Snow making device and ice making device

Abstract

To realize a snow making device that enables automation without requiring workers by transporting ices produced by an ice making unit using a rotary disc and a screw conveyor.SOLUTION: A snow making device 100 comprises: an ice making unit 11 that produces flake-shaped ices from raw water; a rotary disc 12 that is provided below the ice making unit, and collects the ices by rotating one or more first blades in a substantially horizontal direction; a screw conveyor 13 that is provided below a discharge port provided in the rotary disc, and has a spiral second blade that transports the ices discharged from the discharge port; a blower 21 that pressurizes and sends out air; and a rotary valve 22 that is provided at one end part of the screw conveyor and is connected to the blower, and ejects the ices together with the air pressurized by the blower while adjusting a discharge amount of the ices.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a snow-making device that artificially produces snow. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, leisure facilities such as ski resorts have used snow-making devices that crush ice to make snow. Snow-making devices used at leisure facilities generally have an ice-making mechanism that produces ice and a snow-scattering mechanism that scatters the produced ice as snow.

[0003] For example, Figure 1 of Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which an ice-making mechanism transports ice produced in an ice-making tank via a belt conveyor or the like, and a snow-scattering mechanism uses compressed air to scatter the ice over long distances.

[0004] However, when using a belt conveyor to transport the ice, a drop in temperature can cause the rollers driving the belt to freeze, or ice or water from melted ice to freeze and accumulate on the belt, causing the belt conveyor to malfunction. While a heater can be used to heat the belt conveyor to prevent freezing, this method is extremely inefficient. Continuous operation of the snow-making device without using a heater requires the deployment of a worker to monitor the device and operate it under the worker's supervision, making it difficult to fully automate the device. Furthermore, using a belt conveyor increases the size of the snow-making device, limiting the number of locations where it can be installed.

[0005] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a snow transport assembly that does not use a belt conveyor to transport ice, but instead sends ice produced in an ice-making mechanism directly to a snow-scattering mechanism. According to Figure 4 of Patent Document 2, by rotating an impeller 4 attached to the bottom of an evaporator 1 at high speed, snow produced in the evaporator 1 is driven into an ejector pipe 20, and the snow in the ejector pipe is transported far away using pressurized air.

[0006] However, in the conveying assembly of Patent Document 2, the pressurized air is introduced radially from the cylindrical end of the ejector pipe 20. As a result, the power of the pressurized air is weakened inside the ejector pipe, making it difficult to scatter snow over a long distance. However, in snow-making devices used at ski resorts and the like, it is desirable to be able to scatter snow over a wider area. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 08-200909 [Patent Document 2] Special Table 2019-509457 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a snow-making device that can be automatically operated without an operator by transporting the produced ice without using a belt conveyor. Note that this problem is not limited to snow-making devices, but also occurs in ice-making devices that only have an ice-making mechanism.

[0009] A more desirable object is to realize a snow-making device that is small and capable of scattering snow over a long distance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] A snow-making device (100) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises an ice-making section (11) that produces flake-shaped ice from raw water, a rotary disk (12) that is provided below the ice-making section and collects the ice by rotating one or more first blades in a substantially horizontal direction, a screw conveyor (13) that is provided below an outlet provided in the rotary disk and has a spiral second blade that transports the ice discharged from the outlet, a blower (21) that pressurizes and sends out air, and a rotary valve (22) that is provided at one end of the screw conveyor and connected to the blower, and that sprays the ice on the air pressurized by the blower while adjusting the amount of ice discharged.

[0011] An ice making device (100) according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes an ice making section (11) that produces ice flakes from raw water, a rotary disc (12) that is provided below the ice making section and collects the ice by rotating one or more first blades in a substantially horizontal direction, and a screw conveyor (13) that is provided below a discharge opening provided in the rotary disc and has a spiral second blade that transports the ice discharged from the discharge opening. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The snow-making device of the present invention can transport ice flakes produced in the ice-making unit without freezing them by transporting them through a rotary disc and a screw conveyor installed below the ice-making unit, allowing the snow-making device to be operated fully automatically.Furthermore, by transporting ice without using a belt conveyor, a compact snow-making device can be realized.

[0013] Furthermore, by using air pressurized by a blower to spray the ice produced in the ice making unit, it is possible to realize a snow-making device that can scatter ice over long distances. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1]Schematic diagram of a snow-making device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Schematic diagram of the inside of the ice making unit of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a separation and collection unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a rotary disk according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of the outlet of the rotary disc and the rotary blade according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram illustrating a screw conveyor according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a snow-spraying unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a rotary valve according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a container in which the snow-making device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is mounted. [Figure 10] Schematic diagram of a snow-making device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a rotary disc and a screw conveyor according to a third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] The present invention refers to the inventions described in the claims or in the Summary of the Invention section, and is not limited to the following embodiments. Furthermore, at least the words in quotation marks refer to the words described in the claims or in the Summary of the Invention section, and are not limited to the following embodiments.

[0017] The configurations and methods recited in the dependent claims are optional configurations and methods in the inventions recited in the independent claims. The configurations and methods of the embodiments corresponding to the configurations and methods recited in the dependent claims, as well as the configurations and methods recited only in the embodiments without being recited in the claims, are optional configurations and methods in the present invention. The configurations and methods recited in the embodiments when the recitation of the claims is broader than the recitation of the embodiments are also optional configurations and methods in the present invention, in the sense that they are examples of the configurations and methods of the present invention. In either case, by being recited in the independent claims, they become essential configurations and methods of the present invention.

[0018] The effects described in the embodiments are effects obtained when the configurations of the embodiments are provided as examples of the present invention, and are not necessarily effects that the present invention has.

[0019] When there are multiple embodiments, the configurations disclosed in each embodiment are not limited to each embodiment, but can be combined across the embodiments. For example, a configuration disclosed in one embodiment may be combined with another embodiment. Also, configurations disclosed in multiple embodiments may be collected and combined. The same applies to examples and modified examples.

[0020] The problem described in the section on the problem to be solved by the invention is not a publicly known problem, but was discovered independently by the inventor, and this fact, together with the configuration and method of the present invention, affirms the inventive step of the invention.

[0021] 1. Embodiment 1 (1) Overall configuration of the snow-making device 100 of the first embodiment An example of the configuration of a snow-making device 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a diagram that schematically illustrates the overall configuration of the snow-making device 100 of this embodiment. The snow-making device 100 is mainly composed of an ice-making unit 10 that artificially produces ice, and a snow-scattering unit 20 that scatters the ice produced in the ice-making unit 10 as snow. The ice-making unit 10 has an ice-making section 11, a rotary disc 12, a screw conveyor 13, and a freezer 14. The snow-scattering unit 20 has a blower 21, a rotary valve 22, and an ice crusher 23.

[0022] The following describes the detailed configuration of the ice-making unit 10 and snow-scattering unit 20 of this embodiment. Note that the configuration of each unit is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to these configurations.

[0023] (2) Detailed configuration of ice making unit 10 A detailed description will be given of the configuration of ice-making unit 10. As shown in Fig. 1, ice-making unit 10 has ice-making section 11, rotary disc 12, screw conveyor 13, and freezer 14.

[0024] Ice-making unit 11 produces "flake ice" from "raw water." Hereinafter, flake ice will be referred to as "flake ice." The configuration of ice-making unit 11 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a simplified diagram showing the inside of ice-making unit 11. As shown in FIG. 2, ice-making unit 11 has a chamber 111, a shaft 112, a raw water supply unit 113, a scraping blade 114, an upper arm 115, a lower arm 116, and a separation and collection unit 117.

[0025] where: The "raw water" is typically tap water, but may be water obtained from a source other than tap water. It may also be a solution in which any solute is dissolved in water. "Flake ice" refers to ice particles with irregular diameters.

[0026] Chamber 111 has a cylindrical shape with an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder, and a refrigerant supplied from freezing unit 14, which will be described later, is supplied between the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder to cool the inner circumferential surface of chamber 111. The diameter of chamber 111 is designed arbitrarily depending on the flake ice production capacity, but is 1 to 1.5 m, preferably about 1.3 m.

[0027] The shaft 112 passes through the center of the chamber 111. The shaft 112 is rotated by a motor (M1 shown in FIG. 1) disposed above the chamber 111. The rotation speed of the shaft 112 is 2 to 3 rpm. The upper part of the shaft 112 is connected to a raw water receiving section 1134 of a raw water supply section 113 that supplies raw water to the inside of the chamber 111, and to an upper arm 115 that supports the upper end of the scraping blade 114. The lower part of the shaft 112 is connected to a lower arm 116 that supports the lower end of the scraping blade 114 and to a connecting section 1172 of the separation and collection section 117.

[0028] The raw water supply unit 113 supplies raw water to the inner surface of the chamber 111. The raw water supply unit 113 has a raw water tank 1131, a raw water pump 1132, and a raw water supply pipe 1133, which are provided outside the chamber 111, and a raw water receiving unit 1134 and a raw water sprinkler unit 1135, which are provided inside the chamber 111.

[0029] The raw water tank 1131 is a tank for storing raw water, and tap water supplied from a waterworks is stored therein. In the present invention, a case where tap water is used as raw water will be described. However, the raw water is not limited to tap water supplied from a waterworks. For example, water pumped from a pond may be used as raw water, or a liquid in which a solute is dissolved may be used as raw water to make the raw water more likely to crystallize.

[0030] The raw water pump 1132 pumps raw water stored in the raw water tank 1131 up to the upper part of the chamber 111 via the raw water supply pipe 1133 .

[0031] Raw water receiver 1134 is connected to the upper part of shaft 112. A thin pipe-like raw water sprinkler 1135 is connected to raw water receiver 1134. A hole is provided at the tip of raw water sprinkler 1135. Although only one pipe is shown as raw water sprinkler 1135 in FIG. 2, multiple pipes may be connected radially to raw water receiver 1134.

[0032] Raw water pumped up by raw water pump 1132 passes through raw water supply pipe 1133 and is supplied to raw water receiver 1134 provided inside chamber 111. The raw water supplied from raw water supply pipe 1133 to raw water receiver 1134 passes through the inside of the pipe of raw water sprayer 1135 and is sprayed evenly onto the inner surface of chamber 111 from holes provided at the tip of the pipe.

[0033] The scraping blade 114 (corresponding to the "third blade") "scrapes" the flake ice generated when the raw water freezes on the inner surface of the chamber 111. The scraping blade 114 of this embodiment is disposed parallel to the shaft 112 so as to contact the inner surface of the chamber 111. As shown in FIG. 2, the scraping blade 114 of this embodiment is a blade formed by a spiral blade on the surface of a cylindrical shaft, and is supported rotatably without being fixed to the upper arm 115 and the lower arm 116. Therefore, when the upper arm 115 and the lower arm 116 rotate together with the shaft 112, the spiral blade of the scraping blade 114 rotates around the central axis of the scraping blade 114 while scraping off the flake ice generated when the raw water freezes on the inner surface of the chamber 111. The flake ice scraped by the scraping blade 114 falls onto the rotary disc 12, which will be described later.

[0034] Here, "scraping" includes both cases where the blade comes into contact with the inner surface of the chamber to scrape off the ice, and cases where the blade comes close to the inner surface of the chamber without coming into contact with the inner surface of the chamber to scrape off the ice.

[0035] Instead of the spiral blade formed on the surface of the cylindrical shaft, a straight saw blade may be used as scraping blade 114. Furthermore, scraping blade 114 need not necessarily be provided in contact with the inner surface of chamber 111 as long as it can scrape off the flake ice formed on the inner surface of chamber 111. In this case, the tip of scraping blade 114 slightly contacts the surface of the flake ice to scrape it off.

[0036] The separation and recovery unit 117 is configured to separate the raw water that did not freeze on the inner surface of the chamber 111 or the raw water generated when the ice melts from the raw water, and return the separated raw water to the raw water supply unit 113. The separation and recovery unit 117 has a water receiving unit 1171 that receives the raw water that has been separated from the ice, a connecting unit 1172 that connects the water receiving unit 1171 to the shaft 112, and a discharge pipe 1173 that discharges the raw water to the raw water tank 1131 of the raw water supply unit 113.

[0037] The configuration of the separation and recovery section 117 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The water receiving section 1171 is connected to the lower part of the shaft 112 by a connecting section 1172. As shown in FIG. 3, the water receiving section 1171 has an annular shape that slopes downward from the center of the chamber 111 to the outside of the circle, with a portion of the annular shape cut out. Hereinafter, the cut-out portion of the annular shape will be referred to as the cut-out portion 1174. The scraping blade 114 is located in the cut-out portion 1174. The flake ice scraped by the scraping blade 114 falls from the cut-out portion 1174 onto the rotary disk 12, which will be described later. In contrast, raw water that did not freeze on the inner surface of the chamber, or raw water generated when the flake ice melts, flows along the inner surface of the chamber 111 and falls onto the inclined surface of the water receiving section 1171. The raw water that has fallen onto the inclined surface is discharged from the discharge pipe 1173 shown in FIG. 2.

[0038] The discharge pipe 1173 is connected to a raw water tank 1131 of the raw water supply unit 113. The raw water discharged from the discharge pipe 1173 is stored in the raw water tank 1131 and is supplied again into the chamber 111 by a raw water pump 1132.

[0039] By having separation and recovery section 117 separate and recover raw water from flake ice, it is possible not only to prevent raw water from falling into rotary disk 12 and freezing therein, but also to prevent flake ice from coming into contact with raw water and further melting the flake ice. In addition, it becomes possible to reuse the raw water.

[0040] The above-described ice-making unit 11 is merely one example of a configuration for making flake ice, and the configuration of ice-making unit 11 is not necessarily limited to this embodiment. In other words, ice-making unit 11 may have any configuration as long as it is capable of making flake ice. For example, in this embodiment, a cylindrical chamber 111 is used as an example, but the shape of the chamber is not limited to a cylindrical shape.

[0041] Next, the detailed configuration of rotary disk 12 will be described with reference to Figure 4. Rotary disk 12 is provided below ice-making unit 11 and has circular disk 121, discharge port 122, and rotary blade 123. In the configuration example shown in Figure 1, rotary disk 12 is provided horizontally directly below ice-making unit 11, but rotary disk 12 does not have to be provided directly below ice-making unit 11 as long as it is provided below ice-making unit 11 so that it can receive the flake ice that is produced in ice-making unit 11 and drops down. Furthermore, rotary disk 12 is provided horizontally with respect to the ground surface, but it may also be provided at a predetermined inclination (for example, an inclination of about 5 to 15 degrees).

[0042] Disk 121 has a diameter similar to that of chamber 111, and flake ice that falls from ice-making unit 11 falls onto disk 121. Disk 121 is desirably formed of, for example, a highly corrosion-resistant material, and is preferably formed of stainless steel (e.g., SUS304). Disk 121 may also be coated with a highly water-repellent material to prevent raw water from adhering to the disk.

[0043] Discharge openings 122 extending in the radial direction of the disk 121 are provided on the disk 121. When the rotary disk 12 is arranged at an incline, it is desirable to incline the disk 121 so that the discharge openings 122 are on the lower side so that the flake ice on the disk 121 can be easily discharged.

[0044] A plurality of rotary blades (corresponding to "first blades") 123 are provided on the disk 121, and the rotary blades 123 rotate in a "substantially horizontal direction" by a motor (M2 in FIG. 1) provided below the disk 121. When the disk 121 is tilted, the rotary blades 123 rotate in an tilted state. While FIG. 4 shows an example of a configuration with three rotary blades 123, the number of rotary blades 123 is arbitrary, and there may be only one rotary blade. By rotating the rotary blades 123, flake ice that has fallen onto the disk 121 is collected and discharged from the discharge port 122. Here, the term "substantially horizontal direction" includes not only the case where the direction is horizontal, but also the case where the direction is tilted from the horizontal by a predetermined angle.

[0045] Like the disk 121, the rotary blade 123 is preferably formed of a highly corrosion-resistant material such as stainless steel (e.g., SUS304). The surface of the rotary blade 123 may be coated with a highly water-repellent material. By coating the surface of the rotary blade 123 with a highly water-repellent material, the rotary blade 123 can repel ice and raw water inside the rotary disk. As a result, ice can be more effectively prevented from freezing on the rotary disk.

[0046] By providing rotary disk 12 below ice-making section 11 and rotating rotary blade 123 to discharge flake ice from discharge port 122, ice-making unit 10 can be realized in which flake ice is less likely to freeze than when the flake ice produced in ice-making section 11 is transported using a conveyor belt or the like. Specifically, the constant rotation of rotary blade 123 prevents flake ice from accumulating on disk 121 and freezing. Furthermore, by discharging flake ice downward from discharge port 122, the flake ice falls under its own weight, preventing flake ice from clogging discharge port 122.

[0047] If the rotation speed of rotary blade 123 is too fast, there is a risk that flake ice on disk 121 will fly over discharge port 122 and pass through without being discharged from discharge port 122. On the other hand, if the rotation speed is too slow, there is a risk that flake ice that has fallen from ice making unit 11 will accumulate on disk 121 before rotary blade 123 can collect the flake ice. In this embodiment, the rotation speed of rotary blade 123 is set to 3 to 7 rpm, preferably 5 rpm, so that the flake ice is properly discharged from discharge port 122 without flying over discharge port 122 or accumulating on disk 121. However, the rotation speed of rotary blade 123 is set depending on the number of rotary blades 123 and the flake ice production capacity of ice making unit 11.

[0048] Next, the positional relationship between the discharge port 122 and the rotary blade 123 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. In the example shown in Fig. 5(a), the rotary blade 123 is provided in a radial direction passing through the center of the disk 121. Furthermore, the discharge port 122 is provided so that the long side of the discharge port 122 overlaps with the long side of the rotary blade 123. By providing the discharge port 122 and the rotary blade 123 so that the long side of the discharge port 122 overlaps with the long side of the rotary blade 123, ice collected by the rotary blade 123 falls into the discharge port 122 at the same time.

[0049] As will be described later, a screw conveyor 13 is provided below the discharge port 122, and the screw conveyor 13 transports the flake ice to a rotary valve 22 provided near the outer periphery of the rotary disk 12. In this configuration, the flake ice discharged from the outer periphery of the discharge port 122 is transported to the rotary valve 22 first, and the flake ice discharged from the inner periphery of the discharge port 122 is then transported to the rotary valve 22. While the flake ice discharged from the inner periphery of the discharge port 122 is being transported to the rotary valve 22, flake ice collected by the next rotary blade 123 is discharged from the discharge port 122. Therefore, to prevent the screw conveyor 13 from being clogged with flake ice, it is desirable that the amount of flake ice discharged from the inner periphery of the discharge port 122 be less than the amount of flake ice discharged from the outer periphery of the discharge port 122. In this embodiment, the rotary blade 123 rotates, and the ice on the disk 121 is collected by the rotary blade 123 and moves toward the outer periphery due to centrifugal force. Therefore, the amount of flake ice discharged from the inner periphery of the outlet 122 is less than the amount of flake ice discharged from the outer periphery of the outlet 122.

[0050] In the example shown in FIG. 5(b), similar to FIG. 5(a), the outlet 122 is disposed so that the long side of the outlet 122 overlaps the long side of the rotary blade 123. However, unlike FIG. 5(a), in FIG. 5(b), the rotary blade 123 is disposed offset from the radial direction passing through the center of the disk 121. Specifically, the rotary blade 123 is disposed offset from the radial direction so that the outer periphery of the rotary blade 123 reaches the inner periphery earlier than the outer periphery. More specifically, the rotary blade 123 is disposed offset parallel to the radial direction. By disposing the rotary blade 123 offset from the radial direction passing through the center of the disk 121 as shown in FIG. 5(b), the centrifugal force is lower than when the blade is disposed in the radial direction with the center added, as shown in FIG. 5(a). This prevents the ice discharged from the outlet 122 from concentrating too much on the outer periphery.

[0051] In the example of FIG. 5(c), similar to FIG. 5(b), the rotary blade 123 is disposed offset from the radial direction passing through the center of the disk 121, but the discharge port 122 is disposed at an angle to the radial direction. In this case, the flake ice is discharged sequentially from the outer periphery of the discharge port 122 to the inner periphery. The arrangement of FIG. 5(c) is effective when it is desired to discharge the flake ice sequentially from the outer periphery to the inner periphery of the discharge port 122. Note that this embodiment does not preclude the arrangement of the discharge port 122 and rotary blade 123 as shown in FIG. 5(d).

[0052] Next, we will explain the screw conveyor 13 that transports ice from the rotary disc 12 to the snow-scattering unit 20. The screw conveyor 13 is located below the discharge port 122 of the rotary disc 12. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example configuration of the screw conveyor 13 of this embodiment. The screw conveyor 13 has a spiral blade (corresponding to the "second blade") 131 that transports the flake ice discharged from the discharge port 122, and a shaft 132 connected to a motor (M3 in FIG. 1) that rotates the screw conveyor 13. Note that the screw conveyor 13 only needs to be located below the discharge port 122 so that it can receive the flake ice discharged from the discharge port 122, and naturally, it may be longer than the entire length of the discharge port 122. For example, in the example configuration shown in FIG. 1, the screw conveyor 13 is longer than the radial length of the rotary disc 12.

[0053] Screw conveyor 13 is rotated by a motor (M3) provided below the rotary disc. The rotation speed of screw conveyor 13 depends on the ice production capacity of ice making unit 11, the rotation speed of scraping blade 114, and the rotation speed of rotary blade 123, but in this embodiment it is 20 to 30 rpm.

[0054] In the screw conveyor 13, the shear force generated between the rotation of the blades and the flake ice causes the ice adhering to the surface of the blades to peel off, preventing the flake ice from adhering to and accumulating on the blades.

[0055] The material of the screw conveyor 13 is not limited, but it is preferable to use a highly corrosion-resistant stainless steel material coated with nylon to prevent ice from adhering to the screw conveyor 13.

[0056] The amount of flake ice that the screw conveyor 13 can transport per unit time is set to be greater than the amount of flake ice that can be produced per unit time in the ice-making section 11. If the amount of flake ice that the screw conveyor 13 can transport per unit time is less than the amount of flake ice that can be produced per unit time in the ice-making section 11, there is a risk that the screw conveyor 13 and rotary disc 12 will become clogged with flake ice that cannot be transported.

[0057] Refrigerator 14 supplies refrigerant to ice-making unit 11 and has a compressor and a condenser. The compressor compresses the refrigerant used in ice-making unit 11, and the condenser cools and liquefies the refrigerant compressed by the compressor with outside air drawn in by a fan. The cooled refrigerant is supplied again to ice-making unit 11.

[0058] (3) Detailed configuration of snow scattering unit 20 Next, the detailed configuration of snow scattering unit 20 will be described with reference to Figure 7. Snow scattering unit 20 has a blower 21, a rotary valve 22, and an ice crusher 23. Blower 21 and rotary valve 22 are connected via a conveying pipe 201, and rotary valve 22 and ice crusher 23 are connected via a conveying pipe 202. Ice crusher 23 is connected to conveying pipe 203, and a snow scattering port 204 is provided at the tip of conveying pipe 203.

[0059] The blower 21 pressurizes air and sends it to the rotary valve 22. The blower 21 is also called a blower. The performance of the blower 21 determines the distance the flake ice can be scattered, but in this embodiment, for example, when a 7 kW blower is used, the flake ice can be scattered up to a distance of approximately 100 m. The blower 21 sends the pressurized air to the rotary valve 22 via the transport pipe 201.

[0060] The rotary valve 22 is provided at one end of the screw conveyor 13, and the flake ice conveyed by the screw conveyor 13 is introduced into the rotary valve 22. Note that this one end of the screw conveyor 13 is not limited to the tip of the screw conveyor 13. For example, the rotary valve 22 may be installed at a position where it overlaps vertically with the screw conveyor 13 over several centimeters from the tip of the screw conveyor 13, or it may be installed at a position several centimeters away from the tip of the screw conveyor 13.

[0061] The configuration of the rotary valve 22 will be described with reference to Figure 8. Figure 8(a) is a perspective view of the rotary valve 22, and Figure 8(b) is a cross-sectional view of the rotary valve 22. The rotary valve 22 has a cylindrical valve case 221 installed horizontally, a rotary shaft 222 arranged inside the valve case 221 and rotated by a motor M4, and a plurality of blades 223 attached around the rotary shaft 222. The rotary valve 22 further has an inlet 224 connected to the conveying pipe 201 and through which compressed air sent out from the blower 21 flows in, and an outlet 225 connected to the conveying pipe 202 and through which the compressed air conveys flake ice to the ice crusher 23. The valve case 221 has a first compartment at normal pressure and a second compartment which becomes high-pressure when compressed air flows in from the blower 21.

[0062] Flake ice transported from the screw conveyor 13 is fed into the first compartment of the valve case 221. When the rotating shaft 222 and blades 223 are rotated by the motor M4, the flake ice fed into the first compartment moves to the second compartment. The flake ice that has moved to the second compartment then rides on air pressurized by the blower 21 and is sprayed out into the ice crusher 23 via the transport pipe 202. In this way, by spraying the flake ice through the rotary valve 22, the amount of ice discharged can be adjusted.

[0063] Here, the amount of flake ice that the rotary valve 22 can spray per unit time is set to be greater than the amount of flake ice that the screw conveyor 13 can transport per unit time. If the amount of flake ice that the rotary valve 22 can spray per unit time is less than the amount of flake ice that the screw conveyor 13 can transport per unit time, the flake ice may clog the rotary valve 22.

[0064] Returning to Figure 7, ice crusher 23 will now be described. Ice crusher 23 crushes the flake ice ejected from rotary valve 22 into fine ice. It is optional whether or not to provide ice crusher 23 in snow-making device 100. If the flake ice produced in ice-making unit 10 is to be transported and scattered as is, ice crusher 23 does not have to be provided. The ice crushed by ice crusher 23 passes through transport pipe 203 and is released as snow from snow scattering nozzle 204. Although not shown in Figure 7, by attaching a hose to snow scattering nozzle 204, the ice released from snow scattering nozzle 204 can be scattered to a desired location, even if it is far away.

[0065] (4) Container-type snow-making device 100 Figure 9 shows an example in which the snow-making device 100 of this embodiment is mounted in a container 1. In addition to the snow-making device 100 of the present invention, the container 1 is also equipped with a control panel 2 for the snow-making device 100. The container 1 is assumed to be a 20-foot container that can be transported by truck.

[0066] Control panel 2 controls the rotation speed of each motor used in ice-making unit 10 and snow-scattering unit 20, for example, to adjust the amount of snow made. Control panel 2 may also have a monitor or the like that allows observation of the inside of the chamber of ice-making unit 10, which will be described later.

[0067] 9, a room is provided on the left side of the container, separated from the space where ice-making unit 11 and other components are installed. In the example of FIG. 9, the condenser of refrigerator 14 is placed in this room, and the refrigerant is cooled using outside air taken in by a fan.

[0068] 9, a snow scattering nozzle 204 protrudes outside the container 1. When scattering ice to a desired distant location, a hose is attached to this snow scattering nozzle 204.

[0069] As shown in Figure 9, by loading the snow-making device 100 and the control panel 2 required for the snow-making device 100 all into a container 1, it becomes possible to transport and install the snow-making device 100 as a whole. As a result, there is no need for assembly work on-site where snowmaking is required, and a large area is not required for the installation site of the snow-making device 100. Furthermore, by using the container 1 as a sea container, sea transportation becomes easy.

[0070] (5) Summary As described above, the snow-making device 100 of this embodiment has the rotary disk 12 that collects ice by rotating one or more blades, and the screw conveyor 13 with spiral blades that transports the ice discharged from the outlet provided on the rotary disk, thereby preventing the ice produced in the ice-making unit 11 from freezing inside the snow-making device 100. This eliminates the need to operate the snow-making device 100 under the supervision of an operator, allowing for automation of the snow-making device 100. Furthermore, since ice can be transported without using a belt conveyor as in the past, the snow-making device 100 can be made smaller.

[0071] Furthermore, the snow-making device 100 of this embodiment can scatter ice over long distances by spraying the ice produced in the ice-making section 11 on air pressurized and sent out by the blower 21 through the rotary valve 22.

[0072] 2. Embodiment 2 In the first embodiment, the snow making device 100 is described as being composed of an ice making unit 10 and a snow scattering unit 20. In this embodiment, a snow making device 100 (corresponding to an "ice making device") composed only of an ice making unit 10 will be described.

[0073] Ice-making unit 10 of this embodiment has the same configuration as ice-making unit 10 of embodiment 1. However, whereas in embodiment 1, flake ice transported by screw conveyor 13 is scattered far away via snow-scattering unit 20, snow-making device 100 of this embodiment does not have snow-scattering unit 20. In other words, in snow-making device 100 of this embodiment, flake ice produced by ice-making unit 10 does not have to be scattered far away, or it may be scattered far away using any method.

[0074] When flake ice does not need to be transported far away, for example, when flake ice is used both indoors and outdoors in commercial facilities or parks, the ice produced in the ice-making unit 10 of the snow-making device 100 of this embodiment and transported by the screw conveyor 13 can be scattered around the room by hand using a shovel or the like.

[0075] 3. Embodiment 3 In the first embodiment, the snow making device 100 has been described as having one ice making unit 11. In the present embodiment, the snow making device 100 has a plurality of ice making units 11.

[0076] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of snow-making device 100 of this embodiment. Unlike embodiment 1, snow-making device 100 of FIG. 10 has two ice-making units 11 (11a, 11b). By providing multiple ice-making units 11a, 11b, ice-making capacity can be increased. Although refrigerator 14 is omitted from FIG. 10, refrigerator 14 of this embodiment supplies refrigerant to each of ice-making units 11a, 11b.

[0077] Rotary disks 12a and 12b are provided below ice-making units 11a and 11b, respectively. Screw conveyor 13 extends from below rotary disk 12a, passing below rotary disk 12b, to rotary valve 22. Screw conveyor 13 transports flake ice produced in ice-making unit 11a and flake ice produced in ice-making unit 11b to rotary valve 22.

[0078] The rotary discs 12a and 12b and the screw conveyor 13 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 11. FIG. 11(a) is a diagram illustrating the positions of the discharge ports 122a and 122b of the rotary discs 12a and 12b of this embodiment. In this embodiment, the discharge ports 122a and 122b are both offset from the radial direction passing through the centers of the rotary discs 12a and 12b. Note that FIG. 11(a) illustrates a configuration in which the long sides of the discharge port 122a and the rotary blade 123a overlap, and the long sides of the discharge port 122b and the rotary blade 123b overlap, respectively. However, as shown in FIGS. 5(c) and 5(d), the long sides of the discharge ports 122a and 122b do not necessarily have to overlap with the long sides of the rotary blades 123a and 123b.

[0079] FIG. 11(b) is a schematic diagram showing the lower portions of the rotary disks 12a and 12b. The rotary disks 12a and 12b are indicated by dashed lines. The rotary blade 123a of the rotary disk 12a is rotated by the motor M2a, and the rotary blade 123b of the rotary disk 12b is rotated by the motor M2b. The screw conveyor 13 is rotated by the motor M3. As in the first embodiment, the screw conveyor 13 is provided below the discharge ports 122a and 122b of the rotary disks 12a and 12b. Therefore, the screw conveyor 13 in this embodiment is offset from the radial direction passing through the centers of the rotary disks 12a and 12b. This arrangement prevents the screw conveyor 13 from interfering with the motor M2b. As a result, the screw conveyor 13 can transport not only the flake ice produced in the ice-making unit 11a but also the flake ice produced in the ice-making unit 11b to the rotary valve 22.

[0080] When flake ice produced in multiple ice-making units 11a, 11b is transported using different screw conveyors, the flake ice transported from each screw conveyor must be joined together before being transported to snow-scattering unit 20. This means that the flake ice may become clogged where they join. In contrast, in this embodiment, a single screw conveyor 13 can transport flake ice produced in multiple ice-making units 11a, 11b to rotary valve 22, preventing the flake ice from becoming clogged.

[0081] In this embodiment, the snow making device 100 has two ice making units 11a and 11b, but may have three or more ice making units.

[0082] As described above, by providing a plurality of ice-making units 11, the snow-making device 100 of this embodiment can increase the flake ice production capacity. Furthermore, by using one screw conveyor 13 to transport the flake ice produced in multiple ice making units 11, it is possible to better prevent ice from clogging compared to when multiple screw conveyors are used.

[0083] 4. Summary The features of the snow making device according to the embodiment of the present invention have been described above. The terms used in each embodiment are merely examples and may be replaced with synonymous terms or terms having the same functions. The terms first, second, through Nth (N is an integer) used in the embodiments and claims are used to distinguish between two or more similar configurations or methods, and do not limit the order or superiority or inferiority. [Industrial Applicability]

[0084] The snow-making device and ice-making device of the present invention can be used to scatter snow not only outdoors but also indoors. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 100: snow making device, ice making device, 11: ice making section, 111: chamber, 113: raw water supply section, 114: rotary blade (third blade), 117: separation and recovery section, 12: rotary disc, 13: screw conveyor, 21: blower, 22: rotary valve, 23: ice crusher

Claims

1. an ice making unit (11) that produces flake ice from raw water; a rotary disk (12) provided at the bottom of the ice making unit, which collects the ice by rotating one or more first blades in a substantially horizontal direction; a screw conveyor (13) provided below the outlet provided in the rotary disc and having a second spiral blade for transporting the ice discharged from the outlet; a blower (21) that pressurizes and sends out air; a rotary valve (22) provided at one end of the screw conveyor and connected to the blower, for ejecting the ice on the air pressurized by the blower while adjusting the discharge amount of the ice. Snow making equipment (100).

2. The ice making unit is A cylindrical chamber (111); a raw water supply unit (113) that supplies the raw water to the inner surface of the chamber; a third blade (114) for scraping off the ice flakes formed by the freezing of the raw water on the inner surface of the chamber; and a separation and recovery section (117) at the bottom of the chamber, which separates the raw water that has not frozen on the inner surface of the chamber or the raw water generated by the melting of the ice from the ice and returns the raw water to the raw water supply section. The snow making device according to claim 1.

3. The discharge port is provided at a position where a long side thereof overlaps a long side of the first blade. The snow making device according to claim 1.

4. The first blade is provided offset from a radial direction passing through the center of the rotary disk. The snow making device according to claim 1.

5. The rotation speed of the first blade is in the range of 3 to 7 rpm. The snow making device according to claim 1.

6. The second blade of the screw conveyor is coated with nylon. The snow making device according to claim 1.

7. Further, an ice crusher (23) for crushing the ice ejected from the rotary valve is provided. The snow making device according to claim 1.

8. an ice making unit (11) that produces flake ice from raw water; a rotary disk (12) provided at the bottom of the ice making unit, which collects the ice by rotating one or more first blades in a substantially horizontal direction; a screw conveyor (13) provided below the discharge port provided in the rotary disc and having a second spiral blade for transporting the ice discharged from the discharge port; Ice making device (100).

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