JPH0686971B2 - Ice machine controller - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic ice maker that circulates ice making water in an ice storage tank in an ice making member constituting a refrigerating device by a pump device to generate ice blocks in the ice making member. It relates to the control when the ice is full in the ice storage chamber.

2. Description of the Related Art An example of a conventional ice making machine will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 shows the structure of a conventional ice making machine, and FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of the operation thereof. Has been done. An ice making member 5 having an evaporator 4 is installed in an inclined manner in the ice making chamber 2. A water storage tank 6 for storing ice making water and a circulation pump device 7 are installed in the water storage tank 6, and the ice making member 5 constitutes a running water circulation type ice making system. The ice making member 5 is attached in close contact with an ice making detector for detecting ice making by detecting a predetermined temperature of the ice making member 5. Further, below the ice making member 5, there is provided an ice storage chamber 8 and a plate ice cutting heater device 9 for receiving the plate ice after the ice removal and cutting it into an ice block of a predetermined size. In addition, an electric compressor 10 and a condenser 11 that form a refrigeration circuit together with the evaporator 4 are arranged in the machine room 3. Reference numeral 12 denotes an air cooling fan of the condenser 11 and its motor. Further, 13 is an ice storage detecting device having a temperature sensing unit for detecting a predetermined amount of ice in the ice storage chamber 8 and is set so as to detect the ice storage by sensing the contact temperature of the ice blocks. Reference numeral 14 is a water supply valve as a water supply device for electrically opening and closing a water supply pipe 15 connected to a water source to introduce ice making water into the water storage tank 6. In the water storage tank 6, a drainage pipe 16 for maintaining a predetermined water level, an upper water level detecting device 18 for detecting an upper level water level 17, and a lower water level detecting device 20 for detecting a lower level water level 19 are arranged.

Reference numeral 21 is a solenoid valve for electrically controlling the hot gas flowing from the electric compressor 10 to the evaporator 4 when the ice generated in the ice making member 5 is released.

Next, the operation will be described. First, ice making is started from a state where the ice making tank 6 is filled with ice making water, and as the ice is made in the ice making member 5, the water level in the water holding tank 6 decreases, and the lower level water level set to a predetermined ice thickness. When it reaches 19, it is detected by the lower water level detection device 20, and the ice making cycle is stopped and switched to the ice removing cycle. In the ice removing cycle, hot gas flows into the evaporator 4 by switching the solenoid valve 21 to remove the plate ice generated in the ice making member 5, and the water supply valve 14
By this, the ice making water is supplied to the water storage tank 6. When the ice making water reaches the upper water level 17 of the water storage tank 6, the ice making water is overflowed by a certain amount and the supply is stopped. At this time, the water level in the water storage tank 6 is kept constant by the drainage pipe 16. When the plate ice is released from the ice making member 5 and the ice making member 5 reaches a predetermined temperature, the ice making detector 22 operates to stop the ice making and the ice making cycle is switched to. The separated plate ice is cut by a plate ice cutting heater device 9 provided at a lower portion of the ice making member 5 to be stored in the ice storage chamber 8
Stored in. When a predetermined amount of ice blocks is stored in the ice storage chamber 8, it is detected by the ice storage detection device 13, and the ice making of the cycle is performed.
After the completion of ice removal, only the plate ice cutting heater device 9 is energized and the rest is completely stopped.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the ice-making machine having the above-described configuration, the ice-making member is at a high temperature because the ice-making mode is set immediately after the ice is released. In addition, since water is supplied at the same time during ice removal, the water temperature in the water storage tank is high and the heat capacity of the ice making machine is large. Therefore, there has been a problem that the stored ice melts quickly.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, when ice storage is detected, a pre-cooling timer that operates after the ice removal is detected by the ice removal detection device is provided, and after a pre-cooling operation for a predetermined time. The ice making is stopped and the ice storage mode is entered.

Effect The present invention has the above-described configuration, and does not shift to the ice storage mode immediately after detecting the ice storage, but performs the pre-cooling operation for a predetermined time or until the water temperature in the ice making member and the water storage tank reaches the predetermined temperature, so that the heat capacity in the ice storage is It is designed so that the minimum melting of the stored ice is difficult to minimize.

Embodiment Hereinafter, a control device for an ice making machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The structure of the ice maker main body excluding the control device is the same as the conventional one, and the description thereof is omitted.

1 and 2 are block diagrams and flow charts showing the control device of the ice making machine of the present invention, the main part of which is constituted by a microcomputer (CPU) 23. This microcomputer 23 stores a well-known program of the ice making machine (water supply → ice making → ice removing operation), and a pre-cooling timer 24 that operates after the ice removing is completed after the ice storage detecting device 13 detects ice storage. It is equipped with.

The following operation will be described. During the ice removal cycle, after the completion of ice removal is detected by the ice removal detection device 22, the ice storage detection device 13
When the ice storage is detected by, the ice storage mode is not immediately changed to the ice storage mode, and the precooling timer 24 performs the precooling operation for a predetermined time to lower the water temperature in the ice making member 5 and the water storage tank 6. Then, the pre-cooling operation is stopped and the ice storage mode is entered. Here, the pre-cooling timer of 24 hours is preferably 3 to 5 minutes as a result of various studies, which is desirable from the viewpoint of preventing scrap ice, as the time during which ice cannot be formed in the ice making member 5.

As described above, when the ice storage mode is entered, the water temperature in the ice making member 5 and the water storage tank 6 is lowered, and the heat capacity in the ice storage is minimized, so that the stored ice is prevented from being melted.

It should be noted that the precooling timer 24 does not perform the precooling operation, and the temperature detection device provided in the ice making member 5 (in this embodiment, it can also be used as the ice removal detection device 22) and the temperature detection device provided in the water storage tank 6 are detected. Until a device (not shown) detects a predetermined temperature,
The same effect can be obtained by performing the precooling operation.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION As is clear from the above description, the ice-making machine of the present invention detects the ice storage by the ice storage detecting device, and then immediately performs the pre-cooling operation for a predetermined time by the pre-cooling timer without shifting from the ice releasing to the ice storage mode. Therefore, the heat capacity in the ice storage during ice storage is minimized, which has the effect of suppressing the dissolution of the stored ice, and when the ice is taken out from the ice storage and switched to the ice making cycle again, it is already in the water storage tank. Since the internal water temperature has dropped, it also has the effect of enabling quick ice making.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a controller of an ice making machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the operation of the controller, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a conventional ice making machine, and FIG. Is a flow chart showing the operation of the conventional ice making machine. 5 ... Ice-making member, 7 ... Circulation pump device, 6 ... Water storage tank, 22 ... Ice removal detection device, 13 ... Ice storage detection device, 24 ...
… Pre-cool timer.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An ice making member for producing an ice mass, a circulation pump device for circulating ice making water in the ice making member, and a water storage tank for storing ice making water, wherein ice is released from the ice making member. And an ice storage detecting device that detects that the ice-making ice is full in the ice storage, and if ice storage is detected by the ice storage detecting device, A control device for an ice making machine, comprising a pre-cooling timer that operates after detecting the end of ice removal by a detection device, stopping the ice making after a pre-cooling operation for a predetermined time, and shifting to an ice storage mode.