JPS6375459A - Water pan for ice machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to a cooler having a plurality of ice-making compartments that open downward, and a cooler that is arranged on the opening side of the cooler and tilted by a drive device. The present invention relates to a so-called inverted cell type ice making device equipped with a water tray, and particularly relates to an improvement of the water tray.

(b) Conventional technology In general, in this type of ice making device, when ice is formed in the ice making compartment, the water tray tilts to open the ice making compartment, and the ice that leaves the ice making compartment during the dehydration operation runs over the surface of the slanted water tray. It is structured so that it slides down and falls into the water storage and is stored there, but when the ice making is completed, the bottom surface of the frozen ice in the ice making room sticks to the surface of the water tray.
Due to the adhesive force between the water tray and the ice, a large amount of torque is applied to the drive device for tilting the water tray, causing damage to the drive cam.
This poses the problem of extremely shortening the life of the drive device.

In addition, ice fragments remain stuck to the surface of the water tray that has been forcibly released from the ice maker and opened the ice maker, and this prevents the ice from sliding down the ice maker. When the tray moved back, ice formed between the water tray and the cooler, leading to various accidents.

In order to prevent such problems, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 53-6
In Japanese Patent No. 8457, a method is adopted in which water is sprinkled on the surface of the water tray in a fully open state to melt away stuck ice pieces.

(c) Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, the method of sprinkling water on the surface of the water tray is an effective means for solving the latter problem because it melts the ice pieces stuck on the surface of the water tray. The former problem, that is, the durability of the drive device when opening the water tray due to freezing of ice and the surface of the water tray, cannot be solved yet.

(D) Means for Solving the Problems The present invention provides an upper plate having water fountains opening downward and corresponding to a large number of ice-making compartments, a lower plate having a space below the upper plate, and a lower plate having a space below the upper plate. An ice making water channel that guides the ice making water in the water tank to the water fountain hole and a water supply water channel that passes water supplied from the external water supply system by opening the water supply solenoid valve are arranged between the and the bottom plate and correspond to each ice making compartment. a partition member defining an end of the water supply waterway; an outlet formed on the upper part of the partition member defining an end of the water supply waterway and communicating the waterway with the water tank; and an outlet formed on the bottom plate and defining the water supply waterway This is a water tray for an ice making device that solves the problems of the prior art described above by providing a water drain port that communicates with the water tank.

(*) Effect In the present invention, when water supplied from the water supply pipe (8) of the external water supply system is passed through the water supply channels (20A) and (20B), the upper surface plate (16) is heated by the sensible heat of this water. The temperature rises and the viscous force between the top plate (16) and the ice subsurface is relaxed. Moreover, the outlet (21) of the waterway (20A) and (20B>
) is formed on the top of the partition wall (18A), so even when the amount of water supply is low, water can be diverted to the channel (20A>, (20A)).
B) is filled with water and is passed in contact with the back surface of the top plate (16), thereby efficiently increasing the temperature of the top plate (16).

(f) Examples Examples of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. first,
To explain the general structure of an inverted cell ice making device in Figures 5 and 6, (1) is a cooler with a number of ice making chambers (IA) that open downward, and the refrigeration system is evaporated on the outer surface of the earthen wall. A pipe (2) is provided below the cooler (1), that is, on the opening side of the ice-making compartment (IA), it has a rotation fulcrum (3) at the rear and a drive shaft at the front. A drive device consisting of a motor (4A), a drive cam (4B), a coil spring (4C), etc.
4) of the present invention, which is configured to be tiltable and movable.
) is arranged, and further below the water tray (5) is the water tray (5).
A water tank (6) with an opening on the top surface that tilts and moves together with the tank is installed.

The water tray (5) is connected to a water supply port (9A) to which a flexible water supply pipe (8) of an external water supply system is connected via a water supply solenoid valve (7).
) and (9B), and an ice-making water inlet (12) through which the discharge pipe (11) of the circulation pump (10) whose suction side is connected to the water tank (6) is connected, and the water supply pipe ( 8) and water flowing in from the water supply ports (9A) and (9B),
Ice-making water in the water tank (6) flowing in from the inlet (12) is guided to each water channel of the water tray (5), which will be described in detail below.

That is, the water tray (5) of the present invention has a water fountain (5) corresponding to approximately the center of each ice making compartment (IA), as shown in detail in FIGS. 1 to 3.
13>, and has a guide wall (14) projecting upward on the peripheral part except the front part and a side wall (15) projecting downward on the entire circumference.
) integrally formed with the top plate (16);
), and the peripheral edge excluding the front edge is the side wall (15
) has a bottom plate (17) glued to the inside of the top plate (17).
6〉 and the lower surface plate (17), an ice making waterway (1
9) and water supply channels (20A) and (20B>).

The ice making water channel (19) is connected to the ice making water inlet (12) located at the rear of the bottom plate (17) and each water fountain (13).
), and to explain in more detail, the ice-making waterway (19) is connected to the main waterway (19A>) running in the center of the water tray (5), and
It consists of a plurality of branch waterways (19B) branching from the main waterway (19A) and communicating with the fountain hole (13).

In addition, the water supply channels (20A) and (20B) are connected to the water supply port (9A) located at the rear of the top plate (16),
(9B) and the water tank (6) through an outlet (21) formed at the top of the frontmost partition wall (18A).
B> forms a meandering shape along the ice making channel (19) by an auxiliary partition wall <18B) which is integrated with the top plate (16) and extends from the inner surface of the side wall (15), and each ice making compartment (IA)
corresponds to Furthermore, water supply canals (20A), (20
A drain port (22) is formed in the bottom plate (17) forming the bottom surface of B> for collecting water in the water channel (20A) into the water tank (6) when water flow is stopped.

In addition, return holes (23) are formed in the partition wall (18), located on both sides of each fountain hole (13), and penetrating from the top plate (16) to the bottom plate (17).

Thus, the water supply solenoid valve (7) opens and closes based on the time chart shown in FIG.

Next, the operation of the present invention will be explained based on the above configuration.

When the ice-making operation is started in the horizontal state where the water tray (5) closes the opening of the ice-making compartment (IA), the ice-making water in the water tank (6) flows from the circulation pump (10) to the discharge pipe (11). The ice-making water flows into the ice-making water inlet (12) through the ice-making water channel (19).
), water is supplied to each corresponding ice-making compartment (IA) from each fountain hole (13) formed in the top plate (16), and a portion of this ice-making water is frozen in the ice-making compartment (IA). , the unfrozen water returns into the water tank (6) through the return hole (23). (This flow of water is shown by solid arrows in Figures 1 and 4).

In this way, the water for ice making in the water tank (6) is transferred to the ice making compartment (IA).
) When a timer, a thermostat, or other ice-making completion detection means detects that a predetermined amount of ice has grown in the ice-making compartment (IA), the circulation pump (10) is stopped to complete ice-making. .

When ice making is completed, the water supply solenoid valve (7) opens and the water supply pipe (8) opens.
) flows into the water supply ports (9A) and (9B), is passed through the water supply channels (20A) and (20B), and returns to the water tank (6) from the discharge port (21).

(This flow of water is shown by the dotted arrows in Figures 1 and 4).

In this way, the water supply channel (20A) from the external water system.

(20B), the sensible heat of the water causes the top plate (
16), the adhesive force between the lower surface of the ice frozen and stuck to the surface of the top plate (16) is weakened, and the ice expands due to the temperature rise of the top plate (16), causing the ice to Since the peeling effect of the top plate (16) can also be expected, the torque of the drive device 4) when the drive device 4) operates to tilt the water tray (5) based on the completion of ice making is reduced. The driving device (4) tilts the water tray (5) to a predetermined position.The water supply solenoid valve (7) is opened for a predetermined period of time by a timer or the like, and is closed during the tilting of the water tray (5). Stop water supply.

Note that it is desirable that the operation of the drive device e (4) be slightly delayed from the opening of the water supply solenoid valve (7);
Since there is a mechanical delay between the activation of the water tray (5) and the start of the tilting of the water tray (5), it is electrically possible to open the water supply electric transmission valve <7) and operate the drive device (4>) at the same time. The experimental results were obtained.

On the other hand, upon completion of ice making, the ice frozen in the ice making compartment (IA) is slightly melted by the heat of the hot gas circulated through the evaporation pipe (2), and is removed from the ice making compartment (IA).
It slides down the top plate (16) of the water tray (5) with the IA open and is led to a water storage (not shown).

When it is detected that the ice has left the ice making compartment (IA) by the temperature rise of the cooler (1), the drive device (4) is turned on again.
) operates to move the water tray (5) back. When the water tray (5) returns to the horizontal position that closes the opening of the ice-making compartment (IA), the drive device (4) stops, and the water supply solenoid valve (7) opens again, following the same route as above, i.e., water supply. Irrigation canal (20A)
, (20B), a predetermined amount of ice-making water necessary for the next ice-making operation is supplied to the water tank (6) from the external water supply system. When such water supply operation stops, the water supply channel (20A)
, (20B) is all supplied to the water tank (6) from the drain port (22), and the water supply channel <2OA).

(No residual water remains in 20B>.

(G) Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention allows the water flowing through the water supply channel to flow in contact with the back surface of the top plate almost unaffected by fluctuations in the water supply pressure, and by the sensible heat of this water. Since the temperature of the top plate can be raised efficiently, the adhesive force between the bottom surface of the ice and the top plate surface, which is firmly frozen and stuck to the top plate surface when ice making is completed, can be quickly relaxed, and therefore, The torque applied to the drive device when peeling the top plate of the water tray from the bottom surface of the ice is reduced, and the durability of the drive device is significantly improved, and it is also possible to prevent ice fragments from sticking and remaining on the top plate surface. .

Moreover, since all the water in the water supply channel is collected into the water tank from the water drain port, it is possible to reliably prevent water in the water supply channel from freezing due to the ice-making operation.

Furthermore, since the ice-making channel and the water supply channel are defined by a partition wall between the top plate and the bottom plate, the water tray can be easily manufactured, almost the same as when only the ice-making channel is defined on the back side of the top plate. can do.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a partially cutaway top view of the water dish of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a side sectional view of the water dish corresponding to section A-A in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a front view of the water dish of the present invention. , FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing the relationship between the water tray of the present invention and the cooler, FIG. 5 is a side view of an ice making device equipped with the water tray of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a perspective view, and FIG. It is a time chart figure which shows a water supply state. (1)...Cooler, (IA)...Ice making room, (4
)...drive device, (huge)...water dish, (6)...
・Water tank, (7)... Water supply solenoid valve, (8)...
・Water supply pipe, (9A), (9B)...water supply port,
(13)...Fountain hole, (16)...Top plate, (
17)...Bottom plate, (18)...Partition wall, (
18A)...Front end partition wall, (19)...Ice making waterway, (20A>, (20B)...Water supply waterway, (21)...Outlet, <22)...Drainage port.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cooler having multiple ice-making compartments that open downward;
A water tray disposed on the opening side of the cooler and tilted by a drive device, and a water tank disposed below the water tray and tilted together with the water tray. In an ice-making device that performs ice-making operation by supplying ice-making water in a fountain to an ice-making compartment via the water tray, the ice-making apparatus includes an upper plate having a water fountain hole corresponding to the ice-making compartment, and a lower plate having a space below the upper plate. and an ice-making water channel that guides the ice-making water in the water tank to the water fountain hole, and a water supply water channel that flows water supplied from the external water supply system to each of the ice-making compartments by opening the water supply solenoid valve. a partition member defined between an upper surface plate and a lower surface plate; an outlet formed on the upper part of the partition member defining an end of the water supply waterway and communicating the waterway with the water tank; and an outlet formed on the lower surface plate. A water tray for an ice making apparatus, characterized in that a water drain port is provided that communicates the water supply waterway with the water tank.