AU2017411700A1

AU2017411700A1 - Ice dispenser and refrigerator

Info

Publication number: AU2017411700A1
Application number: AU2017411700A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Daiji SAWADA; Maiko SHIBATA
Original assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Current assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Priority date: 2017-04-25
Filing date: 2017-04-25
Publication date: 2019-08-29
Anticipated expiration: 2037-04-25
Also published as: CN110546443B; JPWO2018198177A1; AU2017411700B2; WO2018198177A1; CN110546443A; JP6749484B2

Abstract

An ice dispenser (50) comprises an ice making unit (20) that makes first ice (110), an ice crushing mechanism (500, 600) that makes second ice by way of crushing the first ice supplied from the ice making unit, and a delivery mechanism (37) that delivers the second ice, wherein: the ice making unit (20) has an ice making tray (111) that has a plurality of individual ice making compartments (112) corresponding to the shape of the first ice, a water supplying unit (26) that supplies water to the ice making tray, and a cooling unit (24a) that cools the water supplied to the ice making tray; the first ice is ice (110) with the center portion hollowed out, ice (120) with a cuboid shape wherein one side is shorter than the other two sides, or ice (130) with a triangular column shape; and the ice crushing mechanism (500, 600) has a plurality of ice crushing members (501, 502, 601, 602) that have a plurality of faces between which the first ice is inserted and that makes the second ice by crushing the first ice by way of receiving a driving force and narrowing the gap between the faces, and a driving unit (503, 603) that applies the driving force.

Description

Ice Dispenser and Refrigerator

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001]

The present invention relates to an ice dispenser and a refrigerator including the ice dispenser.

BACKGROUND ART [0002]

Generally, an ice dispenser, which is an ice supplying device, includes an ice making mechanism, an ice crushing mechanism, and an ice discharging mechanism. A typical ice crushing mechanism makes crushed ice by crushing ice by sandwiching ice between a fixed blade and a rotary blade which have a blade structure, and applying strong force to the ice. Even though a sharp rotary blade is used, there is an occasion that ice cannot be crushed and the uncrushed ice stops the rotation of the rotary blade and the operation of a driving mechanism that supplies the rotary blade with rotary power. As measures against this occasion, patent literature 1 proposes such a device that if the driving mechanism stops accidentally during normal rotation of the rotary blade, the rotary blade is rotated once in the reverse direction and then again in the normal direction, and this operation is repeated.

PRIOR ART REFERENCE

PATENT REFERENCE [0003]

PATENT LITERATURE 1: Japanese Patent No. 5094647

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION [0004]

However, since it includes the blade structure for applying strong local force to a cube of ice, the device of patent literature 1 needs to adopt a structure for preventing a user from touching an edge of the blade structure.

654545WO01T [0005]

Since the edge of the blade structure that applies strong force to the ice has a relatively thin shape, chipping (that is, breakage) of the edge of the blade is possible.

[0006]

In addition, if the uncrushed ice stops the rotation of the rotary blade, the driving mechanism can be overloaded, and a failure frequently occurs.

[0007]

The present invention has been made to solve the problems described above and has an object of providing an ice dispenser and a refrigerator that are capable of crushing ice by means of an ice crushing mechanism without a blade structure and hardly cause a breakage of a part and a failure of the driving mechanism.

MEANS OF SOLVING THE PROBLEM [0008]

An ice dispenser according to a mode of the present invention includes an ice making section that makes first ice, an ice crushing mechanism that makes second ice by crushing the first ice supplied from the ice making section, and a discharge section that discharges the second ice. The ice making section includes an ice making tray that has a plurality of ice making compartments, each of the plurality of ice making compartments corresponding to a shape of the first ice, a water feed path that supplies water to the ice making tray, and a cooling section that cools the water supplied to the ice making tray. The first ice is any one of ice having a hollowed center, ice having a rectangular parallelepiped shape with one side shorter than the other two sides, and triangular-prism-shaped ice. The ice crushing mechanism includes a plurality of ice crushing members that have a plurality of faces between which the first ice is sandwiched and crush the first ice by narrowing a space between the plurality of faces by receiving a driving force, thereby making the second ice, and a drive section that gives

654545WO01T the driving force to at least one of the plurality of ice crushing members .

[0009]

A refrigerator according to another mode of the present invention includes the ice dispenser as described above.

EFFECT OF THE INVENTION [0010]

According to the present invention, since ice having a structure which is easy to crush is supplied from an ice making mechanism to an ice crushing mechanism, the ice is held between the faces of ice crushing members, and is thereby crushed. Since ice can be crushed without using a blade structure, there is such an effect that a breakage of a member for crushing ice is hardly caused.

[0011]

Moreover, since ice having a structure which is easy to crush is supplied from the ice making mechanism to the ice crushing mechanism, there is such an effect that overloading the driving mechanism of the ice crushing mechanism is hardly caused and a failure of the ice crushing mechanism is hardly caused.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0012]

Fig. 1 is a front view schematically showing the structure of an ice dispenser and a refrigerator (with its doors closed) according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front view schematically showing the structure of the ice dispenser and refrigerator (with its doors open) shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the sectional structure taken on line III-III of the ice dispenser and refrigerator shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the sectional structure taken on line IV-IV of the ice

654545WO01T dispenser and refrigerator shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a control system of the ice dispenser according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the structure of an ice making section of the ice dispenser according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the structure of an ice making section of an ice dispenser according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the structure of an ice making section of an ice dispenser according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the structure of an ice making section of an ice dispenser according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a view schematically showing the structure of the main part of an ice crushing mechanism of an ice dispenser according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a view schematically showing the structure of the main part of an ice crushing mechanism of an ice dispenser according to a sixth embodiment.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION [0013]

Ice dispensers according to embodiments of the present invention and refrigerators including the ice dispenser will be described below with reference to attached drawings. The following embodiments are merely examples, and a variety of modifications is possible within the scope of the present invention.

[0014] (1) First Embodiment

654545WO01T (1-1) Refrigerator 1

Fig. 1 is a front view schematically showing the structure of an ice dispenser 50 and a refrigerator 1 (with doors 11a and lib closed) according to a first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a front view schematically showing the structure of the ice dispenser 50 and refrigerator 1 (with the doors 11a and lib open) according to the first embodiment. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the sectional structure taken on line III-III of the refrigerator 1 shown in Fig. 1. The figures show merely examples of dimensions of members, ratios of dimensions, shapes of parts, and positions of members, and they can be changed.

[0015]

The refrigerator 1 has an opening in front (a front face) and has a heat insulation box having a storage space formed in it. The heat insulation box includes an outer box made of steel, an inner box made of resin, and a heat insulating material filling the space between the outer box and the inner box. The storage space formed inside the heat insulation box is partitioned by one or more partition members, and a plurality of storage chambers for storing food is formed. For example, the plurality of storage chambers includes a refrigeration chamber 10, a freezing chamber 41, and a vegetable chamber 42. In the shown example, the plurality of storage chambers is disposed in the following order from the top: the refrigeration chamber 10, the freezing chamber 41, and the vegetable chamber 42. The types, number, disposition, and shapes of the storage chambers included in the refrigerator 1 are not limited to those of the example shown in the drawings. [0016]

The refrigeration chamber 10 has a front opening, which is opened and closed by the doors Ila and lib. The front side of the door 11a is equipped with an operation panel 6 including an operation section on which a variety of input operations such as the temperature setting of each storage chamber can be

654545WO01T made and a display section which can display a variety of information such as the current temperature. The operation section includes an operation switch, for example, and the display section is a liquid crystal display, for example. The operation panel 6 can also be a touch panel incorporating the operation section formed on the display section. The doors 11a and lib is equipped with door pockets 12 on their inner sides. In addition, the refrigeration chamber 10 is equipped with a chilling chamber 13.

[0017]

The front openings of the freezing chamber 41 and the vegetable chamber 42 are opened and closed by drawer-type doors respectively. These drawer-type doors each move in the direction of depth (front-back direction) of the refrigerator 1 by sliding a frame fixed to and provided on the door along rails horizontally disposed on the right and left inner walls of the corresponding storage chambers, thereby opening and closing the front openings of the freezing chamber 41 and the vegetable chamber 42. The vegetable chamber 42 stores a storage case that can store the food to be kept cool in it, in a freely drawable manner. The storage case is supported by the frame fixed to and provided on the door, and is configured to slide in the front-back direction in conjunction with the opening or closing of the door. Likewise, the freezing chamber 41 stores a storage case that can store food or the like in it, in a freely drawable manner. An ice storage chamber 31 also stores an ice storage case in a freely drawable manner. The number of storage cases that are provided in each storage chamber is one, but, in consideration of the entire capacity of the refrigerator 1, in a case where the storage capacity and ease of keeping stuff organized is improved, each storage section can be equipped with two or more storage cases.

[0018]

On the back side of the refrigerator 1, a cooling mechanism that supplies cold air into each storage chamber is

654545WO01T disposed. The cooling mechanism includes a compressor 2, a cooler 3 (evaporator), a blower fan 4, and an air passage 5, and their operation is controlled by a control section 7 that controls the whole operation of the refrigerator 1. Together with a condenser (not shown) and an expander (not shown), the compressor 2 and the cooler 3 form a refrigerating cycle and generate cold air to be supplied to each storage chamber. Cold air generated by the compressor 2 and the cooler 3 is blown into the air passage 5 by the blower fan 4 and supplied from the air passage 5 through a damper to the freezing chamber 41, an ice making chamber 21, and the refrigeration chamber 10. The vegetable chamber 42 is cooled by cold air returning from the refrigeration chamber 10, supplied from a feedback air passage (not shown) for the refrigeration chamber through the damper. Cold air supplied to the vegetable chamber 42 is returned through the feedback air passage (not shown) for the vegetable chamber to the cooler 3.

[0019]

On the outside of the door 11a of the refrigerator 1, the operation panel 6 is disposed. The operation panel 6 allows the user to specify the temperature of each storage chamber and to select a variety of functions working in a predetermined temperature program.

[0020]

The user can also select a type of matter to be provided by the ice dispenser 50 by the operation of the operation panel

6. For example, by the operation of the operation panel 6, the user can have the ice dispenser 50 provide any one of cubeshaped ice (also called ice cube below), ice having a hollowed center (such as an ice cube having a hollowed center), crushed ice, and cold drinking water. The choices of offered matters by the operation panel 6 of the first embodiment are ice cube, ice having a hollowed center (also called ice having a hollow below), crushed ice, and cold drinking water, but the choices are not restricted to them.

654545WO01T [0021] (1-2) Ice dispenser 50

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the structure of the ice dispenser 50 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 4 schematically shows the sectional structure taken on line IV-IV of the ice dispenser 50 and the refrigerator 1 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4, however, does not show a part of the structure except for the ice dispenser 50. Fig. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a control system of the ice dispenser 50 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the structure of an ice making section 20a of the ice dispenser 50 according to the first embodiment. [0022]

The ice dispenser 50 includes the ice making section 20a that makes ice 110 having a hollow (ice having a hollowed center) as first ice, an ice crushing mechanism 500 that makes crushed ice 150 as second ice by crushing the ice 110 having a hollow, supplied from the ice making section 20a, and a discharge section 37 that discharges the crushed ice.

[0023]

The ice making section 20a includes an ice making tray 111 that has a plurality of ice making compartments 112 that corresponds to the shape of the ice 110 having a hollow, a water feed section for supplying water to the ice making tray 111, and an extension refrigerant pipe 24a that is a cooling section for cooling water supplied to the ice making tray 111. The water feed section includes a water feed tank 22, a water feed path 23, an ice making water tank 25, and a circulating water feed path 26.

[0024]

The water feed tank 22 is disposed in the refrigeration chamber 10, and water for making ice is supplied by a pump 23b as the material of the first ice through the water feed path 23 to the ice making chamber 21. Water in the water feed tank 22

654545WO01T may also be supplied as cold drinking water through a certain route (not shown) to the discharge section 37 of the ice dispenser 50. The refrigerator 1 may be equipped with a coupling section to a water supply pipe and may supply tap water directly to the ice making chamber 21 by connecting the coupling section to the water supply pipe, instead of supplying water from the water feed tank 22, and, in that case, the pump 23b is unnecessary.

[0025]

The ice making chamber 21 is disposed in the top part of the refrigeration chamber 10, enclosed by a heat insulating material, and cooled by the extension refrigerant pipe 24a coupled to a refrigerant pipe 24, down to such a temperature that ice can be made. Cooling down to the temperature that enables ice making may be done by cold air guided from the air passage 5, and in that case, the structure of the extension refrigerant pipe 24a extended to the ice making chamber 21 is not necessary. The first ice 110 made by the ice making section 20a is transferred by falling to the ice storage chamber 31 disposed below the ice making chamber 21.

[0026]

The ice storage chamber 31 is disposed below the ice making chamber 21 and stores ice made by the ice making section 20a. In Fig. 4, the ice storage chamber 31 is disposed on the side of the door 11a of the refrigeration chamber 10. The ice storage chamber 31 is placed below the ice making chamber 21 and configured to be able to receive the ice 110 having a hollow, when the door 11a is closed. The position of the ice storage chamber 31, however, is not limited to the example shown in the drawing. For example, the ice storage chamber 31 may also be configured to be connected directly to the lower part of the ice making chamber 21, not to the door 11a. The ice storage chamber 31 has an opening for sending the ice 110 having a hollow downward. This opening is usually closed by a divider 32 having a moving mechanism, and when an ice dispenser

654545WO01T operation switch 38 is pressed, it moves and opens the opening and lets the ice 110 having a hollow be transferred from the ice storage chamber 31 to an ice crushing chamber 33. The number of ice storage chambers 31 may also be two or more. An ice transfer mechanism may be provided so that the ice making section 20a can store ordinary ice cubes without a hollow, ice with a hollow which is easy to crush, or already crushed ice. [0027]

The ice crushing chamber 33 is disposed below the ice storage chamber 31 and receives ice from the ice storage chamber 31. When ice cubes or similar ice cubes of a large size are selected on the operation panel 6 as the thing to be discharged and the ice dispenser operation switch 38 is pressed, the ice crushing mechanism 100 does not operate or operates to transfer ice without crushing it and sends ice cubes to an ice transfer path 35. When crushed ice or similar ice of a small size is selected on the operation panel 6 as the thing to be discharged and the ice dispenser operation switch 38 is pressed, the ice crushing mechanism 100 operates, crushes ice having a hollow and sends crushed ice to the ice transfer path 35.

[0028]

In the ice transfer path 35, a divider 36 is provided between the refrigerator 1 and the outside, and only while the ice dispenser operation switch 38 is being pressed, the moving mechanism of the divider 36 opens the ice transfer path 35 to discharge ice selected on the operation panel 6. However, when cold drinking water is selected on the operation panel 6, the divider 36 does not need to be opened, and cold drinking water is supplied through another route (water feed path not shown in the drawings).

[0029]

The ice crushing mechanism 500 includes ice crushing members that have a plurality of faces that sandwich the first ice between them and make crushed ice by sandwiching the ice

654545WO01T

110 having a hollow between the faces and crushing the ice having a hollow by receiving driving force and a drive section that gives the driving force to an ice crushing member. The ice crushing mechanism has a structure that can crush the ice 110 having a hollow, and the structure can be another structure without a blade structure. A specific example of the ice crushing mechanism will be described in detail in the fifth and sixth embodiments below.

[0030] (1-3) Operation of ice dispenser 50

As shown in Fig. 6, the ice making section 20a is supplied with water for making ice through the water feed path

23. Supplied water passes through a mesh-like ice receiving section 25a and is contained in the ice making water tank 25. Water contained in the ice making water tank 25 is discharged by a pump 26b, for example, through the circulating water feed path 26 from a discharge opening 26a toward the ice making tray 111, which works as an ice making container. The ice making tray 111 is configured by a material having a high thermal conductivity and is cooled directly by the extension refrigerant pipes 24a closely disposed on the back. The extension refrigerant pipes 24a on the back of the ice making tray 111 are connected to the refrigerant pipe 24 drawn from the cooler 3.

[0031]

The water is flowing on the ice making tray 111 (that is, on the side of the inner face of the ice making compartment 112 of the ice making tray 111) directly cooled by the extension refrigerant pipes 24a, and thereby ice making gradually proceeds in the surface portion of the ice making tray 111. Water that is not frozen falls, passes through the mesh-like ice receiving section 25a, is collected in the ice making water tank 25, and is sent again through the circulating water feed path 26 onto the ice making tray 111. Since water is circulated and frozen slowly on the ice making tray 111 as

654545WO01T described above, a pure part of water (i.e., a part of water with few impurities) freezes first and a part containing many impurities is collected in the ice making water tank 25, and consequently ice with high clarity can be made.

[0032]

The ice making section 20a can make an ordinary ice cube without a hollow, and by stopping the ice making operation in the middle, it can make ice 110 having a hollow. The ice 110 having a hollow made in the ice making tray 111 can be separated from the ice making tray 111 by a known method such as rotating or deforming the ice making tray 111.

[0033]

Ice 110 having a hollow formed as described above can be crushed easily by weak force.

[0034]

The ice making section 20a can make both ordinary ice cubes and ice 110 having a hollow, so the space can be saved. [0035] (1-4) Effect

As has been described above, in the ice dispenser 50 according to the first embodiment, since the ice making section 20a supplies ice having a structure which is easy to crush, that is ice 110 having a hollow, to the ice crushing mechanism, the ice crushing mechanism can crush ice by sandwiching the ice with weak force. Hence, since ice can be crushed not by a blade structure but by a rod-like or plate-like member, there is such an effect that a breakage of the member for crashing ice is hardly caused.

[0036]

Since ice having a structure which is easy to crush is supplied from the ice making section 20a to the ice crushing mechanism, there is such an effect that overloading the driving mechanism of the ice crushing mechanism is hardly caused and a failure of the ice crushing mechanism is hardly caused.

[0037]

654545WO01T (2) Second Embodiment

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the structure of an ice making section 20b of an ice dispenser according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 7, a component identical to or corresponding to a component shown in Fig. 6 is denoted by the reference character that is the same as the reference character shown in Fig. 6. The ice making section 20b of the second embodiment differs from the ice making section 20a of the first embodiment in the structure of an ice making tray 121. Otherwise, the ice dispenser according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0038]

In the ice making section 20b, water for making ice is supplied from a discharge opening 23a of a water feed path 23. Supplied water passes through a mesh-like ice receiving section 25a and is sent to an ice making water tank 25. Water sent to the ice making water tank 25 is discharged by a pump 26b through a circulating water feed path 26 from a discharge opening 26a toward an ice making tray 121. The ice making tray 121 is configured by a material having a high thermal conductivity and is cooled directly by extension refrigerant pipes 24a closely disposed on the back. The extension refrigerant pipes 24a on the back of the ice making tray 121 are connected to a refrigerant pipe 24 drawn from the cooler 3. [0039]

The water is flowing along the surface of an ice making compartment 122 of the ice making tray 121 directly cooled by the extension refrigerant pipes 24a, and thereby ice is gradually made on the surface of the ice making compartment 122 of the ice making tray 121 and ice making proceeds. Water that is not frozen passes through the mesh-like ice receiving section 25a, is collected in the ice making water tank 25, passes through a circulating water feed path 26 again, and is discharged from a discharge opening 26a toward the ice making

654545WO01T tray 121. Since water for making ice is circulated and frozen as described above, a pure part of water (i.e., a part of water with few impurities) freezes first and a part containing many impurities is collected in the ice making water tank 25, and consequently ice with high clarity can be made.

[0040]

In the ice making section 20b, the ice making tray 121 has ice making compartments each having a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and consequently ordinary cube-shaped ice cannot be made, and ice 120 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape can be made in place of ice cubes. This ice having a rectangular parallelepiped shape has one side shorter than the other two sides and has such a property that it can be crushed easier than cubic ice. Therefore, ice 120 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape can be easily crushed by weak force.

[0041]

As has been described above, in the ice dispenser according to the second embodiment, since the ice making section 20b supplies the ice crushing mechanism with ice having a structure which is easy to crush, that is, ice 120 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape, the ice crushing mechanism can crush ice by sandwiching the ice with weak force. Hence, since ice can be crushed not by a blade structure but by a rodlike or plate-like member as has been described above, a breakage of the member for crashing ice is hardly caused. [0042]

In addition, since ice having a structure which is easy to crush is supplied from the ice making section 20b to the ice crushing mechanism, overloading the driving mechanism of the ice crushing mechanism is hardly caused and a failure of the ice crushing mechanism is hardly caused.

[0043] (3) Third Embodiment

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the structure of an ice making section 20c of an ice

654545WO01T dispenser according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 8, a component identical to or corresponding to a component shown in Fig. 6 is denoted by the reference character that is the same as the reference character shown in Fig. 6. The ice making section 20c of the third embodiment differs from the ice making section 20a of the first embodiment in the structure of the ice making tray 131. Otherwise, the ice dispenser according to the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0044]

In the ice making section 20c, water for making ice is supplied from a discharge opening 23a of a water feed path 23. Supplied water passes through a mesh-like ice receiving section 25a and reaches an ice making water tank 25. The water sent to the ice making water tank 25 is discharged by a pump 26b through a circulating water feed path 26 from a discharge opening 26a toward an ice making tray 131. The ice making tray 131 is configured by a material having a high thermal conductivity and is cooled directly by extension refrigerant pipes 24a closely disposed on the back. The extension refrigerant pipes 24a on the back of the ice making tray 131 are connected to a refrigerant pipe 24 drawn from the cooler 3. [0045]

The water is flowing along the surface of an ice making compartment 132 of the ice making tray 131 directly cooled by the extension refrigerant pipes 24a, and thereby ice is gradually made on the surface of the ice making compartment 132 of the ice making tray 131 and ice making proceeds. Water that is not frozen passes through the mesh-like ice receiving section 25a, is collected in the ice making water tank 25, passes through a circulating water feed path 26 again, and is discharged from a discharge opening 26a toward the ice making tray 13. Since water for making ice is circulated and frozen as described above, a pure part of water (i.e., a part of water with few impurities) freezes first and a part containing many

654545WO01T impurities is collected in the ice making water tank 25, and consequently ice with high clarity can be made.

[0046]

The ice making section 20c includes a movable partition wall 133 that can form each ice making compartment of the ice making tray 131 into a triangular prism shape and can selectively make ordinary cube-shaped ice or triangular-prismshaped ice 130. This selection can be made by a driving means provided on the partition wall 133 or manually by the user. The triangular-prism-shaped ice 130 has the property of being crushed easier than cube-shaped ice. Therefore, the triangular-prism-shaped ice 130 can be crushed easily with weak force .

[0047]

As has been described above, in the ice dispenser according to the third embodiment, since ice having a structure which is easy to crush, that is, the triangular-prism-shaped ice 130, is supplied to the ice crushing mechanism by the ice making section 20c, the ice crushing mechanism can crush ice by sandwiching the ice with weak force. Hence, since ice can be crushed not by a blade structure but by a rod-like or platelike member as has been described above, and a breakage of the member for crashing ice is hardly caused.

[0048]

In addition, since ice having a structure which is easy to crush is supplied from the ice making section 20c to the ice crushing mechanism, overloading the driving mechanism of the ice crushing mechanism is hardly caused and a failure of the ice crushing mechanism is hardly caused.

[0049] (4) Fourth Embodiment

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the structure of an ice making section 20d of an ice dispenser according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 9, a component identical to or

654545WO01T corresponding to a component shown in Fig. 6 is denoted by the reference character that is the same as the reference character shown in Fig. 6.

[0050]

The ice making section 20d of the fourth embodiment differs from the ice making section 20a of the first embodiment in in the following points: Each of the plurality of ice making compartments 142 of an ice making tray 141 has a container shape for forming a first ice 140 having a cubic shape; and a projecting refrigerant pipe 24b, which is a projecting part of the tip of a refrigerant pipe 24, is hung down into water supplied through the water feed path 23 into the plurality of ice making compartments 142. Otherwise, the ice dispenser according to the fourth embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0051]

In the ice making section 20d, water for making ice is supplied from a discharge opening 23a of the water feed path 23 to the ice making tray 141, and this water is directly cooled by the projecting refrigerant pipe 24b. The projecting refrigerant pipe 24b is connected to the refrigerant pipe 24 drawn from the cooler 3. The projecting refrigerant pipe 24b causes water stored in the ice making tray 141 to form ice, but ice 140 containing impurities and bubbles and having a hollow in its center is made. That is, the fourth embodiment differs from the first to third embodiments, where flowing water is gradually frozen, and since water contained in the ice making tray 141 is frozen, the ice 140 containing impurities and bubbles is made as first ice.

[0052]

The ice 140 is separated by turning the ice making tray

141 around a turning axis 141a supported by a supporting section 27. The ice 140 made as described above has a hollow and contains bubbles and can be crushed easily with weak force. Therefore, in the ice dispenser according to the fourth

654545WO01T embodiment, crushed ice can be made by making the first ice 140 come into contact with the faces of ice crushing member, sandwiching it by the faces, and crushing the first ice 140.

[0053]

As has been described above, in the ice dispenser according to the fourth embodiment, since the ice making section 20d supplies . the first ice 140 having a structure which is easy to crush to the ice crushing mechanism, the ice can be crushed by being sandwiched between rod-like or plate-like members. As has been described above, since the ice is crushed by members having a face to be in contact with it, such as rodlike or plate-like members, in place of blade structures, a breakage of the member for crashing ice is hardly caused.

[0054]

In addition, since ice having a structure which is easy to crush is supplied from the ice making section 20d to the ice crushing mechanism, overloading the driving mechanism of the ice crushing mechanism is hardly caused and a failure of the ice crushing mechanism is hardly caused.

[0055] (5) Fifth Embodiment

An ice dispenser according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention corresponds to an example in which a structure of the ice crushing mechanism is specified in the ice dispenser 50 according to the first embodiment. Otherwise, the ice dispenser 50 according to the fifth embodiment is the same as the ice dispenser according to the first embodiment. Therefore, in the description of the fifth embodiment, Figs. 1 to 6 will also be referenced.

[0056]

Fig. 10 is a side view schematically showing the structure of the main part of an ice crushing mechanism 500 of the ice dispenser according to the fifth embodiment. As shown in Fig. 10, in the fifth embodiment, the ice crushing mechanism500 includes a rotary member 501 including a rod-like member,

654545WO01T fixed members 502 including rod-like members, and a driving mechanism 503 that rotates the rotary member 501, as its ice crushing members. The rotary member 501 includes a supporting section 501a disposed on the rotation axis and a plurality of rod-like members 501b that extend from the supporting section 501a toward the outside. The fixed members 502 are disposed to surround the rotary member 501 and have a plurality of rod-like members 502b that extend toward the inside and are disposed not to collide with the rod-like members 501b, forming a predetermined small gap between them.

[0057]

To the ice crushing mechanism 500, ice (first ice) made by the ice making section 20 disposed above the ice crushing mechanism 500 is supplied. As shown in Fig. 10, the ice crushing mechanism 500 crushes ice by sandwiching the ice between the outer peripheral face (curved face as outer peripheral face of the cylindrical rod) of the rod-like member 502b of the fixed member 502 and the outer peripheral face (curved face as outer peripheral face of the cylindrical rod) of the rod-like member 501b of the rotary member 501 and makes crushed ice as second ice.

[0058]

In the fifth embodiment, when ice is crushed by being sandwiched between the outer peripheral face of the rod-like member 502b and the outer peripheral face of the rod-like member 501b of the rotary member 501, since the faces come into contact with the ice, the contact area with the ice is large and a pressure to be applied to the ice is relatively small. [0059]

In the fifth embodiment, however, the ice making section which is similar to the ice making section 20a in the first embodiment supplies the ice crushing mechanism 500 with ice having a hollow structure which is easy to crush. Therefore, ice can be crushed by being sandwiched between the outer peripheral face of the rod-like member 501b and the outer

654545WO01T peripheral face of the rod-like member 502b.

[0060]

As has been described above, in the ice dispenser according to the fifth embodiment and the refrigerator, since the ice crushing mechanism 500 crushes ice by sandwiching the ice between the rod-like members 501b and 502b in place of blade structures, a breakage of a part is hardly caused.

[0061]

In addition, in the ice dispenser according to the fifth embodiment and the refrigerator, since the ice making section 20a supplies the ice crushing mechanism 500 with ice having a hollow structure which is easy to crush, a breakage of a part is hardly caused, and a failure of the driving mechanism 503 is hardly caused.

[0062]

In the description given above, an example of adopting an ice making section similar to the ice making section 20a of the first embodiment has been explained, but any one of the ice making sections 20b to 20d of the second to fourth embodiments can also be adopted in the ice dispenser of the fifth embodiment.

[0063] (6) Sixth Embodiment

An ice dispenser according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention differs from the ice dispenser 50 according to the first embodiment in the structure of an ice crushing mechanism 600. Otherwise, the ice dispenser according to the sixth embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, in the description of the sixth embodiment, Figs. 1 to 6 will also be referenced.

[0064]

Fig. 11 is a side view schematically showing the structure of the main part of the ice crushing mechanism 600 of the ice dispenser according to the sixth embodiment. As shown in Fig. 11, in the sixth embodiment, the ice crushing mechanism

654545WO01T

600 includes a single pair of plate-like ice crushing members, which is a movable plate (first ice crushing member) 601 and a fixed plate (second ice crushing member) 602 having mutually opposite faces 601a and 602a, and a driving mechanism 603 that moves the movable plate 601 in a direction (arrow 604) toward the fixed plate 602 and in the opposite direction. The movable plate 601 and the fixed plate 602 may be disposed in the mutually opposite positions. Moreover, both the first ice crushing member and the second ice crushing member may also move.

[0065]

To the ice crushing mechanism 600, ice (first ice) made by an ice making section 20 disposed above the ice crushing mechanism 600 is supplied. As shown in Fig. 11, the ice crushing mechanism 600 crushes ice by sandwiching the ice between a planar face 602a of the fixed plate 602 and a planar face 601a of the movable plate 601 and makes crushed ice as second ice.

[0066]

In the sixth embodiment, when ice is crushed by being sandwiched between the face 602a of the fixed plate 602 and the face 601a of the movable plate 601, since the faces come into contact with the first ice, the contact area with the ice is large and a pressure to be applied to the ice is relatively small. On the other hand, when ice is crushed by being sandwiched in a pair of blade structures, since the edges of the sharp blade structures would come into contact with the ice, the contact area with the ice is small and a pressure to be locally applied to the ice is large. Therefore, the ice crushing capability of the ice crushing mechanism 600 in the sixth embodiment is lower than the ice crushing capability of the ice crushing mechanism using blade structures.

[0067]

In the sixth embodiment, however, the ice making section similar to the ice making section 20a of the first embodiment

654545WO01T supplies the ice crushing mechanism 600 with ice 110 having a hollow which is easy to crush. Therefore, ice can be crushed by being sandwiched between the face 602a of the fixed plate 602 and the face 601a of the movable plate 601. In the sixth embodiment, both the face 602a and the face 601a are planar faces.

[0068]

As has been described above, in the ice dispenser and the refrigerator according to the sixth embodiment, since the ice crushing mechanism 600 crushes ice by sandwiching the ice between the face 602a of the fixed plate 602 and the face 601a of the movable plate 601 in place of blade structures, a breakage of a part is hardly caused.

[0069]

In addition, in the ice dispenser and the refrigerator according to the sixth embodiment, since the ice making section 20a supplies the ice crushing mechanism 600 with ice having a hollow which is easy to crush, a breakage of a part is hardly caused and a failure of the driving mechanism 603 is hardly caused.

[0070]

In the description given above, an example of adopting the ice making section similar to the ice making section 20a of the first embodiment is explained, but the ice dispenser of the sixth embodiment can also adopt any one of the ice making sections 20b to 20d of the second to fourth embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS [0071]

1: refrigerator, 2: compressor, 3: cooler, 4: blower fan, 5: air passage, 6: operation panel, 7: control section, 10: refrigeration chamber, 11a, lib: refrigeration-chamber front door, 12: door pocket, 13: chilling chamber, 20a to 20d: ice making section, 21: ice making chamber, 22: water feed tank, 23: water feed path, 23a: water feed opening, 24: refrigerant pipe, 24a: extension refrigerant pipe, 24b:

654545WO01T projecting refrigerant pipe, 25: ice making water tank, 25a: mesh-like ice receiving section, 26: circulating water feed path, 26a: water feed opening, 26b: water feed pump, 31: ice storage chamber, 32: divider, 33: ice crushing chamber, 38: ice dispenser operation switch, 41: freezing chamber, 42: vegetable chamber, 50: ice dispenser, 110: ice having a hollow (ice having a hollowed center), 120: ice having rectangular parallelepiped shape, 130: triangular-prism-shaped ice, 111: ice making tray (for ice having a hollow), 112: ice making compartment, 121: ice making tray (for ice having rectangular parallelepiped shape), 122: ice making compartment, 131: ice making tray (for triangular-prism-shaped ice), 132: ice making compartment, 133: partition wall, 500, 600: ice crushing mechanism, 501: rotary member, 501b: rodlike member, 502: fixed member, 502b: rod-like member, 503: driving mechanism, 601: movable plate, 602: fixed plate, 603: driving mechanism.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. An ice dispenser comprising:

an ice making section that makes first ice;

an ice crushing mechanism that makes second ice by crushing the first ice supplied from the ice making section; and a discharge section that discharges the second ice, wherein the ice making section includes:

an ice making tray that has a plurality of ice making compartments, each of the plurality of ice making compartments corresponding to a shape of the first ice, a water feed path that supplies water to the ice making tray, and a cooling section that cools the water supplied to the ice making tray, the first ice is any one of ice having a hollowed center, ice having a rectangular parallelepiped shape with one side shorter than the other two sides, and triangular-prism-shaped ice, and the ice crushing mechanism includes:

a plurality of ice crushing members that have a plurality of faces between which the first ice is sandwiched and crush the first ice by narrowing a space between the plurality of faces by receiving driving force, thereby making the second ice, and a drive section that gives the driving force to at least one of the plurality of ice crushing members.
2. The ice dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the ice making section includes:

a supporting section that supports the ice making tray so that the water supplied through the water feed path flows along a face of the plurality of ice making compartments of the ice

654545WO01T making tray, and an ice making water tank that collects water that is not frozen in the plurality of ice making compartments and falls, and water in the ice making water tank is supplied again through the water feed path to the ice making tray.
3. The ice dispenser according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ice making tray further includes a movable partition wall that partitions each of the plurality of ice making compartments, and according to a position of the partition wall, a triangular-prism-shaped container structure or a cube-shaped container structure is formed.
4. The ice dispenser according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising a control section that controls a water feed time from a start of a supply of water through the water feed path to the ice making tray that is empty until the supply of water is stopped.
5. The ice dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the cooling section includes a projecting refrigerant pipe that is inserted into the water supplied through the water feed path to each of the plurality of ice making compartments.
6. The ice dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the ice making section includes a circulating water feed path that collects water supplied through the water feed path and supplies the collected water to the ice making tray.
7. The ice dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the ice crushing mechanism includes, as the plurality of ice crushing members,

654545WO01T a first rod-like member, and a second rod-like member that is disposed so as to pass through a position at a predetermined distance from the first rod-like member and rotates about a rotation axis by the driving force, and crushing ice is performed by sandwiching the first ice between the first rod-like member and the second rod-like member.
8. The ice dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the ice crushing mechanism includes, as the plurality of ice crushing members, a plate-like first ice crushing member, and a plate-like second ice crushing member, and the drive section moves at least one of the first ice crushing member and the second ice crushing member to crush the first ice sandwiched between the first ice crushing member and the second ice crushing member.
9. A refrigerator comprising the ice dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 8.