Ice maker
The ice maker estimates internal temperatures using external sensors to control cooling operations, addressing the need for costly waterproof sensors and ensuring effective temperature management without direct detection, thus reducing costs and maintaining compartment hygiene.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- HOSHIZAKI ELECTRIC CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-25
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-07
AI Technical Summary
Existing ice makers require waterproof or drip-proof temperature sensors in the ice storage or ice making compartments, increasing costs and complexity.
An ice maker that estimates internal temperatures without direct detection using an internal temperature estimation means, controlling cooling operations based on estimated temperatures from sensors outside the ice storage compartment, such as the condenser temperature sensor, and adjusting operation times based on ambient conditions.
Enables effective cooling operations without the need for expensive, waterproof temperature sensors, maintaining compartment temperatures for hygiene and preventing ice melting, while reducing costs and complexity.
Smart Images
Figure 2026112511000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to an ice maker that manufactures ice in an ice-making unit provided in an ice-making and ice-storing chamber, and is configured to wait for ice production in the ice-making unit when the ice-making and ice-storing chamber is filled with ice, and to perform a cold-keeping operation for cooling the ice-making unit by a refrigeration device to keep the interior of the ice-making and ice-storing chamber cold.
Background Art
[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an invention of an ice maker that manufactures ice in an ice-making unit provided in an ice-making chamber. This ice maker includes an ice-making unit that freezes ice-making water to manufacture ice, a refrigeration device that cools the ice-making unit with a refrigerant circulated by a compressor, a water supply means that sends ice-making water to the ice-making unit, an ice-making chamber in which the ice-making unit is disposed, a storage chamber that is disposed below the ice-making chamber and stores the ice manufactured by the ice-making unit, and an ice storage detector that detects that the storage chamber is filled with ice.
[0003] In this ice maker, an ice-making operation is performed by sending ice-making water by the water supply means to the ice-making unit cooled by the refrigeration device and freezing it to manufacture ice, and a defrosting operation is performed by sending hot gas from the refrigeration device to the ice-making unit to detach the ice from the ice-making unit, and the two operations are alternately executed to manufacture ice stored in the storage chamber. When the ice storage detector does not detect that the ice is full, the ice-making operation and the defrosting operation are alternately executed as the ice-making mode to control the manufacture of ice stored in the storage chamber. When the ice storage detector detects that the ice is full, the ice-making operation and the defrosting operation are not executed as the ice storage mode (standby mode), and the ice maker waits without manufacturing the ice stored in the storage chamber.
[0004] This ice maker is capable of performing a cold-keeping operation for suppressing the rise in temperature inside the storage chamber during the ice storage mode. A storage chamber temperature sensor is provided in the storage chamber, and the temperature inside the storage chamber is detected by the storage chamber temperature sensor. When in the ice storage mode, the operation of the refrigeration device is controlled based on the detected temperature of the storage chamber temperature sensor, and the interior of the storage chamber is cooled by the ice-making unit to suppress the rise in temperature.
[0005] Patent Document 2 discloses an invention for an ice maker that produces ice in an ice-making section located within an ice-making chamber. This ice maker comprises an ice-making section that freezes ice-making water to produce ice, a refrigeration device that cools the ice-making section with a refrigerant circulated and supplied by a compressor, a water supply means that delivers ice-making water to the ice-making section, an ice-making chamber in which the ice-making section is located, an ice storage chamber located below the ice-making chamber for storing the ice produced in the ice-making section, and an ice storage detector that detects when the ice storage chamber is filled with ice.
[0006] In this ice maker, ice is produced for storage in the ice storage chamber by alternately performing two operations: an ice-making operation, which involves sending ice-making water through a water supply means to an ice-making section cooled by a refrigeration device and freezing it; and a de-icing operation, which involves sending hot gas from the refrigeration device to the ice-making section to separate the ice from the ice-making section. When the ice storage detector does not detect that the ice storage chamber is full, the machine is controlled to alternately perform ice-making and de-icing operations to produce ice for storage in the ice storage chamber. When the ice storage detector detects that the ice storage chamber is full, the machine is controlled to remain in storage mode (standby mode), not performing ice-making or de-icing operations, and does not produce ice for storage in the ice storage chamber.
[0007] This ice maker is capable of performing a cooling operation to suppress the rise in temperature inside the ice-making chamber during ice storage mode. An ice-making chamber temperature sensor is installed inside the ice-making chamber, and the temperature inside the ice-making chamber is detected by this sensor. When in ice storage mode, the operation of the refrigeration system is controlled based on the temperature detected by the ice-making chamber temperature sensor, and the ice-making chamber is cooled by the ice-making unit to suppress the rise in temperature. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]
[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2012-032062 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2024-054945 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]
[0009] In the ice maker described in Patent Document 1, the operation of the refrigeration system is controlled based on an ice storage room temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the ice storage room (ice making storage compartment), and the ice storage room temperature sensor is located inside the ice storage room. In the ice maker described in Patent Document 2, the operation of the refrigeration system is controlled based on an ice making room temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the ice making room (ice making storage compartment), and the ice making room temperature sensor is located inside the ice making compartment. In the ice makers described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, not only are temperature sensors separately provided in the ice storage room or ice making compartment to perform the cooling operation, but the temperature sensors provided for the cooling operation are located in places where ice making water or melted ice water may adhere to them, such as the ice storage room or ice making compartment. Therefore, the temperature sensors need to be waterproof or drip-proof, which may increase costs. The present invention aims to enable the cooling operation to be performed appropriately according to the temperature inside the ice making storage compartment without using a temperature sensor for the cooling operation in the ice making storage compartment. [Means for solving the problem]
[0010] To solve the above problems, the present invention comprises an ice-making unit that freezes ice-making water to produce ice, an ice-making storage unit in which the ice-making unit is located at the top of the housing and which forms a space for storing the ice produced by the ice-making unit, a refrigeration device for cooling the ice-making unit, and an ice storage detector for detecting when the ice-making storage unit is filled with ice. When the ice storage detector does not detect that the ice-making storage unit is filled with ice, the system controls the ice-making operation to be performed in ice-making mode, in which the ice-making unit cooled by the refrigeration device freezes the ice-making water to produce ice, thereby producing ice to be stored in the ice-making storage unit. This ice maker is characterized in that, when an intelligent device detects that the ice-making storage compartment is full of ice, it is controlled to enter a standby mode and not perform ice-making operations, remaining in standby mode without producing ice to store in the ice-making storage compartment, and during standby mode, the operation of the refrigeration device is controlled to cool the ice-making section, thereby enabling a cooling operation to cool the inside of the ice-making storage compartment, and is equipped with an internal temperature estimation means that estimates the temperature inside the ice-making storage compartment without directly detecting it, and the operation control of the cooling operation is performed based on the internal temperature estimation means that estimates the internal temperature inside the compartment during standby mode.
[0011] In the ice maker configured as described above, the system is equipped with an internal temperature estimation means that estimates the temperature inside the ice storage compartment without directly detecting it, and the cooling operation is controlled based on the internal temperature estimation means that estimates the temperature inside the compartment during standby mode. This makes it possible to control the cooling operation without separately installing an expensive, waterproof or drip-proof temperature sensor inside the ice storage compartment.
[0012] In the ice maker configured as described above, the internal temperature estimation means may estimate the internal temperature from the temperature detected by a temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside or outside the housing other than the inside of the ice storage compartment. Similarly, the internal temperature estimation means may estimate the internal temperature from the time required to produce ice in the ice-making section during the ice-making mode. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0013] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of the ice maker of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of the ice maker of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram showing the ice-making section and water tray. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram of the control device. [Figure 5] This is a time chart for ice-making mode and standby mode. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0014] An embodiment of the ice maker of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the ice maker 10 of the first embodiment is a so-called closed-cell type ice maker, and is equipped with an ice-making storage compartment 12 and a machine room 17 within the housing 11. The ice-making storage compartment 12 is equipped with an ice-making chamber 13 at the top where the ice-making mechanism 20 and the ice-making unit 21 are located to produce ice, and an ice-storage chamber 14 below the ice-making chamber 13 for storing the ice produced by the ice-making unit 21. The inside of the ice-making storage compartment 12 is partitioned by a drain pan (partition) 15 to allow ice and cold air to pass through. An insulating member (not shown) is provided on the outer surface of the ice-making storage compartment 12, and the ice-making storage compartment 12 is covered in an insulating state by the insulating member.
[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the front of the ice storage chamber 14 of the ice-making and ice storage unit 12 has two outlets 12a and 12b, which are openings used for taking out ice, and the outlets 12a and 12b are closed by a door 16 that can be opened and closed. In this embodiment, the door 16 comprises a first door 16a that can be opened and closed to close the upper part of the upper outlet 12a, and a second door 16b that can be opened and closed to close the lower part of the lower outlet 12b. The first door 16a uses two sliding doors and is supported on the upper front of the ice storage chamber 14 so as to be movable from side to side. The second door 16b uses a hinged door and its lower end is supported on the lower front of the ice storage chamber 14 so as to be rotatable around a horizontal axis. The machine room 17 is located on the upper part of the housing 11, adjacent to the ice-making chamber 13 in the horizontal direction, and contains mechanical parts such as the refrigeration device 30, excluding the evaporator 34 of the ice-making mechanism 20. In Figure 1, the ice in the ice storage chamber 14 is shown by a dashed line.
[0016] As shown in Figure 2, the ice maker 10 is equipped with an ice-making mechanism 20 that produces ice. The ice-making mechanism 20 includes an ice-making unit 21 that freezes ice-making water to produce ice, a refrigeration device 30 capable of cooling and heating the ice-making unit 21, and a water supply means 22 that supplies ice-making water to the ice-making unit 21. The ice-making unit 21 is located inside the ice-making chamber 13 and is a shallow, box-shaped structure with an open bottom. A grid-like partition member is provided inside the box to form multiple ice-making compartments 21a that open to the bottom. Ice-making water is sprayed into each ice-making compartment 21a from below, and block-shaped ice is formed inside each ice-making compartment 21a as the ice-making water freezes.
[0017] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an evaporator 34 that constitutes a refrigeration device 30 is disposed on the upper surface of the ice-making unit 21. The refrigeration device 30 can cool or warm the ice-making unit 21 by a cooling operation and a heating operation, and is disposed in the machine room 17 except for the evaporator 34 disposed above the ice-making unit 21 in the ice-making chamber 13. As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigeration device 30 includes a compressor 31 that compresses a refrigerant, a condenser 32 that cools and liquefies the refrigerant pumped from the compressor 31, an expansion valve 33 that expands the liquefied refrigerant liquefied by the condenser 32 into a low-pressure liquefied refrigerant, and an evaporator 34 that vaporizes the liquefied refrigerant expanded by the expansion valve 33 to cool the ice-making unit 21. The refrigeration device 30 connects the compressor 31, the condenser 32, the expansion valve 33, and the evaporator 34 annularly by refrigerant pipes to form a refrigeration circuit. When the cooling operation of the refrigeration device 30 is executed, the refrigerant pumped from the compressor 31 is cooled by the condenser 32 to become a liquefied refrigerant, the liquefied refrigerant becomes a low-pressure liquefied refrigerant by the expansion valve 33, and the low-pressure liquefied refrigerant cools the ice-making unit 21 by the heat of vaporization when evaporating in the evaporator 34.
[0018] In order to prevent the compressor 31 from repeating start and stop (operation and operation stop) in a short time, a minimum operation time (3 minutes in this embodiment) and a minimum stop time (3 minutes in this embodiment) are set. For this reason, in the cold storage operation described later, a cold storage operation time for cooling the refrigeration device 30 in accordance with the minimum operation time and the minimum stop time of the compressor 31 and a cold storage standby time for waiting without operating the refrigeration device 30 are set. A condenser fan 32a is provided in the condenser 32, and the refrigerant passing through the condenser 32 is cooled by the air blown by the condenser fan 32a. A condenser temperature sensor 32b is provided in the condenser 32, and the condenser temperature sensor 32b detects the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the condenser 32 and is also used to detect the temperature in the machine room 17 described later. The evaporator 34 uses a pipe member having high thermal conductivity and is arranged in a meandering shape above the ice-making unit 21.
[0019] Furthermore, the refrigeration system 30 is equipped with a hot gas pipe (hot gas path) 35 that supplies hot gas to the evaporator 34. The hot gas pipe 35 connects the downstream of the compressor 31 and the upstream of the evaporator 34, guiding the hot gas from the compressor 31 to the evaporator 34. A hot gas valve 36 is interposed in the hot gas pipe 35, and the hot gas valve 36 allows the hot gas pipe 35 to be opened and closed. When the refrigeration system 30 is operated in heating mode, the hot gas sent from the compressor 31 is guided to the evaporator 34 by the opening of the hot gas valve 36, and the hot gas heats the ice-making section 21 as it passes through the evaporator 34. In this way, the ice-making section 21 is cooled by the evaporation of the refrigerant circulating in the evaporator 34 during the cooling operation of the refrigeration system 30, and heated by the hot gas sent from the compressor 31 to the evaporator 34 during the heating operation of the refrigeration system 30.
[0020] As shown in Figure 2, a water supply means 22 for supplying ice-making water is provided below the ice-making unit 21. The water supply means 22 includes a water tray 23 that can be opened and closed to close the lower side of the ice-making chamber 21a of the ice-making unit 21, a tank 24 that stores ice-making water below the water tray 23, and a water supply pump 25 that supplies the ice-making water from the tank 24 to the ice-making unit 21. The water tray 23, tank 24, and water supply pump 25 are arranged inside the ice-making chamber 13, similar to the ice-making unit 21. The water tray 23 is pivotally supported so as to be able to tilt around a horizontal axis between a closed position that closes the lower side of the ice-making chamber 21a (shown by the solid line in Figure 2) and an open position that opens the lower side of the ice-making chamber 21a (shown by the dashed line in Figure 2). The water tray 23 is provided with an opening / closing mechanism 26, and the water tray 23 tilts between a closed position and an open position by the drive of the actuator motor 26a of the opening / closing mechanism 26, thereby opening and closing the lower side of the ice-making chambers 21a. As shown in Figure 3, the water tray 23 has an ice-making water passage 23a for sending ice-making water from the tank 24 to each ice-making chamber 21a, and the upper surface of the water tray 23 has injection holes 23b for injecting ice-making water from the ice-making water passage 23a into each ice-making chamber 21a.
[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the ice-making mechanism unit 20 includes a water supply means 27 for supplying water to the tank 24. The water supply means 27 includes a water supply pipe 27a for supplying water from a water supply source such as a water supply as ice-making water, and a water supply valve 27b interposed in the water supply pipe 27a. The water supply port at the tip of the water supply pipe 27a is disposed above the water tray 23, and the water from the water supply source is sent above the water tray 23 and sent into the tank 24 through a return port (not shown) formed in the water tray 23. The ice-making water in the tank 24 is sent to the ice-making water passage 23a of the water tray 23 by the water pump 25, and the ice-making water sent to the ice-making water passage 23a is jetted from the jet holes 23b into the ice-making chamber 21a. The jetted ice-making water is cooled in the ice-making chamber 21a and then returns to the tank 24 through the return port. The ice-making water is circulated between the tank 24 and the ice-making chamber 21a and frozen in the ice-making chamber 21a while being cooled to become ice.
[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, a drain pan 15 is provided below the tank 24. The drain pan 15 prevents the dripping water from the ice-making mechanism unit 20 from falling into the ice storage chamber, and receives the ice-making water remaining in the tank 24 after the ice-making operation. A drain pipe (not shown) is connected to the drain pan 15, and the ice-making water received by the drain pan 15 is discharged outside the housing 11 through the drain pipe. Further, the drain pan 15 covers the lower sides of the ice-making unit 21 and the water supply means 22, and functions as a partition portion that partitions the ice-making chamber 13 and the ice storage chamber 14 in a state having a discharge port 15a for discharging the ice produced by the ice-making unit 21 to the ice storage chamber 14. The discharge port 15a is an opening formed in the drain pan 15, and in this embodiment, it is formed at a position closer to the right side than the central portion in the left-right direction of the ice-making chamber 13 and at a position separated from the front and rear portions of the ice-making chamber 13.
[0023] As shown in Figure 2, the ice-making unit 21 is equipped with an ice-making unit temperature sensor 41, which detects the temperature of the ice-making unit 21, thereby enabling detection of the completion of ice-making during the ice-making operation and the completion of ice-removal during the ice-removal operation, as described later. The ice storage chamber 14 of the ice-making storage unit 12 is equipped with an ice storage detector 42 that detects when it is filled with ice. The ice storage detector 42 is positioned to extend from the ice-making chamber 13 to the ice storage chamber 14, straddling the discharge port 15a, and detects the ice accumulated in the upper part of the ice storage chamber 14 below the discharge port 15a, thereby detecting when the ice storage chamber 14 is filled with ice.
[0024] The ice maker 10 is equipped with a control device 50, which, as shown in Figure 4, is connected to the water supply pump 25, the actuator motor 26a of the opening / closing mechanism 26, the water supply valve 27b, the compressor 31, the condenser fan 32a, the condenser temperature sensor 32b, the hot gas valve 36, the ice making section temperature sensor 41, and the ice storage detector 42. The control device 50 has a microcomputer (not shown), which includes a CPU, RAM, ROM, and timer (all not shown) connected via a bus. The control device 50 has an ice making program that alternately and repeatedly executes an ice making operation, in which the ice making section 21 freezes the ice making water to produce ice, and a de-icing operation, in which the ice frozen in the ice making section 21 is detached and removed.
[0025] As shown in Figure 5, when the ice storage detector 42 does not detect that the ice storage compartment 14 is full of ice, the control device 50 operates an ice-making program that alternately repeats ice-making and de-icing operations to produce ice for storage in the ice storage compartment 14. When the ice storage detector 42 detects that the ice storage compartment 14 is full of ice, the control device 50 operates in standby mode without executing the ice-making program that alternates between ice-making and de-icing operations. In addition, during this standby mode, the control device 50 controls the operation of the refrigeration unit 30 to perform a cooling operation to cool the inside of the ice-making and ice storage compartment 12.
[0026] The purpose of the cooling operation is to maintain a low temperature inside the ice-making chamber 13 of the ice-making and ice-storage unit 12 to suppress the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria, and to prevent the ice from melting while preventing arching, which occurs when multiple ice cubes stored in the ice-storage chamber 14 of the ice-making and ice-storage unit 12 freeze and fuse together. The cooling operation cools the ice-making unit 21 by the cooling operation (activation) of the refrigeration unit 30, and the cooled ice-making unit 21 cools the ice-making chamber 13 and the ice-storage chamber 14 of the ice-making and ice-storage unit 12. By performing the cooling operation, the inside of the ice-making chamber 13 is cooled by the ice-making unit 21 cooled by the cooling operation of the refrigeration unit 30, and further, the inside of the ice-storage chamber 14 is cooled by the flow of cold air from inside the ice-making chamber 13. The ice-making chamber 13 is kept at a low temperature by the cooled ice-making section 21, which suppresses the growth of bacteria and other microorganisms, making it hygienic. In the ice storage chamber 14, the cold air that flows down from the ice-making chamber 13 through the discharge port 15a prevents the ice from melting.
[0027] In this ice maker 10, an internal temperature estimation means is provided to estimate the temperature inside the ice storage compartment 12 without directly detecting the temperature inside the compartment. During standby mode, the cooling operation is controlled based on the estimated internal temperature estimated by this internal temperature estimation means. In this embodiment, the internal temperature estimation means estimates the internal temperature from the temperature detected by the condenser temperature sensor 32b of the condenser 32, which can detect the temperature inside the machine room 17 as well as the temperature inside the ice storage compartment 12. The temperature inside the ice storage compartment 12 is affected by the outside temperature of the installation location where the ice maker 10 is installed, and therefore has a certain correlation with the outside temperature of the installation location of the ice maker 10. The machine room 17 can be ventilated to the outside by a vent (not shown) formed in the housing 11, and the temperature inside the machine room 17 is close to the outside temperature of the installation location where the ice maker 10 is installed. Therefore, the internal temperature estimation means uses a condenser temperature sensor 32b to detect the outside temperature of the installation location where the ice maker 10 is installed via the temperature inside the machine room 17, and estimates the internal temperature of the ice storage compartment 12 from the detected temperature.
[0028] When ice making is in ice-making mode, the refrigerant returned from the evaporator 34 is sent to the condenser 32 from the compressor 31, so the temperature detected by the condenser temperature sensor 32b tends to be higher than the ambient temperature at the ice maker 10's installation location. Therefore, when the cooling operation is not in standby mode, no refrigerant is sent to the condenser 32, and the temperature detected by the condenser temperature sensor 32b when the cooling operation is not in standby mode is closer to the ambient temperature at the ice maker 10's installation location. By using the temperature detected by the condenser temperature sensor 32b when the cooling operation is not in standby mode to estimate the internal temperature via the ambient temperature at the ice maker 10's installation location, the internal temperature can be accurately estimated.
[0029] Furthermore, just before the end of the ice-making operation in ice-making mode (slightly before the temperature at which ice-making is detected as complete), the amount of refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator 34 decreases, and the load on the condenser 32 to cool the refrigerant sent from the compressor 31 also decreases. For this reason, the temperature detected by the condenser temperature sensor 32b just before the end of the ice-making operation in ice-making mode is less affected by the temperature of the refrigerant sent from the compressor 31 and correlates with the ambient temperature at the installation location of the ice maker 10. Therefore, by using the temperature detected by the condenser temperature sensor 32b just before the end of the ice-making operation in ice-making mode to estimate the internal temperature of the ice maker 10 via the ambient temperature at the installation location, the internal temperature can be accurately estimated.
[0030] In this embodiment, the internal temperature estimation means estimates the internal temperature range of the ice maker / ice storage unit 12 based on the temperature range detected by the condenser temperature sensor 32b, and controls the operation of the cooling operation based on this estimated internal temperature range. When the temperature detected by the condenser temperature sensor 32b is in the high temperature range of 30°C or higher, it is assumed that the installation location of the ice maker 10 is also in the high temperature range of 30°C or higher, and the internal temperature estimation means estimates that the internal temperature of the ice maker / ice storage unit 12 is high. In this case, the cooling operation time of the cooling operation is increased and the frequency is increased (for example, the cooling operation time of the cooling operation, in which the refrigeration device 30 is cooled during standby mode, is set to 5 minutes, and then the cooling standby time in which the refrigeration device 30 is not operated is set to 250 minutes and this control is repeatedly executed).
[0031] As a means of estimating the internal temperature, when the temperature detected by the condenser temperature sensor 32b is in a moderate temperature range, higher than 15°C and lower than 30°C, the installation location of the ice maker 10 is also considered to be in a moderate temperature range, and the estimated internal temperature of the ice storage compartment 12, as estimated by the internal temperature estimation means, is estimated to be moderate. In this case, the cooling operation time is shortened or the frequency is reduced compared to when the temperature is high (the cooling operation time for the refrigeration device 30 to operate during standby mode is set to 3 minutes, and then the cooling standby time for which the refrigeration device 30 is not operated is set to 500 minutes, and this control is repeatedly executed).
[0032] As a means of estimating the internal temperature, when the temperature detected by the condenser temperature sensor 32b is in the low temperature range of 15°C or lower, the installation location of the ice maker 10 is also considered to be in the low temperature range, and the estimated internal temperature of the ice maker storage compartment 12 estimated by the internal temperature estimation means is estimated to be low. In this case, it is determined that there is no need to cool the inside of the ice maker storage compartment 12 by cooling operation during standby mode, and the system is controlled not to perform cooling operation during standby mode.
[0033] Furthermore, when the temperature detected by the condenser temperature sensor 32b is within a certain temperature range such as 15°C to 30°C, the cooling operation time and cooling standby time of the cooling operation, which operates the refrigeration system 30 based on the temperature detected by the condenser temperature sensor 32b, may be changed proportionally. For example, when the temperature is 15°C, the cooling operation time is set to 3 minutes, followed by a cooling standby time of 500 minutes, and when the temperature is 30°C, the cooling operation time is set to 5 minutes, followed by a cooling standby time of 250 minutes. Therefore, as the temperature inside the ice-making and ice storage unit 12 rises within the range of 15°C to 30°C, the cooling operation time may be increased proportionally from 3 minutes to 5 minutes, and the cooling standby time may be decreased proportionally from 500 minutes to 250 minutes.
[0034] Next, the ice-making program executed during ice-making mode will be described. As shown in Figure 5, when the control device 50 executes the ice-making program during ice-making mode, the ice-making unit 21 repeatedly performs ice-making and de-icing operations alternately. When the control device 50 performs ice-making operation, it cools the refrigeration unit 30, causing the refrigerant pumped from the compressor 31 to be liquefied in the condenser 32, which then expands in the expansion valve 33 to become low-pressure liquefied refrigerant. This low-pressure liquefied refrigerant vaporizes in the evaporator 34 and returns to the compressor 31, and the ice-making unit 21 is cooled by the vaporization of the liquefied refrigerant in the evaporator 34. In addition, the control device 50 tilts the water tray 23 to the closed position using the actuator motor 26a of the opening / closing mechanism 26, and opens the water supply valve 27b for a predetermined time according to the capacity of the tank 24, thereby storing the amount of ice-making water necessary to form ice in the ice-making unit 21 in the tank 24.
[0035] When the control device 50 operates the water supply pump 25 while the refrigeration unit 30 is in cooling operation, the ice-making water in the tank 24 is sprayed into each ice-making chamber 21a of the ice-making unit 21 by the operation of the water supply pump 25. The sprayed ice-making water is cooled in each ice-making chamber 21a and returns to the tank 24, and as the ice-making water circulates between the tank 24 and each ice-making chamber 21a, it is cooled and gradually freezes in each ice-making chamber 21a. When the amount of ice-making water in the tank 24 decreases and the ice-making water freezes in each ice-making chamber 21a to form block-shaped ice, and the temperature detected by the ice-making unit temperature sensor 41 falls below the ice-making completion temperature, the control device 50 terminates the ice-making operation and starts the de-icing operation.
[0036] During the de-icing operation after the ice-making operation, the control device 50 opens the hot gas valve 36 while the compressor 31 is operating, causing the refrigeration unit 30 to heat up, and the actuator motor 26a of the opening / closing mechanism 26 tilts the water tray 23 to the open position. When the refrigeration unit 30 is heated, the hot gas sent from the compressor 31 is guided through the hot gas pipe 35 to the evaporator 34, heating each of the ice-making compartments 21a of the ice-making unit 21. The temperature of the ice-making unit 21 gradually rises due to the hot gas introduced into the evaporator 34, and the ice frozen in each of the ice-making compartments 21a detaches, slides down the top surface of the water tray 23, and falls into the ice storage chamber 14 through the discharge port 15a. As the ice-making unit 21 gradually rises as the ice detaches, the control device 50 detects that there is no ice remaining in the ice-making chamber 21a of the ice-making unit 21, i.e., that de-icing is complete, and closes the hot gas valve 36 to end the de-icing operation. If the ice storage detector 42 has not detected that the ice storage chamber 14 is filled with ice, the control device 50 restarts the ice-making program which alternates between ice-making and de-icing operations as described above. In this way, the control device 50 controls the ice-making program to alternate between ice-making and de-icing operations in ice-making mode until the ice storage detector 42 detects that the ice storage chamber 14 is filled with ice.
[0037] When the ice-making program is controlled to alternate between ice-making and de-icing operations, the ice-making compartment 14 of the ice-making storage unit 12 is filled with ice produced by the ice-making unit 21. As shown in Figure 5, when the ice-storage detector 42 detects that the ice-storage compartment 14 is full of ice (when the ice-storage detector 42 turns ON (full) in Figure 5), the control device 50 terminates the ice-making mode and switches to standby mode, controlling it to remain in standby mode without executing the ice-making program that alternates between ice-making and de-icing operations. In standby mode, the control device 50 enables a cooling operation to cool the inside of the ice-making compartment 13, and the inside of the ice-making compartment 13 is cooled by the ice-making unit 21, which is cooled by the cooling operation (operation) of the refrigeration unit 30 when the cooling operation is performed.
[0038] When transitioning from ice-making mode to standby mode, the control device 50 estimates the internal temperature of the ice-making storage compartment 12 based on the temperature detected by the condenser temperature sensor 32b just before the end of the ice-making operation in ice-making mode, and controls the operation of the cooling operation based on the estimated internal temperature. When the temperature detected by the condenser temperature sensor 32b is in the high temperature range of 30°C or higher, the estimated internal temperature of the ice-making storage compartment 12 estimated by the internal temperature estimation means is estimated to be high. In this case, the cooling operation time of the cooling operation is increased and the frequency is increased (for example, the cooling operation time of the cooling operation in which the refrigeration device 30 is operated during standby mode is set to 5 minutes, and then the cooling standby time in which the refrigeration device 30 is not operated is set to 250 minutes and this control is repeatedly executed).
[0039] Furthermore, when the temperature detected by the condenser temperature sensor 32b is in the moderate temperature range of 15°C to 30°C or higher, the estimated internal temperature of the ice-making and ice-storage compartment 12, as estimated by the internal temperature estimation means, is estimated to be moderate. In this case, the cooling operation time is shortened or the frequency is reduced compared to when the temperature is high (the cooling operation time for the cooling operation, which involves running the refrigeration unit 30 during standby mode, is set to 3 minutes, and then the cooling standby time, during which the refrigeration unit 30 is not operated, is set to 500 minutes, and this control is repeatedly executed). Also, when the temperature detected by the condenser temperature sensor 32b is in the low temperature range of 15°C or lower, the estimated internal temperature of the ice-making and ice-storage compartment 12, as estimated by the internal temperature estimation means, is estimated to be low, and the system is controlled not to perform a cooling operation without operating the refrigeration unit 30. When performing a cooling operation, the hot gas valve 36 is opened for a short time (a predetermined time) immediately before starting the compressor 31 to equalize the pressure in the refrigeration circuit of the refrigeration unit 30.
[0040] During standby mode, when the door 16 is opened and ice is taken out from the outlets 12a and 12b, and the amount of ice in the ice storage chamber 14 of the ice-making and ice storage unit 12 decreases and the ice storage chamber is no longer full, the ice storage detector 42 detects that the ice storage chamber 14 is no longer full (when the ice storage detector 42 turns OFF in Figure 5), and the control device 50 terminates standby mode and switches to ice-making mode, and controls the system to execute an ice-making program that alternates between ice-making and de-icing operations. After switching to ice-making mode, the hot gas valve 36 is opened for a short time (a predetermined time) just before starting the compressor 31 to equalize the pressure in the refrigeration circuit of the refrigeration device 30.
[0041] In the ice maker 10 configured as described above, when the ice storage detector 42 does not detect that the ice storage chamber 14 of the ice maker storage unit 12 is filled with ice, the machine is controlled to perform an ice-making operation in ice-making mode, where the ice-making unit 21 cooled by the refrigeration device 30 freezes the ice-making water to produce ice, thereby producing ice to be stored in the ice storage chamber 14 of the ice maker storage unit 12. When the ice storage detector 42 detects that the ice storage chamber 14 of the ice maker storage unit 12 is filled with ice, the machine is controlled to standby mode, where the machine is not controlled to perform an ice-making operation, and the machine remains in standby mode without producing ice to be stored in the ice storage chamber 14 of the ice maker storage unit 12.
[0042] In this ice maker 10, a cooling operation is possible to cool the inside of the ice storage compartment 12 by controlling the operation of the refrigeration device 30 during standby mode to cool the ice making unit 21. This ice maker 10 is equipped with an internal temperature estimation means that estimates the temperature inside the ice storage compartment 12 without directly detecting it, and controls the operation of the cooling operation based on the internal temperature estimation means estimated during standby mode. In this embodiment, the internal temperature estimation means estimates the internal temperature from the temperature detected by the condenser temperature sensor 32b, which is installed in the machine room 17 of the housing 11 as a temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the housing 11 other than the inside of the ice storage compartment 12, and controls the operation of the cooling operation based on the internal temperature estimated by the condenser temperature sensor 32b used as the internal temperature estimation means during standby mode. As a result, the inside of the ice storage compartment 12 can be cooled by controlling the operation of the cooling operation without separately installing an expensive temperature sensor with good waterproofing or drip-proofing properties inside the ice storage compartment 12.
[0043] In the first embodiment, a condenser temperature sensor 32b capable of detecting the temperature inside the machine room 17, which is inside the housing 11, is used in addition to the temperature inside the ice-making and ice storage compartment 12. However, the system is not limited to this, and a temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the machine room 17 may be provided, or a temperature sensor that directly detects the temperature of the installation location may be provided on the outer surface of the housing 11. Furthermore, the internal temperature estimation means estimates the internal temperature by estimating the temperature inside the ice-making and ice storage compartment 12 from the temperature detected by the condenser temperature sensor 32b. However, the system may also estimate the temperature of the water tray 23, tank 24, or the vicinity thereof, which require particular cooling, within the ice-making and ice storage compartment 12, and control the operation of the cooling operation based on the estimated temperature.
[0044] (Second Embodiment) The ice maker 10 of the second embodiment is a modified version of the ice maker 10 of the first embodiment in which the internal temperature estimation means is changed. In the ice maker 10 of the second embodiment, the internal temperature estimation means estimates the internal temperature from the time required for ice to be produced in the ice-making unit 21 during the ice-making mode. The time required for ice to be produced in the ice-making unit 21 during the ice-making mode is easily affected by the ambient temperature of the installation location where the ice maker 10 is installed. When the ambient temperature of the installation location where the ice maker 10 is installed is high, the time required to cool the ice-making unit 21 and the ice-making water is longer, and the time required for the ice to freeze is longer, so the operating time of the ice-making operation is longer. Conversely, the time required to melt the ice frozen in the ice-making unit 21 is shorter, so the operating time of the de-icing operation is shorter. In contrast, when the ambient temperature at the installation location of the ice maker 10 is low, the time required to cool the ice-making unit 21 and the ice-making water is shortened, resulting in a shorter ice-making operation time. Conversely, the time required to melt the frozen ice in the ice-making unit 21 is longer, resulting in a longer de-icing operation time.
[0045] If the ice-making operation of the ice-making program executed immediately before the ice-making storage compartment 12 is detected to be full of ice by the ice-storage detector 42 is long (or the de-icing operation is short), it is considered that the outside temperature of the installation location where the ice maker 10 is installed is high, and the estimated internal temperature of the ice-making storage compartment 12, estimated by the internal temperature estimation means, is estimated to be high. In this case, the cooling operation duration is increased and the frequency is increased (for example, the cooling operation duration of the cooling operation, which cools the refrigeration unit 30 during standby mode, is set to 5 minutes, and then the cooling standby time, in which the refrigeration unit 30 is not operated, is set to 250 minutes and this control is repeatedly executed).
[0046] In contrast, if the ice-making operation of the ice-making program executed immediately before the ice-making storage compartment 12 is detected to be filled with ice is short (or the de-icing operation is long), it is considered that the outside temperature of the installation location of the ice maker 10 is low, and the estimated internal temperature of the ice-making storage compartment 12, as estimated by the internal temperature estimation means, is low. In this case, the system is controlled not to perform a cooling operation without operating the refrigeration unit 30. If the estimated internal temperature of the ice-making storage compartment 12, as estimated by the internal temperature estimation means, is estimated to be moderate, the cooling operation time or frequency of the cooling operation may be controlled to be shorter or lower than when the temperature is high. (The system repeatedly controls the system to perform a cooling operation during standby mode, setting the cooling operation time to 3 minutes, followed by a cooling standby time of 500 minutes without operating the refrigeration unit 30). Furthermore, as the operating time of the ice-making operation increases, the cooling time of the refrigeration unit 30 by the cooling operation during the preservation operation may be proportionally increased, and the time spent waiting without operating the refrigeration unit 30 may be proportionally decreased. Similarly, as the operating time of the de-icing operation increases, the cooling time of the refrigeration unit 30 by the cooling operation during the preservation operation may be proportionally decreased, and the time spent waiting without operating the refrigeration unit 30 may be proportionally increased.
[0047] Furthermore, the internal temperature estimation means may calculate a temperature gradient based on the temperature detected by the ice-making unit temperature sensor 41 when the ice-making unit 21 is being cooled by the refrigeration device 30 during ice-making operation, and estimate the internal temperature of the ice-making storage unit 12 from the calculated temperature gradient. If it is difficult to make a judgment based on a short-term gradient, the condenser fan 32a may be operated at a low speed to make the temperature gradient gentler based on the temperature detected by the ice-making unit temperature sensor 41, and the operating time of the ice-making operation may be extended to calculate the temperature gradient over a longer period of time.
[0048] (Third embodiment) The ice maker 10 of the third embodiment is a modified version of the ice maker 10 of the first embodiment in which the internal temperature estimation means is changed. In the ice maker 10 of the third embodiment, the internal temperature estimation means estimates the internal temperature from the temperature rise of the condenser 32 when compressed refrigerant is sent from the compressor 31 to the condenser 32 after the standby mode has started. When the compressor 31 is operated with the hot gas valve 36 closed and the condenser fan 32a not operated after the standby mode has started, the temperature of the condenser 32 rises due to the compressed refrigerant sent from the compressor 31. If the ambient temperature at the installation location of the ice maker 10 is high, the temperature of the condenser 32 tends to rise easily, and if the ambient temperature at the installation location of the ice maker 10 is low, the temperature of the condenser 32 does not rise easily. The internal temperature estimation means detects the temperature of the condenser 32, whose temperature has risen due to the compressed refrigerant pumped from the compressor 31, over time using a condenser temperature sensor 32b. The external temperature of the installation location where the ice maker 10 is installed is estimated based on the rate of temperature rise per unit time or the time it takes for the temperature to rise by a predetermined range as measured by the condenser temperature sensor 32b. The internal temperature estimation means then estimates the temperature inside the ice storage compartment 12 based on the estimated external temperature.
[0049] When the estimated internal temperature is high, the cooling operation time is increased and the frequency of the cooling operation is increased (for example, the cooling operation time for the refrigeration unit 30 to cool during standby mode is set to 5 minutes, and then the cooling standby time for which the refrigeration unit 30 is not operated is set to 250 minutes and this control is repeatedly executed). Conversely, when the estimated internal temperature is moderate, the cooling operation time is shortened and the frequency of the cooling operation is reduced compared to when the temperature is high (for example, the cooling operation time for the refrigeration unit 30 to cool during standby mode is set to 3 minutes, and then the cooling standby time for which the refrigeration unit 30 is not operated is set to 500 minutes and this control is repeatedly executed). When the estimated internal temperature is low, the system is controlled not to perform the cooling operation by not operating the refrigeration unit 30.
[0050] The ice maker 10 in this embodiment is a so-called closed-cell type ice maker, but is not limited to this. The invention can also be applied to other ice makers, such as so-called open-cell type ice makers or vertical type ice makers that flow ice-making water down into a horizontally opening ice-making compartment, as long as the ice maker controls itself to perform ice-making operation in ice-making mode when the ice storage detector 42 does not detect that the ice storage compartment 14 is full of ice, and does not perform ice-making operation in standby mode when the ice storage detector 42 detects that the ice storage compartment 14 is full of ice. In this embodiment of the ice maker 10, the ice-making storage compartment 12 is partitioned by a drain pan 15 to allow ice and cold air to pass between the ice-making compartment 13 and the ice storage compartment 14, but is not limited to this, and may not be partitioned by a drain pan 15. Furthermore, the descriptions of temperature and time in this embodiment are examples, and the present invention is not limited to these descriptions of temperature and time. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0051] 10...Ice maker, 11...Housing, 12...Ice storage unit, 21...Ice making section, 30...Refrigeration system, 32b...Temperature sensor (condenser temperature sensor), 42...Ice storage detector.
Claims
1. The ice-making section freezes ice-making water to produce ice, An ice-making storage cabinet is provided, in which the ice-making unit is located at the top of the housing, forming a space in which ice produced by the ice-making unit can be stored. A refrigeration device for cooling the ice-making section, The system includes an ice storage detector that detects when the ice storage compartment is filled with ice, When the ice storage detector does not detect that the ice-making storage compartment is filled with ice, the system controls the ice-making operation to produce ice by freezing the ice-making water in the ice-making section cooled by the refrigeration device, thereby producing ice to be stored in the ice-making storage compartment. When the ice storage detector detects that the ice-making storage compartment is filled with ice, it controls the system to enter standby mode and does not perform the ice-making operation, remaining in standby mode without producing ice to store in the ice-making storage compartment. An ice maker capable of performing a cooling operation to cool the inside of the ice storage compartment by controlling the operation of the refrigeration device during the standby mode to cool the ice making section, The system includes a means for estimating the internal temperature of the ice-making and ice storage compartment without directly detecting the temperature inside the compartment. An ice maker characterized in that it controls the operation of the cooling operation based on the estimated internal temperature estimated by the internal temperature estimation means during the standby mode.
2. In the ice maker according to claim 1, The ice maker is characterized in that the internal temperature estimation means estimates the internal temperature from the temperature detected by a temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside or outside the housing other than the inside of the ice making and storage compartment.
3. In the ice maker according to claim 1, The ice maker is characterized in that the internal temperature estimation means estimates the internal temperature from the time required to produce ice in the ice-making section during the ice-making mode.