Ice making apparatus

Abstract

An ice making apparatus includes: a water storage configured to cool and store therein water supplied to the water storage; an ice maker configured to make ice from the water stored in the water storage; and an ice conveyer configured to convey the ice made by the ice maker to an ice storage used for storing ice in the ice storage. The ice maker is configured to cool a part of the water stored in the water storage that is positioned in an upper section to make the ice.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An ice making apparatus comprising:
 a water storage configured to cool and store therein water supplied to the water storage;   an ice maker configured to make ice from the water stored in the water storage; and   an ice conveyer configured to convey the ice made by the ice maker to an ice storage used for storing ice in the ice storage, wherein   the ice maker is configured to cool a part of the water stored in the water storage that is positioned in an upper section to make the ice.   
     
     
         2 . The ice making apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the ice maker includes:
 an ice making main body including a plurality of tubular bodies being continuous with one another; and 
 a refrigerant pipe which has a flat shape and in which a plurality of refrigerant passages are arranged in a row, the refrigerant pipe connecting with the ice making main body thermally, and 
   the ice maker is configured to cool the water positioned in the upper section that has entered hollow parts of the tubular bodies in the ice making main body to make the ice when refrigerant passes through the refrigerant passages.   
     
     
         3 . The ice making apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein, in the ice maker, the ice making main body and the refrigerant pipe are each formed by using aluminum. 
     
     
         4 . An ice making apparatus comprising:
 a water storage configured to cool and store therein water supplied to the water storage;   an ice maker configured to make ice from the water stored in the water storage; and   an ice conveyer configured to convey the ice made by the ice maker to an ice storage used for storing ice in the ice storage, wherein   the ice maker includes: an ice making main body including a hollow part; and a refrigerant pipe including a refrigerant passage, the refrigerant pipe connecting with the ice making main body thermally,   the ice maker is configured to cool water that has entered the hollow part of the ice making main body to make the ice when refrigerant passes through the refrigerant passage,   the ice conveyer includes a pusher member configured to reciprocate between a first position at which the pusher member substantially closes a lower face opening of the hollow part and a second position at which the pusher member having gone through the hollow part protrudes above an upper face opening of the hollow part, and   the pusher member is arranged at the first position in a normal state, whereas when a convey command is issued, the pusher member is configured to be moved from the first position to the second position and be subsequently moved to the first position.   
     
     
         5 . The ice making apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein
 the pusher member is provided with an upper end part configured to substantially close the lower face opening of the hollow part when the pusher member is arranged at the first position, and   the upper end part includes an upper face configured to be sloped gradually downward from one side to another.   
     
     
         6 . The ice making apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein
 the ice making main body includes a plurality of tubular bodies each having the hollow part, the tubular bodies being arranged in a row while being continuous with one another, and   the pusher member includes a plurality of pusher members each corresponding to the hollow part, and the pusher members are connected to a common driving source for reciprocating the pusher members.   
     
     
         7 . The ice making apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein
 the ice making main body includes a plurality of tubular bodies each having the hollow part, the tubular bodies being arranged in a row while being continuous with one another, and   the pusher member includes a plurality of pusher members each corresponding to the hollow part, and the pusher members are connected to a common driving source for reciprocating the pusher members.