JPH0426863Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a water tank structure provided below the ice making units in an ice making machine in which a plurality of ice making units are arranged in parallel.

(Prior Art) Various types of ice making machines have been known. For example:
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 190380, two ice-making units that make ice by spraying water for ice-making from a water sprinkler onto an ice-making plate are installed in parallel, and each of the above-mentioned water sprinklers is installed below each ice-making unit. Two water tanks are installed in parallel corresponding to each ice making unit to store water to be supplied to the ice making unit and to collect water flowing down through each of the ice making plates, and each water tank is connected to the side wall of the ice making unit through a water pipe. and the water in each water tank is sent to each water sprinkler by a pump via the water pipe.

In this ice maker, a predetermined amount of water is temporarily stored in each water tank by the water supply means, and then the water in each water tank is sent to each water sprinkler by the above-mentioned pump, and the water is cooled from each water sprinkler. Spray on each ice cube plate. A portion of the sprayed water grows as ice on each ice-making plate, and the water that does not grow is collected in each water tank and sent again to each water sprinkler by the pump. The above operations are repeated to make ice on each ice making plate.

However, in this conventional system, each water tank is connected horizontally with a water pipe, so it is necessary to mold a drain port on the side wall of the water tank. When molding, it becomes a split mold and the mold structure becomes complicated.
Molding a water tank is expensive.

In addition, since each water tank can communicate with each other through water pipes, each water tank is effectively one tank, so if there is a difference in ice making speed between ice making units, it is natural that the ice making speed is faster. The quality of the ice made on each ice tray is inconsistent, such as when large pieces of ice are made. Furthermore, there was a possibility of water leaking from the connection point of the water pipe, and there were cases where thin ice formed due to the water leakage.

Furthermore, each water tank is separate, making it inconvenient to handle.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In view of these points, the applicant has filed an application for the water tank structure shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 prior to filing the present application. To explain this structure, two water tanks a, a are arranged side by side, and each water tank a is integrally formed continuously with the upper end of the side wall b, b facing each water tank a, while each Through-holes c are formed in the bottom wall of the water tank a, and overflow pipes d are inserted into each of the through-holes c in a liquid-tight manner, with the upper end opening positioned at a predetermined height. Each water tank a is provided with a separate pump so that the water in each water tank a is separately sent to each water sprinkler.

According to this, the through hole c is formed in the bottom wall of the water tank a, so the structure of the mold is simple and the tank can be formed at low cost. In addition, the water tanks a do not communicate with each other, and water in the water tanks is sent to each water sprinkler by separate pumps, so that ice of a constant quality is made on each ice-making plate. And since there are no water pipes, there is no water leakage, and there is no need to make thin ice. Furthermore, since it is integrally formed, handling becomes convenient.

However, in this water tank structure, when the water in each water tank a exceeds a predetermined amount, it is drained through each overflow pipe d, but in this case, as shown in FIG. 7, each overflow pipe d In order to drain the water drained from the ice machine to the outside of the ice maker e from one place, the two overflow pipes d must be combined with a two-pronged drain pipe f, which poses the problem of complicating the drainage structure. Ta.

In addition, each water tank a has side walls b facing each other,
Since it is integrally formed only at the upper end of b, its strength is low, and there is a problem that it is easily damaged when acted upon in the direction shown by the arrows in FIGS. 8 and 9, for example. Furthermore, since the strength is low, there is a problem in that it is difficult to perform cleaning, etc. where force is applied.

Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to collect and drain the overflow water from each water tank into one drain port using a gutter-like member in a system in which a plurality of water tanks are arranged side by side, and to The purpose is to solve the above problem by reinforcing the gap with the gutter-like member.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the solution means of the present invention includes a plurality of ice making units 2 which are arranged in parallel to make ice by spraying water from a water sprinkler 4 onto the ice making plate 3, and Below each ice making unit 2, there are a plurality of water tanks 5 which collect water downstream from each ice making plate 3 and store water for ice making to be supplied to each water sprinkler 4, each corresponding to each ice making unit 2. Assumes ice making machines installed in parallel. The water tanks 5 are integrally formed so as to be continuous with each other at the side walls 7 which the water tanks 5 face. Further, at least a gutter-like member 15 is provided on the outside of the side wall 13 orthogonal to the side wall 7 to which each water tank 5 is connected.
are integrally formed continuously over each water tank 5. Furthermore, the inside of the gutter-like member 15 and the inside of each of the water tanks 5 are communicated with each other through an overflow groove 17, and a drain port 18 is provided at the bottom of the gutter-like member 15.
form.

Then, the water that has exceeded a predetermined amount in each water tank 5 is removed from each overflow groove 17 and the gutter-like member 15.
The water is discharged through a drain port 18.

(Function) With the above configuration, in the present invention, the gutter-like member 15 is perpendicular to the side wall 7 connecting each water tank 5 and is integrally formed across each water tank 5, so that the gutter-like member 15 is It acts as an effective strength member for the entire water tank 5 provided, and makes the overall strength of the integrally formed water tank 5 extremely high.
For example, even if a force acts in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 3, the gutter-like member 15 functions as a support member to receive this force and effectively reinforces the entire water tank 5, so that it will not be damaged as in the conventional case. This eliminates the possibility of smearing and makes cleaning etc. easier.

Further, the water flowing out from the overflow groove 17 of each water tank 5 is collected by the gutter-like member 15 into one drain port 18 provided at the bottom of the gutter-like member 15 and drained. In this case, when connecting the drain pipe 21 to the drain port 18, only one drain pipe 21 is required, so there is no need to connect two forked drain pipes like in the past, and for example, a hose-shaped drain pipe 21 can be connected. The drainage structure becomes extremely simple.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

In FIG. 1, 1 is an ice making machine according to the present invention, and inside the ice making machine 1 there are two ice making units 2.
are arranged horizontally. Each ice-making unit 2 is composed of an ice-making plate 3 and a water sprinkler 4 disposed above the ice-making plate 3 for spraying ice-making water onto the ice-making plate 3.

On the other hand, below each ice making unit 2, there is a water tank 5 which stores water for supplying water to the water sprinkler 4 of the ice making unit 2 and collects water flowing down from the ice making plate 3 of the ice making unit 2. Two ice making units 2 are arranged in parallel corresponding to each ice making unit 2. Furthermore, 6,
Reference numeral 6 denotes a pump provided to separately supply water in each water tank 5 to each water sprinkler 4.

Therefore, the operation of this ice maker 1 will be explained. First, a predetermined amount of water for making ice on each ice-making plate 3 is supplied and stored in each water tank 5 by a water supply means (not shown). Particularly, at this time, water exceeding a predetermined amount is drained out of the ice making machine 1 by an overflow mechanism, which will be described later. The water in each tank 5 is separately sent to each water sprinkler 4 by each pump 6, and then the water is sent to each ice making plate 3.
sprinkled on top. The ice-making plates 3 are cooled by a cooling means, and a portion of the sprinkled water grows as ice on each ice-making plate 3, and the water that does not grow is collected in each of the water tanks 5 and reused as ice. The water is sent to each water sprinkler 4 by each pump. The above operation is repeated until a predetermined amount of water is used up in each water tank 5, and an equal amount of ice is placed on each ice-making plate 3 using the predetermined amount of water stored in each water tank 5. Ice is made. Thereafter, the above-mentioned operation is stopped, and each ice-making plate 3 is warmed by an ice-releasing means (not shown) to release the ice, and the ice that is released and falls downward is stored.
Then, a predetermined amount of water is stored in each water tank 5 again, and the above operation is restarted.

Next, the structure of each water tank 5 according to the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. Each water tank 5 is formed into a substantially rectangular shape with an open top. Each of the water tanks 5 has a side wall 7 facing each water tank 5, that is, the upper end of the left wall 7 of the right water tank 5 and the upper end of the right wall 7 of the left water tank 5 are connected to both water tanks 5, 5. are integrally formed, and are substantially symmetrically constructed with FIG. 3 facing the front. Each water tank 5 includes a shallow tank part 8 and a deep tank part 9 connected to the rear half of the shallow tank part 8. A drain socket 10 is provided on the bottom wall of each of the deep tank portions 9 and is offset to the left side.
A drain plug 11 shown in FIG. 1 is fitted into each socket 10. Furthermore, near the center of the back wall (the upper side wall in FIG. 2) 12 of the water tank 5, there are two box-shaped water pump mounting seats 12a extending rearward in a substantially symmetrical manner. Each of the water pumps 6 is configured to be mounted on the pump mounting seat 12a.

On the other hand, on the outside of the front side wall (lower side wall in FIG. 2) 13 orthogonal to the side wall 7 to which each water tank 5 is connected and the left side wall 14 of the left water tank 5, a gutter-like member 15 is arranged in series. It is arranged in an L shape. The gutter-like member 15 is formed such that the upper end of a side wall 16 facing the water tank 5 is continuous with the upper ends of the front side wall 13 and the left side wall 14 of the water tank 5, and is continuous across each tank 5. It is integrally formed. The height of the bottom of the gutter-like member 15 is lower on the left side than on the right side and lower on the rear side than the left side, and has a continuous slope from the bottom of the right side end to the bottom of the left rear end. is formed. Further, overflow grooves 17 are provided near both left and right sides of the front side wall 13.
3 and the side wall 16 of the gutter-like member 15 are formed by cutting out each upper end portion in a substantially tapered shape. The inside of the gutter-like member 15 and the inside of each water tank 5 are
These overflow grooves 17, 17 communicate with each other. Further, a drain port 18 is provided at the bottom of the gutter-like member 15, that is, at the bottom of the left rear end via a step 19. The drain port 18 has an overflow pipe 20 at its upper end flange 20.
a is suspended by engaging with the upper end step portion 19 in a liquid-tight manner. Furthermore, a drain pipe 21 communicating with the outside of the ice maker 1 is connected to the lower end of the overflow pipe 20, as shown in FIG.

When the water in each water tank 5 reaches a predetermined amount or more, each of the overflow grooves 17 and the gutter-like member 1
5 and an overflow pipe 20 via the drain port 18
and is configured to be discharged to the outside of the ice making machine 1 through a drain pipe 21. Further, reference numerals 22, 22 are mounting plates for mounting the water tanks 5, 5 to the casing 1a of the ice maker 1, respectively.

Therefore, according to the above embodiment, the gutter-like member 1
5 is perpendicular to the side wall 7 that connects to each water tank 5 and is integrally formed across each water tank 5, so that the gutter-like member 15 is formed in the direction in which each water tank 5 is arranged side by side (the left-right direction in FIG. 3). It becomes a strength member extending along the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. Of course, since the gutter-like member 15 is L-shaped and a part thereof is integrally formed with the left side wall 14, it has sufficient resistance against the force acting in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. Since it is not easily damaged as in the conventional case, cleaning etc. become easier.

Further, when a predetermined amount of water is supplied into each water tank 5, the overflow water is passed through each overflow groove 17 to the gutter-like member 15 by the gutter-like member 15.
After being collected in one drain port 18 provided at the bottom of the ice making machine 5, the ice is discharged to the outside of the ice making machine 1 through an overflow pipe 20 and a drain pipe 21. In this case, the overflow water is drained into one drain port 1 by the gutter-like member 15.
8, the drain pipe 21 connected to the overflow pipe 20 can also be a simple hose-like structure, making the drainage structure extremely simple compared to conventional ones.

In this embodiment, the gutter-like member 15 is formed into an L-shape, with a part of the gutter-like member 15 continuous with the left side wall 14 of the left water tank 5, but the gutter-like member 15 is formed at least in each water tank. It may be formed continuously over each water tank 5 on a side wall orthogonal to the side wall 7 to which the water tanks 5 are connected, for example, the front wall 13 or the back wall 12. Furthermore, in addition to two water tanks 5, a plurality of water tanks 5 may be arranged in parallel, and in that case, the same effect can be obtained by integrally forming a gutter-like member over each tank at least on the side wall orthogonal to the side wall to which each water tank is connected. Effects can be obtained.

(Effects of the invention) As described above, according to the invention, a plurality of water tanks are arranged side by side, and the overflow water from each water tank is collected and discharged into one drain port by a gutter-like member. Since there is only one drain pipe communicating with the outside of the ice maker, and a simple hose-like pipe is required, the drainage structure can be extremely simplified. Further, since the gutter-like member is formed continuously across the water tanks at least on the outside of the side wall orthogonal to the side wall to which the water tanks are connected,
The gutter-like member acts as a strength member that reinforces the entire water tank, thereby providing high strength to the entire water tank. This has the practical effect of making the entire water tank less likely to be damaged and making cleaning easier.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 4 show embodiments of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an ice making machine, FIGS.
The figures are a plan view, a front view, and an enlarged side view of an integrally formed water tank. 5 to 9 show a conventional example, FIGS. 5 and 6 are a plan view and a front view of a water tank, respectively, and FIG. 7 is a schematic front view showing a drainage structure for overflow water of a water tank. FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are explanatory diagrams showing a water tank damaged by external force. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Ice maker, 2...Ice making unit, 3...Ice making plate, 4...Water sprinkler, 5...Water tank, 7...Side wall, 13...Top side wall, 15...Gutter-shaped member, 17...
...overflow groove, 18...drain port.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A plurality of ice-making units 2 are arranged in parallel to make ice by spraying water from a water sprinkler 4 onto the ice-making plate 3.
In an ice making machine, a plurality of water tanks 5 for storing water supplied to the ice making plate 3 and collecting water flowing down from the ice making plate 3 are arranged in parallel below the ice making unit 2 in correspondence with the ice making units 2. The tanks 5 are formed in a continuous manner with side walls 7 facing each other, and at least a gutter-like member 15 is provided on the outside of the side wall 13 orthogonal to the side wall 7 connecting the water tanks 5.
is formed continuously across each water tank 5, the inside of the gutter-like member 15 and the inside of each water tank 5 are communicated with each other through an overflow groove 17, and a drain port 18 is formed at the bottom of the gutter-like member 15. , when the water in each water tank 5 exceeds a predetermined amount, an overflow groove 17;
A water tank structure for an ice maker, characterized in that water is discharged through a gutter-like member 15 and a drain port 18.