Ice making machine

Abstract

To accurately detect that a door for opening / closing a takeout port of an ice storage chamber is in an opened state, without increasing costs, in an ice making machine which can execute a cold reserving operation in a standby mode.SOLUTION: An ice making machine 10 makes ice to be stored in an ice storage chamber 14 by performing control to execute an ice making operation for making ice by freezing ice making water delivered by water delivery means 23 in an ice making part 21 cooled by a freezing device 40 as an ice making mode, and when detecting that the ice is filled up in the ice storage chamber 14 by an ice storage detector 38, waits without making the ice to be stored in the ice storage chamber 14 by performing control not to execute the ice making operation as a standby mode, enables the execution of a cold reserving operation for cooling the inside of the ice storage chamber 14 by actuating the freezing device 40 in the standby mode to cool the ice making part 21, and detects an opened state of a door 15 on the basis of a temperature state in the ice storage chamber 14 in the standby mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an ice maker configured to store ice produced in an ice making section in an ice storage chamber, and to wait for ice production in the ice making section when the ice storage chamber is full, and to cool the ice storage chamber by cooling the ice making section during standby.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an invention of an ice maker that produces ice in an ice making section provided in an ice making chamber. This ice maker includes an ice making section that freezes ice making water to produce ice, a refrigeration device that cools the ice making section with a refrigerant circulated and supplied by a compressor, a water supply means that sends ice making water to the ice making section, an ice storage chamber that stores the ice produced in the ice making section, and an ice storage detector that detects that the ice storage chamber is full of ice.

[0003] In this ice maker, an ice making operation is performed in which ice making water is sent out by the water supply means and frozen in the ice making section cooled by the refrigeration device to produce ice, and a defrosting operation is performed in which hot gas is sent from the refrigeration device to the ice making section to detach ice from the ice making section. By alternately executing these operations, ice is produced and stored in the ice storage chamber. When the ice storage detector does not detect that the ice storage chamber is full of ice, the ice making operation and the defrosting operation are alternately executed as an ice making mode to produce ice stored in the ice storage chamber. When the ice storage detector detects that the ice storage chamber is full of ice, the ice making operation and the defrosting operation are not executed as an ice storage mode (standby mode), and the ice maker waits without producing ice stored in the ice storage chamber. In this ice maker, when it is in the ice storage mode, control is performed to execute a cold storage operation for suppressing an increase in the temperature inside the ice storage chamber. The ice making section is cooled by the refrigeration device by executing the cold storage operation, and the inside of the ice storage chamber is cooled by the cold air flowing down from the ice making section.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the ice maker of Patent Document 1, when in the ice storage mode, control is performed to execute a cold storage operation for suppressing an increase in the temperature inside the ice storage chamber. The ice storage chamber is cooled by cold air flowing down from an ice making section cooled by a refrigeration device. An outlet for taking out ice is formed in the ice storage chamber, and the outlet of the ice storage chamber is openably and closably closed by a door. If the door is forgotten to be closed after opening the door and taking out ice from the outlet of the ice storage chamber, cold air is released from the outlet, and the temperature inside the ice storage chamber rises. In this case, although the ice storage chamber is cooled by the cold storage operation, since cold air is continuously released from the ice storage chamber, the cold storage operation is continuously executed or intermittently executed in a short time. By providing a detection sensor for detecting the opening of the door at the outlet of the ice storage chamber, the opening of the door provided at the outlet of the ice storage chamber can be detected. However, providing a sensor for detecting the opening of the door not only increases the manufacturing cost, but also has a problem that even when the door is slightly open, it is detected that the door is open, and it is difficult to accurately detect that the door is open. An object of the present invention is to accurately detect, without increasing the cost, that a door for opening and closing an outlet of an ice storage chamber is in an open state in an ice maker capable of executing a cold storage operation during a standby mode.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention includes an ice-making unit that freezes ice-making water to produce ice, a refrigeration device that cools the ice-making unit with a refrigerant circulated by a compressor, a water supply means that sends ice-making water to the ice-making unit, an ice storage chamber that stores the ice produced in the ice-making unit, a door that opens and closes an outlet for taking out the ice stored in the ice storage chamber, and an ice storage detector that detects that the ice storage chamber is filled with ice. When the ice storage detector does not detect that the ice storage chamber is filled with ice, it controls to execute an ice-making operation of freezing the ice-making water sent by the water supply means in the ice-making unit cooled by the refrigeration device as an ice-making mode to produce ice to be stored in the ice storage chamber. When the ice storage detector detects that the ice storage chamber is filled with ice, it controls not to execute the ice-making operation as a standby mode and waits without producing ice to be stored in the ice storage chamber. During the standby mode, the refrigeration device is operated to cool the ice-making unit, so that a cold storage operation for cooling the ice storage chamber can be executed. The present invention provides an ice maker characterized in that it detects a state in which the door is open based on the temperature situation in the ice storage chamber during the standby mode.

[0007] In the ice maker configured as described above, it is configured to detect a state in which the door is open based on the temperature situation in the ice storage chamber during the standby mode. When the door is closed during the standby mode, the temperature in the ice storage chamber does not rise in a short time. However, when the door is in an open state during the standby mode, the temperature in the ice storage chamber is likely to rise because cold air is released from the outlet. Thus, the temperature situation in the ice storage chamber is different between the state where the door is closed and the state where the door is open. Therefore, it is possible to detect that the door is in an open state from the temperature situation in the ice storage chamber during the standby mode. As a result, without increasing the cost by providing a sensor or the like for detecting that the door is open, it is possible to accurately detect that the door is in an open state.

[0008] In the ice maker configured as described above, it is equipped with a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature inside the ice storage chamber, and is controlled to execute the cold storage operation based on the detected temperature of the temperature sensor under the condition of stopping with a minimum stop time set to be longer than the protection time for preventing the compressor from restarting again in a short time after it stops after the end of the cold storage operation in the standby mode. The time from the end of the cold storage operation until the cold storage operation is restarted again during the standby mode is measured, and based on the temperature situation inside the ice storage chamber determined from the operation situation of the cold storage operation when the cold storage operation is continuously started a predetermined number of times immediately after the minimum stop time has elapsed after the end of the cold storage operation, the state in which the door is opened may be detected.

[0009] When the door is closed during the standby mode, the temperature inside the ice storage chamber does not rise in a short time, and the frequency of executing the cold storage operation during the standby mode is low. On the other hand, when the door is in an open state during the standby mode, the temperature inside the ice storage chamber rises due to the release of cold air from the outlet, and the frequency of executing the cold storage operation during the standby mode increases. Thus, the operation situation of the cold storage operation is different when cooling the ice storage chamber with the door closed and when cooling the ice storage chamber with the door open, and it is possible to determine whether it is the temperature situation of the ice storage chamber with the door closed or the temperature situation of the ice storage chamber with the door open from the operation situation of the cold storage operation. As a result, the time from the end of the cold storage operation until the cold storage operation is restarted again during the standby mode is measured, and the temperature situation inside the ice storage chamber in the state where the door is open can be determined from the operation situation of the cold storage operation when the cold storage operation is continuously started a predetermined number of times immediately after the minimum stop time has elapsed after the end of the cold storage operation, and the state in which the door is open can be detected from this temperature situation of the ice storage chamber.

[0010] Similarly, in the ice maker configured as described above, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature inside the ice storage chamber is provided, and the ice maker is controlled to execute the cold storage operation based on the detected temperature of the temperature sensor under the condition that the ice maker is stopped at a minimum stop time set to be longer than the protection time for preventing the compressor from restarting again in a short time after it stops after the cold storage operation ends in the standby mode. Also, when the number of times the cold storage operation is started within a certain period during the standby mode is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the ice maker may be configured to detect the state in which the door is open based on the temperature condition inside the ice storage chamber determined from the operation status of the cold storage operation.

[0011] When the door is closed during the standby mode, the temperature inside the ice storage chamber does not rise significantly in a short time, and the frequency of executing the cold storage operation during the standby mode is low. On the other hand, when the door is in an open state during the standby mode, the temperature inside the ice storage chamber rises due to the release of cold air from the outlet, and the frequency of executing the cold storage operation during the standby mode increases. Thus, the operation status of the cold storage operation is different when cooling the ice storage chamber with the door closed and when cooling the ice storage chamber with the door open. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether the temperature condition of the ice storage chamber is in a state with the door closed or in a state with the door open based on the operation status of the cold storage operation. As a result, when the number of times the cold storage operation is started within a certain period during the standby mode is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the temperature condition inside the ice storage chamber in the state where the door is open can be determined from the operation status of the cold storage operation, and the state where the door is open can be detected based on this temperature condition of the ice storage chamber.

[0012] Similarly, in the ice maker configured as described above, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the ice making section or the ice storage chamber is provided, and the ice maker is controlled such that the cold storage operation is executed when the detected temperature of the temperature sensor is equal to or higher than the upper limit temperature and the cold storage operation is stopped when the detected temperature of the temperature sensor is lower than the lower limit temperature in the standby mode. Also, the ice maker may be configured to detect the state in which the door is open based on the temperature condition inside the ice storage chamber determined from the length of the operation time or the operation stop time of the cold storage operation during the standby mode.

[0013] When the door is closed during the standby mode, the temperature in the ice storage chamber does not rise for a short time, and the frequency of performing the cold storage operation during the standby mode is low. On the other hand, when the door is in an open state during the standby mode, the temperature in the ice storage chamber rises due to the release of cold air from the outlet, and the frequency of performing the cold storage operation during the standby mode increases. Thus, the operating conditions of the cold storage operation are different when cooling the ice storage chamber with the door closed and when cooling the ice storage chamber with the door open. It is possible to determine whether it is the temperature condition of the ice storage chamber with the door closed or the temperature condition in the ice storage chamber with the door open from the operating conditions of the cold storage operation. Thereby, it is possible to determine the temperature condition in the ice storage chamber with the door open from the operating conditions of the cold storage operation determined from the length of the operating time or the operating stop time of the cold storage operation during the standby mode, and it becomes possible to detect the state with the door open from the temperature condition of this ice storage chamber.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] An embodiment of the ice maker of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The ice maker of the present invention is a so-called closed cell type ice maker that manufactures ice in the ice making section 21, and waits for ice making in the ice making section 21 when the ice storage chamber 14 storing the ice manufactured in the ice making section 21 is filled with ice. During standby, the ice making section 21 is cooled so that the inside of the ice storage chamber 14 can be cooled. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ice maker 10 includes an ice making chamber 12 and a machine chamber 13 at the upper part of the housing 11, and an ice storage chamber 14 at the lower part inside the housing 11. The ice storage chamber 14 is disposed below the ice making chamber 12, and the ice storage chamber 14 is connected to the ice making chamber 12 by an ice discharge port at the lower part of the ice making chamber 12. Two outlets 14a for taking out the ice stored in the ice storage chamber 14 are formed vertically in a portion of the front surface of the housing 11 except for the upper part, and doors 15 for opening and closing each outlet 14a are provided vertically on the front surface of the housing 11. The upper door 15 uses two sliding doors that slide left and right, and the lower door 15 uses a hinged door whose lower end is supported so as to be rotatable around a horizontal axis.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, the ice maker 10 includes an ice making mechanism section 20 for manufacturing ice. The ice making mechanism section 20 includes an ice making section 21 for freezing ice making water to manufacture ice, a refrigeration device 40 for cooling and heating the ice making section 21, and a water supply means 23 for sending ice making water to the ice making section 21. The ice making section 21 is disposed in the ice making chamber 12, and a plurality of ice making compartments 22 opened downward are formed by providing a lattice-shaped partition member inside a shallow box shape with an open lower side. Ice making water is jetted and sent out from below into the ice making compartments 22, and block-shaped ice is formed by freezing the ice making water in the ice making compartments 22.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a tubular evaporator 44 that constitutes a refrigeration device 40 is disposed on the upper surface of the ice-making unit 21, and the evaporator 44 has a meandering shape so as to be disposed above all the ice-making compartments 22. The refrigeration device 40 is capable of cooling or heating the ice-making unit 21 by a cooling operation and a heating operation, and is disposed in the machine room 13 except for the evaporator 44 disposed above the ice-making unit 21 in the ice-making chamber 12. As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigeration device 40 includes a compressor 41 that compresses a refrigerant, a condenser 42 that cools and liquefies the refrigerant pumped from the compressor 41, an expansion valve 43 that expands the liquefied refrigerant liquefied by the condenser 42 into a low-pressure liquefied refrigerant, and an evaporator 44 that vaporizes the liquefied refrigerant expanded by the expansion valve 43 to cool the ice-making unit 21.

[0018] The refrigeration device 40 forms a refrigeration circuit in which the compressor 41, the condenser 42, the expansion valve 43, and the evaporator 44 are annularly connected by refrigerant pipes to form a path through which the refrigerant circulates. In order to prevent the compressor 41 from repeatedly starting and stopping (operating and stopping operation) in a short time, a protection time that is the minimum operating time (3 minutes in this embodiment) and a protection time that is the minimum operating stop time (10 minutes in this embodiment) are set. When the cooling operation of the refrigeration device 40 is executed, the refrigerant pumped from the compressor 41 is cooled by the condenser 42 to become a liquefied refrigerant, the liquefied refrigerant becomes a low-pressure liquefied refrigerant by the expansion valve 43, and the low-pressure liquefied refrigerant cools the ice-making unit 21 by the heat of vaporization when evaporating in the evaporator 44.

[0019] Further, the refrigeration device 40 is provided with a bypass pipe (bypass path) 45 that supplies hot gas (vaporized compressed refrigerant) to the evaporator 44. The bypass pipe 45 connects the downstream of the compressor 41 and the upstream of the evaporator 44, and guides the hot gas from the compressor 41 to the evaporator 44 without passing through the condenser 42. A bypass valve 46 is installed in the bypass pipe 45, and the bypass valve 46 can open and close the bypass pipe 45. When the refrigeration device 40 is in the heating operation, the hot gas sent out from the compressor 41 is guided to the evaporator 44 without passing through the condenser 42 due to the opening of the bypass valve 46, and the hot gas heats the ice-making part 21 when passing through the evaporator 44. Thus, the ice-making part 21 is cooled by the refrigerant circulating during the cooling operation of the refrigeration device 40 evaporating in the evaporator 44, and is heated by the hot gas sent from the compressor 41 to the evaporator 44 during the heating operation of the refrigeration device 40.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, water supply means 23 for sending out ice-making water is provided below the ice-making part 21. The water supply means 23 includes a water tray 24 that closes the lower side of the ice-making chamber 22 of the ice-making part 21 in an openable and closable manner, a tank 25 that stores ice-making water below the water tray 24, and a pump 26 that sends the ice-making water in the tank 25 to the ice-making part 21. The water tray 24 is pivotally supported (tiltable) around a horizontal axis between a closed position (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) that closes the lower side of the ice-making chamber 22 and an open position (shown in FIG. 4) that opens the lower side of the ice-making chamber 22. An opening and closing mechanism 27 is provided on the water tray 24, and the water tray 24 tilts between the closed position and the open position by the drive of the actuator motor 27a of the opening and closing mechanism 27 to open and close the lower side of the ice-making chamber 22. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an ice-making water passage 24a for sending the ice-making water sent out from the tank 25 to each ice-making chamber 22 is formed on the water tray 24, and injection holes 24b for injecting the ice-making water from the ice-making water passage 24a into each ice-making chamber 22 are formed on the upper surface of the water tray 24.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a tank 25 capable of storing ice-making water is integrally provided below the water tray 24, and the tank 25 can be tilted together with the tilting water tray 24. A pump 26 is connected to the bottom of the tank 25, and the discharge port of the pump 26 is connected to the ice-making water passage 24a of the water tray 24 via a water supply pipe 26a. The ice-making water in the tank 25 is sent to the ice-making water passage 24a by the operation of the pump 26, and is jetted from the ice-making water passage 24a through the jet holes 24b into each ice-making chamber 22.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a drain port 25a is formed at the bottom of the tank 25, and a drain pipe 28 is connected to the drain port 25a. A drain valve 29 is installed in the drain pipe 28, and the water in the tank 25 is discharged above the drain pan 34 by opening the drain valve 29. An overflow port 25b is formed at the upper part of the tank 25, and an overflow pipe 30 is connected to the overflow port 25b. The overflow port 25b drains water exceeding the upper limit water level of the tank 25 through the overflow pipe 30 when the water tray 24 is in the closed position, and the water in the tank 25 is discharged from the overflow pipe 30 when the water tray 24 is tilted to the open position.

[0023] The tank 25 is provided with a water supply means 31 for supplying water from a water supply source such as a water supply. The water supply means 31 includes a water supply pipe 32 for supplying water from a water supply source such as a water supply, and a water supply valve 33 installed in the water supply pipe 32. The water from a water supply source such as a water supply is supplied to the water supply pipe 32 under the condition that the water supply pressure from the water supply is applied, and is supplied to the tank 25 through the water supply pipe 32 by opening the water supply valve 33. A drain pan 34 is provided below the tank 25, and the drain pan 34 receives a part of the ice-making water remaining in the tank 25 after the ice-making operation from the drain port of the overflow pipe 30. Further, the drain pan 34 functions as a partition member for partitioning the ice-making chamber 12 and the ice storage chamber 14. A drain pipe 35 is connected to the drain pan 34, and the ice-making water received by the drain pan 34 is discharged to the outside of the housing 11 through the drain pipe 35.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 2, an ice-making section temperature sensor 36 is provided in the ice-making section 21. By detecting the temperature of the ice-making section 21, the ice-making section temperature sensor 36 can detect the completion of ice-making in the ice-making operation and the completion of defrosting in the defrosting operation, which will be described later. A storage chamber temperature sensor 37 is provided in the ice storage chamber 14, and the storage chamber temperature sensor 37 detects the temperature inside the ice storage chamber 14. Note that although the storage chamber temperature sensor 37 directly detects the temperature inside the ice storage chamber 14, it is not limited to this. Since the temperature inside the ice storage chamber 14 has a correlation relationship approximate to the temperature of the ice-making chamber 12, an ice-making chamber temperature sensor for detecting the temperature inside the ice-making chamber 12 may be provided in the ice-making chamber 12, and the temperature of the ice storage chamber 14 may be detected based on the detected temperature of the ice-making chamber temperature sensor. In addition, an ice storage detector 38 for detecting that the ice storage chamber 14 is filled with ice is provided in the ice storage chamber 14. When the on signal output from the ice storage detector 38 continues for a certain period of time due to the ice deposited on the upper part inside the ice storage chamber 14, it is possible to detect that the ice storage chamber 14 is filled with ice.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 5, the ice maker 10 includes a control device 50. This control device 50 is connected to a pump 26, an actuator motor 27a of an opening / closing mechanism 27, a drain valve 29, a water supply valve 33, an ice-making section temperature sensor 36, a storage chamber temperature sensor 37, an ice storage detector 38, a compressor 41, a bypass valve 46, and an operation panel 51 provided on the front panel of the housing 11. The control device 50 has a microcomputer (not shown), and the microcomputer includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and a timer (all not shown), which are respectively connected via a bus.

[0026] The control device 50 has an ice-making program for alternately and repeatedly executing an ice-making operation for freezing ice-making water in the ice-making section 21 to produce ice and a defrosting operation for removing the ice frozen in the ice-making section 21 by the ice-making operation. When the ice storage detector 38 does not detect that the ice storage chamber 14 is filled with ice, the control device 50 executes an ice-making program that alternately repeats the ice-making operation and the defrosting operation as an ice-making mode to produce ice to be stored in the ice storage chamber 14.

[0027] When the control device 50 executes the ice-making program during the ice-making mode, the ice-making unit 21 alternately repeats the ice-making operation and the defrosting operation. Also, when starting the execution of the ice-making program or when shifting from the standby mode to the ice-making mode, it is controlled to execute the defrosting operation first and then the ice-making operation. By operating the compressor 41 and opening the bypass valve 46, hot gas is sent into the evaporator 44, causing the ice to detach from the ice-making unit 21 so that no ice remains in the ice-making unit 21.

[0028] When the ice-making operation is executed after the defrosting operation executed after shifting to the ice-making mode is completed, when the control device 50 cools the refrigeration device 40, the refrigerant pumped from the compressor 41 is liquefied by the condenser 42 to become liquefied refrigerant. The liquefied refrigerant expands by the expansion valve 43 to become low-pressure liquefied refrigerant. The low-pressure liquefied refrigerant vaporizes in the evaporator 44 and then returns to the compressor 41, and the ice-making unit 21 is cooled by the vaporization of the liquefied refrigerant in the evaporator 44. Also, the control device 50 opens the water supply valve 33 for a predetermined time according to the capacity of the tank 25 in a state where the water tray 24 is tilted to the closed position by the actuator motor 27a of the opening / closing mechanism 27, so that the tank 25 stores an amount of ice-making water necessary to form ice in the ice-making unit 21.

[0029] When the control device 50 operates the pump 26 while cooling the refrigeration device 40, the ice-making water in the tank 25 is jet-sent to each ice-making chamber 22 of the ice-making unit 21 by the operation of the pump 26. The jet-sent ice-making water is cooled in each ice-making chamber 22 and then returns to the tank 25 again. The ice-making water is cooled in the process of circulating between the tank 25 and each ice-making chamber 22 and gradually freezes in each ice-making chamber 22. When the ice-making water in the tank 25 decreases and the ice-making water freezes in each ice-making chamber 22 to form block-shaped ice, and the detected temperature by the ice-making unit temperature sensor 36 becomes equal to or lower than the ice-making completion temperature, the control device 50 ends the ice-making operation and starts the defrosting operation.

[0030] In the defrosting operation after the ice-making operation, the control device 50 operates the compressor 41 and opens the bypass valve 46 to heat the refrigeration device 40, and tilts the water tray 24 to the open position by the actuator motor 27a of the opening / closing mechanism 27. When the refrigeration device 40 is heated, the hot gas sent out from the compressor 41 is guided to the evaporator 44 through the bypass pipe 45 to heat each ice-making chamber 22 of the ice-making section 21. The temperature of the ice-making section 21 gradually rises due to the hot gas introduced into the evaporator 44, and the ice frozen in each ice-making chamber 22 detaches, slides down the water tray 24, and drops into the ice storage chamber 14. The temperature of the ice-making section 21 gradually rises as the ice detaches. When the detected temperature of the ice-making section temperature sensor 36 becomes equal to or higher than the defrosting completion temperature indicating that the defrosting is completed, the control device 50 detects that there is no ice remaining in the ice-making chamber 22 of the ice-making section 21, that is, the defrosting is completed, closes the bypass valve 46, and ends the defrosting operation. If the control device 50 does not detect that the ice storage chamber 14 is filled with ice by the ice storage detector 38, it executes again the ice-making program that alternately executes the above-described ice-making operation and defrosting operation. In this way, the control device 50 controls to execute the ice-making program that alternately repeats the ice-making operation and the defrosting operation in the ice-making mode until it detects that the ice storage chamber 14 is filled with ice when the on-signal output from the ice storage detector 38 continues for a certain period of time.

[0031] When controlling to execute the ice-making program that alternately repeats the ice-making operation and the defrosting operation, the ice storage chamber 14 will be filled with the ice produced in the ice-making section 21. As shown in FIG. 6, when it is detected that the ice storage chamber 14 is filled with ice when the on-signal output from the ice storage detector 38 continues for a certain period of time, the control device 50 ends the ice-making mode and shifts to the standby mode, and controls to standby without executing the ice-making program that alternately repeats the ice-making operation and the defrosting operation.

[0032] When the ice storage detector 38 detects that the ice storage chamber 14 is filled with ice, the control device 50 waits without executing the ice-making program that repeats the ice-making operation and the defrosting operation as the standby mode. Also, during this standby mode, the control device 50 controls the operation of the refrigeration device 40 based on the detected temperature of the ice storage chamber temperature sensor 37 to cool the ice-making section 21, and controls to execute the cold storage operation of cooling the inside of the ice storage chamber 14 with the cold air flowing down from the ice-making chamber 12 by cooling the ice-making section 21.

[0033] The cold storage operation cools the ice-making section 21 by the cooling operation (operation) of the refrigeration device 40, and cools the ice storage chamber 14 via the ice-making chamber 12 by the cooled ice-making section 21. By executing the cold storage operation, the ice-making section 21 is cooled by the cooling operation of the refrigeration device 40, and the inside of the ice storage chamber 14 is cooled by the cold air of the ice-making section 21 cooled in the ice-making chamber 12 flowing down. The ice stored in the ice storage chamber 14 is prevented from melting by the cold storage operation, and so-called arching in which a plurality of ice pieces are joined to each other is prevented.

[0034] The load when cooling the ice-making section 21 when the cold storage operation is executed is smaller than the load when cooling the ice-making section 21 to freeze the ice-making water by the water supply means 23 when the ice-making operation is executed. When the cold storage operation is executed and the operation of the refrigeration device 40 is controlled based on the detected temperature of the ice-making section temperature sensor 36, the compressor 41 of the refrigeration device 40 may stop operating in a short time, and the compressor 41 may not be able to operate for the protection time (3 minutes in this embodiment) set as the minimum operation time. For this reason, the cold storage operation is not controlled based on the detected temperature of the ice-making section temperature sensor 36, and is controlled to be executed for a cold storage operation time (indicated by a in FIGS. 6 to 8) longer than the protection time of the compressor 41 of the refrigeration device 40. Note that the cold storage operation time of this embodiment is set to 3 minutes, which is the same time as the 3 minutes set as the protection time of the compressor 41.

[0035] In addition, if the cold storage operation is controlled to be executed again based on the detected temperature of the ice storage chamber temperature sensor 37 that detects the temperature inside the ice storage chamber 14 after the cold storage operation stops, there is a risk that the compressor 41 of the refrigeration device 40 will be restarted again within a short time after being stopped during the cold storage operation, and the compressor 41 may be operated before the protection time (10 minutes in this embodiment) set as the minimum operation stop time of the compressor 41. For this reason, the cold storage operation is controlled to be executed based on the detected temperature of the ice storage chamber temperature sensor 37 under the conditions after stopping with a minimum stop time (indicated by b in FIGS. 6 to 8) set to be equal to or longer than the protection time for preventing the compressor 41 from restarting again within a short time after stopping. Note that the minimum stop time in this embodiment is set to 10 minutes, which is the same time as the 10-minute protection time of the compressor 41.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 6, the cold storage operation after shifting from the ice-making mode to the standby mode is controlled to be executed when the detected temperature of the ice storage chamber temperature sensor 37 becomes 10° C. or higher, which is set as the cold storage set temperature. When the control device 50 executes the cold storage operation, the ice-making unit 21 is cooled by the cooling operation of the refrigeration device 40, and the inside of the ice storage chamber 14 is cooled by the cold air of the ice-making unit 21 cooled in the ice-making chamber 12 flowing down. When the cold storage operation time (shown as a in FIG. 6) has elapsed, the control device 50 stops the cooling operation of the refrigeration device 40 and ends the cold storage operation. In addition, the control device 50 calculates the average temperature per unit time of the integrated temperature by dividing the integrated temperature obtained by integrating the detected temperature detected by the ice storage chamber temperature sensor 37 over time from the start of the cold storage operation by the elapsed time measured by the timer from the start of the cold storage operation. When the average temperature becomes 10° C. or higher, which is set as the cold storage set temperature, under the condition of stopping with a minimum stop time (shown as b in FIG. 6) set to be equal to or longer than the protection time for preventing the compressor 41 from restarting again within a short time after stopping, the control device 50 controls to execute the cold storage operation again. When the ice storage detector 38 no longer detects that the inside of the ice storage chamber 14 is filled with ice during the standby mode, the control device 50 shifts from the standby mode to the ice-making mode and controls to execute an ice-making program that alternately repeats the ice-making operation and the defrosting operation in the ice-making mode.

[0037] FIG. 6 is a flowchart when the door 15 of the ice storage chamber 14 is closed including the opening and closing of the door 15 for a short time during the standby mode (at normal times when the door 15 is not in the open state). When the door 15 of the ice storage chamber 14 is closed, the temperature in the ice storage chamber 14 does not easily decrease because cold air is not released from the outlet 14a. Therefore, after the end of the cold storage operation during the standby mode, the cold storage operation is not executed again immediately after the lapse of the minimum stop time (shown as b in FIG. 6) set to be longer than the protection time of the compressor 41. On the other hand, FIG. 7 is a flowchart when the door 15 of the ice storage chamber 14 is in the open state during the standby mode. When the door 15 is in the open state (abnormal times when the door 15 remains open) during the standby mode, the temperature in the ice storage chamber 14 rises because cold air is released from the outlet 14a, and the frequency of executing the cold storage operation during the standby mode increases. Thus, the temperature situation in the ice storage chamber 14 is different between the state where the door 15 is closed and the state where the door 15 is open, and the operation situation of the cold storage operation is different between when cooling the ice storage chamber 14 with the door 15 closed and when cooling the ice storage chamber 14 with the door 15 open. Therefore, based on the operation situation of the cold storage operation, the temperature situation in the ice storage chamber 14 can be determined, and it is possible to detect that the door 15 is in the open state from the determined temperature situation in the ice storage chamber 14.

[0038] In order to detect the operating status of the cold storage operation, the control device 50 measures the time from the end of the cold storage operation in the standby mode until the cold storage operation is started again using a timer. During the standby mode, after the cold storage operation is executed, the number of times the cold storage operation is executed again immediately after 10 minutes have elapsed, which is set as the minimum stop time of the cold storage operation (shown as b in FIGS. 6 and 7), is counted. When the counted number is repeated continuously for a predetermined number of times, which is 3 times, it is determined that the temperature in the ice storage chamber 14 is in a temperature state where it has risen due to the door 15 being open, and the state where the door 15 is open is detected. When the control device 50 detects that the door 15 is open, it controls to set the operation to a stopped state so as not to execute the cold storage operation. Also, after detecting that the door 15 is open and setting the operation to a stopped state so as not to execute the cold storage operation, the control device 50 controls to notify that the operation of the cold storage operation is in a stopped state with the door 15 open by means of a warning light (not shown) provided on the operation panel 51, a warning sound, etc. Further, when the user closes the door 15, the stopped state of the cold storage operation can be released by operating various switches on the operation panel 51.

[0039] When the ice storage operation is in the stopped state, ice is taken out from the outlet 14a in the ice storage chamber 14, and the amount of ice stored in the ice storage chamber 14 decreases. When the ice storage detector 38 no longer detects that the ice storage chamber 14 is filled with ice, the control device 50 shifts from the standby mode to the ice-making mode. By shifting to the ice-making mode, after controlling to execute the defrosting operation by opening the bypass valve 46 and operating the compressor 41, the ice-making operation and the defrosting operation are repeatedly executed until the ice storage detector 38 detects again that the ice storage chamber 14 is filled with ice. Also, when the ice storage detector 38 no longer detects that the ice storage chamber 14 is filled with ice when the ice storage operation is in the stopped state, it is considered to be due to taking out the ice in the ice storage chamber 14 from the outlet 14a, and there is a high possibility that the user closes the door 15 after taking out the ice in the ice storage chamber 14 from the outlet 14a. For this reason, it is controlled so that the ice storage operation can be executed after shifting from the standby mode where the ice storage operation is in the stopped state to the ice-making mode and then shifting back to the standby mode. As a result, the inside of the ice storage chamber 14 is cooled by executing the ice storage operation during the standby mode.

[0040] The ice maker 10 configured as described above includes an ice-making unit 21 that freezes ice-making water to produce ice, a refrigeration device 40 that cools the ice-making unit 21 with a refrigerant circulated and supplied by a compressor 41, a water supply means 23 that sends ice-making water to the ice-making unit 21, an ice storage chamber 14 that stores the ice produced by the ice-making unit 21, a door 15 that opens and closes an outlet 14a for taking out the ice stored in the ice storage chamber 14, and an ice storage detector 38 that detects that the ice storage chamber 14 is filled with ice.

[0041] In this ice maker 10, when the ice storage detector 38 does not detect that the ice storage chamber 14 is filled with ice, the ice making operation is controlled to be executed in which the ice making unit 21 cooled by the refrigeration device 40 freezes the ice making water sent out by the water sending means 23 as the ice making mode to produce ice and store the ice in the ice storage chamber 14. When the ice storage detector 38 detects that the ice storage chamber 14 is filled with ice, the ice making operation is controlled not to be executed as the standby mode, and the ice maker waits without producing the ice stored in the ice storage chamber 14. During the standby mode, the refrigeration device 40 can be operated to cool the ice making unit 21 to execute the cold storage operation for cooling the inside of the ice storage chamber 14, and the inside of the ice storage chamber 14 is cooled to a temperature suitable for storing ice by the cold storage operation.

[0042] When the door 15 is closed during the standby mode, the temperature inside the ice storage chamber 14 is not likely to rise in a short time. On the contrary, when the door 15 is in an open state during the standby mode, the temperature inside the ice storage chamber 14 is likely to rise because the cold air is released from the outlet 14a. Thus, the temperature situation inside the ice storage chamber 14 is different between the state where the door 15 is closed and the state where the door 15 is open. Therefore, it is possible to detect from the temperature situation inside the ice storage chamber 14 during the standby mode that the door 15 is in an open state.

[0043] Also, when the door 15 is closed during the standby mode, the temperature inside the ice storage chamber 14 does not rise in a short time, and the frequency of executing the cold storage operation during the standby mode is low. On the contrary, when the door 15 is in an open state during the standby mode, the temperature inside the ice storage chamber 14 rises because the cold air is released from the outlet 14a, and the frequency of executing the cold storage operation during the standby mode becomes high. Thus, the operation situation of the cold storage operation is different between when cooling the ice storage chamber 14 in the state where the door 15 is closed and when cooling the ice storage chamber 14 in the state where the door 15 is open, and it is possible to determine whether the temperature situation of the ice storage chamber 14 in the state where the door 15 is closed or the temperature situation inside the ice storage chamber 14 in the state where the door 15 is open from the operation situation of the cold storage operation.

[0044] In this embodiment, it is provided with an ice storage chamber temperature sensor 37 for detecting the temperature inside the ice storage chamber 14, and is controlled to execute the cold storage operation based on the detected temperature of the ice storage chamber temperature sensor 37 under the condition of stopping with a minimum stop time set to be longer than the protection time for preventing the compressor 41 from restarting again in a short time after it stops after the end of the cold storage operation in the standby mode. In this ice maker 10, the time from the end of the cold storage operation to the start of the cold storage operation again during the standby mode is measured, and the number of times the cold storage operation is executed immediately after the minimum stop time has elapsed after the end of the cold storage operation is counted. From the operating situation of the cold storage operation when the number of times the cold storage operation is executed immediately after the minimum stop time has elapsed after the end of the cold storage operation starts continuously three times as a predetermined number of times, it can be determined that it is the temperature situation inside the ice storage chamber 14 in a state where the door 15 is open, and it becomes possible to detect the state where the door 15 is open from the determined temperature situation of the ice storage chamber 14. Thereby, without increasing the cost by providing a sensor for detecting that the door 15 is open, it is possible to accurately detect that the door 15 is in an open state. Further, since the control device 50 controls the cold storage operation to be in an operation stop state during the standby mode after detecting that the door 15 is in an open state, it is possible to prevent an increase in power consumption due to the cold storage operation being intermittently executed for a long time. Furthermore, since the cold storage operation is not repeatedly executed intermittently, it is possible to prevent the components constituting the refrigeration device 40 from malfunctioning or having a shortened lifespan.

[0045] Note that in this embodiment, the operating situation when the cold storage operation is continuously executed three times as a predetermined number of times immediately after the minimum stop time has elapsed after the end of the cold storage operation is regarded as the temperature situation of the ice storage chamber 14 in a state where the door 15 is open, but it is not limited to this. Depending on the cooling capacity of the refrigeration device 40 and the size of the ice storage chamber 14, the operating situation of the cold storage operation when the cold storage operation is continuously executed four times (a plurality of times) or more as a predetermined number of times immediately after the minimum stop time has elapsed after the end of the cold storage operation may be regarded as the temperature situation of the ice storage chamber 14 in a state where the door 15 is open.

[0046] In the ice maker 10 of the above-described embodiment, the time from the end of the cold storage operation until the cold storage operation is started again during the standby mode is measured, and when the cold storage operation is continuously started a predetermined number of times immediately after the minimum stop time has elapsed after the end of the cold storage operation, the operating status of the cold storage operation is regarded as the temperature status of the ice storage chamber 14 with the door 15 open. In this case, when the cold storage operation is repeatedly executed a number of times less than the predetermined number immediately after the minimum stop time has elapsed, if the cold storage operation is executed after exceeding the minimum stop time by a small amount after the end of the cold storage operation, there is a possibility that it will not be determined as the temperature status of the ice storage chamber 14 with the door 15 open.

[0047] In the ice maker 10 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, when the number of times the cold storage operation is started within 1 hour as a fixed time during the standby mode is 5 times or more which is the predetermined number or more, the operating status of the cold storage operation is regarded as the temperature status of the ice storage chamber 14 with the door 15 open. When the number of times the cold storage operation is started within 1 hour as a fixed time during the standby mode is 5 times or more which is the predetermined number or more, since the state with the door 15 open is detected as the temperature status inside the ice storage chamber 14 with the door 15 open, it is possible to accurately detect that the door 15 is open without increasing the cost by providing a sensor for detecting that the door 15 is open. Also, in the ice maker 10 of the above-described embodiment, even if the cold storage operation is repeatedly executed in a short time immediately after the minimum stop time has elapsed, if the cold storage operation is executed after exceeding the minimum stop time by a small amount after the end of the cold storage operation, it may not be determined as the temperature status inside the ice storage chamber 14 with the door 15 open, and there is a possibility that the state with the door 15 open will not be detected. In contrast, when the number of times the cold storage operation is executed within 1 hour as a fixed time during the standby mode is 5 times or more which is the predetermined number, the operating status of the cold storage operation is regarded as the temperature status of the ice storage chamber 14 with the door 15 open and the state with the door 15 open is detected. Although the time until the state with the door 15 open is detected becomes longer, even when the minimum stop time is exceeded by a small amount after the end of the cold storage operation, it is possible to detect the state with the door 15 open, and the detection accuracy of detecting the state with the door 15 open can be improved.

[0048] Also, similar to the above-described embodiment, after detecting that the door 15 is in the open state, the control device 50 controls the cold storage operation to stop during the standby mode, so that it is possible to prevent an increase in power consumption due to the cold storage operation being intermittently executed for a long time. Furthermore, since the cold storage operation is not repeatedly executed intermittently, it is possible to prevent the components constituting the refrigeration device 40 from malfunctioning or having a shortened lifespan. In this embodiment, when the number of times the cold storage operation is started within 1 hour as a certain period during the standby mode is 5 times or more, which is the predetermined number of times or more, the operating status of the cold storage operation is determined based on the temperature status of the ice storage chamber 14 in the state where the door 15 is open, and the state where the door 15 is open is detected. However, it is not limited to this, and the certain period during the standby mode can be changed to be shorter or longer (for example, from 45 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes), and the number of times the cold storage operation is started can be changed to be 3 times to 6 times or more according to the time.

[0049] Also in this embodiment, after controlling the cold storage operation to the operation stop state during the standby mode, when the ice storage detector 38 does not detect that the ice storage chamber 14 is filled with ice and the mode is shifted to the ice making mode, after shifting back to the standby mode from the ice making mode, the cold storage operation is controllable to be executed again. By controlling the cold storage operation to be executable after shifting back to the standby mode after shifting from the standby mode where the cold storage operation was in the operation stop state to the ice making mode and then back to the standby mode, it becomes possible to release the operation stop state of the cold storage operation in the standby mode and execute the cold storage operation again.

[0050] Further, although not shown, in other embodiments of this ice maker 10, when the detected temperature of the ice-making section temperature sensor 36 or the ice storage chamber temperature sensor 37 becomes equal to or higher than the upper limit temperature in the standby mode, the cold storage operation may be executed, and when the detected temperature of the ice-making section temperature sensor 36 or the ice storage chamber temperature sensor 37 becomes lower than the lower limit temperature, the cold storage operation may be controlled to stop. When the door 15 is closed during the standby mode, the temperature in the ice storage chamber 14 does not rise in a short time, the operation time of the cold storage operation is short during the standby mode, and the operation stop time of the cold storage operation is long. On the other hand, when the door 15 is open during the standby mode, the temperature in the ice storage chamber 14 rises due to the release of cold air from the outlet 14a, the operation time of the cold storage operation is long during the standby mode, and the operation stop time of the cold storage operation is short. Thus, the operation state of the cold storage operation is different when cooling the ice storage chamber 14 with the door 15 closed and when cooling the ice storage chamber 14 with the door 15 open, and it is possible to determine whether the temperature state of the ice storage chamber 14 with the door 15 closed or the temperature state in the ice storage chamber with the door 15 open from the operation state of the cold storage operation. In this case, the temperature state in the ice storage chamber 14 with the door 15 open can be determined from the operation state of the cold storage operation determined from the length of the operation time or the operation stop time of the cold storage operation during the standby mode, and the state with the door 15 open can be detected from the temperature state in this ice storage chamber 14. Even when configured in this way, it is possible to accurately detect that the door 15 is open without increasing the cost by providing a sensor for detecting that the door 15 is open.

[0051] In each of the above embodiments, the temperature state in the ice storage chamber 14 with the door 15 open is determined from the operation state of the cold storage operation, and the state with the door 15 open is detected from the temperature state of this ice storage chamber. The present invention is not limited to this, and based on the ice storage chamber temperature sensor 37 provided in the ice storage chamber 14, that is, when the ice storage chamber temperature sensor 37 detects a high temperature rise rate, or when the ice storage chamber temperature sensor 37 continuously detects a temperature corresponding to the door 15 being open for a predetermined time or more, etc., the temperature state in the ice storage chamber 14 may be determined.

[0052] The ice maker 10 of this embodiment is a so-called closed cell type ice maker in which the lower opening of the ice making chamber 22 of the ice making section 21 is openably and closably blocked by the water tray 24. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also applicable to a so-called open cell type ice maker in which the lower opening of the ice making chamber 22 of the ice making section 21 is not openably and closably blocked by the water tray 24, a flow-down type ice maker in which ice making water flows down to the ice making section, and an auger type ice maker in which ice frozen on the inner peripheral surface of a cylindrical ice making section is scraped off by an auger.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0053] 10... Ice maker, 14... Ice storage chamber, 14a... Outlet, 15... Door, 21... Ice making section, 23... Water supply means, 37... Ice storage chamber temperature sensor, 38... Ice storage detector, 40... Refrigeration device, 41... Compressor.

Claims

1. An ice-making unit that freezes ice-making water to produce ice, A refrigeration device that cools the ice-making unit with a refrigerant circulated and supplied by a compressor, Water supply means for sending ice-making water to the ice-making unit, An ice storage chamber for storing the ice produced in the ice-making unit, A door that opens and closes an outlet for taking out the ice stored in the ice storage chamber, An ice storage detector for detecting that the ice storage chamber is filled with ice, When the ice storage detector does not detect that the ice storage chamber is filled with ice, an ice-making operation is performed in which the ice-making water sent by the water supply means is frozen by the ice-making unit cooled by the refrigeration device in the ice-making mode to produce ice, and the ice is stored in the ice storage chamber. When the ice storage detector detects that the ice storage chamber is filled with ice, control is performed so as not to execute the ice-making operation in the standby mode, and standby is performed without producing ice to be stored in the ice storage chamber. An ice maker that enables a cold storage operation to cool the ice storage chamber by operating the refrigeration device to cool the ice-making unit during the standby mode, An ice maker characterized in that a state in which the door is opened is detected based on the temperature situation in the ice storage chamber during the standby mode.

2. In the ice maker according to claim 1, It is provided with a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature in the ice storage chamber, Under the condition of stopping with a minimum stop time set to be longer than a protection time for preventing the compressor from restarting again in a short time after the end of the cold storage operation in the standby mode, the cold storage operation is controlled to be executed based on the detected temperature of the temperature sensor. The time until the cold storage operation is restarted again after the end of the cold storage operation during the standby mode is measured, and based on the temperature situation in the ice storage chamber determined from the operation situation of the cold storage operation when the cold storage operation is continuously started a predetermined number of times immediately after the minimum stop time has elapsed after the end of the cold storage operation, a state in which the door is opened is detected. An ice maker characterized by this.

3. In the ice maker according to claim 1, It is provided with a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature in the ice storage chamber, Under the condition of stopping with a minimum stop time set to be longer than a protection time for preventing the compressor from restarting again in a short time after the end of the cold storage operation in the standby mode, the cold storage operation is controlled to be executed based on the detected temperature of the temperature sensor. An ice maker, characterized in that when the number of times the cold storage operation is started within a certain period during the standby mode is equal to or more than a predetermined number of times, a state in which the door is opened is detected based on the temperature condition in the ice storage chamber determined from the operation condition of the cold storage operation.

4. In the ice maker according to claim 1, it is provided with a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the ice making section or the ice storage chamber, and is controlled such that when the detected temperature of the temperature sensor becomes equal to or higher than the upper limit temperature in the standby mode, the cold storage operation is executed, and when the detected temperature of the temperature sensor becomes lower than the lower limit temperature, the cold storage operation is stopped. An ice maker, characterized in that as the operation condition of the cold storage operation during the standby mode, a state in which the door is opened is detected based on the temperature condition in the ice storage chamber determined from the length of the operation time or the operation stop time of the cold storage operation during the standby mode.

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