JPH04187961A - Ice dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make a mixing rate of ice and water variable and to enable a firm supply of a prescribed amount of ice by a method wherein three selection switches connected in parallel which are opened selectively by selecting one of three kinds of ice, water and ice and water are connected in series to a transportation switch, and so controlled that an ice supply gate is opened for a prescribed time period. CONSTITUTION:One of an ice selection switch 43, a water selection switch 44 and a selection switch 45 is opened. In the case of water, while a transportation switch 42 is being pushed by a cup, a water supply solenoid valve 28 is opened to supply water. In the case of a mixture of ice and water, a switch 51 is opened, and while the transportation switch 42 is only being ON, an ice transportation time adjusting timer 46 is kept in a power supplied state to continue to close timer contacts 48a and 48b, and an auger motor 18 revolves. Further, an ice supply gate 24 is kept open to supply ice continuously from an ice chute 26. In the case that a timer operation time is set arbitrarily, when the set time comes, the timer contacts 48a and 48b are opened and the auger motor 18 and the ice supply gate 24 are operated for a prescribed time period to supply a prescribed amount of ice.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to an ice dispenser having a structure capable of supplying ice, ice and water, and water as desired.

(b) The conventional technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 14696/1980 states that supplied tap water is made into ice using an auger-type ice making device, the ice cubes are stored in an ice storage container, and a tip is connected to a switch installed on the front wall of the main unit. When pressed, the ice removal door opens and the ice block is removed. At the same time, an electromagnetic valve in the middle of the water supply pipe connected to the tap water is opened by the above-mentioned switch, and water is also supplied to the cup, thereby providing an ice dispenser in which ice and water are supplied together. Of course, this device can also supply only ice or water.

(c) Problems to be solved by the invention However, in the conventional device described above, ice is continuously released while the switch is kept pressed in the cup, so the ratio of ice and water is constant and the ratio can be adjusted. I couldn't do it.

In addition, the ice supply stop is determined by the timing when the cup is released from the switch, so if you are not familiar with the operation, the cup may overflow, or it may take two or three times to fill up.

The present invention allows the amount of ice supplied to be adjusted in advance in several stages, and the mixing ratio of ice and water can be varied to accommodate a wide range of seasons and customer requests. To provide an ice dispenser with excellent operability that allows even inexperienced users to take out a certain amount of ice.

(d) Means for Solving the Problems The present invention includes an ice making device, an ice storage container, an ice supply gate that is provided at the ice outlet and operates to open and close to supply ice from the ice storage container, and is also capable of supplying water. In order to do so, it is equipped with a water discharge pipe that is connected to a tap water source and has a water supply valve in the middle.

It has an unloading lever that is pressed by a switch to operate the switch and controls each and the simultaneous control of the ice supply gate and the water supply valve, and can also supply only ice, only water, or a mixture of ice and water. In the ice dispenser, three parallel-connected selection switches are connected in series to the discharge switch, which is pressed and closed by the discharge lever, and which are closed by selecting one of the three types of ice, water, and ice and water. A circuit is connected so that the ice supply gate and the water supply valve are selected and operated according to each of these selection switches, and a timer is operated for the ice supply gate while the discharge switch is pressed. The circuit is configured to open the ice supply gate and to control the ice supply gate using a timer means which can set and adjust the timer operation time and open the ice supply gate for any given period of time.

(e) Select ice, water, or a mixture of ice and water with the action selection switch, and press the take-out lever with the tap to activate the ice supply gate or water supply valve to supply each type of ice. .

Regarding the conveyance of ice, there is a method that allows continuous supply by opening the ice supply gate while the conveyance lever is kept pressed, and a method in which the opening time of the ice supply gate is set in advance using a timer means, and a method is adopted in which the ice supply gate is opened continuously while the conveyance lever is pressed. Pressing and holding is not related to the operation,
You can choose how to close it after a certain period of time. In this case, a certain amount of ice can be reliably discharged, and the amount can be varied, and the mixing ratio of ice and water can be freely adjusted.

(F) EXAMPLES The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1
is the main body of the ice dispenser, and as detailed in Figure 2, there is an operation switch 2 on the front and a rotary switch that allows you to select and switch between dispensing only ice, only water, or a mixture of ice and water. An operation panel 6 that is provided with a manual switch 3 and a water output adjustment knob 4 that allows you to select between dispensing ice continuously or dispensing ice in fixed amounts step by step.
have. The operation panel 6 is also provided with a lamp 7 that indicates a high temperature alarm of the device.

That is, the water ejection amount adjustment knob 4 can change the opening time of the ice supply gate, which will be described later, in a certain time range, for example, between 2 and 12 seconds.
When set to the fully counterclockwise position, continuous supply is achieved, and at that time, ice is delivered as long as the delivery lever 5, which also serves as a switch, is pressed down with a tap.
Other than that, the gate opening time can be selected and set arbitrarily within a range of up to 12 seconds. The structure inside the main body 1 is as shown in FIG. 3, and an evaporation pipe 14, which together with a compressor 10, a condenser 11, and an expansion valve 12 constitutes a refrigeration device 13, is wrapped around the outer circumference of a cylinder 15. When water is supplied from the water supply source to the tank 15 via the water supply pipe 16a from the water storage tank 17 which temporarily stores tap water via the water distribution pipe 16b, an ice layer grows on the inner wall thereof. A spiral auger 1 rotates this ice layer with an auger motor 18.
9, the ice is scraped up by the ice folding section 20 provided at the tip of the auger 19 into square ice cubes, and the ice is stored in the ice storage container 21. A stirrer 22 is provided in the ice storage container 21 and operates to prevent ice blocks from sticking together and to supply ice to an ice outlet 23. An ice supply gate 24 is pivotally attached to the ice outlet 23 so as to be openable and closable, and when the carry-out lever 5 is pushed by the tip 25 and the switch is operated, it opens as shown by the dashed line, and the ice shooter 26 opens. The ice is released through the In addition to being led to the water storage tank 17 for ice making, the tap water is also sent to a water discharge pipe 2 that branches to a water distribution pipe 16a for drinking.
The water is supplied to the tip 25 via the tube 7.

A water supply solenoid valve 28 provided in the middle of the water discharge pipe 27
The valve is opened by actuation of a switch by the carry-out lever 5.

In addition, between the water distribution pipe 16 and the water storage tank 17,
A water supply solenoid valve 3 that opens when the amount of water stored is reduced by a float switch 29 provided in the water storage tank 17.
0 is also provided. The overflow water from the water storage tank 17 and the ice-making water in the cylinder 15 are drained to the outside of the machine via an overflow hose 31 and a drain pipe 32, respectively. 33 is a drain valve, and 34 is a reducer for the auger motor 18.

Here, as described above, the ice supply gate 24 opens when the carry-out lever 5 is pressed by the tip 25.
The pressing of the tip 25 against the carry-out lever 25 continues, but the present invention performs a fixed-time operation in which the ice supply gate 24 is automatically closed after a certain period of time has elapsed since the pressing.

FIG. 4 shows a control circuit that accomplishes this operation.

In the figure, p, , p2 are power terminals of an AC power source V, and a compressor motor 40 is connected between P, , P2 to one power terminal P1 via an operation switch 2, and ice, water, An operating circuit 41 that mixes and supplies ice and water is provided in parallel. That is, the carry-out switch 42, which turns on when the carry-out lever 5 is pressed, the water selection switch 43 and the water selection switch 44.
, and a selection switch 45 for mixing ice and water are connected in parallel, and the water selection switch 43 has an ice removal time adjustment timer 46, the water selection switch 44 has a water supply solenoid valve 28, and the selection switch 45 Relays 47 are connected in series to each. Further, two relay contacts 47a and 47b of the relay 47 are connected in parallel to the water selection switch 43 and the water selection switch 44, respectively, while one timer contact 48b of the ice removal time adjustment timer 46 is closed to the normally open terminal a. Water selection switch 43 or relay contact 47
It is connected to drive the auger motor 18 via a. The timer contact 48b closes to the normally open terminal a side for the time adjusted and set by the ice removal time adjustment timer 46, and then switches to the normally open terminal side. The timer time of the ice removal time adjustment timer 46 is adjusted by adjusting the volume 49. A switch 51 is placed in the middle of the movable element 50 to adjust the volume 49.
When it is released, the timer ○ is set, and ice is continuously supplied while the lever 5 is pressed with the tap. In other words, the timer operation that causes the timer contact 48b and the next delayed relay contact to close for a fixed period of time is not performed.

Further, the other timer contact 48a of the ice delivery time adjustment timer 46 is connected to the normally open side terminal a of the ice supply gate 24.
An electromagnetic solenoid 52 for opening and closing is connected.

Therefore, the ice supply gate 24 is opened only for the time set by the timer.

After a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the timer contact 48a switches to the normally open terminal, the electromagnetic solenoid 52 stops operating, and the ice supply gate is closed. In the case of continuous discharge, as long as the discharge switch 42 is kept pressed, the ice discharge time adjustment timer 46 operates to maintain the timer contact 48a on the a side, energize the electromagnetic solenoid 52, and open the ice supply gate 24. do.

Of course, the auger motor 18 also continues to be driven, thereby ejecting the ice.

The configuration is as follows. First, turn on manual switch 3 to turn on the ice.
Make or position water, and ice and water supplies. Then, the water selection switch 43 is activated depending on the adjusted position.
, water selection switch 44, and selection switch 45 are closed. If it is water, the water supply solenoid valve 28 is opened and water is supplied while the discharge switch 42 is held down with a tap. In the case of ice and mixed supply of ice and water,
You can set whether to supply ice continuously or for a fixed period of time.

That is, when the switch 51 is opened, the timer does not operate, and the ice removal time adjustment timer 46 remains energized and keeps the timer contacts 48a and 48b closed as long as the removal switch 42 is turned on. As a result, the auger motor 18 rotates, and the water supply gate 2
4 remains open, and ice is connected and supplied to the cup 25 from the ice shaker 26. However, if the timer operating time is arbitrarily set by adjusting the volume 49, the timer contacts 48a and 48b open when the set time is reached while the unloading switch 42 is kept being pressed. Therefore,
The auger motor 18 and the water supply gate 24 are also operated for a predetermined period of time to supply a certain amount of ice. By setting and adjusting the timer operation time, the amount of ice released can be changed freely.

In the case of mixed supply of ice and water when the selection switch 45 is turned ON, when the discharge switch 42 is pressed, the relay 47 is energized and the relay contacts 47a and 47b are closed, thereby causing the auger motor 18 and the water supply gate 24 is activated, ice and water are simultaneously supplied to the tip 25, resulting in water containing ice. In this case as well, if the ice delivery time adjustment timer 46 is set to timer O, ice will be continuously supplied. In particular, when the ice removal time adjustment timer 46 is set to a certain time, the ice removal time adjustment timer and the water supply gate 24 operate for a certain period of time to ensure that a certain amount of ice is supplied, and the removal switch 4
The operation is simpler than the method of supplying a fixed amount of ice by holding down 2. Furthermore, by adjusting and setting the timer operation time of the ice removal time adjustment timer 46, the amount of ice supplied can be changed, and the ratio of ice and water can be changed freely. This makes it possible to adjust the amount of ice depending on the number of customers (adults, children, etc.) and the season (summer, winter, etc.), as well as to change the ratio of ice and water regardless of the size of the pot. do.

(G) Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, ice can be supplied continuously and the amount can be made variable although it is supplied in a fixed quantity. can change, and can respond appropriately to customers' preferences and seasons.

In addition, if you control the ice supply by simply pushing or releasing the unloading lever, it will be difficult for inexperienced people to put in the appropriate amount of ice. By configuring the gate to open,
It is convenient because everyone can reliably supply a certain amount of ice.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is an external front perspective view of the ice dispenser, Figure 2 is a front view of the operation panel, Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing its internal configuration, and Figure 4 is a diagram showing ice, water, and mixing ice and water. FIG. 2 is a control circuit diagram of the present invention that provides 3...Manual switch, 4...Water output adjustment knob,
5... Unloading lever, 15... Cylinder, 21...
・Ice storage container, 23...Ice outlet, 24...Water supply gate, 2...Cop, 28...Water supply solenoid valve, 46.
...Ice removal time adjustment timer, 52...Electromagnetic solenoid. Agent Patent Attorney Crest 1) Makoto Figure 1

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) An ice making device, an ice storage container, an ice supply gate that is installed at the ice outlet and operates to open and close to supply ice from the ice storage container, and is connected to a tap water source so that water can also be supplied. It is equipped with a water discharge pipe equipped with a water supply valve, and the switch is activated by being pressed with a cup.
In the ice dispenser, which has the ice supply gate and a discharge lever that performs each control and simultaneous control of the water supply valve, and is capable of supplying only ice, only water, or a mixture of ice and water, the discharge lever is pressed to close the ice dispenser. Three parallel-connected selection switches that are closed by selecting one of the three types of ice, water, and ice and water are connected in series to the unloading switch that is made.
A circuit is connected so that the ice supply gate and the water supply valve are selected and operated according to each of these selection switches, and
For the ice supply gate, a timer operates to open the ice supply gate while the carry-out switch is pressed, and the timer operation time can be set and adjusted to open the ice supply gate for an arbitrary fixed period of time. An ice dispenser characterized by having a circuit configured to be controlled by a timer means that can be opened.