JPH0416145Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Industrial application field This invention relates to a pump structure for an automatic ice maker, and more specifically, it is capable of immediately melting flocculent ice generated in the ice making water circulation path of an automatic ice maker, thereby making ice. The present invention relates to a pump structure that achieves smooth pumping of water and prevents the formation of cloudy ice due to the inclusion of air.

Prior Art This invention is based on the idea that when an automatic ice maker is operating, the ice making water that circulates through the ice making section is supplied into the ice making water tank in a supercooled state, resulting in the generation of flocculent ice, which inconveniently clogs the pump. In view of this, this was proposed to solve this problem. Therefore, in order to contribute to the understanding of the present invention, first, the general structure and ice-making process of an automatic ice-making machine according to the prior art will be explained.

FIGS. 3 and 4 schematically show a downstream type automatic ice making machine, in which an ice making water tank 2 is disposed below the back surface of an ice making plate 1 which is tilted at a predetermined angle. Above the upper end of the ice-making plate surface of this ice-making plate 1, a water sprinkling pipe 3 having a large number of water-sprinkling holes is arranged horizontally, and diagonally below the ice-making plate 1,
A grid-like heating wire 4 is arranged for melting the sheet ice into a large number of ice cubes. The ice-making water supplied from the external water source is stored at a predetermined level in the ice-making water tank 2, and the ice-making water is passed through the water pipe 3 through the pump 5 and hose 6, which are partially immersed in the tank.
The ice cubes are fed under pressure and distributed uniformly on the ice-making plate surface of the ice-making plate 1.

The ice-making plate 1 has an evaporator 7 connected to the refrigeration system on its back side, and the evaporator 7 cools the surface of the ice-making plate to below freezing point, so that the ice-making water sprayed from the water sprinkling pipe 3 reaches the ice-making plate. It gradually freezes on the surface, eventually forming a sheet of ice. When the ice sheet reaches the required thickness, this is detected by a suitable sensor, the ice making operation is stopped, and the valve of the refrigeration system is switched to supply hot gas to the evaporator 7. As a result, the ice-making plate 1 is heated, the frozen surface of the ice plate against the ice-making plate 1 is melted, and the ice sheet slides diagonally downward on the ice-making plate 1 due to its own weight, and the grate arranged on the falling trajectory It is melted into many ice cubes by the shaped heating wire 4,
The obtained ice cubes are stored in a stocker (not shown). The evaporator 7 is located below the ice-making plate 1.
An ice-making plate cover 23 is disposed to cover the ice-making plate cover 23. This is because there is a risk that the water stored in the tank below the ice-making plate 1 will freeze due to the cold air from the evaporator 7, and this is to prevent the transmission of this cold air (in this case, the reason will be explained later). Therefore, the provision of an ice plate cover is also unnecessary).

Furthermore, all of the ice-making water sprinkled on the ice-making plate 1 at the beginning of the ice-making operation, and most of it even at the end, flows down on the forcedly cooled ice-making plate surface and diagonally downwards of the ice-making plate 1. Via the placed water guide plate 8,
The water is returned to the ice making water tank 2. The returned ice-making water is again pumped and sprayed from the sprinkler pipe 3 onto the ice-making plate 1, repeating the circulation cycle. This circulating ice-making water undergoes heat exchange while flowing down the cooled ice-making plate surface and its temperature drops, so that the water temperature in the tank 2 gradually drops.

Problems that the invention aims to solve In the ice-making water circulation system of conventional automatic ice-making machines,
As the ice-making cycle progresses, the temperature of the ice-making water returned to the tank 2 decreases as described above, and as a result, the entire ice-making water in the tank 2 is gradually cooled. As a result of repeating the cycle in which the ice-making water cooled in this way is pumped from the tank 2 and sprayed again onto the ice-making plate 1, the ice-making water becomes supercooled and begins to freeze with impurities in the water as nuclei. , incomplete ice (hereinafter referred to as "cotton ice") having a cotton-like or sheave-like appearance is generated in spots on the surface of the ice-making plate. A portion of this cotton ice flows down into the tank 2 together with the unfrozen ice-making water, and some parts of the tank also begin to freeze to spontaneously generate cotton ice.

This cotton ice is then transferred to the pump chamber 9 of the pump 5.
It gets sucked in, gets stuck in the screw, and condenses and solidifies into a cylindrical shape. It has been empirically found that this phenomenon is more likely to occur as the cooling gradient is made steeper and the ice plates sprinkled on the ice plate 1 are cooled in a shorter time in order to increase the amount of ice made.

When the screw in the pump chamber 9 is clogged with cotton ice, the discharge pressure of the pump 5 decreases, causing pulsation, reducing the amount of spray from the sprinkler pipe 3, and eventually causing the ice-making water to stop circulating. leading to. Furthermore, if the amount of cotton ice generated on the ice-making plate 1 decreases as described above or if the spraying stop time is prolonged, the cotton ice generated on the ice-making plate 1 becomes uneven ice 10 as shown in FIG.
This causes the formation of cloudy ice, which has an inferior appearance. Furthermore, in extreme cases, the ice-making plate 1 may be extremely supercooled, causing the ice-making completion thermostat to react and switch to the de-icing cycle even though no ice is growing.

Therefore, some methods have been proposed and put into practice for melting the cotton ice immediately after it is generated. For example, the invention ``Ice-making water tank for ice-making machine'' disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 59-38664 is a technical means developed for that purpose. The first chamber 18 of the plurality of compartments is connected to the ice making water suction part of the pump motor PM, and each partition plate 16, 17 separates the divided chambers 18, 19 from each other. It has an opening 17a that communicates with the ice making water in the second chamber 19 when cotton ice is generated in the first chamber 18, and allows the motor to suck ice-making water in the second chamber 19, and when no cotton ice is generated in the first chamber 18. The ice-making water in the first chamber 18 is configured to be sucked by the motor. According to this, unfrozen water is stored in the first chamber 18 through the hole 9 of the chute 8, and the ice-making water is circulated by the pump motor PM only for the water in the first chamber 18. Therefore, the temperature of the water in the second chamber 19 is slightly higher than that of the water in the first chamber 18. When the water in the first chamber 18 is supercooled and cotton ice is generated, the water supply to the motor PM decreases and decreases.
The ice-making water having a positive temperature difference in the second chamber 19 flows into the first chamber 18 through a, and is sucked into the motor PM, so that the generated cotton ice is immediately melted.

However, in this prior art, the ice-making water tank itself is divided into multiple chambers, and cleaning is difficult due to the presence of partition plates, and unfrozen water cannot flow into the second chamber, resulting in dilution. However, the water in the second chamber has the disadvantage that dirt is concentrated. In addition, the area of the opening in the partition plate is limited, and it is often difficult to set the optimum value; if it is too small, the reaction to melt the cotton ice will be slow, and if it is too large, the Disadvantages have been pointed out, such as not being able to obtain a sufficient temperature difference between the two and effectively melting the cotton ice.

Purpose of the invention The purpose of this invention is to appropriately solve the problems inherent in the ice-making water circulation system of the conventional automatic ice-making machine described above. The pump structure of an automatic ice maker is designed to immediately melt the cotton ice generated by the ice making water, realizing smooth pumping of the ice making water, and to prevent the formation of cloudy ice due to the mixing of air. It is about providing.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to suitably achieve the above object, the pump structure of the automatic ice maker according to the present invention has a pump chamber provided in the pump immersed in ice making water stored in an ice making water tank,
In an automatic ice maker configured to supply ice making water introduced into the pump chamber to an ice making section disposed in an ice making water circulation path, a cylindrical body of the pump communicating with the pump chamber is provided with A water conduit that communicates with the water inlet is connected to a water inlet into which ice-making water in the tank can be introduced, and a water collection hood that intensively collects unfrozen water that has been cooled through the ice-making section. a water recovery means that directly supplies unfrozen water collected by a hood to the pump chamber, and when cotton ice generated in the ice making water directly supplied to the ice making section remains in the ice making section, this cotton ice The present invention is characterized in that an amount of ice-making water in an ice-making water tank corresponding to the reduced amount of water is supplied to the pump chamber through the water inlet.

Embodiments Next, the pump structure of an automatic ice maker according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, using preferred embodiments. Note that the same members as those described in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4 will be designated by the same reference numerals, and a description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the main parts when a preferred embodiment of the present invention is applied to a vertical pump, and FIG.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of essential parts of the pump structure shown in the figure. The bottom of the ice-making water tank 2 is formed to bulge downward as shown in the figure, and the pump chamber 9 of the pump 5 is located in this bulge 2a. Pump 5 used in this example
The motor 11 is located above the water surface, and the pump chamber 9 is located in the bulge 2a.
, a cylindrical main body 12 that supports the motor 11 and the pump chamber 9 above and below, and a screw 14 that is connected to the lower end of a motor shaft 13 facing into the pump chamber 9 and rotated.

A slit-shaped water inlet 15 is bored in the peripheral wall of the cylindrical body 12 and opens vertically below the ice-making water storage level l and above the pump chamber 9. In addition, the cylindrical body 12 is connected via the water inlet 15.
A water suction hole 16 for introducing ice-making water flowing into the pump chamber 9 is bored in a circular shape at the top of the pump chamber 9, and the motor shaft 13 extends through the center of the water suction hole 16. are doing. Furthermore, a discharge port 17 is provided protruding from the side wall of the pump chamber 9.
The ice-making water discharged from the pipe is forced to be fed to the sprinkler pipe 3 via a pipe joint 18 and a hose 6.

As mentioned above, the water inlet 1 is provided in the peripheral wall of the cylindrical body 12.
5, a water suction hole (which was drilled in a conventional pump chamber) is not drilled in the bottom surface of the pump chamber 9. The screw 14 includes a disk 14a fixed to the end of the motor shaft 13, and a plurality of impellers 14b protruding from the disk 14a toward the water supply hole 16.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 2, a water tank is provided diagonally below the gently curved lower edge of the ice-making plate 1 for guiding all of the ice-making water flowing down to the water inlet 15 in a concentrated manner. A recovery means 19 is arranged.
This water recovery means 19 includes a guide plate 20 that extends across the entire width of the lower edge of the ice-making plate 1, and a hopper-shaped water collection hood 21 that forms a rectangular opening M in the guide plate 20. , and a water conduit 22 connected in communication with the collecting portion of the water collection hood 21. The rectangular opening M opens diagonally upward on the guide plate 20, and the water conduit 22
is the water inlet 15 of the cylindrical body 12 as shown in the figure.
is coming. The opening M converges the ice-making water flowing down from the ice-making plate 1 to the guide plate 20, and allocates this ice-making water to the water conduit 22 and the water inlet 15.
The liquid is then supplied into a cylindrical body 12 disposed in the tank 2.

"Operation of the Example" Next, the operation of the pump structure according to the present example configured as described above will be explained. First, when water is supplied into the ice-making water tank 2, the water level gradually rises, and a portion of the water flows into the cylindrical body 12 through the water inlet 15 and flows through the water suction hole 16 into the pump chamber 9.
Reach within. When the supply of ice-making water continues and reaches a predetermined amount of water, a water supply valve (not shown) is activated, thereby stopping the water supply.

When the ice-making water tank 2 is filled with water and ice-making operation begins, the motor 11 of the pump 5 rotates to rotate the screw 14, and force-feeds the ice-making water in the pump chamber 9 to the discharge port 17, and connects the pipe joint shown in the figure. Water is sprinkled onto the ice-making plate 1 from the water sprinkler pipe 3 via the ice-making plate 18 and the hose 6. The sprinkled ice-making water flows down on the forcedly cooled ice-making plate 1, and in the process of flowing down, the temperature decreases due to heat exchange.

The ice-making water flowing down on the ice-making plate 1 with its temperature decreasing in this manner is all collected from the guide plate 20 through the opening M into the water recovery means 19 mentioned above, and further passes through the water conduit 22 and the water inlet 15. Ice making water tank 2
It is returned into the cylindrical body 12 placed in the cylindrical body 12. The ice-making water that has returned to the cylindrical body 12 is pumped again to the pump 5.
The circulation cycle in which the ice is fed under pressure and sprayed from the sprinkler pipe 3 onto the ice making plate 1 is repeated. At this time, the amount of ice-making water returned from the water inlet 15 into the cylindrical body 12 by the water recovery means 19 is the same as the amount of ice-making water sucked into the pump chamber 9 from the water suction hole 16. Therefore, as long as this circulation cycle is repeated, the ice-making water (hereinafter referred to as "for convenience") stored in the area defined by the tank 2 and the outer periphery of the cylindrical body 12 will continue until the generation of cotton ice, which will be described later. The stored water (referred to as "reserved water") does not flow into the cylindrical body 12 from the water inlet 15.

In this state, the "reserved water" in tank 2
Although the temperature of the ice-making water that is completely recovered by the water recovery means 19 is cooled by the ice-making plate 1, the temperature of the ice-making water decreases relatively slowly. When the temperature of the ice-making water during this circulation drops below 0°C, the ice-making water flowing down on the ice-making plate 1, especially the ice-making water at the lower part, becomes the most supercooled, and the ice-making water flows from the bottom of the ice-making plate 1 to the fluff. begins to occur. Conventionally, a large amount of cotton ice would become scattered in a short period of time.

However, in the present application, when cotton ice begins to form on the surface of the ice-making plate, the amount of ice-making water being circulated becomes insufficient by the amount of water converted into cotton ice. As a result, the amount of "reserved water" corresponding to the shortage is transferred to the water inlet 1.
5 into the cylindrical main body 12, and further through the water absorption hole 1.
6 into the pump chamber 9, and is sprayed onto the ice making plate 1 through the sprinkler pipe 3. It has been experimentally confirmed that the temperature of this "reserved water" is generally 4°C to 7°C, which is relatively It will be quite warm. Therefore, the "reserved water" which is pumped and sprayed from the water sprinkler pipe 3 onto the ice-making plate 1 can effectively melt the cotton ice formed on the ice-making plate 1 in the initial stage of generation.

By melting the cotton ice on the ice-making plate 1 in this way, the ice-making water returned from the water recovery means 19 to the pump chamber 9 does not contain cotton ice, and therefore the pump 5 is clogged and the pumping capacity is reduced. does not decrease. Moreover, after the cotton ice has melted, it is common that no cotton ice will be generated again until the ice making process is completed. After the cotton ice is melted, the circulating ice-making water freezes on the ice-making plate 1, and an amount of "reserved water" corresponding to the amount of water reduced by the amount of freezing is generated at the water inlet 15.
Since the stored water flows into the pump chamber 9 and is subjected to the same circulation as described above, the stored water is maintained relatively warm. Therefore, there is no fear that the stored water located below the ice-making plate 1 will freeze due to the cold air from the ice-making plate 1, and the provision of an ice-making plate cover as shown in FIG. 3 can be made unnecessary. .

In the illustrated embodiment, ice cubes are produced by spraying ice-making water onto ice cubes arranged at an angle, and the ice cubes are melted into a large number of ice cubes using grid-shaped heating wires. However, if the structure is such that the circulating ice-making water that flows down the ice-making plate is returned all at once to the pump room, other types of ice-making water may be used, such as a fountain supplying ice-making water correspondingly to a number of ice-making chambers that open downward. Therefore, the present invention can also be suitably implemented in a fountain type automatic ice maker that forms ice cubes in each compartment.

Effects of the Invention As explained above, according to the pump structure of the automatic ice maker according to the present invention, all of the ice making water that is cooled by flowing down on the ice making plate returns directly to the pump room and is provided for recirculation. At the same time, when cotton ice is formed on the ice-making plate, water stored in the tank corresponding to the amount of water converted into cotton ice is supplied to the pump room. The temperature of the water stored in this tank is considerably warmer than the temperature of the ice-making water circulating in a closed loop. Ice can be effectively melted. In addition, the formation of cloudy ice due to the mixing of air is effectively avoided (at the initial stage of generation), and a large amount of high-quality ice with high commercial value can be produced.

Moreover, since relatively warm stored water is introduced above the screw in the pump room, it mixes with the ice-making water containing cotton ice and melts this cotton ice, thus blocking the pump with cotton ice and discharging it. There is no reduction in capacity or an inability to supply ice making water. Furthermore, since cotton ice does not fall into the ice-making water tank and no cotton ice forms in the water stored in the tank, there is no risk of interfering with the ice-making completion detection operation by the float switch. In addition, the ice-making water flowing down on the ice-making plate is
Since the water is collected intensively by the water collection means and does not fall directly into the tank, secondary benefits such as no noise and no rippling of the water surface can be obtained.

Furthermore, in this application, the ice-making water tank itself is not divided into multiple chambers, so cleaning is easy, and unfrozen water always flows into the pump chamber to dilute the stored water. It is extremely hygienic as it does not concentrate dirt. In addition, there are no strict restrictions on the opening area of the water inlet in the cylindrical body of the pump, and even if there is some deviation, there is a temperature difference between the inside and outside of the pump that is sufficient to melt the cotton ice. Rather, a relatively large one is preferable because it reacts quickly. Therefore, the above-mentioned Utility Model 59-
The drawbacks inherent in the invention related to Publication No. 38664 also
All of these problems can be resolved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the main parts when a preferred embodiment of the pump structure of an automatic ice maker according to the present invention is applied to a vertical pump, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main parts of the pump structure shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. The figure is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional automatic down-flow ice maker, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main part of the conventional device shown in FIG. 3. 1...Ice making plate, 2...Ice making water tank, 3...Sprinkling pipe, 5...Pump, 9...Pump room, 11...
Motor, 12... cylindrical body, 13... motor shaft,
15... Water inlet, 16... Water absorption hole, 17... Outlet, 19... Water recovery means, 20... Guide plate, 2
1... Food.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] [1] A pump chamber 9 provided in the pump 5 is immersed in ice-making water stored in an ice-making water tank, and the ice-making water introduced into the pump chamber 9 is arranged in an ice-making water circulation path. In an automatic ice making machine configured to supply ice to the ice making section 1, a cylindrical main body 12 communicating with the pump chamber 9 of the pump 5 is bored, and the ice making water tank 2
A water conduit 22 communicating with the water inlet 15 is connected to a water inlet 15 into which ice making water can be introduced, and a water collection hood 21 that intensively collects unfrozen water cooled through the ice making section 1. is,
It consists of a water recovery means 19 that directly supplies unfrozen water collected by the water collection hood 21 to the pump chamber 9, and the cotton ice generated in the ice making water directly supplied to the ice making section 1 remains in the ice making section 1. The automatic apparatus is characterized in that the ice-making water in the ice-making water tank 2 is supplied to the pump chamber 9 through the water inlet 15 in an amount corresponding to the amount of water reduced by turning into cotton ice. Ice maker pump structure. [2] The ice-making unit disposed in the ice-making water circulation path is an ice-making plate 1 arranged at an angle, and the ice-making water pumped by a pump 5 is sent to the ice-making plate 1 through a water sprinkler pipe 3.
A pump structure for an automatic ice making machine according to claim 1 of the utility model registration claim, which is applied to a vehicle.