초록 ▼

An ice making apparatus is provided in which a refrigeration cycle is used to produce ice inside an evaporator that is generally horizontally disposed, with a hollow auger being provided with a helical flight thereon, for scraping ice from the inner wall of the evaporator and pushing the ice toward

An ice making apparatus is provided in which a refrigeration cycle is used to produce ice inside an evaporator that is generally horizontally disposed, with a hollow auger being provided with a helical flight thereon, for scraping ice from the inner wall of the evaporator and pushing the ice toward one end of the auger, by which it is compressed and moved by a paddle toward a flange, in which it is delivered to an ice breakup device, by which the ice is diverted into a compression zone, with water being squeezed from the ice and the ice delivered to a transport tube and then to an ice retainer. Filling the retainer or jamming of ice nuggets inside the transport will effect a shut-down of the apparatus. Various water level controls for a water reservoir are provided, whereby the auger is flooded inside and outside, for enhancing ice formation. Nugget-type ice is provided by the ice making apparatus. The apparatus allows for changing the nugget size/shape without negative ice hardness consequences.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. An ice making apparatus for making ice of the nugget-forming type from ice shavings that are compacted, comprising: (a) a refrigeration system for providing refrigerant to a freezing chamber of the hollow cylinder type; (b) a freezing chamber with a generally hollow cylindric

What is claimed is: 1. An ice making apparatus for making ice of the nugget-forming type from ice shavings that are compacted, comprising: (a) a refrigeration system for providing refrigerant to a freezing chamber of the hollow cylinder type; (b) a freezing chamber with a generally hollow cylindrical inner wall and means for receiving water therein for forming ice on said cylindrical inner wall; (c) a rotatable ice auger sized to fit inside said freezing chamber and comprising means for scraping ice formed on the wall of said chamber and conveying the ice from the wall of said chamber, along said rotatable auger, to ice compression means: (d) means to cause rotation of said ice auger; (e) means for supplying water to said freezing chamber; (f) ice compression means for receiving ice from said freezing chamber and compressing it into compacted solid form while squeezing water therefrom; and (g) said ice compression means including a flange carried by said auger for rotation therewith and extending generally radially outwardly thereof. 2. The ice making apparatus of claim 1, wherein said means for scraping ice and said flange together comprise means for absorbing axial thrust resulting from ice compression. 3. The ice making apparatus of claim 1, including water conduit means for returning water squeezed out of ice by said ice compression means, to said freezing chamber. 4. An ice making apparatus for making ice of the nugget-forming type from ice shavings that are compacted, comprising: (a) a refrigeration system for providing refrigerant to a freezing chamber of the hollow cylinder type; (b) a freezing chamber with a generally hollow cylindrical inner wall and means for receiving water therein for forming ice on said cylindrical inner wall; (c) a rotatable ice auger sized to fit inside said freezing chamber and comprising means for scraping ice formed on the wall of said chamber and conveying the ice from the wall of said chamber, along said rotatable auger, to ice compression means; (d) means to cause rotation of said ice auger; (e) means for supplying water to said freezing chamber; (f) ice compression means toward a discharge end of the rotatable auger for receiving ice from said freezing chamber and ice breakup means and compressing it into compacted solid form while squeezing water therefrom; and (g) ice breakup means prior to the ice compression means, for engaging compacted solid form ice conveyed toward the discharge end of the rotatable auger and breaking up the compacted solid form ice into smaller ice particles prior to the ice being delivered to the ice compression means. 5. The ice making apparatus of claim 4, wherein said ice breakup means includes an ice diverter for diverting ice particles that are broken up, into an ice expansion chamber. 6. An ice making apparatus for making ice of the nugget-forming type from ice shavings that are compacted, comprising: (a) a refrigeration system for providing refrigerant to a freezing chamber of the hollow cylinder type; (b) a freezing chamber with a generally hollow cylindrical inner wall and means for receiving water therein for forming ice on said cylindrical inner wall; (c) a rotatable ice auger sized to lit inside said freezing chamber and comprising means for scraping ice formed on the wall of said chamber and conveying the ice from the wall of said chamber, along said rotatable auger, to ice compression means; (d) means to cause rotation of said ice auger; (e) means for supplying water to said freezing chamber; (f) ice compression means toward a discharge end of the rotatable auger for receiving ice from said freezing chamber and compressing it into compacted solid form while squeezing water therefrom; and (g) ice breakup means for engaging compacted solid form ice conveyed toward the discharge end of the rotatable auger and breaking up the compacted solid form ice into smaller ice particles wherein said ice compression means includes a flange carried by said auger for rotation therewith and extending generally outwardly thereof; and wherein said ice breakup means is located adjacent said rotatable flange and is statically positioned relative to said rotatable flange, whereby moving compacted solid form ice is contacted by said ice breakup means. 7. An ice making apparatus for making ice of the nugget-forming type from ice shavings that are compacted, comprising: (a) a refrigeration system for providing refrigerant to a freezing chamber of the hollow cylinder type; (b) a freezing chamber with a generally hollow cylindrical inner wall and means for receiving water therein for forming ice on said cylindrical inner wall; (c) a rotatable ice auger sized to fit inside said freezing chamber and comprising means for scraping ice formed on the wall of said chamber and conveying the ice from the wall of said chamber, along said rotatable auger, to ice compression means; (d) means to cause rotation of said ice auger; (e) means for supplying water to said freezing chamber; (f) ice compression means toward a discharge end of the rotatable auger for receiving ice from said freezing chamber and compressing it into compacted solid form while squeezing water therefrom; and (g) ice breakup means for engaging compacted solid form ice conveyed toward the discharge end of the rotatable auger and breaking up the compacted solid form ice into smaller ice particles wherein said ice compression means includes a flange carried by said auger for rotation therewith and extending generally outwardly thereof wherein said ice compression means includes paddle means carried by said rotatable auger adjacent said flange at said discharge end of the auger, for cooperating with said flange to form and push ice into compacted solid form ice at the discharge end of the auger. 8. The ice making apparatus of claim 7, and wherein said ice breakup means is located adjacent said rotatable flange and is statically positioned relative to said rotatable flange, whereby moving compacted solid form ice is contacted by said ice breakup means, and wherein said paddle means comprises means for pushing compacted solid form ice toward said ice breakup means. 9. The ice making apparatus of claim 5, including an expansion chamber for receiving broken up ice particles diverted by said ice diverter and allowing the ice particles to accumulate and aggregate therein into an expanded aggregate size. 10. The ice making apparatus of claim 9, including an ice compression nozzle for receiving aggregated ice particles from said expansion chamber and compressing them into solid shapes. 11. The ice making apparatus of claim 10, including water drain means associated with said compression nozzle for receiving water squeezed from the ice particles. 12. The ice making apparatus of claim 11, including means for delivering water from said compression nozzle and returning the water to said freezing chamber. 13. The ice making apparatus of claim 11, said compression nozzle and said expansion chamber being spaced apart, defining a gap means; with said water drain means communicating with said gap means for receiving water squeezed from ice particles, through said gap means. 14. The ice making apparatus of claim 4, wherein said ice breakup means includes means for scraping compacted solid form ice from said auger. 15. The ice making apparatus of claim 14, wherein said ice breakup means includes an ice diverter for diverting ice particles that are broken up, into and ice expansion chamber. 16. A method of making ice nugget(s) from ice shavings that are compacted, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a refrigeration system that provides refrigerant to a freezing chamber; (b) providing a freezing chamber having a generally hollow cylindrical inner wall; (c) providing water to the freezing chamber for forming ice on the cylindrical inner wall of the freezing chamber; (d) scraping the ice formed on the inner wall of the cylindrical freezing chamber by means of an ice auger, and conveying the ice thus formed along a rotatable auger, while rotating the auger; (e) compressing the ice received from the freezing chamber into compacted solid form while squeezing water therefrom; (f) breaking up the compacted solid form ice and delivering it into an expansion chamber; and (g) delivering the ice from the expansion chamber into a nozzle having a discharge end that has a smaller cross-section than an inlet end of the nozzle. 17. The method of claim 16, including the steps of selectively changing the cross-sectional discharge dimension of the nozzle and the cross-section of the expansion chamber to maintain substantially the same hardness for nugget(s) discharged from the nozzle. 18. A method of making ice nugget(s) from ice shavings that are compacted, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a refrigeration system that provides refrigerant to a freezing chamber; (b) providing a freezing chamber having a generally hollow cylindrical inner wall; (c) providing water to the freezing chamber for forming ice on the cylindrical inner wall of the freezing chamber; (d) scraping the ice formed on the inner wall of the cylindrical freezing chamber by means of an ice auger, and conveying the ice thus formed along a rotatable auger, while rotating the auger; (e) compressing the ice received from the freezing chamber into compacted solid form while squeezing water therefrom; (f) breaking up the compacted solid form ice and delivering it into an expansion chamber; and (g) delivering the ice from the expansion chamber into a nozzle having a discharge end that has a smaller cross-section than an inlet end of the nozzle including the steps of replacing the nozzle and expansion chamber with ones of selective cross-sectional sizes and/or shapes, to produce nugget(s) of correspondingly desired sizes and/or shapes.