Ice maker

Abstract

To provide an ice maker capable of preventing water from leaking to the outside through an opening. [Solution] The ice making unit 21 has an ice making surface 21A that freezes water to produce ice, a spray pipe 22 arranged above the ice making unit 21 and spraying water toward the ice making unit 21, a housing 80 that houses the ice making unit 21 and the spray pipe 22, and a lid member 40 that is rotatably attached to the housing 80 and rotates from a closed state that closes an opening 81 formed in the housing 80 to an open state that opens the opening 81 when ice that has separated from the ice making unit 21 collides with the lid member 40, and the upper part of the ice making surface 21A is positioned opposite a wall portion 85 of the housing 80, and the lower part of the ice making surface 21A is positioned opposite the lid member 40 and the opening 81.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technology disclosed herein relates to ice makers. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional ice maker is described in Patent Document 1 below. The ice maker described in Patent Document 1 includes an ice making unit with an ice making surface that freezes water to produce ice, and a water discharge unit (spray tube) that discharges water into the ice making unit. The ice produced on the ice making surface is discharged outside the ice maker through an opening (ice discharge port) and then stored in an ice storage compartment located near the opening. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5348767 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above configuration, there is a concern that water splashing from the ice making unit may leak outside through the opening, and if the leaked water adheres to the ice stored in the ice storage compartment, the ice may melt.

[0005] The technology disclosed in this specification was developed based on the above circumstances, and aims to provide an ice maker that can prevent water from leaking to the outside through an opening. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] As a means for solving the above problem, the ice maker disclosed in this specification comprises an ice making unit having an ice making surface that freezes water to produce ice, a water discharge unit arranged above the ice making unit and that discharges water toward the ice making unit, a housing that houses the ice making unit and the water discharge unit, and a lid member rotatably attached to the housing, which rotates from a closed state that closes an opening formed in the housing to an open state that opens the opening when ice that has separated from the ice making unit collides with the lid member, and is characterized in that an upper part of the ice making surface is positioned opposite a part of a wall that constitutes the housing, and a lower part of the ice making surface is positioned opposite the lid member and the opening.

[0007] The upper end of the lid member may be positioned below the center of the ice making surface in the vertical direction.

[0008] The ice making unit may also be provided with an internal space that opens upward and a water storage tank that is located below the ice making unit, and a pump that sends water from the internal space to the water release unit, wherein at least a portion of the surface of the lid member facing the ice making surface is a first inclined surface that slopes downward as it approaches the ice making surface, and at least a portion of the surface of the lid member opposite the ice making surface is a second inclined surface that slopes downward as it moves away from the ice making surface.

[0009] The water tank further comprises a bottom wall portion that forms the bottom surface of the internal space, and a standing wall portion that rises upward from the end of the bottom wall portion on the lid member side, and an intervening member that is interposed between the ice making unit and the bottom wall portion, and the intervening member is configured to be tiltable between a first position in which the upper surface slopes downward as it moves away from the lid member, and a second position in which the upper surface slopes downward as it moves toward the lid member, the upper surface of the standing wall portion forms the inner surface of the opening, and the portion of the upper surface of the standing wall portion that includes the end portion opposite the internal space is a third inclined surface that slopes downward as it moves opposite the internal space, and the lower end of the upper surface of the intervening member in the second position is arranged above the third inclined surface.

[0010] Furthermore, a portion of the upper surface of the standing wall portion that includes an end portion on the internal space side can be a fourth inclined surface that slopes downward toward the internal space side.

[0011] In addition, the upper end of the cover member can be positioned at a height lower than the height of the lower end of the upper surface of the intervening member in the second posture plus the vertical length of the ice making surface.

[0012] The ice making device may also be provided with an ice thickness sensor arranged opposite the ice making surface to detect the thickness of the ice produced on the ice making surface, and the cover member may be arranged at a lower position than the ice thickness sensor.

[0013] The ice making unit may also include a water storage tank having an internal space that opens upward and is arranged below the ice making unit, a pump that sends water from the internal space to the water discharge unit, and an ice making unit case that houses the ice making unit, wherein the ice making unit case is arranged above the water storage tank and is integral with the water storage tank.

[0014] In addition, the water tank has a bottom wall portion that forms the bottom surface of the internal space, and a drain pipe is connected to a drain hole formed through the bottom wall portion, the housing has a rectangular shape when viewed from above, the water tank and the ice making unit case are housed in the housing, and the drain hole is positioned so as to overlap both the center of one side of the housing and the center of the other side of the housing when viewed from above.

[0015] The ice storage cabinet may also include a cover member that covers the opening from the outside of the housing, an ice storage compartment that is arranged below the cover member, opens upward, and has an ice storage compartment that stores ice that has fallen off the ice-making unit, an inner lid that fits onto the upper end of the ice storage compartment to close the ice storage compartment, and a connecting member that connects the cover member and the inner lid, wherein the inner lid has a through hole through which ice that has fallen off the ice-making unit can pass, and the connecting member has an engaging portion that engages with the cover member and a support portion that supports the edge of the through hole in the inner lid from below. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an ice making machine that can prevent water from leaking to the outside through an opening. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an ice maker according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an ice maker with a portion of the housing removed; [Figure 3] A perspective view showing the water tank and the ice making unit case. [Figure 4] A perspective view showing the ice making unit [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the ice making unit with the lid member attached thereto; [Figure 6] Diagram showing the internal structure of an ice maker (corresponding to the cross section taken along line VI-VI in Figure 7) [Figure 7] Top view of the ice maker with part of the housing removed [Figure 8] Diagram showing the internal structure of the ice maker (corresponding to the cross section taken along line VIII-VIII in Figure 7) [Figure 9] Enlarged view of the ice making area in Figure 8 [Figure 10] A diagram showing the ice making unit with plate-shaped connected ice produced [Figure 11] A diagram showing the ice making unit with the plate-shaped connected ice removed [Figure 12]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the cover member and the interposing member as viewed from the ice making unit side. [Figure 13] Schematic diagram showing the refrigeration circuit and ice-making water flow path [Figure 14] An enlarged view of the area around the cover member in FIG. 9 [Figure 15] An enlarged view of the area around the cover member in FIG. 11 [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an ice maker according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] A perspective view showing the mounting pin and the through hole. [Figure 18] FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing the ice making machine in a state where the cover member is raised from the state shown in FIG. 16; [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an ice maker according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] Diagram showing the internal structure of the ice maker (corresponding to the cross section taken along line XX-XX in Figure 19) [Figure 21] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cover member, the connecting member, and the inner lid as viewed from the housing side. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the connecting member viewed from the opposite side to the housing. [Figure 23] An enlarged view of the area around the connecting member in Figure 20 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] <Embodiment 1> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 15. Ice making machine 10 according to this embodiment is a so-called flow-down ice making machine. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, ice making machine 10 includes ice making unit 20 including ice making section 21 that makes ice (slab-shaped connected ice cubes 11 shown in FIG. 10), cooling device 50 that cools ice making section 21, control unit 52 (see FIG. 6) that controls the operation of each device included in ice making machine 10, housing 80 that houses ice making unit 20 and cooling device 50, and ice storage 90 that stores the made ice. Note that X, Y, and Z axes are shown in some of the drawings. Of these, the Z axis coincides with the vertical direction, and the X and Y axes coincide with the horizontal direction. Housing 80 is substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped as shown in FIG. 1. Housing 80 has an opening 81 that serves as a discharge port for slab-shaped connected ice cubes 11 as shown in FIG. 9. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, ice storage room 90 is box-shaped and open at the top.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, a cover member 82 (hood) is disposed above ice storage bin 90. Cover member 82 is disposed to cover both opening 81 and the interior space of ice storage bin 90. Cover member 82 has thermal insulation properties. As shown in FIG. 1, a protrusion 83 having a rectangular shape in plan view is formed on the side wall of cover member 82, and a protrusion 91 having a rectangular shape in plan view is formed on the side wall of ice storage bin 90. Although not shown, protrusion 83 is provided on each of both side walls of cover member 82, and protrusion 91 is provided on each of both side walls of cover member 82. Protrusions 83 and 91 are disposed adjacent to each other. Housing 80 is provided with a rectangular frame-shaped locking piece 84 that locks onto both protrusions 83 and 91. Locking piece 84 is configured to be elastically deformable. As a result, cover member 82 and ice storage bin 90 are removably fixed to housing 80 via locking piece 84.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2, ice-making unit 20 is disposed in the upper part of the internal space of housing 80. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, ice-making unit 20 includes ice-making section 21, sprinkler pipes 22 (water discharge sections) disposed above ice-making section 21 and discharging water toward ice-making section 21, water storage tank 23, interposition member 60 disposed between ice-making section 21 and bottom wall section 34 of water storage tank 23, ice-making section case 26 that houses ice-making section 21, ice thickness sensor 27 that detects the thickness of connected plate ice 11 produced in ice-making section 21 (ice-making surface 21A), and pump 28 that sends water from internal space 23A of water storage tank 23 to sprinkler pipes 22.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 4, ice-making unit case 26 has an opening on the side of ice-making surface 21A, and as shown in Fig. 5, wall 85 constituting housing 80 is provided to close this opening. Wall 85 has a cutout 86 that opens downward. Cutout 86 forms part of opening 81. Lid member 40 is attached to wall 85 to close opening 81. Wall 85 has thermal insulation properties.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, ice making unit 21 (ice making plate) is made of plate material and stands vertically. Ice making unit 21 has ice making surface 21A that freezes water to produce ice. Ice making surface 21A is a surface that extends vertically. Ice making surface 21A is provided with a plurality of partition walls 29 arranged in a lattice pattern in a plan view. As a result, ice making surface 21A and the plurality of partition walls 29 form a plurality of ice making chambers 30. In other words, ice making unit 21 is shaped like a shallow box with a plurality of ice making chambers 30 that open on the opening 81 side. Furthermore, of partition walls 29, those that extend horizontally are inclined downward as they move away from ice making surface 21A in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 9.

[0023] 9, evaporation pipes 51 constituting cooling device 50 are provided on the surface of ice-making section 21 opposite ice-making surface 21A. When ice-making surface 21A is cooled by evaporation pipes 51, water flowing down ice-making surface 21A freezes, and numerous blocks of ice are produced in each ice-making compartment 30. The ice in each ice-making compartment 30 is produced so that it is slightly larger than the protruding length of partition wall 29. As a result, the ice in each ice-making compartment 30 is connected to each other, producing plate-shaped connected ice 11 (see FIG. 10) made up of connected blocks of ice.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 8, water storage tank 23 is disposed below ice making unit 21. Water is supplied to water storage tank 23 through water supply pipe 31 (see FIG. 13) connected to a water source such as a tap. As shown in FIG. 3, water storage tank 23 has internal space 23A that is open upward. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, water storage tank 23 includes bottom wall portion 34 that forms the bottom surface of internal space 23A, and upright wall portion 35 that rises upward from the end of bottom wall portion 34 on the lid member 40 side.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 6, a drain hole 36 is formed through the bottom wall 34 of the water storage tank 23, and a drain pipe 37 is connected to the drain hole 36. As shown in FIG. 8, an overflow pipe 38 is inserted through the drain hole 36. As a result, when the water level in the water storage tank 23 exceeds the upper end of the overflow pipe 38 (the overflow water level), the excess water flows through the overflow pipe 38 toward the drain pipe 37 and is then drained by the drain pipe 37. Note that if you want to completely drain the water in the water storage tank 23, you can simply remove the overflow pipe 38 from the drain hole 36. If the overflow pipe 38 were located in a different location from the drain hole 36, it would be necessary to connect drain pipes to both the drain hole 36 and the overflow pipe 38. By inserting the overflow pipe 38 into the drain hole 36, a common drain pipe can be used.

[0026] Also, as shown in FIG. 7, the housing 80 has a rectangular shape when viewed from above, and the drainage hole 36 is arranged at a position that overlaps with both the center of one side of the housing 80 (the up-down direction in FIG. 7) and the center of the other side of the housing 80 (the left-right direction in FIG. 7) when viewed from above.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 3, ice-making unit case 26 is disposed above water storage tank 23 and is provided integrally with water storage tank 23. Specifically, box-shaped member 70 formed by integrating water storage tank 23 and ice-making unit case 26 includes, when opening 81 of housing 80 is the front, bottom wall 34 and standing wall 35 (front-side wall), as well as left and right side walls 70A, 70B and a rear wall 70C. Box-shaped member 70 has thermal insulation properties.

[0028] Ice-making unit case 26 is formed by the upper parts of a pair of side walls 70A, 70B and the upper part of rear wall 70C, and water storage tank 23 is formed by bottom wall 34, upright wall 35, the lower parts of the pair of side walls 70A, 70B, and the lower part of rear wall 70C. In other words, the internal space of water storage tank 23 and the internal space of ice-making unit case 26 are connected to each other to form a single internal space S1. Internal space S1 is provided with pump 28 and water supply pipe 32 (see FIG. 7) connected to pump 28. In addition, water supply pipe 32 is connected to sprinkler pipe 22.

[0029] Lid member 40 functions to prevent cold air from leaking to the outside and to prevent ice-making water from splashing to the outside. As shown in FIG. 9, lid member 40 is rotatably attached at its upper portion to wall portion 85 (part of the housing) by pivot 41. This allows lid member 40 to rotate so that its lower end is displaced away from ice-making surface 21A. Therefore, lid member 40 can rotate from a closed state (see FIG. 9) in which it closes opening 81 formed in housing 80 to an open state (see FIG. 11) in which plate-shaped connected ice pieces 11 (ice pieces) that have detached from ice-making unit 21 collide with lid member 40, opening opening 81.

[0030] As shown in Figure 9, the upper part of ice making surface 21A is arranged opposite wall 85 (part of the wall that makes up the housing), and the lower part of ice making surface 21A is arranged opposite lid member 40 and opening 81. Furthermore, upper end 45 of lid member 40 is arranged below the vertical center of ice making surface 21A (two-dot chain line L1 in Figure 9). As shown in Figures 4 and 5, lid member 40 is in the shape of a plate that covers the lower part of ice making surface 21A and is elongated along the Y-axis direction.

[0031] As shown in Figure 10, the cover member 40 comprises a first wall portion 40A extending in the vertical direction, a second wall portion 40B sloping downward from the lower end of the first wall portion 40A toward the ice-making surface 21A, a third wall portion 40C sloping upward from the lower end of the second wall portion 40B as it moves away from the ice-making surface 21A, and a fourth wall portion 40D sloping downward from the upper end of the third wall portion 40C as it moves away from the ice-making surface 21A.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 10, the surface of second wall 40B facing ice making surface 21A (the left side of FIG. 10) (at least a part of the surface of lid member 40 facing ice making surface 21A) is a first inclined surface 42A that slopes downward toward ice making surface 21A. Furthermore, the surface of fourth wall 40D opposite ice making surface 21A (at least a part of the surface of lid member 40 opposite ice making surface) is a second inclined surface 42B that slopes downward as it moves away from ice making surface 21A. Furthermore, third wall 40C and fourth wall 40D form the lower surface of lid member 40 and are disposed opposite the upper surface of upright wall 35 of water tank 23. The lower end of fourth wall 40D is disposed above third inclined surface 35A, which will be described later.

[0033] The intervening member 60 receives the water that falls from the ice-making section 21, thereby preventing the water from falling directly into the water storage tank 23, and also receives the plate-shaped connected ice 11 that has detached from the ice-making section 21 and guides it to the opening 81.

[0034] As shown in Figure 12, intervening member 60 is in the shape of a plate extending along the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) of cover member 40. More specifically, intervening member 60 has a first wall portion 61 that forms upper surface 61A in the first posture (see Figure 14), and a second wall portion 62 that extends downward from the end of first wall portion 61 on the ice making surface 21A side.

[0035] Interposition member 60 is rotatably attached at both longitudinal ends to brackets 25 provided at the lower end of ice-making unit 21 by pivot shafts 60A. Interposition member 60 is thus tiltable between a first position (see FIG. 14) in which upper surface 61A slopes downward as it moves away from lid member 40 (left side in FIG. 14) and a second position (see FIG. 15) in which upper surface 61A slopes downward as it moves toward lid member 40 (right side in FIG. 15). In its natural state, interposition member 60 is in the first position, and transitions to the second position when ice blocks 11 fall onto upper surface 61A. After ice blocks 11 on upper surface 61A in the second position fall into ice storage bin 90, second wall portion 62's own weight causes interposition member 60 to return to the first position.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 9, the upper surface of the standing wall portion 35 of the water storage tank 23 forms the inner surface of the opening 81. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the opening 81 has a rectangular shape that is elongated in the Y-axis direction. The upward-facing surface of the inner surface of the opening 81 is formed by the upper surface of the standing wall portion 35, and the remaining surfaces are formed by the inner surface of the cutout portion 86. As shown in FIG. 14, a portion of the upper surface of the standing wall portion 35, including an end portion opposite the internal space 23A, is formed as a third inclined surface 35A that slopes downward toward the side opposite the internal space 23A (the right side in FIG. 14). Furthermore, a portion of the upper surface of the standing wall portion 35, including an end portion on the internal space 23A side, is formed as a fourth inclined surface 35B that slopes downward toward the internal space 23A side (the left side in FIG. 14). As shown in FIG. 15, the lower end of the upper surface 61A of the interposition member 60 in the second position is disposed above the third inclined surface 35A. Additionally, upper surface 61A in the second position is arranged to have approximately the same inclination angle as third inclined surface 35A. Additionally, plate-shaped member 39 is attached to the outer surface of upright wall portion 35 to guide plate-shaped connected ice pieces 11 into ice storage bin 90. The upper surface of plate-shaped member 39 is an inclined surface that slopes downward toward ice storage bin 90 (the right side in Figure 15).

[0037] 12, the first wall 61 includes an extended wall 61B extending in the Y-axis direction and a pair of protrusions 63, 63 protruding from the end of the extended wall 61B on the lid member 40 side. A recess 43 is formed in the second wall 40B of the lid member 40 at a location facing the protrusion 63. This makes it possible to prevent interference between the protrusion 63 and the lid member 40.

[0038] 11, the upper end of cover member 40 is positioned lower than the height of the lower end (tip of protrusion 63) of upper surface 61A of interposition member 60 in the second position plus the vertical length H1 of ice making surface 21A. Therefore, the upper end of plate-shaped connected ice 11 placed on upper surface 61A is positioned higher than the upper end of cover member 40.

[0039] As shown in Figure 9, ice thickness sensor 27 is positioned opposite the upper part of ice making surface 21A. Lid member 40 is positioned lower than ice thickness sensor 27. Ice thickness sensor 27 is electrically connected to control unit 52. Lower end 27A of ice thickness sensor 27 is positioned with a gap between it and partition wall 29. Ice making unit 21 is also electrically connected to earth.

[0040] 10, when the surface of plate-shaped linked ice 11 produced in ice-making unit 21 comes into contact with lower end 27A, ice thickness sensor 27 is electrically connected to ground via plate-shaped linked ice 11. Therefore, control unit 52 can detect that the surface of plate-shaped linked ice 11 has come into contact with lower end 27A (that plate-shaped linked ice 11 has grown to a predetermined thickness) provided that the electrical resistance between ice thickness sensor 27 and ground has decreased.

[0041] Next, the cooling device 50 will be described. As shown in FIG. 13 , the cooling device 50 includes a compressor 53 that compresses a refrigerant, a condenser 55 that cools and liquefies the compressed refrigerant gas by air blown by a condenser fan 54, an expansion valve 56 that expands the liquefied refrigerant, an evaporation pipe 51 that vaporizes the expanded liquefied refrigerant to cool the ice-making unit 21, and a dryer 57 that removes moisture mixed in the refrigerant pipe 58. These components are connected by the refrigerant pipe 58 to form a refrigeration circuit through which the refrigerant circulates. The cooling device 50 includes a bypass pipe 59 that connects the compressor 53 and the evaporation pipe 51, and a hot gas valve 92 is interposed in the bypass pipe 59. A cooling valve 93 is provided in the refrigerant pipe 58 between the dryer 57 and the expansion valve 56. The water storage tank 23 is also provided with a float switch 95 that detects changes in the water level in the water storage tank 23.

[0042] The control unit 52 that controls the operation of the cooling device 50 and the like includes circuits that control operation and supply power, and is housed in an electrical box 94 as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 6. The control unit 52 is configured by, for example, a microcomputer, and controls the operation of electrically connected devices while referring to the detection results of various sensors based on a control program.

[0043] During ice-making operation, control unit 52 closes hot gas valve 92 of cooling device 50, opens cooling valve 93 and expansion valve 56, and operates compressor 53 and pump 28. As a result, refrigerant circulates through the refrigeration circuit as shown by the solid arrows in Figure 13, and ice-making unit 21 is cooled by evaporator pipe 51. Ice-making water in water storage tank 23 is sent to sprinkler pipe 22 through water supply pipe 32 by pump 28. The water released from sprinkler pipe 22 freezes and becomes ice as it flows down ice-making surface 21A of ice-making unit 21. The unfrozen water flows down into water storage tank 23 and is then sent to sprinkler pipe 22 by pump 28. As a result, ice-making water is circulated between ice-making unit 21 and water storage tank 23.

[0044] When ice thickness sensor 27 detects that ice plates 11 have reached the desired thickness, control unit 52 begins deicing operation. In deicing operation, control unit 52 stops pump 28, closes cooling valve 93 and expansion valve 56 of cooling device 50, opens hot gas valve 92, and operates compressor 53. As a result, as shown by the white arrows in FIG. 13 , hot gas is sent from compressor 53 to evaporator tube 51, heating ice-making unit 21. As a result, the contact portions of ice plates 11 with ice-making surface 21A and partition wall 29 melt. With the contact portions with ice-making unit 21 melted, ice plates 11 fall along partition wall 29, which slopes downward, and leave ice-making unit 21.

[0045] Ice thickness sensor 27 is rotatably attached to the top of ice-making unit 21 so that its bottom can be displaced away from ice-making unit 21. This prevents ice thickness sensor 27 from interfering with the removal of plate-shaped connected ice 11. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9, wall 85, which faces ice thickness sensor 27, has recess 85A formed in it to avoid interference with ice thickness sensor 27.

[0046] As shown in Figure 11, the connected ice plates 11 that have fallen after detaching from ice-making unit 21 push outward the cover member 40 and are then released to the outside through opening 81. The connected ice plates 11 that have been released to the outside fall into ice storage bin 90. Note that the connected ice plates 11 are broken into multiple blocks of ice by the impact of falling into ice storage bin 90, but the connected ice plates 11 may also be configured so that they can be broken into the required size by the user.

[0047] 2, ice-making unit 20 is supported by wall portion 80A constituting housing 80 and condenser 55. This allows ice-making unit 20 to be disposed directly above condenser 55, facilitating the work of connecting evaporator pipe 51 of ice-making unit 20 and condenser 55 with refrigerant pipe 58.

[0048] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. Ice making machine 10 of this embodiment includes ice making unit 21 having ice making surface 21A that freezes water to produce connected ice plates 11 (ice), sprinkler pipes 22 (water discharge units) arranged above ice making unit 21 and discharge water toward ice making unit 21, housing 80 that houses ice making unit 21 and sprinkler pipes 22, and lid member 40 rotatably attached to housing 80, which rotates from a closed state that closes opening 81 formed in housing 80 to an open state that opens opening 81 when ice released from ice making unit 21 collides with lid member 40, with the upper part of ice making surface 21A facing wall 85 of housing 80 (a part of the wall that constitutes the housing), and the lower part of ice making surface 21A facing lid member 40 and opening 81.

[0049] In the above configuration, water discharged from sprinkler pipes 22 freezes as it flows down ice-making surface 21A, becoming ice plates 11. After ice plates 11 formed on ice-making surface 21A detach from ice-making surface 21A, cover member 40 is pressed to rotate the ice plates 11, and the ice plates 11 are discharged to the outside of housing 80 through opening 81, which is now in the open state. However, when water is discharged from sprinkler pipes 22 into ice-making unit 21, water splashing may occur in ice-making unit 21. In the above configuration, by covering opening 81 with cover member 40 in the closed state, it is possible to prevent water from leaking to the outside through opening 81.

[0050] Furthermore, the top of ice-making surface 21A is positioned opposite wall 85 of housing 80, and the bottom of ice-making surface 21A is positioned opposite lid member 40. This prevents water from adhering to the surface of lid member 40 facing ice-making surface 21A, compared to a configuration in which lid member 40 is positioned opposite the entire surface of ice-making surface 21A, and prevents water dropping from lid member 40 from leaking to the outside when lid member 40 is opened. Note that water is particularly likely to splash on the top surface of ice-making unit 21, where water released from sprinkler pipes 22 drops. In the above configuration, the top of ice-making surface 21A is not positioned opposite lid member 40, so water splashing on the top surface of ice-making unit 21 is prevented from adhering to lid member 40. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the lower part of ice-making surface 21A is positioned opposite the wall of housing 80 and the upper part of ice-making surface 21A is positioned opposite lid member 40 and opening 81, the amount of water adhering to lid member 40 can be reduced.

[0051] Additionally, the upper end of lid member 40 is positioned below the vertical center of ice-making surface 21A. This allows lid member 40 to be made lighter than in a configuration in which lid member 40 covers the entire surface of ice-making surface 21A. This allows lid member 40 to be reliably rotated by plate-shaped connected ice 11 produced on ice-making surface 21A, ensuring that opening 81 can be opened reliably.

[0052] It also has an internal space 23A that opens upward and is equipped with a water storage tank 23 arranged below the ice-making section 21 and a pump 28 that sends water from the internal space 23A to the sprinkler pipe 22, and at least a portion of the surface of the lid member 40 facing the ice-making surface 21A is a first inclined surface 42A that slopes downward as it approaches the ice-making surface 21A, and at least a portion of the surface of the lid member 40 opposite the ice-making surface 21A is a second inclined surface 42B that slopes downward as it moves away from the ice-making surface 21A.

[0053] First inclined surface 42A allows water adhering to the surface of lid member 40 facing ice-making surface 21A to flow toward ice-making surface 21A, toward internal space 23A of water storage tank 23. Additionally, water generated by condensation on the surface of lid member 40 opposite ice-making surface 21A can be directed by second inclined surface 42B to flow away from ice-making surface 21A. As a result, water generated by condensation can be prevented from entering internal space 23A of water storage tank 23, further improving hygiene.

[0054] The water tank 23 also has a bottom wall portion 34 that forms the bottom surface of the internal space 23A, and a standing wall portion 35 that rises upward from the end of the bottom wall portion 34 on the lid member 40 side, and an intervening member 60 that is interposed between the ice making section 21 and the bottom wall portion 34, and the intervening member 60 is configured to be tiltable between a first position in which the upper surface 61A slopes downward as it moves away from the lid member 40, and a second position in which the upper surface 61A slopes downward as it moves toward the lid member 40, the upper surface of the standing wall portion 35 forms the inner surface of the opening 81, and the portion of the upper surface of the standing wall portion 35 that includes the end opposite the internal space 23A is a third inclined surface 35A that slopes downward as it moves toward the opposite side of the internal space 23A, and the lower end of the upper surface 61A of the intervening member 60 in the second position is arranged above the third inclined surface 35A.

[0055] If water falling from ice-making unit 21 were to fall directly into water storage tank 23, the water in water storage tank 23 would splash and leak out of the tank, raising concerns about a shortage of water in water storage tank 23. With interposition member 60 in the first position, water falling from ice-making unit 21 is received by part of upper surface 61A, and then directed away from lid member 40 toward water storage tank 23. This prevents water falling from ice-making unit 21 from falling directly into water storage tank 23.

[0056] When a plate of connected ice cubes 11 produced in the ice-making unit 21 falls onto the upper surface 61A of the intervening member 60 in the first position, the weight of the connected ice cubes 11 tilts the intervening member 60 to the second position. When the intervening member 60 is in the second position, the upper surface 61A can direct the connected ice cubes 11 toward the cover member 40. Furthermore, because the lower end of the upper surface 61A of the intervening member 60 in the second position is located above the third inclined surface 35A, the connected ice cubes 11 that fall from the upper surface 61A of the intervening member 60 onto the third inclined surface 35A are guided along the third inclined surface 35A to the side opposite the internal space 23A (outside the housing 80). This allows the connected ice cubes 11 to be more reliably released outside the housing 80.

[0057] Furthermore, a portion of the upper surface of the standing wall portion 35, including the end portion on the internal space 23A side, is a fourth inclined surface 35B that slopes downward toward the internal space 23A side. With this configuration, water that falls onto the fourth inclined surface 35B can flow into the internal space 23A of the water storage tank.

[0058] Furthermore, the upper end of cover member 40 is located at a position lower than the height of the lower end of upper surface 61A of interposition member 60 in the second position plus the vertical length of ice making surface 21A.

[0059] With this configuration, when the interlocking ice blocks 11 produced on the ice-making surface 21A rest on the upper surface 61A of the interposing member 60 in the second position, the top of the interlocking ice block 11 can be higher than the top of the lid member 40. If the top of the interlocking ice block 11 were lower than the top of the lid member 40, the top of the interlocking ice block 11 would press against the lid member 40, causing the interlocking ice block 11 to tilt upward toward the lid member 40, potentially causing it to get caught on the lid member 40 and become stuck in the opening 81. With the above configuration, by raising the top of the interlocking ice block 11 higher than the top of the lid member 40, the interlocking ice block 11 can be prevented from getting stuck in the opening 81. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 11 , the interlocking ice block 11 can be tilted downward toward the lid member 40, allowing it to pass through the opening 81 without getting caught on the lid member 40.

[0060] In addition, ice thickness sensor 27 is provided opposite ice making surface 21A to detect the thickness of ice produced on ice making surface 21A, and lid member 40 is positioned lower than ice thickness sensor 27. Because ice thickness sensor 27 is not positioned between lid member 40 and ice making surface 21A, lid member 40 can be placed closer to ice making surface 21A, thereby saving space.

[0061] The ice-making unit also includes water storage tank 23, which has internal space 23A that opens upward and is disposed below ice-making unit 21, pump 28 that sends water from internal space 23A to spray pipes 22, and ice-making unit case 26 that houses ice-making unit 21. Ice-making unit case 26 is disposed above water storage tank 23 and is provided integrally with water storage tank 23. By providing ice-making unit case 26 integrally with water storage tank 23, the number of parts and the number of assembly steps can be reduced.

[0062] In addition, the water tank 23 has a bottom wall portion 34 that forms the bottom surface of the internal space 23A, and a drain pipe 37 is connected to a drain hole 36 that is formed through the bottom wall portion 34.When viewed from above, the housing 80 is rectangular, and the water tank 23 and the ice-making unit case 26 are housed in the housing 80.When viewed from above, the drain hole 36 is positioned so as to overlap both the center of one side of the housing 80 and the center of the other side of the housing 80.

[0063] By arranging drain hole 36 at a position that overlaps both the center of one side of housing 80 and the center of the other side of housing 80, drain hole 36 can be arranged in the same position both when water storage tank 23 and ice-making unit case 26 (and thus ice-making unit 20) are arranged with ice-making surface 21A facing one side of housing 80 (for example, the right side in FIG. 7) (the state shown in FIG. 7), and when water storage tank 23 and ice-making unit case 26 are arranged with ice-making surface 21A facing the other side of housing 80 (for example, the left side in FIG. 7). Therefore, the mounting position of water storage tank 23 and ice-making unit case 26, and therefore the orientation of ice-making surface 21A, can be changed without changing the mounting position of drain pipe 37 connected to drain hole 36. In other words, it is possible to easily manufacture both an ice making machine in which ice making surface 21A (and thus the discharge point of plate-shaped connected ice 11) faces one side of one side of housing 80, and an ice making machine in which ice making surface 21A faces the other side of one side of housing 80. More specifically, in this embodiment, an ice making machine in which ice making surface 21A faces the right side of Fig. 7 has been illustrated, but by changing the mounting position of ice making unit 20 by 180 degrees around drain hole 36 in the plan view of Fig. 7, it is possible to manufacture an ice making machine in which ice making surface 21A faces the left side of Fig. 7 without changing the mounting position of drain pipe 37.

[0064] <Embodiment 2> Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to Figures 16 to 18. The same parts as those in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. In ice-making machine 110 of this embodiment, the mounting structure of cover member 182 to housing 80 and the configuration of ice storage compartment 190 differ from those in the above-described embodiment. As shown in Figure 16, cover member 182 includes main wall portion 186 provided with handle 183, a pair of left and right side wall portions 187, 187, extended wall portion 188 extending along the upper end portion (the end portion on the housing 80 side) of main wall portion 186, extended wall portion 189 extending along the end portion on the housing 80 side of side wall portion 187, and extended wall portion 181 extending along the lower end portion of main wall portion 186. Main wall portion 186 extends in a manner that slopes downward as it moves away from housing 80.

[0065] A plurality of through holes 184 are formed through the extended wall portion 188 and the extended wall portion 189. As shown in Fig. 17, the through hole 184 has a first hole portion 184A that is an elongated hole that is long in the up-down direction, and a second hole portion 184B that is substantially circular. The first hole portion 184A is disposed above the second hole portion 184B, and communicates with the second hole portion 184B at its lower portion. The width of the first hole portion 184A (the length in the left-right direction when the through hole 184 is viewed from one end side in the penetration direction, the length in the Y-axis direction) is smaller than the diameter of the second hole portion 184B.

[0066] An attachment pin 170 for attaching cover member 182 to housing 80 is provided at a location on the outer surface of housing 80 facing through hole 184. As shown in Fig. 17 , attachment pin 170 includes a shaft portion 171 and a tip portion 172 having a larger diameter than shaft portion 171. When shaft portion 171 is inserted into first hole portion 184A, the hole edge portion of first hole portion 184A in extended wall portion 189 (or extended wall portion 188) is configured to engage with tip portion 172.

[0067] The diameter of tip portion 172 is slightly smaller than the diameter of second hole portion 184B. As a result, when cover member 182 is attached to mounting pin 170 (the state shown in FIG. 17 ), cover member 182 can be raised and then moved in a direction away from housing 80, allowing tip portion 172 to pass through second hole portion 184B, and cover member 182 can be removed from mounting pin 170.

[0068] As shown in Figure 18, ice storage bin 190 is box-shaped and has ice storage chamber 191 that is open at the top, with handle 193 provided on side wall 192. Furthermore, standing wall 194 is provided around the entire periphery of the opening edge of ice storage chamber 191. Standing wall 194 fits into the downward-facing opening in cover member 182 (the opening formed by pair of side wall portions 187, 187 and extended wall portion 181). As a result, when ice storage chamber 191 is covered by cover member 182 (the state shown in Figure 16), ice storage bin 190 is positioned relative to cover member 182.

[0069] In the normal installation state of cover member 182 shown in Figure 16, upper and lower rows of mounting pins 170 are inserted into upper and lower rows of through-holes 184 in extended wall portion 189. When ice storage chamber 191 is filled with ice, for example, cover member 182 is removed from each mounting pin 170, and then the upper row of mounting pins 170 is inserted into the lower row of through-holes 184 in extended wall portion 189, as shown in Figure 18. This allows cover member 182 to be held (temporarily fixed) in a higher position than in the state shown in Figure 16. Thereafter, ice storage compartment 190 is replaced with another ice storage compartment 190 that does not contain ice, and cover member 182 can be returned to its original position (the position shown in Figure 16).

[0070] <Embodiment 3> Embodiment 3 will be described with reference to Figures 19 to 23. Parts that are the same as those in the above embodiments are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted. In ice making machine 210 of this embodiment, the configuration of the ice storage compartment differs from that of the above embodiments. As shown in Figures 19 and 20, ice making machine 210 is provided with cover member 182 that covers opening 81 from the outside of the housing, ice storage compartment 290 that is arranged below cover member 182, opens upward, and has ice storage compartment 291 that stores ice released from ice making unit 21, inner lid 240 that fits onto upper end 291A of ice storage compartment 291 to close ice storage compartment 291, and connecting member 260 (see Figure 21) that connects cover member 182 and inner lid 240.

[0071] Ice storage 290 includes box-shaped ice storage main body 292 that constitutes ice storage chamber 291, and lid 289 that is rotatably attached to ice storage main body 292 and can open and close ice storage chamber 291. When ice storage 290 is removed from housing 80, ice storage chamber 291 can be closed from above by lid 289 instead of inner lid 240. An example of ice storage 290 is a cooler box.

[0072] As shown in Figures 19 and 21, inner lid 240 is a rectangular plate-like member and has heat insulating properties. As shown in Figure 20, inner lid 240 has through-hole 241 through which ice separated from ice-making unit 21 can pass. As shown in Figure 21, through-hole 241 has a rectangular shape and is formed by cutting out a portion of inner lid 240 that overlaps with cover member 182.

[0073] 21, the connecting member 260 is plate-shaped and has a generally U-shape extending along the inner circumferential surface of the through-hole 241. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the connecting member 260 includes a main wall portion 261 extending along the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) of the cover member 182, and a pair of side wall portions 262, 262 extending from both ends of the main wall portion 261 in the longitudinal direction toward the housing 80 side.

[0074] An upper end of the main wall portion 261 is provided with a locking portion 261A that locks onto the cover member 182, and an upper end of the side wall portion 262 is provided with a locking portion 262A that locks onto the cover member 182. The locking portion 261A extends downward from the upper end of the main wall portion 261, and the locking portion 262A extends downward from the upper end of the side wall portion 262.

[0075] Each wall portion (main wall portion 186, extended wall portion 181, and pair of side wall portions 187, 187) constituting cover member 182 is made up of a metal plate material and a heat insulating material disposed in the space surrounded by the plate materials. As shown in Fig. 23, extended wall portion 181 is made up of a metal plate material 181A and a heat insulating material 181B disposed in the space surrounded by plate material 181A. Plate material 181A includes: a main wall portion 181C extending in the vertical direction and constituting the outer surface of extended wall portion 181; a bottom wall portion 181D extending from the lower end of main wall portion 181C toward the inside of cover member 182 (left side in Fig. 23) and constituting the bottom surface of extended wall portion 181; and an extended wall portion 181E extending upward from the end of bottom wall portion 181D on the opposite side from main wall portion 181C. A gap is formed between the extended wall portion 181E and the heat insulating material 181B, into which the locking portion 261A can fit. The locking portion 261A is locked to the extended wall portion 181E from the heat insulating material 181B side.

[0076] 21 , side wall 187 is made up of metal plate 187A and heat insulating material 187B disposed in a space surrounded by plate 187A. Plate 187A includes main wall 187C extending in the vertical direction and constituting the outer surface of side wall 187, bottom wall 187D extending from the lower end of main wall 187C toward the inside of cover member 182 and constituting the bottom surface of side wall 187, and extended wall 187E extending upward from the end of bottom wall 187D opposite main wall 187C. Although not shown, locking portion 262A is fitted into a gap formed between extended wall 187E and heat insulating material 187B and is locked to extended wall 187E from the heat insulating material 187B side.

[0077] 21, the connecting member 260 includes support portions 261B and 262B that support from below the hole edge portion 242 of the through hole 241 in the inner lid 240. The support portion 261B is provided at the lower end of the main wall portion 261 and supports from below a part of the hole edge portion 242 of the through hole 241 (one of the three sides that form the hole edge portion 242 and that extends along the main wall portion 261). The support portion 262B is provided at the lower end of the side wall portion 262 and supports from below a part of the hole edge portion 242 of the through hole 241 (one of the three sides that form the hole edge portion 242 and that extends along the side wall portion 262).

[0078] 23, of the three sides constituting the hole edge 242 of the through-hole 241 in the inner lid 240, one side 241A extending along the main wall 261 is fitted into a recess S2 formed by the support portion 261B, the main wall 261, and the bottom wall 181D. Also, as shown in FIG. 21, of the three sides constituting the hole edge 242 of the through-hole 241 in the inner lid 240, one side 241B extending along the side wall 262 is fitted into a recess formed by the support portion 262B, the side wall 262, and the bottom wall 187D.

[0079] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. According to this embodiment, by closing ice storage chamber 291 with inner lid 240, it is possible to prevent cold air from inside ice storage chamber 291 from leaking to the outside. Furthermore, by providing connecting member 260 that connects cover member 182 and inner lid 240, inner lid 240 can be easily attached and detached to cover member 182. This allows inner lid 240 to be easily replaced with another inner lid 240 if it becomes dirty or damaged.

[0080] If the connecting member 260 is not provided and the inner lid 240 is directly attached to the cover member 182, it becomes necessary to form an engaging portion on the inner lid 240 that engages with the cover member 182. By providing the connecting member 260, it is not necessary to provide an engaging portion on the inner lid 240, and the configuration of the inner lid 240 can be simplified.

[0081] Furthermore, when using ice maker 210, it is conceivable that ice storage compartments of various sizes will be used. If the size of the ice storage compartment changes, the size of the ice storage chamber will also change, making it necessary to change the size of the inner lid that covers it. Because connecting member 260 is configured to support the edge of through-hole 241, if a through-hole of the same size as through-hole 241 is formed in each of the different sized inner lids, then inner lids of various sizes can be attached to cover member 182 using a single type of connecting member 260. In other words, using connecting member 260 makes it possible to accommodate ice storage compartments of various sizes.

[0082] <Other embodiments> The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings, and the following embodiments, for example, are also included in the technical scope. (1) In the above embodiment, the ice produced on the ice making surface is exemplified as the plate-shaped connected ice 11, but the shape of the ice is not limited to this. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 10, 110, 210...Ice maker, 11...Plate-shaped connected ice (ice), 21...Ice making unit, 21A...Ice making surface, 22...Water sprinkler pipe (water discharge unit), 23...Water storage tank, 23A...Internal space, 26...Ice making unit case, 27...Ice thickness sensor, 28...Pump, 34...Bottom wall, 35...Upright wall, 35A...Third inclined surface, 35B...Fourth inclined surface, 36...Drain hole, 37...Drain pipe, 40...Cover member, 42A...Third First inclined surface, 42B...second inclined surface, 60...intervening member, 61A...upper surface of intervening member, 80...casing, 81...opening, 85...wall portion of casing (part of wall portion constituting casing), 182...cover member, 240...inner lid, 241...through hole, 242...edge portion of through hole, 260...connecting member, 261A, 262A...engaging portion, 261B, 262B...support portion, 290...ice storage compartment, 291...ice storage chamber

Claims

1. an ice making unit having an ice making surface that freezes water to produce ice; a water discharge unit disposed above the ice making unit and configured to discharge water toward the ice making unit; a housing that houses the ice making unit and the water discharge unit; a cover member rotatably attached to the housing, the cover member being rotatable from a closed state in which the opening formed in the housing is closed to an open state in which the opening is opened when ice released from the ice making unit collides with the cover member; an upper portion of the ice making surface is disposed opposite a part of a wall portion constituting the housing; An ice maker, wherein a lower portion of the ice making surface is positioned opposite the lid member and the opening.

2. The ice making machine according to claim 1 , wherein an upper end of the lid member is disposed below a center of the ice making surface in the vertical direction.

3. a water storage tank having an internal space that is open upward and disposed below the ice making unit; a pump that sends water from the internal space to the water discharge portion, At least a part of the surface of the cover member facing the ice making surface is a first inclined surface that slopes downward toward the ice making surface, The ice making machine according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of a surface of the lid member opposite the ice making surface is a second inclined surface that slopes downward as it moves away from the ice making surface.

4. The water storage tank includes a bottom wall portion that forms a bottom surface of the internal space, and an upright wall portion that rises upward from an end of the bottom wall portion on the lid member side, an intervening member interposed between the ice making unit and the bottom wall; the intervening member is configured to be tiltable between a first position in which an upper surface thereof is inclined downward as it moves away from the lid member and a second position in which the upper surface thereof is inclined downward as it moves toward the lid member, an upper surface of the upright wall portion constitutes an inner surface of the opening, a third inclined surface that slopes downward toward the side opposite to the internal space, the third inclined surface being a portion of the upper surface of the standing wall portion that includes an end portion on the side opposite to the internal space; The ice making machine according to claim 3 , wherein a lower end of the upper surface of the interposition member in the second position is disposed above the third inclined surface.

5. The ice making machine according to claim 4 , wherein a portion of the upper surface of the standing wall portion including an end portion on the interior space side is a fourth inclined surface that slopes downward toward the interior space side.

6. The ice making machine of claim 4, wherein the upper end of the cover member is positioned at a height lower than the height of the lower end of the upper surface of the intervening member in the second posture plus the vertical length of the ice making surface.

7. an ice thickness sensor disposed opposite the ice making surface to detect the thickness of ice produced on the ice making surface; The ice making machine according to claim 1 , wherein the cover member is disposed at a position lower than the ice thickness sensor.

8. a water storage tank having an internal space that is open upward and disposed below the ice making unit; a pump that sends water from the internal space to the water discharge portion; an ice making unit case that houses the ice making unit, The ice making machine according to claim 1 , wherein the ice making unit case is disposed above the water storage tank and is integral with the water storage tank.

9. The water storage tank includes a bottom wall portion that forms a bottom surface of the internal space, A drain pipe is connected to the drain hole formed through the bottom wall portion, The housing has a rectangular shape when viewed from above, the water tank and the ice making unit case are housed in the housing; The ice maker of claim 8, wherein the drain hole is arranged at a position that overlaps with both the center of one side of the housing and the center of the other side of the housing when viewed from above.

10. a cover member that covers the opening from the outside of the housing; an ice storage compartment disposed below the cover member, opening upward, and having an ice storage chamber for storing ice separated from the ice making unit; an inner lid that is fitted to the upper end of the ice storage chamber to close the ice storage chamber; a connecting member that connects the cover member and the inner lid, The inner lid has a through hole through which ice separated from the ice making unit can pass, The connecting member is a locking portion that locks onto the cover member; The ice making machine according to claim 1 , further comprising: a support portion that supports an edge portion of the through hole in the inner lid from below.

Images