Ice making machine

Abstract

To provide an ice making machine in which work of removal and mounting of a water tray is easy.SOLUTION: A front screw member 29 screwed to a water tray 12 includes: a resin body 32 in which an annular groove part 32a is formed to which a hook 31a of a coil spring 31 in a tilting mechanism is connected; and a metal screw body 33 inserted in the body 32. In the screw body 33, a screw part 35a screwed into the water tray 12 protrudes from a rear end of the body 32, and a head part 34 in which an engagement part 34a which can be engaged with a tool is positioned in the body. At the body 32, an exposure hole 32b opening to the front end side is provided so as to extend to the head part 34 of the screw body 33, and the engagement part 34a of the head part 34 is exposed in the exposure hole 32b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ice making machine in which a water tray is pivotally supported so as to be tiltable. [Background technology]

[0002] Ice-making machines capable of producing a large amount of ice blocks are preferably used in facilities such as coffee shops and restaurants, and in other kitchens. Some ice-making machines are equipped with a so-called closed-cell type ice-making mechanism, which is configured to produce ice blocks by spraying ice-making water from a water tray with the opening of the ice-making chamber closed to an ice-making chamber provided in an ice-making chamber (ice-making section), and to drop and release the produced ice blocks by tilting the water tray in a direction away from the ice-making chamber using a tilting mechanism (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the ice-making machine disclosed in Patent Document 1, a cam member rotated by an actuator in the tilting mechanism and a screw member screwed to the water tray are connected by a coil spring, and the water tray is tilted by the rotation of the cam member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-325143 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The coil spring of the tilting mechanism has a hook formed at its lower end that is hooked into an annular groove formed on the outer periphery of the screw member of the water tray, and the hook is deformed so that the hook does not easily come off the screw member. Therefore, when the water tray is removed from the ice maker for maintenance such as cleaning, the screw member with the hook still hooked is removed from the water tray, and after maintenance, the screw member with the hook still hooked is attached to the water tray.

[0005] The screw member is a member in which a threaded portion to be screwed into the water tray protrudes from one end of a main body in which an annular groove is formed, and the screw member is removed from and attached to the water tray by rotating the screw member using an adjustable wrench or spanner engaged with the main body formed in a hexagonal column shape. However, when the coil spring is hooked onto the screw member, it is cumbersome to engage an adjustable wrench or spanner from the side of the main body facing between the coil spring and the water tray to remove and attach the screw member to the water tray. In addition, the working space for attaching and detaching the water tray inside the ice maker is narrow, and it has been pointed out that the work of engaging an adjustable wrench or spanner from the side of the screw member to attach and detach it reduces work efficiency and takes time.

[0006] In other words, the present invention has been proposed in consideration of the problems inherent in the conventional technology described above, and aims to provide an ice maker in which the water tray can be easily removed and installed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to overcome the above problems and achieve the intended purpose, the ice maker according to the invention of claim 1 comprises: An ice making machine comprising: a water tray (12) that is provided inside a box (10) whose front is openable and that is tiltable relative to an ice making section (11); and a tilting mechanism (19) that tilts the water tray (12), a screw member (29) that is detachably screwed to the front side of the water tray (12); a coil spring (31) that constitutes the tilting mechanism (19), one end (31a) of which is connected to the screw member (29) and that holds the water tray (12), which is tilted relative to the ice-making unit (11), in a closed position close to the ice-making unit (11) and in an open position away from the ice-making unit (11); The screw member (29) includes a resin body (32) having a connecting portion (32a) that protrudes forward from the water tray (12) and to which one end (31a) of the coil spring (31) is connected, and a metal screw body (33) that is inserted into the body (32), The screw body (33) has a screw portion (35a) that is screwed into the water tray (12) and protrudes rearward from the main body (32), and an engagement portion (34a) that can be engaged with a tool is formed facing the front side of the main body (32), The gist of the present invention is that a tool can be engaged with the engaging portion (34a) of the threaded body (33) from the main body (32) side. In the invention of claim 1, the engagement part of the threaded body inserted into the main body is configured to be engageable with a tool from the front side of the main body, improving the ease of installation and removal of the threaded member from the water tray when the coil spring is connected to the connecting part of the main body, and shortening the time required for maintenance and other services. In addition, the main body on which the connecting part of the coil spring is formed is made of resin, and the threaded body on which the engagement part of the tool is formed is made of metal, so that the sliding resistance between the coil spring and the main body when the water tray is tilted by the tilting mechanism is small, allowing for smooth tilting of the water tray and suppressing chipping or stripping of the engagement part by the tool.

[0008] The invention according to claim 2 is as follows: The screw body (33) is inserted into the main body (32) so as to cross the formation area of ​​the connecting portion (32a), and the engagement portion (34a) is located forward of the connecting portion (32a). In the invention of claim 2, a metal screw body is present inside the main body, crossing the area where the connecting part is formed, thereby improving the strength of the connecting part to which load is applied when the water tray is tilted, and preventing damage to the screw member. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the ice making machine of the present invention, the screw member can be easily attached to and removed from the water tray while the coil spring is connected, and the water tray can be easily attached and removed in a short amount of time. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic front view showing an ice making mechanism of an ice making machine according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an ice making machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic side view showing an ice making mechanism according to an embodiment, with a portion cut away; [Figure 4] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of the ice making mechanism according to the embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of a screw member according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view of a screw member according to another embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a screw member according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Next, the ice-making machine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings by way of a preferred embodiment. In the embodiment, the ice-making machine will be described by way of a jet-type automatic ice-making machine equipped with a so-called closed-cell type ice-making mechanism. In the following description, the side of the ice-making machine shown in Fig. 2 where the door is provided is defined as the front side, and the front-rear direction is indicated, and the left-right direction is indicated as viewed from the front of the ice-making machine in Fig. 2. EXAMPLES

[0012] 1 and 2 are schematic diagrams showing an ice making machine of an embodiment. The ice making machine is configured such that an ice storage chamber 10a is defined inside a box body 10, which is the main body of the ice making machine, and an ice making mechanism 14 consisting of an ice making chamber (ice making section) 11, a water tray 12, an ice making water tank 13, etc. is disposed inside the box body 10 at the upper part. Specifically, an ice making chamber 11, which defines a number of ice making chambers 11a opening downward, is fixed and supported below a mounting member 15 horizontally disposed on the upper part of the box body 10. An evaporator 17 constituting a refrigeration circuit is disposed in a serpentine manner in close contact with the upper surface of the ice making chamber 11, and is configured to circulate a refrigerant to forcibly cool the ice making chamber 11 during ice making operation, and to circulate a high-temperature refrigerant (hot gas) to heat the ice making chamber 11 during de-icing operation. A water tray 12 is disposed directly below the ice making chamber 11, and an ice making water tank 13 for storing ice making water is disposed below the water tray 12. A door 16 is provided on the front of the box 10 to open and close the outlet 10b corresponding to the front of the ice storage chamber 10a, and the ice blocks stored in the ice storage chamber 10a can be taken out from the outlet 10b by opening the door 16. An upper front wall member 36 that covers the front of the ice making mechanism 14 is detachably arranged on the front of the box 10 above the outlet 10b, and the water tray 12 can be attached and detached from the front of the ice making machine by removing the upper front wall member 36. That is, in the ice making machine, the box 10 that houses the ice making chamber 11, the water tray 12, etc. is configured so that the front can be opened. A top plate (not shown) is detachably arranged on the top of the box 10.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 1, the water tray 12 is pivotally supported by a support shaft 18 extending in the front-rear direction relative to a support portion 15a provided at a position offset to the left side of the mounting member 15. The water tray 12 is surrounded by walls 12b, 12b, 12b on the front, rear and left sides of the plate-shaped member 12a, and the side opposite the pivot side (the right end side) is open. Although not shown, at positions on the plate-shaped member 12a corresponding to each ice-making chamber 11a, there are provided injection holes for injecting ice-making water from the ice-making water tank 13 into each ice-making chamber 11a of the ice-making chamber 11, and return holes for returning ice-making water that has been supplied to the ice-making chamber 11 but has not frozen to the ice-making water tank 13.

[0014] 1 and 2, ice-making mechanism 14 is provided with a tilting mechanism 19 on the side opposite (right side) to the pivot side of water tray 12 for opening and closing (tilting) water tray 12 with respect to ice-making chamber 11. In ice-making mechanism 14, during ice-making operation, water tray 12 is held in a closed position (ice-making position) by tilting mechanism 19 so as to approach ice-making chamber 11 and close the bottom of each ice-making chamber 11a of ice-making chamber 11, and ice-making water in ice-making water tank 13 disposed in water tray 12 is sprayed by circulation pump 20 from water tray 12 to each ice-making chamber 11a cooled by evaporator 17, producing ice blocks in each ice-making chamber 11a. In addition, in the ice-making mechanism 14, during de-icing operation, the water tray 12 is held in an open position (de-icing position) in which it is moved downwardly away from the ice-making chamber 11 by the tilting mechanism 19 and is in an inclined position that allows ice blocks to be released from the ice-making chamber 11a, and the ice blocks that are released from the ice-making chamber 11a and heated by the evaporator 17 are guided to the inclined upper surface of the water tray 12 and fall into the ice storage chamber 10a.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 3, a front support member 21 and a rear support member 22 are arranged to hang down from the lower surface of the mounting member 15 at a predetermined distance in the front-rear direction, and a camshaft 23 is rotatably supported by bearings 21a, 22a provided at the lower ends of both support members 21, 22. A front cam member 24 and a rear cam member 25 are connected to both ends of the camshaft 23 in the axial direction via their bases 24a, 25a, respectively, so that both cam members 24, 25 rotate integrally with the camshaft 23. A bracket 26 formed in a U-shape that opens downward is arranged on the front surface of the mounting member 15 so as to cover the front cam member 24 from above. A motor (driving means) 27 such as a geared motor is attached to the front surface of the bracket 26, and a rotating shaft 27a of the motor 27 is connected to the base 24a of the front cam member 24. That is, the pair of cam members 24, 25 rotate integrally in the forward or reverse direction by rotating motor 27 forward or reverse. As the front and rear cam members 24, 25 rotate from the closed position to the open direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 1 in this embodiment), the outer circumferential surfaces of the cam members 24, 25 press the front and rear walls 12b, 12b of water tray 12, forcibly defrosting the ice blocks formed in ice making chamber 11 and water tray 12.

[0016] 3, arm portions 24b, 25b are formed to extend radially from base portions 24a, 25a of front and rear cam members 24, 25, and protrusions 28 are provided at the tips of arm portions 24b, 25b so as to protrude forward. A front screw member (screw member) 29 protrudes from the front wall portion 12b of water tray 12, and a rear screw member 30 protrudes from the rear wall portion 12b of water tray 12. Coil springs 31 as elastic members are elastically connected between the corresponding protrusions 28 and front screw member 29, and between the protrusions 28 and rear screw member 30. 1 and 3, in the closed position of the cam members 24, 25, the arm portions 24b, 25b face the base portions 24a, 25a so as to extend upward, and are configured to stretch the coil springs 31, 31 interposed between the projections 28, 28 and the front and rear screw members 29, 30, thereby pulling the water tray 12 to the closed position and closing the ice making chamber 11 from below. In the open position of the cam members 24, 25 (the de-icing position in which the water tray 12 is positioned in the open position), the arm portions 24b, 25b face the base portions 24a, 25a so as to extend obliquely downward, and are configured to suspend and support the water tray 12 in the open position, away from the ice making chamber 11 and open, via the coil springs 31, 31 interposed between the projections 28, 28 and the front and rear screw members 29, 30. In this embodiment, the cam members 24, 25, the motor 27, and the coil springs 31, 31 constitute the tilt mechanism 19.

[0017] Here, in the embodiment, the external shape of the portions of the front and rear cam members 24, 25 that come into contact with the wall portions 12b, 12b of the water tray 12 is configured so that when the cam members 24, 25 rotate from the closed position to the open position, the front cam member 24 presses down the wall portion 12b of the water tray 12 before the rear cam member 25 presses down the wall portion 12b of the water tray 12, twisting the water tray 12 to break the ice formed in the ice making chamber 11. For this reason, when the ice formed in the ice making chamber 11 and the water tray 12 are forcibly broken up, a greater load is applied to the front cam member 24 than to the rear cam member 25.

[0018] As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the front screw member 29 is composed of a resin body 32 and a metal screw body 33 inserted into the body 32. The body 32 is molded by insert molding with the screw body 33 as an insert, and is integrated with the screw body 33. The body 32 has an annular groove (connecting portion) 32a formed on the outer periphery, and a hook (one end portion) 31a provided at one end of the coil spring 31 is connected to the annular groove 32a. The screw body 33 has an engaging portion 34a formed therein with which a tool such as a screwdriver can be engaged, and a shaft portion 35 extending rearward from a head portion 34 located inside the body, protruding rearward by a predetermined length from the rear end of the body 32, and the protruding portion is a screw portion 35a on which a male screw is formed. The front screw member 29 is attached in a state in which the main body 32 protrudes forward from the water tray 12 by screwing the screw portion 35a into the screw hole 12c formed in the front wall portion 12b of the water tray 12.

[0019] The engaging portion 34a is formed on the front end surface of the head 34 of the screw body 33, facing the front side of the main body 32. The engaging portion 34a in the embodiment is a cross-shaped recess for receiving the tip of a Phillips screwdriver as shown in Fig. 5, but it may be a straight-shaped recess for receiving the tip of a flat-head screwdriver, or a hexagonal recess for receiving the tip of a hexagonal wrench.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 4, the main body 32 is formed with an exposure hole 32b that opens at the front side and extends to the head 34 of the screw body 33, and is configured to expose the engagement portion 34a formed on the head 34 in the exposure hole 32b. That is, the engagement portion 34a of the screw body 33 inserted in the main body 32 is exposed to the front side of the water tray 12 through the exposure hole 32b. The diameter of the exposure hole 32b is set larger than the engagement portion 34a, so that the engagement portion 34a is exposed toward the front side of the main body 32 and the engagement portion 34a can be accessed by a tool from the front side of the water tray 12. The diameter of the exposure hole 32b is set smaller than the outer diameter of the head 34, so that the outer periphery of the head 34 is covered by the main body 32.

[0021] The rear screw member 30 is detachably screwed through a screw hole formed in the rear wall portion 12b of the water tray 12. The rear cam member 25 is configured such that the protrusion 28 is detachably disposed, and the connection between the water tray 12 and the tilting mechanism 19 can be released by removing the protrusion 28.

[0022] [Function of the embodiment] Next, the operation of the ice making machine according to the embodiment will be described.

[0023] When removing the water tray 12 from the box 10 of the ice maker, the upper front wall member 36 is removed from the box 10 to expose the front side of the water tray 12 when the front screw member 29 is removed from the water tray 12. The water tray 12 is tilted to the open position by the tilting mechanism 19. Then, a tool such as a screwdriver is inserted from the front into the exposure hole 32b of the front screw member 29, and the tip of the tool is engaged with the engagement portion 34a formed on the head 34 of the screw body 33. The screw portion 35a is removed from the screw hole 12c of the water tray 12 by rotating the screw body 33 (and the main body 32) in a predetermined direction with the tool, and the front screw member 29 is removed from the water tray 12 while the coil spring 31 is connected to the main body 32. Then, by releasing the support state of the support shaft 18 relative to the support portion 15a and the linked state of the rear cam member 25 and the tilt mechanism 19, the water tray 12 can be removed from the box body 10.

[0024] When attaching the water tray 12 to the box 10, the support shaft 18 is supported by the support portion 15a, and the rear cam member 25 and the tilting mechanism 19 are connected to each other, and the tip of the threaded portion 35a of the front screw member 29 is inserted from the front into the threaded hole 12c formed in the front wall portion 12b of the water tray 12. Then, a tool is inserted from the front into the exposed hole 32b of the main body 32 to which the coil spring 31 is connected, and the tip of the tool is engaged with the engaging portion 34a exposed in the exposed hole 32b to rotate the screw body 33 (and the main body 32), whereby the threaded portion 35a is screwed into the threaded hole 12c, the front screw member 29 is screwed to the water tray 12, and the water tray 12 is attached to the box 10.

[0025] In the ice maker of the embodiment, the front screw member 29 screwed to the water tray 12 has a screw body 33 integrated with a resin body 32, and an engagement portion 34a formed on a head 34 of the screw body 33 is exposed toward the front side of the water tray 12 through an exposure hole 32b of the body 32. Therefore, even when the hook 31a of the coil spring 31 is connected to the annular groove portion 32a of the body 32, a tool can be easily engaged with the engagement portion 34a from the front side, and the front screw member 29 can be attached and removed in a short time without being hindered by the coil spring 31. In addition, since the body 32 provided with the annular groove portion 32a to which the hook 31a of the coil spring 31 is connected is made of resin, the sliding resistance between the hook 31a and the body 32 is small, and the hook 31a rotates smoothly relative to the front screw member 29 when the front cam member 24 rotates, and the water tray 12 can be tilted smoothly by the tilting mechanism 19. In addition, the front screw member 29 can be attached or detached from the water tray 12 by a simple operation of simply rotating the screw body 33 with a tool engaged from the front side with the engagement portion 34a of the front screw member 29, thereby improving work efficiency even in a narrow work space.

[0026] Here, in order to make the hook 31a rotate smoothly relative to the front screw member 29 when the front cam member 24 rotates, it is preferable to make the main body 32 from resin, and therefore it is possible to provide an engagement portion for a tool on the main body 32. However, in a resin engagement portion, when the front screw member 29 is rotated with a metal tool engaged with the engagement portion, there is a risk that chipping or stripping may occur due to insufficient strength of the resin engagement portion. However, in the front screw member 29 of the embodiment, the engagement portion 34a with which the tool engages is provided on the metal screw body 33, so that chipping or stripping of the engagement portion 34a can be suppressed when the screw body 33 is rotated with the tool. That is, the front screw member 29 of the embodiment can smooth the rotation of the hook 31a and suppress damage such as chipping or stripping of the engagement portion 34a.

[0027] By making the shape of the engagement portion 34a provided on the front screw member 29 the same as the engagement portion of the screw that fixes the upper front wall member 36 to the box body 10, the upper front wall member 36 and the front screw member 29 can be attached and removed using the same tool, eliminating the need to prepare multiple types of tools.

[0028] Next, another embodiment of the screw member used in the ice maker will be described. Note that the same members as those in the embodiment will be given the same reference numerals.

[0029] A front screw member (screw member) 37 of another embodiment shown in Figures 6 and 7 is configured so that a part of the head 34 of the screw body 33 protrudes from the front end of the resin body 32, and an engagement portion 34a facing the front side provided on the head 34 is exposed in front of the body 32. The head 34 of the another embodiment is formed in a hexagonal column shape, and the head 34 protrudes from the body 32 by about half the length in the axial direction, and a cross-shaped engagement portion 34a is formed on its end face. That is, in the front screw member 37, the head 34 of the screw body 33 is located forward of the annular groove portion 32a in the body 32, and the shaft portion 35 of the screw body 33 extending rearward from the head 34 is embedded in the body over approximately the entire length across the area where the annular groove portion 32a is formed.

[0030] An ice maker using the front screw member 37 of the other embodiment has the same effect as the ice maker of the embodiment. In addition, the front screw member 37 of the other embodiment has a metal screw body 33 embedded inside the main body 32 so as to cross the area where the annular groove portion 32a is formed, so that the strength of the annular groove portion 32a to which a load is applied when the water tray 12 is tilted can be improved. In particular, when the water tray 12 is tilted, a large load is also applied to the front screw member 37 that is connected via the coil spring 31 to the front cam member 24, which is subjected to a larger load than the rear cam member 25, but by improving the strength of the annular groove portion 32a, damage to the front screw member 37 can be prevented and the service life can be extended. In addition, since the hexagonal column-shaped head 34 protrudes forward from the main body 32, a box driver with a hexagonal hole box can be used, and the occurrence of chipping or nicking of the engagement portion 34a with which the tip of the tool engages can be more suitably prevented.

[0031] [Example of change] The present application is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiment and other embodiments, and other configurations may be appropriately adopted. In addition, configurations in which the following modified examples are mutually combined may be adopted. (1) In another embodiment of the front screw member, the head of the screw body is configured to protrude from the end face of the main body. However, as long as the engagement portion formed on the head is located forward of the annular groove portion, for example, the front surface of the main body and the front surface of the head may be flush with each other, and the engagement portion provided on the front surface may be exposed. (2) In the front screw member of the alternative embodiment, the head of the screw body is shaped like a hexagonal prism, but it may be shaped like a polygonal prism, such as a square or pentagonal prism. (3) In the front screw member of the embodiment and other embodiments, the main body and the screw body are configured to rotate as one unit, but a configuration can be adopted in which the screw body is inserted into the main body so as to be freely rotatable while its axial movement is restricted, and the front screw member (screw member) is attached and detached from the water tray by rotating only the screw body with a tool. (4) The ice-making mechanism is not limited to a configuration in which the ice-making chamber and the water tray are arranged horizontally, and a configuration in which the ice-making chamber and the water tray are arranged vertically may be adopted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 10 box body, 11 ice making chamber (ice making section), 12 water tray, 19 tilting mechanism, 31 coil spring 31a hook (one end), 32 body, 32a annular groove (connecting portion), 33 screw body 34a engagement portion, 35a screw portion

Claims

1. An ice making machine including a water tray provided inside a box whose front is openable and tiltable relative to an ice making unit, and a tilting mechanism for tilting the water tray, A screw member that is detachably screwed to the front side of the water tray; a coil spring that constitutes the tilting mechanism, one end of which is connected to the screw member and that holds the water tray, which is tilted relative to the ice making unit, in a closed position close to the ice making unit and in an open position away from the ice making unit; The screw member includes a resin body having a connecting portion protruding forward from the water tray and connected to one end of the coil spring, and a metal screw body inserted into the body. The screw body has a threaded portion that is screwed into the water tray and protrudes rearward from the main body, and an engagement portion that can be engaged with a tool is formed facing the front side of the main body, A tool is configured to be able to engage with the engagement portion of the screw body from the side of the main body. The ice maker is characterized by:

2. 2. The ice making machine according to claim 1, wherein the screw body is inserted into the main body so as to cross an area where the connecting portion is formed, and the engaging portion is located forward of the connecting portion.

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