JP3689306B2

JP3689306B2 - Open cell type automatic ice maker

Info

Publication number: JP3689306B2
Application number: JP2000106811A
Authority: JP
Inventors: 政明川隅; 政弘小谷; 伸一長澤; 千美鳥谷; 進作早川
Original assignee: Hoshizaki Electric Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hoshizaki Electric Co Ltd
Priority date: 2000-04-07
Filing date: 2000-04-07
Publication date: 2005-08-31
Anticipated expiration: 2020-04-07
Also published as: JP2001289540A

Description

【０００１】
【発明の属する技術分野】
本発明は、オープンセルタイプ自動製氷機に関する。
【０００２】
【従来の技術】
オープンセルタイプ自動製氷機は、例えば図６に示すように、左右１対の側壁１ａの前後縁を後壁１ｂと前壁１ｃにより連結してなる箱状の製氷部ケース１の下端部に製氷水タンク２を取り付け、製氷部ケース１内の下部に製氷用水を上方に噴出する複数のノズル３ａを有する散水器３を設け、製氷部ケース１内の上部に下向きに開口された複数の製氷セル４ｂを有する製氷室４を設けたものであり、製氷セル４ｂ下側の開口は製氷中にも閉じられることはない。また製氷部ケース１の中間部には傾斜した氷シュート６を設け、その低い側に設けたシャッタ７は、通常は重力により垂れ下がって閉じられている。
【０００３】
製氷室４の製氷基板４ａの上側に蛇行して密着された冷却パイプ５には、圧縮機１１と、冷却ファン１３により冷却される凝縮器１２と、脱水器１４と、膨張弁１５よりなる冷凍機からの冷却された冷媒が冷媒管１０を介して循環供給され、また凝縮器１２，脱水器１４および膨張弁１５と並列にホットガス弁１６が設けられている。ホットガス弁１６を閉じた状態で冷凍機を運転させれば製氷室４は冷却され、また膨張弁１５を閉じてホットガス弁１６を開けば気化した冷媒は圧縮機１１により圧縮されて温度が上昇したホットガスとなって冷却パイプ５に送られる。
【０００４】
製氷水タンク２内の製氷用水Ｗはポンプ（図示省略）により散水器３に供給されて各ノズル３ａから真上に向けて噴出され、簀の子状の氷シュート６の隙間を通って冷凍機により冷却された各製氷セル４ｂの内面に当てられて一部はその内面に氷結され、残りは重力により製氷水タンク２内に戻される。時間の経過につれて各製氷セル４ｂ内に氷結される氷は次第に多くなり、製氷セル４ｂ内がこの氷によりほゞ充満されたところでホットガスを送れば製氷室４は加熱されて各製氷セル４ｂとその内部の氷との境界部が融解するので、各製氷セル４ｂ内の氷はブロック状となって氷シュート６上に落下して斜め下方に滑り、シャッタ７を押し開いて製氷部ケース１内から貯氷庫（図示省略）に送り出される。
【０００５】
このような従来のオープンセルタイプ自動製氷機では、製氷部ケース１は一体成形品であり、製氷水タンク２はその両側上部に形成したフランジ部２ａを各側壁１ａの下縁両側に形成したフランジ部１ｄの下面に当接してつまみを有する取付ねじにより固定し、散水器３はその両側に上向きに形成した各フランジ部３ｂを各側壁１ａの内面に当接して同様な取付ねじ３ｃにより固定し、また氷シュート６はその両側に上向きに形成した各フランジ部６ａを各側壁１ａの内面に当接して同様な取付ねじ６ｂにより固定していた。
【０００６】
【発明が解決しようとする課題】
この種の製氷機で製造される氷は食品であるので、製氷機の内部は常に衛生的に保つ必要がある。また使用する地域によっては水道水にはシリカやカルシウムなどの不純物が含まれ、これらは氷シュートなどの製氷部の各部品に付着し時間の経過により固形化するが、これも衛生的に好ましくない。これらの部品を衛生的に保つには製氷部ケースから取り外して洗浄する必要があるが、上述のように従来のこれらの部品は製氷部ケースにねじ止め固着しているので取り外しが面倒で手間がかかり、特に錆を生じたりすると取付ねじがかたくなって、たとえつまみ付きの取付ねじであっても工具なしには取り外せなくなるという問題がある。また取り付けの際にも各部品のフランジ部の孔を製氷部ケース１のねじ孔に合わせて取付ねじをねじ込まなければならないので面倒で手間がかかるという問題もある。本発明はこのような各問題を解決してオープンセルタイプ自動製氷機の氷シュートの洗浄を容易にすることを目的とする。
【０００７】
【課題を解決するための手段】
本発明によるオープンセルタイプ自動製氷機は、左右１対の側部の前後縁を前壁と後壁により連結してなる箱状の製氷部ケースと、この製氷部ケースの下端部に取り付けた製氷水タンクと、製氷部ケース内の下部に取り付けられ製氷用水を上方に噴出する複数のノズルを有する散水器と、製氷部ケース内の上部に取り付けられ下向きに開口されて散水器から上方に噴出される製氷用水を受ける複数の製氷セルを備えるとともに冷却パイプにより冷却される製氷室と、製氷セルから下方に離れて製氷部ケース内の上下方向中間部に傾斜して取り付けられ散水器から上方に噴出される製氷用水は通過させるが製氷セルから落下するブロック状の氷は受け止め斜め下方に滑らせて製氷部ケース内から送り出す氷シュートを備えてなるオープンセルタイプ自動製氷機において、製氷部ケースにはその側部に両端部が支持された前後１対の棒状部材よりなるシュート支持部材を設け、氷シュートにはその前部と後部からそれぞれ下向きに延びる支持脚片を形成し、氷シュートは各支持脚片を弾性変形させて各棒状部材にそれぞれ係合することにより製氷部ケースに離脱可能に弾性的に係止したことを特徴とするものである。
【０００８】
前項の発明の棒状部材よりなるシュート支持部材は円筒状部材とし、氷シュートにはその前部と後部にそれぞれ前後方向に間をおいて下向きに延びる各１対の支持脚片を形成するとともにこの各１対の支持脚片は根本側の間隔が円筒状部材の外径より大きくかつ互いに内向きに屈曲された先端部の内幅は円筒状部材の外径より小さいものとし、氷シュートは各１対の支持脚片を弾性変形させてそれらの間にシュート支持部材を抱き込むことにより製氷部ケースに離脱可能に弾性的に係止することが好ましい。
【００１０】
【発明の実施の形態】
以下に、図１〜図５に示す実施の形態により、本発明の説明をする。この実施の形態のオープンセルタイプ自動製氷機は、製氷部ケースＡと、その下端部に設けられた製氷水タンク４０と、製氷部ケースＡ内の下部と上部と中間部にそれぞれ設けられた散水器５０、製氷室６０および氷シュート７０により構成されている。
【００１１】
製氷部ケースＡは、図１および図２に示すように、全体として箱状で、主として左右１対の側部２０と、その前後縁を連結する前壁３５と後壁３０により構成されている。前壁３５の上下幅は後壁３０よりもかなり小さいので製氷部ケースＡの前側の下半部は解放され、この解放部は後述するように開閉自在なシャッタ３９により閉じられている。
【００１２】
各側部２０は、側壁２１と、その前後縁から互いに平行に外向きに延びる前後のフランジ２３，２２と、側壁２１の上縁から外向きに延びる製氷室ブラケット２４と、側壁２１の下縁から内向きに延びる下フランジ２６ａと、この下フランジ２６ａの多少上方でこれと平行にかつ上下に間をおいて側壁２１から内向きに延びる第１支持片２６ｂおよび第２支持片２６ｃよりなり、全体が合成樹脂により一体的に成形されている。下フランジ２６ａと第１支持片２６ｂの間にはタンク支持溝２７が形成され、第１支持片２６ｂと第２支持片２６ｃの間には散水器支持溝２８が形成されている。また図１および図４に示すように、側壁２１の下部内面の前後部には、第２支持片２６ｃの多少上側に円筒状の突起２９が形成され、この突起２９は前側のものの方が後側のものより低く位置している。
【００１３】
後フランジ２２には、後壁３０を挿入するための上下方向に延びる深い取付溝２２ａが内側から形成され、その上下部には挿入した後壁３０を固定するための係合部２５が形成されている。各係合部２５は、図１および図３に示すように、後フランジ２２の後面から取付溝２２ａに達する幅の狭い内向きコ字状の切欠き２５ａを切り込み、その間に形成される片持ち板ばね状の作動片２５ｂの先端部に取付溝２２ａ内に突出する断面が三角形状の爪部２５ｃを形成したものである。前フランジ２３の上部には、上下幅が小さいのを除いて後フランジ２２の取付溝２２ａと同様な取付溝２３ａが形成され、この取付溝２３ａの上下部の前面にも係合部２５と同様な係合部（図示省略）が形成されている。
【００１４】
後壁３０は長方形の合成樹脂板であり、その両側部には係合部２５と対応する位置に四角い係合孔３１が形成されている。後壁３０の両側縁は左右の各側部２０の後フランジ２２の取付溝２２ａに挿入され、挿入の際にその先端縁が各爪部２５ｃに当接して各作動片２５ｂを後向きに弾性変形させ、取付溝２２ａの奥まで挿入が完了すれば、図３に示すように各爪部２５ｃが係合孔３１に係合して弾性変形していた作動片２５ｂがもとに戻り、後壁３０は抜け止めされて側部２０に固定される。後壁３０の下部前側には、次に述べる散水器５０の後端部に当接する複数のストッパ３２が設けられている。また後壁３０の上縁には、製氷室６０の冷却パイプ６５を通すための切欠き３３が形成されている。
【００１５】
前壁３５は後壁３０より上下幅の狭い長方形の合成樹脂板であり、後壁３０と同様、その両側縁は左右の各側部２０の前フランジ２３の取付溝２３ａに挿入され、４ヶ所の係合部により抜け止め固定される。前壁３５の下縁に沿って一列に形成された複数のスリット３６には、シャッタ３９上縁の折曲げ部が取り外し可能にかつ揺動自在に引っかけられている。
【００１６】
このように側部２０の後縁部と前縁部を後壁３０と前壁３５により連結することにより、上下面が解放された箱状の製氷部ケースＡが形成される。後述する氷シュート７０を支持する前後のシュート支持部材３８は、この実施の形態では円筒状部材で、各側壁２１の下部内面から突出する突起２９をその両端部に挿入することにより支持されている。
【００１７】
製氷水タンク４０は、図１および図２に示すように、上側が解放された高さの低い箱状で、その両側上部には、外向きに突出する左右１対の細長い突出部４１が前後方向に沿って形成され、この突出部４１の上下幅は前述したタンク支持溝２７の上下幅よりやや小さくなっている。また製氷水タンク４０の底面の前部には、上方に立ち上がる複数の板状の押さえ部材４２が一体的に形成されている。これらの各部分よりなる製氷水タンク４０は、全体が合成樹脂により一体成形されている。この製氷水タンク４０は、左右の突出部４１を左右の側部２０の下端部のタンク支持溝２７に前側から挿入することにより、前後方向に摺動可能に案内支持されている。
【００１８】
図１および図５に示すように、製氷水タンク４０の各突出部４１の外側前部にはラッチ機構４５が一体的に形成されている。このラッチ機構４５は、製氷水タンク４０の前面板４３の両端部を後向きに折曲して形成され先端に外向きに折曲した操作部４６ａを有する板状の作動片４６と、その先端よりやや手前に形成した四角い係合孔４７により構成されている。また左右の側部２０の側壁２１には係合孔４７と対応する位置に断面が三角形状の爪部２１ａが形成されている。製氷水タンク４０の両側部２０をタンク支持溝２７に前側から挿入して押し込めば、作動片４６は先ずその先端部が各爪部２１ａに当接して外向きに弾性変形される。前面板４３の裏側が側壁２１の先端に当接して製氷水タンク４０が製氷部ケースＡに対し最も奥となる所定位置まで挿入されば、図５に示すように爪部２１ａが係合孔４７に係合して弾性変形していた作動片４６がもとに戻り、製氷水タンク４０はその所定位置に係止される。この係止状態で作動片４６先端の操作部４６ａに指をかけて外向きに開けば、作動片４６が外向きに弾性変形して係合孔４７が爪部２１ａから外れ、製氷水タンク４０は前向きに摺動して離脱可能となる。
【００１９】
散水器５０は、図１および図２に示すように、縦横方向に配置した各３本の扁平管を互いに連通してなる散水通路５１と、横方向の各扁平管の上側に鉛直に設けた全部で１２個のノズル５２と、縦方向の中間に位置する扁平管の上側に設けた給水口５３よりなり、全体が合成樹脂により一体成形されており、散水通路５１の上下幅は散水器支持溝２８の上下幅よりもやや小さくなっている。この散水器５０は、散水通路５１の左右両側部を製氷部ケースＡの左右の側部２０の下部の散水器支持溝２８に前側から挿入することにより、製氷水タンク４０の上側に前後方向に摺動可能に案内支持されている。散水器５０は、後端部が後壁３０下部のストッパ３２に当接して設定位置に位置決めされ、前端部がラッチ機構４５により所定位置に係止された製氷水タンク４０から上方に立ち上がる押さえ部材４２に当接されて、その位置に係止される。
【００２０】
製氷室６０は、図１および図２に示すように、平坦な製氷基板６１の下面に短く切断した１２個の丸いパイプを溶接固着して下向きに開口される製氷セル６２を形成したものであり、各製氷セル６２は散水器５０の各ノズル５２の真上となる位置に配置されている。製氷基板６１および各パイプは、熱伝導性のよい銅またはアルミニウムのような金属製である。製氷基板６１の上側には、各製氷セル６２の中心を通るように冷却パイプ６５が蛇行して密着固定され、この冷却パイプ６５には図６に示した従来技術と同様な冷凍機からの冷媒が循環供給されるようになっている。この製氷室６０は、製氷基板６１の左右両側部を各側部２０の製氷室ブラケット２４の上面に当接して、ねじ止め固定される。
【００２１】
氷シュート７０は、図１および図２に示すように、縦方向に並んだ多数の細長い短冊状のスライド板７１の下面を横方向の連結板７２により連結した簀の子状のもので、全体が合成樹脂により一体成形されている。氷シュート７０の前部と後部には各１対の支持脚片７４が前後方向に間をおいて下向きに延びており、各１対の支持脚片７４は根本側は互いに平行でその間隔はシュート支持部材３８の外径よりやや大きく、互いに内向きに屈曲された先端部の内幅Ｄはシュート支持部材３８の外径より小さくなっている。この氷シュート７０は、前後各１対の支持脚片７４がそれぞれに対応する各シュート支持部材３８を跨ぐように押し当てて下方に押し、各１対の支持脚片７４を外向きに弾性変形させてそれらの間にシュート支持部材３８を抱き込む（図１参照）ようにして、製氷部ケースＡに弾性的に係止される。シュート支持部材３８は前側のものの方が後側のものより低く位置しているので、この係止状態では氷シュート７０は前側が低くなるように傾斜されている。
【００２２】
製氷運転に際しては、前述した従来技術と同様にして冷凍機を運転させて製氷室６０を冷却し、製氷水タンク４０内の製氷用水をポンプ（図示省略）および給水ホース５４を介して散水器５０に供給して各ノズル５２から真上に向けて噴出する。噴出された製氷用水は氷シュート７０に形成される多数の開口７３の間を通って冷却された各製氷セル６２の内面に当てられて一部はその内面に氷結され、残りは重力により製氷水タンク４０内に戻され、再びポンプにより散水器５０に供給され繰り返して製氷セル６２の内面に向けて噴出されるので、時間の経過につれて各製氷セル６２内に氷結される氷は次第に多くなる。製氷セル６２内が氷によりほゞ充満されたところで、前述した従来技術と同様にしてホットガスを冷却パイプ６５に導入すれば、製氷室６０は加熱されて各製氷セル６２とその内部に生成された氷との境界部が融解するので、各製氷セル６２内の氷は円柱状ブロックとなって氷シュート７０上に落下し、シャッタ３９に向かって斜め下方に滑り落ちる。そして重力により垂れ下がって閉じられているシャッタ３９を押し開いて製氷部ケースＡ内から貯氷庫（図示省略）に送り出される。
【００２３】
所定位置に取り付けられている製氷水タンク４０の取り外しは、前部両側のラッチ機構４５の作動片４６先端の操作部４６ａに指をかけて外向きに開き、係合孔４７を爪部２１ａから離脱させ、タンク支持溝２７に案内支持された製氷水タンク４０を所定位置から前向きに摺動して引き抜けばよい。またこれと同時に、散水器５０を設定位置に位置決めしている押さえ部材４２も取り外されるので、散水器支持溝２８に案内支持された散水器５０も設定位置から前向きに摺動し引き抜くことができる。製氷水タンク４０および散水器５０の取り付けは、散水器５０を前側から散水器支持溝２８内に挿入してから、製氷水タンク４０を前側からタンク支持溝２７内に挿入し最も奥となる所定位置としてラッチ機構４５により係止すれば、散水器５０もストッパ３２と押さえ部材４２の間に挟まれて、設定位置に位置決めされる。このように製氷水タンク４０および散水器５０をそれぞれの位置に取り付けまた取り外すことはきわめて簡単なので、常に製氷水タンク４０および散水器５０を洗浄して衛生的に保ち、また散水器５０のノズル５２のつまりを防ぐことができる。
【００２４】
また、氷シュート７０は、前部を上向きに押し上げることにより前部の１対の支持脚片７４を外向きに弾性変形させて前側のシュート支持部材３８から上方に離脱し、同様にして後部の１対の支持脚片７４を後側のシュート支持部材３８から上方に離脱して製氷部ケースＡから取り外す。また製氷部ケースＡに対する氷シュート７０の取り付けは、前後各１対の支持脚片７４がそれぞれに対応する各シュート支持部材３８を跨ぐように押し当てて下方に押し、各１対の支持脚片７４を外向きに弾性変形させてそれらの間にシュート支持部材３８を抱き込む（図１参照）ように製氷部ケースＡに弾性的に係止することにより行う。このように氷シュート７０の取り付けおよび取り外しはきわめて簡単なので、常に氷シュート７０を洗浄して衛生的に保つことができる。
【００２５】
なお、この種のオープンセルタイプ自動製氷機では同一シリーズのものでも製氷能力の小さい機種と大きい機種では、製氷部ケース、製氷水タンク、散水器，製氷室，氷シュートなどを全て大きさが異なるものを用意する必要がある。特に製氷部ケースは複雑な型成形品であるので、機種毎に成形型を用意することはコストアップの要因となっていた。しかし上記実施の形態では、製氷部ケースＡを左右１対の側部２０と前壁３５と後壁３０とシュート支持部材３８の各部分に分割し、これらを組み立てて箱状の製氷部ケースＡとしているので、最も複雑な左右の側部２０は共通標準部品とし、前壁３５と後壁３０とシュート支持部材３８の長さを変えて製氷部ケースＡの横幅を増減することにより製氷能力の異なる機種の製氷部ケースＡを用意することができる。したがって上記実施の形態によれば、同一シリーズのオープンセルタイプ自動製氷機の製造コスト全体の相当な部分を占める製氷部ケースＡの製造コストをシリーズ全体として低下させることができる。
【００２６】
製氷室６０の製氷セル６２の形状は、上述した実施の形態では丸としたが、四角、六角など任意である。また各製氷セル６２は、上述した実施の形態のように独立して互いに離れたものとする代わりに、浅い容器を碁盤目の仕切により仕切って形成してもよい。
【００２７】
上述した実施の形態では、シュート支持部材３８に対する氷シュート７０の係止は前後各１対すなわち計４個の支持脚片７４により行っており、このようにすれば前後部分がそれぞれ別々にシュート支持部材３８に係止されるので、製氷部ケースＡに対する氷シュート７０の取り付けはより確実になる。しかしながら本発明は、４個の支持脚片７４のうち内側に位置するもの、または外側に位置するものを除いた２個により行ってもよい。前者の場合は２個の支持脚片７４は前後のシュート支持部材３８の各外側に弾性的に係合して氷シュート７０を係止し、後者の場合は２個の支持脚片７４は前後のシュート支持部材３８の各内側に弾性的に係合して氷シュート７０を係止される。またシュート支持部材３８は、上述したような円筒状部材に限らず、丸棒状部材としても、あるいは任意の断面形状の棒状部材としてもよい。しかしながらシュート支持部材３８は、断面輪郭形状が円形や多角形など内隅角のない形状のものが、洗浄しやすいので好ましい。
【００２８】
【発明の効果】
製氷部ケースにはその側部に両端部が支持された前後１対の棒状部材よりなるシュート支持部材を設け、氷シュートにはその前部と後部からそれぞれ下向きに延びる支持脚片を形成し、氷シュートは各支持脚片を弾性変形させて各棒状部材にそれぞれ係合することにより製氷部ケースに離脱可能に弾性的に係止した本発明によれば、氷シュートを簡単に取り付け取り外すことができるので氷シュートを洗浄することが容易であり、これにより氷シュートを常に衛生的に保つことができ、また氷シュートの支持構造を簡略化することができる。
【００２９】
前項の発明の棒状部材よりなるシュート支持部材は円筒状部材とし、氷シュートにはその前部と後部にそれぞれ前後方向に間をおいて下向きに延びる各１対の支持脚片を形成するとともにこの各１対の支持脚片は根本側の間隔が円筒状部材の外径より大きくかつ互いに内向きに屈曲された先端部の内幅は円筒状部材の外径より小さいものとし、氷シュートは各１対の支持脚片を弾性変形させてそれらの間にシュート支持部材を抱き込むことにより製氷部ケースに離脱可能に弾性的に係止した請求項２の発明によれば、製氷部ケースに対する氷シュートの取り付けはより確実になる。また製氷部ケースに取り付けられるシュート支持部材は断面輪郭形状が内隅角のない円筒状であるので洗浄が容易である。
【図面の簡単な説明】
【図１】本発明によるオープンセルタイプ自動製氷機の一実施形態を示す側断面図である。
【図２】図１の２−２断面図である。
【図３】図２の３−３断面図である。
【図４】図１の４−４断面図である。
【図５】図１の５−５断面図である。
【図６】従来技術によるオープンセルタイプ自動製氷機の一例を示す側断面図および冷凍機部のスケルトン図である。
【符号の説明】
２０…側部、３０…後壁、３２…ストッパ、３５…前壁、３８…シュート支持部材、４０…製氷水タンク、５０…散水器、５２…ノズル、６０…製氷室、６２…製氷セル、６５…冷却パイプ、７０…氷シュート、７４…支持脚片、Ａ…製氷部ケース。[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an open cell type automatic ice making machine.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As shown in FIG. 6, for example, the open cell type automatic ice making machine has ice making at the lower end of a box-shaped ice making case 1 in which the front and rear edges of a pair of left and right side walls 1a are connected by a rear wall 1b and a front wall 1c. A water tank 2 is attached, and a sprinkler 3 having a plurality of nozzles 3 a for jetting ice making water upward is provided in the lower part of the ice making unit case 1, and a plurality of ice making cells opened downward in the upper part of the ice making unit case 1 The ice making chamber 4 having 4b is provided, and the opening below the ice making cell 4b is not closed even during ice making. Further, an inclined ice chute 6 is provided in the middle part of the ice making part case 1, and the shutter 7 provided on the lower side thereof is usually suspended by gravity and closed.
[0003]
A cooling pipe 5 meandering and in close contact with the ice making substrate 4 a of the ice making chamber 4 is provided with a freezing unit comprising a compressor 11, a condenser 12 cooled by a cooling fan 13, a dehydrator 14, and an expansion valve 15. Cooled refrigerant from the machine is circulated and supplied through the refrigerant pipe 10, and a hot gas valve 16 is provided in parallel with the condenser 12, the dehydrator 14 and the expansion valve 15. If the refrigerator is operated with the hot gas valve 16 closed, the ice making chamber 4 is cooled, and if the expansion valve 15 is closed and the hot gas valve 16 is opened, the vaporized refrigerant is compressed by the compressor 11 and has a temperature. Ascended hot gas is sent to the cooling pipe 5.
[0004]
Ice-making water W in the ice-making water tank 2 is supplied to the sprinkler 3 by a pump (not shown), and is ejected directly from the nozzles 3a, and is cooled by a refrigerator through the gap between the ice chute 6 in the shape of a straw. A part of the ice making cell 4b is applied to the inner surface of the ice making cell 4b, and a part of the ice making cell 4b is frozen. As time elapses, the amount of ice frozen in each ice making cell 4b gradually increases, and when the hot gas is sent when the ice making cell 4b is almost filled with this ice, the ice making chamber 4 is heated and the ice making cell 4b is heated. Since the boundary between the ice and the inside of the ice is melted, the ice in each ice making cell 4b becomes a block and falls onto the ice chute 6, slides obliquely downward, pushes the shutter 7 open, and opens in the ice making case 1 To the ice storage (not shown).
[0005]
In such a conventional open cell type automatic ice making machine, the ice making part case 1 is an integrally formed product, and the ice making water tank 2 has flange parts 2a formed on both upper sides thereof and flanges formed on both lower edges of each side wall 1a. The sprinkler 3 is fixed to the lower surface of the portion 1d with a mounting screw having a knob, and the water sprinkler 3 is fixed to the inner surface of each side wall 1a with each flange portion 3b formed upward on both sides thereof by a similar mounting screw 3c. Further, the ice chute 6 is fixed with the same mounting screw 6b by abutting each flange portion 6a formed on both sides of the ice chute 6 to the inner surface of each side wall 1a.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Since ice produced by this type of ice making machine is food, the inside of the ice making machine must always be kept hygienic. In addition, depending on the area used, tap water contains impurities such as silica and calcium, which adhere to each part of the ice making part such as ice chute and solidify over time, but this is also not hygienic. . In order to keep these parts hygienic, it is necessary to remove them from the ice making case and clean them. However, as mentioned above, these conventional parts are screwed to the ice making case and are troublesome to remove. In particular, when rust is generated, the mounting screw becomes hard, and even if it is a mounting screw with a knob, there is a problem that it cannot be removed without a tool. In addition, there is also a problem that the mounting screws must be screwed in by fitting the holes of the flange portions of the respective parts to the screw holes of the ice making unit case 1 when mounting. An object of the present invention is to solve such problems and facilitate the cleaning of an ice chute of an open cell type automatic ice making machine.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
An open cell type automatic ice making machine according to the present invention includes a box-shaped ice making case formed by connecting the front and rear edges of a pair of left and right sides by a front wall and a rear wall, and an ice making unit attached to the lower end of the ice making case. A water tank, a water sprinkler having a plurality of nozzles that are attached to the lower part of the ice making unit case and ejecting water for ice making upward, and a water tank that is attached to the upper part of the ice making part case and is opened downward to be ejected upward from the water sprinkler The ice making chamber is equipped with a plurality of ice making cells for receiving ice making water and cooled by a cooling pipe, and is inclined downwardly from the ice making cell and attached to the middle in the vertical direction inside the ice making case, and ejected upward from the water sprinkler. The ice-making water is passed through, but the block-shaped ice falling from the ice-making cell is received and slid diagonally downward, and is provided with an ice chute that is fed out of the ice-making unit case In flop automatic ice maker, the ice making unit case provided chute support member at both ends on the side is formed of a rod-like member has been about one-to-support, the ice chute extending respectively downwardly from the front and rear support A leg piece is formed, and the ice chute is characterized in that each supporting leg piece is elastically deformed and engaged with each rod-like member to be elastically locked to the ice making part case in a detachable manner.
[0008]
The chute support member made of the rod- like member of the preceding invention is a cylindrical member, and the ice chute is formed with a pair of support leg pieces extending downward in the front-rear direction at the front and rear portions , respectively. Each pair of supporting leg pieces has a root-side distance larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical member, and the inner width of the tip portions bent inward from each other is smaller than the outer diameter of the cylindrical member. It is preferable that the pair of supporting leg pieces are elastically deformed and are detachably elastically locked to the ice making unit case by embedding a chute supporting member therebetween .
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments shown in FIGS. The open cell type automatic ice making machine of this embodiment includes an ice making unit case A, an ice making water tank 40 provided at the lower end portion thereof, and water sprays provided at the lower, upper and intermediate portions in the ice making unit case A, respectively. The container 50, the ice making chamber 60, and the ice chute 70 are configured.
[0011]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ice making part case A is box-like as a whole, and is mainly composed of a pair of left and right side parts 20, and a front wall 35 and a rear wall 30 that connect the front and rear edges thereof. . Since the vertical width of the front wall 35 is considerably smaller than that of the rear wall 30, the lower half of the front side of the ice making case A is released, and the release part is closed by a shutter 39 that can be opened and closed as will be described later.
[0012]
Each side portion 20 includes a side wall 21, front and rear flanges 23 and 22 that extend outward from the front and rear edges of the side wall 21, an ice making bracket 24 that extends outward from the upper edge of the side wall 21, and a lower edge of the side wall 21. A lower flange 26a extending inward from the first flange 26a, and a first support piece 26b and a second support piece 26c extending inwardly from the side wall 21 in parallel with and vertically above the lower flange 26a. The whole is integrally formed of synthetic resin. A tank support groove 27 is formed between the lower flange 26a and the first support piece 26b, and a sprinkler support groove 28 is formed between the first support piece 26b and the second support piece 26c. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a cylindrical projection 29 is formed on the front and rear portions of the lower inner surface of the side wall 21 slightly above the second support piece 26c. It is located lower than the one on the side.
[0013]
A deep mounting groove 22a extending in the vertical direction for inserting the rear wall 30 is formed on the rear flange 22 from the inside, and an engaging portion 25 for fixing the inserted rear wall 30 is formed on the upper and lower portions thereof. ing. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, each engaging portion 25 has a narrow inward U-shaped notch 25a that reaches the mounting groove 22a from the rear surface of the rear flange 22, and is cantilevered therebetween. A claw portion 25c having a triangular cross section projecting into the mounting groove 22a is formed at the tip of the leaf spring-like operating piece 25b. A mounting groove 23a similar to the mounting groove 22a of the rear flange 22 is formed in the upper part of the front flange 23 except that the vertical width is small. An engaging portion (not shown) is formed.
[0014]
The rear wall 30 is a rectangular synthetic resin plate, and square engagement holes 31 are formed at positions corresponding to the engagement portions 25 on both sides thereof. Both side edges of the rear wall 30 are inserted into the mounting grooves 22a of the rear flanges 22 of the left and right side parts 20, and at the time of insertion, the leading edges contact the respective claw parts 25c and elastically deform the respective operating pieces 25b backward. When the insertion is completed to the depth of the mounting groove 22a, the operation pieces 25b that have been elastically deformed by the engagement of the respective claw portions 25c with the engagement holes 31 as shown in FIG. 30 is prevented from coming off and fixed to the side portion 20. A plurality of stoppers 32 are provided on the lower front side of the rear wall 30 so as to come into contact with the rear end portion of the sprinkler 50 described below. Further, a notch 33 for passing the cooling pipe 65 of the ice making chamber 60 is formed at the upper edge of the rear wall 30.
[0015]
The front wall 35 is a rectangular synthetic resin plate whose vertical width is narrower than that of the rear wall 30, and as with the rear wall 30, both side edges thereof are inserted into the mounting grooves 23 a of the front flanges 23 of the left and right side portions 20. Is secured by the engaging portion. A plurality of slits 36 formed in a line along the lower edge of the front wall 35 detachably and swingably hooked at the upper edge of the shutter 39.
[0016]
In this manner, the rear edge portion and the front edge portion of the side portion 20 are connected to each other by the rear wall 30 and the front wall 35, thereby forming the box-shaped ice making portion case A in which the upper and lower surfaces are released. The front and rear chute support members 38 that support an ice chute 70 described later are cylindrical members in this embodiment, and are supported by inserting protrusions 29 protruding from the lower inner surface of each side wall 21 at both ends thereof. .
[0017]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ice making water tank 40 has a box shape with the upper side opened and a low height. The vertical width of the projecting portion 41 is slightly smaller than the vertical width of the tank support groove 27 described above. A plurality of plate-like pressing members 42 that rise upward are integrally formed at the front portion of the bottom surface of the ice making water tank 40. The ice making water tank 40 composed of these parts is entirely formed of synthetic resin. The ice making water tank 40 is guided and supported so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction by inserting the left and right projecting portions 41 into the tank support grooves 27 at the lower ends of the left and right side portions 20 from the front side.
[0018]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, a latch mechanism 45 is integrally formed at the outer front portion of each protrusion 41 of the ice making water tank 40. The latch mechanism 45 is formed of a plate-like operating piece 46 having an operation portion 46a formed by bending both ends of the front plate 43 of the ice making water tank 40 backward and bending outward at the tip. It is constituted by a square engagement hole 47 formed slightly in front. Further, claw portions 21 a having a triangular cross section are formed on the side walls 21 of the left and right side portions 20 at positions corresponding to the engagement holes 47. If both side portions 20 of the ice making water tank 40 are inserted into the tank support groove 27 from the front side and pushed in, the operating piece 46 is first elastically deformed outward with its tip portion abutting against each claw portion 21a. When the ice making water tank 40 is inserted to the deepest position with respect to the ice making part case A with the back side of the front plate 43 in contact with the tip of the side wall 21, the claw part 21a is engaged with the engaging hole 47 as shown in FIG. The working piece 46 which has been engaged and elastically deformed returns to its original state, and the ice making water tank 40 is locked at its predetermined position. If the operating portion 46a at the tip of the operating piece 46 is opened outwardly in this locked state, the operating piece 46 is elastically deformed outward and the engaging hole 47 is disengaged from the claw portion 21a. Slides forward and can be removed.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the sprinkler 50 is provided vertically on the watering passage 51 formed by communicating each of the three flat tubes arranged in the vertical and horizontal directions and on the upper side of the horizontal flat tubes. It consists of twelve nozzles 52 in total and a water supply port 53 provided on the upper side of the flat tube located in the middle of the vertical direction. The whole is integrally formed of synthetic resin, and the vertical width of the water spray passage 51 is supported by the water sprayer. It is slightly smaller than the vertical width of the groove 28. The water sprinkler 50 is inserted in the water sprinkler support groove 28 at the lower part of the left and right side portions 20 of the ice making case A from the front side by inserting the left and right side portions of the water sprinkling passage 51 in the front-rear direction above the ice making water tank 40. It is slidably guided and supported. The sprinkler 50 has a rear end portion that abuts against a stopper 32 at the bottom of the rear wall 30 and is positioned at a set position, and a holding member that rises upward from an ice making water tank 40 whose front end portion is locked at a predetermined position by a latch mechanism 45. 42 abuts and is locked in that position.
[0020]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ice making chamber 60 is formed by welding and fixing 12 round pipes cut short on the lower surface of a flat ice making substrate 61 to form an ice making cell 62 opened downward. Each ice making cell 62 is disposed at a position directly above each nozzle 52 of the sprinkler 50. The ice making substrate 61 and each pipe are made of metal such as copper or aluminum having good thermal conductivity. On the upper side of the ice making substrate 61, a cooling pipe 65 meanders and is fixed tightly so as to pass through the center of each ice making cell 62. The cooling pipe 65 has a refrigerant from a refrigerator similar to the prior art shown in FIG. Is circulated and supplied. The ice making chamber 60 is fixed with screws by bringing the left and right sides of the ice making substrate 61 into contact with the upper surface of the ice making bracket 24 on each side 20.
[0021]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ice chute 70 is in the shape of a spider in which the lower surfaces of a number of elongated strip-like slide plates 71 arranged in the vertical direction are connected by connecting plates 72 in the horizontal direction. It is integrally molded with resin. A pair of supporting leg pieces 74 extend downward in the front-rear direction at the front and rear portions of the ice chute 70, and the pair of supporting leg pieces 74 are parallel to each other on the root side and the distance between them is It is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the chute support member 38, and the inner width D of the tip portions bent inward from each other is smaller than the outer diameter of the chute support member 38. The ice chute 70 is pressed downward so that each pair of front and rear support leg pieces 74 straddles each corresponding chute support member 38 and elastically deforms each pair of support leg pieces 74 outward. Then, the chute support member 38 is held between them (see FIG. 1) and is elastically locked to the ice making unit case A. Since the chute support member 38 is positioned lower on the front side than on the rear side, the ice chute 70 is inclined so that the front side is lower in this locked state.
[0022]
During the ice making operation, the refrigerator is operated to cool the ice making chamber 60 in the same manner as in the prior art described above, and the ice making water in the ice making water tank 40 is sprinkled through the pump (not shown) and the water supply hose 54 through the sprinkler 50. And is ejected from each nozzle 52 directly upward. The ejected ice-making water is applied to the inner surface of each ice-making cell 62 cooled through a large number of openings 73 formed in the ice chute 70, and a part of the ice-making water is frozen on the inner surface. Since it returns to the inside of the tank 40 and is again supplied to the sprinkler 50 by the pump and is repeatedly ejected toward the inner surface of the ice making cell 62, the ice that is frozen in each ice making cell 62 gradually increases as time passes. When the inside of the ice making cell 62 is almost filled with ice, if the hot gas is introduced into the cooling pipe 65 in the same manner as in the prior art described above, the ice making chamber 60 is heated and generated in each ice making cell 62 and the inside thereof. Since the boundary portion with the ice melts, the ice in each ice making cell 62 falls as a cylindrical block onto the ice chute 70 and slides down obliquely downward toward the shutter 39. Then, the shutter 39, which is hung down by gravity and closed, is pushed open to be sent out from the ice making case A to an ice storage (not shown).
[0023]
The ice making water tank 40 attached at a predetermined position is removed by placing the finger on the operating portion 46a at the tip of the operating piece 46 of the latch mechanism 45 on both sides of the front and opening the engaging hole 47 from the claw portion 21a. The ice making water tank 40 guided and supported by the tank support groove 27 may be slid forwardly from a predetermined position and pulled out. At the same time, since the holding member 42 that positions the water sprinkler 50 at the set position is also removed, the sprinkler 50 guided and supported by the water sprinkler support groove 28 can also be slid forward and pulled out from the set position. . The ice making water tank 40 and the water sprinkler 50 are attached by inserting the water sprinkler 50 from the front side into the water sprinkler support groove 28 and then inserting the ice making water tank 40 from the front side into the tank support groove 27 to the deepest. If the position is locked by the latch mechanism 45, the sprinkler 50 is also sandwiched between the stopper 32 and the pressing member 42 and positioned at the set position. Since it is very easy to attach and remove the ice making water tank 40 and the water sprinkler 50 to the respective positions in this way, the ice making water tank 40 and the water sprinkler 50 are always cleaned and kept hygienic, and the nozzle 52 of the water sprinkler 50 is used. You can prevent clogging.
[0024]
In addition, the ice chute 70 pushes the front part upward to elastically deform the pair of support leg pieces 74 at the front part so as to be detached upward from the front chute support member 38. The pair of support leg pieces 74 is detached upward from the rear chute support member 38 and removed from the ice making part case A. The ice chute 70 is attached to the ice making unit case A by pressing the pair of support leg pieces 74 so as to straddle the corresponding chute support members 38 and pushing downward, and each pair of support leg pieces 74 74 is elastically deformed outwardly and elastically locked to the ice making case A so as to hold the chute support member 38 therebetween (see FIG. 1). Thus, the installation and removal of the ice chute 70 is extremely simple, so that the ice chute 70 can always be cleaned and kept hygienic.
[0025]
In this type of open cell type automatic ice making machine, the ice making unit case, ice making water tank, water sprinkler, ice making room, ice chute, etc. are all different in size in the same series with small and large ice making capacity. You need to prepare something. In particular, since the ice making case is a complicated mold product, preparing a mold for each model has been a factor in increasing costs. However, in the above embodiment, the ice making part case A is divided into a pair of left and right side parts 20, the front wall 35, the rear wall 30, and the chute support member 38, which are assembled to form a box-shaped ice making part case A. Therefore, the most complicated left and right side portions 20 are common standard parts, and the length of the front wall 35, the rear wall 30, and the chute support member 38 is changed to increase or decrease the width of the ice making portion case A, thereby improving the ice making capacity. Different types of ice making case A can be prepared. Therefore, according to the said embodiment, the manufacturing cost of the ice making part case A which occupies a considerable part of the whole manufacturing cost of the open cell type automatic ice making machine of the same series can be reduced as the whole series.
[0026]
The shape of the ice making cell 62 of the ice making chamber 60 is round in the above-described embodiment, but may be any shape such as a square or a hexagon. In addition, each ice making cell 62 may be formed by partitioning a shallow container by a grid section instead of being separated from each other independently as in the above-described embodiment.
[0027]
In the above-described embodiment, the ice chute 70 is locked to the chute support member 38 by a pair of front and rear, that is, a total of four support leg pieces 74. In this way, the front and rear portions are separately supported by the chute. Since it is locked to the member 38, the ice chute 70 can be more securely attached to the ice making unit case A. However, the present invention may be performed by two of the four support leg pieces 74 except for those located on the inner side or those located on the outer side. In the former case, the two support leg pieces 74 elastically engage the outer sides of the front and rear chute support members 38 to lock the ice chute 70, and in the latter case, the two support leg pieces 74 are front and rear. The ice chute 70 is locked by elastically engaging the inside of each chute support member 38. The chute support member 38 is not limited to the cylindrical member as described above, and may be a round bar-like member or a bar-like member having an arbitrary cross-sectional shape. However, it is preferable that the chute support member 38 has a cross-sectional contour shape having no inner corner such as a circle or a polygon because it is easy to clean.
[0028]
【The invention's effect】
The ice making part case is provided with a chute support member composed of a pair of front and rear bar members whose both ends are supported on the sides thereof, and the ice chute is formed with support leg pieces extending downward from the front part and the rear part, respectively. According to the present invention in which the ice chute is elastically deformed so that each supporting leg piece is elastically deformed and engaged with each rod-like member so as to be detachable from the ice making part case , the ice chute can be easily attached and detached. it is easy to clean the ice chute because it, this makes it possible to keep the ice chute always hygienic and Ru can be simplified structure for supporting the ice chute.
[0029]
The chute support member made of the rod- like member of the preceding invention is a cylindrical member, and the ice chute is formed with a pair of support leg pieces extending downward in the front-rear direction at the front and rear portions , respectively. Each pair of supporting leg pieces has a root-side distance larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical member, and the inner width of the tip portions bent inward from each other is smaller than the outer diameter of the cylindrical member. According to releasably resiliently invention of claim 2 which is locked to the ice making unit case by embracing each pair chute support member therebetween a support leg by elastic deformation of, for ice making unit case The installation of the ice chute is more reliable. Further, the chute support member attached to the ice making unit case is easy to clean because the cross-sectional contour shape is a cylindrical shape without an inner corner.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an embodiment of an open cell type automatic ice making machine according to the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 2-2 in FIG.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in FIG.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG.
5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 5-5 in FIG.
FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing an example of an open cell type automatic ice making machine according to the prior art and a skeleton diagram of a refrigerator unit.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Side part, 30 ... Rear wall, 32 ... Stopper, 35 ... Front wall, 38 ... Chute support member, 40 ... Ice making water tank, 50 ... Sprinkler, 52 ... Nozzle, 60 ... Ice making room, 62 ... Ice making cell, 65 ... cooling pipe, 70 ... ice chute, 74 ... support leg piece, A ... ice making part case.

Claims

A box-shaped ice making part case in which front and rear edges of a pair of left and right sides are connected by a front wall and a rear wall, an ice making water tank attached to the lower end of the ice making part case, and a lower part in the ice making part case A water sprinkler having a plurality of nozzles attached to the top of the ice making case, and a plurality of ice makers receiving the ice making water ejected upward from the water sprinkler and opened downward. An ice making chamber provided with a cell and cooled by a cooling pipe, and ice making water that is inclined downwardly from the ice making cell and attached to the middle in the vertical direction in the ice making part case and ejected upward from the water sprinkler An open cell type automatic ice maker provided with an ice chute that accepts the block-shaped ice that is allowed to pass but falls from the ice making cell and slides it obliquely downward and sends it out of the case. In, wherein the ice making unit case provided chute support member made of a rod-like member around a pair of opposite ends is supported on its sides, the the ice chute supporting legs extending respectively downwardly from its front and rear And the ice chute is detachably elastically locked to the ice-making part case by elastically deforming the support leg pieces and engaging with the rod-shaped members, respectively. Type automatic ice machine.

The chute support member made of a rod-like member is a cylindrical member, said the ice chute Each 1 to form a support leg of each pair extending downwardly at intervals in the front-rear direction on the front and rear The pair of supporting leg pieces has a root-side interval larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical member, and an inner width of tip portions bent inward from each other is smaller than an outer diameter of the cylindrical member, and the ice chute 2. The pair of supporting leg pieces are elastically deformed and are detachably elastically locked to the ice making part case by embedding the chute support member therebetween. Open cell type automatic ice making machine described.