WO2023189914A1 - Ice maker - Google Patents

Abstract

This ice maker 1 comprises: an ice making mold 6 which includes a plurality of mold components 32 and in which an ice making space S3 is formed by combining the mold components 32; an inner tray 8 that forms an upper space S1 for holding the ice making mold 6, and a lower space S2 communicating with the upper space S1; a case 2 that can accommodate the inner tray 8 therein; and an outer tray 10 that is accommodated in the case 2 so as to be interposed between the inner tray 8 and the case 2, wherein a first heat insulated space S5 is formed by an air layer between the inner tray 8 and the outer tray, and a second heat insulated space S6 is formed by an air layer between the case 2 and the outer tray.

Description

ice maker

The present invention relates to an ice maker that can make ice by being cooled in a freezer.

Highly transparent ice has high utility value because it looks good, has little unpleasant taste, and is difficult to melt. Therefore, ice makers are known that take advantage of the characteristic when water freezes, that is, the part that freezes first has fewer impurities and is more transparent, and can divide and extract only the highly transparent part after making ice (for example, patented (See References 1 and 2).

Such ice makers are provided with surfaces that are insulated from the low-temperature environment of the freezer (side and bottom surfaces) and surfaces that are not insulated (top surface), and are intentionally given directivity in the freezing direction. The ice making section is divided into an upper main ice making section and a lower sub ice making section. The main ice making section and the sub ice making section communicate through a small diameter water passage.

With this configuration, when the ice maker is placed in the freezer after water is supplied to the ice making section, freezing progresses from the top to the bottom in the ice making section. That is, freezing progresses from the main ice making section, and unfrozen water and air bubbles containing many impurities are pushed out to the sub ice making section. As a result, highly transparent ice is produced in the main ice making section, and cloudy ice is produced in the lower part of the sub ice making section. After ice making, the ice making section can be removed from the case of the ice maker, and highly transparent ice can be taken out from the main ice making section.

JP 2020-3133 Publication Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-183931

However, in the ice maker of Patent Document 1, since a solid heat insulating material is disposed outside the ice making section, a reaction force (compression force) is received from the heat insulating material due to the volumetric expansion of the ice making section as ice is generated, causing the ice making section to It may be difficult to remove. In that case, it is necessary to wait for the ice to melt to some extent, but the insulation function of the insulation material prevents this.

On the other hand, in the ice maker of Patent Document 2, such a problem is unlikely to occur because the outside of the ice making section is a heat insulating space formed by an air layer. However, since the insulating space provided between the ice maker case and the ice making section is large, air convection tends to occur in the insulating space during freezing. That is, as the freezing progresses from the upper side to the lower side as described above, warm air becomes an upward current in the adiabatic space and causes convection. As a result, it becomes difficult to make ice based on the above-described freezing principle.

The present invention was made based on the recognition of the above problem, and its main purpose is to provide an ice maker that efficiently generates highly transparent ice and that can be easily taken out.

A certain embodiment of the present invention is an ice maker. This ice maker includes a plurality of mold parts, and the mold parts are combined to form an ice making mold that forms an ice making space inside, an upper space that holds the ice making mold, and a lower space that communicates with the upper space. an inner tray, a case capable of accommodating the inner tray, and a first insulating space formed between the inner tray and the inner tray by an air layer, An outer tray that forms a second heat insulating space with an air layer between the outer tray and the case.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an ice maker that efficiently generates highly transparent ice and that can be easily taken out.

It is a diagram showing the appearance of the ice maker according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the ice making unit taken out from the case. It is a figure showing the structure of a case. It is an exploded perspective view of an ice making unit. It is a figure showing the composition of an ice making mold. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a tray. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a tray. FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1(B). 9 is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 8. FIG. It is a perspective view showing the composition of the ice making mold concerning a modification. It is an exploded perspective view of an ice making mold. It is a figure showing the composition of the ice making mold concerning a 2nd embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1(B) corresponding to the second embodiment. 14 is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 13. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the ice-making action in the ice-making mold. It is a figure showing an example of ice taken out after ice making. It is a sectional view showing the composition of the ice making mold concerning a modification.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, for convenience, the positional relationship of each structure may be expressed based on the illustrated state. Further, in the following embodiments and modifications thereof, substantially the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[First embodiment]
The ice maker of this embodiment has a double structure including an outer tray and an inner tray arranged inside a case, and holds an ice making mold inside the inner tray. The ice-making mold includes a plurality of mold parts, and by combining these mold parts, an ice-making space is formed inside. Note that the "mold" here means a mold for forming an ice-making space. "Mold part" means a part that forms a mold. In this embodiment, the heat insulation performance of the ice making section is improved by forming heat insulation spaces on the inside and outside of the outer tray. Hereinafter, the assembly of the ice-making mold, inner tray, and outer tray will also be referred to as an "ice-making unit."

Both the inner tray and the outer tray have a vertically divided structure, and the inner tray is housed inside the outer tray. Therefore, after making ice, the ice making unit can be taken out of the case together with the heat insulating section. Moreover, each tray can be easily divided, and the highly transparent ice produced in the ice making mold can be efficiently taken out. The specific configuration of such an ice maker will be described below.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of the ice maker according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1(A) is a perspective view seen diagonally from above, and FIG. 1(B) is a plan view. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the ice making unit taken out from the case.

As shown in FIG. 1(A), the ice maker 1 includes a bottomed cylindrical case 2 and an ice making unit 4 housed in the case 2. The ice making unit 4 includes a plurality of ice making molds 6, an inner tray 8 that holds these ice making molds 6, and an outer tray 10 that accommodates the inner tray 8. In this embodiment, the inner tray 8 is configured to be able to hold two ice-making molds 6 side by side in its upper half. Note that the "mold" here means a mold for forming an ice-making space.

As shown in FIG. 1(B), the ice making unit 4 has a structure that is symmetrical with respect to the center line L1. The upper end opening of the case 2 is closed by housing the ice making unit 4 so as to be assembled from above. The inner tray 8 has a pair of concave fitting portions 12 on the left and right sides. The ice-making mold 6 is assembled so as to fit into each of these concave fitting portions 12.

The pair of concave fitting parts 12 are separated by a pair of partition walls 14 provided at the center of the upper part of the inner tray 8. A space surrounded by the left and right ice-making molds 6 and the pair of partition walls 14 constitutes a part of a water passage P1, which will be described later.

A pair of recesses 16 provided on the upper outer peripheral surface of the inner tray 8 and a pair of recesses 18 provided on the upper inner peripheral surface of the outer tray 10 form a pair of insertion holes 20 that open upward. Ru. By inserting fingers into the pair of insertion holes 20, the user can easily separate the inner tray 8 and the outer tray 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the case 2 is opened upward, and the ice making unit 4 is accommodated from above. A pair of slits 22 that open upward are provided at the upper portions of the left and right side surfaces of the case 2. On the other hand, at the upper portions of the left and right side surfaces of the outer tray 10, a handle 24 consisting of a two-stage concave portion is provided at a position corresponding to the slit 22.

By using the left and right handles 24, the user can easily apply force to the ice making unit 4 in the removal direction, and can easily take out the ice making unit 4 from the case 2. The case 2 functions as a "housing case" that houses the ice making unit 4. The user can also easily separate the inner tray 8 and the outer tray 10 by inserting their fingers into the pair of insertion holes 20 described above.

A plurality of ribs protrude from the side surface of the outer tray 10 over almost the entire surface thereof. A plurality of honeycomb-shaped ribs 26 are provided on the front and back surfaces of the outer tray 10 in a row. A plurality of horizontally extending ribs 28 are provided in parallel vertically on the left and right side surfaces of the outer tray 10 (details will be described later).

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of case 2. FIG. 3(A) is a perspective view, and FIG. 3(B) is a plan view.
The case 2 has an elliptical shape in plan view and opens upward. A rib 30 of a predetermined shape is provided protruding from the inner bottom surface of the case 2 over the entire surface thereof. In this embodiment, the rib 30 has a shape in which a plurality of honeycomb shapes are arranged side by side. By providing this rib 30, when the ice making unit 4 is housed in the case 2, a plurality of spaces are formed between the lower surface of the outer tray 10 and the bottom surface of the case 2. In this embodiment, the case 2 is obtained by injection molding of a resin material (polycarbonate).

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the ice making unit 4.
The ice-making mold 6 has a generally cubic outer shape, and four corners in a plan view are chamfered. In this embodiment, the ice making mold 6 includes a first mold 6a and a second mold 6b having the same shape. Each ice-making mold 6 has a vertically divided structure, and an ice-making space is formed inside, the details of which will be described later.

The inner tray 8 has a vertically divided structure into a first tray 9a and a second tray 9b. An upper space S1 and a lower space S2 are formed by combining the first tray 9a and the second tray 9b, the details of which will be described later. The first tray 9a functions as a "first inner tray" and the second tray 9b functions as a "second inner tray."

In this embodiment, the first tray 9a and the second tray 9b have the same shape. Therefore, if these trays are not particularly distinguished, they will simply be referred to as "tray 9." Inner tray 8 functions as an "inner case" that accommodates ice making mold 6. The first mold 6a and the second mold 6b are arranged side by side in the upper space S1.

The outer tray 10 has a vertically divided structure including a first tray 11a and a second tray 11b. The first tray 11a and the second tray 11b are divided in the same direction as the dividing direction of the first tray 9a and the second tray 9b. The first tray 11a functions as a "first outer tray" and the second tray 11b functions as a "second outer tray."

In this embodiment, the first tray 11a and the second tray 11b have the same shape. Therefore, if these trays are not particularly distinguished, they are simply referred to as "tray 11." The inner tray 8 is housed inside by combining the first tray 11a and the second tray 11b. The outer tray 10 functions as an "outer case" that accommodates the inner tray 8.

As shown in the figure, the ice making unit 4 is constructed by horizontally assembling the ice making mold 6, the inner tray 8, and the outer tray 10.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the ice making mold 6. As shown in FIG. FIG. 5(A) is an exploded perspective view of the ice-making mold 6, and FIG. 5(B) is a front view of mold components that constitute the ice-making mold 6. Note that the term "mold component" here means a component that forms a mold.
The ice making mold 6 has a vertically divided structure that can be divided into two mold parts 32a and 32b of the same shape. Hereinafter, if these molded parts are not particularly distinguished, they will simply be referred to as "molded parts 32."

The ice-making mold 6 has a generally cubic shape and has a spherical ice-making space S3 inside, a water supply port 34 at the center of the bottom surface, and a discharge port 36 at the center of the top surface (see FIG. 4). The water supply port 34 and the discharge port 36 each communicate with the ice making space S3. The mold component 32 has a structure obtained by vertically dividing the ice-making mold 6 into two along a plane passing through its center line (a line passing through the centers of the water supply port 34 and the discharge port 36). One of the divided parts is a molded part 32a, and the other part is a molded part 32b.

A concave spherical surface 38 is formed on the opposing surfaces 37 of the molded component 32a and the molded component 32b. A pair of fitting portions 40 and a pair of fitting holes 42 are provided at four corner portions (outside the concave spherical surface 38) of the opposing surface 37. The pair of fitting portions 40 are provided protrudingly at diagonal positions on the opposing surface 37 . A pair of fitting holes 42 are provided at another diagonal position on the opposing surface 37.

The molded parts 32a and 32b are assembled by fitting the fitting part 40 of one into the fitting hole 42 of the other. At this time, an ice making space S3 is formed inside the two concave spherical surfaces 38, and a water supply port 34 and a discharge port 36 are also formed. Mold component 32a and mold component 32b are both made of flexible members such as silicone, and when they are assembled, their opposing surfaces 37 come into close contact with each other, thereby precisely forming ice making space S3. By making these molded parts flexible, the ice can be easily taken out while being elastically deformed after ice making.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the tray 9. 6(A) is a perspective view seen from the front side (inside the inner tray 8), and FIG. 6(B) is a perspective view seen from the back side (outside the inner tray 8). FIG. 6(C) is a front view, and FIG. 6(D) is a plan view.

The tray 9 has a structure obtained by vertically dividing the inner tray 8 into two along a plane passing through its center line. One of the divided trays is the first tray 9a, and the other is the second tray 9b. By assembling the first tray 9a and the second tray 9b so that their opposing surfaces abut against each other, a stepped cylindrical inner tray 8 with a bottom is constructed (see FIG. 4). The first tray 9a and the second tray 9b are both made of flexible members such as silicone. Inside the inner tray 8, an upper space S1 for holding the ice-making mold 6 and a lower space S2 communicating with the upper space S1 are formed.

The tray 9 is open to the front side and upward, and has ribs 44 and ribs 46 protruding along its upper end and inner surface of the middle tier (FIG. 6(A)). Rib 44 and rib 46 extend parallel to each other. The rib 44 defines the upper end of the upper space S1. The rib 46 vertically partitions the upper space S1 and the lower space S2.

The tray 9 has a shape that is symmetrical with respect to the center line L2 when viewed from the front (FIG. 6(C)). A partition wall 14 is provided protruding from the inner surface of the upper half of the tray 9 at the center in the left-right direction. The partition wall 14 extends in the vertical direction and partitions the upper space S1 into left and right sides. As a result, a pair of concave fitting portions 12 defined by the ribs 44, ribs 46, and the partition wall 14 are formed on the left and right sides of the partition wall 14 in the tray 9 (FIGS. 6C and 6D). Ribs 44 define the upper ends of the recessed fittings 12 and ribs 46 define the lower ends of the recessed fittings 12. The concave fitting portion 12 has a complementary shape to the outer shape of the ice making mold 6.

A recess 16 is provided at the center of the upper half of the back surface of the tray 9, specifically at the back side of the partition wall 14. The recess 16 has a curved shape (FIGS. 6(B) and 6(D)).

A seal portion 54 is provided along the periphery of the end surface of the tray 9. The seal portion 54 is a packing (thin film member, lip seal) that is thinner than the main body 53 of the tray 9. In this embodiment, the tray 9 is obtained by injection molding of a resin material (silicone), and the seal portion 54 is formed as a part of the tray 9 during the injection molding.

With such a configuration, the inner tray 8 is constructed by assembling the first tray 9a and the second tray 9b. An upper space S1 and a lower space S2 are formed inside the inner tray 8. The concave fitting portion 12 of the first tray 9a and the concave fitting portion 12 of the second tray 9b are combined to form a first holding space S11 and a second holding space S12. The first mold 6a is held in the first holding space S11, and the second mold 6b is held in the second holding space S12.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of the tray 11. FIG. 7(A) is a perspective view seen from the front side (inside the outer tray 10). FIG. 7(B) is a front view, FIG. 7(C) is a plan view, and FIG. 7(D) is a rear view.

The tray 11 has a structure obtained by vertically dividing the outer tray 10 into two along a plane passing through its center line. One of the divided trays is the first tray 11a, and the other is the second tray 11b. By assembling the first tray 11a and the second tray 11b so that their opposing surfaces abut against each other, a stepped cylindrical outer tray 10 with a bottom is configured (see FIG. 4). A housing space S4 for housing the inner tray 8 is formed within the outer tray 10.

The tray 11 is opened to the front side and upward (FIG. 7(A)). An upper space S1 of the inner tray 8 is located inside the upper half of the tray 11, and a lower space S2 of the inner tray 8 is located inside the lower half. The tray 11 has a shape that is symmetrical with respect to the center line L3 when viewed from the front (FIG. 7(B)).

A plurality of honeycomb-shaped ribs 56 are protruded from the upper half of the inner front surface of the tray 11, that is, the surface located inside the front or rear surface of the outer tray 10 so as to be continuous. A recess 18 is provided at the upper center of the inner front surface. The recess 18 has a curved shape, and forms 20 between it and 16 of the inner tray 8 (see FIG. 2(A)).

Note that no ribs are provided on the lower half of the inner front surface of the tray 11. That is, more ribs are provided inside the tray 11 at a height position corresponding to the upper space S1 than at a height position corresponding to the lower space S2.

On the other hand, on the inner side surface of the tray 11, that is, on the surface located inside the side surface of the outer tray 10, a plurality of ribs 58 extending in the front-rear direction are vertically provided in parallel. On the inner bottom surface of the tray 11, that is, on the surface located inside the bottom surface of the outer tray 10, a plurality of ribs 59 extending in the front-rear direction are provided in parallel to the left and right (FIG. 7(C)).

On the outer back surface of the tray 11, that is, the surface located outside the front or back surface of the outer tray 10, a plurality of the above-mentioned honeycomb-shaped ribs 26 are protruded in a row over most of the area (see FIG. 7). D)). Near the bottom of the outer back surface of the tray 11, a plurality of ribs 60 extending in the vertical direction are provided in parallel in the left and right directions. On the outer side surface of the tray 11, that is, on the surface constituting the side surface of the outer tray 10, the plurality of ribs 28 described above are provided vertically in parallel. The outer bottom surface of the tray 11, that is, the surface constituting the bottom surface of the outer tray 10 is a flat surface (not shown).

A flange-shaped lid portion 62 is provided along the upper opening of the tray 11. The handle 24 constitutes a part of the lid portion 62 and is located on the outer side surface of the outer tray 10 (see FIG. 2). The tray 11 is made of a harder member than the inner tray 8. In this embodiment, the tray 11 is obtained by injection molding of a resin material (polycarbonate). The lid portion 62 and each rib are integrally molded with the main body of the tray 11 during injection molding.

With such a configuration, the outer tray 10 is configured by assembling the first tray 11a and the second tray 11b. A housing space S4 is formed inside the outer tray 10. When the inner tray 8 is accommodated in the accommodation space S4, a heat insulating space ("first heat insulating space S5" to be described later) is formed between the inner tray 8 and the outer tray 10. This heat-insulating space is partitioned into a plurality of spaces by ribs (also referred to as "inner rib structure") provided on the inner surface of the outer tray 10 (details will be described later).

Furthermore, when the outer tray 10 is housed in the case 2, a heat insulating space ("second heat insulating space S6" to be described later) is formed between the outer trays 10 and 2. This heat-insulating space is partitioned into a plurality of spaces by ribs (also referred to as "outer rib structure") provided on the outer surface of the outer tray 10 (details will be described later).

Next, the water supply structure and heat insulation structure of the ice maker 1 will be explained.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1(B). FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 8, the ice maker 1 has a three-layer structure consisting of an inner tray 8, an outer tray 10, and a case 2 from the inside, and a plurality of ice molds 6 are accommodated in the upper space S1 of the inner tray 8. The first mold 6a is housed in the first holding space S11, and the second mold 6b is housed in the second holding space S12.

Specifically, with the inner tray 8 separated into two trays 9, the ice making mold 6 is fitted into the pair of concave fitting parts 12 of one tray 9, and then the ice making mold 6 is fitted into the pair of concave fitting parts 12 of the other tray 9. The concave fitting portions 12 are assembled so as to cover the ice making molds 6. Thereby, when the inner tray 8 is assembled, the upper space S1 and the lower space S2 are formed, and the first holding space S11 and the second holding space S12 that constitute the upper space S1 are formed.

At this time, the ice-making mold 6 is assembled to the inner tray 8 so that the vertically divided surface of the ice-making mold 6 and the vertically divided surface of the inner tray 8 are shifted by 90 degrees. The first mold 6a is held in the first holding space S11, and the second mold 6b is held in the second holding space S12. The discharge port 36 of each ice-making mold 6 opens toward the upper side of the inner tray 8, and the water supply port 34 opens toward the lower space S2.

In the upper space S1, a water passage P1 is formed between the first mold 6a and the second mold 6b in a state where the first mold 6a and the second mold 6b are held in this manner. The water passage P1 has a rectangular shape in plan view, and its cross section is considerably larger than the cross sections of the water supply port 34 and the discharge port 36 of the ice making mold 6 (see FIG. 2(A)). The upper end of the water passage P1 opens upward to the inner tray 8, and the lower end of the water passage P1 communicates with the lower space S2.

In this embodiment, when water is supplied to the ice making space S3 of each ice making mold 6, water is supplied through the water passage P1. That is, water is injected from the upper end opening of the water passage P1. This water is first introduced into the lower space S2 through the water passage P1. When the lower space S2 becomes full of water, the water is led to the ice making space S3 via the water supply port 34. Eventually, it is drafted above the ice making space S3. During this process, the air in the inner tray 8 is discharged to the outside from the discharge port 36. That is, the water supply port 34 and the discharge port 36 also function as air vents (vents).

Note that water can also be injected from the outlet 36 of each ice-making mold 6, but the opening area of the outlet 36, like the water supply port 34, is considerably smaller than that of the water passage P1. This is to make the icicles formed at the water inlet 34 and outlet 36 after ice making smaller in diameter and easier to break. For this reason, the water supply efficiency is better if the water flow path P1 with lower water flow resistance is used. In other words, in this embodiment, the water passage P1 is provided so that water supply efficiency can be increased.

The tray 9 constituting the inner tray 8 is provided with a sealing portion 54 along the periphery of its main body 53. That is, the seal portion 54 extends along the opposing surfaces of both the first tray 9a and the second tray 9b. As shown in FIG. 9, the seal portions 54 of the first tray 9a and the second tray 9b elastically come into close contact with each other on opposing surfaces, thereby ensuring sealing performance at the joint between them.

When the ice making unit 4 is housed in the case 2, a small gap G1 is provided between the first tray 11a and the second tray 11b that constitute the outer tray 10. With this configuration, the reaction force that each tray 11 receives from the inner surface of the case 2 can be used as an urging force to the tray 9. By receiving this biasing force and combining the first tray 9a and the second tray 9b, a sealing structure is realized in which the seal portions 54 of the two are in close contact with each other on their joining surfaces. This biasing force enhances the sealing performance of the seal structure.

The outer tray 10 is housed in the case 2 so as to be interposed between the inner tray 8 and the case 2. A first heat insulating space S5 is formed between the outer tray 10 and the inner tray 8 by an air layer, and a second heat insulating space S6 is formed between the outer tray 10 and the case 2 by an air layer.

The inner rib structure of the outer tray 10 partitions the first heat insulating space S5 into a plurality of spaces S21. Furthermore, the outer rib structure of the outer tray 10 partitions the second heat insulating space S6 into a plurality of spaces S22. Furthermore, the bottom rib structure provided on the bottom surface of the case 2 partitions the second heat insulating space S6 into a plurality of spaces S23. The space between the inner tray 8 and the case 2 is vertically partitioned by the outer tray 10, and the upper end opening thereof is closed by the lid part 62.

That is, by sealing the heat insulating space between the inner tray 8 and the case 2 and partitioning the heat insulating space into a plurality of spaces, convection of air in the heat insulating space can be prevented or suppressed. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in thermal resistance due to convection in the heat insulating space, and to promote the progress of freezing from the upper side to the lower side. In other words, it becomes easier to make ice based on the freezing principle.

The ice maker 1 has been described above based on the embodiment.
According to this embodiment, the outer tray 10 is interposed between the inner tray 8 and the case 2, the first heat insulation space S5 is formed by an air layer inside the outer tray 10, and the air layer is formed outside the outer tray 10. A second heat insulating space S6 was formed. This double heat insulation structure can significantly enhance the heat insulation effect on the inside of the inner tray 8.

In such a configuration, the top surface of the ice-making mold 6 is open above the inner tray 8, and the top surface side is not insulated from the insulation layer on the bottom and side surfaces, so that freezing progresses from the top to the bottom within the inner tray 8. The water in the ice-making mold 6 disposed in the upper space S1 can be frozen earlier than the water in the lower space S2. As a result, highly transparent ice can be efficiently produced in the ice making mold 6.

Additionally, since water can be prevented from leaking to the outside of the lower space S2 within the case 2, ice will not solidify between the ice making unit 4 and the case 2. In addition, since the structure is such that an air layer is formed inside the outer tray 10 and a flexible member is selected for the inner tray 8, even if the volume of the ice making section expands due to ice formation, the inner tray 8 The air layer easily absorbs the expansion, and the reaction force can be significantly weakened. Therefore, the pressure between the outer tray 10 and the case 2 can be suppressed. As a result, highly transparent ice with a stable shape can be produced.

Therefore, the ice making unit 4 can be easily taken out from the case 2. At that time, the entire heat insulating section of the ice making unit 4 is taken out, but since the heat insulating space is opened by removing the lid section 62 from the case 2, the heat insulating function is also quickly released. Therefore, it becomes easy to disassemble the ice making unit 4.

In particular, since both the outer tray 10 and the inner tray 8 have a vertically divided structure, they can be easily disassembled into a pair of trays. Ice is generated inside the inner tray 8, but when the inner tray 8 is disassembled into a pair of trays 9, the ice can be taken out not in the vertical direction but in the horizontal direction, that is, the ice making depth is smaller. becomes easier. As described above, since the water supply port 34 and the discharge port 36 are configured to have small diameters, it is easy to separate the highly transparent ice produced in the ice making space S3 from the ice with relatively low transparency produced in the lower space S2. becomes.

That is, according to this embodiment, highly transparent ice becomes easier to take out. Further, since no ice remains in the case 2, it is possible to move on to the next ice making process immediately after taking out the ice from the inner tray 8.

In this embodiment, as can be seen from FIG. 9, as the inner rib structure of the outer tray 10, the number of ribs in the upper half of the outer tray 10, that is, at the height position of the upper space S1 of the inner tray 8 is increased, and the outer The number of ribs in the lower half of the tray 10, that is, in the height position of the lower space S2 of the inner tray 8 is reduced.

That is, since ice making progresses in the upper half of the inner tray 8 inside the ice making mold 6 disposed in the upper space S1, the influence of volumetric expansion of the ice making section is small. For this reason, we decided to provide a large number of ribs to promote the heat insulation effect. On the other hand, since ice making progresses in the lower space S2, the lower half of the inner tray 8 is relatively susceptible to the volumetric expansion of the ice making section and expands easily. For this reason, we decided to relatively reduce the number of ribs to increase the space that can absorb expansion. From the perspective of obtaining highly transparent ice, it makes sense to further increase the insulation effect in the upper half.

[Modified example]
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an ice-making mold according to a modification. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the ice making mold.
As shown in FIG. 10, in the ice making mold 206 of this modification, a first mold 206a and a second mold 206b are integrally provided via a connecting portion 210. A plurality of discharge ports 236 are provided on each upper surface of the first mold 206a and the second mold 206b, and a plurality of water supply ports 234 (see FIG. 11) are provided on each lower surface. A water passage P1 is provided so as to vertically penetrate the connecting portion 210. Note that the ice-making mold 206 can be fitted and housed in the inner tray 8 similarly to the ice-making mold 6 of the embodiment described above, but a description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 11, the ice making mold 206 has a vertically divided structure that can be divided into four parts: a first mold part 212, a second mold part 214, a third mold part 216, and a fourth mold part 218. The ice making mold 206 is constructed by assembling these mold parts back and forth.

The first mold component 212 and the fourth mold component 218 have substantially the same configuration, and a plurality of spaces S210 that open toward the inside of the ice-making mold 206 are provided. In this modification, spaces S210 are provided in a plurality of vertical columns and a plurality of horizontal columns.

The second molded part 214 and the third molded part 216 have substantially the same configuration, and spaces S210 are provided in a plurality of vertical rows and a plurality of horizontal rows on each of their front and rear surfaces. Semicircular slits for forming water holes 220 are provided above and below each space. By assembling the four molded parts, the opposing spaces S210 are combined to form an ice making space, and water holes 220 are formed above and below the ice making space. The water hole 220 at the bottom constitutes a water supply port 234, and the water hole 220 at the top constitutes a discharge port 236.

According to this modification, a large number of ice-making spaces are formed inside the first mold 206a and the second mold 206b, and a large number of square-shaped (cubic) ice cubes can be produced. Note that this modification shows an example in which a large number of ice-making spaces are configured inside the ice-making mold. It goes without saying that in other modifications, the number, shape, size, etc. of the ice making spaces may be changed as appropriate.

[Other variations]
In the above embodiment, the first holding space S11 and the second holding space S12 have the same shape, and the first mold 6a and the second mold 6b have the same shape. In a modified example, the inner shapes of the first mold 6a and the second mold 6b (that is, the shape of the ice-making space) may be made different so that ice of different shapes can be generated. By keeping the outer shapes of the first mold 6a and the second mold 6b the same, the versatility of the ice maker is increased. In other modifications, the first holding space and the second holding space may have different shapes and/or volumes. The first mold and the second mold may have different outer shapes and inner shapes.

In the above embodiment, the seal portion 54 is provided on the opposing surfaces of both the first tray 9a and the second tray 9b constituting the inner tray 8. In a modified example, a seal portion may be integrally provided on only one of the first tray and the second tray on the surface facing the other tray. Even in that case, since the seal portion forms a seal structure along the bonding surface with the other, good sealing performance can be obtained.

In the above embodiment, a honeycomb shape is illustrated as the shape of the rib, but the shape is not limited to this. A polygonal shape, a circular shape, a linear shape, a curved shape, and other shapes may be adopted.

In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the ice-making mold 6 and the inner tray 8 are constructed as separate members. In a modified example, the ice making mold and the inner tray may be integrated. This reduces the number of parts and improves the workability of assembling and disassembling the ice maker.

In the above embodiment, the dividing direction of the outer tray 10 (the dividing direction between the first tray 11a and the second tray 11b) is the same as the dividing direction of the inner tray 8 (the dividing direction between the first tray 9a and the second tray 9b). An example of a configuration in which the directions are the same is illustrated. In a modification, the direction in which the outer tray is divided and the direction in which the inner tray is divided may be different directions.

In the above embodiment, the outer tray 10 has a vertically divided structure divided into two trays 11, and by assembling these, an annularly connected side wall and a bottom are formed. In a modified example, a bottomless structure may be adopted as the outer tray, and the inner tray may be accommodated (arranged) inside thereof. The outer tray may have a vertically divided structure in which it is divided into three or more trays.

Alternatively, a configuration that does not have a vertically divided structure may be adopted as the outer tray. In that case, it may be configured to have a side wall and a bottom portion connected in an annular shape. Alternatively, it may be configured without a bottom. Furthermore, the outer tray may include a plurality of trays arranged outside the inner tray, and a gap may be provided between each tray. A plurality of outer trays may be arranged side by side outside the inner tray. Even if such a configuration is adopted, the first heat insulating space and the second heat insulating space can be formed by interposing the outer tray between the inner tray and the case. However, from the viewpoint of heat insulation performance, it is preferable to adopt the structure of the above embodiment.

In the above embodiment, polycarbonate is exemplified as the material for the case 2 and the outer tray 10, but various materials can be used as long as it is a resin material that is harder than the inner tray 8.

In the above embodiment, an example of the configuration of the ice maker was shown from the viewpoint of efficiently producing highly transparent ice and making it easy to take out. In a modification, attention may be paid to the sealing portion of the inner tray from the viewpoint of realizing a simple sealing structure for ice making. If this point of view is taken as an issue, the outer tray may not be an essential component.

An ice maker having such a seal structure can also be expressed as follows.
an ice-making mold that includes a plurality of mold parts and in which an ice-making space is formed inwardly by combining the mold parts;
an inner tray made of a flexible member forming an upper space that holds the ice making mold and a lower space that communicates with the upper space;
a case capable of accommodating the inner tray;
Equipped with
A heat insulating space is formed between the case and the inner tray by an air layer,
The inner tray integrally has a sealing part that prevents water from leaking into the case,
An ice maker characterized in that the sealing function of the sealing portion is exerted by the pressure that the inner tray receives as it is housed in the case.

[Second embodiment]
The ice maker described in Patent Document 1 has made it possible to obtain highly transparent ice, and the demand for such ice has been increasing in recent years. I have come to realize that this is not necessarily what is desired. The inventor came up with the idea that by using the above-mentioned freezing principle in a different way, the transparency of the generated ice can be adjusted and meet the various needs of users.

The present embodiment has been made based on the above-mentioned problem recognition, and its main purpose is to provide an ice-making mold and an ice-making machine that can adjust the transparency of ice.

The ice maker of this embodiment includes a main ice making section for the user to obtain desired ice, and a sub ice making section from which impurities and air bubbles are pushed out from the main ice making section. The ice making space of the main ice making section and the ice making space of the sub ice making section communicate with each other via a communication passage provided in the main ice making section. When the ice maker is placed in the freezer after water is supplied, freezing progresses from the top to the bottom in the ice making space.

In such a configuration, one end of the communication path is opened at a position higher than the bottom of the ice making space of the main ice making section. Thereby, it is possible to intentionally make a part of the ice produced in the main ice making section cloudy. In other words, the transparency of the ice can be adjusted according to the user's needs. The specific configuration of such an ice maker will be described below.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the configuration of the ice making mold 6 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12(A) is an exploded perspective view of the ice-making mold 6, and FIG. 12(B) is a front view of mold components that constitute the ice-making mold 6. Note that the term "mold component" here means a component that forms a mold.

The ice-making mold 6 of this embodiment has a generally cubic shape (see FIG. 4), has an ice-making space S3 inside, a pair of water supply ports 34 on the bottom surface, and a discharge port 36 in the center of the top surface. The ice making mold 6 functions as a "main ice making section", and the ice making space S3 corresponds to a "first ice making space". The central vertical cross section of the ice making space S3 has a specific shape that is symmetrical with respect to a center line L3 passing through the center of the outlet 36. In this embodiment, a shape resembling an upside-down mountain (Mt. Fuji) is set as the specific shape, but other shapes may be used.

A pair of communicating passages 35 are provided outside the ice-making space S3 in the ice-making mold 6 at symmetrical positions with respect to the center line L3. The mold component 32 has a structure obtained by vertically dividing the ice-making mold 6 into two along a plane passing through its center line L3. One of the divided parts is a molded part 32a, and the other part is a molded part 32b.

A concave portion 38 having the above-mentioned specific shape when viewed from the front is formed on the opposing surfaces 37 (contact surfaces) of the molded component 32a and the molded component 32b. The inner surface of the recess 38 has a curved shape. Moreover, a pair of grooves 39 are formed symmetrically with respect to the center line L3 on the outer side of the recess 38 on the opposing surface 37. A fitting portion 40 is provided at one of the two lower corners of the opposing surface 37, and a fitting hole 42 is provided at the other. The fitting portion 40 and the fitting hole 42 are located outside the pair of grooves 39 .

The molded parts 32a and 32b are assembled by fitting the fitting part 40 of one into the fitting hole 42 of the other. By combining the molded parts 32a and 32b, the recesses 38 of both molded parts are combined to form the ice making space S3. Moreover, a pair of communication passages 35 are formed by combining the pair of grooves 39 of both molded parts. One end 35a of the communication path 35 opens into the ice making space S3, and the other end 35b becomes the water supply port 34. The discharge port 36 communicates with the ice making space S3 at the center of the upper end of the mold component 32. One end 35a of the communication path 35 serves as a connection portion CP between the communication path 35 and the ice making space S3.

Note that the communication path 35 has a straight portion including the water supply port 34 and a curved portion including the connecting portion CP. It is difficult to drill a passage having such a curved portion by both plastic working and cutting. In this regard, in this embodiment, the ice-making mold 6 has a divided structure (vertically divided structure), and a method is adopted in which the grooves 39 are formed on the contact surfaces of each mold component 32. Therefore, the communication path 35 can be easily formed.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, an upper space S1 for holding the ice-making mold 6 and a lower space S2 communicating with the upper space S1 are formed in the inner tray 8. The lower part of the inner tray 8 functions as a "sub ice making section", and the lower space S2 corresponds to a "second ice making space".

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1(B) corresponding to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 13. As shown in FIG. 13, the ice maker 1 of this embodiment has a three-layer structure consisting of an inner tray 8, an outer tray 10, and a case 2 from the inside, and a plurality of ice making molds 6 are placed in the upper space S1 of the inner tray 8. accommodate. The first mold 6a is housed in the first holding space S11, and the second mold 6b is housed in the second holding space S12.

Next, the ice making effect by using the ice making mold 6 will be explained.
FIG. 15 is a diagram schematically showing the ice making action in the ice making mold 6. FIGS. 15(A) to 15(C) show the ice making process. Differences in patterns in the diagram indicate changes in the state of water. That is, the frozen state (ice) is indicated by FR, and the non-frozen state (water) is indicated by NF. Regarding the frozen state, ice with high transparency is indicated by FR1, and ice with low transparency is indicated by FR2.

When the ice making space (S2, S3) is filled with water and the ice making machine 1 is installed in the freezer in the state shown in FIG. 14, the sides and bottom of the ice making mold 6 are insulated, but the top surface is not. cooled down. Therefore, the freezing direction of the water in the ice making spaces (S2, S3) becomes directional from above to below. That is, freezing progresses from the ice making space S3, and unfrozen water and air bubbles containing many impurities are pushed out to the lower space S2 via the communication path 35 (FIGS. 15(A) and 15(B)). Since these impurities, air bubbles, etc. become elements that make the ice cloudy and reduce its transparency, hereinafter, for convenience, they are also referred to as "transparency reducing elements" or "cloudy elements".

However, in this embodiment, the ice-making principle is utilized in a manner different from the conventional method. That is, in the ice-making mold 6, the position of the connecting portion CP between the communication passage 35 and the ice-making space S3 is set higher than the bottom of the ice-making space S3. For this reason, until the freezing that progresses from above reaches the connecting part CP, the cloudy elements are pushed out to the communication path 35 and eventually to the lower space S2, but when the freezing reaches below the connecting part CP, the lower part of the ice making space S3 A cloudy element will remain (FIG. 15(C)). In other words, by setting the connecting portion CP at a slightly higher position, it is possible to intentionally make the lower part of the ice produced in the ice making space S3 cloudy.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of ice taken out after ice making.
After the ice making process shown in FIG. 15 has been performed, the ice is taken out and the icicles corresponding to the communication passages 35 are broken and removed to obtain ice as shown in FIG. 16. By turning the removed ice upside down, ice that resembles a snow-capped mountain (Mt. Fuji) can be obtained. The highly transparent parts represent the expanding base of the mountain, and the cloudy parts represent the snow cap near the top.

The ice maker 1 has been described above based on the embodiment.
According to the present embodiment, by setting the connecting portion CP between the communication path 35 and the ice-making space S3 at a position higher than the bottom of the ice-making space S3, the transparency of the generated ice can be partially adjusted. That is, the transparency of the portion located below the connection portion CP in the ice making space S3 can be lowered. By intentionally creating cloudy areas in this way, it is possible to create interesting ice designs. According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide the ice making mold 6 and, by extension, the ice making machine 1, which can adjust the transparency of ice according to the needs of the user.

[Modified example]
FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an ice-making mold according to a modification.
In this modification, a plurality of small holes 110 (pores) are provided at the center of the bottom of the ice-making mold 106 for communicating the ice-making space S3 and the lower space S2. The cross section of the small hole 110 is considerably smaller than the cross section of the communication path 35. Even if the total cross-sectional area of all the small holes 110 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the communicating path 35.

According to this modification, the cloudy elements can also be pushed out from the bottom of the ice-making mold 106 during ice making, but since the small holes 110 have a small diameter, their pushing function is small compared to the communication path 35. For this reason, although the cloudy elements cannot be completely removed from the lower part of the ice making mold 106, they can be reduced. By reducing this cloudy element, the degree of turbidity in the cloudy part can be reduced. That is, compared to the above embodiment, the cloudy part can be made slightly more transparent. The small hole 110 does not function as a "communicating path" for producing highly transparent ice FR1, but functions as a "communicating hole" for adjusting the transparency of ice FR2 that is low in transparency.

Note that the illustrated configuration is an example, and it goes without saying that parameters such as the size (diameter), number, shape, and position of the small holes 110 can be changed as appropriate. By adjusting such parameters, the cloudiness density of the cloudiness element (transparency decreasing element) can be adjusted.

[Other variations]
In the above embodiment, the cooling surface (non-insulated surface) of the ice-making mold 6 is the entire upper surface, and the directivity in the freezing direction is from the vertically upper side to the lower side. The connection part CP with the ice making space S3 was set at a higher position than the bottom of the ice making space S3. Depending on the directivity of the freezing direction, the positional relationship between the bottom of the first ice making space and the connecting portion may be different from this.

For example, by placing the cooling surface (non-insulated surface) of the ice-making mold on one side of the top surface (one side in the horizontal direction) instead of the entire top surface, the directivity in the freezing direction can be made diagonally downward. This can be achieved by changing the shape of the upper end opening of the inner tray 8 (shifting the opening position). Even at the bottom of the ice-making mold, freezing will be delayed at a position away from directly below the top opening. Utilizing this, a communicating passage is opened on one side (first position) of the bottom of the ice-making mold, and a position away from the opening (second position) is finally frozen in the first ice-making space to generate a cloudy part. You may. In that case, even if the first position and the second position are at the same height, a cloudy part can be intentionally generated.

Both this modification and the above embodiment have in common that the connecting portion between the communication path and the first ice making space is set at a position separated from the final freezing area in the first ice making space. In other words, with such settings, a cloudy part can be generated at the position intended by the user.

In the above embodiment, a structure in which the communication path 35 has a bent portion is exemplified. In a modified example, the communication path 35 may be composed of only a straight portion. Specifically, a straight communication path 35 may be bored at a position different from the contact surface between the molded component 32a and the molded component 32b shown in FIG. 12 (divided surface of the divided structure).

Alternatively, the ice-making mold may have a horizontally split structure (horizontally split structure) in which the ice making mold is vertically divided into a first mold component and a second mold component, and a communication path may be provided in the lower second mold component. By making the communicating path linear, it may be configured to allow drilling. The communication path may be formed parallel to the center line of the ice-making mold.

Although not described in the above embodiment, the first ice-making space of the ice-making mold may be divided vertically into a plurality of small spaces. The upper and lower small spaces may be configured to communicate with each other via a communication hole. Then, one end of the communicating path may be opened to a small space in the lower stage. Thereby, highly transparent ice may be taken out from the upper stage, and less transparent ice (cloudy ice) may be taken out from the lower stage.

The above embodiment and modification examples can be expressed as the following configurations.
[Additional note 1]
a main ice-making section in which a first ice-making space is formed;
a sub-ice-making section provided below the main ice-making section and having a second ice-making space formed therein;
Equipped with
The main ice making section has a communication path for communicating the first ice making space and the second ice making space,
An ice maker characterized in that a connecting portion between the communication path and the first ice making space is located at a position separated from a final freezing area in the first ice making space.
[Additional note 2]
a main ice-making section in which a first ice-making space is formed;
a sub-ice-making section provided below the main ice-making section and having a second ice-making space formed therein;
Equipped with
The main ice making section is
a communication path for communicating the first ice-making space and the second ice-making space;
an opening that opens upward in the first ice-making space;
has
An ice maker characterized in that a connecting portion between the communication path and the first ice making space is located at a higher position than the bottom of the first ice making space.
[Additional note 3]
An ice making mold that can be installed in an ice maker,
Equipped with a main body in which an ice-making space is formed inside,
The main body has a communication path with one end opening into the ice making space and the other end opening toward the outside of the main body,
An ice-making mold characterized in that one end of the communicating path opens at a position separated from a final freezing area in the ice-making space.
[Additional note 4]
An ice making mold that can be installed in an ice maker,
Equipped with a main body in which an ice-making space is formed inside,
The main body is
an opening that opens above the ice making space;
a communication path with one end opening into the ice making space and the other end opening below the ice making space;
has
An ice-making mold characterized in that one end of the communicating path opens below the opening and above the bottom of the ice-making space.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modified examples, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements within the scope of the invention. Various inventions may be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the above embodiments and modified examples. Furthermore, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the above embodiments and modified examples.

Claims (8)

an ice-making mold that includes a plurality of mold parts and in which an ice-making space is formed inwardly by combining the mold parts;
an inner tray forming an upper space that holds the ice making mold and a lower space that communicates with the upper space;
a case capable of accommodating the inner tray;
The inner tray is housed in the case so as to be interposed between the inner tray and the case, a first heat insulation space is formed between the inner tray and the case by an air layer, and a second heat insulation space is formed between the inner tray and the case by an air layer. An outer tray that forms a space,
An ice maker characterized by comprising: the inner tray is made of a flexible member,
The ice maker according to claim 1, wherein the outer tray is made of a harder member than the inner tray. The inner tray is
It has a vertically divided structure divided into a first inner tray and a second inner tray,
The ice maker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the upper space and the lower space are formed by combining the first inner tray and the second inner tray. At least one of the first inner tray and the second inner tray has a seal portion integrally provided along a surface facing the other,
4. The ice maker according to claim 3, wherein the first inner tray and the second inner tray are combined to form a seal structure in which the seal portion extends along a surface where the first inner tray and the second inner tray are joined. The outer tray is
It has a vertically divided structure including a first outer tray and a second outer tray,
The ice maker according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the first outer tray and the second outer tray are combined to house the inner tray inside. The outer tray has an inner rib structure protruding toward the inner tray,
The ice maker according to claim 1, wherein the first heat insulating space is partitioned into a plurality of spaces by the inner rib structure. The outer tray has an outer rib structure protruding toward the inner surface of the case,
The ice maker according to claim 1, wherein the second heat insulating space is partitioned into a plurality of spaces by the outer rib structure. The ice making mold has a water supply port that communicates with the lower space, and a discharge port that opens toward the top of the inner tray,
Separately from the ice making mold, a water passage is formed inside the inner tray, the upper end of which opens upwardly of the inner tray, and the lower end of which communicates with the lower space;
The ice maker according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a cross section of the water passage is larger than a cross section of each of the water supply port and the discharge port.

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