Ice making device and ice making method

Abstract

To provide an ice-making device and an ice-making method capable of producing ice with high transparency. [Solution] The ice-making device of the present application includes a container for containing liquid and a cooler for cooling the liquid in the container, the cooler includes a refrigerant pipe arranged along the outer surface of the container, and a space forming body for forming a space between the container and the surface on which the refrigerant pipe is arranged is provided inside the surface of the container. The ice-making device of the present application may include a circulator for circulating the liquid in the container, a vibrator for vibrating the space forming body, or a removal handle for removing the space forming body from the container. The ice-making method of the present application is a method for producing basal ice in a gap formed by the space forming body in the container by cooling the liquid in the container with a refrigerant in a refrigerant pipe arranged along the outer surface of the container, and producing ice on the surface of the space forming body opposite to the basal ice by continuing to cool the liquid in the container with the refrigerant even after the basal ice is produced.

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a water circulation type ice maker that produces clear ice by cooling while circulating water is known as an ice making device (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of an ice making device with a peripheral cover of a housing removed. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the state where a control panel is removed from the perspective view of FIG. 1 . [Diagram 3] FIG. 1A is a detailed explanatory diagram of the container, the space forming body, and the removal handle, and FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the inside of a container in which a space forming body is set. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0018] The ice thickness sensor 16 is attached so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction via a hinge 18. The ice thickness sensor 16 can be rotated in this manner so that the ice thickness sensor 16 does not get in the way when the space forming body 40 is inserted into or removed from the container 10.

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

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

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

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

[0023] The circulator 20 can be rotated by a hinge 21 from a position accommodated in the container 10 to a position outside the top opening 15 of the container 10. The reason why the circulator 20 can be rotated in this manner is to prevent the circulator 20 from getting in the way when the space forming body 40 is inserted into or removed from the container 10.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0040] The housing 60 includes a case 61 that houses the container 10, the circulator 20, the cooler 30, and the control panel 50, and a lid 62 that opens and closes the top opening 15 of the container 10. The lid 62 has a depth that does not interfere with the handle locking portion 14 when the top opening 15 is closed. The lid 62 is provided with a handle 62a that is gripped when opening and closing the lid 62.

[0041] Although the case portion 61 is provided with peripheral covers that cover the front, rear, left and right peripheral surfaces, for convenience of explanation, the peripheral covers are omitted in FIGS.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Claims

1. In an ice making device, A container for containing a liquid; a cooler for cooling the liquid in the container; The cooler includes a refrigerant pipe disposed along an outer surface of the container; a space forming body is provided on the inner side of a surface of the container on which the refrigerant pipe is arranged, the space forming body being spaced from the surface; The space forming body forms a gap between the space forming body and the surface of the container for producing base ice that is not used as a product. An ice making device characterized by:

2. 2. The ice making device according to claim 1, In the container, a space in which ice to be used as a product is produced is provided on the opposite side of the gap in which the base ice of the space forming body is produced. An ice making device characterized by:

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

4. In the ice making method, A refrigerant in a refrigerant pipe arranged along an outer surface of the container is used to cool a liquid in the container, thereby producing basal ice in a space formed by a space forming body in the container; Even after the base ice is produced, the liquid in the container is continued to be cooled by the refrigerant, thereby producing ice on the side opposite to the base ice of the space forming body. A method for making ice.

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

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

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