JPH0457945B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION a. Field of Industrial Application This invention relates to an auger ice maker, and more particularly to an auger ice maker configured to dilute the impurity concentration of ice water used for ice making.

b. Prior Art A conventional auger ice maker of this type has a structure shown in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 58-47073, which is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In the figure, a water storage tank 8 that is supplied with water from a water supply pipe 15 provided with a water supply valve 10 and stores ice-making water, and a freezing casing 1 that is supplied with ice-making water in the water storage tank 8 through water supply pipes 17a and 17b. are provided in parallel, and a siphon pipe 25 is provided between the water supply pipes 17a and 17b. The siphon pipe 25 is an outer pipe 1 whose inner part is sealed with the outside.
8 and an inner tube 19 provided inside the outer tube 18, the upper opening 19a of the inner tube 19 protrudes above the water storage level during ice making, and the inner tube 1
The lower part of the outer pipe 18 is a drain pipe 17c that penetrates the lower part 18a of the outer pipe 18 and communicates with the outside.With this configuration, when it is detected that the ice storage 4 is full, a timer is automatically activated to drain the ice making water. It is designed to drain water. That is, when it is detected that the ice storage 4 is full, the water supply valve 10 is opened for a certain period of time by a timer to increase the water storage level in the water storage tank 8, and when the water storage level becomes the same as the level of the upper opening 19a, the upper opening 19a is opened. The ice-making water flows out through the drain pipe 17c, and once it has flowed out, it becomes possible to automatically drain the ice-making water to the outside by the siphon principle.In this way, it is possible to prevent limescale from adhering to the inside of the freezing casing. are doing.

c Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the above configuration, the ice making water is replaced only when the ice storage is full, so depending on the quality of the supplied water, the ice making water may be replaced for a short period of time (approximately (15 to 20 minutes), the concentration of impurities in the ice-making water in the frozen casing may increase, and in such cases, it is difficult to perform a preferable ice-making operation.

Furthermore, since the ice making water is discharged to the outside each time the ice storage is full, this causes inconvenience when the auger type ice maker is incorporated into a vending machine. That is, there has been a problem in that draining the ice-making water from a vending machine is practically impossible because it significantly reduces the sales capacity.

d Means for solving the problem This invention was made to solve the problem, and each time water is supplied, the water level in the water storage tank is raised to a level higher than the pressure head, and the ice-making water in the refrigerating casing is By pushing up the ice-making water from below and storing the ice-making water overflowing from the press head in the ice storage tank, when the water level in the water tank drops, the water stored in the ice storage tank is circulated back to the water storage tank. To provide an auger type ice maker capable of diluting water containing impurities without draining it outside the machine.

In order to achieve this object, according to the present invention, a passage through which a refrigerant passes is formed on the outer surface, an auger 2 is provided inside to scrape off the generated ice and transport it upward, and the upper part is provided with an auger 2 for scraping off the generated ice and transporting it upward. a refrigerating casing 1 provided with a pressing head 3 for compressing and dehydrating the
an ice storage 4 provided above the frozen casing for storing generated ice; a water storage tank 8 supplied with water by a water supply valve 10 to supply ice-making water to the frozen casing from below; and the water storage tank. In an auger-type ice maker equipped with a water level detection device 9 for detecting the water level in the water storage tank, upon receiving a signal from the water level detection device, when water is supplied from the water supply valve to the water storage tank, the upper surface of the pressure head is a control circuit unit 20 that controls the water supply valve to supply water to a water level Lb higher than La; and a control circuit unit 20 that controls the water supply valve to supply water to a water level Lb higher than La; and a passage 11a connecting the water storage tank to the freezing casing, whereby water overflowing from the pressure head and stored at the bottom of the ice storage tank when supplying ice making water from the water storage tank to the freezing casing is provided. An auger-type ice maker is provided which is characterized in that it is adapted to generate ice.

e Function In this invention, by making the upper water level supplied to the water storage tank higher than the upper surface of the press head at the upper part of the frozen casing, the water level in the water storage tank is periodically repeated when the water level in the water storage tank decreases due to continuation of ice-making operation. Each time water is supplied, a certain amount of concentrated ice-making water in the freezer casing is flooded into the ice storage, and the water is returned to the water storage tank through the outlet pipe at the bottom of the ice storage for dilution, allowing the ice-making water in the freezer casing to be constantly maintained without draining. It is possible to maintain conditions suitable for ice making.

f Embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 1, an auger 2 is rotatably provided inside a frozen casing 1, and a pressing head 3 is fixed to the upper part of the frozen casing 1 together with an ice storage 4 with bolts 5. A water supply port 6 for supplying ice-making water is provided at the bottom. The water supply port 6 is connected to the water supply port 8 of the water storage tank 8 through a connection hose 7.
It is connected to a.

A water level detection device, that is, a float switch 9 is disposed in the water storage tank 8 to detect the water level supplied from the water supply valve 10. It includes floats 9a and 9b. A connection port 8b is provided below the water storage tank 8, and a passage 11a is formed by connecting the connection port 8b and an outlet pipe 4a provided at the bottom of the ice storage 4 via a check valve 11. ing.

The refrigeration casing 1 is configured to be fixed to a geared motor 12 that drives an auger 2.

FIG. 2 shows a control circuit section 20 for controlling the operation of the auger ice maker shown in FIG. The ice release switch S _{1 is connected in series with the parallel connection of the timer TM 1} , the second timer TM ₂ and the first relay X ₁ , and the ice release switch S ₁ is connected in series with the parallel connection of the ice release solenoid SV and the second relay X ₂ . The ice storage switch S ₂ is connected in series with the third relay X ₃ and the first timer TM ₁ .
TM _1-1 , and _the geared motor 12 is connected in series with the normally open contact X _2-1 of the second relay X ₂ and the normally open contact X _3-1 of the third relay X 3 in parallel. The compressor 24 is connected to the third relay X ₃
and finally the water valve 10 is connected in series with the normally open contact X _3-2 of the second timer TM ₂ .
TM _2-1 and the parallel connection of the normally closed contact X _1-1 of the first relay X ₁ in series.

Next, the operation of the auger ice maker according to the present invention configured as above will be explained.

When the power switch 20a is first turned on, the water supply valve ₁ is turned on via the normally closed contact _X1-1 of the first relay X1.
0, the water supply valve 10 opens and starts supplying water to the water storage tank 8. When the water level in the water storage tank 8 reaches the upper float 9a of the float switch 9, the upper float 9a is closed, the first relay _X1 is energized, and the normally closed contact _X1-1 is opened. The timer TM ₂ of No. 2 is energized and closes its contact TM _2-1 for a set time to supply power to the water supply valve 10, so the water supply valve 10 continues to supply water into the water storage tank 8. Water is supplied until the water level reaches the upper limit water level Lb, which is higher than the overflow water level La on the upper surface of the pressing head 3. Since the ice-making water stored in the water storage tank 8 is provided with a check valve 11, it does not directly flow into the ice storage 4.
Water is supplied into the frozen casing 1 from the water supply port 6 provided at the lower part of the frozen casing 2 through the connecting hose 7, and water overflows from the upper part of the press head 3, causing ice storage 4.
Water is stored in the bottom 4b of the casing 1, and the water in the refrigeration casing 1 is replaced in this way.

On the other hand, at the same time as the upper float 9a is closed, the first timer TM ₁ is also excited and the contact TM _1-1 is closed.
As a result, the third relay X ₃ is energized and the normally open contacts X _3-1 and X _3-2 are closed, thereby driving the geared motor 12 and the compressor 24 and starting the ice-making operation.

As the ice-making operation continues and the water level in the water storage tank 8 decreases, the water stored in the bottom 4b of the ice storage 4 passes through the check valve 11 and flows into the water storage tank 8.
It will flow into the interior and be diluted. When the ice-making operation continues and the water level in the water storage tank 8 falls to the position of the lower float 9b, that is, the lower water level Lc, the float switch 9 opens and the first timer TM ₁ , second timer TM ₂ , and Relay X ₁ of No. 1 is demagnetized and the normally closed contact X _1-1 of the relay is closed to open the water supply valve 10 and start water supply. From then on, the control operation is the same as when the power switch 20a is turned on as described above. will be held. In this way, the ice-making water in the frozen casing 1 is replaced every time water is supplied (preferably at intervals of 5 to 7 minutes).

On the other hand, the contact TM _1-1 of the first timer TM ₁ is configured to open after a delay of approximately the time required for water supply, so that the ice-making operation continues even during water supply.

In conventional auger-type ice makers, as ice-making operation continues, the concentration of substances contained in the ice-making water at the press head 3 at the top of the frozen casing 1 decreases within 20 to 60 minutes after the start of operation (the concentration of substances contained in the supplied water decreases). The higher the concentration of the substance being fed, the faster the concentration of the supplied substance becomes 6 to 8 times that of the supplied water, and an equilibrium state is reached. If the concentration at this time exceeds a certain value, the shearbed-like ice at the pressing head 3 will become difficult to freeze during the compression process, and depending on the quality of the supplied water, it will become cloudy ice or brittle compressed ice. , operate the ice release switch S ₁ to activate the ice release solenoid SV.
When the agitator 14 in the ice storage 4 is operated to perform a stirring operation, the amount of powdered ice increases abnormally, causing arching and variations in the amount released.

In the above embodiment, the concentrated ice-making water in the freezing casing 1, which causes cloudy ice and brittle ice, is circulated and diluted each time water is supplied (every 5 to 7 minutes), so that it is contained in the ice-making water at the press head 3. Since the concentration of substances contained in water can be reduced to 1/3 to 1/4 of that in the conventional case, if the supplied water is suitable for drinking, it is not affected by water quality and can be compressed with the pressure head 3. Freezing is carried out and high quality ice can be made.

Although specific embodiments have been described above, various modifications are possible. For example, the relationship between the water level detection device and the first and second timers is not limited to that shown in the figure, and the upper float 9a may be placed at the overflow water level La or the upper limit water level Lb. In this way, the second
Timer TM ₂ is no longer needed.

g. Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, each time water is supplied, the water level in the water storage tank is supplied to a level higher than the pressure head attached to the upper part of the frozen casing, and the ice-making water inside the frozen casing is pushed up from the lower part of the frozen casing. By overflowing the ice-making water at the top, which has the highest concentration, into the ice storage from the press head, the ice-making water concentration can always be maintained in a range where the shear bed-like ice is easily compressed and frozen by the press head, and hard, high-quality ice cubes can be obtained. This has the effect of reducing the generation of powdered ice, improving the release characteristics and preventing the inability to release ice due to arching.At the same time, the water overflowing into the ice storage tank is diluted and circulated back to the water storage tank, so it is not removed from the machine. It also has the effect of eliminating wastewater. Furthermore, since the concentration of ice-making water at the press head can be kept low, it is possible to prevent scale from depositing on the bearing for the auger 2 attached to the press head, thereby preventing abnormal wear of the bearing due to this scale. Great effects such as prevention can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an auger-type ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing a control circuit for controlling the operation of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a conventional auger-type ice maker. FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the siphon tube shown in FIG. 3. In the figure, 1 is a frozen casing, 2
is the auger, 3 is the press head, 4 is the ice storage, 7 is the connection hose, 8 is the water storage tank, 9 is the float switch,
9a is the upper float, 9b is the lower float, 10
1 is a water supply valve, 11 is a check valve, 20 is a control circuit section, 2
4 is a compressor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A passage through which a refrigerant passes is formed on the outer surface, and an auger 2 is provided inside to scrape off the generated ice and transport it upward.
A freezing casing 1 is provided with a pressing head 3 for compressing and dehydrating the shaved ice, and an ice storage 4 is provided above the freezing casing for storing generated ice. , an auger-type ice maker comprising a water storage tank 8 that is supplied with water by a water supply valve 10 and supplies ice-making water to the freezing casing from below, and a water level detection device 9 for detecting the water level in the water storage tank, a control circuit unit 20 that receives a signal from the water level detection device and controls the water supply valve to supply water to a water level Lb higher than the upper surface La of the press head when water is supplied from the water supply valve to the water storage tank; a passage 11a connecting the bottom of the ice storage and the water storage tank so that water flows only in the direction from the bottom of the ice storage to the water storage tank; An auger-type ice maker characterized in that water overflowing from the press head and stored at the bottom of the ice storage when ice-making water is supplied is returned to the water storage tank.