JPH0545031A - Electrical control device for flowing-down type ice making machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a countermeasure against a stoppage of water supply in a flowing- down type ice making machine. CONSTITUTION:In a flowing-down type ice making machine, an ice making cycle comprised of an initial water supplying stage 104, an ice removing and water supplying stage 110, an ice making stage 114 and a water discharging stage 116 is repeated after turning on a power supply so as to perform an automatic and subsequent ice making operation. A float switch is installed within a water storing tank. It is checked if water is sufficiently filled in the water storing tank after the initial water supplying stage 104 and after the ice removing and water supplying stage 110 during its ice making cycle (steps 106 and 112). In the case that water is sufficiently filled in the water storing tank, the operation is transferred to the ice making cycle. However, in the case that water is not sufficiently filled in the water storing tank, the ice making cycle is not performed and the operation is returned back of the initial water supplying stage 104. At this initial water supplying stage 104, a circulating pump as well as the compressor are stopped, so that it is possible to restrict a useless consumption of electrical power and an over-heating of the evaporator-during its stoppage of water.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a downflow type ice making machine which automatically and successively produces ice by alternate operation of a deicing water supply process and an ice making process, and in particular, the amount of water in a water storage tank caused by water interruption. The present invention relates to an electric control device for a downflow type ice making machine, which is provided with measures against shortage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of device has been disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication 64-2.
As shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 137, the ice is automatically and successively generated by repeating the deicing water supply process and the ice making process immediately after the power is turned on, and at the same time the deicing water supply process is completed. It is inspected whether or not enough water is stored inside, and if not enough water is stored, the transition to the ice making process is prohibited and the deicing water supply process is repeated.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional apparatus, the compressor is operating during the deicing water supply process, and the hot gas valve is also turned on. When not supplied, there is a problem that power is wasted and the evaporator is overheated. The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a flow-through type ice making machine that can save electric power and suppress overheating of an evaporator even if water is not supplied from the outside due to water interruption or the like. It is to provide an electric control device for.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the structural features of the invention according to claim 1 are that an ice making plate provided substantially vertically above a water storage tank, and an ice making plate of the ice making plate. An evaporator provided on the back surface, a refrigeration circuit configured to circulate a refrigerant in the evaporator, which includes a compressor, a cooler and an expansion valve,
A hot gas valve provided in a bypass passage bypassing the cooler and the expansion valve to control the supply of hot gas from the compressor to the evaporator; and water in the water storage tank is supplied to the upper surface side of the ice making plate. Circulation pump,
An electric control device for a down flow type ice making machine, comprising: a water valve for controlling the supply of water from the outside to the upper part of the back surface side of the ice making plate, which operates the compressor and stops the circulation pump. In this state, the hot gas valve and the water valve are turned on for a predetermined period of time to drop the ice on the surface of the ice making plate and to supply deicing water supply stroke control means for supplying water to the water storage tank, and the compressor is operated and hot. An ice making process control means for producing ice on the surface of the ice making plate by operating the circulation pump for a predetermined period with the gas valve and the water valve turned off,
An electric control device for a downflow type ice making machine which automatically and successively produces ice by alternately performing the deicing water supply process by the deicing water supply process control means and the ice making process by the ice making process control means, After the charging, before entering the alternate operation of the deicing water supply process by the deicing water supply process control unit and the ice making process by the ice making process control unit, the water valve is turned on while the compressor and the circulation pump are stopped. An initial water supply stroke control means for turning on for a predetermined period to initially supply water to the water storage tank, a water level sensor provided in the water storage tank for detecting whether or not the water level in the water tank is above a predetermined level, and the initial water supply. At the end of the initial water supply stroke by the stroke control means, based on the detection result by the water level sensor, the deicing is performed on condition that the water level in the water storage tank is above a predetermined level. If the transition to the alternate operation of the deicing water supply stroke by the water stroke control means and the ice making stroke by the ice making stroke control means is permitted, and the water level in the water storage tank is below a predetermined level, the initial water feeding stroke control means makes the initial At the end of the deicing water supply stroke by the first dewatering water supply stroke control means and the deicing water supply stroke control means, the water level in the water storage tank is above a predetermined level based on the detection result by the water level sensor. The second amount of stored water that allows the transition to the ice making process by the ice making process control unit if there is a certain condition and returns to the initial water supply process by the initial water supply process control unit if the water level in the water storage tank is less than a predetermined level. The inspection means is provided.

Further, the structural features of the invention described in claim 2 are the same as those of the invention according to claim 1,
At least before the first water storage amount inspection means returns to the initial water supply stroke by the initial water supply stroke control means, the compressor and the circulation pump are stopped and the hot gas valve and the water valve are turned off for a predetermined time. The stop control means is provided.

[0006]

The operation and effect of the present invention is as follows.
In the invention according to, in the state where there is no water in the water storage tank for the reason of forgetting water supply from the outside, water cutoff, etc., even if the operation of the ice making machine is started, the initial water supply stroke control means, after turning on the power, Before the alternate operation of the deicing water supply process and the ice making process is started, the water valve is turned on for a predetermined period while the compressor and the circulation pump are stopped to initially supply water to the water storage tank, and the first water storage amount inspection means. However, at the end of the initial water supply stroke, based on the detection result of the water level sensor, the transition to the alternate operation is permitted, provided that the water level in the water storage tank is at a predetermined level or higher, and the water level in the water storage tank is set to the predetermined level. If it is below the level, the initial water supply process is returned to, so the initial water supply process continues without switching to the alternate operation of the deicing water supply process and the ice making process until the water tank is filled with water. It has also stopped compressor along with the flop.

In addition, during alternate operation of the deicing water supply process and the ice making process, if the water storage tank is not filled with water due to water outage or the like, the second water storage amount inspection means causes the deicing water supply process to end. Sometimes, based on the detection result of the water level sensor, the transition to the ice making process is allowed on condition that the water level in the water storage tank is above a predetermined level, and if the water level in the water storage tank is below the predetermined level, the initial water supply Since the water is returned to the stroke, the initial water supply stroke continues without switching to the alternate operation of the deicing water supply stroke and the ice making stroke until the water tank is filled with water.In this state, the circulation pump and the compressor also stop. There is.

As a result, according to the first aspect of the invention, when water is not sufficiently supplied to the water storage tank due to forgetting water supply from the outside or water cutoff, the compressor is stopped together with the circulation pump. In this state, only the initial water supply stroke is continuously executed, so that it is possible to suppress overheating of the evaporator and to minimize power consumption.

Further, in the invention according to claim 2 configured as described above, in addition to the operation of the invention according to claim 1, at least before the first stored water amount inspection means returns to the initial water supply stroke, The stop control means stops the compressor and the circulation pump for a predetermined time and turns off the hot gas valve and the water valve, that is, puts the ice maker into a stopped state.

As a result, according to the second aspect of the present invention, even if water is not supplied from the outside for a long time due to a long time water cutoff, the water storage tank has a hole and is filled with sufficient water. Even if it is not performed, the initial water supply process is not wastefully and continuously performed, and in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 1, further power saving and water saving effects can be expected.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 schematically shows a downflow type ice making machine according to the embodiment. This ice making machine has an ice making plate 12 which is provided almost vertically above a water storage tank 11 which stores ice making water.
This ice making plate 12 is made of a stainless plate having a low thermal conductivity, and produces ice A on its surface 12a.
An evaporator 13 formed of a meandering pipe is fixed to the back surface 12b by soldering. A compressor 14 and an electric cooling fan 1 are provided between the inlet and the outlet of the evaporator 13.
A known refrigeration circuit including a condenser 16 and an expansion valve 17 to which 5 is attached is connected, and a refrigerant circulates in the evaporator 13. Further, this refrigeration circuit is provided with a bypass passage bypassing the condenser 16 and the expansion valve 17, and the hot gas valve 18 is provided in the bypass passage.
Is installed.

A deicing sprinkler 21 is provided above the back surface 12b of the ice making plate 12. The deicing water sprinkler 21 has a large number of water sprinkling holes 21a, and the water supplied through a pipe 22 connected to an external water pipe is used for the back surface 12b of the ice making plate 12.
Shed on. A water valve 23, which is electrically on / off controlled, is interposed in the pipe 22. Ice plate 12
A water sprinkler 24 for ice making is provided above the surface 12a. The ice making sprinkler 24 also has a large number of water sprinkling holes 24a, and the water supplied from the water storage tank 11 through the pipe 26 by the circulation pump 25 flows to the surface 12a of the ice making plate 12.

The circulation pump 25 is composed of an electric pump whose forward and reverse rotations are controlled to be switched. The water in the water storage tank 11 is pumped to the pipe 26 side during normal rotation, and the water in the tank 11 is piped during reverse rotation. It is sent by pressure to the 27 side. A pressure valve 28 is interposed in the pipe 27.
The pressure valve 28 is provided with a valve body 28a and a spring 28b. The valve body 28a always prohibits communication of the pipe 27 by the urging force of the spring 28b, and is displaced upward when water is pumped from the circulation pump 25. The pipe 27 is allowed to communicate. The end of this pipe 27 is the water storage tank 11
Is located above the overflow pipe 31 which is provided at the center of the tank 11 and which defines the maximum liquid level height in the tank 11,
The water flowing in the pipe 27 is the overflow pipe 31.
It is designed to be discharged to the outside via.

The middle portion of the pipe 27 is connected to the sub tank 33 via the pipe 32, and part of the water flowing through the pipe 27 is also supplied to the sub tank 33. The sub-tank 33 communicates with the water storage tank 11 at its bottom and houses the float switch 34. The float switch 34 detects the height of the liquid level in the water storage tank 11, and is turned on when the height of the liquid level is equal to or higher than a specified value, and the height of the liquid level is lower than the specified value. When it drops, it turns off. Further, below the ice making plate 12, a guide plate 36 for guiding the ice A formed on the surface 12a of the plate 12 and falling to the ice storage 35.
Are inclined. The guide plate 36 is provided with a plurality of holes 36a so that water can flow down into the water storage tank 11 through the holes 36a.

Next, an electric control device for electrically controlling the downflow type ice making machine configured as described above will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 shows a circuit diagram of the device. The electric control device includes a three input bus L _1, L _2, L _3, the same bus L _1, L _2, L ₃ has an electric motor 14a of the compressor 14, the hot gas valve 18 An electromagnetic solenoid 18a, an electric motor 15a for the cooling fan 15,
An electric motor 25a of the circulation pump 25, an electromagnetic solenoid 23a of the water valve 23, and a control circuit 40 that controls energization of these motors and solenoids are connected. The input buses L ₁ , L ₂ and L ₃ are connected to a single-phase three-wire commercial power source, the input buses L ₁ and L ₂ are set to 120V, and the input buses L ₁ and L ₃ are 240V. Is set to.

One end of the electric motor 14a is connected to the input bus L ₁ via the normally open contact 51a of the relay 51, and the other end of the motor 14a is connected to the input bus L ₃ . A starting capacitor 52 and a starting relay 53 for starting the motor 14a are also connected between the normally open contact 51a and the electric motor 14a. The normally open contact 51a of the relay 51 is turned on when the coil 51b is energized, one end of the coil 51b is connected to the input bus L ₁ via the ice storage switch 54, and the other end is normally open contact 55a of the relay 55. Is connected to the input bus L ₂ via. As shown in FIG. 1, the ice storage switch 54 is composed of a normally-closed type thermo switch mounted on the upper inside of the ice storage 35, and is turned off in response to temperature when the ice storage 35 is filled with ice. Is. The normally open contact 55a of the relay 55 is turned on when the coil 55b is energized.
Is energized when the switching transistor 56 is turned on.

Electromagnetic solenoid 18a and electric motor 15
One end of a is connected to the input bus L ₁ via the switching contact 57a of the relay 57 and the ice storage switch 54, the other end of the solenoid 18a is connected to the input bus L _2, and the other end of the motor 15a is connected to the relay 55. Is connected to the input bus L ₂ via the normally open contact 55a. The switching contact 57a of the relay 57 is in the illustrated state when the coil 57b is not energized to connect the electric motor 15a to the input busbar L ₁ , and is switched from the illustrated state when the coil 57b is energized to switch the electromagnetic solenoid 18a to the input busbar L _1. The coil 57b is energized when the switching transistor 58 is turned on.

The forward rotation control end 25a1 of the electric motor 25a is connected to the input bus L ₁ via the normally closed contact 61a of the relay 61, the switching contact 57a of the relay 57 and the ice storage switch 54, and the reverse rotation control end 25a2 of the same motor 25a. Is connected to the input bus L ₁ via the normally open contact 61b of the relay 61 and the ice storage switch 54, and the common end 25 of the motor 25a is connected to the input bus L _1.
a3 is an input bus L via the normally open contact 55a of the relay 55.
Connected to ₂ . The normally closed contact 61a of the relay 61 is turned on when the coil 61c is not energized, and the normally open contact 6a is
1b is turned on when the coil 61c is energized, and the coil 61c is energized when the switching transistor 62 is turned on. One end of the electromagnetic solenoid 23a is connected to the input bus L ₁ via the normally open contact 63a of the relay 63 and the ice storage switch 54, and the other end of the solenoid 23a is connected to the input bus L ₂ . The normally open contact 63a of the relay 63 is turned on when the coil 63b is energized.
b is energized when the switching transistor 64 is turned on.

The control circuit 40 includes a CPU, ROM, RA
It is composed of a microcomputer including M, a timer, an I / O, etc., and continues to execute the "main program" corresponding to the flowchart of FIG. 3, and at a predetermined time interval by the interrupt command from the timer, the flowchart of FIG. "Timer interrupt program" corresponding to
Interrupting the switching transistor 56,
The on / off of 58, 62, 64 is controlled.

A power transformer 71, a float switch 34 and a temperature sensor 72 are also connected to the control circuit 40. The power transformer 71 is connected between the input buses L ₁ and L ₂ via the ice storage switch 54, and is connected to the control circuit 4
Supply power to zero. The float switch 34 is as described above. The temperature sensor 72, as shown in FIG.
It is provided at the outlet of the evaporator 13 and outputs a signal indicating the temperature of the outlet.

Next, the operation of the embodiment configured as described above will be described. When a power switch (not shown) is turned on, electric power is supplied to the control circuit 40 via the input buses L ₁ , L ₂ , L ₃ and the power transformer 71, and the circuit 40 operates as shown in FIG.
In step 100, the execution of the “main program” is started, various variables are set to initial values and various circuits are set to initial states in step 102, and step 104
The circulation process consisting of 116 is repeatedly executed. In addition,
In this case, when the ice storage 35 is filled with ice and the ice storage switch 54 is in the off state, electric power is not supplied to the control circuit 40, so the control operation described below is not executed.

During the circulation process, the control circuit 40 interrupts and executes the "timer interrupt program" at predetermined time intervals by the action of the timer. This "timer interrupt program" is started in step 600 of FIG. 9, and in step 602, water supply count value WICT, back-up count value BUCT, water supply completion count value WFCT, deicing count value FD.
The CT, the ice making count value IFCT, and the drainage count value WOCT are each incremented by "1", and the program ends at step 604.

Returning to the explanation of the "main program" in FIG. 3, the control circuit 40 executes the initial water supply stroke routine in step 104 in the circulation process including the steps 104 to 116. This initial water supply stroke routine is executed in step 2 as shown in detail in FIG.
00, the switching transistors 56, 58 and 62 are set to the off state and the switching transistor 64 is set to the on state in step 202. Therefore, the electric motors 14a, 25a, 15a and the electromagnetic solenoid 18a are not energized by the action of the relays 51, 55, 57, 61, and only the electromagnetic solenoid 23a is energized by the action of the relay 63. With the pump 25 and the cooling fan 15 stopped and the hot gas valve 18 turned off,
Only the water valve 23 is turned on. As a result, tap water is supplied to the deicing sprinkler 21 through the pipe 22,
The water flows down along the back surface 12b of the ice making plate 12 and begins to flow into the water storage tank 11.

Next, the control circuit 40 initializes the water supply count value WICT to "0" in step 204, and then executes step 2
According to the determination processing of 06, the count value WICT becomes the predetermined value CT ₁
The progress of the program is stopped until it becomes (for example, a value corresponding to 1 minute) or more. This water supply count value WICT is incremented each time the above-mentioned "timer interrupt program" is executed, and when a predetermined time (for example, 1 minute) has elapsed after the processing in step 204, the control circuit 40
Determines “YES” in step 206, and proceeds to step 2
At 08, the switching transistor 64 is turned off. Therefore, at this point, the energization of the electromagnetic solenoid 23a is released by the action of the relay 63.
The water valve 23 is turned off, and the water supply to the water storage tank 11 is stopped. After the processing of step 208, the control circuit 4
For 0, the initial flag IFLG is set to "0" in step 210, and the execution of this initial water supply stroke routine is ended in step 212.

After the completion of this initial water supply stroke routine, the control circuit 40 determines in step 106 of FIG. 3 whether the float switch 34 is in the ON state. In this case, if the amount of water flowing into the water storage tank 11 is small and the float switch 34 is not turned on, it is determined to be "NO" in step 106, and the processing of the initial water supply stroke routine described above is performed again. As a result, if the water storage tank 11 is not sufficiently filled with water for reasons such as forgetting to supply water from the outside or running out of water, the processing of the initial water supply stroke routine is repeated, and in this routine, only the water valve 23 is used. Turn on, compressor 14, cooling fan 15
Since the circulation pump 25 and the circulation pump 25 are kept stopped, the evaporator 13 is not overheated and the electric power is not wastefully consumed.

On the other hand, if the amount of water is sufficient and the float switch 34 is on, the control circuit 40 causes the step 1 to proceed based on the determination of "YES" in step 106.
At 08, the switching transistor 56 is turned on. As a result, the normally open contact 55a of the relay 55 is turned on, the normally open contact 51a of the relay 51 is also turned on, and the electric motor 14a of the compressor 14 is started.
The compressor 14 compresses the refrigerant from the outlet of the evaporator 13, circulates the refrigerant in the refrigeration circuit including the condenser 16, the expansion valve 17, and the evaporator 13, and also supplies the refrigerant to the hot gas valve 18.

Next, the control circuit 40 executes the deicing water supply stroke routine of step 110. In this deicing water supply stroke routine, as shown in detail in FIGS. 5 and 6, the control circuit 40 starts its execution at step 300 and sets the switching transistors 64 and 58 to the on state at step 302. .. As a result, the normally open contact 63a of the relay 63 is turned on, the switching contact 57a of the relay 57 is switched from the illustrated state, the electromagnetic solenoids 23a and 18a are energized, and the water valve 23 and the hot gas valve 18 are turned on. Both of these valves 2
By setting 3, 18 to the ON state, the deicing sprinkler 21
Is continuously supplied with tap water to the water storage tank 11, and at the inlet of the evaporator 13, the compressor 1
The hot gas compressed by 4 is supplied.

Next, at step 304, the backup count value BUCT, the water supply completion count value WFCT and the water supply count value WICT are each cleared to the initial value "0", and the temperature detection flag TFLG is set to the initial value "0". To be done.
As a result, each of these count values BUCT, WFCT, WICT
From this point, the "timer interrupt program"
Every time a predetermined time is executed, the count is sequentially incremented from "0" to "1".

After the processing of step 304, the control circuit 4
0 is a circulation process consisting of steps 306 to 324,
The ice generated on the surface 12a of the ice making plate 12 is deiced and the water tank 11 is replenished with water. However, immediately after the power switch is turned on, ice is not normally generated, so the deicing of the ice will be described later in detail, and only the replenishment of the water will be described.

After the processing of steps 306 to 318, it is judged at step 320 (FIG. 6) whether the initial flag IFLG is "0". In this case, the initial flag IFLG has been set to "0" by the process of step 210 of the initial water supply stroke routine (FIG. 4) described above, and the step 32
Since it is determined to be “YES” at 0, step 3 is performed until the water supply count value WICT becomes equal to or more than the predetermined value CT ₅ (for example, a value corresponding to 2 minutes) by the process of step 322.
The circulation process consisting of 06, 308, 312, 318 to 322 continues to be executed. Water supply count value WICT is the specified value CT ₅
When the above is reached, it is determined to be “YES” in step 322, and the switching transistor 6 is determined in step 326.
4, 58 are set to the off state. As a result, the normally open contact 63a of the relay 63 is turned off, and the relay 57
Since the switching contact 57a is switched to the state shown in the figure and the energization of the electromagnetic solenoids 23a and 18a is released,
The water valve 23 and the hot gas valve 18 are turned off. As a result, the inflow of water into the water storage tank 11 is stopped, and the hot gas is not supplied to the inlet of the evaporator 13, and the cold refrigerant from the expansion valve 17 is supplied. After the processing of step 326, the initial flag IFLG is changed to "1" in step 328,
At step 330, the deicing water supply stroke routine ends.

After the processing of the deicing water supply stroke routine (step 110 in FIG. 3), it is determined in step 112 whether or not the float switch 34 is in the ON state, as in step 106. Also in this case, if the amount of water flowing into the water storage tank 11 is small and the float switch 34 is not turned on, “NO” in step 112.
Based on this determination, the program is returned to the initial water supply stroke routine of step 104 again. Also, the water storage tank 11
If the amount of water that has flowed in is sufficient and the float switch 34 is on, the program proceeds to the ice making process routine of step 114 based on the determination of "YES" in step 112.

In the ice making process routine, as shown in detail in FIG. 7, the control circuit 40 starts its execution at step 400 and sets the switching transistors 58 and 62 to the off state at step 402. Since these transistors 58 and 62 are set to the off state at the end of the deicing water supply stroke routine, the control circuit 40
Substantially only maintains the previous state of both transistors 58, 62. As a result, by the action of the relays 57 and 61, the electric motor 15a is energized, the electric power is supplied to the forward rotation control end 25a1 of the electric motor 25a, the cooling fan 15 starts to rotate, and the circulation pump 25 is positively rotated. Start rolling.

Since the circulation pump 25 supplies the water in the water storage tank 11 to the ice making water sprinkler 24 through the pipe 26 by the normal rotation, the ice making water flows on the surface 12a of the ice making plate 12. In this case, since the hot gas valve 18 is in the off state and the cooling fan 15 rotates, the evaporator 1
A cold refrigerant is supplied to 2 from an expansion valve 17, and the evaporator 12 starts cooling the ice making plate 12 from its back surface 12b. On the other hand, since the ice making plate 12 is made of stainless steel having a low heat conductivity, only the temperature of the surface 12a of the ice making plate 12 near the evaporator 12 is lowered, and the ice A is gradually removed only in the vicinity. Grow to. In addition, the water sprinkler for ice making 24
Of the ice-making water sprinkled from the remaining water, the remaining water that has not been used to generate the ice A flows into the water storage tank 11 again.

After the processing of step 402, step 4
At 04, the backup count value BUCT and the ice making count value IFCT are each cleared to the initial value “0”. As a result, the count values BUCT and IFCT are sequentially incremented from "0" to "1" from this time point at every predetermined time when the "timer interrupt program" is executed.

Next, at step 406, it is judged whether or not the backup count value BUCT is a predetermined value CT ₇ (for example, a value corresponding to 60 minutes) or more, and at the same time, step 4
At 08, it is determined whether the float switch 34 is in the on state. Now, if even while after the execution of the ice making process routine, since the backup count BUCT is less than the predetermined value CT _7, the determination process of step 408, the float switch water in the water storage tank 11 is used for ice The circulating process consisting of steps 406 and 408 is repeatedly executed until 34 is turned off. When the ice A formed on the surface 12a of the ice making plate 12 grows and grows gradually and the amount of water in the water storage tank 11 decreases due to the growth of the ice A, the liquid level in the water storage tank 11 lowers to cause a float switch. 34 goes off, step 4
It is determined to be "NO" at 08, and step 41
If the ice making count value IFCT is equal to or greater than the predetermined value CT ₈ (for example, a value corresponding to 5 minutes) at 0, the determination is “YES”, and the program proceeds to step 412 and thereafter. Further, after the start of the ice making process routine, “N” is given in step 410 until the time corresponding to the predetermined value CT ₈ has elapsed.
It is determined to be “O”, and the circulation process including steps 406 to 410 is repeatedly executed. Such steps 410
By the determination processing of, the water storage tank 11 is likely to lack water, and the ice on the surface 12a of the ice making plate 12 does not grow sufficiently,
It is possible to avoid ending the ice making process routine.

At step 412, the switching transistor 58 is set to the ON state, and at step 414
Then, the execution of this ice making process routine is finished. As a result, the switching contact 57a is switched from the illustrated state by the action of the relay 57, and the electric motors 15a and 25a.
De-energized, cooling fan 15 and circulation pump 25
Stops and the ice making process ends. Further, when the float switch 34 is kept in the on state forever and the backup count value BUCT becomes the predetermined value CT ₇ or more, it is determined to be “YES” in the step 406, the program is advanced to the step 412 and thereafter, and the ice making is performed. The execution of the stroke routine ends.

After executing the ice making process routine, the control circuit 40 executes the draining process routine at step 116 in FIG. As shown in detail in FIG. 8, this drainage stroke routine is started at step 500, the control circuit 40 clears the drainage count value WOCT to “0” at step 502, and at step 504, the count value WOCT. Is the predetermined value CT ₉
The progress of the program is stopped until (for example, a count value corresponding to 2 seconds) is reached. And this drainage control count value WOCT is the above-mentioned "timer interrupt program".
When it reaches the predetermined value CT ₉ by increasing with each execution of, the determination in step 504 is “YES”, and the program proceeds to step 506 and thereafter. As a result, the circulation pump 25 is stopped for a predetermined time (for example, 2 seconds). The reason why the circulation pump 25 is stopped for a predetermined period of time is that the rotating circulation pump 25 cannot be suddenly stopped.

At step 506, the switching transistor 62 is turned on. in this case,
The switching transistor 58 has the above-mentioned step 412.
Since it is set to the ON state by the processing of (FIG. 7), the electric motor 25a is operated by the action of the relays 57 and 61.
Power is supplied to the reverse rotation control end 25a2 of the circulation pump 2
5 begins to reverse. Next, the steps 502 and 504
By the processing of steps 508 and 510 similar to, the progress of the program is stopped for a time corresponding to a predetermined value CT ₁₀ (for example, a value corresponding to 10 seconds to 20 seconds), and then the switching transistor 62 is turned on in step 512. The off state is set, and in step 514, the execution of this drainage stroke routine ends.

As a result, the circulation pump 25 in reverse rotation stops again. Therefore, the circulation pump 25 reverses for the time corresponding to the drainage time value CT ₁₀ , and by this reverse,
Since the water in the ice making water tank 11 is pumped to the pipe 27 side, the pressure valve 28 is turned on, and the water in the tank 11 is sent to the overflow pipe 31 via the pipe 27 and discharged to the outside. .. Further, a part of the water flowing into the pipe 27 is also supplied to the sub tank 33 through the pipe 32 and is also used for cleaning the tank 33 and the float switch 34.

After the completion of this drainage stroke routine, the program is returned to the deicing water supply routine stroke of step 110 (FIGS. 3 and 5 and 6). In the deicing water supply process routine, as described above, the tap water (deicing water) is supplied to the back surface 12b of the ice making plate 12 by the process of step 302, and the hot gas is continuously supplied to the evaporator 13, By the process of 304, the backup count value BUCT, the water supply completion count value WFCT, and the water supply count value WICT are each cleared to the initial value “0”, and the temperature detection flag TFLG is set to the initial value “0”.
As a result, the ice making plate 12 starts to be warmed by deicing water and hot gas, and the count values BUCT, WFCT, WICT
Starts counting up from "0".

After the processing of these steps 302 and 304, in steps 306 and 308, the backup count value BUCT is a predetermined value CT ₂ (for example, a value corresponding to 20 minutes).
It is determined whether or not the water supply completion count value WFCT is a predetermined value CT ₃ (for example, a value corresponding to 6 minutes).
It is respectively determined whether or not the above. Both of these count values BUCT and WFCT are measures when the deicing water supply process is not completed in a normal time due to the ambient temperature, tap water temperature, etc. In the normal case, both of the steps 306 and 3 are performed.
Both are determined to be “NO” at 08, and the program proceeds to step 312.

In step 312, the temperature detection flag
It is determined whether TFLG is "0". In this case, since the temperature detection flag TFLG is initially set to "0" by the process of step 304, it is detected by the temperature sensor 72 in step 314 based on the determination of "YES" in step 312. It is determined whether or not the temperature near the outlet of the evaporator 13 is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature T ₁ .
The predetermined temperature T ₁ is a temperature just before the ice A on the surface 12a of the ice making plate 12 starts to melt and the temperature near the outlet becomes almost unchanged (saturated), and is set to, for example, 9 degrees Celsius. There is. If only a short time has elapsed from the start of the ice making process, the temperatures of the ice making plate 12 and the evaporator 13 are low, and the detected temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature T ₁ ,
According to the determination process of step 314, step 30
The cyclic processing of 6,308,312,314 continues to be executed. During this time, the deicing water is continuously supplied to the back surface 12b of the ice making plate 12, and the hot gas is continuously supplied to the evaporator 13, and the temperatures of the ice making plate 12 and the evaporator 13 are gradually increased to the surface 12a of the ice making plate 12. The ice A generated in the step S gradually begins to separate from the same surface 12a.

During the circulation process, the temperature sensor 72
When the temperature in the vicinity of the outlet of the evaporator 13 detected by the temperature becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature T ₁ , “YE
Based on the determination of "S", the deicing count value FDCT is cleared to the initial value "0" in step 316, the temperature detection flag TFLG is changed to "1", and the program is returned to step 306 again. Be done. As a result, the deicing count value FDCT will be
By executing, the count starts from "0" by "1".

In the next judgment process of step 312 after the processes of steps 306 and 308, since the temperature detection flag TFLG is set to "1", it is judged "NO", and the program proceeds to step 318 (Fig. 6) Proceed to the following steps. In this step 318, it is determined whether or not the deicing count value FDCT is greater than or equal to a predetermined value CT ₄ (for example, a value corresponding to 1 minute). In this case, if only a short time has passed since the detected temperature reached the predetermined temperature T ₁ , the determination process of step 318 causes step 3 to be performed.
The circulation process consisting of 06, 308, 312, and 318 continues to be executed.

During this circulation process, if the deicing count value FDCT increases and becomes equal to or larger than the predetermined value CT ₄ , it is determined as "YES" in step 318, and the initial flag is determined in step 320.
It is determined whether IFLG is "0". In this case, the deicing water supply stroke is the second and subsequent times, and the flag IFLG is set in step 328 of the first deicing water supply stroke routine described above.
Since is set to "1", in step 320 the decision is "NO", the water supply count value WICT at step 324 whether or not a predetermined value CT ₆ or more is determined. The predetermined value CT ₆ is the time required to fill the water tank 11 with water, and is set to a count value corresponding to, for example, 3 minutes. In this case, the water supply count value WICT
If is equal to or greater than the predetermined value CT ₆ , “YE
S ”, the water valve 23 and the hot gas valve 18 are set to the OFF state in step 326, and the initial flag is set in step 328, as described above.
IFLG is set to "1", and the deicing water supply stroke routine ends in step 328. As a result, the supply of deicing water to the back surface 12b of the ice making plate 12 and the supply of hot gas to the evaporator 13 are stopped, and the ice making process routine and the draining process routine are performed again. At the end of this deicing water supply process, the ice A on the surface 12a of the ice making plate 12 falls on the guide plate 36, and the dropped ice A is guided by the plate 36 and stored in the ice storage 35.

On the other hand, if the water supply count value WICT is less than the predetermined value CT ₆ even if the deicing count value FDCT becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined value CT ₄ , the determination processing of step 324 causes the steps 306, 308, 312 and The circulation process consisting of 318, 320 and 324 continues to be executed. When the water supply count value WICT increases by the execution of the "timer interrupt program" to reach the predetermined value CT ₆ or more during this circulation processing,
In step 324, it is determined to be "YES", and after the processing in steps 326 to 330, the deicing water supply stroke routine is ended. As a result, the deicing water supply process continues for at least the time corresponding to the predetermined value CT ₆ , and even when the ambient temperature, deicing water, etc. are high and deicing itself is completed in a short time, the water valve 23 Water tank 11 via
Water supply is secured. As a result, the water required for the next ice making process is secured in the water storage tank 11. By the processing of steps 320 and 322, the minimum time of the first deicing process (CT ₅ = 2 minutes) is changed to the minimum time of the second and subsequent times (CT ₅ = 3).
The reason for making it shorter than that is that the water is already supplied to the water storage tank 11 by the above-described initial water supply process in the case of the first time.

Further, the temperature of the tap water is extremely low and it is necessary to supply the same to the back surface 12b of the ice making plate 12 so that the ice making plate 12
When the temperature rise of the evaporator 13 is hindered, the ice A on the surface 12a of the ice making plate 12 is not deiced forever,
By the determination processing in step 314, steps 306, 3
The cyclic processing consisting of 08, 312 and 314 is repeatedly executed. Then, during the circulation process, the water supply completion count value WFCT continues to count up and the same value WFCT is the predetermined value CT.
_When it reaches ₃ (for example, a value corresponding to 6 minutes), "YES" is determined in step 308, and the switching transistor 64 is set to the off state in step 310. As a result, by the action of the relay 63, only the energization of the electromagnetic solenoid 23a is released, the water valve 23 is turned off, and the supply of tap water to the back surface 12b of the ice making plate 12 is stopped. On the other hand, also in this case, since the hot gas valve 18 is kept in the ON state, the temperature of the evaporator 13 rises and the temperatures of the ice making plate 12 and the evaporator 13 rise only due to the hot gas, and the deicing is completed. To do.

Furthermore, since the ambient temperature is extremely low, the ice making plate 1
Even after the ice A has dropped from the second surface 12a, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 72 does not rise above the predetermined temperature T ₁ , and the determination process of step 314 includes steps 306 to 314 even after the water supply is stopped. Circular processing may continue to be executed. However, in this case, during the circulation processing, the backup count value BUCT continues to increase and the same value BUCT is the predetermined value CT ₂ (for example, a value corresponding to 20 minutes).
Is reached, it is determined to be “YES” in step 306, the program proceeds to step 326 and subsequent steps, and the deicing water supply stroke routine ends. As a result, it is possible to avoid that the deicing process never ends.

When the above deicing water supply process is completed,
As described above, it is determined again in step 112 (FIG. 3) whether the float switch 34 is in the on state. If the water storage tank 11 is sufficiently filled with water and the float switch 34 is in the ON state, it is determined to be “YES” in step 112, and the program proceeds to the ice making process routine in step 114. The deicing water supply process, the ice making process and the drainage process are repeated in this order to automatically produce ice one after another.

On the other hand, during the production of ice, due to the water being cut off or the like, the water storage tank 11 is not filled with sufficient water even after the deicing water supply process routine of step 110,
If it is determined to be "NO" in step 112, that is, the float switch 34 is off, the program is returned to the initial water supply stroke routine in step 104. By executing this routine, until the water in the water storage tank 11 is sufficiently filled with "N" in step 106.
On the basis of the judgment of "O", the cyclic processing of steps 104 and 106 is repeatedly executed, and the program is executed in step 108.
I can't proceed further. Moreover, in the process of this routine, the compressor 14 is stopped together with the circulation pump 25, so that wasteful power consumption and overheating of the evaporator 13 can be suppressed.

Next, a modification of the embodiment constructed as described above will be described. In this modified example, a program corresponding to the flowchart of FIG. 10 is stored in the control circuit 40 of the above embodiment in place of the program corresponding to the flowchart of FIG. 3, and the program corresponding to the flowchart of FIG. 9 is stored. Instead, a program corresponding to the flowchart of FIG. 11 is stored.

According to the modified example thus constituted, "NO" in Steps 106 and 112, that is, the water in the water storage tank 11 is insufficient after the initial water supply process or the deicing water supply process, and the float switch 34 is turned on. If it is determined that the switching transistors are not in the on state, then in step 118, all the switching transistors 56, 58, 62, 64 are set to the off state. Therefore, in this state, the relays 51, 55,
By the action of 57, 61, 63, the electric motors 14a, 2
Since 5a, 15a and the electromagnetic solenoids 18a, 23a are not energized, the compressor 14, the circulation pump 25 and the cooling fan 15 are stopped, and the hot gas valve 18 and the water valve 23 are turned off. As a result, water is not supplied through the water valve 23, and the operation of the ice making machine is stopped.

Next, the control circuit 40 initializes the stop count value STCT to "0" in step 120, and the count value STCT is set to a predetermined value by the determination processing in step 122.
The program progress is stopped until CT ₁₁ (for example, a value corresponding to 60 to 120 minutes) or more. This stop count value STCT is counted up in step 606 every time the "timer interrupt program" of FIG. 11 is executed, and after the processing of step 120, a predetermined time (for example, 60 to 120 minutes) has elapsed. Then, the control circuit 40 determines “YES” in step 122, and advances the program to the initial water supply stroke routine in step 104. In this initial water supply stroke routine, as in the above embodiment,
The initial water supply process is executed, and in other processes, the same processes as in the above-described embodiment are executed.

As a result, according to this modification, even if water is not supplied from the outside for a long time due to a long interruption of water, the water storage tank 11 has a hole and is not sufficiently filled with water. However, the frequency of executing the initial water supply stroke routine in step 104 is reduced, and the wasteful water valve 2 is used.
Since electricity is not supplied to the electromagnetic solenoid 23a of No. 3, power saving and water saving effects can be expected.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications, no special means has been taken to inform the user of the water shortage in the water storage tank 11, but when the water shortage occurs, the user is informed by an indicator or alarm. You can do it. In this case, in the above-described embodiment and modification, immediately after it is determined as "NO" in steps 106 and 112 of FIGS. 3 and 10, the display device or the alarm device is driven to warn the user of the water shortage. do it.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a downflow type ice making machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of an electric control device for controlling the ice maker of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a “main program” executed by the control circuit of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing in detail the initial water supply stroke routine of FIG.

5 is a flowchart showing in detail a first half portion of the deicing water supply stroke routine of FIG. 3. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing in detail a second half of the deicing water supply stroke routine of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the ice making process routine of FIG. 3 in detail.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the drainage stroke routine of FIG. 3 in detail.

9 is a flowchart of a "timer interrupt program" executed by the control circuit of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a “main program” according to a modification of the present invention.
It is a flowchart of.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a “timer interrupt program” according to a modified example of the present invention.

[Explanation of Codes] 11 ... Water Storage Tank, 12 ... Ice Making Plate, 13 ... Evaporator, 14
... compressor, 14a ... electric motor, 15 ... cooling fan, 1
5a ... electric motor, 16 ... condenser, 17 ... expansion valve,
18 ... Hot gas valve, 18a ... Electromagnetic solenoid, 2
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Deicing sprinkler, 23 ... Water valve, 23a ... Electromagnetic solenoid, 24 ... Ice sprinkler, 25 ... Circulation pump, 31 ... Overflow pipe, 34 ... Float switch, 35 ... Ice storage, 40 ... Control circuit, 51,53,5
5, 57, 61, 63 ... Relays, 56, 58, 62, 6
4 ... Switching transistor, 72 ... Temperature sensor.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An ice making plate provided substantially vertically above a water storage tank, an evaporator provided on a back surface of the ice making plate, and a compressor.
A refrigeration circuit that includes a cooler and an expansion valve to circulate a refrigerant in the evaporator, and a hot circuit that is provided in a bypass path that bypasses the cooler and the expansion valve and that controls the supply of hot gas from the compressor to the evaporator. Gas valve,
For a downflow type ice making machine equipped with a circulation pump for supplying water in the water storage tank to the upper surface side of the ice making plate, and a water valve for controlling the supply of water from the outside to the upper surface of the back surface of the ice making plate. The electric control device of claim 1, wherein the hot gas valve and the water valve are turned on for a predetermined period while the compressor is operated and the circulation pump is stopped to drop the ice on the surface of the ice making plate and store the water. Deicing water supply stroke control means for supplying water to the tank and the circulation pump are operated for a predetermined period while the compressor is operated and the hot gas valve and the water valve are off to produce ice on the surface of the ice making plate. An ice making process control means is provided, and the deicing water supply process by the deicing water supply process controlling device and the ice making process by the ice making process controlling device are alternately performed to automatically perform And, in an electric control device for a downflow type ice making machine which successively produces ice, after the power is turned on, the deicing water supply process by the deicing water supply process control means and the ice making process by the ice making process control means are alternately operated. Before entering, initial water supply stroke control means for initially supplying water to the water storage tank by turning on the water valve for a predetermined period with the compressor and the circulation pump stopped, and in the water storage tank, A water level sensor for detecting whether or not the water level is above a predetermined level, and at the end of the initial water supply stroke by the initial water supply stroke control means, based on the detection result by the water level sensor, the water level in the water storage tank is predetermined. Allowing transition to alternate operation of the deicing water supply process by the deicing water supply process control means and the ice making process by the ice making process control means on condition that the level is above the level. If the water level in the water storage tank is below a predetermined level, the first water storage amount inspection means for returning to the initial water supply stroke by the initial water supply stroke control means, and at the end of the deicing water supply stroke by the deicing water supply stroke control means , Based on the detection result of the water level sensor, the transition to the ice making process by the ice making process control unit is allowed on condition that the water level in the water storage tank is at a predetermined level or higher, and the water level in the water storage tank is predetermined. An electric control device for a downflow type ice making machine, comprising: a second stored water amount inspection means for returning to the initial water supply stroke by the initial water supply stroke control means if the level is less than the level. 2. The electric control device for a downflow type ice making machine according to claim 1, further comprising at least before the first water storage amount inspection means returns to the initial water supply stroke by the initial water supply stroke control means. An electric control device for a downflow type ice making machine, comprising stop control means for stopping the compressor and the circulation pump for a predetermined time and turning off the hot gas valve and the water valve.