JP7657110B2 - Ice dispenser - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an ice dispenser that releases ice in response to an ice release operation.

Ice dispensers that dispense ice made from ice-making water into containers such as cups are used in restaurants and other eating and drinking establishments. A typical ice dispenser contains a refrigeration circuit, a refrigeration casing, a stocker (ice storage), an auger, etc. inside a rectangular box-shaped housing. The refrigeration circuit cools the refrigeration casing to make ice on its inner surface, and the auger transports the ice to the internal space of the stocker for storage. An ice discharge means is provided at the front of the stocker to discharge ice into a container prepared by a customer (user of the ice dispenser). The ice discharge means is configured to include an ice discharge path that communicates with an ice outlet that opens at the front of the stocker, and an opening/closing mechanism such as a shutter that opens and closes the ice outlet. A customer can receive ice from the ice discharge means into a container by setting a container at the receiving position below the ice discharge means and operating an operation button or the like provided at the front of the ice dispenser.

An agitator that agitates the ice is rotatably installed in the cylindrical internal space of the stocker where the ice is stored. During ice-making operation in which the refrigeration circuit is operating, ice is transferred from the refrigeration casing to the internal space of the stocker by the rotation of the auger, and the agitator is rotated to increase the amount of stored ice while preventing the ice from coalescing in the internal space of the stocker. In this way, the agitator rotates together with the auger during ice-making operation, and is configured to rotate in response to the drive of the ice-making motor (for example, Patent Document 1).

When ice is released in response to a customer's operation of a control button, etc., simply driving the opening and closing mechanism of the ice release means to open the ice outlet of the stocker does not allow the ice to flow out smoothly from the ice outlet. Therefore, while the ice outlet is being opened, the agitator is rotated to push the ice stored in the internal space of the stocker outwards, encouraging the ice to flow out of the ice outlet.

Patent No. 4703218

In the above-mentioned ice dispenser, when an operating button or the like is operated during ice-making operation, the agitator is rotated, so it continues to rotate and the ice outlet is opened by the shutter of the opening and closing mechanism, allowing ice to be released. However, if an operating button or the like is operated while ice-making operation is not in progress, it is necessary to switch the stopped agitator to a rotating state and open the ice outlet by the shutter. Here, when ice release control is started from a stopped agitator state, it takes time for the agitator to start moving due to the influence of the agitator's moment of inertia, etc. Therefore, even if the opening time of the ice outlet is constant, the amount of ice released changes depending on whether ice-making operation is in progress (whether the agitator is rotating or not), resulting in variation in the amount of ice provided to the customer's container.

Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned problems inherent in conventional ice dispensers, the present invention has been proposed to provide an ice dispenser that can dispense a fixed amount of ice in response to the ice dispensing operation.

In order to overcome the above problems and achieve the intended object, the invention according to claim 1 comprises:
An ice dispenser comprising an agitating unit for agitating ice stored in a stocker, a shutter for opening and closing an ice outlet of said stocker, a detection unit for detecting an ice discharge operation, and a control means for controlling the operation of said agitating unit and said shutter, wherein when said detection unit detects said ice discharge operation, ice agitated by said agitating unit in said stocker is discharged to the outside through said ice outlet,
When ice discharge to the outside is started during the stirring of ice by the operation of the stirring unit, the driving of the shutter is started while the driving state of the stirring unit is maintained, and the discharge of ice is ended when a first time has elapsed since the start of the driving of the shutter,
When starting to release ice to the outside while the stirring unit is stopped, the drive of the stirring unit is started while the drive of the shutter is started, and the release of ice is terminated when a second time longer than the first time has elapsed from the start of drive of the shutter.
According to the invention of claim 1, when ice discharge is started while the stirring unit is stopped, the amount of ice discharged may be less than when ice discharge is started while the stirring unit is stirring the ice because it takes time for the stirring unit to start moving. Therefore, by lengthening the opening time of the shutter when ice discharge is started while the stirring unit is stopped, a fixed amount of ice can be discharged regardless of whether the ice is discharged while the stirring unit is operating.

In order to overcome the above problems and achieve the intended object, the invention according to claim 2 comprises:
An ice dispenser comprising an agitating unit for agitating ice stored in a stocker, a shutter for opening and closing an ice outlet of said stocker, a detection unit for detecting an ice discharge operation, and a control means for controlling the operation of said agitating unit and said shutter, wherein when said detection unit detects said ice discharge operation, ice agitated by said agitating unit in said stocker is discharged to the outside through said ice outlet,
When ice discharge to the outside is started during the stirring of ice by the operation of the stirring unit, the driving of the shutter is started while the driving state of the stirring unit is maintained, and the discharge of ice is ended when a first time has elapsed since the start of the driving of the shutter,
When starting to release ice to the outside while the stirring unit is stopped, the stirring unit is started to be driven, and after a delay time has elapsed, the shutter is started to be driven, and the release of ice is terminated when the first time has elapsed from the start of driving the shutter.
According to the invention of claim 2, when ice discharge is started while the stirring unit is stopped, the amount of ice discharged may be less than when ice discharge is started while the stirring unit is stirring the ice because it takes time for the stirring unit to start moving. Therefore, by delaying the timing at which the shutter starts to open when ice discharge is started while the stirring unit is stopped, a fixed amount of ice can be discharged regardless of whether the ice is discharged while the stirring unit is operating.

The invention according to claim 3 is
The ice maker includes a refrigeration casing that is cooled by the action of a refrigeration circuit, a stocker that stores ice, and an auger that transports ice generated in the refrigeration casing to the stocker,
the stirring unit is an agitator that rotates inside the stocker,
The agitating unit and the auger are configured to rotate coaxially in response to driving of a common rotary drive unit.
In an ice dispenser, when the agitator and the rotary drive unit that rotates the auger are the same, if ice is released while the agitator is stopped (i.e., while the rotary drive unit is stopped), it takes a relatively long time for the agitator to start moving due to the influence of the moment of inertia of the agitator, auger, and rotary drive unit. Therefore, if the time to release ice and the timing to start releasing are constant, the amount of ice released varies depending on whether ice making is in progress (whether the auger and agitator are rotating or not), and the amount of ice provided to the customer's container varies. In contrast, according to the invention of claim 3, when ice release is started, the opening time and opening timing of the ice outlet are changed depending on whether the agitator is stirring or is stopped, so that a fixed amount of ice can be released at all times.

The ice dispenser of the present invention can dispense a fixed amount of ice in response to the ice dispensing operation.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ice dispenser according to the first embodiment, seen from the upper left front. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship of a stocker, an agitator, a freezer casing, an auger, an ice making motor, and the like, which are arranged inside the housing. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing electrical connections in the ice dispenser. 10 is a flowchart showing ice release control executed by the control board. 10 is a flowchart showing ice release control executed by a control board in the ice dispenser according to the second embodiment.

Next, the ice dispenser according to the present invention will be described below with reference to a preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings. The description will be based on the state of the ice dispenser as seen from the front side (front), and will define the left-right direction, the up-down direction, and the front-rear direction (front and rear).

(Overall configuration of ice dispenser 10)
As shown in Fig. 1, the ice dispenser 10 of the first embodiment includes a vertically elongated rectangular housing 12 forming an outer shell, a drain pan 14 located at the front lower part of the housing 12, and a front panel 16 attached to the front of the housing 12 above the drain pan 14. Inside the housing 12 (machine room), there are housed a refrigeration circuit 18 (the evaporator pipe is shown in Fig. 2) consisting of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator pipe, etc., a cylindrical refrigeration casing 20 around whose outer periphery the evaporator pipe of the refrigeration circuit 18 is wound, a cylindrical stocker 22 located above the refrigeration casing 20, an auger 24 rotatably arranged inside the refrigeration casing 20, and an ice making motor 26 (see Fig. 2) which is the drive source of the auger 24.

An agitator (agitation unit) 28 is rotatably arranged inside the stocker 22. This agitator 28 agitates the ice stored in the ice storage space S of the stocker 22 to facilitate its discharge from the ice outlet 22a. The agitator 28 is configured to rotate about the same central axis as the auger 24 by being driven by the aforementioned ice making motor (rotation drive unit) 26, which is a drive source shared with the auger 24.

On the front side of the stocker 22, there is provided ice discharge means 70 that discharges ice that flows out from the ice storage space S of the stocker 22 through the open ice outlet 22a to the outside (the ice receiving position by a container placed on the drain pan 14). The ice discharge means 70 is configured to include an ice discharge path 71 that communicates with the ice outlet 22a of the stocker 22 and an opening/closing mechanism 72 that opens and closes the ice outlet 22a of the stocker 22, and is disposed so as to protrude forward from the front surface of the housing 12. The lower end of the ice discharge path 71 is an ice outlet (discharge port 73) that opens downward (to the receiving position). The opening/closing mechanism 72 is composed of a shutter 72a, a solenoid 72b that drives it, and a link 72c that connects the solenoid 72b and the shutter 72a.

(Electrical configuration of ice dispenser 10)
As shown in Fig. 3, the ice dispenser 10 includes a control board (control substrate, control means) 50 that controls the operation of the refrigeration circuit 18, the ice making motor 26, the opening/closing mechanism 72, etc., and an operation board 60 electrically connected to the control board 50. The control board 50 includes a processor (CPU) and is configured to control an ice making operation (execute a first control) to increase the ice storage amount when the ice storage amount in the ice storage space S of the stocker 22 is equal to or less than a reference amount. In this ice making operation, the refrigeration circuit 18 is operated to produce ice in the refrigeration casing 20, and the ice making motor 26 is driven to rotate the auger 24, which scrapes off ice formed on the inner surface of the refrigeration casing 20, transports it to the ice storage space S of the stocker 22 above, and stores it there. In addition, in the ice making operation, the agitator 28 is rotated in the ice storage space S of the stocker 22 in response to the driving of the ice making motor 26.

The operation board 60 is a switch board that is placed behind the operation panel 30 (see FIG. 1) on the front panel 16, and a push-button discharge operation switch (detection unit) 61 is provided on its front surface (not shown). The discharge operation switch 61 corresponds one-to-one with the discharge operation unit 31 provided on a part of the operation panel 30, and when a user of the ice dispenser 10 performs a discharge operation by pressing the discharge operation unit 31 from the front with a finger or the like, the switch turns on (detection state) and a detection signal is input to the control board 50. The control board 50 is configured to execute discharge control (second control, described later) that discharges ice from the ice outlet 22a of the stocker 22 and discharges it to the outside (receiving position) through the ice discharge means 70 based on detection of the discharge operation by the discharge operation switch 61 (input of the detection signal).

The operation board 60 is also provided with a discharge notification LED 62 that lights up, blinks, and goes out under the control of the CPU of the control board 50. The CPU of the control board 50 controls the discharge notification LED 62 to light up or blink from the time it receives a detection signal from the discharge operation switch 61 until the ice discharge control (described below) ends. The lighting and blinking of this discharge notification LED 62 can be seen from the front of the operation panel 30.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ice dispenser 10 is also equipped with a rotation speed detection means 75 for detecting the rotation speed of the ice making motor 26, and the rotation speed detection means 75 is electrically connected to the control board 50. The CPU of the control board 50 is equipped with a RAM as a rotation speed storage means for storing the rotation speed of the ice making motor 26 detected by the rotation speed detection means 75. The CPU of the control board 50 periodically updates and judges the rotation speed stored in this RAM, and is configured to stop the rotation of the ice making motor 26 and start an error notification when the rotation speed exceeds the load judgment reference value (when the load on the ice making motor 26 is excessive). The stored contents of this RAM (rotation speed storage means) (rotation speed of the ice making motor 26) are also referenced in the ice release control (FIG. 4, step S103) described later.

(Specific control timing for release control)
Next, ice discharge control, which is a process periodically executed by the CPU of the control board 50, will be described with reference to FIG.

In the discharge control, the CPU of the control board 50 first determines whether or not the discharge operation (detection of the discharge operation switch 61) is not being accepted during a prohibition period (invalid period) (step S101). The acceptance prohibition period is a period that starts when a positive judgment is made in step S102, which will be described later, and ends when the processing of step S108, which will be described later, ends. In other words, if the period is not an acceptance prohibition period, it corresponds to the detection valid period (acceptance period) of the discharge operation switch 61, regardless of whether or not ice making operation is in progress (during the driving period of the ice making motor 26).

If the determination in step S101 is negative (NO), the release control is terminated. On the other hand, if the determination in step S101 is positive (YES), a determination is made as to whether or not a detection signal from the release operation switch 61 has been input (i.e., whether or not the release operation unit 31 has been pressed during the acceptance period) (step S102). Then, if the determination in step S102 is negative (NO) (i.e., the release operation unit 31 has not been pressed), the release control is terminated. On the other hand, if the determination in step S102 is positive (YES) (i.e., the release operation unit 31 has been pressed during the acceptance period), a determination is made as to whether or not the ice making motor 26 is in the driving period (step S103). Furthermore, a positive determination in step S102 causes the release notification LED 62 on the operation board 60 to start lighting or flashing.

The CPU of the control board 50 references the rotation speed of the ice-making motor 26 stored in the RAM (rotation speed storage means) mentioned above, and if the rotation speed is zero, it determines that the ice-making motor 26 is not in its driving period (stopped), and if it is one or more times, it determines that the ice-making motor 26 is in its driving period (driving). For example, the period during which the ice-making operation is being performed is the period during which the auger 24 and agitator 28 are rotating, which corresponds to the driving period of the ice-making motor 26. In addition, the driving period of the ice-making motor 26 also includes cases when the agitator 28 is periodically driven to rotate and agitate the ice in the ice storage space S of the stocker 22 while the ice-making operation is not being performed.

The ice dispenser 10 of the first embodiment releases ice from the ice release means 70 in response to the user pressing the release operation unit 31, and at that time, the agitator 28 is rotated in the ice storage space S of the stocker 22 while the ice outlet 22a of the stocker 22 is opened. In this case, the opening time of the ice outlet 22a is adjusted so that an appropriate and fixed amount of ice is released (steps S104 and S106 described below).

If step S103 returns a positive judgment (YES), that is, if the discharge operation unit 31 is pressed during the reception period and the driving period of the ice-making motor 26, the agitator 28 is already rotating due to the driving of the ice-making motor 26, so while maintaining the driving state of the ice-making motor 26, set the opening time of the ice outlet 22a to, for example, 1 second (first time) and start measuring it (step S104). On the other hand, if step S103 returns a negative judgment (NO), that is, if the discharge operation unit 31 is pressed during the reception period and the non-driving period of the ice-making motor 26, the driving of the ice-making motor 26 is stopped and the agitator 28 is not rotating, so the driving of the ice-making motor 26 is started (step S105). As mentioned above, since the ice making motor 26 is the drive source that rotates the auger 24 and the agitator 28, when the ice making motor 26 is started, it takes a certain amount of time (for example, about 0.3 seconds) for the agitator 28 to start moving due to the influence of the moment of inertia of the agitator 28, the auger 24, and the ice making motor 26, and during this time, the ice in the stocker 22 is difficult to push out to the outer periphery (ice outlet 22a side) of the ice storage space S. Therefore, when starting the drive of the ice making motor 26 that is in a stopped state (when going through step S105), the opening time of the ice outlet 22a is set to a time (for example, 1.3 seconds) longer than the aforementioned 1 second (first time), and measurement of this time is started (step S106).

If the opening time is set in step S104 or step S106, the opening/closing mechanism 72 (solenoid) is started to be driven to release the ice outlet 22a from the shutter 72a, and the ice outlet 22a is opened (step S107). This opening of the ice outlet 22a makes it possible to release ice from the ice release means 70 (ice release path 71).

In the next step S108, the open time is measured, and when the open time has elapsed, the operation of the opening/closing mechanism 72 is stopped to close the ice outlet 22a, and the operation of the ice-making motor 26 (in the release control) is stopped to end the release control. In step S108, the operation of the ice-making motor 26 is stopped only when there is no need to rotate the agitator 28 for purposes other than releasing ice from the ice release means 70. In other words, if the ice-making motor 26 is in the driving period during ice-making operation, the ice-making motor 26 continues to be driven. In addition, in step S108, the release notification LED 62, which is turned on or flashing, is changed to an off state. Then, the release control ends when step S108 ends.

[Operation of Example 1]
Next, the operation of the ice dispenser 10 according to the first embodiment will be described.

When the amount of ice stored in the ice storage space S of the stocker 22 is increased, the ice dispenser 10 of the first embodiment executes ice-making operation (first control) under the control of the control board (control means) 50. In this ice-making operation, the control board 50 generates ice in the freezer casing 20 by the action of the refrigeration circuit 18, and transfers the generated ice to the stocker 22 by the rotation of the auger 24 (driving the ice-making motor 26). Note that the agitator 28 that rotates inside the stocker 22 to agitate the ice is driven by the ice-making motor (rotary drive unit) 26 on the same axis as the auger 24, so the agitator 28 rotates during ice-making operation.

When the ice dispenser 10 discharges ice from the ice discharge means 70, it executes discharge control (second control) based on the control of the control board 50. In this discharge control, the control board 50 opens the ice outlet 22a of the stocker 22 by driving the shutter 72a (opening/closing mechanism 72), and rotates the agitator 28 in the ice storage space S of the stocker 22 by driving the ice making motor 26, causing ice to flow out from the ice outlet 22a and be discharged to the outside (into the container) via the ice discharge path 71.

When the control board 50 starts the release control (discharge of ice) while the agitator 28 is stirring the ice (while the ice-making motor 26 is driving during ice-making operation, etc.), the agitator 28 is already rotating, so the agitator 28 is maintained in a rotating state (the ice-making motor 26 is driven) while the shutter 72a (opening/closing mechanism 72) in the ice discharge means 70 is started to be driven (opening the ice outlet 22a). On the other hand, when the control board 50 starts the release control while the agitator 28 is stopped (while the ice-making motor 26 is stopped), the agitator 28 is also stopped, so the agitator 28 needs to start rotating (driving the ice-making motor 26) while starting the shutter 72a (opening/closing mechanism 72) to open the ice outlet 22a. Here, if the agitator 28 starts rotating at the start of the release control, it takes a certain amount of time (about 0.3 seconds) for the agitator 28 to start moving. That is, if the opening time is constant, when the release control is started while the ice making motor is stopped, the amount of ice released is smaller than when the release control is started while the ice making motor is running. Therefore, in order to release a fixed amount of ice regardless of whether the agitator 28 is operating (agitating ice) or is stopped, when the release control is started while the agitator 28 is operating (ice making operation, etc.), the release control is terminated when an opening time of 1 second (first time) has elapsed since the start of driving the shutter 72a (opening/closing mechanism 72), whereas when the release control is started while the agitator 28 is stopped, the release control is terminated when an opening time of 1.3 seconds (second time longer than the first time) has elapsed since the start of driving the shutter 72a (opening/closing mechanism 72). In this way, by lengthening the opening time of the shutter 72a (the driving time of the opening/closing mechanism 72) when starting release control while the agitator 28 is stopped (while the ice-making motor is stopped), a fixed amount of ice can be released regardless of whether the release control is performed while the ice-making motor is running or not.

Next, an ice dispenser 10 according to Example 2 will be described. Note that Example 2 differs from Example 1 in part of the ice release control (FIG. 5) that is periodically executed by the control board 50. Specifically, the release control in Example 2 differs in the part (steps S2061 and S2062) that corresponds to step S106 in Example 1 described above. Meanwhile, steps S201 to 205, 207, and 208 are similar to steps S101 to 105, 107, and 108 of the release control (see FIG. 4) in Example 1 described above. Therefore, steps S2061 and S2062 will be described below, and the other steps will not be described.

As explained in the first embodiment above, it takes time for the agitator 28 to start moving when the ice-making motor 26 is driven, and there is a certain amount of time (e.g., about 0.3 seconds) during which the ice in the stocker 22 is difficult to push out toward the outer periphery of the ice storage space S (toward the ice outlet 22a). Therefore, in the second embodiment, when the agitator 28 starts to rotate by starting the ice-making motor 26 that is in a stopped state (when going through step S205), a delay time of 0.3 seconds is set (step S2061), and after this delay time has elapsed, the opening time (1 second) of the ice outlet 22a is set (step S2062). That is, when the discharge operation part 31 is pressed while the agitator 28 is stopped (the ice making motor 26 is stopped) and the detection signal of the discharge operation switch 61 is input to the control board 50, the control board 50 first controls the agitator 28 to start rotating (driving the ice making motor 26), and 0.3 seconds later (after the delay time has elapsed), the shutter 72a (opening and closing mechanism 72) starts to be driven to open the ice outlet 22a. Then, when the same opening time (1 second) as when the discharge operation part 31 is pressed while the agitator 28 is rotating (driving the ice making motor 26) has elapsed, the discharge control ends. Here, since it takes time (delay time) from when the discharge operation part 31 is pressed until the ice is discharged, there is a risk of causing anxiety to the customer (the user of the ice dispenser 10). To prevent this, the discharge notification LED 62 is made to be in a lit or flashing state during the delay time.

[Function of Example 2]
Next, the operation of the ice dispenser 10 according to the second embodiment will be described.

In the ice dispenser 10 of the second embodiment, when the control board 50 starts the release control (discharge of ice) while the agitator 28 is stirring the ice (while the ice-making motor 26 is driving for ice-making operation, etc.), the agitator 28 is already rotating, so the agitator 28 is maintained in a rotating state (the ice-making motor 26 is driving state) while the shutter 72a (opening/closing mechanism 72) in the ice release means 70 is started to be driven (opening the ice outlet 22a). In contrast, when the control board 50 starts the release control while the agitator 28 is stopped (while the ice-making motor 26 is stopped), the agitator 28 is also stopped, so it is necessary to start the rotation of the agitator 28 (driving the ice-making motor 26) while starting the drive of the shutter 72a (opening/closing mechanism 72) (opening the ice outlet 22a). Here, when the ice making motor 26 starts to drive (the agitator 28 starts to rotate) at the start of the release control, it takes a certain amount of time (about 0.3 seconds) for the agitator 28 to start moving. In other words, if the opening time is constant, when the release control is started while the ice making motor is stopped, the amount of ice released will be less than when the release control is started while the ice making motor is running. Therefore, by delaying the timing of starting the drive of the shutter 72a (opening/closing mechanism 72) when the release control is started while the agitator 28 is stopped (when the ice making motor is stopped), a fixed amount of ice can be released regardless of whether the release control is performed while the ice making motor is running or not.

[Example of change]
The present application is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and for example, the following configurations can be appropriately adopted.
(1) In the first and second embodiments, a detection unit that detects a pressing operation with a finger or the like is provided as a detection unit (discharge operation switch) that detects a discharge operation by a user of the ice dispenser, but a detection unit that detects a non-contact operation such as holding a finger over a predetermined position may be used. In addition, as the discharge operation unit, in addition to a discharge operation unit on an operation panel, a lever-type discharge operation unit that is operated by pushing with a container such as a cup may be used.
(2) In the first and second embodiments, the control means (control board) has a rotation speed storage means (RAM) for storing the rotation speed of the rotation drive unit (ice-making motor), and in the release control for releasing ice, if the rotation speed stored in the rotation speed storage means is zero, it is determined that the rotation drive unit is stopped, and if it is one or more times, it is determined that the rotation drive unit is operating. However, two or more rotations may be set as a reference value, and whether the rotation drive unit is operating or not may be determined based on whether it is equal to or greater than this reference value. In this case, the reference value may be set to a rotation speed lower than the load determination reference value for determining the load on the rotation drive unit.

18 refrigeration circuit, 20 refrigeration casing, 22 stocker, 22a ice outlet,
24 Auger, 26 Ice making motor (rotation drive unit), 28 Agitator (agitation unit),
50 Control board (control means), 61 Release operation switch (detection unit),
71 Ice discharge path, 72a Shutter

Claims (3)

An ice dispenser comprising an agitating unit (28) for agitating ice stored in a stocker (22), a shutter (72a) for opening and closing an ice outlet (22a) of the stocker (22), a detection unit (61) for detecting an ice discharge operation, and control means (50) for controlling the operation of the agitating unit (28) and the shutter (72a), wherein when the detection unit (61) detects the ice discharge operation, ice agitated by the agitating unit (28) in the stocker (22) is discharged to the outside through the ice outlet (22a),
When ice discharge to the outside is started during agitation of ice by the operation of the agitator (28), the drive of the shutter (72a) is started while the agitator (28) is maintained in a driven state, and the discharge of ice is terminated when a first time has elapsed since the start of the drive of the shutter (72a),
This ice dispenser is characterized in that, when ice discharge to the outside is started while the stirring unit (28) is stopped, the driving of the stirring unit (28) is started while the driving of the shutter (72a) is started, and the discharge of ice is terminated when a second time longer than the first time has elapsed from the start of the driving of the shutter (72a). An ice dispenser comprising an agitating unit (28) for agitating ice stored in a stocker (22), a shutter (72a) for opening and closing an ice outlet (22a) of the stocker (22), a detection unit (61) for detecting an ice discharge operation, and control means (50) for controlling the operation of the agitating unit (28) and the shutter (72a), wherein when the detection unit (61) detects the ice discharge operation, ice agitated by the agitating unit (28) in the stocker (22) is discharged to the outside through the ice outlet (22a),
When ice discharge to the outside is started during agitation of ice by the operation of the agitator (28), the drive of the shutter (72a) is started while the agitator (28) is maintained in a driven state, and the discharge of ice is terminated when a first time has elapsed since the start of the drive of the shutter (72a),
This ice dispenser is characterized in that, when the release of ice to the outside is started while the stirring unit (28) is stopped, the drive of the stirring unit (28) is started, and after a delay time has elapsed, the drive of the shutter (72a) is started, and the release of ice is terminated when the first time has elapsed from the start of the drive of the shutter (72a). The system comprises a refrigeration casing (20) cooled by the action of a refrigeration circuit (18), a stocker (22) for storing ice, and an auger (24) for transporting ice produced in the refrigeration casing (20) to the stocker (22),
The stirring unit (28) is an agitator that rotates inside the stocker (22),
3. The ice dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the agitator (28) and the auger (24) are configured to rotate coaxially in response to driving of a common rotary drive unit (26).

Images