Ice dispenser

Abstract

To provide an ice dispenser which can discharge a fixed amount of ice according to a discharge operation of ice.SOLUTION: An ice dispenser 10 includes: an agitator 28 for agitating ice stored in a stocker 22; a shutter 72a for opening / closing an ice outflow port 22a of the stocker 22; a discharge operation switch 61 for detecting a discharge operation of ice; and a control board 50. In the case where the discharge operation is performed, the ice agitated in the stocker 22 is discharged to the outside. In the case where discharge of ice to the outside is started during the agitation of the ice, drive of the shutter 72a is started while maintaining a drive state of the agitator 28, and discharge of the ice is ended by elapse of one second from the drive start of the shutter 72a. On the other hand, in the case where the discharge of ice to the outside is started while the agitator 28 is stopped, the drive of the shutter 72a is started while starting the drive of the agitator 28, and discharge of the ice is ended by elapse of 1.3 seconds from the drive start of the shutter 72a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ice dispenser that discharges ice in response to an ice discharge operation. [Background technology]

[0002] Ice dispensers that dispense ice made from ice-making water into containers such as cups are used in restaurants and other eating and drinking establishments. In a typical ice dispenser, a refrigeration circuit, a refrigeration casing, a stocker (ice storage), an auger, and other components are housed inside a rectangular box-shaped housing. The refrigeration circuit cools the refrigeration casing to make ice on its inner surface, and the auger transports the made ice to the internal space of the stocker for storage. An ice discharge means is provided in front of the stocker to discharge ice into a container prepared by a customer (user of the ice dispenser). The ice discharge means is configured to include an ice discharge path that communicates with an ice outlet that opens on the front of the stocker, and an opening / closing mechanism such as a shutter that opens and closes the ice outlet. A customer can receive ice from the ice discharge means into the container by setting the container at a receiving position below the ice discharge means and operating an operation button or the like provided on the front of the ice dispenser.

[0003] An agitator for agitating the ice is rotatably provided in the cylindrical internal space of the stocker where the ice is stored. During ice-making operation in which the refrigeration circuit is operated, ice is transferred from the refrigeration casing to the internal space of the stocker by the rotation of the auger, and the agitator is rotated to increase the amount of stored ice while preventing the ice from joining together in the internal space of the stocker. In this way, the agitator rotates together with the auger during ice-making operation, and is configured to rotate in response to the drive of the ice-making motor (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] When ice is discharged in response to the operation of a customer's operation button, etc., simply driving the opening and closing mechanism of the ice discharge means to open the ice outlet of the stocker does not allow the ice to flow out smoothly from the ice outlet. Therefore, while the ice outlet is being opened, the agitator is rotated to push the ice stored in the internal space of the stocker outward, thereby encouraging the ice to flow out from the ice outlet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4703218 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the above-mentioned ice dispenser, when the operation button or the like is operated during ice-making operation, the agitator is rotated, so the rotation is continued and the ice outlet is opened by the shutter of the opening / closing mechanism, so that ice can be discharged. However, when the operation button or the like is operated while ice-making operation is not being performed, the stopped agitator must be shifted to a rotating state and the ice outlet must be opened by the shutter. Here, when ice discharge control is started from the stopped state of the agitator, it takes time for the agitator to start moving due to the influence of the agitator's moment of inertia, etc. Therefore, even if the opening time of the ice outlet is constant, the amount of ice discharged varies depending on whether the ice-making operation is in progress (whether the agitator is rotating or not), and the amount of ice provided to the customer's container varies.

[0007] Therefore, in consideration of the above-mentioned problems inherent in conventional ice dispensers, the present invention has been proposed to optimally solve these problems, and its object is to provide an ice dispenser that can release a fixed amount of ice in response to the ice release operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to overcome the above problems and achieve the intended object, the invention according to claim 1 comprises: An ice dispenser comprising an agitating unit for agitating ice stored in a stocker, a shutter for opening and closing an ice outlet of said stocker, a detection unit for detecting an ice discharge operation, and a control means for controlling the operation of said agitating unit and said shutter, wherein when said detection unit detects said ice discharge operation, ice agitated by said agitating unit in said stocker is discharged to the outside through said ice outlet, When ice is to be discharged to the outside while the ice is being stirred by the operation of the stirring unit, the driving of the shutter is started while the driving state of the stirring unit is maintained, and the discharge of ice is ended when a first time has elapsed since the start of the driving of the shutter, When starting to release ice to the outside while the stirring unit is stopped, the drive of the stirring unit is started while the drive of the shutter is started, and the release of ice is terminated when a second time longer than the first time has elapsed from the start of drive of the shutter. According to the invention of claim 1, when ice discharge is started while the stirring unit is stopped, the amount of ice discharged may be less than when ice discharge is started while the stirring unit is stirring the ice because it takes time for the stirring unit to start moving. Therefore, by lengthening the opening time of the shutter when ice discharge is started while the stirring unit is stopped, a fixed amount of ice can be discharged regardless of whether the ice is discharged while the stirring unit is operating.

[0009] In order to overcome the above problems and achieve the intended object, the invention according to claim 2 comprises: An ice dispenser comprising an agitating unit for agitating ice stored in a stocker, a shutter for opening and closing an ice outlet of said stocker, a detection unit for detecting an ice discharge operation, and a control means for controlling the operation of said agitating unit and said shutter, wherein when said detection unit detects said ice discharge operation, ice agitated by said agitating unit in said stocker is discharged to the outside through said ice outlet, When ice is to be discharged to the outside while the ice is being stirred by the operation of the stirring unit, the driving of the shutter is started while the driving state of the stirring unit is maintained, and the discharge of ice is ended when a first time has elapsed since the start of the driving of the shutter, When ice is to be discharged to the outside while the stirring unit is stopped, the stirring unit is started to be driven, and the shutter is started to be driven after a delay time has elapsed. No. 1 The gist of the invention is that the release of ice is terminated over time. According to the invention of claim 2, when ice discharge is started while the stirring unit is stopped, the amount of ice discharged may be less than when ice discharge is started while the stirring unit is stirring the ice because it takes time for the stirring unit to start moving. Therefore, by delaying the timing at which the shutter starts to open when ice discharge is started while the stirring unit is stopped, a fixed amount of ice can be discharged regardless of whether the ice is discharged while the stirring unit is operating.

[0010] The invention according to claim 3 is The ice maker includes a refrigeration casing that is cooled by the action of a refrigeration circuit, a stocker that stores ice, and an auger that transports ice generated in the refrigeration casing to the stocker, the stirring unit is an agitator that rotates inside the stocker, The agitating unit and the auger are configured to rotate coaxially in response to driving of a common rotary drive unit. In an ice dispenser, when the agitator and the rotary drive unit that rotates the auger are shared, if ice is released while the agitator is stopped (i.e., while the rotary drive unit is stopped), it takes a relatively long time for the agitator to start moving due to the influence of the moment of inertia of the agitator, auger, and rotary drive unit. Therefore, if the time to release ice and the timing to start releasing are constant, the amount of ice released will vary depending on whether ice making is in progress (whether the auger and agitator are rotating or not), and the amount of ice provided to the customer's container will vary. In contrast, according to the invention of claim 3, when ice release is started, the opening time and opening timing of the ice outlet are changed depending on whether the agitator is stirring or is stopped, so that a fixed amount of ice can always be released. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the ice dispenser of the present invention, a fixed amount of ice can be dispensed in response to an ice dispensing operation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ice dispenser according to a first embodiment, seen from the upper left front. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship of a stocker, an agitator, a freezer casing, an auger, an ice making motor, and the like, which are arranged inside the housing. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing electrical connections in the ice dispenser. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing ice release control executed by the control board. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart showing ice discharge control executed by a control board in the ice dispenser according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Next, the ice dispenser according to the present invention will be described below by way of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the description will be given with the left-right direction, the up-down direction, and the front-rear direction defined based on the state in which the ice dispenser is viewed from the front side (front). EXAMPLES

[0014] (Overall configuration of ice dispenser 10) As shown in Fig. 1, the ice dispenser 10 of the first embodiment includes a vertically elongated rectangular housing 12 forming an outer shell, a drain pan 14 located at the front lower part of the housing 12, and a front panel 16 attached to the front of the housing 12 above the drain pan 14. Inside the housing 12 (machine room), there are accommodated a refrigeration circuit 18 (the evaporator pipe is shown in Fig. 2) consisting of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator pipe, etc., a cylindrical refrigeration casing 20 around whose outer periphery the evaporator pipe of the refrigeration circuit 18 is wound, a cylindrical stocker 22 located above the refrigeration casing 20, an auger 24 rotatably arranged inside the refrigeration casing 20, and an ice making motor 26 (see Fig. 2) which is the drive source of the auger 24.

[0015] Also, an agitator (agitation unit) 28 is rotatably disposed inside the stocker 22. This agitator 28 agitates the ice stored in the ice storage space S of the stocker 22 to facilitate discharge from the ice outlet 22a. Here, the agitator 28 is configured to rotate about the same central axis as the auger 24 by being driven by the above-mentioned ice making motor (rotation drive unit) 26, which is a drive source shared with the auger 24.

[0016] On the front side of the stocker 22, there is provided ice discharge means 70 that discharges ice discharged from the ice storage space S of the stocker 22 through the open ice outlet 22a to the outside (the ice receiving position by a container placed on the drain pan 14). The ice discharge means 70 is configured to include an ice discharge path 71 that communicates with the ice outlet 22a of the stocker 22 and an opening / closing mechanism 72 that opens and closes the ice outlet 22a of the stocker 22, and is disposed so as to protrude forward from the front surface of the housing 12. The lower end of the ice discharge path 71 is an ice outlet (discharge port 73) that opens downward (to the receiving position). The opening / closing mechanism 72 is configured of a shutter 72a, a solenoid 72b that drives the shutter 72a, and a link 72c that connects the solenoid 72b and the shutter 72a.

[0017] (Electrical configuration of ice dispenser 10) As shown in Fig. 3, the ice dispenser 10 includes a control board (control substrate, control means) 50 that controls the operation of the refrigeration circuit 18, the ice making motor 26, the opening / closing mechanism 72, etc., and an operation board 60 electrically connected to the control board 50. The control board 50 includes a processor (CPU) and is configured to control an ice making operation (execute a first control) to increase the ice storage amount when the ice storage amount in the ice storage space S of the stocker 22 is equal to or less than a reference amount. In this ice making operation, the refrigeration circuit 18 is operated to produce ice in the refrigeration casing 20, and the ice making motor 26 is driven to rotate the auger 24, which scrapes off the ice formed on the inner surface of the refrigeration casing 20, transports it to the ice storage space S of the stocker 22 above, and stores it there. In addition, in the ice making operation, the agitator 28 is rotated in the ice storage space S of the stocker 22 in response to the driving of the ice making motor 26.

[0018] The operation board 60 is a switch board arranged behind the operation panel 30 (see FIG. 1) on the front panel 16, and a push-button type discharge operation switch (detection unit) 61 is provided on its front surface (not shown). The discharge operation switch 61 corresponds one-to-one with the discharge operation unit 31 provided on a part of the operation panel 30, and when a user of the ice dispenser 10 performs a discharge operation by pressing the discharge operation unit 31 from the front with a finger or the like, the switch is turned on (detection state) and a detection signal is input to the control board 50. The control board 50 is configured to execute discharge control (second control, described later) for discharging ice from the ice outlet 22a of the stocker 22 and discharging it to the outside (receiving position) through the ice discharging means 70 based on detection of the discharge operation by the discharge operation switch 61 (input of the detection signal).

[0019] The operation board 60 is also provided with a discharge notification LED 62 that lights up, blinks, or goes out under the control of the CPU of the control board 50. The CPU of the control board 50 controls the discharge notification LED 62 to light up or blink from when it receives a detection signal from the discharge operation switch 61 until the ice discharge control (described later) is completed. The lighting and blinking of the discharge notification LED 62 can be seen from the front of the operation panel 30.

[0020] In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, ice dispenser 10 is provided with rotation speed detection means 75 for detecting the rotation speed of ice-making motor 26, and rotation speed detection means 75 is electrically connected to control board 50. The CPU of control board 50 is provided with a RAM as a rotation speed storage means for storing the rotation speed of ice-making motor 26 detected by rotation speed detection means 75. The CPU of control board 50 periodically updates and judges the rotation speed stored in this RAM, and is configured to stop rotation of ice-making motor 26 and start error notification when the rotation speed exceeds a load judgment reference value (when the load on ice-making motor 26 is excessive). The stored contents of this RAM (rotation speed storage means) (rotation speed of ice-making motor 26) are also referred to in the ice release control (FIG. 4, step S103) described later.

[0021] (Specific control timing for release control) Next, ice discharge control, which is a process periodically executed by the CPU of the control board 50, will be described with reference to FIG.

[0022] In the discharge control, the CPU of the control board 50 first judges whether or not the discharge operation (detection of the discharge operation switch 61) is not being accepted (invalid period) (step S101). The acceptance prohibition period is a period that starts when a positive judgment is made in step S102 described later, and ends when the processing in step S108 described later ends. In other words, if the acceptance prohibition period is not in effect, the period corresponds to the detection valid period (acceptance period) of the discharge operation switch 61, regardless of whether or not ice making operation is in progress (during the driving period of the ice making motor 26).

[0023] If the determination in step S101 is negative (NO), the discharge control is terminated. On the other hand, if the determination in step S101 is positive (YES), it is determined whether or not a detection signal from the discharge operation switch 61 has been input (i.e., whether or not the discharge operation unit 31 has been pressed during the reception period) (step S102). Then, if the determination in step S102 is negative (NO) (i.e., the discharge operation unit 31 has not been pressed), the discharge control is terminated. On the other hand, if the determination in step S102 is positive (YES) (i.e., the discharge operation unit 31 has been pressed during the reception period), it is determined whether or not the ice making motor 26 is in the driving period (step S103). Also, if the determination in step S102 is positive, the discharge notification LED 62 of the operation board 60 is caused to start lighting or flashing.

[0024] The CPU of control board 50 refers to the rotation speed of ice-making motor 26 stored in RAM (rotation speed storage means) described above, and if the rotation speed is zero, it determines that ice-making motor 26 is not in the driving period (stopped), and if it is one or more times, it determines that ice-making motor 26 is in the driving period (driving). For example, the period during which ice-making operation is being performed is the period during which auger 24 and agitator 28 are rotating, which corresponds to the driving period of ice-making motor 26. In addition, the driving period of ice-making motor 26 also includes the period during which agitator 28 is periodically driven to rotate and agitate ice in ice storage space S of stocker 22 when ice-making operation is not being performed.

[0025] Here, the ice dispenser 10 of the first embodiment discharges ice from the ice discharge means 70 in response to a user's pressing of the discharge operation part 31, and at that time, the ice outlet 22a of the stocker 22 is opened while rotating the agitator 28 in the ice storage space S of the stocker 22. In this case, the opening time of the ice outlet 22a is adjusted so that the amount of ice discharged is appropriate and fixed (steps S104 and S106 described later).

[0026] If step S103 returns a positive judgment (YES), that is, if release operation unit 31 is pressed during the acceptance period and the driving period of ice-making motor 26, then since agitator 28 is already rotating due to the driving of ice-making motor 26, ice outlet 22a is set to an open time of, for example, 1 second (first time) while maintaining the driving state of ice-making motor 26, and measurement is started (step S104). On the other hand, if step S103 returns a negative judgment (NO), that is, if release operation unit 31 is pressed during the acceptance period and the non-driving period of ice-making motor 26, then ice-making motor 26 has stopped driving and agitator 28 is not rotating, so driving of ice-making motor 26 is started (step S105). As described above, since ice-making motor 26 is the drive source for rotating auger 24 and agitator 28, when ice-making motor 26 is started to be driven, it takes a certain amount of time (e.g., about 0.3 seconds) for agitator 28 to start moving due to the influence of the moment of inertia of agitator 28, auger 24, and ice-making motor 26, and during this time, ice in stocker 22 is difficult to push out toward the outer periphery (ice outlet 22a side) of ice storage space S. Therefore, when starting to drive ice-making motor 26 that is in a stopped state (when going through step S105), the opening time of ice outlet 22a is set to a time (e.g., 1.3 seconds) longer than the above-mentioned 1 second (first time), and measurement of this time is started (step S106).

[0027] When the opening time is set in step S104 or step S106, the opening / closing mechanism 72 (solenoid) is started to release the ice outlet 22a closed by the shutter 72a, and the ice outlet 22a is opened (step S107). By opening the ice outlet 22a, it becomes possible to discharge ice from the ice discharge means 70 (ice discharge path 71).

[0028] In the next step S108, the open time is measured, and when the open time has elapsed, the driving of the opening / closing mechanism 72 is stopped to close the ice outlet 22a, and the driving of the ice-making motor 26 (in the discharge control) is stopped to end the discharge control. In step S108, the driving of the ice-making motor 26 is stopped only when there is no need to rotate the agitator 28 for purposes other than discharging ice from the ice discharge means 70. In other words, when the ice-making motor 26 is in the driving period during ice-making operation, the driving of the ice-making motor 26 is continued. In addition, in step S108, the discharge notification LED 62, which is in the lit or flashing state, is changed to the off state. Then, the discharge control is ended by the end of step S108.

[0029] [Function of Example 1] Next, the operation of the ice dispenser 10 according to the first embodiment will be described.

[0030] When increasing the amount of ice stored in ice storage space S of stocker 22, ice dispenser 10 of the first embodiment executes ice-making operation (first control) under the control of control board (control means) 50. In this ice-making operation, control board 50 generates ice in refrigeration casing 20 by the action of refrigeration circuit 18, and transfers the generated ice to stocker 22 by rotating auger 24 (driving ice-making motor 26). Note that agitator 28, which rotates inside stocker 22 to agitate ice, is rotated coaxially with auger 24 by ice-making motor (rotation drive unit) 26, so agitator 28 rotates during ice-making operation.

[0031] Furthermore, when discharging ice from ice discharging means 70, ice dispenser 10 executes discharging control (second control) based on the control of control board 50. In this discharging control, control board 50 opens ice outlet 22a of stocker 22 by driving shutter 72a (opening / closing mechanism 72), and rotates agitator 28 in ice storage space S of stocker 22 by driving ice making motor 26, causing ice to flow out from ice outlet 22a and be discharged to the outside (into a container) through ice discharging path 71.

[0032] When the control board 50 starts the discharge control (discharge of ice) while the agitator 28 is stirring the ice (while the ice-making motor 26 is driving during ice-making operation, etc.), the agitator 28 is already rotating, so the control board 50 starts driving the shutter 72a (opening / closing mechanism 72) in the ice discharge means 70 (opening the ice outlet 22a) while maintaining the rotating state of the agitator 28 (driving state of the ice-making motor 26). On the other hand, when the control board 50 starts the discharge control while the agitator 28 is stopped (while the ice-making motor 26 is stopped), the agitator 28 is also stopped, so it is necessary to start driving the shutter 72a (opening / closing mechanism 72) (opening the ice outlet 22a) while starting the rotation of the agitator 28 (driving the ice-making motor 26). Here, when the agitator 28 starts rotating at the start of the discharge control, it takes a certain amount of time (about 0.3 seconds) for the agitator 28 to start moving. That is, if the opening time is constant, when the release control is started while the ice making motor is stopped, the amount of ice released is smaller than when the release control is started while the ice making motor is running. Therefore, in order to release a fixed amount of ice regardless of whether the agitator 28 is operating (agitating ice) or is stopped, when the release control is started while the agitator 28 is operating (ice making operation, etc.), the release control is terminated when an opening time of 1 second (first time) has elapsed since the start of driving the shutter 72a (opening / closing mechanism 72), whereas when the release control is started while the agitator 28 is stopped, the release control is terminated when an opening time of 1.3 seconds (second time longer than the first time) has elapsed since the start of driving the shutter 72a (opening / closing mechanism 72). In this way, by lengthening the opening time of the shutter 72a (the driving time of the opening / closing mechanism 72) when release control is started while the agitator 28 is stopped (while the ice-making motor is stopped), a fixed amount of ice can be released regardless of whether the release control is performed while the ice-making motor is driving or not. EXAMPLES

[0033] Next, an ice dispenser 10 according to a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, a part of the ice discharge control (FIG. 5) periodically executed by the control board 50 is different from that of the first embodiment. Specifically, the discharge control in the second embodiment is different in a part (steps S2061 and S2062) corresponding to step S106 in the first embodiment. Meanwhile, steps S201-205, 207, and 208 are the same as steps S101-105, 107, and 108 in the discharge control (see FIG. 4) in the first embodiment. Therefore, steps S2061 and S2062 will be described below, and the other steps will not be described.

[0034] As explained in the first embodiment, it takes time for agitator 28 to start moving due to driving ice making motor 26, and there is a certain amount of time (for example, about 0.3 seconds) when ice in stocker 22 is difficult to push out to the outer periphery (ice outlet 22a side) of ice storage space S. Therefore, in the second embodiment, when agitator 28 starts to rotate by starting driving ice making motor 26 that is in a stopped state (when going through step S205), a delay time of 0.3 seconds is set (step S2061), and after this delay time has elapsed, the opening time (1 second) of ice outlet 22a is set (step S2062). That is, when the discharge operation part 31 is pressed while the agitator 28 is stopped (the ice making motor 26 is stopped) and the detection signal of the discharge operation switch 61 is input to the control board 50, the control board 50 first controls the agitator 28 to start rotating (driving the ice making motor 26), and 0.3 seconds later (after the delay time has elapsed), the shutter 72a (opening and closing mechanism 72) is started to be driven to open the ice outlet 22a. Then, when the same opening time (1 second) as when the discharge operation part 31 is pressed while the agitator 28 is rotating (driving the ice making motor 26) has elapsed, the discharge control ends. Here, since it takes time (delay time) from when the discharge operation part 31 is pressed until ice is discharged, there is a risk of causing anxiety to the customer (the user of the ice dispenser 10). To prevent this, the discharge notification LED 62 is made to be in a lit or flashing state even during the delay time.

[0035] [Function of Example 2] Next, the operation of the ice dispenser 10 according to the second embodiment will be described.

[0036] In the ice dispenser 10 of the second embodiment, when the control board 50 starts the discharge control (discharging ice) while the agitator 28 is stirring the ice (while the ice-making motor 26 is driving for ice-making operation, etc.), the agitator 28 is already rotating, so the control board 50 starts driving the shutter 72a (opening / closing mechanism 72) in the ice discharge means 70 (opening the ice outlet 22a) while maintaining the rotating state of the agitator 28 (driving state of the ice-making motor 26). In contrast, when the control board 50 starts the discharge control while the agitator 28 is stopped (while the ice-making motor 26 is stopped), the agitator 28 is also stopped, so it is necessary to start the rotation of the agitator 28 (driving the ice-making motor 26) while starting the drive of the shutter 72a (opening / closing mechanism 72) (opening the ice outlet 22a). Here, when ice making motor 26 starts to be driven (agitator 28 rotates) at the start of release control, it takes a certain amount of time (about 0.3 seconds) for agitator 28 to start moving. In other words, if the open time is constant, when release control is started while the ice making motor is stopped, the amount of ice released will be less than when release control is started while the ice making motor is running. Therefore, by delaying the timing of starting drive of shutter 72a (opening / closing mechanism 72) when release control is started while agitator 28 is stopped (while the ice making motor is stopped), a fixed amount of ice can be released regardless of whether the release control is performed while the ice making motor is running or not.

[0037] [Example of change] The present application is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and for example, the following configurations can be appropriately adopted. (1) In the first and second embodiments, a detection unit that detects a pressing operation with a finger or the like is provided as a detection unit (discharge operation switch) that detects a discharge operation by a user of the ice dispenser, but a detection unit that detects a non-contact operation such as holding a finger over a predetermined position may be used. Also, as the discharge operation unit, in addition to a discharge operation unit on an operation panel, a lever-type discharge operation unit that is operated by pushing with a container such as a cup may be used. (2) In the first and second embodiments, the control means (control board) has a rotation speed storage means (RAM) for storing the rotation speed of the rotary drive unit (ice-making motor), and in the release control for releasing ice, if the rotation speed stored in the rotation speed storage means is zero, it is determined that the rotary drive unit is stopped, and if it is one or more times, it is determined that the rotary drive unit is operating. However, the number of rotations of two or more times may be set as a reference value, and whether the rotary drive unit is operating or not may be determined based on whether it is equal to or greater than this reference value. In this case, the reference value may be set to a rotation speed lower than the load determination reference value for determining the load on the rotary drive unit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 18 refrigeration circuit, 20 refrigeration casing, 22 stocker, 22a ice outlet, 24 auger, 26 ice making motor (rotation drive unit), 28 agitator (mixing unit), 50 control board (control means), 61 release operation switch (detection unit), 71 Ice discharge path, 72a Shutter

Claims

1. An ice dispenser comprising an agitating unit (28) for agitating ice stored in a stocker (22), a shutter (72a) for opening and closing an ice outlet (22a) of the stocker (22), a detection unit (61) for detecting an ice discharge operation, and control means (50) for controlling the operation of the agitating unit (28) and the shutter (72a), wherein when the detection unit (61) detects the ice discharge operation, ice agitated by the agitating unit (28) in the stocker (22) is discharged to the outside through the ice outlet (22a), When ice discharge to the outside is started during agitation of ice by the operation of the agitator (28), the drive of the shutter (72a) is started while the agitator (28) is maintained in a driven state, and the discharge of ice is terminated when a first time has elapsed since the start of the drive of the shutter (72a), When ice discharge to the outside is started while the stirring unit (28) is stopped, the driving of the stirring unit (28) is started while the driving of the shutter (72a) is started, and the discharge of ice is completed when a second time longer than the first time has elapsed since the start of the driving of the shutter (72a). An ice dispenser comprising:

2. An ice dispenser comprising an agitating unit (28) for agitating ice stored in a stocker (22), a shutter (72a) for opening and closing an ice outlet (22a) of the stocker (22), a detection unit (61) for detecting an ice discharge operation, and control means (50) for controlling the operation of the agitating unit (28) and the shutter (72a), wherein when the detection unit (61) detects the ice discharge operation, ice agitated by the agitating unit (28) in the stocker (22) is discharged to the outside through the ice outlet (22a), When ice discharge to the outside is started during agitation of ice by the operation of the agitator (28), the drive of the shutter (72a) is started while the agitator (28) is maintained in a driven state, and the discharge of ice is terminated when a first time has elapsed since the start of the drive of the shutter (72a), When ice discharge to the outside is to be started while the stirring unit (28) is stopped, the stirring unit (28) is started to be driven, and after a delay time has elapsed, the shutter (72a) is started to be driven, and the discharge of ice is terminated when the first time has elapsed since the start of the drive of the shutter (72a). An ice dispenser comprising:

3. The system comprises a refrigeration casing (20) cooled by the action of a refrigeration circuit (18), a stocker (22) for storing ice, and an auger (24) for transporting ice produced in the refrigeration casing (20) to the stocker (22), The stirring unit (28) is an agitator that rotates inside the stocker (22), 3. The ice dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the agitator (28) and the auger (24) are configured to rotate coaxially in response to driving of a common rotary drive unit (26).

Images