JP2007024472A - Ice making section for flow-down type ice making machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance ice removing efficiency by connecting width-directional fellow ices with a slight thin thickness. <P>SOLUTION: A cooling pipe 34 is arranged in a zigzag line to bring a linear part 34a into contact with a pair of ice making plates 32, 32 with a prescribed space along a longitudinal direction, between opposed faces of the ice making plates 32, 32. A vertical rib 38 extended longitudinally to partition an ice making area 40 is projected with a width-directional prescribed space, in a surface side of the ice making plate 32. A projection height h<SB>2</SB>of the vertical rib 38 is set smaller than a projection-directional projection height h<SB>1</SB>of the vertical rib 38 in the ice 36. A refrigerant is circulation-supplied to the cooling pipe 34 by an ice making operation, and ice making water is supplied to the ice making area 40, and the ice 36 is formed in a surface side of a portion contacting with the linear part 34a in the ice making plate 32. The ice 36 gets large along with the progress of the ice making operation to get over the right and left vertical ribs 38, 38, and the fellow ices 36, 36 adjacent width-directionally are connected with the slight thin thickness. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ice making part of a flow-down type ice maker, and more specifically, an ice making part of a flow-down type ice maker that produces ice by flowing down ice-making water on the front side of an ice-making member having a cooling pipe disposed on the back side. It is about.

  As an automatic ice maker that continuously manufactures ice, there is known a flow-down type ice maker that forms ice by supplying ice making water to the front side of ice making members arranged in a vertical direction (e.g., patent document). 1). FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are a front view and a cross-sectional view showing an ice making unit 10 of such a flow-down type ice making machine. The ice making unit 10 is a pair of ice making plates that are vertically arranged to face each other. It is composed of 12,12. A cooling pipe 22 that is formed in a meandering shape and is circulated and supplied with a refrigerant is disposed between the ice making plates 12 and 12, and a linear portion 22 a that extends in the width direction is provided between the ice making plates 12 and 12. It comes in contact with the back side of.

Each ice making plate 12 is formed by bending a plurality of vertical ribs 14 extending in the vertical direction and projecting outwards at predetermined intervals in the width direction on a metal plate such as stainless steel having a low thermal conductivity. The ice making region 18 is defined between the vertical ribs 14 adjacent to each other in the width direction. The protruding height dimension h ₂ from the ice making surface (the surface of the ice making plate between the pair of vertical ribs 14, 14) in contact with the cooling pipe 22 in this vertical rib 14 is the ice at the end of the ice making operation as shown in FIG. 16 is set to be larger than the protruding height dimension h ₁ so that the ice 16 is formed in the ice making region 18. The ice making surface of the ice making plate 12 is formed with a plurality of protrusions 20 projecting outward in a portion that does not contact the cooling pipe 22, and the upper ice 16 rides on the protrusion 20 during deicing. The ice making plate 12 is peeled off.

In the ice making operation, the ice making water is supplied to each ice making region 18 from an ice making water supply means (not shown) provided above the ice making unit 10 while the coolant is circulated and supplied to the cooling pipe 22. Ice 16 is independently formed on the front side of the portion of the ice making plate 12 where the cooling pipe 22 contacts. At the end of the ice making operation, a plurality of ices 16 having a predetermined protruding height dimension h ₁ are formed in a lattice shape on the front side of the ice making plate 12. Further, during the deicing operation, hot gas is supplied to the cooling pipe 22 and deicing water is allowed to flow down to the back side of the ice making plates 12 and 12 from a deicing water supply means (not shown) provided above the ice making unit 10. Then, the icing between the ice 16 and the ice making plate 12 is melted and separated. Each ice 16 falls from the ice making plate 12 by its own weight and is stored in an ice storage or the like provided below.
No. 1-245538

As described above, in the ice making unit 10 in the conventional flow-down type ice making machine, the protruding height dimension h ₂ of the vertical rib 14 is set to be larger than the protruding height dimension h ₁ of the ice 16 at the end of the ice making operation. For this reason, the ice 16 becomes larger during the ice making operation and does not get over the vertical rib 14, and the left and right ices 16, 16 adjacent in the width direction are not connected, and each ice 16 is independent in the ice making region 18. To be formed. However, since the weight of each ice 16 is light, the ice 16 did not fall from the ice making plate 12 until the freezing of the ice 16 and the ice making plate 12 was completely melted during the deicing operation. Therefore, it takes time for the deicing operation, resulting in an increase in power consumption and a decrease in ice making capacity. In addition, since the ice 16 stays on the ice making plate 12 for a long time, the amount of melting of the ice 16 increases and the ice 16 becomes smaller.

  In the ice making unit 10 of such a flow-down type ice making machine, there is a problem that the water spray hole of the ice making water supply means is clogged with cotton ice or the like, and the supply of ice making water to the corresponding ice making region 18 is reduced. In such a case, deformed ice smaller than normal ice 16 is formed in the ice making region 18, but the generation of such deformed ice is suppressed in the ice making unit 10 of the conventional flow-down type ice making machine. Currently, no treatment has been applied.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been proposed to solve these problems inherently in the ice making part of the conventional flow-down type ice making machine, and the weight is increased by connecting the ice in the width direction. An object of the present invention is to provide an ice making part of a flow-down ice making machine capable of improving the deicing efficiency by making it easy to drop ice from the ice making part in the deicing operation.

In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems and achieve the intended purpose, the ice making part of the flow-down ice making machine according to claim 1 comprises:
A cooling pipe meanders on the back side of the ice making member arranged in the vertical direction so that the linear portions extending in the width direction are spaced apart by a predetermined distance in the vertical direction, and an ice making region is defined on the front side of the ice making member. A plurality of vertical partitioning members extending in the vertical direction are projected at predetermined intervals in the width direction, and the ice-making member is circulated by supplying ice-cooling water to the ice-making region while circulating and supplying the coolant to the cooling pipe. In the flow-down type ice making machine in which ice is formed with a predetermined protruding height dimension in the protruding direction of the vertical partition member on the front side of the portion where the straight line portion contacts,
The projecting height dimension of the vertical partition member is set to be lower than the projecting height dimension of the ice, and the ices adjacent to each other in the width direction are connected to each other over the vertical partition member. .

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the ice in the width direction is connected to increase the weight, and the ice is easily dropped from the ice making part during the deicing operation, so that the deicing efficiency can be improved. . As a result, the amount of ice that melts during the deicing operation is reduced, and the amount of water consumption and power consumption can be suppressed. In addition, since the ice is connected in the width direction, the ice making water can reach all the ice making regions through the ice connecting portion. Therefore, even in an ice making region where the supply of ice making water is reduced, the ice making water supplied to other ice making regions is transmitted, so that the generation of deformed ice can be reduced.

In the ice making part of the flow-down type ice making machine according to claim 2, the ratio of the protruding height dimension of the vertical partition member to the protruding height dimension of the ice is set to a value of about 0.7 to 0.9.
According to the invention of claim 2, since the ratio of the protruding height dimension of the vertical partition member to the protruding height dimension of the ice is set to a value of about 0.7 to 0.9, Are securely connected. Further, during the deicing operation, when the connected ice peels off from the ice making unit and falls into an ice storage or the like, the ice is likely to fall apart due to the impact of the fall, so that it is possible to provide ice that is easy to use.

In the ice making part of the flow-down type ice making machine according to claim 3, the vertical spacing in the linear part of the cooling pipe is set to a value at which the upper and lower ices are not connected to each other.
According to the invention which concerns on Claim 3, ice is connected only to the width direction and is not connected to the vertical direction. Therefore, if it is connected only in the width direction, when it is peeled off from the ice making unit during the deicing operation and dropped into an ice storage or the like, the ice is liable to fall apart due to the impact of the fall, and provides easy-to-use ice. be able to.

According to the ice making part of the flow-down type ice making machine according to claim 4, the predetermined number of shielding members extending in the longitudinal direction of the ice making member and set to a protruding height dimension larger than the protruding height dimension of ice. The ice-making member is spaced apart in the width direction so as to sandwich the vertical partition member.
According to the invention which concerns on Claim 4, it becomes possible to change the number of ice connected to the width direction.

  According to the ice making part of the flow-down type ice making machine according to the present invention, since the ice is formed in a state where the ice is connected with a slight thickness in the width direction, the ice easily falls from the ice making part during the deicing operation, and the ice removing efficiency is improved. It becomes possible to improve.

  Next, the ice making part of the flow-down type ice making machine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings by giving a preferred embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the ice making unit 30 of the flow-down type ice making machine according to the embodiment has a pair of ice making plates (ice making units) arranged vertically (vertically) in the same manner as the ice making unit 10 described in the prior art. Member) 32, 32. Between the opposing surfaces of the ice making plates 32, 32, a cooling pipe 34 that is repeatedly meandered so that the linear portion 34 a extends in the width direction of the ice making portion 30 is disposed. , 32 and the straight part 34a are in contact with each other. Further, an ice making water supply means for supplying ice making water to the front side of each ice making plate 32 during ice making operation and an deicing water supply means for supplying deicing water to the back side of each ice making plate 32 during deicing operation are provided above the ice making unit 30. (Both not shown) are provided. During the ice making operation, the cooling pipe 34 is supplied with refrigerant from the refrigeration system, and the ice making water is supplied from the ice making water supply means to the ice making plates 32, 32, so that the ice making plates 32, 32 in contact with the straight portion 34a Ice 36 having a predetermined protrusion height dimension h ₁ (about 13 mm in the embodiment) is formed on the front side. In the deicing operation, hot gas is supplied to the cooling pipe 34 by switching the valve of the refrigeration system.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ice making plate 32 constituting the ice making unit 30 is formed by bending a thin plate of stainless steel or the like into a wave shape, and protrudes to the front side of the ice making unit 30 and extends in the vertical direction. Vertical ribs (longitudinal partition members) 38 are provided in parallel at a predetermined interval in the width direction of the ice making plate 32. The vertical ribs 38 project substantially vertically from the ice making surface (surface) of the ice making plate 32, and define an ice making region 40 extending in the vertical direction by a pair of vertical ribs 38, 38 adjacent in the width direction. Yes. Further, the protruding height dimension h ₂ protruding from the ice making surface of the vertical rib 38 is set smaller than the protruding height dimension h ₁ of the formed ice. That is, the protrusion height dimension h ₂ of the vertical rib 38 is set so that the ice 36 grows over the left and right vertical ribs 38, 38 during ice making operation, and the ice 36, 36 adjacent to each other in the width direction has a slight thickness (about 2 mm). ˜3 mm) is set to a value that can be connected.

Specifically, it is preferable that the ratio of the protruding height dimension h ₂ of the vertical rib 38 and the protruding height dimension h ₁ of the ice 36 is a value of about 0.7 to 0.9. The protrusion height dimension h ₂ of the vertical rib 38 is set to 11 mm with respect to the protrusion height dimension h _{1 of} 36 = 13 mm. As a result, the ices 36 adjacent to each other in the width direction are connected to each other with a thickness of about 2 mm. However, the ratio projecting relative height h ₁ of ice 36 on the protruding height h ₂ of the vertical ribs 38 may be appropriately changed as long as it is within the range. For example, by setting the ratio to a low value, the ices 36 and 36 can be easily connected to each other, and the thickness of the connecting part of the ice 36 and 36 can be increased. On the contrary, by increasing the ratio, the thickness of the connecting portion between the ices 36 and 36 can be reduced. That is, the protruding height dimension h ₂ of the vertical rib 38 may be appropriately set so that the ices 36 in the width direction are connected to each other, and the thickness of the connected portion is about 2 mm to 3 mm.

The protruding height dimension h ₁ of the ice 36 indicates the maximum protruding height of the ice 36 from the ice making surface at the end of the ice making operation, and is defined by the ice making capacity, ice making time, etc. of the ice making machine. It is. In the present embodiment, the ice 36 having a protrusion height of about 13 mm is formed at the end of the ice making operation. When the ratio is greater than 0.9, the connecting portion becomes very thin, the connecting portion melts at the beginning of the deicing operation, and the ice 36 is dropped from the ice making unit 30 in the connected state. I can't. Conversely, when the ratio is smaller than 0.7, the connecting portion becomes too thick, and the connecting portion remains connected without being broken even when the ice 36 is dropped from the ice making unit 30.

As shown in FIG. 3, on the back side of the ice making plate 32, the straight portions 34a of the cooling pipe 34 are disposed so as to be spaced apart by a predetermined distance in the vertical direction, and are positioned approximately in the middle of the upper and lower straight portions 34a, 34a. On the ice making surface of the ice making plate 32, protrusions 42 that protrude outward are formed. The protrusion 42 is intended to make it easy to peel off the ice making plate 32 by the ice 36 sliding down on the ice making plate 32 during the deicing operation and riding on the protrusion 42. The spacing h ₃ between the upper and lower straight portions 34a in the cooling pipe 34 is set to a predetermined value so that the upper and lower ices 36 are not connected to each other. That is, by setting the spacing h ₃ of the straight portion 34a to a value that does not connect the upper and lower ices 36, 36, the ice 36 is formed in a state where it is connected only in the width direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, thin plate-like side plates 48 are provided on both sides of the ice making unit 30. The height of the side plates 48, 48 protruding from the ice making surface of the ice making plate 32 is set to be larger than the protruding height dimension h ₁ of the ice 36. That is, the ice 36 is not formed outside the ice making unit 30 beyond the side plates 48 and 48 during the ice making operation.

(Operation of Example)
Next, the operation of the ice making unit of the flow down type ice making machine according to the embodiment will be described.

In the ice making operation, ice making water is supplied from the ice making water supply means to each ice making region 40 of each ice making plate 32 and refrigerant is circulated and supplied to the cooling pipe 34. When the ice making operation proceeds and the protrusion height dimension of the ice 36 becomes larger than the protrusion height dimension h ₂ of the vertical rib 38, the ice 36 passes over the vertical rib 38 and is adjacent to the ice 36, 36 adjacent in the width direction. Start linking. At this time, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 2, the ice making water is supplied to all the ice making regions 40 through the connecting portion of the ice 36. That is, since the sprinkling holes of the ice-making water supply means are clogged and sufficient ice-making water can be supplied to the ice-making region 40 where the supply amount of ice-making water is reduced, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of deformed ice. Become.

  As shown in FIG. 2, at the end of the ice making operation, ice 36 is formed in a state of being connected in the width direction across all the ice making regions 40 (hereinafter referred to as connected ice 44). However, since the straight portions 34a of the cooling pipe 34 are spaced apart by a predetermined distance in the vertical direction, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper and lower ices 36 and 36 are not connected, and the connected ice 44 is connected only in the width direction. It has become a state.

  When the ice making operation is completed in this state (that is, in a state where the ice 36 is connected only in the width direction) and then the deicing operation is performed, deicing water is supplied from the deicing water supply means to the back side of each ice making plate 32. The hot gas is supplied to the cooling pipe 34. As a result, the icing between the connected ice 44 and the ice making plate 32 is melted, and the connected ice 44 starts to fall from the ice making plate 32. At this time, since the connecting ice 44 is heavy, it is easier to fall from the ice making plate 32 than the light ice 36 formed independently, and it falls in a short time after the deicing operation is started.

The connected ice 44 that slides down on the ice making plate 32 rides on the protrusion 42 and is peeled off from the ice making plate 32 and is discharged to a lower ice storage or the like. Then, when the ice is stored in the ice storage, the connecting ice 44 breaks down due to the impact of dropping and is broken down into individual ice 36. That is, since the ice 36 formed by the ice making unit 30 according to the embodiment is connected only in the width direction and not in the vertical direction, the ice 36 is easily broken down by a drop impact and is easy to use. It becomes possible to do. Further, the ratio of the protruding height dimension h _{2 of} the vertical rib 38 to the protruding height dimension h ₁ of ice is set to 0.7 to 0.9, so that the thickness of the connecting portion that connects the ice 36 and 36 to each other is set. Can be about 2 mm to 3 mm. Therefore, the ices 36 adjacent to each other in the width direction are securely connected to each other, and when falling from the ice making unit 30, the ices 36 are separated to provide easy-to-use ice 36.

  In addition, although the case where the ice making part 30 was comprised from a pair of ice making plates 32 and 32 was shown in the Example, the ice making part 30 may be comprised from the one ice making plate 32. FIG. In the embodiment, the ice making plates 32 and 32 are provided vertically. However, the present invention can be applied even if the ice making plates 32 and 32 are inclined.

  In addition, the vertical ribs 38 in the embodiment are integrally bent on the ice making plate 32, but the vertical rib 38 may be an ice making unit 30 of a type in which the vertical ribs 38 are separately provided on the ice making plate 32. I do not care. Furthermore, an ice making part 30 of a type in which an ice making part 32 is formed by connecting a plurality of members formed in a substantially U-shaped cross section and extending in the vertical direction so as to define an ice making region 40 in the width direction. However, it is possible to apply the present invention.

(Example changes)
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an ice making unit 30 of a flow-down type ice making machine according to a modified example of the embodiment. Only parts different from the embodiment will be described, and the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. The ice making plates 32 and 32 according to the modified example have a predetermined number of shielding members 46 set to a projecting height dimension h ₄ larger than the projecting height dimension h _{1 of the} ice 36 as in the embodiment (2 in the modified example). However, one or more than three vertical ribs 38 may be sandwiched in the width direction. The shielding member 46 is formed by bending the ice making plate 32 in the same manner as the vertical rib 38, and the protruding height dimension h ₄ from the ice making surface is larger than the protruding height dimension h _{1 of the} ice 36. Is set. That is, by providing such a shielding member 46 on the ice making plate 32, even if the ice 36 grows, the shielding member 46 cannot be exceeded, and the number of ices 36 connected in the width direction can be changed. Become.

  In the modified example, the three ices 36, 36, 36 are connected in the width direction by providing the shielding member 46 with the two vertical ribs 38 interposed therebetween. However, the arrangement pattern of the shielding members 46 may be appropriately changed according to the number of ices 36 to be connected. In the modified example, the side plate 48 functions as the shielding member 46. Furthermore, regarding the shielding member 46, in the modified example, the protruding height of the vertical rib 38 is changed to be the shielding member 46. However, another shielding member 46 may be provided on the ice making plate 32.

It is a cross-sectional view which shows the ice making part of the flow-down type ice making machine which concerns on an Example. It is a front view which shows the ice making part of the flow-down type ice making machine which concerns on an Example. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the ice making part of the flow-down type ice making machine based on an Example. It is a cross-sectional view which shows the ice making part of the flow-down type ice making machine which concerns on the example of a change of an Example. It is a front view which shows the ice making part of the conventional flow-down type ice making machine. It is a cross-sectional view which shows the ice making part of the conventional flow-down type ice making machine.

Explanation of symbols

32 ice making plate (ice making member), 34 cooling pipe, 34a straight section, 36 ice 38 vertical rib (vertical partition member), 40 ice making region, 46 shielding member h ₁ protrusion height of ice, h ₂ protrusion of vertical rib Height dimension h ₃ Spacing distance between straight lines, h ₄ Projection height dimension of shielding member

Claims (4)

The cooling pipe (34) is meanderingly arranged on the back side of the ice making member (32) arranged in the vertical direction so that the linear portions (34a) extending in the width direction are spaced apart by a predetermined distance in the vertical direction, and the ice making member On the front side of (32), a plurality of longitudinal partition members (38) extending in the longitudinal direction so as to define an ice making region (40) are projected at a predetermined interval in the width direction, and the cooling pipe (34) The vertical partition member (38) protrudes on the front side of the portion where the straight portion (34a) contacts the ice making member (32) by the ice making operation in which the refrigerant is circulated and supplied to the ice making region (40). In the flow-down type ice making machine in which ice (36) is formed with a predetermined protruding height dimension (h ₁ ) in the direction,
The protruding height dimension (h ₂ ) of the vertical partition member (38) is set to be lower than the protruding height dimension (h ₁ ) of the ice (36), overcoming the vertical partition member (38), the width An ice making part of a flow-down type ice making machine characterized in that ices (36) adjacent in a direction are connected to each other. The ratio of the projecting height dimension (h ₂ ) of the vertical partition member (38) to the projecting height dimension (h ₁ ) of the ice (36) is set to a value of about 0.7 to 0.9. The ice making part of the flow-down type ice making machine according to Item 1. The flow-down type ice making according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vertical spacing (h ₃ ) in the straight portion (34a) of the cooling pipe (34) is set to a value at which the upper and lower ice (36) are not connected to each other. Ice making part of the machine. A shielding member (46) extending in the longitudinal direction of the ice making member (32) and set to a protruding height dimension (h ₄ ) larger than the protruding height dimension (h ₁ ) of the ice (36), The ice making part of the flow-down type ice making machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the ice making member (32) is provided spaced apart in the width direction so as to sandwich the predetermined number of the vertical partition members (38).

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