Ice making system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11118825-B2
Application number	US-201816961770-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2018
Priority date	Jan 15, 2018
Publication date	Sep 14, 2021
Grant date	Sep 14, 2021

Abstract

an ice making system includes a tank that stores a medium to be cooled, an ice making machine that cools the medium and makes ice, a pump that circulates the medium between the tank and the ice making machine, a de-icing mechanism that heats the medium and melts the ice in the ice making machine, and a control device that controls operations of the ice making machine, the pump, and the de-icing mechanism. The ice making machine includes a cooling chamber that cools the medium, an inflow port through which the medium flows into the cooling chamber, and a discharge port through which the medium is discharged from the cooling chamber. The control device activates the de-icing mechanism when a pressure difference between a pressure of the medium at the inflow port and a pressure of the medium at the discharge port exceeds a predetermined value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ice making system comprising:
a tank that stores a medium to be cooled;
an ice making machine that cools the medium to be cooled and makes ice;
a pump that circulates the medium to be cooled between the tank and the ice making machine;
a de-icing mechanism that performs a de-icing operation of heating the medium to be cooled and melting the ice in the ice making machine; and
a controller configured to control operations of the ice making machine, the pump, and the de-icing mechanism,
the ice making machine including
a cooling chamber that cools the medium to be cooled,
an inflow port through which the medium to be cooled flows into the cooling chamber,
a discharge port through which the medium to be cooled is discharged from the cooling chamber,
a blade mechanism that rotates in the cooling chamber to disperse ice, and
a detector that detects a locked state of the blade mechanism,

the controller being configured to activate the de-icing mechanism when a pressure difference between a pressure of the medium to be cooled at the inflow port and a pressure of the medium to be cooled at the discharge port exceeds a predetermined value, and
in shifting to a de-icing operation or during the de-icing operation, the controller being further configured to
allow the blade mechanism to continue operating when the detector does not detect the locked state of the blade mechanism, and
stop the blade mechanism when the detector detects the locked state.

2. The ice making system according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller is further configured to stop the pump during the de-icing operation.

3. The ice making system according to claim 2 , wherein
the ice making machine further includes
an inflow pressure sensor that detects a pressure of the medium to be cooled at the inflow port, and
a discharge pressure sensor that detects a pressure of the medium to be cooled at the discharge port, and

the controller is further configured to
calculate a pressure difference between the pressure detected by the inflow pressure sensor and the pressure detected by the discharge pressure sensor, and
compare the pressure difference with the predetermined value.

4. The ice making system according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a refrigerant circuit formed by connecting a compressor, a heat source-side heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and a utilization-side heat exchanger in order with refrigerant pipe,
the utilization-side heat exchanger
forming a part of the ice making machine, and
exchanging heat with the medium to be cooled in the cooling chamber to evaporate refrigerant during an ice making operation,

the de-icing mechanism including the refrigerant circuit and a four-way switching valve connected to a discharge side of the compressor in the refrigerant circuit, and
the four-way switching valve being configured to switch the ice making operation to the de-icing operation by switching a flow path of refrigerant discharged from the compressor
from a path leading to the heat source-side heat exchanger
to a path leading to the utilization-side heat exchanger.

5. The ice making system according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a refrigerant circuit formed by connecting a compressor, a heat source-side heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and a utilization-side heat exchanger in order with refrigerant pipe,
the utilization-side heat exchanger
forming a part of the ice making machine, and
exchanging heat with the medium to be cooled in the cooling chamber to evaporate refrigerant during an ice making operation,

the de-icing mechanism including the refrigerant circuit and a four-way switching valve connected to a discharge side of the compressor in the refrigerant circuit, and
the four-way switching valve being configured to switch the ice making operation to the de-icing operation by switching a flow path of refrigerant discharged from the compressor
from a path leading to the heat source-side heat exchanger
to a path leading to the utilization-side heat exchanger.

6. The ice making system according to claim 1 , wherein
the ice making machine further includes
an inflow pressure sensor that detects a pressure of the medium to be cooled at the inflow port, and
a discharge pressure sensor that detects a pressure of the medium to be cooled at the discharge port, and

the controller is further configured to
calculate a pressure difference between the pressure detected by the inflow pressure sensor and the pressure detected by the discharge pressure sensor, and
compare the pressure difference with the predetermined value.

7. The ice making system according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a refrigerant circuit formed by connecting a compressor, a heat source-side heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and a utilization-side heat exchanger in order with refrigerant pipe,
the utilization-side heat exchanger
forming a part of the ice making machine, and
exchanging heat with the medium to be cooled in the cooling chamber to evaporate refrigerant during an ice making operation,

the de-icing mechanism including the refrigerant circuit and a four-way switching valve connected to a discharge side of the compressor in the refrigerant circuit, and
the four-way switching valve being configured to switch the ice making operation to the de-icing operation by switching a flow path of refrigerant discharged from the compressor
from a path leading to the heat source-side heat exchanger
to a path leading to the utilization-side heat exchanger.

8. The ice making system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a refrigerant circuit formed by connecting a compressor, a heat source-side heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and a utilization-side heat exchanger in order with refrigerant pipe,
the utilization-side heat exchanger
forming a part of the ice making machine, and
exchanging heat with the medium to be cooled in the cooling chamber to evaporate refrigerant during an ice making operation,

the de-icing mechanism including the refrigerant circuit and a four-way switching valve connected to a discharge side of the compressor in the refrigerant circuit, and
the four-way switching valve being configured to switch the ice making operation to the de-icing operation by switching a flow path of refrigerant discharged from the compressor
from a path leading to the heat source-side heat exchanger
to a path leading to the utilization-side heat exchanger.

9. An ice making system comprising:
a tank that stores a medium to be cooled;
an ice making machine that cools the medium to be cooled and makes ice;
a pump that circulates the medium to be cooled between the tank and the ice making machine;
a de-icing mechanism that performs a de-icing operation of heating the medium to be cooled and melting the ice in the ice making machine; and
a controller configured to control operations of the ice making machine, the pump, and the de-icing mechanism,
the ice making machine including
a cooling chamber that cools the medium to be cooled,
an inflow port through which the medium to be cooled flows into the cooling chamber, and
a discharge port through which the medium to be cooled is discharged from the cooling chamber, and

the controller being configured to activate the de-icing mechanism when a pressure difference between a pressure of the medium to be cooled at the inflow port and a pressure of the medium to be cooled at the discharge port exceeds a predetermined value,
the controller being configured to stop the pump during the de-icing operation, and
the controller being further configured to stop the de-icing operation when time required for ice crystals that hav

Assignees

• Daikin Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Kondou Azuma
• Yasuda Shouhei
• Nakayama Takahito
• Nomura Kazuyoshi
• Ueno Takeo

Classifications

• F25C2600/04

  Control means · CPC title

• F25C5/10

  using hot refrigerant; using fluid heated by refrigerant · CPC title

• F25D21/002

  Defroster control · CPC title

• F25C2600/02

  Timing · CPC title

• F25C2500/08

  Sticking or clogging of ice · CPC title