JP2001165538A - Driving device of automatic ice making machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a driving device for an automatic ice making machine having a rotary transmission mechanism in which a driving force of a motor is transmitted to an ice making pan without any loss in an efficient manner, noise at the time of driving operation is reduced and it can be made in compact manner. SOLUTION: This driving device 5 for an automatic ice making machine is made such that when a lack of ice in an ice storing container is detected, an ice making pan is reversed to cause the ices to be dropped into the ice storing container, thereafter the ice making pan is returned back to the original position to make ice. A rotary transmission mechanism 14 for transmitting a driving force of a driving source 13 includes a worm 15 and a helical gear 16 engaged with the worm 15 and rotatably supported at a shaft 21 of which one end is supported at a case 9 storing each of the segments of the driving device 5. The helical gear 16 has a closed-end hole 16c part at the center of rotation, the hole 16c is freely fitted to the shaft 21 and supported at the shaft 21 and then the motion of the helical gear 16 toward the thrust direction at the time of driving of the ice making pan toward the ice making position is received by the extremity end 21a of the shaft 21.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a driving device for an automatic ice maker installed in a refrigerator for producing ice and replenishing the produced ice when a shortage of ice in an ice storage container is detected. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, household refrigerators and the like having an automatic ice making function have been known.
There is an automatic ice making device disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 0-78277.

[0003] As shown in FIG.
No. 277 discloses an automatic ice making device in which the rotational force of a motor 101 is reduced by a rotation transmission mechanism including a worm 102, a helical gear 103, and a transmission gear 104 to form a cam gear 105.
To be communicated to. Each of these members is arranged at a predetermined position on one of two divided cases 110a, and is accommodated in the case by covering the other of the cases. Then, an ice tray (not shown) connected to the rotation center of the cam gear 105 is rotationally driven by the driving force of the motor 101, and the cam surface of the cam gear 105 (formed on the back side of the illustrated cam gear 105). ), A protrusion (not shown) formed on the ice detection shaft 106 is slidably contacted, so that the ice detection shaft 106 is driven to rotate in accordance with the rotation angle of the cam gear 105.

In the automatic ice making apparatus described above, a part of the ice tray is placed on a frame (not shown), and the ice tray is further rotated in the same direction in this state to give a twist to the ice tray.
This allows the ice to be released from the ice tray.
Therefore, a large rotational torque is required for driving in the direction of the ice making position. In the above-described automatic ice making device, in order to drive the ice tray with a larger torque, the rotational force of the motor is greatly reduced and a strong torque is transmitted to the cam gear 105. That is, in the above-described automatic ice making device, the motor 10
The worm 102 which can obtain a high reduction ratio is connected to the output shaft 1 and the worm 102 further has a helical gear 103,
The transmission gear 104 and the cam gear 105 are connected in order, and the rotational driving force of the motor 101 is sufficiently reduced by these rotation transmission mechanisms before being transmitted to the cam gear 105, so that the cam gear 105 and the ice tray with a large amount of torque. Are integrally rotated.

[0005]

In the above automatic ice making apparatus, the helical gear 103 moves in the thrust direction by the rotation of the worm 102 driven by the motor 101.
The helical gear 103 is rotatably supported by a shaft 103a whose both ends are supported by two case halves. Therefore, when driven, the helical gear 103 moves in one of the thrust directions along the shaft 103 depending on the direction of rotation, and its end is either on the lid side or the main body side of the case 110a that supports the shaft 103a. Crabs rotate while receiving a thrust load while sliding.

As a result, a loss occurs in the transmission torque of the driving force from the motor 101 to the ice tray, and noise is generated by the sliding contact. Therefore, especially when the ice tray requiring a large amount of rotation torque is driven in the direction of ice removal, the loss of the transmission torque and the sliding noise pose a problem. Also,
This problem also exists when returning the ice tray after the ice releasing operation to the ice making position. When the end face of the helical gear 103 is configured not to slide, that is, when the so-called thrust receiver is not provided, the loss of the transmission torque can be reduced, but the “gap” caused by the movement in the thrust direction is the thrust. Since the noise is larger than that of the noise, there is a problem that more noise is generated.

In the automatic ice making apparatus described above, the shaft 103
Since both ends of a are supported by the two case halves, another gear of the rotation transmission mechanism, the cam gear 105, and the like are superposed and arranged in a region on the rotation center of the helical gear 103. I can't let it. For this reason, the area occupied by the gears constituting the rotation transmission mechanism in the case 110a is inevitably increased, and there is a problem that the entire apparatus cannot be compactly configured. Conversely, if it is attempted to make it compact, the number of rotation transmission mechanisms cannot be increased, and a high reduction ratio cannot be obtained. In addition, Case 1
When assembling the two case halves constituting the 10a, the shaft 103a, which is the center of rotation of the helical gear 103, must be accurately positioned with respect to the two case halves, which makes the assembly complicated. ing.

The present invention relates to a drive for an automatic ice maker having a rotation transmission mechanism capable of efficiently transmitting the driving force of a motor to an ice tray without loss, reducing noise during driving, and being compactly configured. It is intended to provide a device.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, when a shortage of ice in an ice storage container is detected, the ice making tray is inverted and the ice is dropped into the ice storage container. In a drive device of an automatic ice maker that returns an ice tray to an original position and manufactures ice, a worm and a worm in a rotation transmission mechanism that transmits a driving force of a drive source to the ice tray, and each part of the device is engaged with the worm. A helical gear rotatably supported on a shaft having one end supported by a case to be housed, the helical gear having a bottomed hole at the center of rotation, and the hole is loosely fitted to the shaft. Thus, the tip of the shaft receives the movement of the helical gear in the thrust direction when the ice tray is driven in the direction of the ice releasing position.

As described above, when the ice tray, which requires a large amount of rotational torque, is driven in the direction of deicing, the tip of the shaft receives the movement of the helical gear in the thrust direction. Since the contact area is small, the loss of transmission torque from the driving source to the ice tray can be further reduced, and noise due to sliding can be reduced. Also, the shaft that rotatably supports the helical gear, only one end was supported by the case,
Because of the so-called cantilever structure, it is possible to create a space between the shaft tip and the case, which is a region concentric with the rotation center of the helical gear. Therefore, by utilizing this space, other gears and the like of the rotation transmitting mechanism can be arranged in an overlapping manner, and the entire apparatus can be made compact.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above-described driving apparatus for an automatic ice making machine, the thrust load of the helical gear is applied to one or both of the inner bottom surface of the helical gear and the tip of the shaft. A projection for receiving by point contact is formed.
Therefore, it is possible to further reduce the transmission torque loss and the sliding noise when the ice tray is driven in the ice separating direction.

According to another aspect of the present invention, when the shortage of ice in the ice storage container is detected, the ice tray is inverted to drop the ice into the ice storage container, and then the ice tray is returned to the original position to remove the ice. In a drive device of an automatic ice maker to be manufactured, a worm is provided in a rotation transmission mechanism for transmitting a driving force of a drive source to an ice tray, and a shaft meshing with the worm and having one end supported by a case for accommodating each part of the device. A helical gear rotatably supported on the helical gear and a compound gear composed of a gear formed coaxially and integrally with the helical gear, and meshing with the compound gear and a part of the end face is separated. A transmission gear disposed in a position overlapping with a part of an end face of the tooth gear in the thrust direction, at least one of respective end faces of the helical gear and the transmission gear facing each other for receiving a thrust load of the compound gear; Equipped with a ring-shaped projection , Undergoing movement in the thrust direction of the composite gear during the driving of the ice making position direction of the ice tray in the ring-shaped projection.

[0013] Therefore, it is preferable to drive with a low torque during the initializing operation without requiring a large amount of rotational torque. When the ice tray is driven in the direction of the ice making position, the thrust load of the compound gear is reduced by a ring. It is possible to generate an appropriate torque cross by receiving the torsion with the projections. As a result, it is possible to provide a rotation transmission mechanism in which the balance between the reduction of the driving torque of the ice tray in the direction of the ice making position and the smoothness of the rotation transmission is achieved to some extent.

According to another aspect of the invention, in addition to the above-described driving device for an automatic ice making machine, ring-shaped projections are formed on both opposing end faces of the helical gear and the transmission gear, and the ice making of the ice tray is made. The movement in the thrust direction of the helical gear at the time of driving in the position direction is received by two ring-shaped projections at two points by point contact. Therefore, the smoothness of the rotation transmission is further improved, and the balance between the reduction of the torque and the smoothness of the rotation transmission is further improved. In addition, a change in the members over time due to mechanical lock or the like during initialization can be suppressed, and a driving device with high durability can be provided.

According to another aspect of the present invention, when the shortage of ice in the ice storage container is detected, the ice tray is inverted to drop the ice into the ice storage container, and then the ice tray is returned to the original position to remove the ice. In a drive device of an automatic ice maker to be manufactured, a worm is provided in a rotation transmission mechanism for transmitting a driving force of a drive source to an ice tray, and a shaft meshing with the worm and having one end supported by a case for accommodating each part of the device. A helical gear rotatably supported on the helical gear and a compound gear composed of a gear formed coaxially and integrally with the helical gear, and meshing with the compound gear and a part of the end face is separated. It has a transmission gear arranged at a position overlapping with a part of the end face of the tooth gear in the thrust direction, and the compound gear has a bottomed hole at the center of rotation, and is supported by the shaft by loosely fitting this hole to the shaft. Helical gear and transmission gear At least one of the opposing end faces is provided with a ring-shaped projection for receiving the thrust load of the helical gear, and the helical gear moves in the thrust direction when the ice tray is driven in the direction of the ice release position. The ring-shaped projection receives the movement of the helical gear in the thrust direction when the ice tray is driven in the direction of the ice making position.

Therefore, when driving the ice tray requiring a large amount of rotation torque in the direction of ice removal, the loss of transmission torque from the driving source to the ice tray is reduced, and noise due to sliding is reduced. Becomes possible. In addition, the shaft that rotatably supports the compound gear has a cantilever structure, and a space is created between the case tip and the case, which is a region concentric with the rotation center of the compound gear, so that this space It is possible to arrange other gears and the like of the rotation transmission mechanism in a superposed manner, thereby making it possible to make the whole apparatus compact. On the other hand, when the ice tray is driven in the direction of the ice making position, an appropriate torque cross can be generated by receiving the thrust load of the compound gear by the ring-shaped projection.
As a result, it is possible to provide a rotation transmission mechanism in which the balance between the reduction of the driving torque of the ice tray in the direction of the ice making position and the smoothness of the rotation transmission is achieved to some extent.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an automatic ice maker driving apparatus and an ice maker driven by the driving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The automatic ice making machine 1 automatically performs ice making, ice separation, and the like, is installed in an ice making room of a refrigerator, and operates by a driving method described later.

The automatic ice maker 1 includes an ice tray 2 disposed above an ice storage container (not shown), and an ice detection arm 3 serving as ice detecting means which rises and lowers to detect the amount of ice stored in the ice storage container.
And a liquid supply means (not shown) for supplying a liquid such as water to the ice tray 2, and a driving device 5 for driving the ice tray 2 and the ice detecting arm 3 in conjunction with each other. Note that a thermistor 1a for detecting the temperature of the ice tray is provided below the ice tray 2. In this embodiment, normal drinking water is used as the liquid.

The driving device 5 lowers the tip of the ice detecting arm 3 into the ice storage container, and detects the presence or absence of ice in the ice storage container based on the lowered distance. When the driving device 5 detects the shortage of ice, the driving device 5 turns the ice tray 2 over to the ice-free position and drops the ice into the ice storage container. That is, the inverted ice making tray 2 has a protruding portion 2a on the other end side provided with a contact piece (not shown) provided on the machine frame 6 of the refrigerator or the automatic ice making machine 1.
, And the ice is dropped using this deformation. Thereafter, the driving device 5 returns the ice tray 2 to the ice making position. Then, liquid is supplied to the ice tray 2 at the ice making position, and ice is produced.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the drive device 5 is connected to the ice tray 2 and turns the cam gear 1 to invert the tray.
0, an ice detecting mechanism 11 operated by the cam gear 10 to operate the ice detecting arm 3, and a switch mechanism 12. The internal mechanism of the driving device 5 includes two
It is arranged in a case 9 consisting of two case halves 9a and 9b.

The cam gear 10 is rotated by a DC motor 13 serving as a driving source. That is, the DC motor 13
Is transmitted to the cam gear 10 and the ice tray 2 via the rotation transmission mechanism 14. This rotation transmission mechanism 14 is DC
A worm 15 connected to an output shaft 13a of the motor 13 via a connecting plate 15a, a compound gear 16 including a helical gear 16a and a spur gear 16b for sequentially reducing the rotation of the worm 15, two spurs having two different diameters. It comprises a first transmission gear 17 and a second transmission gear 18 composed of gears.

The tip of the worm 15 is
The bearing 20b is rotatably supported by a bearing 20 made of polyester elastomer fitted and fixed in the bearing holding portion 19 of FIG. The bearing 20 is made of a material softer than the worm 15 made of polyacetal and the case half 9b made of ABS, so that rattling noise generated by rotation of the worm 15 is reduced.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the compound gear 16 includes a helical gear 16a meshing with the worm 15, and a first gear 16a.
Spur gear 1 meshing with large diameter spur gear 17a of transmission gear 17
6b are integrally formed coaxially. The compound gear 16 is rotatably supported on a shaft 21 having one end supported by a case half 9b constituting the case 9 accommodating each part of the drive device 5 and is also movable in a thrust direction. That is, the compound gear 16 has a bottomed hole 16c at the center of rotation, and has a cap shape in which the top plate is closed. The compound gear 16 is supported by the shaft 21 by loosely fitting the hole 16 c on the shaft 21.

The helical gear 16a has a worm 15
When it receives the rotation, it rotates according to the rotation direction and is urged in the thrust direction. As a result, the entire compound gear 16 including the helical gear 16a tends to move in the thrust direction. Specifically, when the ice tray 2 is driven in the direction of the ice releasing position, the helical gear 16 that has received the rotation of the worm 15 tends to move in the direction of arrow D in FIG. Conversely, when the ice tray 2 is driven in the direction of the ice making position, the helical gear 16 having received the rotation of the worm 15 tends to move in the direction indicated by the arrow U in FIG.

On the other hand, a shaft 21 for rotatably supporting the compound gear 16
A projection 21a is formed at the tip of the. The projection 21a applies a point contact to the thrust load of the compound gear 16 due to the movement of the compound gear 16 in the thrust direction (movement in the direction indicated by the arrow D in FIG. 4) when the ice tray 2 is driven in the direction of the ice separation position. It is for receiving.

The reason for such a configuration is as follows. That is, when rotating the ice tray 2 to the ice releasing position side, the driving device 5 performs an ice releasing operation in which ice is removed while giving a twist to the ice tray 2 at the end of rotation. Is required. Therefore, when the compound gear 16 receives the rotation of the worm 15 and is urged toward the case half 9b during such driving, the inner bottom surface in the hole 16c is
By receiving the thrust at the point contact with the projection 21a formed at the front end of the head 1, transmission loss due to friction during rotation in this direction is minimized. As a result, when driving to the ice making position side, the torque transmission efficiency of the DC motor 13 is good, the torque of the strong transmission torque can be transmitted to the cam gear 10, and the ice tray 2 is rotated with a strong torque. It can be made to be.

In the present embodiment, the projection 21a is provided at the tip of the shaft 21 so that the thrust load of the compound gear 16 is received by point contact. You may make it receive a thrust load in an end surface. With this configuration, a slight torque transmission loss occurs compared with the configuration in which the projection 21a receives the point contact. However, if the rotation torque for driving the ice tray 2 can be sufficiently obtained, the projection 21a is not provided. Is also good. Further, instead of providing the projection 21a on the shaft 21 side, a projection for receiving a thrust load may be provided on the inner bottom surface side of the hole 16c of the compound gear 16, or both the shaft 21 side and the hole 16c side may be provided together. A projection for receiving the thrust may be provided.

As described above, in the driving device 5 of the automatic ice maker according to the present embodiment, the cap-shaped compound gear 16 is put on the shaft 21 having a so-called cantilever structure, one end of which is supported by the case half 9b. The compound gear 16 is supported by the shaft 21. Therefore, the compound gear 16 and the case half 9b
There is a spatial space between. For this reason, it becomes possible to arrange a part of the horizontal surface of the cam gear 10 to be described later in this space in an overlapping manner, and to make each gear of the rotation transmitting mechanism 14 for transmitting the driving force of the DC motor 13 to the ice tray 2 compact. It becomes possible to arrange. Also, the shaft 21
However, since the case half 9a is supported only on the case half 9b side, the case half 9a can be simply put on the case half 9b without positioning the shaft 21, and the assembling workability is good.

The case half 9a of the helical gear 16a
A part of the end face facing the side is a spur gear 16 of the compound gear 16.
The first transmission gear 17 meshing with the first transmission gear 17 is disposed at a position overlapping a part of an end face of the large diameter spur gear 17a facing the case half 9b in the thrust direction. On the surface of the helical gear 16a facing the spur gear 17a, a ring-shaped projection 16 connecting a position radially equidistant from the center of rotation is provided.
d is formed. On the other hand, on the surface of the first transmission gear 17 opposite to the helical gear 16a of the spur gear 17b, a ring-shaped projection 17 connecting a position radially equidistant from the center of rotation is also provided.
d is formed.

These projections 16d, 17d are pointed at two points by the movement of the compound gear 16 in the thrust direction (movement in the direction of arrow U in FIG. 4) when the ice tray 2 is driven in the direction of the ice making position. The contact (x1, x2 shown in FIG. 3 is a contact position) and the thrust load of the compound gear 16 is received. The contact area of each of these two contact portions is slightly larger than the contact area of the point contact of the thrust receiver by the projection 21a at the time of driving in the direction of the icing position. Further, the contact position is apart from the rotation center. Therefore, when driving in the direction of the ice making position, the loss of the transmission torque is slightly larger than in driving in the direction of the ice releasing position.

Such a structure is required when driving the ice making tray 2 in the direction of the ice making position, for example, when returning the ice tray 2 to the ice making position after the ice removing operation, so that a strong driving torque required for the ice removing operation is required. This is because they do not. In particular, in the case where initialization described later is performed by rotation in the direction of the ice making position, it is preferable that the torque be weak on the contrary in order to generate a mechanical lock state. Therefore, as described above,
By rotating the projection 16d of the helical gear 16 and the projection 17d of the spur gear 17a of the first transmission gear 17 while sliding them in two point contacts, the torque loss due to friction increases, and the torque of the DC motor 13 increases. Transmission efficiency becomes worse. As a result, the rotational force due to the weak transmission torque is transmitted to the cam gear 10. When the helical gear 16a and the spur gear 17a are brought into surface contact, the respective gears 16a, 1
Since there is a risk of interference between the contact surface 7a and burrs formed on the teeth and the like, in this embodiment, two-point contact is used.

In the present embodiment, the compound gear 1 is attached to each end face of both gears 16a, 17a whose end faces face each other.
Ring-shaped projections 16d, 17 which receive a thrust load of 6
d is provided, respectively, but the ring-shaped projections are gears 16a,
17a.

First transmission gear 17 and second transmission gear 18
Has a shape in which gears having different large and small diameters are integrally formed coaxially. The small-diameter gear of the first transmission gear 17 meshing with the spur gear 16 b of the helical gear 16 meshes with the large-diameter gear of the second transmission gear 18. The small-diameter gear of the second transmission gear 18 meshes with the gear 10 a of the cam gear 10. Therefore, D
The rotation of the output shaft 13a of the C motor 13 is controlled by the rotation transmission mechanism 1
The gear 4 is transmitted to the cam gear 10 while being decelerated one after another.

An output shaft 25 is formed integrally with the cam gear 10. This output shaft 25 is connected to one case half 9a.
And protrudes outward from the driving device 5 through a hole provided in the ice tray 2. Therefore, the cam gear 10 and the ice tray 2 rotate integrally.

The end of the output shaft 25 on the side not connected to the ice tray 2 is cylindrical, and the case half 9b
Are rotatably supported by a circular base 7 provided in the base. A cylindrical friction member 8 is loosely fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the end of the output shaft 25.

The cylindrical friction member 8 can rotate integrally with the output shaft 25 by a frictional force. The lower edge of this friction member 8 (case half 9b)
(Not shown), a notch-shaped groove (not shown) is formed, and both ends of this groove are formed in the case half 9b.
Can be brought into contact with the convex portion (not shown) formed in the first portion. Therefore, the friction member 8 is rotatable only in a range where both ends of the groove and the protrusion on the case half 9b side are in contact with each other. Note that the relationship between the friction member 8 and the output shaft 25 is such that the friction member 8 rotates integrally until both ends of the groove and the convex portion of the case half 9b abut, and even after the rotation is prevented by the abutment. , Only the output shaft 25 can rotate.

Further, on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical friction member 8, a blocking piece (not shown) for preventing rotation of the ice detecting shaft 31 described later is provided. This blocking piece is a cam gear 1
In the case where 0 rotates to the ice release position side, the engagement piece 3 of the ice detection shaft 31
Only when the cam gear 10 turns to the ice making position side without engaging with the ice making position 1b, the cam gear 10 engages with the engaging piece 31b of the ice detection shaft 31 to prevent the rotation of the ice detection shaft 31. When the rotation of the ice detection shaft 31 is prevented by the blocking piece, a switch piece rotation prevention portion 31d formed on the ice detection shaft 31 causes the switch pressing lever 41 that switches the tact switch 42 to be turned on / off. The tact switch 42 can be freely turned on / off without being able to enter the rotation range.

The friction member 8 is turned on or off in order to discriminate between a lack of ice and a full ice in the ice detecting operation. When the tact switch 42 is turned on or off, the ice detecting arm 3 returns from the ice releasing position to the ice making position. Is intended to be always turned on halfway. That is, when the ice detecting arm 3 descends to a predetermined position in the ice storage container in the ice detecting operation, it is determined that the ice is insufficient, and the cam gear 10 is left as it is.
Is rotated to the ice release position to drop the ice, but when returning from the ice release position to the ice making position, there are cases where the ice is already full due to the previous ice release and the case where the ice is still insufficient. Occurs. Therefore, the on / off of the tact switch 42 after the ice is separated varies, which is not preferable in control. The friction member 8 is a member for ensuring that the tact switch 42 is always turned on at the time of the returning operation from the ice release position to the ice making position so as not to cause such a problem.

As shown in FIG. 4, on one side surface 10b of the cam gear 10 facing the one case half 9a,
A groove 26 is formed along the circumferential direction. A protrusion (not shown) formed on the inner surface of one of the case halves 9a is inserted into the groove 26 to limit the rotatable angle of the cam gear 10 to a predetermined range. That is, the position where the projection of the case half 9a hits both end surfaces (not shown) of the groove 26 is defined as the rotation limit position of the cam gear 10. In the case of the present embodiment, the cam gear 10 is moved from -6 degrees to 168 degrees.
Can rotate in the range of degrees. Note that this rotation angle operates in a range of 0 to 160 degrees as described later in a normal case except when rotating mechanically to -6 degrees during initialization and performing mechanical locking.

On the other hand, on the other side face 10c of the cam gear 10 facing the other case half 9b, an annular concave portion 27 is formed as shown in FIGS. This recess 2
Inside 7, there is provided a cam surface 28 for an ice detection axis having an inner wall as a cam surface, and a switch pressing lever cam surface 29 also having an inner wall as a cam surface outside thereof.
Each of the cam surfaces 28 and 29 is formed on an inner peripheral surface portion of a side wall of an extension portion extending substantially parallel to an axis serving as a rotation center of the cam gear 10.

The ice detection shaft cam surface 28 has an ice detection non-operation position 28a, an ice detection lowering operation unit 28b, an ice shortage detection position 28c, and an ice detection return operation unit 28d. I have. The ice detection non-operation position portion 28a is a section in which the ice detection arm 3 is maintained without being lowered, and the cam gear 1
Assuming that the position in contact with the ice detection axis 31 at the initial position of 0 is 0 degree, it is formed in the sections of -6 degrees to 11 degrees and 79 degrees to 168 degrees. Also, the ice detection lowering operation unit 28b
Is a section for gradually lowering the ice detecting arm 3 when ice is insufficient, and is formed in a section of 11 degrees to 35 degrees. Further, the ice shortage detection position section 28c
This is a section in which the ice detecting arm 3 is maintained in a state of being lowered most when ice is insufficient, and is formed in a section of 35 degrees to 55 degrees. In addition, the ice detection return operation unit 28d includes:
The section for raising the lowered ice detecting arm 3 is formed in a section of 55 degrees to 79 degrees.

On the other hand, the cam surface 29 for the switch pressing lever
A first signal generating cam portion 29a for outputting a signal at -6 to 5 degrees including the ice making position (0 degree);
A second signal generating cam portion 29b for outputting a signal at 42 to 48 degrees including the ice detection position (42 degrees),
Third signal generating cam portion 29 for outputting a signal at 160 degrees to 168 degrees including the ice release position (160 degrees)
c. With this configuration, when the rotation angle of the cam gear 10 is at the ice making position, the ice detecting position, and the ice releasing position, the pressing portion 41b of the switch pressing lever 41 is rotated in a direction to press the tact switch 42 side. ing.

The signal generated at the ice making position is referred to as an original position signal.
a can generate a signal in the range of -19 degrees to 5 degrees due to its shape. A signal generated at the ice detection position is referred to as an ice detection position signal. Further, a signal generated at the ice-separation position is referred to as an ice-separation signal.
A signal can be generated in the range of 60 degrees to 179.5 degrees.

The ice detecting mechanism 11 determines that the amount of ice in the ice storage container is
It is a mechanism for identifying whether the ice is full or insufficient, lowers the ice detection arm 3 into the ice storage container,
When the ice falls below the predetermined level, it is determined that ice is insufficient. The ice detecting mechanism 11 includes an ice detecting shaft 31 operated by the cam gear 10 and operating the ice detecting arm 3, and an engaging convex portion 31 a of the ice detecting shaft 31. The coil spring 32 is urged so as to rotate in the direction of pressing against the 28 side. Then, the driving device 1 of the automatic ice maker of the present embodiment
When the ice detecting arm 3 is turned by 30 degrees or more, it is determined that the ice is insufficient.

The ice detecting shaft 31 is operated by the cam gear 10 and is rotatable up to 35 degrees. The ice detection shaft 31 is arranged between the cam gear 10 and the case half 9b. As shown in FIG. 7, the ice detecting shaft 31 includes an engagement protrusion 31a, an engagement piece 31b, a spring engagement part 31c, a switch one-piece rotation prevention part 31d, and a thrust slip prevention ridge 3
1e, arm connecting portion 31f, and case receiving portion 31g
And a guide piece 31h.

A case receiving portion 31g constituted by a convex portion at one end of the ice detecting shaft 31 is rotatably supported by a receiving hole (not shown) formed in the case half 9b. On the other hand, an arm connecting portion 31f formed at the other end of the ice detecting shaft 31 projects outside the case 9 and
The fulcrum of the ice detecting arm 3 is fitted into the arm connecting portion 31f.

The engaging projection 31a formed in the vicinity of the case receiving portion 31g of the ice detecting shaft 31 projects radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the ice detecting shaft 31 and has a shape curved from an intermediate position. It is rotatable together with the ice detection shaft 31 around the rotation center axis. And, the engagement convex portion 3
1a is a cam surface 28 for the ice detecting shaft formed on the cam gear 10.
It is a cam follower that abuts.

Similarly, the engaging piece 31b provided near the end of the ice detecting shaft 31 can be brought into contact with the blocking piece of the friction member 8 arranged coaxially with the output shaft 25. . Further, the spring engagement portion 31c is slightly closer to the end on the case receiving portion 31g side than the axial center of the ice detection shaft 31,
It is provided to engage with the coil spring 32. Therefore, the ice detecting shaft 31 causes the engagement convex portion 31a to move the cam gear 1 by the return force of the compressed coil spring 32.
It is urged to rotate in a direction (direction A shown by an arrow in FIG. 3) of pressing the cam surface 28 on the side of the ice detection shaft 0 of FIG.

The switch one-turn preventing portion 31d is provided near the end of the ice detecting shaft 31 on the side of the arm connecting portion 31f, and prevents the switch pressing lever 41 for turning on / off the tact switch 42 from turning. It is supposed to. When the ice detecting shaft 31 rotates to lower the ice detecting arm 3, specifically, when the ice detecting shaft 31 rotates 30 degrees or more, the switch pressing lever 31 d 4
1 to prevent the switch pressing lever 41 from rotating. As a result, the switch one-piece rotation preventing portion 31d acts so as not to turn on the tact switch 42 when the ice detection shaft 31 is rotated by 30 degrees or more.

Further, the thrust slippage prevention jetty 31e is provided with a switch one-turn prevention portion 31d in the axial direction of the ice detecting shaft 31.
And the arm connecting portion 31f over the entire circumference. For this reason, the ice detecting shaft 31 is movable only in a predetermined range in the thrust direction.

Further, the guide piece 31h is formed at a position slightly closer to the arm connecting portion 31f side than the center of the ice detecting shaft 31 in the axial direction. The guide piece 31h is attached to the case half 9
Guide groove formed on the back side of the top plate (a) (not shown)
And moves along the guide groove. For this reason, the ice detecting shaft 31 is guided by the guide piece 31h with respect to the case half 9a, and can rotate within a range in which the guide piece 31h can move within the guide groove. The rotation range of the ice detecting shaft 31 is about 35 degrees.

The ice detecting mechanism 11 configured as above transmits the movement of the ice detecting shaft 31 operating along the ice detecting shaft cam surface 28 to the ice detecting arm 3. That is, when the ice detection arm 3 stops its movement due to full ice, the ice detection shaft 31 stops its rotation together with the ice detection arm 3. Ice detection mechanism 11
When the ice detection arm 3 is rotated by a predetermined angle or more due to insufficient ice during the ice detection operation, the switch pressing lever cam surface 29
The operation of the switch pressing lever 41 is restricted. Therefore, when ice is insufficient during the ice detecting operation, the switch pressing lever 41 does not rotate, and the switch pressing lever 41 does not press the button 42a of the tact switch 42.

The coil spring 32 is temporarily stored in a contracted state in a spring box 52 provided in the case half 9b, and one end of the coil spring 32 is hooked on the spring engaging portion 31c of the ice detecting shaft 31 in this state. It is supposed to be.
That is, the spring box 52 has a shape in which the upper part is opened, one side wall is formed by the side wall of the case half 9b, and the other three side walls are erected from the bottom surface of the case half 9b. A slit (not shown) is provided in a side wall of the rear end of the spring box 52 (the center side of the case half 9b), and the spring engaging portion 31c is made to enter the inside of the spring box 52 from this slit, and a coil spring is formed. The ice detection shaft 31 and the coil spring 32 are engaged with each other by further contracting the portion 32 toward the side wall formed by the side wall of the case half 9b.

When the ice detecting shaft 31 is assembled in this manner, the rear end portion of the spring engaging portion 31c is pressed by the urging force of the coil spring 32 toward the convex portion (not shown) formed in the slit. Then, the projection comes into contact with the projection. Then, the cam gear 10 is loaded in this state, and the cam gear 10 is brought into the ice detecting state, that is, the engaging convex part is located at the position facing the ice shortage detecting position part 28c of the ice detecting shaft cam surface 28 of the cam gear 10. When the cam gear 10 is assembled such that the cam gear 31a comes, the cam gear 10 can be easily assembled without receiving the spring force of the coil spring 32.

As described above, the coil spring 32 always biases the ice detecting arm 3 toward the ice detecting position. That is, the ice detecting shaft 31 is in contact with the ice detecting shaft cam surface 28.
The urging force is applied in a direction in which the engaging projections 31a are brought into contact. Although this force is directed from the center of the cam gear 10 to the outer periphery, the force is incorporated so as not to hinder the assembly of the cam gear 10. Therefore, the cam gear 10 does not tilt or float due to the force of the coil spring 32. After assembling the cam gear 10 and finally assembling the case half 9a,
The guide piece 31h of the ice detecting shaft 31 is introduced into a guide groove (not shown) of the case 9, and the ice detecting shaft 31 is rotated by 35 degrees which is the limit of the normal rotation range. After being assembled in a state of being rotated by 35 degrees at the ice detecting position in this way, it is shipped after being driven by the drive circuit to set the ice making position.

The switch mechanism 12 is turned on / off by engaging and disengaging the contacts in conjunction with the driving of the ice tray 2.
Off switching is performed. The switch mechanism 12 functions to prohibit the switch pressing lever 41 operated by the cam gear 10, the tact switch 42 turned on / off by the swing of the switch pressing lever 41, and the swing of the switch pressing lever 41. The switch is provided with a switch one-piece rotation preventing portion 31d and a coil spring 44 for applying a force for swinging the switch pressing lever 41.

The switch pressing lever 41 is rotatably supported in each U-shaped groove 53a provided at the upper edge of two end plates 53 erected on the bottom surface of one case half 9b. I have. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the switch pressing lever 41 has a “G” shape when viewed from the side. The upper end portion is provided with a cam abutting portion 41a serving as a cam follower that abuts against the switch pressing lever cam surface 29 of the cam gear 10. Therefore, when the cam gear 10 rotates, the cam contact portion 41a moves in the radial direction of the cam gear 10 along the cam surface 29 for the switch pressing lever, and the switch pressing lever 41 swings.

Further, at a predetermined position of the switch pressing lever 41, a projecting arm 41b which is a pressed portion which is urged by the coil spring 44 is formed. This protruding arm 41b
Is a switch half-rotation prevention unit 31 provided on the ice detection shaft 31.
d. The switch pressing lever 41 cannot swing in a state where the switch one-rotation preventing portion 31d is in contact with the protruding arm 41b.

On the other hand, at the position facing the projection arm 41b,
The button 42a of the tact switch 42 is arranged.
Also, the surface of the protruding arm 41b of the switch pressing lever 41 which is not opposed to the tact switch 42 is provided with a mountain-shaped projection 41.
c is provided and extends into one end of the coil spring 44. The other end of the coil spring 44 is inserted into an engaging cylinder 21c provided in the case half 9a, and a shaft (not shown) in the engaging cylinder 21c enters the end.

The center of the switch pressing lever 41 is a pivot support 41d for supporting the swing. Both ends of the pivot support 41d enter each U-shaped groove 53a.
It swings around the rotation support portion 41d. further,
The switch pressing lever 41 is provided with a swing restricting portion 41e.
It is loaded into the regulation box provided in b. For this reason, the switch pressing lever 41 is configured such that one of the rotation supporting portions 41d does not rise from the bottom of the U-shaped groove 53a and does not tilt, and the swing center is accurately shifted along the switch pressing lever cam surface 29 without shifting. It is supposed to work.

The tact switch 42 is fixed to the case half 9 b and is connected to a printed wiring board 51 connected to the rear end of the DC motor 13. This tact switch 4
2 indicates that the switch pressing lever 41 is in a non-operating state, that is, when the cam gear 10 is at the 0 degree position and the drive is stopped and ice is being manufactured, when ice is full during the ice detecting operation, or when ice is released. When the operation is completed, the switch is pressed by the switch pressing lever 41 which receives the urging force of the coil spring 44. By this pressing, an original position signal, an ice detection signal, and an ice release signal are generated. If the ice tray 2 is at a position other than these, the tact switch 4
2 is in a non-contact state with the switch pressing lever 41 and is turned off.

As described above, the tact switch 42 which is always on at the ice making position performs the ice detecting operation, and when the ice in the ice storage container is insufficient, the cam gear 10 is moved from the ice making position (0 degree) to the ice releasing position (0 degree). It does not turn on until it rotates to 160 degrees).
That is, when the cam gear 10 rotates five degrees, the switch pressing lever 41 is separated from the button 42a of the tact switch 42 by the cam gear 10 against the urging force of the spring coil 44. Turns off.

When the cam gear 10 rotates 42 degrees, the switch pressing lever 41 is caused to swing by the spring force of the cam gear 10 and the spring coil 44.
At this time, the switch rotation preventing portion 31d of the ice detecting shaft 31 operates to prevent the switch pressing lever 41 from swinging.
As a result, when the ice detection shaft 31 is rotated by a predetermined angle (here, 30 degrees) or more in the ice shortage state, the position at which this ice detection signal should be generated, that is, the rotation angle of the cam gear 10 is 42
At degrees to 48 degrees, the tact switch 42 is not turned on, and no detection signal is output. Therefore, the tact switch 42 does not turn on until the cam gear 10 reaches the ice-removing position rotated by 160 degrees.

On the other hand, the tact switch 42 is turned on when the cam gear 10 rotates from the ice making position (0 °) to the ice detecting position (42 °) when the ice detecting operation is performed and the ice in the ice storage container is full. That is, the tact switch 42 is turned off once when the cam gear 10 rotates 5 degrees as described above, but is turned off again by the spring force of the cam gear 10 and the spring coil 44 when the cam gear 10 rotates 42 degrees. Attempt to swing the pressing lever 41.

At this time, the ice detecting arm 3 does not descend to a predetermined position in the ice storage container because the ice storage container is full of ice. for that reason,
The ice detection shaft 31 does not rotate by a predetermined angle or more, and the switch one-turn preventing portion 31d of the ice detection shaft 31 does not work. As a result, the switch pressing lever 41 swings and presses the button 42a of the tact switch 42 to be turned on.

The driving apparatus for an automatic ice maker according to the present embodiment performs control to reversely rotate the cam gear 10 based on the first signal output and the driving time after starting the ice detecting operation. Therefore, the DC motor 13 is stopped when the cam gear 10 is rotated 42 degrees when the ice is full, and when the cam gear 10 is rotated 160 degrees when the ice is insufficient,
Thereafter, control for reverse rotation is performed.

When the DC motor 13 is stopped by the first signal output when the cam gear 10 is rotated by 42 degrees, it is monitored that the driving time is short, and based on this, the first driving after the reverse rotation is performed. DC motor 1 based on the signal output of
3 is stopped. As a result, the cam gear 10 stops at the original position (0 degree = ice making position) or a peripheral position thereof.

On the other hand, when the DC motor 13 is stopped at the first signal output when the cam gear 10 is rotated by 160 degrees, it is monitored that the driving time is long, and based on this, the DC motor 13 is driven. The driving of the DC motor 13 is stopped based on the signal output of the second time. That is, the first signal output is a signal indicating that the cam gear 10 has been returned to the position of 48 to 42 degrees (determination signal at the time of return). Since it is a signal indicating the return, the DC motor 13 is stopped based on the second signal. As a result, the cam gear 10 stops at the original position (0 degree = ice making position) or a peripheral position thereof. Note that the cam gear 10 in the return stroke is 48 degrees to 4 degrees.
The signal output at the second time is generated in any case regardless of whether the ice is insufficient or sufficient due to the friction member 8.

The switch pressing lever cam surface 29 is provided with concave portions at three positions. These three recesses are the above-mentioned first, second and third signal generating cam portions 29a, 29b and 29c, and the cam contact portions 41a of the switch pressing lever 41 are fitted into these recessed portions. Switch press lever 4 each time
1 is about to swing toward the tact switch 42 side. At the time of this swing, the tact switch 42 is turned on unless the switch one-side rotation preventing portion 31d of the ice detecting shaft 31 does not work.

Next, the operation of the automatic ice maker 1 will be described. The controller (not shown) appropriately executes the basic operation program and the initial setting program, and operates as shown in FIG. Note that a control circuit for controlling and driving the controller to execute the initial setting program and the basic operation program may be shared with that provided in a refrigerator main body (not shown) to which the automatic ice maker 1 is attached. However, it may be dedicated to the automatic ice maker 1.

First, when either the power-on signal or the signal for initialization is input to the controller, an initialization program (initialization operation mode) is started. This initial setting program is executed when the operation of the automatic ice maker 1 alone, the operation when the refrigerator is attached to the refrigerator, the initial operation when the refrigerator is moved, and the like, and the position of the ice tray 2 is confirmed. Then, a horizontal position state is set.

That is, when the power is turned on, the DC motor 1
3 is rotated in the CCW direction, that is, the direction in which the cam gear 10 is returned to the ice making position (origin position = 0 degrees). Then, when the tact switch 42 is turned on, the timer is set to 3 seconds. When the operation of the timer is completed while the switch-on state continues, the DC motor 13 is stopped for 1 second.

In this operation, the cam gear 10 stops at the mechanical lock position (-6 degrees). That is, in the initial setting operation, when the DC motor 13 is rotated in the CCW direction,
After the first signal is output, the timer is set to 3 seconds in order to recognize whether the signal output when the switch is first turned on is the ice detection signal or the home position signal. Then, the case where three seconds elapse while the switch is in the on state is recognized as the original position signal, and the case where the switch is turned off and the signal output is interrupted before three seconds elapse is recognized as the ice detection position signal output. To This ensures that the cam gear 10
Stops at the lock position (-6 degrees).

Even if this mechanical lock occurs, when rotating in the CCW direction, the ring-shaped gear formed on each end face of the helical gear 16a and the spur gear 17b of the first transmission gear 17 as described above. Since the transmission torque is appropriately reduced by sliding the projections 16a and 17a, a large rotation torque is not transmitted to the cam gear 10. For this reason, the abutting portion at the time of mechanical locking is prevented from being worn over time.

Next, the DC motor 13 is rotated in the CW direction, that is, the cam gear 10 is rotated in the ice detecting position and the ice releasing position. Then, when the tact switch 42 is turned off, the timer is set to 0.5 seconds, and when the operation of the timer is completed, the DC motor 13 is stopped for one second.

Thereafter, the DC motor 13 is rotated in the CCW direction. Then, when the tact switch 42 is turned on, the timer is set to 0.5 seconds, and when the operation of the timer is completed, the DC motor 13 is stopped. As a result, the DC motor 13 stops at the position where the cam gear 10 is near the ice making position (0 degree = original position) in the initial setting operation. Thus, the operation of the automatic ice maker 1 at the time of executing the initialization program (initialization) is completed.

When the above-described initialization is completed, the process proceeds to a basic operation program for performing a normal operation. This basic operation program is executed, for example, when an AND condition that a certain period of time elapses after the completion of ice making is detected by the thermistor 1a placed under the ice tray 2 when the door is not opened. , A signal indicating the end of standby is input to the controller and executed.

As a result, the controller determines that the ice production has been completed, and detects the amount of ice in the ice storage container. In addition,
When this basic operation is started from the initial setting, there is no ice in the ice tray 2, but the thermistor 1a
Since the temperature in the refrigerator is sensed regardless of the presence or absence of ice, it is set to determine that ice production has been completed.

The controller detects whether or not the ice in the ice storage container is in an insufficient state. If the ice is not full, that is, if the ice is in an insufficient state, the ice making tray 2 is inverted to supply ice to the ice storage container. I do. Next, water is supplied by rotating in the reverse direction to the origin position (0 degrees). As a result, the ice tray 2 returns to the horizontal position and ice is made. On the other hand, when it is full ice,
The ice tray 2 returns to the origin (= horizontal position) without being inverted, waits for a predetermined time for ice detection, and returns to the ice making confirmation.

Next, the ice detecting operation will be described in detail. First, when the liquid in the ice tray 2 freezes and ice making is completed with the cam gear 10 stopped near the origin position, and a standby end signal is output from the controller, the DC motor 13 is rotated in the CW direction. Then, when the tact switch 42 is turned off, the timer is set to 7 seconds, and it is confirmed whether or not an ice detection signal is generated in these 7 seconds.

If the switch-off state is maintained during these seven seconds and the tact switch 42 is turned on after the elapse of seven seconds, an ice-separation signal has been generated, and the DC motor 13 is stopped for one second. This state means that the ice was insufficient in the ice detecting operation and that the ice removing operation was performed based on the insufficient ice.

That is, when the ice is insufficient, when the cam gear 10 rotates a predetermined angle (42 to 48 degrees),
The ice detecting shaft 31 is also lowered by a predetermined amount, whereby the switch one-side rotation preventing portion 31d operates and the switch pressing lever 41 does not press the tact switch 42. Therefore, in such a situation, the tact switch 42
Is not turned on and no signal is output. In addition,
At the time of the ice releasing operation, as described above, the protrusion 21 a formed at the tip end of the shaft 21 having one end supported by the case 9.
Thus, since the inner bottom surface of the compound gear 16 is received by point contact, there is no loss in transmission torque, and the ice tray 2 can be rotated with a large rotation torque.

When the shortage of ice is detected as described above, the DC motor 13 is stopped for one second when the ice-release signal is output, and then the DC motor 13 is rotated in the CCW direction.
When the tact switch 42 is turned off, the ice separation signal is turned off, and when the tact switch 42 is turned on next, the return decision signal (ice detection signal) is turned on. further,
When the tact switch 42 is turned off, the ice detection signal is turned off. When the tact switch 42 is turned on next, it is determined that the signal is the home position signal, and the timer is set to 0.5 second.

The reason why the timer is set based on the second ON of the tact switch 42 is that the second ON indicates that the cam gear 10 has returned to the position of 5 degrees. That is, when the cam gear 10 rotates to a predetermined position (42 to 48 degrees) after performing the ice removing operation,
The ice detecting shaft 31 is blocked by the blocking piece of the friction member 8 and cannot be rotated.
Does not work and the switch pressing lever 41 is
Press 2. Therefore, in such a situation,
This is because the tact switch 42 is turned on and the first ON signal is output.

When the operation of the timer ends 0.5 seconds after the second ON signal, the DC motor 13
To stop. As a result, the cam gear 10 stops near the original position (0 degree). After this, ice tray 2
And a series of ice detecting operation and de-icing operation is completed.

When the tact switch 42 is turned on in the above-described ice detecting operation, this is recognized as an ice detecting signal, and the DC motor 13 is stopped for one second. As described above, the tact switch 42 is turned on during the ice detecting operation when there is a predetermined amount of ice in the ice storage container and it is not necessary to add ice. That is, it means that full ice has been detected.

At the time of detecting the full ice, the DC motor 13 is stopped for one second when the detection signal is recognized, and then the DC motor 13 is rotated in the CCW direction. And
When the tact switch 42 is turned off, the ice detection signal is turned off (it turns off in a short time).
When 2 is turned on, it is determined that the signal is the home position signal, and the timer is set to 0.5 seconds.
The C motor 13 is stopped. Thereby, the cam gear 1
0 means stop near the original position (0 degree). Thereafter, since ice is present in the ice tray 2, water is not supplied, and the apparatus enters a standby state. Thus, the ice detecting operation at the time of full ice is completed.

The above embodiment is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but is not limited thereto.
Various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, when the ice tray 2 is driven in the direction of the ice separating position, the transmission loss of the rotational torque of the DC motor 13 is reduced by point contact, and conversely, the ice tray 2 is driven in the direction of the ice position. In some cases, the transmission loss of the rotational torque is slightly increased by the point contact by two points (the contact area is slightly larger than the point contact at the time of driving in the direction of the deicing position), but each of these configurations alone has a sufficient effect. It is possible to have either one of the configurations because it plays.

In the above embodiment, the output shaft 25
Is provided integrally with the cam gear 10, but may be provided separately from the cam gear 10. At that time, they may be driven by another drive source. Further, the engaging protrusion 31a of the ice detecting shaft 31 serving as a cam follower and the cam contact portion 41a of the switch pressing lever 41 are not brought into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cam gear 10, but in contact with the outer peripheral surface. You may do it.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the ice detection signal is generated only when the ice is full. However, the ice detection signal may not be generated when the ice is full but may be generated when the ice is insufficient. .

Further, the drive source may be an AC motor or a condenser motor instead of the DC motor 13. Further, instead of using a motor that requires a certain amount of time control like the DC motor 13, the rotation angle of the cam gear 10 may be controlled by the number of steps using a stepping motor. Further, a drive source other than a motor such as a solenoid may be employed. In addition, as the liquid to be iced, drinks such as juices and non-drinks such as test reagents can be used in addition to water. As a means for detecting whether or not the ice in the ice storage container has been formed, a bimetal using a shape memory alloy or the like may be used in addition to the thermistor 1a.

[0093]

As described above, the driving device for an automatic ice maker according to the present invention has a worm and a so-called cantilevered shaft in a rotation transmission mechanism for transmitting the driving force of a driving source to an ice tray. When the ice tray, which has a fitted helical gear, is driven in the direction of the ice-removing position, which requires a large amount of rotational torque, the movement of the helical gear in the thrust direction in the thrust direction is the contact area of the shaft tip. Received in the narrow part of the. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the loss of the transmission torque from the driving source to the ice tray and to reduce noise due to sliding during the ice releasing operation. Since the shaft has a cantilever structure, space can be effectively utilized between the case tip and the case, which is a region concentric with the rotation center of the helical gear. As a result, the entire device can be made compact by arranging another gear or the like of the rotation transmitting mechanism in an overlapping manner. Forming a projection on one or both of the inner bottom surface of the helical gear and the tip of the shaft to receive the thrust load of the helical gear by point contact further reduces transmission torque loss and sliding noise can do.

In another aspect of the present invention, the rotation transmission mechanism for transmitting the driving force of the driving source to the ice tray is constituted by a helical gear and a gear formed coaxially and integrally with the helical gear. A compound gear and a transmission gear are provided in which a part of the helical gear and the end faces thereof overlap with each other, and at least one of the end faces of the helical gear and the transmission gear has a ring-like shape for receiving a thrust load of the compound gear. Protrusions are provided. for that reason,
It is preferable to drive with a low torque during the initializing operation without requiring a large amount of rotational torque. When the ice tray is driven in the direction of the ice making position, an appropriate torque cross is generated. As a result, it is possible to suppress a change with time of the member due to the mechanical lock or the like at the time of initialization, and to provide a highly durable driving device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main part of an automatic ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the automatic ice maker of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a driving device of the automatic ice maker shown in FIG. 1, in which one case is removed so that the inside can be observed.

FIG. 4 is a sectional development view showing a connection relationship of rotation transmission means of the drive device of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing only a compound gear portion of the drive device of FIG. 4;

6 is a bottom view of the cam gear of the drive device of FIG. 4 as viewed from the direction of arrow V in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing an ice detection axis of the drive device of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the switch pressing lever of the drive device of FIG. 3 as viewed from the direction of arrow VIII in FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is a side view of FIG. 8 as viewed from the direction of arrow IX.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an operation state of the automatic ice maker of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a conventional automatic ice making device with its case lid removed so that the internal mechanism can be seen.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic ice machine 2 Ice tray 3 Ice detection arm 5 Drive device 10 Cam gear 11 Ice detection mechanism 12 Switch mechanism 13 DC motor (drive source) 14 Rotation transmission mechanism 15 Worm 16 Compound gear 16a Helical gear 16b Spur gear 16c Hole 16d projection 17 first transmission gear 17a spur gear 17d projection 21 shaft 21a projection

Claims (5)

[Claims] When an ice shortage is detected in an ice storage container, the ice tray is inverted to drop the ice into the ice storage container, and then the ice tray is returned to an original position to produce ice. In a driving device of an ice making machine, a worm is provided in a rotation transmitting mechanism for transmitting a driving force of a driving source to the ice making tray, and a worm is engaged with the worm and is rotated around a shaft having one end supported by a case for accommodating each part of the device. A helical gear movably supported, the helical gear having a bottomed hole at the center of rotation,
This hole is loosely fitted to the shaft and is supported by the shaft. The tip of the shaft receives the movement of the helical gear in the thrust direction when the ice tray is driven in the direction of the ice release position. Driving device for automatic ice maker. 2. A projection for receiving a thrust load of the helical gear by point contact on one or both of an inner bottom surface of the helical gear and a tip portion of the shaft. The driving device for an automatic ice maker according to claim 1, wherein: 3. When the shortage of ice in the ice storage container is detected, the ice making tray is turned over to drop the ice into the ice storage container, and then the ice making tray is returned to the original position to produce ice. In a driving device of an ice making machine, a worm is provided in a rotation transmitting mechanism for transmitting a driving force of a driving source to the ice making tray, and a worm is engaged with the worm and is rotated around a shaft having one end supported by a case for accommodating each part of the device. A helical gear movably supported and a compound gear composed of a gear formed coaxially and integrally with the helical gear; and a helical gear meshing with the compound gear and having a part of an end face thereof. A transmission gear disposed in a position overlapping with a part of the end face of the gear in the thrust direction, wherein at least one of the mutually facing end faces of the helical gear and the transmission gear receives a thrust load of the compound gear; Ring shaped for A driving device for an automatic ice maker, comprising a projection, wherein the ring-shaped projection receives movement of the compound gear in the thrust direction when the ice tray is driven toward the ice making position. 4. The ring-shaped projection is formed on both opposing end faces of the helical gear and the transmission gear, and the thrust direction of the helical gear when the ice tray is driven toward the ice making position. 4. The driving device for an automatic ice maker according to claim 3, wherein the two ring-shaped projections receive the movement to the point by point contact. 5. An automatic apparatus for producing ice by reversing an ice tray and dropping ice into the ice storage container when the shortage of ice in the ice storage container is detected, and returning the ice tray to the original position. In a driving device of an ice making machine, a worm is provided in a rotation transmitting mechanism for transmitting a driving force of a driving source to the ice making tray, and a worm is engaged with the worm and is rotated around a shaft having one end supported by a case for accommodating each part of the device. A helical gear movably supported and a compound gear composed of a gear formed coaxially and integrally with the helical gear; and a helical gear meshing with the compound gear and having a part of an end face thereof. A transmission gear disposed in a position overlapping with a part of the end face of the gear in the thrust direction, the compound gear includes a bottomed hole at the center of rotation, and the hole is loosely fitted to the shaft to allow the shaft to play. While being supported,
At least one of the opposing end faces of the helical gear and the transmission gear includes a ring-shaped projection for receiving a thrust load of the helical gear, and the ice tray is driven in the direction of the ice-separation position. The tip of the shaft receives the movement of the helical gear in the thrust direction at the time, and the ring-shaped projection converts the movement of the helical gear in the thrust direction when the ice tray is driven toward the ice making position. A driving device for an automatic ice maker, wherein the driving device receives the ice at a time.