore, it was impossible for new ice and waste ice to be properly mixed and released.

(3) If arching occurs in the upper part of the ice storage section, it will not be possible to remove the arching with a single rotating member, and not only will it be impossible to release ice blocks quantitatively, but also effective ice storage within the ice storage section will not be possible.
It also ended up losing its function as an ice release device.

(4) Since there is only one relatively large rotating member and it is installed at the lowest position in the ice storage section, the weight of the entire ice block is applied, so a large drive motor with a fairly high torque is used. This was a major factor in increasing costs.
Moreover, it was also contrary to energy conservation.

The present invention was developed to solve the above-mentioned problems.In particular, it eliminates arching within the ice storage section, improves ice storage efficiency, and always enables optimal ice block release. The purpose is to obtain an ice block feeding device for

d. Means for Solving the Problems The ice block supply device according to the present invention includes an ice storage section for storing ice blocks, an ice discharge screw rotatably provided within the ice storage section, and an ice discharge screw provided above the ice storage section. an ice discharge port for discharging ice blocks sent by the ice discharge screw; an ice guide member having a cylindrical shape provided around the ice discharge screw; and an ice guide member rotatably provided adjacent to the ice guide member. and a rotating shaft having a plurality of rotating members,
The tip of the rotating member is disposed close to the outer surface of the ice guide member.

e Effect In the ice block feeding device according to the present invention, since the tip of the rotating member is disposed close to the outer surface of the ice guide member, vibrations of the rotating member are transmitted to the ice blocks in contact with the ice guide member. The arching is removed, and the unarched ice block slides down on the outer surface of the ice guide member due to its low friction, and is appropriately mixed with the ice chips present at the bottom of the ice storage section.
Emitted even with proper mixing balance.

Therefore, the ice blocks in the ice storage section are constantly stirred into individual ice blocks without causing arching, and efficient ice storage can be achieved without creating cavities due to arching.

In addition, since a plurality of rotating members are provided on the rotating shaft at required intervals, there is less rotational resistance, and the rotating members can be moved by a small, low-torque drive motor instead of a conventional large-torque drive motor. It can be rotated.

f. Embodiments Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the ice block feeding device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Note that the same or equivalent parts as in the conventional example will be described with the same reference numerals.

Figures 1 to 4 are for showing the ice block feeding device according to the present invention, Figures 1 and 2 are cross-sectional views, and Figure 3 is a main part showing the configuration of the ice discharge screw and rotating member. The plan view, FIG. 4, is a front view of the ice dispenser.

First, the ice dispenser shown in Figure 4 is
Consists of an ice making mechanism section 9 and an ice block supply device 10,
This ice block supply device 10 includes an ice release switch 11.
is provided.

The ice block supply device 10 is configured as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

In FIGS. 1 to 3, the reference numeral 1 indicates a main body made entirely of a rectangular parallelepiped angle frame structure, and an ice storage section 3 is disposed within this main body 1 via a heat insulating material 1a. On the front wall 3a of the ice storage section 3, a screw shaft 5 of an ice discharge screw 4 is rotatably provided between the holding plate 11 and the bottom 3b of the ice storage section 3 via bearings 12 and 12a. .

An ice guide member 13 having a substantially cylindrical shape as a whole is provided around the ice discharge screw 4, and the ice guide member 13 has a substantially semi-cylindrical shape as a whole, and a flat portion 13A thereof. It is joined and fixed to the front wall 3a of the ice storage section 3.

Further, the ice discharge screw 4 and the ice guide member 13 described above are arranged to be inclined toward the front side of the main body 1.

At a position adjacent to the ice guide member 13, in a state parallel to the screw shaft 5 of the ice discharge screw 4 and the ice guide member 13, a rotating shaft 14 having a plurality of rotating members 6 is connected to the aforementioned presser plate 11 and the bottom part. 3
The lower end 5a of the screw shaft 5 and the lower end 14a of the rotating shaft 14 are mounted on the bottom frame 1b of the main body 1 via a pair of fixing bases 15. It passes through a mounting plate 16 which is provided in an inclined state.

Sprockets 17 and 18 are integrally attached to each of the aforementioned lower ends 5a and 14a, and the ice discharge screw 4 and rotating member 6 are rotationally driven via each sprocket 17 and 18 by a drive motor (not shown). It is configured to receive

Each of the rotating members 6 has an L-shape as a whole and a round cross section, and extends in directions facing each other at required intervals in the longitudinal direction of the rotating shaft 14, and is provided in a perpendicular state. The tip 6a is disposed in close proximity to the outer surface 13a of the ice guide member 13. In other words, as shown in FIG.
The distance D between the outer surface 13a and the outer surface 13a is configured to be very close to each other, and the vibration when the rotating member 6 rotates is transmitted to the ice block in contact with the ice guide member 13, to the extent that arching is removed, that is, According to the results of experiments, about 30 mm was suitable.

Furthermore, since a plurality of the aforementioned rotating members 6 are provided at required intervals in the longitudinal direction of the rotating shaft 14, each tip end 6a of each rotating member 6 substantially corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the ice guide member 13. The ice block 8 can be stirred throughout the entire ice storage section 3.

Furthermore, the rear wall 19 and the left and right side walls (not shown) of the ice storage section 3 are connected to the upper part 3c of the ice storage section 3.
It is configured in a tapered state (not shown) that expands outward toward the central portion 3d, and is configured such that the planar area of the central portion 3d is larger than the planar area of the upper portion 3c, The structure is designed to prevent arching from occurring when ice is released.

An open ice intake port 13b is formed in the lower part of the ice guide member 13, and the upper end 13c of the ice guide member 13 is formed in an open state.

The upper end 4a of the ice discharging screw 4 projects slightly upwardly than the upper end 13c of the ice guide member 13, and when discharging ice, part of the ice block 8 is transferred from above the ice guide member 13 into the ice storage section 3. This structure further prevents the arching phenomenon even when the ice blocks 8 collide with each other.

An ice outlet 2 with a built-in flap 20 that can be opened and closed is provided at one end of the presser plate 11, and an outlet 21 attached to the main body 1 is formed below the ice outlet 2. ing. Therefore, the ice block 8 discharged from the ice discharge port 2 is supplied into the container 22 placed on the outlet 21.

The outlet 21 is connected to a front panel 23 that is connected to the main body 1, and a protruding portion is provided at the front of the outlet 21 to prevent ice blocks 8 that have fallen from the container 22 from falling onto the floor. The portion 21a is integrally formed, and a drain pipe 24 is formed in the bottom portion 21b.

Furthermore, a control box 26 having a power switch 25 is disposed inside the main body 1 on the back side at the bottom of the front panel 23 mentioned above.

The ice block feeding device according to the present invention is constructed as described above, and its operation will be described below.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, when ice is stored in the ice storage section 3 and the power switch 25 is turned on and the ice release switch 11 is turned on, the drive motor (not shown) rotates and each sprocket 1 is turned on.
Via 7 and 18, the ice discharge screw 4 and the rotating member 6 begin to rotate, and the discharge and agitation of the ice begins.

The vibrations generated when the rotating member 6 rotates are transmitted to the ice block 8 in contact with the ice guide member 13, and arching is removed, so that arching of the ice block 8 in the ice storage section 3 is effectively prevented.

Ice block 8 stirred by the aforementioned rotating member 6
is forced to open the ice intake port 1 as shown in Figure 2.
3b, the ice is continuously fed upward within the ice guide member 13 by the ice discharge screw 4, and is discharged into the container 22 via the flap 20 and the ice discharge port 2.
Supplied.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned state, most of the ice blocks 8 sent out by the ice discharge screw 4 are discharged from the ice discharge port 2, but some of them fall into the ice storage section 3 and cause collisions between the ice blocks. Even if it bends, arching is prevented.

It should be noted that the shape of the rotating member 6 described above is an example, and as long as it has a shape with less rotational resistance, it is possible to obtain the same effect even if other shapes are used. There is no such thing.

g. Effects of the invention Since the ice block feeding device according to the invention has the above-described configuration and operation, it can obtain various effects as described below.

(1) Since the distance between the rotating member and the ice guide member is close, the vibration of the rotating member is transmitted to the ice blocks attached to the ice guide member, and the arching is removed and the ice blocks fall downward, causing damage inside the ice storage unit. The effective ice storage amount can be increased, the amount of ice released can be increased, and the amount remaining at the bottom of the ice storage can be reduced.

(2) The effective stirring structure of each rotating member and the ice guide member allows the ice blocks located at the top to slide down the ice guide member, and in order to effectively guide them to the ice intake port, only deformed ice is released. Instead, it is possible to release an extremely well-balanced ice block containing an appropriate mixture of new ice blocks and deformed ice, and it is also possible to prevent the generation of broken ice. Therefore, it is possible to completely eliminate the conventional problem of only being able to produce ice cubes.

(3) Since a plurality of rotating members are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the ice guide member, the entire ice storage section can be effectively stirred, and ice storage without arching can always be achieved.

(4) Since the ice block is stirred by multiple rotating members having a shape with low rotational resistance, the rotational load is small, and a small, low-torque drive motor can sufficiently achieve the stirring operation. This can greatly contribute to achieving miniaturization and cost reduction of the device.

(5) Although the rotating shaft containing each rotating member is slightly inclined with respect to the bottom of the ice storage section, the degree of inclination is small and it is very close to vertical, so the influence of the weight of ice blocks is small and the design of the device is Since it is not necessary to use a heavy-weight type, it can greatly contribute to achieving cost reduction.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 to 4 are for showing the ice block supplying device according to the present invention, with Figure 1 being a sectional view and Figure 2 being a cross-sectional view.
The figure is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which ice is delivered using the configuration shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the main parts of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a schematic front view showing the state in which the ice-making mechanism is installed. , FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a conventional configuration. 1 is the main body, 2 is the ice discharge port, 3 is the ice storage section, 4 is the ice discharge screw, 6 is the rotating member, 66a is the tip, 13 is the ice guide member, 13a is the outer surface, 13b
is an ice intake port, and 14 is a rotating shaft.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) An ice storage section 3 for storing ice blocks, an ice discharge screw 4 rotatably provided in the front ice storage section 3, and an ice discharge screw 4 provided at the upper part of the ice storage section 3. an ice discharge port 2 for discharging ice blocks sent by the ice discharge screw 4; a cylindrical ice guide member 13 provided around the ice discharge screw 4; and an ice guide member 13 adjacent to the ice guide member 13. a rotating shaft 14 that is rotatably provided and has a plurality of rotating members 6;
An ice block supply device characterized in that the ice guide member 13 is disposed close to the outer surface 13a of the ice guide member 13. (2) The ice guide member 13 and the rotating shaft 14 are arranged substantially parallel to each other and are arranged at an angle to each other. Ice block supply device. (3) Each of the rotating members 6 is made of a round bar, extends in directions facing each other, and has the functions of stirring and supplying ice.Claim 1 of the utility model registration claim. Or the ice block supply device according to item 2. (4) The utility model according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each of the rotating members 6 is disposed orthogonally to the longitudinal direction of the rotating shaft 14. Ice block supply device.