JPH0972639A - Ice making machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an ice coupling between ice blocks and an oscillating plate, oscillate the oscillating plate until completion of ice making operation and at the same time accomplish a smooth releasing of the ice blocks when an ice removing operation is carried out. SOLUTION: A water pan 22 rotatably pivotted to a plurality of brackets arranged at an upper part of an ice storing device stores manufactured ice water in an ice manufacturing chamber 38 defined in it up to a predetermined level. Many ice making projections 24 are projected at a lower surface of an ice making base plate 26 arranged in a horizontal orientation through brackets. When an ice making operation is carried out, the ice making projections 24 are immersed in the ice making water stored in the water pan 22. An oscillating plate 34 is oscillatably arranged within the ice making chamber 36 of the water pan 22. The oscillating plate 34 is made of austenite type stainless steel having a low thermal conductivity as its material quality and when the oscillating plate 34 is brought into contact with the ice blocks formed at the ice making projections 24, the oscillating plate 34 is not easily cooled.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ice-making projection in which a large number of projections are formed on the lower surface of an ice-making substrate, and is immersed in ice-making water in an ice-making chamber defined inside a water tray. The present invention relates to an ice-making machine configured to form an inverted dome-shaped ice block around the.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an ice making machine for continuously producing a large number of ice blocks, ice making water is stored at a required level in a water tray, and an ice making projection is provided on a lower surface of an ice making substrate provided with an evaporation pipe. There is known a simple ice-making machine configured to form ice blocks around the ice-making projections by immersing the ice-making water in the ice-making water. In this way, in an ice-making machine capable of forming an ice block around the projections by merely immersing a large number of ice-making projections cooled and held in ice-making water in a water tray, as a matter of course,
During the ice making operation, the ice making water does not circulate at all and is kept in a so-called "stationary state". Therefore, the ice blocks gradually formed around the ice making protrusions become cloudy and opaque due to the influence of the air dissolved in the ice making water. The white turbidity of the obtained ice block itself is generally not a problem for the original use such as cooling of ice. However, when this cloudy ice is used for eating and drinking in a coffee shop, a restaurant, etc., it has a drawback that it is obviously inferior in appearance as compared with transparent and clear ice and the commercial value is lowered as a whole.

As a solution to the above problem, there is a device "whitening prevention mechanism of ice making machine" proposed by the present applicant. According to this invention, a rocking plate is swingably provided in an ice making chamber defined inside a water tray, and the rocking plate is rocked during an ice making operation while engaging with the rocking means. It is configured to move the ice making water in the ice making room. As a result, it is possible to prevent the cloud of ice formed around the ice making section from becoming cloudy, and it is possible to provide a block of ice having a high commercial value.

[0004]

In the above ice making machine, the completion of ice making at the ice making projection is detected by detecting the reaction force applied to the rocking means when the rocking plate comes into contact with the lump of ice grown on the projection. I am doing it. In this case, when the time to complete the ice making approaches, the rocking plate repeats the state of contacting the ice block and the state of separating from it, so that in the conventional rocking plate, the contact portion with the ice block is gradually cooled, and finally, The rocking plate sometimes freezes on the ice blocks. For this reason, the ice making water returns to the "stationary state" before the ice making is completed, which causes a problem that the ice blocks become cloudy. If the ice block and the rocking plate are switched to the deicing operation while the ice plate is frozen, the tilting of the rocking plate and the discharge of the ice block to the ice storage chamber may be hindered.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention resides in an ice making machine configured to give motion to an ice making water stored in an ice making chamber in a water tray with an oscillating plate to prevent clouding of ice blocks formed on ice making projections. In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, it has been proposed to suitably solve this problem, and an ice making machine capable of reliably rocking the rocking plate until completion of ice making by preventing freezing of the ice blocks and the rocking plate. The purpose is to provide.

[0006]

In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems and achieve the intended purpose, the present invention provides an evaporation pipe connected to a refrigeration system equipped with a compressor, a condenser, etc. An ice making substrate which is provided with an ice making portion protruding downward from the lower surface, and water which is tiltable and is always arranged horizontally and in which the ice making portion is immersed in ice making water in an ice making chamber defined inside. In an ice-making machine, which comprises a plate and is configured such that the ice-making water is frozen around the ice-making unit to form a required ice block, the ice-making chamber is housed and arranged in the ice-making chamber of the water tray, and the swing mechanism is used to make the ice-making chamber. Is provided with a rocking plate that can be rocked so as to come in contact with and away from the bottom surface of the rocking plate, and the rocking plate is formed of a material having a thermal conductivity of austenitic stainless steel or less.

[0007]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, an ice making machine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings with reference to preferred embodiments. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an ice maker according to an embodiment, in which a casing 10 constituting the ice maker main body is a machine in which a refrigerating machine such as a compressor CM and a condenser 12 is housed. The chamber 14 and a box-shaped ice storage 18 located above the chamber 14 and surrounded by a heat insulating material and defining an ice storage chamber 16 therein.
And an ice making unit 20 arranged above the inside of the ice storage 18. Ice making unit 2
As will be described later with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, reference numeral 0 denotes a water tray 22 for storing ice making water at a predetermined level, and an ice making substrate 2 provided with an ice making protrusion 24 as an ice making section immersed in the ice making water.
6, the water tray 22 tilts at a predetermined angle when switching to the deicing operation, and the ice blocks 27 formed on the ice making projections 24 can be discharged to the ice storage chamber 16. The ice storage 18 is provided with an ice block discharging device 28, and the device 28 is configured to discharge the ice blocks 27 stored in the ice storage chamber 16 to the outside.

A cover body 30 is detachably disposed on the front surface of the ice storage 18, and the front side of the cover body 30 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, a tilting mechanism 32 of the water tray 22 in the ice making unit 20, a rocking mechanism 36 of a rocking plate 34 (described later), and an ice block discharging device 28 are collectively arranged. Then, a cover body 30 in which the respective mechanisms 32, 34 and the device 28 are arranged
Is configured as one unit, and is attached to and detached from the ice storage 18.

A water tray 22 constituting the ice making unit 20.
2, is formed in a box shape which is opened upward, and can store ice making water at a predetermined level in an ice making chamber 38 defined therein. This water dish 22
A shaft support portion 22a is integrally formed on one side of the shaft support portion 22a, and the shaft support portion 22a is rotatably supported by a plurality of brackets 40 arranged on the upper portion of the ice storage 18 (FIG. 3). reference). Further, the shaft support portion 22a is connected to a tilting mechanism 32 disposed on the cover body 30, and the water tray 22 tilts obliquely downward and returns obliquely upward about the shaft support portion 22a by the mechanism 32. Is configured so that The ice making chamber 38 is supplied with a required amount of ice making water through a water supply pipe 42 that is detachably arranged on the ice making substrate 26.

An ice making substrate 26 is horizontally disposed and fixed above the inside of the ice storage 18 through the plurality of brackets 40. On the upper surface of the ice making substrate 26, from the refrigeration system housed in the machine room 14. The led-out evaporation pipes 44 are arranged in a meandering manner. Further, on the lower surface of the ice making substrate 26, a large number of ice making protrusions 24 are formed.
Are projected so as to hang at required intervals, and during the ice making operation, the ice making projections 24 are immersed in the ice making water stored in the water tray 22 (see FIG. 4). Then, as a result of heat exchange with the refrigerant in the evaporation pipe 44 by the operation of the refrigeration system and the ice making protrusions 24 being cooled and held at 0 ° C. or less, as shown in FIG.
Ice blocks 27 are gradually formed.

A swing plate 34 is swingably disposed inside the ice making chamber 38 of the water tray 22.
Is configured to be swingably driven up and down by a swing mechanism 36 arranged on the cover body 30. As shown in FIG. 3, the swing mechanism 36 includes a mounting jig 48 rotatably supported by a bearing portion 46 projecting from the cover body 30, and the end portion of the mounting jig 48 which is separated from the pivotal support portion. A swinging motor RM is disposed on the front side of the. This rocking motor R
A swinging member 50 slidably inserted in a vertically extending long hole 30a formed in the cover body 30 is connected to M, and the swinging member 50 is rotationally driven in a required direction by the motor RM. It has become so. As shown in FIG. 3, a swing projection 50a is eccentrically provided on the surface of the swing member 50 that faces the back side of the cover body 30 (the side that faces the water tray 22). Further, an inverted L-shaped engaging piece 52 is integrally formed at an end of the swing plate 34 on the cover body 30 side at a position corresponding to the swing projection 50a of the swing member 50,
The swing projection 50a is configured to engage and disengage from the engaging piece 52 from below as the swing member 50 rotates. That is, when the rocking protrusion 50a is engaged with the engaging piece 52, the rocking plate 34 is raised from the bottom surface of the ice making chamber 38 by a required distance,
When the swinging protrusion 50a is disengaged from the engaging piece 52, the swinging plate 3
4 is dropped by its own weight to the bottom surface of the ice making chamber 38. Therefore, if the swinging motor RM is rotated during the ice making operation, the swinging plate 34 repeatedly swings up and down in the ice making chamber 38 to constantly move the ice making water as shown in FIG. It is possible to prevent the ice blocks 27 formed on the ice-making protrusions 24 from becoming cloudy. The rocking plate 34 is provided with a large number of through holes 34a having a circular shape or a quadrangular shape on its surface at required intervals so that the ice-making water is actively moved during rocking. The through hole 34a is provided at a position where it is located between the adjacent ice making projections 24, 24.

The mounting jig 48 is always urged by a torsion spring 54 interposed in the bearing portion 46 so that the end portion of the swing motor RM is rotated upward. Then, when a required external force is applied to the swinging motor RM, the mounting jig 48 resists the elasticity of the torsion spring 54 and the mounting jig 48 moves.
It is set to rotate downward by a required angle with the fulcrum as a fulcrum.

The cover body 30 is provided with an ice making completion detecting switch SW such as a micro switch, and the lever piece 56 thereof is made to face the descending locus of the swinging member 50, so that the mounting jig 48 (for swinging). As the motor (RM) rotates, it abuts on the rocking member 50 so that the switch can be switched. That is, when the ice making operation progresses and the ice blocks 27 grow around the ice making protrusions 24, as shown in FIG. 5, the rocking plate 34 comes into contact with the ice blocks 27 when moving upward,
A downward reaction force is applied to the swing motor RM via the engagement piece 52 and the swing protrusion 50a. Therefore, the mounting jig 48 provided with the swinging motor RM rotates downward about the bearing portion 46 as a fulcrum, and the swinging member 50 turns on the ice making completion detection switch SW in the turning process. The completion of ice making in the ice making unit 20 is detected.

The oscillating plate 34 is made of austenitic stainless steel, which is a material having a low thermal conductivity, and when the oscillating plate 34 comes into contact with the ice blocks 27 formed on the ice making projections 24, The oscillating plate 34 is constructed so as not to be easily cooled. That is, even if the rocking plate 34 is repeatedly brought into contact with the ice blocks 27 and separated from each other as the ice making time is approached, the contact portion of the rocking plates 34 with the ice blocks 27 is not cooled to the temperature at which ice is formed. , The swing plate 34
Does not freeze on the ice blocks 27, and the rocking plate 34 can be rocked reliably until the ice making is completed. By the way, the thermal conductivity of austenitic stainless steel (Cal / cm ・ sec ・ ℃)
Is 0.51 whereas the thermal conductivity of ferritic stainless steel is 0.062, and it has been proved that the rocking plate 34 made of this ferritic stainless steel is frozen to the ice blocks 27. . As the austenitic stainless steel, for example, 18-8 stainless steel is preferably used.

[0015]

Next, the operation of the ice making machine according to the embodiment will be described. Compressor CM energized by turning on the power
As a result, the refrigerant is supplied to the evaporation pipe 44 from the refrigerant circulation pipe of the refrigeration system, and the heat exchange action of the refrigerant starts cooling of the ice making projections 24 protruding from the ice making substrate 26. Since the ice making projections 24 are immersed in ice making water, freezing starts from around the projections 24 and gradually grows to form an inverted dome-shaped ice block. During this ice making operation, the swinging motor RM of the swinging mechanism 36 continues to rotate. Therefore, the rocking projection 50a of the rocking member 50 rotated by the motor RM engages with the engaging piece 52, and the rocking plate 34
Is lifted upward as shown in FIG. The rocking protrusion 50
When a is disengaged from the engagement piece 52, the swing plate 34 falls by its own weight and comes into contact with the bottom surface of the ice making chamber 38. In this way, the rocking plate 34 repeatedly rocks in the ice making water in the ice making chamber 38 during the ice making operation, thereby constantly moving the ice making water. Moreover, the swing plate 34 has a through hole 34a.
, The ice making water passes through the through hole 34a as the rocking plate 34 rocks, and this makes the motion of the ice making water more vigorous with a jet flow phenomenon. In this way, by keeping the ice making water in a dynamic state at all times, clouding of the ice blocks 27 formed on the ice making projections 24 is prevented.

When an ice block 27 of a required size grows on the ice-making protrusion 24 near the time when the ice-making is completed, the rocking plate 34 is moved.
Will repeat the state of contact with the ice blocks 27 and the state of dropping and separating when moving upward. At this time, when the rocking plate 34 comes into contact with the ice blocks 27, that part is cooled. However, as described above, since the rocking plate 34 is made of a material having a low thermal conductivity, it vibrates. The contact portion of the moving plate 34 with the ice block 27 is not easily cooled. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the rocking plate 34 freezes on the ice blocks 27 and the rocking plate 34 is not rocked so that the ice making water cannot be moved. This allows
It is possible to impart movement to the ice making water until the completion of the ice making operation, surely prevent the ice lump 27 from becoming cloudy, and obtain a transparent and clear ice lump 27.

As shown in FIG. 5, when a complete ice block 27 is formed in an inverted dome shape on the ice-making protrusion 24, the rocking plate 34 comes into contact with the ice block 27 during its upward movement, and finally the engagement. A downward reaction force is applied to the swing motor RM via the piece 52 and the swing projection 50a. Therefore, the swinging motor R
The mounting jig 48 on which M is arranged starts to rotate downward with the bearing portion 46 as a fulcrum, and the swing member 50 pushes the lever piece 56 of the ice making completion detection switch SW to turn it on. Thus, the completion of ice making in the ice making unit 20 is detected. Then, the swinging mechanism 36 stops, and the tilting mechanism 32 starts to start tilting the water tray 22 and the swinging plate 34 obliquely downward. At this time, since the rocking plate 34 is not frozen on the ice blocks 27, the tilting of the rocking plate 34 is not hindered. Then, with the water tray 22 in the required tilted posture, the tilting mechanism 32 is stopped, and hot gas is supplied to the evaporation pipe 44 in place of the refrigerant by switching the valve of the refrigeration system. As a result, the ice making projections 24 are rapidly heated through the ice making substrate 26. For this reason, the connection between the ice making projections 24 and the ice blocks 27 is released, and the ice blocks 2
7 falls due to its own weight and is stored in the ice storage chamber 16. In addition, the tilted rocking plate 34 allows the ice blocks 27 to be stored in the ice storage chamber 1.
6 to guide the ice block 27 to the rocking plate 34 due to freezing of the ice block 27 on the rocking plate 34 as in the conventional case, and the problem that the ice block 27 is not discharged to the ice storage chamber 16 and the ice making projection 24. The ice lumps 27 that have fallen do not cause a problem that the ice lumps 27 that are frozen on the rocking plate 34 hinder smooth discharge.

In the examples, austenitic stainless steel was used as a material having a low thermal conductivity.
The present application is not limited to this, and the oscillating plate may be formed using a material such as resin, for example.

[0019]

As described above, according to the ice making machine of the present invention, the rocking plate for moving the ice making water stored in the water tray is made of a material having a low thermal conductivity such as austenitic stainless steel. Since the rocking plate is formed of a material, the rocking plate does not freeze with the ice blocks during the rocking, and the rocking plate can be reliably rocked until the ice making is completed. In other words, the ice-making water can be moved until the ice-making operation is completed, and the ice blocks do not become cloudy, and transparent and clear ice blocks having a high commercial value are manufactured.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional view of an ice making machine according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an ice making unit of the ice making machine according to the embodiment in a partially disassembled state.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the ice making unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the ice making unit in a state where the swing plate is swinging during the ice making operation.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the ice making unit in a state where ice making is completed.

[Explanation of symbols]

12 ... Condenser, 22 ... Water tray, 24 ... Ice making projection, 26 ... Ice making substrate 27 ... Ice block, 34 ... Oscillating plate, 36 ... Oscillating mechanism, 38 ... Ice making chamber 44 ... Evaporating tube, CM ... Compressor

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An evaporation pipe (44) connected to a refrigeration system including a compressor (CM), a condenser (12), and the like, and the evaporation pipe (44) is arranged on an upper surface and an ice making part is formed on a lower surface. The ice making substrate (26) protruding from and hanging down (24) is tiltable and always arranged horizontally, and the ice making section (24) is immersed in the ice making water in the ice making chamber (38) defined inside. An ice making machine configured to form a required ice block (27) by freezing the ice making water around the ice making section (24). A swing plate (34) housed in the chamber (38) and swingable by a swing mechanism (36) so as to be movable toward and away from the bottom surface of the ice making chamber (38) is provided. ) Is formed of a material having a thermal conductivity of austenitic stainless steel or less as a material. 2. The ice making machine according to claim 1, wherein the oscillating plate (34) is made of austenitic stainless steel.