Ice making device and ice making method

Abstract

To provide an ice making device and an ice making method that enable making ice of high transparency.SOLUTION: An ice making device comprises a container for storing liquid and a cooler for cooling the liquid in the container. The cooler comprises a refrigerant pipe disposed along an outer surface of the container. A space forming body is provided on an inner side of the surface of the container where the refrigerant pipe is disposed, so as to form a space between the surface and the space forming body. The ice making device may further comprise a circulator for circulating the liquid in the container and a vibrator for vibrating the space forming body, or may comprise a removal handle for removing the space forming body from the container. An ice making method involves cooling the liquid in the container using a refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant pipe disposed along the outer surface of the container, thereby producing base ice in a void formed by the space forming body in the container. Even after the base ice is produced, the liquid in the container is continuously cooled by the refrigerant, thereby further producing ice on the surface side of the space forming body opposite to the base ice.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus (ice making apparatus) and a method (ice making method) for producing ice (more specifically, so-called transparent ice with high transparency). [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, a water circulation type ice maker that produces clear ice by cooling while circulating water is known as an ice making device (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-214161 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When producing clear ice, the inside of the ice can sometimes become cloudy (opaque). Cloudy ice cannot be used in products that require high transparency, so the industry that handles clear ice is looking for a solution.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ice-making device and an ice-making method that can produce ice with high transparency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] [Ice maker] The ice-making device of the present application comprises a container for storing liquid and a cooler for cooling the liquid in the container, the cooler having a refrigerant pipe arranged along the outer surface of the container, and a space forming body provided inside the surface on which the refrigerant pipe of the container is arranged to form a space between the surface.

[0007] The ice-making device of the present application may also be equipped with a circulator that circulates the liquid in the container and a vibrator that vibrates the space-forming body. The ice-making device of the present application may also be equipped with a removal handle that removes the space-forming body from the container.

[0008] [Ice making method] The ice-making method of the present application is a method in which base ice is produced in a void formed by a space-forming body within the container by cooling the liquid within the container with a refrigerant in a refrigerant pipe arranged along the outer surface of the container, and ice is produced on the side of the space-forming body opposite the base ice by continuing to cool the liquid within the container with the refrigerant even after the base ice has been produced.

[0009] In the ice-making method of the present application, the production of base ice and ice can be performed while circulating the liquid in the container. In addition, in the ice-making method of the present application, the circulation of the liquid can be stopped until the base ice is made. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the ice making device and ice making method of the present application, ice with high transparency can be produced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of an ice making device with a peripheral cover of a housing removed. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the state in which a control panel is removed from the perspective view of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 1(a) is a detailed explanatory view of the container, the space forming body, and the removal handle, and FIG. 1(b) is a perspective view of the back side of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the inside of a container in which a space forming body is set. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] (Embodiment) An example of an embodiment of an ice-making device of the present application will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, a water circulation type ice-making device that produces clear ice by circulating and cooling a liquid (for example, tap water or pure water) will be described as an example.

[0013] 1 and 2, the ice making device of this embodiment mainly comprises a container 10, a circulator 20, a cooler 30, and a space forming body 40. The space forming body 40 is housed in the container 10.

[0014] The container 10 is a tank in which liquid is stored and ice is produced. As shown in Figures 3(a) and 3(b) and 4, the container 10 of this embodiment is a bottomed container with an open top, and includes peripheral wall portions 11 that surround the container from the front, back, left, and right, and a bottom portion 12 provided at the lower end side of the peripheral wall portions 11.

[0015] A drain pipe 17a for draining the liquid inside the container 10 is provided at the bottom 12 of the container 10, and an overflow drain pipe 17b for draining the overflowing liquid is provided at the peripheral wall 11 of the container 10. In addition, a heat insulating material (not shown) is provided around the periphery of the peripheral wall 11 and the bottom 12.

[0016] Flanges 13 protrude outward from the upper edge of each of the front, rear, left, and right peripheral walls 11. The flanges 13 formed on both longitudinal ends of the container 10 (for ease of explanation, one will be referred to as the "first flange 13a" and the other as the "second flange 13b" below) are provided with handle locking portions 14 for locking a removal handle 41 (described below).

[0017] A sensor (hereinafter referred to as "ice thickness sensor") 16 is provided inside container 10 to detect when the top surface of ice produced inside container 10 reaches a predetermined position. Ice thickness sensor 16 is provided on first flange 13a.

[0018] The ice thickness sensor 16 is attached so that it can rotate up and down via a hinge 18. The reason that the ice thickness sensor 16 can be rotated in this manner is to prevent the ice thickness sensor 16 from getting in the way when the space forming body 40 is put in and taken out of the container 10.

[0019] A heater (hereinafter referred to as "de-icing heater") 70 is provided on the outer periphery of the container 10 and is used when separating the produced ice from the space forming body 40. The de-icing heater 70 is provided along the refrigerant pipe 31. For the de-icing heater 70, an existing heater such as a sheath heater can be used.

[0020] The de-icing heater 70 is activated by turning on the de-icing switch 54, which will be described later. When the container 10 and the space forming body 40 are heated by the de-icing heater 70, the bottom surface of the ice formed on the space forming body 40 melts slightly, allowing the ice to be peeled off from the space forming body 40.

[0021] The circulator 20 is a device that circulates the liquid inside the container 10. In this embodiment, a water pump is used as the circulator 20. The circulator 20 is attached to the second flange 13b of the container 10 via a hinge 21 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction.

[0022] In the process of making ice, air bubbles tend to remain at the boundary between the ice and the liquid (around the space forming body 40), and these air bubbles may cause the ice to become cloudy. In this regard, when the liquid is circulated within the container 10 by the circulator 20, air bubbles are less likely to remain at the boundary between the ice and the liquid, and clouding of the ice caused by air bubbles can be prevented.

[0023] The circulator 20 can be rotated by a hinge 21 from a position housed within the container 10 to a position outside the top opening 15 of the container 10. The reason why the circulator 20 can be rotated in this manner is to prevent the circulator 20 from getting in the way when the space forming body 40 is put in and taken out of the container 10.

[0024] In this embodiment, a water flow pump is used as the circulator 20, but the circulator 20 may be something other than a water flow pump. For example, it may be replaced by a stirrer that stirs the liquid in the container 10. In addition, the installation position of the circulator 20 is also an example, and the circulator 20 may be installed in a location other than this.

[0025] The cooler 30 is a device for cooling the liquid in the container 10. The cooler 30 of this embodiment includes a refrigerant pipe 31 arranged along the outer surface of the container 10, and a compressor condensing unit 32 (hereinafter simply referred to as a "condensing unit") that supplies refrigerant to the refrigerant pipe 31. The condensing unit 32 includes a compressor 32a and a heat exchanger 32b.

[0026] The refrigerant pipe 31 has a serpentine section 31a that is mainly arranged on the bottom side of the container 10, a refrigerant inlet 31b provided at one longitudinal end of the serpentine section 31a, and a refrigerant outlet 31c provided at the other longitudinal end of the serpentine section 31a.

[0027] A condensing unit 32 (compressor 32a and heat exchanger 32b) is connected to the refrigerant inlet 31b and the refrigerant outlet 31c, forming a refrigerant circulation path. Note that chlorofluorocarbon gas or the like can be used as the refrigerant.

[0028] The space forming body 40 is a member for forming a space between the surface (bottom 12 in this embodiment) of the container 10 on which the refrigerant pipes 31 are arranged. In this embodiment, a flat plate made of stainless steel and having a rectangular shape in a plan view is used as the space forming body 40.

[0029] The area of ​​the space forming body 40 is slightly smaller than the area of ​​the bottom 12 of the container 10, so that when it is set in the predetermined position, a gap of several mm (for example, about 2 mm) is secured between it and each of the peripheral wall portions 11 on the front, back, left and right sides of the container 10.

[0030] Two locking holes 40a for locking the removal handle 41 are provided at positions near both ends of the space forming body 40 in the longitudinal direction. The removal handle 41 in this embodiment includes two support plates 41a arranged side by side with a gap between them, and a connecting rod 41b connecting the upper parts of both support plates 41a.

[0031] 3(a), the lower end of each support plate 41a is folded back in a U-shape when viewed from the side, so that the upwardly facing portions 41c can be locked into the locking holes 40a of the space forming body 40. By locking the upwardly facing portions 41c of both support plates 41a into the locking holes 40a, the removal handle 41 can be attached to the space forming body 40.

[0032] By placing the connecting rod 41b of the removal handle 41 attached to both longitudinal ends of the space forming body 40 in the above-described manner on the handle locking portion 14, the space forming body 40 can be set at a predetermined position within the container 10.

[0033] When the space forming body 40 is set in a predetermined position in the container 10 in the above manner, a space S is formed between the bottom 12 and the space forming body 40. This space S is the part of the container 10 that is closest to the refrigerant, and is the part where the liquid is most easily cooled.

[0034] In the ice production process, base ice (ice not used as a product) that serves as the base for making ice is first produced within the void S, and then ice to be used as a product is produced on the upper side of the space forming body 40.

[0035] In the ice making device of this embodiment, basal ice is first produced in the gap S between the bottom 12 and the space forming body 40, so that temperature unevenness is less likely to occur in the liquid above the space forming body 40, and the liquid is cooled uniformly or approximately uniformly, resulting in the production of highly transparent ice.

[0036] The control panel 50 is a unit that controls each device that constitutes the ice making device. As shown in Figure 1, the control panel 50 is provided with a main power supply 51, a changeover switch 52, a circulation switch 53, and an ice removal switch 54.

[0037] The main power supply 51 switches the power supply of the ice making device ON / OFF, the changeover switch 52 switches between ice making, ice removal and OFF, the circulator switch 53 switches the circulator 20 between manual and automatic, and the ice removal switch 54 switches the ice removal heater 70 ON / OFF.

[0038] The main power supply 51, the changeover switch 52, the circulation switch 53, and the de-icing switch 54 are each provided with a lamp that indicates their operating status, and the operating status can be determined by the state of lighting or flashing of the lamp, its color, etc.

[0039] The container 10, the circulator 20, and the cooler 30 are housed in a housing 60 together with a control panel 50, and function as a single ice-making device.

[0040] The housing 60 includes a case 61 that houses the container 10, the circulator 20, the cooler 30, and the control panel 50, and a lid 62 that opens and closes the top opening 15 of the container 10. The lid 62 has a depth that prevents it from interfering with the handle locking portion 14 when the top opening 15 is closed. The lid 62 is provided with a handle 62a that can be gripped when opening or closing the lid 62.

[0041] The case 61 is provided with peripheral covers that cover the front, rear, left and right peripheral surfaces, but for the sake of convenience, the peripheral covers are not shown in FIGS.

[0042] Next, an ice making method using the ice making device of this embodiment will be described.

[0043] Ice making begins when the changeover switch 52 is switched to the "ice making" side with liquid placed in the container 10. Specifically, the liquid in the container 10 is cooled by the refrigerant in the refrigerant pipe 31, and basal ice is produced in the gap S formed in the container 10.

[0044] If the cooling of the liquid in the container 10 by the refrigerant continues even after the basal ice has been produced, ice to be used as a product is produced on the side of the space forming body 40 opposite the basal ice (the upper side of the space forming body 40). This series of processes of producing basal ice and ice is carried out while the liquid in the container 10 is circulated by the circulator 20.

[0045] When the ice thickness sensor 16 detects that a predetermined thickness of ice has been produced, the circulator 20 and cooler 30 stop, and ice production is complete. To remove the produced ice, the ice removal switch 54 is turned on, and the heat from the ice removal heater 70 slightly melts the bottom side of the ice produced on the space forming body 40, causing it to peel off from the space forming body 40.

[0046] (Other embodiments) The configuration of the above embodiment is merely an example, and the ice making device and ice making method of the present application can be modified by adding, omitting, or replacing components within the scope of achieving the intended purpose. Specifically, the following various modifications are possible.

[0047] In the above embodiment, the container 10 has a rectangular shape in a plan view, but the shape of the container 10 may be other than this, for example, various polygonal shapes, circles, ellipses, etc. The depth of the container 10 can also be designed according to the shape of the ice to be produced. For example, if it is desired to produce ice in the shape of a polygonal column, a cylinder, an elliptical column, etc., the container 10 can be designed according to the height of the ice to be produced.

[0048] In the above embodiment, the space forming body 40 is disposed inside the bottom portion 12 as an example, but the space forming body 40 may also be provided in a portion other than the inside of the bottom portion 12, such as the inside of each peripheral wall portion 11. Moreover, the space forming body 40 may also be provided both inside the each peripheral wall portion 11 and inside the bottom portion 12.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the refrigerant pipe 31 is mainly arranged on the outside of the bottom 12 as an example, but the refrigerant pipe 31 can also be arranged not only on the bottom 12 but also along the outer surface of the outside of each peripheral wall portion 11.

[0050] In the above embodiment, stainless steel is used as the space forming body 40, but the space forming body 40 may be made of a material other than stainless steel. Furthermore, the space forming body 40 may be in a shape other than a rectangle, such as various polygons, circles, or ellipses. Furthermore, the space forming body 40 does not have to be a flat plate, as long as it can form a gap S between itself and the inside of the surface on which the refrigerant pipes 31 are arranged.

[0051] Although not specifically mentioned in the above embodiment, when producing clear ice, the circulator 20 can be stopped until the base ice is produced, and then operated after the base ice is produced. In this case, a timer can be set so that the circulator 20 automatically starts operating after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0052] Although not specifically mentioned in the above embodiment, the ice-making device of the present application can also be provided with a vibrator that vibrates space forming body 40. By vibrating space forming body 40 with a vibrator, air bubbles that can cause ice to become cloudy can be removed from around space forming body 40 (especially at the boundary between the liquid and the ice), thereby preventing the ice from becoming cloudy due to air bubbles. The vibrator can be used in place of or together with circulator 20. [Industrial Applicability]

[0053] The ice-making device and ice-making method of the present application can be suitably used to make various types of ice, and in particular, to make clear ice that requires high transparency. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 10 containers 11 Peripheral wall section 12 Bottom 13 Flange 13a First flange 13b Second flange 14 Handle locking part 15 Top opening 16 Sensor (Ice Thickness Sensor) 17a Drain pipe 17b Overflow drain pipe 18 hinges 20 Circulatory system 21 Hinge 30 Cooler 31 Refrigerant pipe 31a Serpentine section 31b Refrigerant inlet 31c Refrigerant outlet 32 Compressor condensing unit 32a compressor 32b heat exchanger 40 Space formation body 40a Locking hole 41 Ejection handle 41a Support plate 41b Connecting rod 41c Upward part 50 Control Panel 51 Main power supply 52 Changeover switch 53 Circulatory System Switch 54 De-icing switch 60 cabinets 61 Case part 62 Lid 62a Handle 70 Heater (De-icing heater) S void

Claims

1. In the ice making device, a container for containing a liquid; a cooler for cooling the liquid in the container; the cooler includes a refrigerant pipe disposed along an outer surface of the container; A space forming body is provided on the inside of a surface of the container on which the refrigerant pipe is arranged, forming a space between the surface and the space forming body. An ice making device characterized by:

2. The ice making device according to claim 1, A circulator that circulates the liquid in the container and / or a vibrator that vibrates the space forming body, An ice making device characterized by:

3. The ice making device according to claim 1, A removal handle is provided for removing the space forming body from the container. An ice making device characterized by:

4. In the ice making method, By cooling the liquid in the container with a refrigerant in a refrigerant pipe arranged along the outer surface of the container, base ice is produced in a space formed by a space forming body in the container; After the base ice is produced, the liquid in the container is continued to be cooled by the refrigerant, thereby producing ice on the side opposite to the base ice of the space forming body. A method for making ice.

5. 5. The ice making method according to claim 4, The production of basic ice and ice is carried out while circulating the liquid in the container. A method for making ice.

6. 6. The ice making method according to claim 5, Stop the liquid circulation until the base ice is formed. A method for making ice.

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