JP7617609B2 - Ice maker and control method for control unit of ice maker - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an ice-making machine that freezes liquid to produce ice, and more particularly to an ice-making machine that is placed inside a refrigerator, and a control method for a control unit of this ice-making machine .

Among ice makers that freeze liquid to make ice, one has been proposed that makes ice by cooling cooling protrusions immersed in liquid in a tray using the refrigerant of the refrigerator's cooling system (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the invention described in Patent Document 1, ice is made around the cooling protrusions immersed in liquid in the tray, allowing for efficient ice making.

JP 2004-150785 A

However, the ice maker described in Patent Document 1 needs to be connected to the piping of the refrigerator's cooling system, making the structure complicated and making it difficult to attach and detach the ice maker.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to solve the above problems by providing an ice maker that has a simple structure, is capable of efficiently making ice, and is easy to attach and detach from a refrigerator.

The ice maker of the present invention comprises:
An ice maker disposed inside a refrigerator,
a cooling section including a cooling duct through which cool air that has passed through an evaporator of the refrigerator flows, a heat sink having a plurality of cooling fins disposed in the cooling duct, and a metal plate to which a metal rod-shaped member is attached so as to extend downward from a base end to a tip end, the rod-shaped member being cooled by the heat sink;
A liquid container capable of storing liquid;
Equipped with
The present invention is characterized in that ice is generated around the rod-shaped member, which is cooled by the heat sink, with a predetermined area from the tip of the rod-shaped member being immersed in the liquid contained in the liquid container.

According to the present invention, a heat sink having cooling fins is cooled by the cold air that passes through the refrigerator's evaporator, and ice can be produced around the rod-shaped member that is cooled by this heat sink. This allows for efficient ice production despite the simple structure. In addition, since it is not connected to the refrigerator's piping, the ice maker can be easily attached and detached.

The present invention also provides a method for producing a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:
The cold air that flows into the cooling duct flows along the inner wall of the cooling duct, along the side of one end of the cooling fin, in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the cooling fin, with a portion of the air flowing between each of the cooling fins.

According to the present invention, the cold air flows along the inner wall of the cooling duct on the side of one end of the cooling fin in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the cooling fin, and a part of the cold air flows between each cooling fin. This allows the cold air to flow evenly into each cooling fin, and the entire heat sink can be cooled evenly. Therefore, the metal plate cooled by the heat sink is also cooled evenly, and the cooling temperature of each rod-shaped member can be made uniform. As a result, the size of the ice generated around each rod-shaped member can be made uniform.
The angle at which the direction of cool air flow intersects with the direction in which the cooling fins extend may be substantially perpendicular, or may be any other angle.

The present invention is also characterized in that the cold air that flows between each of the cooling fins flows out from the other end of the cooling fin into the interior of the refrigerator.

According to the present invention, the cold air that flows between the cooling fins and cools the heat sink flows inside the refrigerator, cooling the food stored inside, and then returns to the bottom of the evaporator. This allows for efficient ice making by the ice maker, as well as an efficient cooling cycle for the refrigerator.

The present invention also provides a method for producing a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:
a liquid supply unit that supplies liquid to the liquid container;
a liquid removal unit that removes at least a portion of the liquid remaining in the liquid container from the liquid container;
A control unit that controls the liquid supply unit and the working liquid removal unit;
Equipped with
Under the control of the control unit,
a liquid supply step in which the liquid supply unit supplies liquid to the liquid container;
an ice making step of maintaining a state in which a predetermined area from the tip of the rod-shaped member cooled by the heat sink is immersed in the liquid contained in the liquid container for a predetermined time after the liquid supply step;
a liquid removing step in which the liquid removing unit removes liquid around the generated ice after the ice making step;
The ice making process is repeated multiple times.

According to the present invention, by repeating the ice-making process, which includes the liquid supply step, ice-making step, and liquid removal step, multiple times, transparent ice can be produced in a short time by freezing liquid that is constantly being supplied with few impurities.

The present invention also provides a method for producing a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:
A heater in contact with the metal plate;
a moving mechanism for relatively moving the cooling unit and the liquid container,
Under the control of the control unit,
After repeating the ice making process multiple times,
a moving step of the moving mechanism relatively moving the cooling unit and the liquid container so that the liquid container is not present below the rod-shaped member;
an ice removing step in which the heater heats the metal plate to remove ice generated around the rod-shaped member from the rod-shaped member;
The present invention is characterized by carrying out the following steps.

According to the present invention, when there is no liquid container below the rod-shaped member, the heater can quickly raise the temperature of the rod-shaped member to achieve ice removal. This ensures a short ice-making cycle.

As described above, the present invention provides an ice maker that is simple in structure, capable of efficiently making ice, and can be easily attached and detached from a refrigerator.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an ice maker according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ice making machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a plan view of an ice making machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3, and is a side cross-sectional view that illustrates in particular the arrangement of the cooling unit, the liquid container, and the liquid supply/removal pipes. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of an ice making machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a schematic diagram of an example of a refrigerator equipped with an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention. 11 is a plan view showing a schematic diagram of a modified example of the arrangement of the heat sink 10 in the cooling duct 40. FIG. FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing a liquid supply process performed in an ice making machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a schematic diagram of an ice-making process performed in an ice-making machine according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing a liquid removing process performed in an ice making machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a schematic diagram of a retraction process performed in an ice making machine according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing a schematic diagram of an ice removal process performed in an ice making machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. 8A to 8E is a flowchart showing an example of a control process for the ice making process shown in FIG. 8A to 8E. FIG. 1 is a diagram (photograph) showing ice produced by a prototype ice maker.

Below, an embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the ice maker and refrigerator described below are intended to embody the technical concept of the present invention, and unless otherwise specified, the present invention is not limited to the following. In each drawing, components having the same function may be given the same reference numerals. The size and positional relationship of components shown in each drawing may be exaggerated to clarify the explanation. In the following description and drawings, the up and down directions are shown assuming that the ice maker and refrigerator are installed on a horizontal surface.

(Ice maker according to one embodiment)
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an ice maker according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an ice maker according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an ice maker according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 3, and is a side cross-sectional view showing in particular a schematic arrangement of a cooling section, a liquid container, and a liquid supply/removal pipe. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of an ice maker according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing in schematic form an example of a refrigerator equipped with an ice maker according to one embodiment of the present invention.
First, an overview of an ice making machine 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG.

The ice maker 2 includes a cooling unit 50 capable of freezing liquid to produce ice, a liquid container 60 capable of storing liquid, a moving mechanism 80 that rotates and moves the liquid container 60, a liquid supply unit 72 that supplies liquid to the liquid container 60, and a liquid removal unit 74 that removes the liquid in the liquid container 60. Figures 1 to 4 show a liquid supply/removal pipe 70 that actually supplies liquid to the liquid container 60 and removes liquid from the liquid container 60. The liquid supply/removal pipe 70 is a member that fulfills the functions of both the liquid supply unit 72 and the liquid removal unit 74.
Ice maker 2 according to this embodiment is placed inside refrigerator 100, as shown in an example in Fig. 6, and is supplied with cold air generated by cooling system 150 of refrigerator 100. Ice maker 2 further includes a control unit 90 that controls the components of ice maker 2 (see Fig. 5). Any liquid, including drinking water, can be used as the liquid to be frozen to produce ice.

<Cooling section>
The cooling unit 50 includes, from top to bottom, a heat sink 10, a Peltier element 30, and a metal plate 20. The cooling unit 50 further includes a cooling duct 40 in which the heat sink 10 is disposed and which cools the heat sink 10 by cool air flowing therethrough.
The heat sink 10 has a structure in which a plurality of cooling fins 12 are erected on a base plate 14, and the plurality of cooling fins 12 are arranged substantially parallel to one another at a predetermined interval. The metal plate 20 has a plurality of rod-shaped members 24 attached to the lower surface of a plate-shaped base portion 22. The Peltier element 30 is disposed between the heat sink 10 and the metal plate 20, with its upper surface in contact with the lower surface of the heat sink (base plate 14) 10 and its lower surface in contact with the upper surface of the metal plate (base portion 22).

As described below, cold air generated by cooling system 150 of refrigerator 100 flows through cooling duct 40 and between each cooling fin 12 of heat sink 10 arranged in cooling duct 40, thereby cooling heat sink 10. By thermal conduction, cooled heat sink 10 cools metal plate 20 via Peltier element 30, and rod-shaped member 24 of metal plate 20 is cooled to a temperature below the freezing point. At this time, when part of rod-shaped member 24 is immersed in the liquid contained in liquid container 60, ice is generated around rod-shaped member 24.
By making the side of the Peltier element 30 in contact with the metal plate 20 the heat dissipation side, it is possible to heat the metal plate 20 and remove the ice formed around the rod-shaped member 24 from the rod-shaped member 24. In other words, it is possible to make the metal plate 20 function as a heater. On the other hand, by making the side in contact with the metal plate 20 the heat absorption side, in addition to cooling by the heat dissipation plate 10, the metal plate 20 is cooled by the Peltier element 30, and the temperature of the rod-shaped member 24 of the metal plate 20 can be further lowered.

[Heat sink]
The heat sink 10 is made of a metal with high thermal conductivity such as aluminum or copper. The base plate 14 is a plate-like member having a substantially rectangular planar shape. The cooling fins 12 are also plate-like members having a substantially rectangular planar shape. Each cooling fin 12 is provided substantially perpendicular to the base plate 14 and is disposed substantially parallel to each other. Thus, the multiple cooling fins 12 form a substantially rectangular planar shape.

[Metal plate]
The metal plate 20 is made of a metal with high thermal conductivity such as aluminum or copper. The metal plate 20 has a flat base portion 22 and a plurality of metal rod-shaped members 24 attached to the base portion 22. The rod-shaped members 24 are attached to the lower surface of the base portion 22 so as to extend downward from the base end to the tip end.

Figure 1 shows a case where six rod-shaped members 24 are attached to the base portion 22. The rod-shaped members 24 have a circular cross-sectional shape, and can be exemplified as having an outer diameter of about 5 to 20 mm and a length of about 30 to 80 mm. The planar shape of the base portion 22 is determined by the size of the rod-shaped members 24 and the number of rods attached. The heat sink 10 also adopts a planar shape substantially similar to that of the base portion 22 of the metal plate 20. The planar dimensions of the heat sink 10 and the base portion 22 of the metal plate 20 can be exemplified as length and width dimensions of about 40 to 400 mm. The thickness of the base portion 22 can be exemplified as about 2 to 10 mm.

The metal plate 20 according to this embodiment has a male screw on the base end side of the rod-shaped member 24, which is adapted to screw into a female screw formed in a hole in the base portion 22. This structure allows the rod-shaped member 24 to be easily replaced and attached. The rod-shaped member 24 according to this embodiment has a circular cross-sectional shape, but this is not limited thereto, and it can be replaced with a rod-shaped member having any cross-sectional shape, including a polygonal, star-shaped, or heart-shaped shape. The rod-shaped member 24 can also be joined to the base portion 22 by welding or brazing. Considering the cooling effect of the rod-shaped member 24, a solid rod-shaped member 24 is preferable, but considering workability, etc., a hollow rod-shaped member 24 can also be used.

[Peltier element]
The Peltier element 30 is an element that utilizes the Peltier effect, in which heat is absorbed and released at the junction when two different types of metals or semiconductors are joined and a current is passed through them. When a current is passed through the Peltier element 30 in a specific direction, one surface becomes the heat absorption side and the other surface becomes the heat dissipation side. When a current is passed through the Peltier element 30 in the opposite direction, the surfaces that become the heat absorption side and the heat dissipation side are reversed. In this embodiment, any known Peltier element can be used.
The width and depth dimensions of the Peltier element 30 according to this embodiment can be exemplified as about 20 to 100 mm, and the thickness can be exemplified as about 2 to 20 mm. A plurality of Peltier elements 30 can be arranged according to the sizes of the heat sink 1 and the metal plate 20. In this embodiment, a case where three Peltier elements 30 are arranged between the heat sink 10 and the metal plate 20 is shown.

However, the heater is not limited to the Peltier element 30, and a heater that only has the function of heating the rod-shaped member 24 for de-icing can also be used. Examples of such heaters include cord heaters, PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heaters, and ceramic heaters. When using such a heater, the heater can be installed not only between the metal plate 20 and the heat sink 10, but also on the underside of the metal plate 20.

[Fixing structure of heat sink, Peltier element, and metal plate]
The Peltier element 30 has a fixing structure in which both sides are in close contact with the lower surface of the heat sink 10 and the upper surface of the metal plate 20. For example, the heat sink 10 and the metal plate 20, which are arranged to sandwich the Peltier element 30, can be fixed to each other using fastening members such as bolts and nuts. By fastening them so that tensile stress is applied to the bolt shaft, the lower surface of the heat sink 10 and the upper surface of the Peltier element 30 can be brought into close contact with each other, and the lower surface of the Peltier element 30 and the upper surface of the metal plate 20 can be brought into close contact with each other.
However, the fixing method is not limited to this, and any other fixing means can be used to form the fixing structure of the cooling unit 50.

[Cooling duct]
The cooling duct 40 is formed of, for example, a resin material. The cooling duct 40 has a bottom surface and three side walls standing to surround the bottom surface, with one side surface being open. In addition, an inlet 40A through which cold air flows in is opened in one side wall. The inlet 40A has an inlet path that spreads outward. The bottom surface of the cooling duct 40 has a slit-shaped opening, through which the rod-shaped member 24 of the metal plate 20 protrudes downward from the cooling duct 40. The heat sink 10, the Peltier element 30, and the base portion 22 of the metal plate 20 are disposed inside the cooling duct 40 surrounded by the three side walls.

The cooling duct 40 has four further round holes on its bottom surface, into which pins 46 with heads are inserted from below, and the tips of the pins 46 are attached to the refrigerator 100 side. This allows the entire cooling unit 50 to be installed inside the refrigerator 100. The cooling unit 50 is not connected to the refrigerator 100 side by piping or the like, so the cooling unit 50 can be easily attached to and detached from the refrigerator 100 by attaching and detaching the pins 46.

Next, the flow of cold air in the cooling duct 40 will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. In Figures 3 and 4, the flow of gas is shown by dotted arrows. The cold air that has passed through the evaporator 140 of the cooling system 150 of the refrigerator 100 flows into the cooling duct 40 from the inlet 40A. A certain distance is provided between one end 12A of the cooling fin 12 and the inner wall 44 of the cooling duct 40, and a flow path 42 through which the cold air flows is provided. This flow path 42 extends in a direction approximately perpendicular to the extension direction of the cooling fin 12. The other end 12B of the cooling fin 12 is disposed on the open side of the cooling duct 40. In other words, the other end 12B of the cooling fin 12 opens into the interior of the refrigerator 100.

The cold air that flows into the cooling duct 40 flows along the inner wall 44 of the cooling duct 40, beside one end 12A of the cooling fins, in a direction approximately perpendicular to the extension direction of the cooling fins 12, and some of the cold air flows between each of the cooling fins 12. The cold air that flows between each of the cooling fins 12 flows out from the other end 12B of the cooling fins 12 into the interior of the refrigerator 100.

As described above, the cold air that has passed through the evaporator 140 of the refrigerator 100 passes between the cooling fins 12 to cool the heat sink 10, and ice can be produced around the rod-shaped members 24 of the metal plate 20 that are cooled by the heat sink 10. Therefore, ice can be produced efficiently despite the simple structure. In addition, since the ice maker 2 is not connected to the piping of the refrigerator 100, the ice maker 2 can be easily attached and detached. This makes it possible to provide an ice maker 2 that is capable of efficiently making ice with a simple structure and is easy to attach and detach from the refrigerator 100.

In particular, as the cold air flows along the inner wall 44 of the cooling duct 40, a portion of it flows between each of the cooling fins 12, allowing the cold air to flow evenly into each of the cooling fins 12. This allows the entire heat sink 10 to be cooled evenly, and the metal plate 20 cooled by the cooling fins 12 to be cooled evenly, allowing the cooling temperature of each rod-shaped member 24 to be uniform. This allows the size of the ice generated around each rod-shaped member 24 to be uniform.

The cold air that flows between the cooling fins 12 and cools the heat sink 10 flows inside the refrigerator 100, cooling the food and other items stored inside, and then returns to the bottom of the evaporator 140 of the refrigerator 100. This allows for efficient ice making by the ice maker 2 and an efficient cooling cycle for the refrigerator 100.

<Liquid container>
The liquid container 60 is formed, for example, from an elastic resin material. The liquid container 60 has a liquid storage region R surrounded by a bottom surface portion and a side wall portion standing upright from the bottom surface portion. The upper part of the liquid storage region R is open. The rod-shaped member 24 of the metal plate 20 is inserted into the liquid storage region R through this opening, and a predetermined region from the tip of the rod-shaped member 24 is arranged within the liquid storage region R.
In ice maker 2 according to this embodiment, metal rod member 24 is cooled below freezing point by cooling from heat sink 10 cooled by cold air. A predetermined area from the tip of rod member 24 is arranged within liquid storage area R of liquid container 60, so ice can be produced around the part of rod member 24 that is immersed in the liquid. An example of the predetermined area is about 8 to 40 mm from the tip of rod member 24.
Furthermore, when the Peltier element 30 is provided, cooling by the Peltier element 30 is added to cooling by the heat sink 10, so cooling can be achieved at an even lower temperature, and ice can be generated around the rod-shaped member 24 of the metal plate 20 in a short period of time.

In this embodiment, six rod-shaped members 24 are arranged in a substantially straight line, and the liquid storage region R extends in an elongated manner along the line. As shown in FIG. 4, which shows a cross section substantially perpendicular to the extension direction of the liquid storage region R, the bottom surface portion that forms the bottom surface of the liquid storage region R and the side wall portion that forms the side surface are connected via a smooth curved portion and are open at the top.

As shown in FIG. 4, a shaft portion 62 extending along the extension direction of the liquid storage region R is provided in a region on the side of the liquid storage region R. As shown in FIG. 2, one end of the shaft portion 62 of the liquid container 60 is connected to a drive shaft of a moving mechanism 80 described later. Meanwhile, the other end of the shaft portion 62 of the liquid container 60 is rotatably supported by a bearing portion 82 provided in a frame portion 84 of the ice making machine 2. With this configuration, the liquid container 60 can rotate around point C at the center of the shaft portion 62. In other words, the liquid container 60 can be rotated around point C located in the end region of the liquid container 60 by the driving force of the moving mechanism 80.

<Moving mechanism>
The moving mechanism 80 is configured to rotationally move the liquid container 60. When the drive motor of the moving mechanism 80 is started and the drive shaft rotates, the liquid container 60 rotates about point C as the center of rotation. The moving mechanism 80 can, for example, use the driving force of the drive motor to rotationally move the liquid container 60 clockwise and counterclockwise (see the double-headed arrows in FIG. 4 ).

4 is referred to as the ice-making position. When liquid container 60 is in the ice-making position, the opening of liquid container 60 faces upward, allowing liquid to be stored in liquid storage region R, and a predetermined area from the tip of rod-shaped member 24 of metal plate 20 is disposed in liquid storage region R through this opening.
The movement mechanism 80 can rotate the liquid container 60 from the ice-making position around point C as the center of rotation until the liquid container 60 is no longer present below the rod-shaped member 24 of the metal plate 20 (see FIGS. 8C and 8D). This position of the liquid container 60 is called the retreat position. The rotation angle of the liquid container 60 between the ice-making position and the retreat position mainly depends on the relative positions of the rod-shaped member 24 of the metal plate 20 and the liquid container 60, and the position of point C, which is the center of rotation, but it is considered appropriate to rotate it at a range of 70 degrees to 120 degrees.

<Liquid supply section/liquid removal section>
In this embodiment, a mechanism is provided that serves as both a liquid supply unit 72 that supplies liquid into the liquid container 60 and a liquid removal unit 74 that discharges liquid from the liquid container 60. The dual-purpose mechanism is mainly composed of a storage container for storing liquid, a liquid supply/removal pump capable of reversing the suction direction and discharge direction, a liquid supply/removal pipe 70, and a liquid supply/removal flow path connecting them. By using the liquid supply unit 72 and the liquid removal unit 74 as a single unit, the number of parts is reduced. In particular, since only the liquid supply/removal pipe 70 is inserted into the liquid container 60, the space around the liquid container 60 is saved. This can be achieved.
The liquid supply/removal pipe 70 is disposed outside the cooling duct 40 to prevent the liquid flowing through the liquid supply/removal pipe 70 from freezing.

When the supply/removal pump is driven to the supply side under the control of the control unit 90 described later, the liquid in the storage container flows from the supply/removal pump through the supply/removal flow path to the supply/removal tube 70, and then flows into the liquid container 60 from the tip opening 70A of the supply/removal tube 70.
When the supply/removal pump is driven to the liquid removal side under the control of the control unit 90, the liquid in the liquid container 60 is sucked in from the tip opening 70A of the supply/removal pipe 70, and flows through the supply/removal flow path from the supply/removal pipe 70 to the supply/removal pump and into the storage container. At this time, it is preferable to pass the returning liquid through a filter before allowing it to flow into the storage container. The filtering function of the filter suppresses an increase in the concentration of soluble or insoluble matter in the liquid in the storage container, thereby realizing the production of high-quality ice.
However, the mechanism that serves as both the liquid supply unit 72 and the liquid removal unit 74 is just one example, and each of the liquid supply unit 72 and the liquid removal unit 74 may be provided with its own individual liquid supply pump and liquid removal pump, as well as its own individual liquid supply pipe and liquid removal pipe.

In either case, the liquid container 60 is capable of storing liquid in the ice making position and is open at the top. Therefore, the tip region of the liquid supply/removal tube 70 (or the liquid supply tube and liquid removal tube) is simply inserted into the liquid container 60 from the upper opening, so that interference between the components can be easily prevented when the liquid container 60 is rotated. However, as is clear from Fig. 4, the tip opening 70A of the liquid supply/removal tube 70 is located at a height H from the bottom surface of the liquid container 60, so that even if the liquid supply/removal pump is driven to the liquid removal side, liquid will remain in the region from the bottom surface to height H.
If the liquid supply/removal port were provided at the bottom of liquid container 60, it would be possible to drain all of the liquid from liquid container 60. However, when liquid container 60 is rotated, there would be more interference with other components, and the layout of the liquid supply/removal hose would become complicated.

(Control Unit)
Next, a control configuration of the ice making machine 2 according to this embodiment, including the control unit 90, will be described with reference to FIG.
The control unit 90 can control the direction and magnitude of the power supplied to the Peltier element 30 to create a temperature difference between the two surfaces so that one surface becomes the heat absorption side and the other surface becomes the heat dissipation side.
The control unit 90 can rotate the liquid container 60 by controlling the drive of the motor of the movement mechanism 80, and can rotate and move the liquid container 60 between the ice-making position and the waiting position.
The control unit 90 controls the liquid supply/removal pump functioning as the liquid supply unit 72 to drive it to the liquid supply side, thereby supplying liquid to the liquid container 60. Similarly, the control unit 90 controls the liquid supply/removal pump functioning as the liquid removal unit 74 to drive it to the liquid removal side, thereby returning the liquid in the liquid container 60 to the storage container.

(Refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention)
Next, refrigerator 100 in which ice maker 2 according to this embodiment is disposed will be described with reference to Fig. 6. In Fig. 6, the flow of gas is indicated by dotted arrows, and the flow of refrigerant is indicated by dashed arrows.
Refrigerator 100 includes freezer compartment 102A and refrigerator compartment 102B. Inlet flow paths 104A, 104B separated by partition plate 106 are provided on the rear side of freezer compartment 102A and refrigerator compartment 102B. In the example shown in Fig. 6, ice maker 2 is disposed in freezer compartment 102A. However, this is not limiting, and ice maker 2 may also be disposed in refrigerator compartment 102B.

In the inlet flow path 104A on the freezer compartment 102A side, an evaporator 140 is arranged, and a fan 170 is arranged above it. In the external machine room on the rear side of the freezer compartment 102A, a compressor 110 connected to the evaporator 140 is arranged. The refrigerant (gas) compressed by the compressor 110 is liquefied in the condenser 120, and the pressure is reduced while passing through the capillary tube, lowering the boiling point, and flows into the evaporator 140 via the dryer 130. The refrigerant then absorbs heat from the gas in the compartment and vaporizes in the evaporator 140, and the vaporized refrigerant is compressed again by the compressor 110, repeating this cycle. As described above, a refrigerator cooling system 150 is constructed in which the compressor 110, condenser 120, dryer 130, and evaporator 140 are connected.

When the compressor 110 and the fan 170 are driven, the gas flows and the cold air that has passed through the evaporator 140 flows from the opening 106A provided in the partition plate 106 into the inlet 40A of the cooling duct 40 of the ice maker 2. In addition to the opening 106A, the partition plate 106 also has an outlet that allows the cold air that has passed through the evaporator 140 to flow directly into the freezer compartment 102A.

The cold air that flows into the cooling duct 40 passes between the cooling fins 12 and flows out of the ice maker 2. The cold air that flows out of the ice maker 2 circulates inside the freezer compartment 102A and returns to the lower side of the evaporator 140 in the inlet flow path 104A. This gas flow not only cools the ice to make ice in the ice maker 2, but also cools food and other items stored in the freezer compartment 102A.

(Modification of the arrangement of the heat sink in the cooling duct)
7 is a plan view showing a schematic diagram of a modified arrangement of the heat sink 10 in the cooling duct 40. The flow of gas is indicated by dotted arrows. Next, a modified arrangement of the heat sink 10 in the cooling duct 40 will be described with reference to FIG.
In the above embodiment, the flow path 42 is provided so that the cold air flowing into the cooling duct 40 flows in a direction substantially perpendicular to the extension direction of the cooling fins 12. However, in the example shown in Fig. 7A, the cold air flows in a direction that is not perpendicular to the extension direction of the cooling fins 12. In Fig. 7A, the cold air flowing into the cooling duct 40 changes its flow direction at an obtuse angle and flows between the cooling fins 12. In other words, the cold air flowing into the cooling duct 40 flows along the inner wall 44 of the cooling duct 40 on the side of one end 12A of the cooling fin 12 in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the cooling fins 12, and a part of the cold air flows between the cooling fins 12.

In the example shown in FIG. 7(b), the heat sink 10 is arranged so that the flow direction of the cold air flowing into the cooling duct 40 is approximately parallel to the extension direction of the cooling fins 12. In this case, it is preferable to arrange the air straightening plate 48 so that the amount of cold air flowing to each cooling fin 12 is equal.

(Control Processing)
FIG. 8A is a side cross-sectional view showing a liquid supply process performed in ice maker 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8B is a side cross-sectional view showing an ice making process, FIG. 8C is a side cross-sectional view showing a liquid removing process, FIG. 8D is a side cross-sectional view showing a retracting process, and FIG. 8E is a side cross-sectional view showing an ice removing process. FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing an example of a control process of the ice making process shown in FIGS. 8A to 8E. FIG. 9 shows the control process when Peltier element 30 is provided. Next, the control process by control unit 90 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A to 8E and FIG. 9.

(Ice making process)
An example will be described in which liquid container 60 is in the ice making position and starts from an initial state where no liquid is stored in liquid container 60. Figures 8A to 8C show the ice making process being repeated multiple times, in which, under the control of control unit 90, liquid supply unit 72 supplies liquid to liquid container 60, an ice making process is performed after the liquid supply process, in which a predetermined area from the tip of rod-shaped member 24 cooled by heat sink 10 is kept immersed in the liquid stored in liquid container 60 for a predetermined time, and a liquid removal process is performed after the ice making process, in which liquid removal unit 74 removes the liquid around the generated ice.
8D and 8E show a moving process in which, after the ice-making process has been repeated multiple times, the moving mechanism 80 moves the cooling unit 50 and the liquid container 60 relatively so that the liquid container 60 is not present below the rod-shaped member 24, and an ice-detaching process in which a heater (e.g., a Peltier element) 30 heats the metal plate 20 to detach the ice generated around the rod-shaped member 24 from the rod-shaped member.

<Liquid supply step (see FIG. 8A)>
The liquid supply unit 72 supplies liquid to the liquid container 60, which is open at the top at the ice making position. Specifically, the control unit 90 drives the drive motor of the liquid supply/removal pump of the liquid supply unit 72 in the liquid supply direction (see step S2 in FIG. 9). As a result, the liquid supply/removal pump sucks up the liquid in the storage container and supplies the liquid to the liquid container 60 through the liquid supply/removal flow path and the liquid supply/removal pipe 70. When the control unit 90 determines that the height of the liquid in the liquid container 60 has reached a predetermined height based on a signal from the liquid level sensor or the timing of the timer, it stops the operation of the liquid supply/removal pump. Steps S4 and S6 in FIG. 9 show a control process for stopping the operation of the liquid supply/removal pump when the liquid level reaches the liquid level height H for ice making. By the liquid supply process, a predetermined area L from the tip of the rod-shaped member 24 of the metal plate 20 is immersed in the liquid in the liquid container 60.

<Ice making process (see Fig. 8B)>
After the liquid supply process, an ice making process is performed in which a predetermined region L from the tip of the rod-shaped member 24 of the metal plate 20, which has been heated to the ice making temperature, is immersed in the liquid contained in the liquid container 60 for a predetermined time. Specifically, the heat sink 10 is cooled by the cold air passing through the evaporator 140 of the refrigerator 100, and the rod-shaped member 24 of the metal plate 20 is cooled to an ice making temperature below the freezing point by the cooling by the heat sink 10. In addition, when the Peltier element 30 is provided, the control unit 90 controls the Peltier element 30 to supply power so that the side of the Peltier element 30 in contact with the heat sink 10 becomes the heat dissipation side and the side in contact with the metal plate 20 becomes the heat absorption side, thereby further cooling the rod-shaped member 24 at the ice making temperature (see step S8 in FIG. 9). This allows ice to be produced around the rod-shaped member 24 of the metal plate 20 in a short time.

Then, when it is determined by the timer that the predetermined time T has elapsed, the ice making process ends. As shown in FIG. 8B, ice G can be produced so that it covers the periphery of a predetermined area L from the tip of the rod-shaped member 24 of the metal plate 20. The predetermined time T can be set to a different value depending on whether or not a Peltier element 30 is provided. If a Peltier element 30 is provided, the control unit 90 stops the power supply to the Peltier element 30 (see steps S10 and S12 in FIG. 9).

<Liquid Removal Step (see FIG. 8C)>
After the ice making process, the liquid removal unit 74 removes the liquid remaining in the liquid container 60 under the control of the control unit 90. Specifically, the liquid supply/removal pump is driven in the liquid removal direction under the control of the control unit 90 (see step S14 in FIG. 9). As a result, the liquid supply/removal pump sucks out the liquid in the liquid container 60 through the liquid supply/removal pipe 70 and the liquid supply/removal flow path, and returns it to the storage container. At this time, the liquid returning to the storage container flows into the storage container after being filtered by a filter arranged at the return path inlet of the storage container. Steps S16 and S18 in FIG. 9 show a control process for stopping the operation of the liquid supply/removal pump when the liquid level reaches the liquid level height L at the time of completion of liquid removal.

As described above, the tip opening 70A of the liquid supply/removal tube 70 is located at a height H from the bottom surface of the liquid container 60, so liquid remains at least in the area from the bottom surface to height H. However, since the lower end of the liquid supply/removal tube 70 is sufficiently lower than the lower end of the rod-shaped member 24, the liquid around the ice generated around the rod-shaped member 24 can be removed. This ends the first ice-making process, and the liquid supply step of the second ice-making process begins (see the NO judgment in step S20 in Figure 9). In this case, fresh liquid with few impurities is filled around the ice generated around the rod-shaped member 24, and ice is generated on its surface. This makes it possible to obtain ice with little cloudiness and high transparency.

As described above, the control unit 90 repeats the ice making process multiple times (N times in the flowchart of FIG. 9) to perform the liquid supply process in which the liquid supply unit 72 supplies liquid to the liquid container 60, the ice making process in which a predetermined area from the tip of the rod-shaped member 24 cooled by the heat sink 10 is kept submerged in the liquid contained in the liquid container 60 for a predetermined time after the liquid supply process, and the liquid removal process in which the liquid removal unit 74 removes the liquid around the generated ice after the ice making process. The size of the ice generated can be adjusted by the number of times the ice making process is repeated. This allows transparent ice to be generated in a short time, always made by freezing newly supplied liquid with few impurities.

<Retraction process (see FIG. 8D )>
The above ice making process is repeated several times, and when ice of a predetermined size is produced around the rod-shaped member 24, the ice making process is terminated and the process proceeds to the waiting step.
Under the control of the control unit 90, the moving mechanism 80 rotates the liquid container 60 from the ice-making position to a retracted position where the liquid container 60 is not present below the rod-shaped member 24 of the metal plate 20. By driving the drive motor of the moving mechanism 80, the liquid container 60 is rotated in a range of 70 degrees to 120 degrees from the ice-making position to the retracted position (see step S22 in FIG. 9). Due to this angle of movement and rotation, even if ice G made from the rod-shaped member 24 of the metal plate 20 is dropped in the ice release process described below, there is no risk of it interfering with the liquid container 60.

In the case shown in FIG. 8D, the drain means 64 can drain the liquid remaining in the liquid container 60. The drained liquid can be reused as liquid to be supplied to the liquid container 60 by passing it through a filter or the like.

<Ice removal process (see FIG. 8E)>
After the retreat step, the control unit 90 controls the rod-shaped members 24 of the metal plate 20 to be at an ice-release temperature, causing the ice G formed around the rod-shaped members to fall from the rod-shaped members 24. The fallen ice G is stored in the ice storage container 66 disposed below.
In order to bring the rod-shaped member 24 of the metal plate 20 to the ice-removal temperature, when the Peltier element 30 is provided, the Peltier element 30 is energized so that the side in contact with the surface of the heat sink 10 becomes the heat absorption side and the side in contact with the surface of the metal plate 20 becomes the heat generation side, thereby raising the temperature of the rod-shaped member 24 of the metal plate 20 and quickly bringing it to the ice-removal temperature (see step S24 in FIG. 9). When a heater other than the Peltier element 30 is used, the temperature of the rod-shaped member 24 of the metal plate 20 can be raised to the ice-removal temperature by supplying power to the heater. Steps S26 and S28 in FIG. 9 show a control process for stopping the energization of the Peltier element 30 after a predetermined time has elapsed that is sufficient for all the generated ice G to fall from the rod-shaped member 24.

As described above, after the ice making process is repeated multiple times, the moving mechanism 80 performs a moving step in which the cooling unit 50 and the liquid container 60 are moved relative to each other so that the liquid container 60 is not present below the rod-shaped member 24, and an ice release step in which a heater (e.g., a Peltier element) heats the metal plate 20 to release the ice formed around the rod-shaped member 24 from the rod-shaped member 24. Therefore, when there is no liquid container 60 present below the rod-shaped member 24, the heater (e.g., a Peltier element) 30 can quickly raise the temperature of the rod-shaped member 24, achieving ice release. This ensures a short ice making cycle.

(Test Results)
By actually making a prototype of ice maker 2 and carrying out the above ice-making process, ice as shown in Fig. 10(a) and (b) could be made. The time required for making ice in one ice-making process was about 1 minute, and with multiple ice-making processes, the waiting and ice-removing processes, the total time required for making ice as shown in Fig. 10 was about 35 minutes.

Although the embodiments and implementations of the present invention have been described, the disclosed contents may vary in the details of the configuration, and the combination and order of elements in the embodiments and implementations may be changed without departing from the scope and concept of the claimed invention.

2 Ice maker 10 Heat sink 12 Cooling fin 12A One end 12B The other end 14 Base plate 20 Metal plate 22 Base portion 24 Rod-shaped member 30 Peltier element 40 Cooling duct 40A Inlet 42 Flow path 44 Inner wall 46 Pin 48 Flow straightening plate 50 Cooling portion 60 Liquid container 62 Shaft portion 64 Drain means 66 Ice storage container 70 Liquid supply/removal pipe 70A Tip opening 72 Liquid supply portion 74 Liquid removal portion 80 Movement mechanism 82 Bearing portion 84 Frame portion 90 Control portion 100 Refrigerator 102A Freezer compartment 102B Refrigerating compartments 104A, B Inlet flow path 106 Partition plate 106A Opening 110 Compressor 120 Condenser 130 Dryer 140 Evaporator 150 Cooling system 170 Fan

Claims (4)

An ice maker disposed inside a refrigerator,
a cooling section including a cooling duct through which cool air that has passed through an evaporator of the refrigerator flows, a heat sink having a plurality of cooling fins disposed in the cooling duct, and a metal plate to which a metal rod-shaped member is attached so as to extend downward from a base end to a tip end, the rod-shaped member being cooled by the heat sink;
A liquid container capable of storing liquid;
Equipped with
and ice is generated around the rod-shaped member cooled by the heat sink while a predetermined area from the tip of the rod-shaped member is immersed in the liquid contained in the liquid container.
The liquid container extends in an elongated manner along a direction in which the rod-shaped members are arranged,
the extension direction of the cooling fins is a direction intersecting the elongated direction of the liquid container,
An ice-making machine characterized in that the cold air flowing into the cooling duct flows along the inner wall of the cooling duct, along the side of one end of the cooling fin, in a direction in which the liquid container extends in an elongated manner that intersects with the extension direction of the cooling fins, and a portion of the air flows between each of the cooling fins. The ice maker according to claim 1, characterized in that the cold air that flows between each of the cooling fins flows out from the other end of the cooling fin into the interior of the refrigerator. The ice maker according to claim 1 or 2,
a liquid supply unit that supplies liquid to the liquid container;
a liquid removal unit that removes at least a portion of the liquid remaining in the liquid container from the liquid container;
A control unit that controls the liquid supply unit and the liquid removal unit;
Equipped with
Under the control of the control unit,
a liquid supply step in which the liquid supply unit supplies liquid to the liquid container;
an ice making step of maintaining a state in which a predetermined area from the tip of the rod-shaped member cooled by the heat sink is immersed in the liquid contained in the liquid container for a predetermined time after the liquid supply step;
a liquid removing step in which the liquid removing unit removes liquid around the generated ice after the ice making step;
The ice making process is repeated several times.
A control method for a control unit of an ice making machine, characterized in that the specified time is the time it takes for ice to be produced around a specified area from the tip of the rod-shaped member, which has reached an ice-making temperature below freezing. The ice maker,
A heater in contact with the metal plate;
a moving mechanism for relatively moving the cooling unit and the liquid container,
Under the control of the control unit,
After repeating the ice making process multiple times,
a moving step of the moving mechanism relatively moving the cooling unit and the liquid container so that the liquid container is not present below the rod-shaped member;
an ice removing step in which the heater heats the metal plate to remove ice generated around the rod-shaped member from the rod-shaped member;
4. The method for controlling the control unit of an ice making machine according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

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