JPH0219394B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION a. Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to an ice making machine, and in particular, to an ice making machine that efficiently removes ice making residual water in order to prevent the concentration of impurities contained in the ice making residual water in a water storage tank from increasing. Concerning new improvements for drainage.

b. Prior Art Various configurations have been adopted and proposed for this type of ice maker that has been used in the past.
Typical of these are, for example, the configurations disclosed in U.S. Pat.

The conventional structure disclosed in each of the above-mentioned publications is shown in FIG. 6 as a general water circulation type ice making machine. That is, in FIG.
The ice-making member shown in is an ice-making member arranged almost vertically as a whole, and an ice-making surface 1a is formed on one side of the ice-making member 1, and an evaporation tube for guiding a refrigerant is formed on the other surface 1b. 2 are arranged in a serpentine tube shape.

A water sprinkling pipe 3 for supplying ice making water is disposed above the ice making member 1, and a water sprinkling hole 3a is formed in the water sprinkling pipe 3. One end of a water supply pipe 5 for supplying water in the water storage tank 4 is connected thereto.

The other end of this water supply pipe 5 is connected to a discharge part 6a of a circulation pump 6 provided in the water storage tank 4, and the water supply pipe 3 and the water supply pipe 5 constitute a water supply system 7. There is.

On the bottom 4a in this water storage tank 4,
A siphon 8 having an upright shape is installed in an upright manner, and this siphon 8 is connected to an overflow pipe 8.
water in the water storage tank 4 is guided from the lower part of the guide pipe 8b and guided downward from the lower end of the overflow pipe 8a.
It is discharged.

The upper end of this guide pipe 8b projects slightly above the predetermined water level 4a of the water storage tank 4, and the upper water level 4b rises due to the return circulating water generated when entering the deicing cycle from the ice making cycle, as shown by the dotted line. It almost coincides with the upper end of the guide tube 8b.

Further, the water storage tank 4 is provided with a float valve 10 for controlling the water supply of the water supply pipe 9 in order to maintain the water at a predetermined water level 4a, and between the water storage tank 4 and the ice making member 1, Water guide hole 11
The ice guide plate 11 having a shape is arranged in an inclined state.

A conventional ice maker is configured as described above.
The operation will be explained below.

When the cooling system (not shown) starts cooling the ice making member 1 and circulating supply of ice making water to the ice making surface 1a of the ice making member 1, ice 12 gradually forms on the ice making surface 1a.
When the ice 12 grows to the required thickness and the completion of ice making is detected by a timer, temperature sensor, etc., the operation of the circulation pump 6 is stopped and the circulating water returns to the water storage tank 4. Due to the water, the water level in the water storage tank 4 rises from a predetermined water level 4a maintained by the float valve 10 to a predetermined water level 4b during the ice making cycle.

As described above, when the water level rises to the predetermined water level 4b, the siphon 8 is filled with water, and the water in the water storage tank 4 is discharged to the outside via the overflow pipe 8a due to the siphon action.

c. Problems to be solved by the invention In the conventional configuration described above, for example, if there is a difference between the water level in the water storage tank at the start of ice making and the water level at the end of ice making, or if the surface area of the water surface of the water storage tank is extremely large, etc. If the returned water generated when ice making is completed is simply returned to the water storage tank, the water will not rise to the specified level enough to reach the upper end of the siphon, making it impossible to drain water using the siphon effect. The situation was ripe.

It is an object of the present invention to promptly eliminate the above-mentioned problems and to effectively discharge water in a water storage tank using a siphon, regardless of the rise in the water level in the water storage tank due to return water.

d Means for Solving the Problems The ice making machine according to the present invention includes a siphon having a pipe section higher than the highest liquid level of the water storage tank for discharging the water in the water storage tank to the outside, and This ice-making machine is equipped with a water supply system connected to a circulation pump that circulates and supplies ice to the ice-making member.

e Effect In the ice maker according to the present invention, after the completion of ice making, at the start of the deicing cycle, as the circulation pump is stopped, the return water from the water supply pipe and sprinkler that constitute the water supply system flows back. Due to the inertia of the return water, it enters the siphon, and the concentrated water in the water storage tank is discharged to the outside through the siphon due to the siphon effect.

f. Embodiments Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the ice maker according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Note that parts that are the same or equivalent to those of the conventional example will be described with the same reference numerals.

1 to 3 show preferred embodiments of the ice making machine according to the present invention, and the ice making member designated by the reference numeral 1 in FIG. An ice-making surface 1a is formed on one surface of this ice-making member 1, and the other surface 1b is formed on one surface of the ice-making member 1.
An evaporation pipe 2 for guiding the refrigerant is arranged in a serpentine shape.

A water sprinkling pipe 3 for supplying ice making water is disposed above the ice making member 1, and a water sprinkling hole 3a is formed in the water sprinkling pipe 3. One end of a water supply pipe 5 for supplying water in the water storage tank 4 is connected thereto.

The other end of this water supply pipe 5 is connected to a discharge part 6a of a circulation pump 6 provided outside the water storage tank 4 in communication with the water storage tank 4, and is connected to the water supply pipe 3 and the water supply pipe 5. The water supply system 7 is configured by:

On the bottom 4a in this water storage tank 4,
An overflow pipe 13 with open ends is installed in an upright position, and a siphon 8 is installed in a substantially vertical manner on the bottom 4a.

This siphon 8 has a substantially U-shape as a whole, and its inlet portion 8c is arranged concentrically with the suction portion 6b of the circulation pump 6, and the connection portion 4c of the water storage tank 4 and the suction portion of the circulation pump 6 are disposed concentrically. Since the inlet portion 8c, the connecting portion 4c, and the suction portion 6b are integrally connected to the portion 6b by the connecting body 14, the inlet portion 8c, the connecting portion 4c, and the suction portion 6b are disposed concentrically and directly with each other. (Although the inlet portion 8c and the connecting portion 4c must be concentric, the suction portion 6b does not necessarily have to be concentric, and may be bent non-concentrically. ) The outlet part 8d of this siphon 8 is connected to the bottom part 4a.
The upper pipe part 8e, which is formed at the highest position between the inlet part 8c and the outlet part 8d, is located at the upper limit water level 15 of the water storage tank 4 (i.e., overflow). (corresponding to the upper end position of the tube 13).

A water supply valve 10 is located above the water storage tank 4.
A water supply pipe 9 having a diameter is provided, and water is supplied into the water storage tank 4 through this water supply pipe 9. Further, between the water storage tank 4 and the ice making member 1 at a position above the water storage tank 4, an ice guide plate 11 having a water guide hole 11a is arranged in an inclined state.

In the case of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the suction section 6b of the circulation pump 6 and the inlet section 8 of the siphon 8
This inlet portion 8c constitutes a slightly elongated connecting pipe 8f, and at a midway position of this connecting pipe 8f, it is connected to the connecting portion 4c of the water storage tank 4 in a shape that is almost orthogonal to the connecting pipe 8f. Water storage tank pipe line 4
d is connected. Therefore, the connection pipe 8f
The water storage tank pipe 4d has a substantially T-shape at its connecting portion.

A trap portion 8g having a constricted shape that hangs downward is formed on the entrance portion 8c side of the siphon 8. Note that parts other than the above-mentioned parts are completely the same as the configuration shown in Figure 1, so they are given the same reference numerals as in Figure 1, and detailed explanations thereof will be omitted to avoid duplication. do.

Furthermore, what is shown in FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the ice making machine according to the present invention, in which the water storage tank pipe line 4d is provided with a first check valve 16 and is arranged in a substantially vertical manner. A second check valve 17 is provided in the connecting pipe line 8f. The first check valve 16 is provided to prevent backflow into the water storage tank 4. A stopper protrusion 16a is formed in the first check valve 16, and the stopper protrusion 16a and the inlet A ball 16c is movably provided between the portion 16b and the portion 16b. The first check valve 17 is provided to prevent backflow from the siphon 8, and a stopper protrusion 17a is formed in the second check valve 17, and the stopper protrusion 17a and the inlet A ball 17c is movably provided between the portion 17b and the portion 17b.

In addition, since the parts other than the above-mentioned parts are exactly the same as the configuration shown in Fig. 2, they are given the same reference numerals as in Fig. 2, and detailed explanations thereof will be omitted to avoid duplication. do.

Next, a case will be described in which the ice making machine according to the present invention is operated in the above configuration.

First, in the case of the configuration shown in Figure 1, during the deicing cycle,
When the water supply valve 10 is opened, water is supplied into the water storage tank 4 through the water supply pipe 9, and overflow water is transferred to the overflow pipe 13.
By discharging more water to the outside, the water storage tank 4
The inside is maintained at the upper limit water level 15. After the deicing cycle ends, when the ice making cycle begins, the water supply valve 10 closes, the circulation pump 6 starts operating, and the water in the water storage tank 4 passes through the circulation pump 6, the water supply pipe 5, and the water sprinkling pipe 3, and is sprinkled with water. From the hole 3a to the ice making surface 1a of the ice making member 1
This ice making surface 1a is also cooled via the evaporation pipe 2 by refrigerant from a refrigeration system (not shown).
The water flowing down onto the ice-making surface 1a is gradually cooled.

As the ice making cycle described above progresses, the ice making surface 1a
Ice gradually begins to grow on the top, and the water that has not turned into ice returns to the water guide hole 11a of the ice guide plate 11 and the water storage tank 4, and the water is distributed to the ice making member 1 and the circulation pump 6 during the ice making cycle. As the water circulates through the water path of the water storage tank 4, the water level in the water storage tank 4 gradually decreases.

When the required amount of ice 12 grows on the aforementioned ice making surface 1a and the completion of ice making is detected by a timer or a detector (not shown), the ice making cycle ends and the next deicing cycle begins. In the above-mentioned state, the water level in the water storage tank 4 is at the lower limit water level 15a shown by the dotted line.
It is becoming.

As mentioned above, when the next deicing cycle starts, the circulation pump 6 stops, and the circulating water in the water supply system 7 consisting of the sprinkler pipe 3 and the water supply pipe 5 flows back toward the water storage tank 4 and moves. Due to an action similar to the inertia of substances, the circulating water that flows backward flows into the discharge section 6a of the circulation pump 6.
From there, through the suction part 6b and the connecting part 4c, it is intensively fed into the siphon 8 from the inlet part 8c of the siphon 8, which is spaced approximately concentrically from the connecting part 4c. Therefore, even if the water level in the water storage tank 4 hardly rises, the water level in the siphon 8 will be lower than the upper pipe part 8.
e, and is discharged to the outside from the outlet part 8d, and thereafter, due to the siphon effect, the water storage tank 4
The water inside is continuously discharged to the outside.

After a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the start of the deicing cycle described above, the water supply valve 10 opens and water starts to be supplied from the water supply pipe 9 into the water storage tank 4. By the time the deicing cycle ends, the water in the water storage tank 4 is completely drained. The upper limit water level reaches 15. In addition, if the amount of water supplied from this water supply pipe 9 is smaller than the amount of water discharged by the siphon 8, it is easy to drain the water in the water storage tank 4 even if the water supply valve 10 is opened at the same time as the start of the deicing cycle. It is understood that Therefore, as mentioned above, the siphon 8 allows the water storage tank 4 to be removed during the deicing cycle.
Almost all of the water inside is drained out, and the next ice making cycle and deicing cycle are repeated.

Next, in the case of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 2, when the circulation pump 6 starts operating in the ice-making cycle, the pressure in the branch 8fA of the connecting pipe 8f decreases.
The water level in the siphon 8 is lower than the water level in the water storage tank 4. As the ice-making cycle progresses further, the water level in the water storage tank 4 drops further, and the circulation pump 6
Although the water level in the siphon 8 is lower than that in the suction part 6b, the trap part 8g remains filled with water, so air is prevented from being sucked in from the ice maker 8, and the ice making cycle period is Meanwhile, water in the water storage tank 4 is circulated and supplied to the ice making member 1 via the circulation pump 6.

When ice making is completed and the circulation pump 6 is stopped, the circulating water that has flowed back through the water supply system 7 is directly guided into the siphon 8 and flows into the upper pipe section 8.
e, and is discharged to the outside from the exit part 8d.
Thereafter, the ice-making residual water in the water storage tank 4 is discharged to the outside due to the siphon effect. Incidentally, the operation of moving on to the next ice-making cycle after the above is the same as that of the first embodiment, so the explanation thereof will be omitted.

In the case of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 3, when the circulation pump 6 starts operating in the ice making cycle,
The first check valve 16 is opened and the second check valve 17 is closed. In this case, the pressure at the branch 8fA of the connecting pipe 8f decreases, but the second check valve 17 is closed. Because the valve is closed, the water level in the siphon 8 is maintained at approximately the same level as the upper limit water level 15 in the water storage tank 4, and even if the ice making cycle continues and the water level in the water storage tank 4 decreases, the water level in the siphon 8 is maintained by the circulation pump 6. This second check valve 17 has the same function as the trap portion 8g in FIG. 2.

When ice making is completed and the circulation pump 6 stops, the circulating water starts to flow backwards, the first check valve 16 closes, and the second check valve 17 opens, as in the case of each of the above-mentioned embodiments. The valve is closed and the circulating water flows back into the siphon 8.
The liquid is forcibly fed into the interior, overcomes the upper pipe portion 8e of the siphon 8, and is discharged to the outside from the outlet portion 8d. After that, due to the siphon effect, the water supply pipe 5
The water level in the tank 4 decreases, and the lower limit water level 1 in the water storage tank 4
5a, the force of the backflowing circulating water trying to return to the water storage tank 4 disappears, and conversely, the force of the water in the water storage tank 4 trying to flow out is applied to the first check valve 16, and the The first check valve 16 is opened, and from then on, the remaining ice-making water in the water storage tank 4 flows through the first check valve 16.
The liquid then passes through the second check valve 17 and is discharged from the outlet portion 8d due to the siphon effect.

Although the present embodiment has been described using an overflow pipe, the same effect can be obtained even if the upper limit water level is controlled using a valve, timer, etc., without using an overflow pipe.

The configurations shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are other embodiments of the present invention, and the configuration shown in FIG. 4 removes the trap portion 8g from the configuration shown in FIG. It is located within 4. This water storage tank 4 is provided with a float switch 18 instead of an overflow pipe, which detects the upper limit water level 15 and controls the opening and closing of the water supply valve 10. Note that the other parts are given the same reference numerals, and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

Furthermore, in the configuration shown in FIG. 5, the second check valve 17 in the configuration shown in FIG. Inside the first check valve 16, a stopper projection 16a is provided.
is formed, and this stopper projection 16a and the entrance portion 1
6b, there is provided a valve plate 16c (corresponding to the ball 16c in FIG. 3), one end of which is rotatably supported as shown by the arrow to the position shown by the dotted line. This water storage tank 4 is provided with a float switch 18 instead of an overflow pipe, which detects the upper limit water level 15 and controls the opening and closing of the water supply valve 10. Note that the other parts are given the same reference numerals, and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

g. Effects of the Invention Since the ice making machine according to the present invention has the above-described configuration and operation, it is difficult to avoid problems when there is a difference in the water level in the water storage tank between the start of ice making and the completion of ice making, or when the area of the water storage tank is extremely large. Even in this case, the ice-making residual water in the water storage tank is almost completely removed by the circulating water flowing backward when the circulation pump is stopped due to the siphon effect of the siphon.

Therefore, the ice making machine according to the present invention can produce the following special effects.

(1) The ice-making residual water in the water storage tank can be automatically drained after each de-icing cycle, preventing the concentration of impurities contained in the ice-making residual water from increasing, and
Since it is possible to prevent impurities from adhering to the water circuit, it is possible to prevent the normal operation of the ice maker from being impaired due to a decrease in ice making capacity, clogging of the water spray holes, etc., and extremely highly efficient ice making operation can be performed.

(2) Since water is drained by a siphon using the reverse flow of circulating water, there is no need to use any electrical means for the drainage system, making it inexpensive to construct and extremely easy to maintain and inspect as there is no need to worry about breakdowns. becomes.

(3) Since the diameter of the drainage system can be freely increased, drainage can be carried out in a short time, and the tank efficiency can be increased.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 5 are water circuit diagrams showing a preferred embodiment of the ice maker according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a water circuit diagram showing a conventional ice maker. 1 is an ice-making member, 1a is an ice-making surface, 2 is an evaporation tube, 3
is a sprinkler pipe, 4 is a water storage tank, 4d is a water storage tank pipe, 5 is a water supply pipe, 6 is a circulation pump, 7 is a water supply system, 8 is a siphon, 8e is an upper pipe part, 8f is a connection pipe, 9 1 is a water supply pipe, and 10 is a water supply valve.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In an ice making machine in which water in a water storage tank 4 is circulated and supplied to the ice making member 1 by a circulation pump 6 during an ice making cycle, the water storage tank 4
A siphon 8 having an upper pipe portion 8c higher than the highest liquid level 15 of the water storage tank 4 for discharging water outside, and a siphon 8 connected to the circulation pump 6 for supplying circulating water to the ice making member 1. At the start of the deicing cycle, the ice-making residual water in the water storage tank 4 is removed using the backflow of circulating water that flows back from the water supply system 7 as the circulation pump 6 stops. An ice making machine configured to discharge water to the outside of a water storage tank 4 via a siphon 8. 2. The ice making machine according to claim 1, wherein the inlet portion 8c of the siphon 8 and the connecting portion 4c of the water storage tank 4 are disposed substantially concentrically facing each other. 3 The siphon 8, the circulation pump 6, and the water storage tank 4 are connected to each other, and there is a water storage tank pipe line 4d that sucks the water stored in the water storage tank 4.
2. The ice making machine according to claim 1, wherein said circulation pump 6 and said siphon 8 are connected so as to be substantially orthogonal to a connecting pipe 8f that connects said circulation pump 6 and said siphon 8. 4 The siphon 8, the circulation pump 6, and the water storage tank 4 are connected to each other, and there is a water storage tank pipe line 4d that sucks the water stored in the water storage tank 4.
, a first check valve 16 for preventing backflow water from the circulation pump 6 from flowing back into the water storage tank 4;
An ice making machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the ice making machine is provided with: 5 The water storage tank pipe line 4d and the siphon 8
A second check valve 1 for preventing backflow from the siphon 8 into the water storage tank 4 is provided between the inlet portion 8c and the inlet portion 8c of the siphon 8.
Claim 3 characterized in that 7 is provided.
The ice making machine described in item 1 or 4. 6 On the inlet portion 8c side of the siphon 8,
The ice making machine according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that a trap portion 8g is formed. 7. The ice making machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the siphon 8 is provided within the water storage tank 4. 8. The ice making machine according to any one of claims 1 or 3 to 6, wherein the siphon 8 is provided outside the water storage tank 4.