JP2000249437A - Automatic ice-making device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate the removal of an ice-making pan or an integrated ice- making pan and frame body from an ice-making device main body in accordance with necessity by a method wherein the ice-making pan is connected to the driving shaft of a driving device, providing with ice separating operation, and the temperature sensor of the ice-making pan is provided at a position, eccentric to the driving shaft in an arm, attached to the driving shaft. SOLUTION: A driving device 11 is positioned at the deep side of an automatic ice-making device 8 and is attached to a frame body 10 while a driving shaft 11a is driven by a motor in the driving device 11. A temperature sensor 13 is attached to a position, not in the extension of the driving shaft 11a but eccentric to the shaft 11a, whereby the same is not fixed to the deep part of the driving shaft and is attached through a crank type arm 19, attached pivotally. A plurality of stages of vessel units are arranged in left-and-right two rows from the deep side of the ice-making pan 15 and a guide piece 15e is extended to the central direction of the vessel unit at the opposing inside of the vessel unit while the temperature sensor 13 is arranged in the guide piece 15e so as to be contacted with the wall surface of the vessel unit and is covered by a heat insulating material 16.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in an automatic ice making apparatus which makes it possible to attach and detach an ice tray of a refrigerator.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 show the structure of a conventional automatic ice making apparatus of this kind. FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator with an automatic ice maker as viewed from the side. In the figure, 1 is a refrigerator main body, 2 is a refrigerator room at the upper stage of the refrigerator, 3 is a freezing room at the middle stage of the refrigerator, 5 is a cooler room at the back of the freezer room 3, 6 is a cooler arranged in the cooler room 5, and 7 is a cooler. An air blower above the cooler 6, an ice making device 8 above the freezing compartment 3, and an ice storage box 9 below the automatic ice making device. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the automatic ice making device viewed from the side.
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the ice tray of the automatic ice making device as viewed from the front. In the figure, 10 is the frame of the automatic ice making device 8, 1
Reference numeral 1 denotes a driving device located on the back side of the automatic ice making device 8 and attached to a frame, 11a denotes a driving shaft driven by a motor (not shown) in the driving device 11, and 11b denotes a flat top and bottom of the driving shaft 11. A cut surface, 11c is a hollow portion of the drive shaft 11, 12 is a hollow pipe penetrating the hollow portion 11c,
12a is a bellows portion of the hollow pipe 12, 13 is a temperature sensor built in the tip of the hollow pipe 12, 13a is a lead wire of the temperature sensor 13, 14 is a lid on the front side of the frame 10,
14a is a shaft portion 10 at the front part of the frame 10 so that the lid 14 can be opened and closed freely.
a is a flexible ice tray located between the drive device 11 and the lid 14, 15a is a recess fitted into the drive shaft 11a at the back of the ice tray 15, and 15b is an ice tray 15 15c, which is inserted into the shaft hole 14b of the lid 14 on the front side of
Is an outer peripheral flange of the ice tray 15, and 15d is a multi-stage container section arranged in two rows on the left and right sides of the ice tray 15, and a hollow pipe having the above-mentioned temperature sensor 13 built in between the left and right container sections 15d. 12 are arranged in contact with each other and covered with a heat insulating material 16. 17 is a fixing screw for fastening the lid 14 to the frame 10, and 18 is a water supply pipe for supplying water to the ice tray.

[0003] In the automatic ice making apparatus constructed as described above, when water supplied from the water supply pipe 18 and stored in the container 15d of the ice tray 15 freezes, it is detected by the temperature sensor 13 and based on this, the drive shaft 11a is detected. The ice tray 15 is rotated until the ice tray 15 is inverted, and the projection provided at one end of the ice tray 15 comes into contact with the stopper portion of the lid 14, thereby twisting the ice tray 15. The ice marks in the area 15 are separated from the ice and discharged below. At this time, when the temperature sensor 13 is incorporated, the hollow pipe 12 has the bellows portion 12a, so that the twist between the drive shaft 11a and the tip of the hollow pipe 12 is absorbed, so that the hollow pipe 12 is not damaged. Further, since the lid 14 is fixed to the frame body 10 with the screw 17, the lid 14 does not open.

When attaching and detaching the ice tray 15, a fixing screw 1
7 is removed by using a screwdriver, the lid 14 is flipped up, and the ice tray 15 is pulled out. The installation is performed by inserting the tip of the hollow pipe 12 between the ice tray 15 and the heat insulating material 16 and driving the concave portion 15a of the ice tray 15 into the drive shaft. 11b, ice tray 15
The lid 14 is closed so that the shaft portion 15b is inserted into the shaft hole 14b of the lid 14, and fixed with the screw 17 using a screwdriver. Incidentally, in the conventional example, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-323702
There is an official gazette.

[0005]

However, in the automatic ice making apparatus constructed as described above, the hollow pipe 12 is on the same axis as the drive shaft 11a, and the temperature sensor 13 is a container for detecting the temperature of the ice mark. Since it is necessary to be located in contact with the inside of the portion 15d, it is near the center of the height of the ice tray 15 and twisted around the position distant from the frontage of the ice tray 15,
The torsion was poor and there was a problem with ice release. Therefore, measures such as increasing the power of the motor and increasing the torsion angle of the ice tray 15 are required as countermeasures, and there are also problems such as increased driving noise of the motor, short life of the ice tray 15, and breaking of ice. Met. Further, since the bellows portion 12a of the hollow pipe 12 is flexible, the position of the tip of the hollow pipe 12 is not stable at the time of mounting the ice tray 15, so that the mounting of the ice tray 15 is difficult or the mounting strength of the lid 14 is secured. Screw the lid 14 using a screwdriver
However, there is also a problem that the attachment and detachment work is troublesome because it is fixed to the frame 10.

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the ice tray or the ice tray and the frame can be easily detached from the ice making apparatus body as required, and the ice releasing property can be improved. Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic ice maker having good dismantling properties.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided an automatic ice making device, comprising: a refrigerator having an automatic ice making device installed in a freezer compartment; An ice tray connected to a drive shaft, a crank-shaped arm rotatably mounted on the drive shaft, and a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the ice tray at a position eccentric to the drive shaft in the arm. , Is provided.

Further, in the automatic ice making device of the present invention, the inside of the arm and the inside of the drive shaft are hollow, and the lead wire of the temperature sensor passes through the hollow portion in the arm and the hollow portion in the drive shaft, and the back side of the drive device. It is led to.

Further, an automatic ice making device according to the present invention, in a refrigerator having an automatic ice making device installed in a freezer compartment, is connected to a drive shaft of a drive device for imparting a deicing operation of the automatic ice making device, and to the drive shaft. Ice tray, comprising a frame body that covers the side and top surfaces of the ice tray, and a lid that opens and closes the front surface of the frame body, in order to regulate the rotation angle of the ice tray,
The lid is provided with a convex portion, and the ice tray is provided with a contact portion with which the convex portion comes into contact.

Further, the automatic ice making device of the present invention is provided in a refrigerator having an automatic ice making device installed in a freezer compartment, wherein a drive shaft of a driving device for imparting an ice releasing operation of the automatic ice making device is connected to the drive shaft. An ice tray, a frame body that covers the side and top surfaces of the ice tray, and a lid that opens and closes the front surface of the frame body. A front edge flange is provided on one or both of the front portions, and a locking portion for locking the frame shaft portion on the top of the lid, and a front edge flange of the frame is sandwiched on one or both of the side portions of the lid. An outer rib and an inner rib are provided.

Further, the automatic ice making device of the present invention is provided in a refrigerator having an automatic ice making device installed in a freezer compartment, wherein a drive shaft of a driving device for imparting an ice releasing operation of the automatic ice making device is attached to the frame. An ice tray that is rotatably supported and
A frame that covers the side surface of the ice tray, a spring on the ice tray,
And a mounting part for mounting the spring.

In addition, the automatic ice making device of the present invention is arranged on a side of the ice tray in which a plurality of ice trays are arranged side by side and arranged in front and rear, and on the back side of the container, on the side where the left and right container parts face each other. A temperature sensor and a guide piece extending from the container along the lower side of the temperature sensor are formed.

Further, the automatic ice making device of the present invention is provided with a separating portion for separating the guide piece into right and left.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1. One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
Parts corresponding to those of the conventional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an automatic ice making device as viewed from the side, FIG. 2 is a front view of a driving device, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the automatic ice making device as viewed from the front of an ice tray. In the figure, 10 is a frame of the automatic ice making device 8, 11 is a driving device located on the back side of the automatic ice making device 8 and attached to the frame 10, and 11a is driven by a motor (not shown) inside the driving device 11. Drive shaft 11b, a cut surface obtained by cutting the upper and lower sides of the drive shaft 11a flat, 11c a hollow portion of the drive shaft, and 11d a drive shaft 11
a The recessed portion recessed downward in front of the drive shaft 13 is mounted on the drive shaft 11a at a position eccentric to the shaft 11a rather than on the extension of the drive shaft 11a by a temperature sensor. It is attached via a crank-shaped arm 19. 13a is a lead wire of the temperature sensor freely disposed in the hollow portion of the drive shaft, 14 is a lid on the front side of the frame 10, 14a is a shaft 10 on the front of the frame 10 so that the lid can be opened and closed freely.
a, a flexible ice tray located between the lids of the drive unit 11, 15a is a concave portion that fits into the drive shaft 11a on the inner side of the ice tray 15, and 15b is near the ice tray 15 A shaft portion inserted into the shaft hole 14b of the lid 14 on the side, 15c is an outer peripheral flange of the ice tray 15, 15d is a multi-stage container portion arranged in two rows from the back of the ice tray 15, and 15e is The temperature sensor 13 is a guide piece extending in the center direction from the container part 15d inside the container part 15d and facing the inside of the container part 15d. The temperature sensor 13 is disposed in contact with the wall surface of the container part 15d and covered with the heat insulating material 16. 15f is a guide piece 15e
Is a slit that divides right and left. This guide piece 15e
Accordingly, the insertability can be ensured by guiding the sensor 13 and preventing the heat insulating material 16 from contacting.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the automatic ice making device as viewed from the front, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the automatic ice making device. 15g is a convex piece formed at one end of a front edge of an outer peripheral flange 15c of the ice tray 15, 14e is a stopper at the time of ice removal from the ice tray 15 formed on the lid 14, 10b is a front edge flange of the frame 10, 14f is a front flange. An outer rib of a lid in contact with the outside of the edge flange 10a,
14g is an inner rib in contact with the inside of the leading edge flange 10b, 1
0c is a claw hole opened in the front edge flange 10b, and 14h is a claw to be locked in the claw hole 10c.

In the automatic ice making apparatus thus configured, as shown in FIG. 5, when water supplied from the water supply pipe 18 and stored in the container portion 15d of the ice tray 15 freezes, it is detected by the temperature sensor 13. , Based on which the drive shaft 1
1a is driven and the ice tray 15 is rotated until the ice tray 15 is inverted (rotated from the dotted ice tray 15 to the one-dot chain line ice tray 15), and a convex piece 15g as a convex portion provided at one end of the outer peripheral flange 15c of the ice tray. Is brought into contact with the stopper portion 14e, which is the contact portion of the lid 14, whereby a twist is applied to the ice tray 15, whereby ice marks in the ice tray 15 are separated and released below. The location of the stobber section is ice tray 1
The rotation angle A of 5 may be a location where the ice can be separated from the ice tray 15 at a rotation angle, and may be about 90 degrees or more.
At this time, a temperature sensor 13 is disposed at the tip of the arm 19, and the temperature sensor 13 is connected to the container 15 d of the ice tray 15.
Since it is stored in the guide piece 15e in contact with the wall surface, the temperature of the ice can be reliably detected (through the thickness of the ice tray 15). In addition, since a guide piece is provided in the container portion of the ice tray, the temperature sensor is reliably guided to a predetermined position,
Since the guide piece separates the container part left and right with a slit,
The flexibility of the ice tray is not impaired. Also, the driving unit 11
An arm 19 on which a temperature sensor 13 is disposed is attached, and the ice tray can be removed while the temperature sensor 13 is left in the drive unit 11. At the time of disassembly, plastic parts such as a frame and an ice tray are separated from electrical components. Has an easy configuration, and the recyclability is improved.

Further, the drive shaft 11a directly twists the outer peripheral flange 15c of the ice tray 15, and the guide piece 15e separates the left and right sides of the container 15d by the slit 15f which is a separating portion, thereby impairing the flexibility of the ice tray 15. The ice tray 15 is easily twisted and has good ice releasability, so that the ice can be separated by a small motor to improve the operation sound, and the ice tray has a small twist angle, so that the ice tray has a long service life. There is no danger of cracking. Here, the slit f
However, there is also included one that is not formed in a slit shape and is easily separated, such as a perforation. The arm 19 containing the temperature sensor 13 is rotatably mounted on the drive shaft 11a, and the tip of the drive shaft 11a and the arm 19 are eccentric. Therefore, the twist between the drive shaft 11a and the tip of the arm 19 is absorbed. Does not cause damage. The lead wire 13a of the temperature sensor 13 is freely disposed from the hollow portion in the arm 19 to the hollow portion 11c in the drive shaft 11a, and is drawn out from the back side of the driving device. There is no disconnection.

In FIG. 5, reference numeral 10 denotes a frame, which covers the side surface and upper surface of the ice tray 15. The frame 10 on the upper surface is provided with a water supply pipe 18 for pouring water for ice making into the ice tray 15. I have. A cover 14 is provided so as to cover the front surface of the frame 10. The lid 14 is a front edge flange 10b of the frame body 10.
Is sandwiched between the outer rib 14f and the inner rib 14g, and is fitted and locked by the flexible claw 14h, so that the lid 14
And the ice tray 15 does not fall off.
As described above, the lid 14 is provided with the outer ribs and the inner ribs, and the frame 10 is sandwiched between the ribs. However, the rib may be provided on the frame, and the lid 14 may be sandwiched. Note that the rib portion may be of such a size that the lid is not opened at the time of the ice releasing operation, and a single number or a plurality of rib portions may be provided.

When the ice tray 15 is attached or detached, the lid 14 is flipped up, the open claw 14h is removed, and the ice tray 15 is pulled out. Attach the guide piece 15 of the ice tray 15
e Insert the tip of the arm 19 into the recess 1 of the ice tray 15
5a is inserted into the drive shaft 11a, and the shaft 15b of the ice tray 15 is inserted.
When the cover 15 is closed so that the cover is inserted into the shaft hole 14b of the cover 14, the claw 14h of the cover 14 is changed to the claw hole 10c of the frame 10.
To lock. Therefore, a tool such as a screwdriver is not required for attaching and detaching the ice tray, so that attaching and detaching workability can be further improved. In addition, by making the ice tray detachable in this way, it is possible to provide a configuration in which ice trays having different sizes and shapes of ice grains are provided so that ice of a customer's choice can be made. Also, the lid sandwiches the front edge flange of the frame between the outer rib and the inner rib, and is fitted and locked by a flexible claw, so that the lid does not open during the ice releasing operation and the ice tray does not fall off,
Since no screwdriver is required when attaching and detaching the ice tray, the operation of attaching and detaching the ice tray can be facilitated.

Embodiment 2 Next, a second embodiment. Will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 6, 15 is an ice tray,
Reference numeral 19 denotes a frame which is configured so that the ice tray is rotatable and is open in the vertical direction. The frame 19 has a recess 19a as shown in FIG. 7 so that the ice tray can rotate freely.
And a hole 19b. The ice tray 15 can be easily attached to the frame 19 by, for example, inserting the shaft 15b of the ice tray into the hole 19b and then attaching a stopper 20 as a separate component.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line ZZ in FIG. 7, showing the ice tray 15 in a stable state. Even when the ice tray 15 is rotated, the ice tray 15 is attached to the projection 19c formed on the ice tray and the frame 19 by using, for example, a spring 21 on a coil so that the ice tray 15 is horizontal. With this configuration, an integrated part in which the ice tray is stably mounted upwardly on the frame body is obtained, and by attaching the integrated part to the refrigerator body with a removable claw or the like, it is possible to attach and detach only the ice tray. The frame and the ice tray can be made detachable as a single unit, and a flip-up type lid 14 (see FIG. 1)
And the number of parts is reduced. The convex portion 19c is
As long as it is a mounting portion to which is attached, it may not be of a convex shape but may have a hole or the like. The flexible material may be any material that can be twisted even at a low temperature, such as a mixture of PP and an olefin-based resin.

[0021]

According to the automatic ice making device of the present invention, in a refrigerator having an automatic ice making device installed in a freezing room, a drive shaft of a driving device for imparting an ice releasing operation of the automatic ice making device is connected to the drive shaft. An ice tray, a crank-shaped arm rotatably attached to the drive shaft, and a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the ice tray at a position eccentric to the drive shaft in the arm. Therefore, the ice tray was made detachable, and the ice tray was easily twisted, and the ice-removing property was good.

Also, in the automatic ice making device of the present invention, the inside of the arm and the inside of the drive shaft are hollow, and the lead wire of the temperature sensor passes through the hollow portion in the arm and the hollow portion in the drive shaft, and the back side of the drive device. Lead 13a is not broken by rotation of the ice tray 15.

Also, the automatic ice making device of the present invention is a refrigerator having an automatic ice making device installed in a freezer compartment, wherein a drive shaft of a driving device for imparting an ice releasing operation of the automatic ice making device is connected to the drive shaft. Ice tray, comprising a frame body that covers the side and top surfaces of the ice tray, and a lid that opens and closes the front surface of the frame body, in order to regulate the rotation angle of the ice tray,
Since the convex portion was provided on the lid and the abutting portion where the convex portion came into contact with the ice making tray, the ice releasability was improved.

Further, the automatic ice making device of the present invention is arranged such that, in a refrigerator having an automatic ice making device installed in a freezer compartment, a drive shaft of a driving device for imparting a de-icing operation of the automatic ice making device is connected to the drive shaft. An ice tray, a frame body that covers the side and top surfaces of the ice tray, and a lid that opens and closes the front surface of the frame body. A front edge flange is provided on one or both of the front portions, and a locking portion for locking the frame shaft portion on the top of the lid, and a front edge flange of the frame is sandwiched on one or both of the side portions of the lid. Since the outer rib and inner rib are provided, they are fitted and locked by flexible claws, so the lid does not open during ice removal and the ice tray does not fall off, and a driver is required when attaching and detaching the ice tray. Since it was not necessary, the work of attaching and detaching the ice tray could be facilitated.

Further, the automatic ice making device according to the present invention is provided in a refrigerator having an automatic ice making device installed in a freezer compartment, wherein a drive shaft of a driving device for imparting a de-icing operation of the automatic ice making device is attached to the frame. An ice tray that is rotatably supported and
A frame that covers the side surface of the ice tray, a spring on the ice tray,
An attachment portion for attaching the spring was provided, so that the ice tray and the frame could be integrally attached and detached.

Further, the automatic ice making apparatus of the present invention is located on the side of the ice tray, which is parallel to the left and right and is arranged in a plurality of rows in front and rear, and on the back side of the container, where the left and right container sections face each other. Since the temperature sensor and the guide piece extending from the container portion along the lower side of the temperature sensor are formed, the temperature sensor is reliably guided to a predetermined position, and the temperature of the ice tray can be reliably detected. did it.

Further, since the automatic ice making device of the present invention is provided with a separating portion for separating the guide pieces to the left and right, the ice making tray is easily twisted and has improved ice releasability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an automatic ice making device according to the present invention as viewed from the side.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a drive unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the ice tray of the automatic ice making device according to the present invention as viewed from the front.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the automatic ice making device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an external view of an automatic ice making device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an integrated configuration diagram of an ice tray and a frame according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an assembly view of a frame and an ice tray according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line ZZ of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional refrigerator with an automatic ice making device.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional automatic ice making device as viewed from the side.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of an ice tray of a conventional automatic ice making device as viewed from the front.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 refrigerator main body, 2 refrigerator compartment, 3 freezer compartment, 5 cooler compartment, 6 cooler, 7 blower, 8 automatic ice making device, 9 ice storage box, 10 frame body, 10a shaft portion, 10b front edge flange, 10c nail hole, 11 drive device, 11a drive shaft, 11b plane portion, 11c hollow portion, 12 hollow pipe, 12a bellows portion, 13 temperature sensor, 13a lead wire, 14 lid, 14a locking portion, 14b shaft hole,
14e stopper, 14f outer rib, 14g inner rib,
14h nail, 15 ice tray, 15a recess, 15b
Shaft, 15c Outer flange, 15d Container, 15e
Guide piece, 15f slit, 16 heat insulating material, 17
Screw, 18 water supply pipe, 19 frame, 19a frame recess, 19b frame hole, 19c frame spring mounting projection, 20 ice tray stopper, 21 spring.

Claims (7)

[Claims] In a refrigerator having an automatic ice making device installed in a freezing room, a drive shaft of a driving device for imparting an ice removing operation of the automatic ice making device, an ice tray connected to the drive shaft, and the drive shaft An automatic ice making device, comprising: a crank-shaped arm rotatably mounted on the arm; and a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the ice tray at a position eccentric to the drive shaft in the arm. . 2. The inside of the arm and the drive shaft are hollow, and the lead wire of the temperature sensor passes through the hollow portion in the arm and the hollow portion in the drive shaft, and is led to the back side of the drive device. The automatic ice making device according to claim 1. 3. A refrigerator in which an automatic ice making device is installed in a freezing room, a drive shaft of a driving device for imparting a de-icing operation of the automatic ice making device, an ice tray connected to the drive shaft, and the ice making tray. A frame that covers the side and upper surfaces of the frame, and a lid that opens and closes the front of the frame so as to be openable and closable, in order to regulate the rotation angle of the ice tray, An automatic ice making device, comprising: a contact portion with which a convex portion contacts. 4. In a refrigerator in which an automatic ice making device is installed in a freezing room, a drive shaft of a driving device for giving a de-icing operation of the automatic ice making device, an ice tray connected to the drive shaft, and the ice making tray A frame that covers the side and top surfaces of the frame, and a lid that opens and closes the front surface of the frame, and a shaft portion on the front portion of the top surface of the frame, and a front portion on one or both of the front portions of the side surfaces of the frame. An edge flange is provided, and an upper portion of the lid is provided with a locking portion that locks with the frame shaft portion, and one or both side portions of the lid are provided with an outer rib and an inner rib that sandwich the front edge flange of the frame. An automatic ice making device, characterized in that: 5. A refrigerator in which an automatic ice making device is installed in a freezing room, a drive shaft of a driving device for imparting an ice releasing operation of the automatic ice making device, and an ice making device attached to the frame and rotatably supported. A plate, a frame body that covers the side surface of the ice tray,
A spring for attaching the spring to the ice tray,
An automatic ice making device comprising: 6. A container portion of an ice tray, which is arranged in a plurality of rows in front and rear in parallel to the left and right, a temperature sensor located on the back side of the container portion on a side where the left and right container portions face each other, and The automatic ice making device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a guide piece extending from the container portion is formed along a lower side. 7. The automatic ice making device according to claim 6, further comprising a separating portion for separating the guide pieces from side to side.