JP2019168183A - Cell type ice making machine - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a cell type ice maker capable of driving an ice maker immediately and continuing to generate ice even if one of the sensors of a position detection structure fails. An ice making case and a water supply tray, a position switching structure of the water supply tray, a position detection structure, and a control unit for controlling a tilt motor are provided. The control unit 40 includes a time storage unit 59 and a failure storage unit 60. The controller 40 at the time of failure drives the tilt motor 35 according to the first control operation and the second control operation. In the first control operation, the tilt motor 35 is driven based on the information stored in the failure storage unit 60 so that the water supply tray 12 moves toward the sensor 45 at the failure-time reference position. In the second control operation, the tilt motor 35 is driven on the basis of the output signal of the sensor 45 on the reference position at the time of failure based on the timing information of the time storage unit 59, and the water supply tray 12 is moved to the sensor 46 at the switching position at the time of failure. Move to [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a cell type ice making machine provided with a position detection structure for detecting that a water supply tray is switched to an ice making position or a tray cleaning position.

  This type of cell type ice making machine is disclosed in Example 1 of Patent Document 1 according to the proposal of the present applicant. In the cell type ice making machine of Example 1 of Patent Document 1, a position detection structure is provided by a latch arm and a switch arm provided on a drive arm that moves up and down the water supply tray, and a snap switch that is switched by the latch arm and the switch arm. The position detection structure detects that the water supply tray has been switched to the ice making position and that the water supply tray has been switched to the tray cleaning position. The drive arm is fixed to a drive shaft that is driven forward and backward by a tilt motor. When the drive arm is driven clockwise by the tilt motor, the water supply tray is swung upward from the tray cleaning position to the ice making position. When the drive arm is driven counterclockwise by the tilt motor, the water supply tray can be swung downward from the ice making position toward the tray cleaning position. The snap switch is switched by the latching arm when the water supply tray is swung up to the ice making position, and is switched from the off state to the on state. When the water tray is swung down to the tray cleaning position, it is switched by the switch arm. Then, the on state is switched to the off state. The snap switch may be set to switch from the ON state to the OFF state when the water supply tray is swung up to the ice making position, and from the OFF state to the ON state when the water tray is swung down to the tray cleaning position. it can.

  In the ice making machine of the present invention, the first switch for detecting that the water supply tray has been switched to the ice making position, the second switch for detecting that the water supply tray has been switched to the tray cleaning position, and each switch are switched. The position detection structure is constituted by a switch cam or the like. This type of detection structure is disclosed in Example 2 of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1. Each switch is a micro switch, and each switch is turned on by switching operation with a switch cam to detect that the water supply tray is switched between the ice making position and the tray cleaning position. The switch cam is fixed to the drive shaft of a drive arm that swings the water supply tray, and the switch cam can swing together with the drive arm by driving the drive shaft forward and backward with the power of the tilting motor. In the ice making process, ice making is performed by switching the water supply tray to the water storage position, the pre-ice making position, and the ice making position every time a fixed time elapses with reference to the tray cleaning position. Also, in the de-icing process, the water supply tray is switched to the de-icing position, the pre-cleaning position, and the tray cleaning position each time a certain time has passed, with the ice making position as a reference, and the ice mass in the cell falls onto the water supply tray. Let In the following description, the water storage position and the pre-ice position, and the deicing position and the pre-wash position are collectively referred to as an intermediate switching position.

JP 2017-198447 A

  According to the position detection structure of Example 1 of Patent Document 1, the control unit indicates that the water supply tray has been switched to the ice making position or that the water supply tray has been switched to the tray cleaning position. It can detect by switching between an on signal and an off signal, and can hold | maintain the attitude | position of the water supply tray in each position correctly. However, the snap switch is switched when the latch arm or the switch arm reaches the start and end of the swing stroke. Therefore, the snap switch in the middle of the swing stroke continues to hold the on state or the off state, and it is impossible to know at which position the water supply tray is operating until the snap switch is switched. In such a detection structure, when the water supply tray is stopped at the deicing position, the water storage position, or the like, there may be a deviation, which may cause ice making failure. In addition, if the ice making machine is restarted with the water tray in the middle of the ice making position and the tray cleaning position, the water tray cannot be properly held at the deicing position or the water storage position. The risk of causing ice making defects was further increased.

  The snap switch and micro switch have a contact switching structure in which the movable contact is brought into and out of contact with the fixed terminal to switch between the on state and the off state. There is a risk of not switching. For example, a foreign object is caught between the movable contact and the fixed terminal, resulting in a contact failure that does not switch to the ON state, or a spark is generated between the movable contact and the fixed terminal, and the contact is welded to the fixed terminal and turned OFF. A separation failure that does not switch may occur. In conventional equipment, in order to deal with the situation where one of the switches caused contact failure or separation failure, stop the ice machine operation after a certain period of time and avoid falling into a more serious failure state. Yes. When contact failure or separation failure occurs as described above, it is necessary to quickly identify the cause and location of the failure and replace the switch as necessary. This requires a lot of time for maintenance and there is an inconvenience that the ice machine cannot be operated for a long time.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cell type ice making machine capable of urgently driving an ice making machine and continuing the generation of ice even when one of the switches fails.
An object of the present invention is to provide a water supply tray with an ice making position, an intermediate switching position, and a tray cleaning even when the operation of the ice making machine is resumed while the water supply tray is located between the ice making position and the tray cleaning position. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cell-type ice making machine that can be properly positioned to perform ice making work properly.

  The cell type ice making machine according to the present invention detects an ice making case 10 and a water supply tray 12, a position switching structure 14 for swinging the water supply tray 12 between an ice making position and a tray cleaning position, and a position of the water supply tray 12. The position detection structure 17 and the control part 40 which controls the drive state of the tilting motor 35 of the position switching structure 14 are provided. The position detection structure 17 includes a first sensor 45 that detects that the water supply tray 12 has been switched to the ice making position, and a second sensor 46 that detects that the water supply tray 12 has been switched to the tray cleaning position. The control unit 40 includes a time storage unit 59 and a failure storage unit 60. The time storage unit 59 stores time measurement information of the timer 58 from when the tilting motor 35 is activated at the ice making position or the tray cleaning position until switching to the tray cleaning position or the ice making position. The failure storage unit 60 stores failure information when the control unit 40 determines that one of the sensors 45 and 46 has failed. In a state in which either one of the sensors 45 and 46 has failed, the control unit 40 drives the tilting motor 35 according to the first control operation and the second control operation to move the water supply tray 12 toward the ice making position or the tray cleaning position. Moved. In the first control operation, the tilt motor 35 is driven so as to move toward one of the sensors 45 and 46 on the failure reference position side where the water supply tray 12 is operating normally based on the failure information in the failure storage unit 60. I am letting. In the second control operation, the water supply tray 12 is moved toward the other sensor 46/45 on the failure switching position side with reference to the output signal of the one sensor 45/46 on the failure reference position side. In addition, the tilt motor 35 is driven based on the time information stored in the time storage unit 59.

  The control unit 40 switches the sensors 45 and 46 on the starting position side to the OFF state even though the first time t1 has elapsed since the tilting motor 35 has started at the starting position of the ice making position or the tray cleaning position. If not, retry operation is executed. As shown in FIG. 12, in the retry operation, the tilting motor 35 is driven to return the water supply tray 12 to the starting position and stopped for a predetermined time, and then the tilting motor 35 is driven again to move the water supply tray 12 toward the switching position. It is confirmed whether or not the sensors 45 and 46 on the starting position side are switched to the OFF state before the first time t1 elapses. If the starting position sensors 45 and 46 are not switched to the OFF state even after the above retry operation is performed a plurality of times, the control unit 40 determines that the starting position sensors 45 and 46 have failed. Thus, failure information is stored in the failure storage unit 60.

  The control unit 40 switches the switching position side even though the position switching time t2 stored in the time storage unit 59 has elapsed since the tilting motor 35 is started at the start position of the ice making position or the tray cleaning position. When the sensors 45 and 46 are not switched to the ON state, the failure determination is performed. The controller 40 at the time of defect determination repeatedly performs a normal ice making process and an ice removing process, and when the number of repetitions reaches a predetermined number, the sensors 45 and 46 on the switching position side are not switched on. In this case, it is determined that the sensors 45 and 46 on the switching position side have a contact failure, and the failure information is stored in the failure storage unit 60.

  Abnormal stop information in which the supply of current is temporarily stopped is stored in the abnormal stop storage unit 61 of the control unit 40. When the operation of the ice making machine is resumed while the water supply tray 12 is in the middle of the ice making position and the tray cleaning position, the control unit 40 causes the abnormal stop information in the abnormal stop storage unit 61 and the failure in the failure storage unit 60 to fail. The tilting motor 35 is driven based on the information to move the water supply tray 12 toward the reference position at the time of failure. With the water supply tray 12 moved to the reference position at the time of failure as the position reference, the ice making process and the ice removing process are alternately performed.

  In the cell type ice making machine according to the present invention, when the failure information of either one of the first and second sensors 45 and 46 of the position detection structure 17 is stored in the failure storage unit 60, the control unit 40. According to the first control operation and the second control operation, the tilting motor 35 is driven to move the water supply tray 12 toward the ice making position or the tray cleaning position. In the first control operation, the tilt motor 35 is driven so as to move toward one of the sensors 45 and 46 on the failure reference position side where the water supply tray 12 is operating normally based on the failure information in the failure storage unit 60. I tried to make it. Further, in the second control operation, the tilting motor 35 is driven based on the time information stored in the time storage unit 59 based on the output signal of one of the sensors 45 and 46 on the failure reference position side, and the water supply tray 12 is switched upon failure. It was made to move toward the other sensors 46 and 45 on the position side.

  According to the cell type ice making machine configured as described above, even if either one of the sensors 45 or 46 breaks down, the tilting is performed based on the position of the ON signal of the sensor 45 or 46 that is functioning correctly. By driving the motor 35 based on the time information stored in the time storage unit 59, it is possible to drive the water supply tray 12 quickly between the ice making position and the tray cleaning position and continue to generate ice. Moreover, the inconvenience that the ice making machine cannot be operated for a long time can be solved.

  The control unit 40 performs the retry operation when the sensors 45 and 46 on the starting position side are not switched to the OFF state even though the first time t1 has elapsed since the tilting motor 35 started at the starting position. I tried to run. In addition, if the sensors 45 and 46 on the starting position side are not switched to the OFF state even after performing the retry operation several times, the control unit 40 determines that the sensors 45 and 46 on the starting position side are out of order. The failure information (separate failure) is stored in the failure storage unit 60. According to such a cell type ice making machine, the control unit 40 determines that the sensors 45 and 46 are out of order after performing the retry operation a plurality of times, so that the degree of certainty of the failure determination by the control unit 40 can be improved. . In addition, by performing the retry operation a plurality of times, the sensors 45 and 46 on the starting position side may be switched to an off state, and in this case, normal ice making work can be continued. That is, by performing the retry operation a plurality of times, there is an advantage that the sensors 45 and 46 suspected of malfunctioning can be restored to a normal state.

  The control unit 40 determines a defect when the sensors 45 and 46 on the switching position side do not switch to the ON state even though the position switching time t2 has elapsed after the tilting motor 35 is started at the starting position. I do. Further, the control unit 40 at the time of defect determination repeatedly performs the normal ice making process and the ice removing process, and when the number of repetitions reaches a predetermined number, the switching position side sensors 45 and 46 are switched on. If not, it is determined that the sensors 45 and 46 on the switching position side have failed, and failure information (contact failure) is stored in the failure storage unit 60. According to such a cell type ice making machine, since the failure determination is performed while repeating the normal ice making process and the ice removing process, the ice making operation can be continuously performed in the meantime. In addition, the sensors 45 and 46 at the switching position may be switched on while the ice making process and the ice removing process are repeated a predetermined number of times. In this case, normal ice making work can be continued. . In other words, there is an advantage that the switch 46 suspected of being broken can be restored to a normal state while performing the failure determination.

  The control unit 40 when the operation of the ice making machine is resumed while the water supply tray 12 is positioned between the ice making position and the tray cleaning position is based on the information in the abnormal stop storage unit 61 and the information in the failure storage unit 60. The tilting motor 35 is driven to move the water supply tray 12 toward the reference position at the time of failure. Further, the control unit 40 alternately performs the ice making process and the deicing process with the water supply tray 12 moved to the reference position at the time of failure as the position reference. According to such a cell type ice making machine, even if the position of the water supply tray 12 at the time of resuming operation is unknown, the position reference can be determined by moving the water supply tray 12 toward the reference position at the time of failure, Therefore, the subsequent ice making operation can be performed appropriately.

It is a flowchart which shows the control flow of the cell type ice making machine which concerns on this invention. It is an internal front view of the cell type ice making machine which concerns on an Example. It is a vertical front view of the ice making unit which concerns on an Example. It is sectional drawing which shows the detail of the ice lump at the time of ice making, and a nozzle hole. It is a right view of the ice making unit which concerns on an Example. It is a front view of the principal part of the ice making unit which concerns on an Example. It is a top view of the principal part of the ice making unit which concerns on an Example. It is the sectional view on the AA line in FIG. It is a front view which shows the state which switched the water supply tray to the tray washing position. It is explanatory drawing which shows each operation position of a water supply tray. It is a flowchart which shows the process which determines a sensor failure. It is a flowchart which shows retry operation.

(Example) FIGS. 1-12 shows the Example of the cell type ice making machine based on this invention. In this embodiment, front and rear, left and right, and up and down follow the cross arrows shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. In FIG. 2, the cell type ice making machine includes an upper ice making chamber 1 partitioned by a heat insulating box, and a machine room 2 partitioned below the ice making chamber 1. A cooling unit such as a compressor 4, a condenser 5, and a cooling fan 6 is arranged inside the machine room 2. Although not shown, an extraction port for taking out ice blocks stored at the bottom of the chamber 1 is opened on the front surface of the ice making chamber 1, and the extraction port can be opened and closed with a sliding door or a swing door. Moreover, the display part which displays the driving | running state and failure state of the ice making unit 3 is provided in the front surface of the heat insulation box above a taking-out opening.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ice making unit 3 is supported by a unit base 9 fixed to the ceiling inner surface of the ice making chamber 1, and an ice making case 10 fixed to the lower surface of the base 9, A water supply tray 12 that supplies ice making water to a group of provided cells 11 and a water supply tank 13 provided on the lower surface of the water supply tray 12 are configured as main components. The ice making unit 3 includes a position switching structure 14 that swings the water supply tray 12 and the water supply tank 13 between the ice making position and the tray cleaning position, and ice water at room temperature in the water supply tray 12 and the water supply tank 13 in addition to the previous members. And a drain pan 16 for draining ice-making water remaining in the water-supply tank 13 without being made of ice.

  The ice making case 10 is made of a metal square dish-like container having excellent thermal conductivity, and is partitioned in a lattice shape with a group of cells 11 opening downward on the lower surface thereof. On the upper surface of the ice making case 10, a heat exchange passage 19 functioning as an evaporator is folded back and placed in close contact with the case wall. During ice making, the refrigerant liquid fed from the condenser 5 and decompressed and expanded by an expansion valve (not shown) is vaporized in the heat exchange passage 19 to cool the ice making case 10 to −25 ° C. At the time of deicing, the hot gas supplied from the compressor 4 is supplied to the heat exchange passage 19 to heat the ice making case 10 and melt the surface of the cube-shaped ice block formed in the cell 11. Facilitates separation from the cell wall.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the water supply tray 12 includes a square dish-shaped tray body 20 that opens downward, and a water channel frame 21 that is fixed to the lower surface of the water supply tray 12. The water channel frame 21 includes a branch water channel 22 that branches corresponding to the group of cells 11, and a nozzle that supplies ice-making water to the upper wall of the tray body 20 that faces each branch water channel 22 toward the cell 11. A hole 23 is opened. A discharge channel 25 of a pressurizing pump 24 provided in the water supply tank 13 is connected to the proximal end portion of the water channel frame 21. When the pressurizing pump 24 is driven during ice making, the ice making water in the water supply tank 13 is pressurized by the pressurizing pump 24 and fed to each branch water channel 22 and ejected from the nozzle hole 23 into the cell 11. . As shown in FIG. 4, around the nozzle hole 23, a drainage groove 26 and a return hole 27 for allowing ice-making water that has not been frozen in the cell 11 to flow into the water supply tank 13 are disposed opposite to each other with the nozzle hole 23 therebetween. Has been.

  The water supply tank 13 is formed of a square dish-like plastic molded product that opens upward, and the bottom wall 30 is inclined downward toward the suction port 28 of the pressurizing pump 24. The water supply tank 13 at the time of deicing is inclined downward along with the water supply tray 12, and the ice making water and the tray washing water that have not been consumed in the ice making process are supplied to the drain pan 16 from the drainage basin 31 provided on the rear wall side of the inclined lower end side. Discharge. The water supply tray 12 and the water supply tank 13 are fixed to a tray bracket 32 and are pivotally supported by a tilting shaft 33 provided at the upper end of the bracket 32. The water supply tray 12 and the water supply tank 13 are moved up and down around the tilting shaft 33 by the position switching structure 14, so that the water supply tray 12 faces the lower surface of the ice making case 10 (the position shown in FIG. 3), and the water supply tray 12. Is tilted up and down between the tray cleaning position (position shown in FIG. 9) inclined downward from the ice making case 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the position switching structure 14 includes a tilt motor 35 supported by a bracket 34 fixed to the front end of the unit base 9, and a pair of front and rear drive arms 36 that are reciprocally swung by the motor 35. 37, a drive shaft 38 that connects both the drive arms 36 and 37 so as to be interlocked, and a tension coil-type interlocking spring 39 that is hooked between the drive arms 36 and 37 and the water supply tray 12. The tilting motor 35 is a commercially available DC motor with a speed reduction unit, and is driven forward and backward in response to a command signal from a control unit 40 (see FIG. 2) disposed in an electrical box provided in the machine room 2. Pins 42 are fixed to the tips of the drive arms 36 and 37, and both ends of the interlocking spring 39 are hooked between the pins 42 and pins 43 fixed to the front and rear surfaces of the tilting tip of the water supply tray 12. ing.

  A position detection structure 17 is provided between the drive shaft 38 and the unit base 9 in order to detect that the water supply tray 12 is switched to the ice making position and the tray cleaning position by the position switching structure 14. 7 and 8, the position detection structure 17 includes a pair of a first switch (first sensor) 45 and a second switch (second sensor) 46 that are fixed in a state of being shifted back and forth with respect to the switch case 44. Corresponding to the switches 45 and 46, a pair of switch cams 47 and 48 are provided which are fixed to the drive shaft 38 in a state of being shifted back and forth. The switch cams 47 and 48 are fixed to the output shaft 51 a of the reduction unit 51, and the switch case 44 is fixed to the case of the reduction unit 51.

  As shown in FIG. 8, each of the first switch 45 and the second switch 46 is a commercially available normally-open microswitch, and includes actuator buttons 45a and 46a and passive springs 45b and 46b. On the peripheral surfaces of the switch cams 47 and 48, hook-shaped operation cam pieces 49 and 50 are provided so that the actuator buttons 45a and 46a of the first and second switches 45 and 46 can be connected to the operation cam pieces 49 and 50, respectively. The switches 45 and 46 can be turned on by pushing through the passive springs 45b and 46b. The operation cam pieces 49 and 50 can take a form in which the actuator buttons 45a and 46a are directly pushed.

  In FIG. 8, when the water supply tray 12 and the water supply tank 13 are raised and swung from the tray cleaning position to the ice making position, the back side (rear) switch cam 47 turns on the first switch 45 toward the paper surface. It shows the state. The second switch 46 on the front side (front side) toward the paper surface is in an OFF state. When the drive shaft 38 is tilted counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow from this state, the water supply tray 12 and the water supply tank 13 are tilted downward from the ice making position to the tray cleaning position, and the front side (front side) toward the paper surface. The switch cam 48 is rotated to the position indicated by the imaginary line, and the second switch 46 is turned on. In this state, the first switch 45 on the back side (rear side) toward the paper surface is in an off state. As described above, the first switch 45 and the second switch 46 are respectively switches corresponding to the state where the water supply tray 12 is switched from the tray cleaning position to the ice making position and the state where the water supply tray 12 is switched from the ice making position to the tray cleaning position. Switching operation is performed by the cams 47 and 48, and an ON signal is output.

  In the process in which the water supply tray 12 is switched from the tray cleaning position to the ice making position by the position switching structure 14, the second switch 46 is first switched to the OFF state, and then the first switch 45 is switched to the ON state by the switch cam 47. Then, an ON signal is output to the control unit 40. Further, in the process of switching the water supply tray 12 from the ice making position to the tray cleaning position by the position switching structure 14, the first switch 45 is first switched to the OFF state, and then the second switch 46 is switched to the ON state by the switch cam 48. When operated, an ON signal is output to the control unit 40.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the water supply unit 15 includes a water supply pipe 52 disposed above the swing base end of the water supply tray 12, a raw water passage 53 that connects the water supply pipe 52 and a water pipe (not shown), and a raw water passage 53. The electromagnetic valve 54 provided in A group of water supply holes 55 for supplying tap water (ice-making water) toward the water supply tray 12 is opened on the lower surface of the water supply pipe 52. By supplying normal temperature tap water from the water supply pipe 52, a predetermined amount of ice making water can be stored in the water supply tank 13 in the ice making process, or the upper surface of the water supply tray 12 is washed in the ice removing process. Water can be supplied.

  10, the control unit 40 includes a time storage unit 59 for storing the time measurement result of the timer 58, and a failure storage unit for storing that one of the first switch 45 and the second switch 46 has failed. 60 and an abnormal stop storage unit 61 for storing abnormal stop information such as a power failure. In the time storage unit 59, when the water supply tray 12 is switched from the ice making position to the tray cleaning position via the intermediate switching position between the ice-off position and the pre-cleaning position, the time measurement data of the timer 58 required for switching each position, When the water supply tray 12 is switched from the tray cleaning position to the ice making position via each intermediate switching position between the water storage position and the pre-ice making position, the timing data of the timer 58 required for switching each position is stored. The timer 58 keeps time data based on the time when the tilting motor 35 is activated at the ice making position and the time when the tilting motor 35 is activated at the tray cleaning position, and is required to move from the reference time to each position. The above time data is stored in the time storage unit 59.

The time required for the water supply tray 12 to move from the tray cleaning position to the water storage position in the ice making process is 5 to 10 seconds, and the time required for the water supply tray 12 to move from the water storage position to the pre-ice making position is 20 to 30 seconds. The time required for the water supply tray 12 to move from the pre-ice-making position to the ice-making position is 5 to 10 seconds. The total time required for the water supply tray 12 to move from the tray cleaning position to the ice making position is about 40 seconds.
In the deicing process, the total time required for the water supply tray 12 and the water tank 13 to tilt downward from the ice making position to the tray cleaning position is about 40 to 50 seconds, and is required to tilt downward from the ice making position to the ice releasing position. The time is 5-15 seconds. The time required to tilt downward from the pre-cleaning position to the tray cleaning position is 5 to 15 seconds.

In the cell type ice making machine configured as described above, when failure information is not stored in the failure storage unit 60, a cube-shaped ice block is generated by alternately performing the following ice making process and deicing process to produce ice. Store in chamber 1.
(Ice making process) In the ice making process, the control unit 40 controls the operation state of the tilt motor 35 and the pressure pump 24, and further controls the open / close state of the electromagnetic valve 50, so that the water supply tray 12 is moved from the tray cleaning position to the water storage position. And ice making is performed by switching to the pre-ice position and the ice making position. The drive arm 36 in the tray cleaning position is at the 7 o'clock position on the dial of the watch as shown in FIG. 9, and holds the water supply tray 12 and the water supply tank 13 in the downward inclined posture, and the second switch 46 is It is switched on.

  When the ice making process is started in the above state, the tilting motor 35 that has received the drive signal from the control unit 40 is driven to rotate forward, and the drive arm 36 is slowly tilted clockwise. Along with this, the water supply tray 12 and the water supply tank 13 are pulled by the interlocking spring 39, and as shown in FIG. 10, the second switch 46 is switched to the OFF state, slowly rising and swinging from the tray cleaning position to the water storage position. . As soon as the water supply tray 12 and the water supply tank 13 reach the water storage position, the electromagnetic valve 50 is opened, and ice-making water is supplied to the water supply tray 12 and the water supply tank 13. At the same time, the tilting motor 35 is driven to rotate forward to quickly tilt the water supply tray 12 and the water supply tank 13 up to the pre-ice-making position.

  When the water supply tray 12 and the water supply tank 13 are tilted upward to the pre-ice-making position, the tilting motor 35 is driven to rotate forward to slowly tilt the water supply tray 12 and the water supply tank 13 to the ice-making position. The electromagnetic valve 50 is closed when a predetermined time has elapsed from the opening of the time measured by the timer 58, and the supply of ice-making water is stopped. When the water supply tray 12 has reached the ice making position, the switch cam 47 switches the first switch 45 to the on state. As shown in FIG. 3, the upper surface of the water supply tray 12 in this state faces the lower surface of the ice making case 10, and the nozzle hole 23, the drainage groove 26, and the return hole 27 face each cell 11.

  At the same time as the first switch 45 is switched on, the tilting motor 35 is stopped, and after the solenoid valve 50 is closed, the pressurizing pump 24 is started, and the ice making water in the water supply tank 13 is changed to each of the ice making water. It is ejected from the nozzle hole 23 into the cell 11 through the branch water channel 22. The refrigerant liquid is supplied to the heat exchange passage 19 just before the first switch 45 is switched on or at the same time when the first switch 45 is switched on, thereby cooling the ice making case 10. Thereafter, ice making water is ejected from the nozzle hole 23 into the cell 11 until a cube-shaped ice mass grows in each cell 11 (about 20 to 30 minutes). Simultaneously with the completion of the ice making process, the pressurizing pump 24 is stopped to stop the supply of ice making water.

(Ice Removal Process) In the ice removal process, the controller 40 controls the operation state of the tilting motor 35 and the pressurizing pump 24, and further controls the open / close state of the electromagnetic valve 50, as shown in FIG. 12 is switched from the ice making position to the deicing position, the pre-cleaning position, and the tray cleaning position, and the ice block is dropped from the cell 11 onto the water supply tray 12, and further to the ice making chamber 1 along the water supply tray 12 inclined downward. And slide down. The drive arm 36 in the ice making position is at the 12 o'clock position on the dial of the watch as shown in FIG. 6 and holds the water supply tray 12 and the water supply tank 13 in a horizontal posture, and the first switch 45 is in the ON state. It has become. When the ice removal process is started, first, hot gas is supplied from the compressor 4 to the heat exchange passage 19 to heat the ice making case 10, thereby melting the adhering surface of the ice block adhering to the cell 11. . The supply of hot gas to the heat exchange passage 19 is stopped in a state where the temperature of the ice making case 10 reaches a predetermined temperature.

  In the above state, when a drive signal is output from the control unit 40 to the tilting motor 35 and the motor 35 is driven in reverse, the driving arm 36 receives the driving force of the tilting motor 35 and tilts counterclockwise. As shown in FIG. 4, the water supply tray 12 is separated from the ice block. As the drive arm 36 continues to tilt, the tension of the interlocking spring 39 decreases, so that the water supply tray 12 and the water supply tank 13 are slowly tilted downward to the deicing position without any impact. At the deicing position, the tilting moment due to the weight of the water supply tray 12 and the water supply tank 13 and the tension of the interlocking spring 39 are balanced. At the same time when the water supply tray 12 and the water supply tank 13 are tilted downward to the deicing position, the tilting motor 35 is reversely driven to tilt the water supply tray 12 and the water supply tank 13 downward to the pre-cleaning position. Meanwhile, ice blocks fall from the cell 11 and are received by the upper surface of the water supply tray 12, slide down along the inclined surface of the tray 12, and fall into the ice making chamber 1.

  When the water supply tray 12 is tilted downward to the pre-cleaning position, the tilting motor 35 is driven in reverse to slowly tilt the water supply tray 12 to the tray cleaning position. In the state of being tilted downward to the tray cleaning position, the cold ice making water that is not consumed in the ice making process and remains in the water supply tank 13 is discharged from the drain 31 to the drain pan 16. At the same time when the water supply tray 12 is tilted downward to the tray cleaning position, the electromagnetic valve 50 is opened to supply normal temperature cleaning water (tap water) to the water supply tray 12 and adhere to the upper surface of the water supply tray 12. The frost and the small ice pieces adhering to the drainage groove 26 and the return hole 27 are washed away while being melted with the washing water, and flowed down into the water supply tank 13. At the tray cleaning position, the switch cam 48 switches the second switch 46 to the on state.

  A part of the washing water flows down from the return hole 27 into the water supply tank 13, and the washing water that has reached the inclined lower end of the water supply tray 12 flows down from the tray end into the water supply tank 13, and is cold as described above. It is discharged from the drainage basin 31 to the drain pan 16 together with the ice making water. Thereafter, the ice making process and the ice removing process are repeated to increase the amount of cube-shaped ice blocks stored in the ice making chamber 1, but when the amount of cube-shaped ice blocks stored in the ice making chamber 1 reaches a predetermined amount, This is detected by a sensor (not shown) and the ice making machine is held in the standby mode.

(Switch failure and retry operation)
The controller 40 starts a predetermined time measured by the timer 58 stored in the time storage unit 59 or a preset time after the tilting motor 35 is activated at each activation position of the ice making position or the tray cleaning position. Despite this, when the output signal of the first switch 45 or the second switch 46 provided at each position does not change, the retry operation is performed a plurality of times, and the output signals of the switches 45 and 46 still change. If not, the failure information is stored in the failure storage unit 60.

  The failure of each of the switches 45 and 46 includes a case where a foreign object is caught between the movable contact and the fixed terminal, causing a contact failure that does not switch the switch 45 or 46 to the ON state, There is a failure in separation in which sparks are generated, the movable contact is welded to the fixed terminal, and each switch 45 or 46 is not switched to the OFF state. In the case of separation failure, the output signal of the switch 45 or 46 on the defective side does not change. Therefore, after the controller 40 performs the retry operation a plurality of times, the output signal of each switch 45 or 46 still changes. If not, it is determined that the switch 45 or 46 on the side where the output signal does not change has failed, and the failure information is stored in the failure storage unit 60. Moreover, in the case of a contact failure, the defect determination mentioned later is performed.

At the time of separation failure where each switch 45 or 46 is not switched to the OFF state, a retry operation shown in FIG. 12 is performed to determine whether or not the switches 45 and 46 are out of order. In addition, when each switch 45 or 46 is in a contact failure that does not switch to the ON state, the normal ice making process and the deicing process are repeated, and when the number of repetitions reaches 10, the failure determination of the switches 45 and 46 is performed. I do.
In the flowchart of FIG. 11, for example, after the tilting motor 35 is started at the ice making position (starting position) (S1), it is determined in (S2) whether the first switch 45 is on or off, and the first switch 45 is off. If it is not switched to the state (NO in S2) and 10 seconds (first time = t1) has elapsed from the start (YES in S3), the first switch 45 may have a poor separation. , Shift to A control and execute retry operation. In addition, after the tilting motor 35 is started at the ice making position (starting position) (S1), when the first switch 45 is switched off (YES in S2), the second switch 46 is switched on. (S4), the second switch 46 is not switched on (NO in S4), and when 40 seconds (position switching time = t2) have elapsed from the start (YES in S5) Then, it is determined that the second switch 46 has a contact failure (S7), and this is stored in the failure storage unit 60, and the determination of the switch failure is terminated. In the case where the second switch 46 is switched to the on state before 40 seconds have elapsed from the start-up in (S4) (YES in S4), the control unit 40 indicates that the first switch 45 and the second switch 46 are normal. (S6), the switch failure determination is terminated.

(Retry operation when the switch has poor separation)
As shown in FIG. 12, in the retry operation, the counter is initialized (S10), the tilting motor 35 is stopped for a predetermined time (S11), and then the tilting motor 35 is driven so that the water supply tray 12 returns to the ice making position ( S12). At this time, the tilting motor 35 is driven until the time (t3 = 10 seconds) required for the water supply tray 12 to move from the ice making position to the halfway stop position has elapsed (YES in S13). The position is returned to the position, and the tilting motor 35 is stopped (S14). When 5 seconds have elapsed since the stop, the counter is incremented (S15), and then it is determined whether the retry operation has reached a predetermined number of times (5 times) (S16). If the retry operation is less than 5 times (S16) NO), the tilting motor 35 is driven again to move the water supply tray 12 from the ice making position toward the tray cleaning position (switching position) (S17), and 10 seconds have elapsed since the tilting motor 35 was activated. By the time, it is confirmed again whether the 1st switch 45 switches to an OFF state (S18-S19). If 10 seconds (first time = t1) has elapsed from the start of the tilt motor 35 (YES in S19) while the first switch 45 is in the ON state (NO in S18), the first retry operation is terminated. Then, the process proceeds to (S11) and the second retry operation is performed.

  If the number of retry operations has reached 5 (YES in S16), the control unit 40 determines that the first switch 45 has a separation failure (S20), and this is stored in the failure storage unit 60. Store, and shift to C control. According to such a cell type ice making machine, since the control unit 40 determines that the first switch 45 has failed after performing the retry operation five times, the degree of certainty of the failure determination by the control unit 40 can be improved. . Further, by repeatedly performing the retry operation, the first switch 45 on the starting position side may be switched off (YES in S18). In this case, the process proceeds to B control and the ice making operation is continued. be able to. That is, by performing the retry operation a plurality of times, there is an advantage that the sensors 45 and 46 suspected of malfunctioning can be restored to a normal state. In this case, failure information is not stored in the failure storage unit 60.

  The control unit 40 can also be used when the second switch 46 does not switch to the OFF state even though 10 seconds (first time) has elapsed since the tilting motor 35 was started at the tray cleaning position (starting position). Then, a retry operation similar to the above is executed to determine whether or not the second switch 46 has failed. In this case, the point that the tilting motor 35 is driven in the direction in which the water supply tray 12 moves from the tray cleaning position toward the ice making position (switching position) is different from the retry operation described above, and therefore the description thereof is omitted. . If the second switch 46 is not switched off even after repeating the retry operation five times, the control unit 40 determines that the second switch 46 has a separation failure, and stores this as a failure memory. Store in the unit 60. If the second switch 46 is switched off while the retry operation is repeated five times, the ice making operation is continued assuming that the second switch 46 is operating normally. In this case, failure information is not stored in the failure storage unit 60. The retry operation does not necessarily need to be repeated five times, and may be executed a number of times according to the structure and characteristics of the switches 45 and 46.

(Defect judgment when the switch has poor contact)
For example, the control unit 40 may be configured such that the 40th (position switching time t2) has elapsed since the tilting motor 35 is started at the ice making position (starting position), and the tray cleaning position (switching position) side When the 2 switch 46 is not switched to the ON state, a failure determination is performed.

  The controller 40 at the time of defect determination repeatedly performs the normal ice making process and the ice removing process, and when the number of repetition reaches 10 times (predetermined number), the second switch 46 is not switched on. In this case, the control unit 40 determines that the second switch 46 has a contact failure (contact failure), stores this in the failure storage unit 60, and ends the failure determination. According to such a cell type ice making machine, since the failure determination is performed while repeating the normal ice making process and the ice removing process, the ice making operation can be continuously performed in the meantime. In addition, the second switch 46 at the switching position may be switched on while the ice making process and the ice removing process are repeated 10 times. In this case, the ice making operation can be continued. In other words, there is an advantage that the switch 46 suspected of being broken can be restored to a normal state while performing the failure determination. In this case, failure information is not stored in the failure storage unit 60. The number of repetitions of the ice making process and the ice removing process at the time of the defect determination is not necessarily 10 times, and may be executed only in accordance with the structure and characteristics of the switches 45 and 46.

  For example, the control unit 40 determines that the first switch 45 on the switching position side is in the ON state after 50 seconds (position switching time) have elapsed since the tilting motor 35 was started at the tray cleaning position (starting position). Even when the switching is not performed, the same defect determination as described above is performed to determine whether or not the first switch 45 has failed. In this case, the point that the tilting motor 35 is driven in the direction in which the water supply tray 12 moves from the tray cleaning position toward the ice making position (switching position) is different from the above-described defect determination operation, and thus the description thereof is omitted. To do. If the first switch 45 is not switched on even after repeating the ice making process and the deicing process 10 times, the control unit 40 determines that the first switch 45 is in contact failure, This is stored in the failure storage unit 60. While the ice making process and the ice removing process are repeated 10 times, the first switch 45 may be turned on. In this case, the ice making operation can be continued as usual. That is, there is an advantage that the switch 45 suspected of being broken can be restored to a normal state during the failure determination. In this case, failure information is not stored in the failure storage unit 60. It should be noted that the ice making process and the ice removing process are not necessarily repeated 10 times, and may be performed as many times as the structure and characteristics of the switches 45 and 46.

(Operation control in case of switch failure)
As described above, the control unit 40 in a state in which either one of the switches 45 and 46 is out of order drives the tilting motor 35 according to the first control operation and the second control operation, so that the water supply tray 12 is moved to the ice making position or the tray. Move towards the cleaning position. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, in a state where either one of the switches 45 and 46 has failed, the control unit 40 checks whether there is failure information in the failure storage unit 60 (S30), and which switch is It is specified whether there is a failure (S31). When the first switch 45 has not failed (NO in S31), the first switch 45 is set as a switch on the failure reference position side (S32), and the water supply tray 12 moves upward toward the first switch 45. The tilting motor 35 is driven and positioned at the ice making position (S33). In this way, the control unit 40 tilts so as to move toward the switch 45 on the failure reference position side where the water supply tray 12 is operating normally based on the failure information in the failure storage unit 60 in the first control operation. When the motor 35 is driven and the second switch 46 is out of order, the first control operation is from (S30) to (S33).

  Simultaneously with the end of the first control operation and the output of the ON signal from the first switch 45, the controller 40 drives the tilt motor 35 downward (S34) to move the water supply tray 12 downward to the tray cleaning position. . Further, when the water supply tray 12 is already positioned at the ice making position, the tilting motor 35 is similarly driven downward (S34), and the water supply tray 12 is moved downward to the tray cleaning position. At this time, the control unit 40 drives the tilt motor 35 based on the time information stored in the time storage unit 59 so that the water supply tray 12 moves toward the second switch 46 on the failure switching position side.

  Next, the tilting motor 35 is driven up based on the time information stored in the time storage unit 59 (S35), and the water supply tray 12 is moved to the water storage position, the pre-ice making position, and the ice making position, and the ice making process (S36) is performed. When the ice making process is completed, the tilting motor 35 is driven downward based on the time information stored in the time storage unit 59 (S37), and the water supply tray 12 is moved to the deicing position, the pre-cleaning position, and the tray cleaning position. S38) is performed. Thereafter, it is confirmed whether or not the amount of cube-shaped ice blocks stored in the ice making chamber 1 has reached a predetermined amount (S39). If the amount of ice blocks is not full (NO in S39), (S35) The ice making operation is repeated. When the ice mass is full, the ice making machine is kept in the standby mode based on the detection signal of the sensor. As described above, in the second control operation, the control unit 40 moves the water supply tray 12 toward the second switch 46 on the failure switching position side based on the output signal of the first switch 45 on the failure reference position side. The tilting motor 35 is driven based on the time information stored in the time storage unit 59 so as to move toward the head, and the second control operation when the second switch 46 is out of order is from (S34) to (S39). Become.

  When the first switch 45 is out of order (YES in S31), the second switch 46 is used as a switch on the reference side at the time of failure (S40), and the water supply tray 12 is lowered toward the second switch 46. The tilting motor 35 is driven and positioned at the tray cleaning position (S41). In this way, the control unit 40 tilts so as to move toward the switch 46 on the failure reference position side where the water supply tray 12 is operating normally based on the failure information in the failure storage unit 60 in the first control operation. The motor 35 is driven, and (S30), (S31), (S40), and (S41) are the first control operation when the first switch 45 is out of order.

  In the state in which the first control operation is completed, since the water supply tray 12 is already positioned at the tray cleaning position, the control unit 40 drives the tilt motor 35 to rise as soon as an ON signal is output from the second switch 46. Then (S35) the second control operation is started. Since the subsequent control flow (S35 to S39) is as described above, its description is omitted. As described above, the second control operation when the first switch 45 is out of order is from (S35) to (S39).

  According to the ice making machine configured as described above, even when either one of the switches 45 and 46 is out of order, the tilting motor 35 is based on the position of the ON signal of the switch 45 or 46 that is functioning correctly. Is driven based on the time information stored in the time storage unit 59, so that the water supply tray 12 can be driven urgently between the ice making position and the tray cleaning position to continue the generation of ice. Therefore, the inconvenience that the ice making machine cannot be operated for a long time can be solved, and the ice lump production and ice lump providing service can be performed at the installation site of the ice making machine.

  When either one of the switches 45 and 46 is out of order, a display indicating the failure state is lit on the display provided in the heat insulation box, so ask an external specialist to perform maintenance. Thus, necessary work such as replacement of the switches 45 and 46 can be performed after the end time. In addition, since the ice making machine operation time is sufficiently short when the ice making machine is driven urgently, the misalignment occurs when the water supply tray 12 is stopped at the deicing position or the water storage position. Will not accumulate and will not cause poor ice making.

  In the case of a power failure or when the power plug is accidentally separated from the power supply socket, the ice maker may be stopped while the water supply tray 12 is positioned between the ice making position and the tray cleaning position. . In this case, the control unit 40 stores the abnormal stop information in which the supply of current is temporarily stopped in the abnormal stop storage unit 61. Therefore, when the operation of the ice making machine is resumed, the control unit 40 determines that the water supply tray 12 is at the failure reference position (ice making position or tray) based on the failure information in the failure storage unit 60 and the abnormal stop information in the abnormal stop storage unit 61. The tilting motor 35 is driven so as to move toward the cleaning position. In addition, the ice making process and the ice removing process are alternately performed with the reference position at the time of failure as the position reference.

  According to such a cell type ice making machine, even if the position of the water supply tray 12 at the time of resuming operation is unknown, the position reference can be determined by moving the water supply tray 12 toward the reference position at the time of failure, Therefore, the subsequent ice making work can be performed appropriately. When the failure information is not stored in the failure storage unit 60 when the operation is resumed, the control unit 40 drives the tilting motor 35 so as to move toward a preset start position (ice making position or tray cleaning position). Then start making ice.

  In addition to the above, as the sensors 45 and 46, optical sensors and proximity switches can be applied in addition to micro switches. The tilt motor 35 does not need to be a DC motor, and any type can be used as long as the motor can be driven forward and backward. The tilting motor 35 may be a motor that can be driven at variable speeds. With respect to the driving direction of the tilting motor 35, as long as the driving direction of the tilting motor 35 matches the vertical tilting operation of the water supply tray 12, either the clockwise rotation direction or the counterclockwise rotation direction may be used.

3 Ice making unit 10 Ice making case 12 Water supply tray 13 Water supply tank 14 Position switching structure 17 Position detection structure 35 Tilt motor 40 Control unit 45 First switch (first sensor)
46 Second switch (second sensor)
58 Timer 59 Time storage unit 60 Fault storage unit 61 Abnormal stop storage unit

Claims (4)

The ice making case (10), the water supply tray (12), the position switching structure (14) for swinging the water supply tray (12) between the ice making position and the tray cleaning position, and the position of the water supply tray (12) are detected. A cell type ice making machine comprising a position detection structure (17) and a control unit (40) for controlling the drive state of the tilt motor (35) of the position switching structure (14),
The position detection structure (17) detects a first sensor (45) for detecting that the water supply tray (12) has been switched to the ice making position and a first sensor for detecting that the water supply tray (12) has been switched to the tray cleaning position. 2 sensors (46)
The control unit (40) includes a time storage unit (59) and a failure storage unit (60).
The time storage unit (59) stores time information of the timer (58) from when the tilting motor (35) is activated at the ice making position or the tray cleaning position until switching to the tray cleaning position or the ice making position. ,
The failure storage unit (60) stores failure information when the control unit (40) determines that one of the sensors (45, 46) has failed,
In a state where either one of the sensors (45, 46) has failed, the control unit (40) drives the tilting motor (35) in accordance with the first control operation and the second control operation, and the water supply tray (12) is moved. Moved toward the ice making position or tray cleaning position,
In the first control operation, based on the failure information in the failure storage unit (60), the water supply tray (12) is moved toward one of the sensors (45, 46) on the failure reference position side where it is operating normally. To drive the tilting motor (35),
In the second control operation, on the basis of the output signal of one sensor (45, 46) on the failure reference position side, the water supply tray (12) is on the side of the other sensor (46, 45) on the failure switching position side. A cell type ice making machine, characterized in that the tilting motor (35) is driven based on the timing information of the time storage unit (59) so as to move toward the front. The control unit (40) detects the start position side sensor (45) even though the first time (t1) has elapsed since the tilt motor (35) started at the start position of the ice making position or the tray cleaning position.・ If 46) does not switch to the OFF state, retry operation is executed.
In the retry operation, the tilting motor (35) is driven to return the water supply tray (12) to the starting position and stopped for a predetermined time, and then the tilting motor (35) is driven again to move the water supply tray (12) to the switching position. It is confirmed whether or not the sensor (45, 46) on the starting position side has been switched to the OFF state by the time the first time (t1) has elapsed,
If the starting position sensor (45/46) does not switch to the OFF state even if the above retry operation is performed a plurality of times, the controller (40) causes the starting position sensor (45/46) to be separated. The cell-type ice making machine according to claim 1, wherein it is determined that the failure is stored and the failure information is stored in the failure storage unit (60). In the control unit (40), the position switching time (t2) stored in the time storage unit (59) has elapsed since the tilting motor (35) was started at the start position of the ice making position or the tray cleaning position. In spite of this, if the sensor (45, 46) on the switching position side does not switch to the ON state, a failure determination is made.
The control unit (40) at the time of defect determination repeatedly performs a normal ice making process and an ice removing process, and when the number of repetitions reaches a predetermined number, the sensor (45/46) on the switching position side is in an ON state. The failure information is stored in the failure storage unit (60) by determining that the sensor (45, 46) on the switching position side has a contact failure when the switching is not performed. Cell type ice machine. In the abnormal stop storage unit (61) of the control unit (40), abnormal stop information in which the supply of current is temporarily stopped is stored.
When the operation of the ice making machine is resumed while the water supply tray (12) is in the middle of the ice making position and the tray cleaning position, the control unit (40) reads the abnormal stop information in the abnormal stop storage unit (61). The tilting motor (35) is driven based on the failure information in the failure storage unit (60), and the water supply tray (12) is moved toward the reference position at the time of failure,
The cell type ice making machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the ice making process and the ice removing process are alternately performed with the water supply tray (12) moved to the reference position at the time of failure as a position reference.

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