JP2002286338A - Water supplier for refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily decomposed a water supply passage including a water supply pump of a refrigerator, and also to keep the refrigerator noiseless. SOLUTION: A water supply pump 40 is disposed in a water supply tank 10 in a non contact manner with a motor 46, and the motor 46 is installed on a water supply tank corner 4 or on a tank holder 60 in the form not associated with the water supply tank 10 in the water. A title water supply of a refrigerator is adapted such that supply water from the tank smoothly flows through the pump, discharge means, a water reception section, without storage of water, and hence a user easily treat the apparatus, and is easy to clean the apparatus.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly to a refrigerator having a water supply tank such as an automatic ice making apparatus for supplying ice to an ice tray to make ice.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional refrigerator having an automatic ice making device, there is a refrigerator described in, for example, JP-A-6-300402. 13 is an external view of a refrigerator having a conventional automatic ice making device, FIG. 14 is a schematic view showing a conventional automatic ice making device, and FIG. 15 is a detailed sectional view of a main part of the conventional automatic ice making device. In FIG. 13, a refrigerator 1 is a refrigerator 2
And a freezer compartment 3 disposed below the refrigerator compartment 2. A water tank corner 4 is located at the lower part of the refrigerator compartment 2.
An ice making corner 5 is provided at the upper part of the freezing compartment 3, and the water supply tank corner 4 and the ice making corner 5 are equipped with an automatic ice making device.

As shown in FIG. 14, a water supply tank 140 is mounted in a water supply tank corner 4, and a large-diameter mounting opening 141 is provided below the water supply tank 140 so that a hand can enter.
Is provided. The fixed amount chamber 142 is attached to the attachment port 141. As shown in FIG. 15, the fixed amount chamber 142 is screwed into the mounting port 141 and the outlet 143 is provided at the center.
, A middle case 145 having an inlet 146 at the top, and an upper case 1 having activated carbon 148.
47. Outlet 14 of cap 144
3 is provided with an interlocking valve 149 for opening and closing the outflow port 143 and the inflow port 146. The interlocking valve 149 has an outflow valve 150 closing the outflow port 143 and an inflow valve 151 closing the inflow port 146, and is urged downward by a spring 152 in the figure. That is, when no force is applied to the interlocking valve 149 from below, the interlocking valve 14 is
9 is lowered, the inlet 146 opens, and the outlet 14
3 is closed.

The middle case 145 is provided with a cap 144
Is fixed by screwing or fitting, and an air vent 145a is provided at the upper part thereof. An upper case 147 is mounted on the middle case 145 by screwing or fitting, and the water in the water supply tank 140 flows into the fixed quantity chamber 142 via the activated carbon 148.

[0005] A receiving tray 154 is provided below the mounting port 141 in which the fixed amount chamber 142 is mounted. I have. Drive mechanism 155
The operating shaft 1 is driven by the electromagnetic action of the internal electromagnetic solenoid.
56 is moved up and down, and a link 149 of the metering chamber 142 is pushed upward by a cap 157 attached to the tip of the operating shaft 156. Casa 157 is located at outlet 14
3 to prevent water from entering the mounting hole 153a of the water supply passage 153, and is formed of a silicon-based material. Thus, when the drive mechanism 155 is operated to raise the operating shaft 156, the interlocking valve 149 is pushed upward, the outlet 143 is opened, and the inlet 146 is closed by the inlet valve 151.

[0006] Receiving tray 154 to which drive mechanism 155 is attached.
As shown in FIG. 14, a water supply pump 158 is installed, and an extrusion hose 159 is attached to an upper end of the water supply pump 158. The extrusion hose 159 extends to the ice making corner 105 of the freezing room 3, and its tip reaches the ice making tray 127 in the ice making corner 105. The water supply pump 158 is not a spiral type but a self-supply type pump. In a self-contained pump, the pump motor rotation speed is proportional to the discharge flow rate, so that the amount of water supplied to the ice tray can be controlled by the drive time of the pump motor.

Next, the operation will be described. Drive mechanism 15
5 is not operated, the interlocking valve 14 of the
9, only the downward biasing force of the spring 152 acts on the outlet 1.
43 is closed by the outflow valve 150 and the inflow port 146 is open. Therefore, in this state, water in the water supply tank 140 passes through the activated carbon 148 and enters the upper case 147, passes through the inlet 146, and flows through the middle case 14.
5 and the metering chamber 142 is full. The flow of water into the middle case 145 is smoothly performed by the action of the air vent 145a.

Next, when the drive mechanism 155 is operated, the operating shaft 156 is raised, and the boss 157 pushes the lower end of the interlocking valve 149 against the urging force of the spring 152. As a result, the outlet 143 is opened, and the inlet 146 is closed by the inlet valve 151, so that the water in the middle case 145 is discharged from the outlet 143.
Out of the tray 154. The water on the tray 154 is supplied to the extrusion hose 15 by the action of the water supply pump 158.
9 to the ice tray 127. At this time, since the inflow port 146 is closed, the amount of water flowing out to the tray 154 is substantially equal to the volume of the middle case 145. Therefore, a fixed amount of water corresponding to the volume of the middle case 145 is supplied to the ice tray 127.
Will be supplied. Since there is no air vent hole in the outlet 143, the outflow time of water is not constant, and the displacement of the amount of water in the tray 154 is not constant, but the water is immediately sucked by the self-supply type water supply pump 158. ,
No water remains in the pan 154. That is, even if the outflow time of the water varies, the water is supplied to the ice tray 127 in a constant amount without remaining in the tray 154.

[0009]

As described above, since the conventional refrigerator is provided with the water supply tank corner 4 or the ice making corner 5 which protrudes into the refrigerator compartment 2 or the freezer compartment 3, it originally stores food. There is a problem that space is reduced. In addition, a case of a separate part is required as the water supply tank corner 4, which has led to an increase in cost. In addition, the structure of the automatic ice making device, particularly around the water supply tank, is complicated and difficult for the user to touch. For example, if the user loosens when fixing the middle case 145 to the cap 144, the inflow port 146 or the outflow port 143 is surely formed. And the fixed amount of water cannot be supplied to the ice making chamber 127. In addition, the user cannot remove the inside of the tank and cannot clean it. In addition, there is a possibility that water remains in the extrusion hose 159 and the inside of the hose is contaminated by water decay. And had cleaning problems. In addition, the connection between the water supply tank and the self-contained pump is always necessary, and there are many problems in terms of quality and cost, such as maintaining the reliability of the seal at the connection portion and preventing foreign matter from entering.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to significantly reduce a decrease in a food storage space due to the installation of an automatic ice making device of a refrigerator, etc. It is possible to obtain a water supply tank that can easily handle the area around the water supply tank and that can secure a uniform water supply amount without causing a fatal failure even if mishandling occurs. Further, it is another object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator having a water supply tank capable of eliminating dirt with a simple structure.

[0011]

A water supply device for a refrigerator according to a first aspect of the present invention detects the amount of ice accumulated in an ice storage box of the refrigerator and outputs a water supply signal. A pump that rotates a magnet connected to a motor provided outside the tank, is connected to a magnet arranged in the water supply tank, and is driven by the motor's rotational force transmitted in a non-contact manner through the wall of the water supply tank. Water is supplied to the outside of the water supply tank from the discharge port, and supplied to the ice tray from the discharge port. In the water supply device for a refrigerator according to the second invention, the water supply tank is provided with a detachable lid, and by closing the lid, the discharge port is set and the position of the pump is determined.

A water supply device for a refrigerator according to a third aspect of the present invention includes a guide and a guide receiver provided on a water supply tank and a pump for suppressing displacement of the pump, and the guide fits into the guide receiver and suppresses displacement. Things.

[0013] In the water supply device for a refrigerator according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the tip of the discharge port of the pump for supplying water to the outside of the water supply tank is located above the maximum water level in the water supply tank. A water supply device for a refrigerator according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is provided with a water receiving part for receiving water flowing out of the discharge port and supplying the water to the ice tray near a tip for supplying water to the outside of the water supply tank at the discharge port of the pump. . In the water supply device for a refrigerator according to the sixth invention, the water receiving portion is covered by a lid of the water supply tank. In the water supply device for a refrigerator according to the seventh invention, the inside of the pump can be divided and can be washed.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1 Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1
1 is a cross-sectional view of a refrigerator having an automatic ice making device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an automatic ice making device of an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a refrigerator 1 includes a refrigerator 2 and a refrigerator 3 disposed below the refrigerator 2. A water supply tank corner 4 is provided in a concave portion formed by bending a partition wall for partitioning the refrigerator compartment 2 and the freezer compartment 3, and an ice making corner 5 is provided behind the resulting convex portion of the freezer compartment 3. Have been.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an automatic ice making apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. In FIG. 2, a water supply pump 40 and a discharge port 4 connected to the water supply pump 40 are provided at a water supply tank corner 4 provided on a partition wall 6 that divides the refrigerator compartment 2 and the freezer compartment 3.
The water tank 10 in which 7 is set is set,
Water receiver 48 provided integrally with water supply tank corner 4
The discharge port 47 is inserted into the outlet. In addition, water supply tank 1
0 is provided with a lid 12 which is detachable.
The water tank is closed by closing the water supply tank. Further, a discharge port 47 is set in the lid 12, and the position of the water supply pump 40 is determined and fixed. Water receiver 48
The outlet 49 provided integrally with the refrigerator compartment 2 and the freezer compartment 3
The ice tray 27 is located in front of the outlet 49. Further, the tip of the discharge port 47 is located above the maximum water level in the water supply tank 10, and the upper edge of the water receiving portion 48 is located above the tip of the discharge port 47.

Next, the surroundings of the water supply pump 40 will be described with reference to FIG. In the water supply pump 40, the impeller 41 having a magnet 42, a magnetized plate 43, a shaft 57 made of SUS303 and a ball 56 made of SUS304 is inserted into a bearing 52 formed integrally with the water supply pump 40. It is fixed at. The water supply pump 40 has a suction port 81 on the bearing side, and a mesh filter 111 is attached to the tip thereof. The water supply pump 40 has a discharge port 47 in the circumferential direction of the water supply pump 40. A ball 56 is fixed to the impeller 41 on the side opposite to the bearing side of the water supply pump 40, and is in contact with the casing of the water supply pump 40. The motor 46 for driving the pump 40 is housed in the water supply tank corner 4 as shown in FIG. 2 and the outside is fixed to the partition wall 6 with screws or the like, or is housed in the partition wall as shown in FIG. Is fixed from the inside with screws or the like.

Next, the operation will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 shows an operation state of the water supply pump 40. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a control board 50 for controlling the operation of the motor 46, and FIG. 6 is a time chart thereof. FIG.
In the figure, 50 is a control board, and the motor 46, the power supply 5
1 is connected and provided in the refrigerator-freezer 1. When the detecting device detects the amount of ice accumulated in the ice storage box and detects that the amount of ice is insufficient, the control board 50 outputs a water supply start signal. When the water supply start signal is output from the control board 50, the motor 46 is turned off for a predetermined time O
It becomes N. When the motor 46 is turned on, the magnetized plate 45 connected to the motor 46 and the magnet 44 bonded to the magnetized plate 45 rotate. Since the magnet 44 and the magnet 42 on the side of the water supply pump 40 form a magnetic field and attract each other by magnetic force, the magnet 44 and the magnet 42 rotate at the same rotation speed, and the impeller 41 to which the magnet 42 is attached is also the same. To rotate. When the impeller 41 rotates in the direction shown in the figure, water flows out from the discharge port 47 and sucks water in the water supply tank 10 from the water supply port 81. Is held on the mesh filter surface by the mesh filter 111. As a result, foreign matter does not jam in the gap between the movable part and the fixed part of the pump. On the other hand, the water flowing out of the discharge port 47 is supplied to the ice tray 27 through a water receiving portion 48 and an outlet 49.

As shown in FIG. 4C, the magnets 42 and 44 are formed of two or more poles in a flat plate shape, and a material capable of obtaining a required magnetic force, a ferrite type, a rare earth type, or the like is selected and selected. The water supply tank 10 is inserted into the water supply tank corner 4 formed in the concave portion, and has a configuration in which it can be easily inserted with a gap of, for example, about several mm. On the other hand, when the water supply pump 40 is inserted into the tank 10, the position in the tank is determined by the insertion position of the discharge port of the lid of the water supply tank 10. However, even if the pump is sucked by the magnetic force and the pump casing comes into contact with the tank wall, the pump is closed. It has a structure that does not affect the rotation of.

That is, the ball 56 exists between the impeller 41 and the casing, and when the pump rotates, the impeller is pulled toward the bearing 52 by the negative pressure of the pump. Is configured to suppress wear. The tank is made of plastic or non-magnetic material such as stainless steel, glass, etc.
There is about thickness. In addition, a sufficient gap is provided between the magnet 44 on the motor 46 side and the tank so that direct contact is avoided and a gap may be provided through a partition wall. The ferrite magnet 4 is inserted through the entire gap including the play, about 10 mm.
By opposing 2, 44, the driving force of the motor can be transmitted to the pump, and when the user attaches / detaches the tank from the concave portion or attaches / detaches the pump and the discharge port from the inside of the tank, without being hindered by magnetic force. Easy to do. Also, the fact that the pump has been set is sucked by magnetic force, so that there is also an effect of being able to understand.

Cleaning around the water supply tank is performed at the discharge port 4.
The tank including 7 can be easily taken out by taking it out of the recess. The filter 111 is press-fitted into the pump, and can be removed and cleaned. Further, the pump can be cleaned through the entrance while being integrated with the discharge port.

As described above, according to the automatic ice making device of the present embodiment, since the water supply pump 40 is installed in the water supply tank 10, the user can easily handle the water supply pump 40 and arbitrarily clean it. it can. Further, since the discharge port 47, the water receiver 48, the outlet 49, and the ice tray 27 are located as shown in FIG. 2, no seal or the like is required between the water receiver 48 and the discharge port 47. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the motor 46 and the water supply pump 40 are not in contact with each other, so that a very quiet system can be configured. Since the mesh filter 111 is attached to the suction port 81, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the ice and It is possible to suppress the inflow of foreign matter that would lock the impeller 41.

In the above example, the water supply tank 10 is set at the water supply tank corner 4 provided on the partition wall 6, but may be an externally provided water supply tank corner 4.

In the refrigerator according to the present invention, a detachable pump is disposed in a detachable water tank, and a torque for driving the pump is arranged outside the water tank without contacting the pump. Therefore, most of the water supply paths including the water supply pump are easy to handle and can be arbitrarily washed by the user, and there is no electrical or structural connection with the motor, so that safety and noise reduction can be achieved.

Further, in the refrigerator according to the present invention,
A magnet was provided on the impeller of the centrifugal pump, and the magnet was opposed to the magnet driven by the motor via the casing of the water supply pump and the wall of the water supply tank, and the rotational torque of the motor was transmitted to the impeller by magnetic force. Because the motor part that does not require maintenance is fixed to the refrigerator and the water supply pump that needs cleaning is also integrated with the tank that needs cleaning,
User handling is simplified.

Embodiment 2 In this example, the method of mounting the water supply tank corner 4 is changed from the configuration of the first embodiment. In the first example, the motor 46 was installed on the partition wall of the water supply tank corner 4, and the water supply tank corner 4 and the partition wall 6 were integrated. If not, the motor 46, which generally has a shorter life than the refrigerator 1 may not be replaced. Therefore, a tank holder 60 having the water supply tank corner 4 separate from the partition wall 6 is provided, and a motor 46 fixed to a motor case 62 as shown in FIG. Then, the tank holder 60 is attached to the partition wall 6 with a seal 61 arranged all around. The fixing between the tank holder 60 and the partition wall 6 is performed by using reproducible screws, claws, rivets and the like. The seal 61 has watertightness.

Thus, the recess makes it difficult for foreign matter and water to enter from inside the refrigerator due to the flange portion of the tank holder 60 which is slightly higher than the partition wall 6. If the tank holder 60 is made narrower toward the bottom surface, the tank can be inserted along the taper so that it can be easily inserted, and the gap between the tank and the holder can be reduced.

According to this example, since the tank holder 60 is formed separately from the partition wall 6, the motor 46 can be replaced, and a watertight seal is provided between the tank holder 60 and the partition wall 6. The provision of 61 keeps water from entering the motor 46 portion suppressed. In addition, the tank is installed at a position of the tank holder that is not connected with water, and the positional accuracy between the motor fixed to the tank holder and the water supply tank set in the tank holder is easily obtained.

Embodiment 3 FIG. 8 illustrates the positioning of the tank 10 and the water supply pump 40.
As shown in FIG. 8 (b), the discharge port 47 is arranged so as to match the tank protrusion into which the motor is inserted. The enlarged view (a) shows the positioning of the pump, and the enlarged view (c) shows the positioning of the tank. In the automatic ice making apparatus having the same configuration as that of the above-described embodiment, consideration is given to the positional accuracy of the water supply pump 40.
Reference numeral 0 denotes a guide provided integrally with the water supply pump 40, which fits in the guide receiver 72 of the tank and suppresses displacement in the thrust direction and the radial direction in the drawing direction. Further, a guide 73 is provided in the water supply tank 10, and fits into the guide holder 74 provided in the tank holder 60 or the water supply tank corner 4 to suppress the displacement in the two directions shown in the figure. As shown in FIG.
Are stuck in the flange hole 110 of the water supply tank 10. As shown in FIG. 9, a lid 12 is provided at an upper portion of the water supply tank 10, and the discharge port 47 is fixed by a pressing portion 12 b formed integrally with the lid, thereby suppressing displacement of the water supply pump 40 in the illustrated direction. . On the other hand, the water receiving portion 48 can also be covered by the lid 12.

According to this embodiment, the displacement of the water supply pump 40 and the water supply tank 10 is prevented by the guide 70, the guide receiver, and the pressing portion 12b provided on the lid 12, and the water supply tank 10 and the tank holder 60 are connected to each other. Since the position shift is prevented by the guide 73 and the guide receiver 74, the motor 4 as described in the second embodiment is attached to the tank holder 60.
When the magnet 6 is mounted, misalignment between the magnets can be prevented, and power can be reliably transmitted without step-out due to a change in magnetic force due to a magnet center misalignment or the like. In the present invention,
The water supply tank is provided with a discharge port, and the tank holder has a water receiver integrated with the tank holder.The relation between the tip of the discharge port and the maximum water level in the water supply tank is higher for the discharge port. The upper edge of the water receiving portion has the lower end of the discharge port, and the water receiving portion is provided with an outlet connected to the ice tray integrally with the water receiving portion.

A guide is provided in one of the radial directions and a thrust direction for positioning between the water supply pump and the water supply tank, and the positioning in the radial direction in a direction different by 90 ° is determined by a lid of the water supply tank. In addition, since a guide for determining one of the radial direction and the thrust direction is provided for positioning between the water supply tank and the tank holder, the center of the motor unit and the center of the water supply pump are hardly displaced. In the ice making device, the step-out phenomenon between the magnets hardly occurs. In this example, the example in which the motor is fixed to the holder has been described, but the motor may be fixed to the partition wall as described above. This eliminates the need for motor wiring connection terminals, that is, connection terminals for attaching and detaching the holder. Moreover, even if the holder is adapted to the size, shape and mounting structure of the refrigerator, the internal tank and other components can be standardized.

Further, the water supply tank is provided with a discharge port, and the tank holder is provided with a water receiving portion integrally with the tank holder, so that the relation between the tip of the discharge port and the maximum water level in the water supply tank is determined. Since the discharge port is above and the tip of the discharge port is below the upper edge of the water receiving part, when the water supply pump stops, the water runs off at the tip of the discharge port and the water overflows from the water receiving part. Never.

Next, in the automatic ice making apparatus having the same configuration as described above, the structure of the water supply pump 40 is changed. Figure 1
At 0, 53 is an impeller cover, 59 is a cap, 58
Is a screw portion 58 provided integrally with the water supply pump 40. A shaft 57 having a flange, a ball 56, a magnetized plate 43, and a magnet 42 are attached to the impeller 41, and are completely sealed by an impeller cover 53. Impeller lid 53
Is completely bonded to the impeller 41 by heat welding or the like if the material is PL resin. The shaft 57 of the impeller 41 configured as described above is inserted into the bearing 52 of the water supply pump 40, and the opening opposite to the bearing 52 is closed by the cap 59 and fastened by the screw 58.

The shaft 57 of the impeller is rotatably supported by the impeller 41, and its flange has a stopper on one side and a flange lid on the other through a ball. And is inserted into the bearing 52 together with the shaft housed therein. Furthermore, ball 56
Since the impeller rotates in contact with the cap 59, the impeller can be rotated while being supported by the bearing 52 and the cap 59.
According to this embodiment, since the inside of the water supply pump 40 can be divided, even if a foreign matter enters the water supply pump 40, it can be washed and removed. Also, the number of disassembled parts does not increase more than necessary. That is, since at least the casing of the water supply pump can be disassembled into two parts and the impeller part into three parts or more, the user can remove the cap and clean the inside of the water supply pump,
In some cases, the inside of the impeller can be cleaned if the impeller lid is divided by screwing or the like.

Next, FIG. 11 mainly shows a refrigerator in which the room configuration is modified. The refrigerating compartment 2 is located below the freezing compartment 3 and has the same structure as the tank unit 1 described above.
No. 4 has a JOINT section 13 at the tip of the discharge port, and JOINT with the JOINT section 13 on the refrigerator body side.

FIG. 12 shows an example in which the room configuration of the refrigerator is modified. The refrigerator compartment 2 and the freezer compartment 3 are arranged side by side, and the water supply structure is the same as in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the tank unit 14 includes a motor 46 and the tank 10 which are connected to the tank holder 6.
The unit is integrally formed at 0 and can be easily and integrally attached and detached by attaching it to a guide rib 15 provided on the inner wall of the refrigerator. This facilitates cleaning after being taken out.

It is clear from the above description that the motor 46 may be provided on the inner wall of the refrigerator separately from the tank holder. Separating the motors in this way eliminates the need for terminals in the wiring of the motor power supply and can simplify the wiring. The guide ribs are key-shaped, the two upper and lower directions are reversed, and the tank or the holder is provided with an engaging portion to be hooked on the key, thereby simplifying the mounting.

[0038]

As described above, the water supply device for a refrigerator according to the present invention can reduce the use space and can be easily handled and cleaned by the user.

The water supply device for a refrigerator according to the present invention has a simple structure, and standardization of parts can be obtained.

In the water supply device for a refrigerator according to the present invention, the position accuracy of the pump and the driving means can be obtained, and a highly reliable device can be obtained.

In the water supply device for a refrigerator according to the present invention, the respective magnets are opposed to each other at least through a gap between the tank wall and the torque is transmitted in a non-contact manner, so that the driving means has no edge with water. It is possible to provide a safe, low-noise refrigerator that is provided at different locations.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a drawing showing an overall configuration according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an automatic ice making device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged explanatory view of a main part of the automatic ice making device as shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the water supply pump of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a control unit of the water supply pump of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a time chart showing the operation of the water supply pump of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective sectional view showing an automatic ice making device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an automatic ice making device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a local sectional view showing the automatic ice making device of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the water supply pump of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a view showing an automatic ice making device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a view showing an automatic ice making apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing a conventional refrigerator.

FIG. 14 is a view showing a conventional automatic ice making device.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a main part of a conventional automatic ice making device.

[Explanation of symbols]

40 feed pump, 41 impeller, 42 magnet, 43 magnetized plate, 44 magnet, 45 magnetized plate, 4
6 motor, 47 discharge port, 48 water receiver, 49 outlet, 52 bearing, 53 impeller lid, 56 ball, 57 shaft, 58 screw, 59 cap, 60 tank holder, 61 seal, 62 motor case, 6
3 Screw, 70 guide, 72 guide receiver, 73 guide, 74 guide receiver, 80 flange, 81 suction port, 1
10 holes, 111 mesh filter, 12b pressing part.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Katsumasa Sakamoto, 2-3-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Mitsui Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Hiroaki Yokouchi 2-3-2, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (72) Inventor Kazu Yamamoto 2-3-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. Detecting the amount of ice accumulated in an ice storage box of a refrigerator, outputting a water supply signal, and turning on the magnet connected to a motor provided outside the water supply tank for a time when the water supply signal is ON. Water is supplied to the outside of the water supply tank from a discharge port of a pump, which is connected to a magnet disposed in the water supply tank and is transmitted in a non-contact manner through a wall of the water supply tank and is driven by a rotational force of the motor and driven. A water supply device for a refrigerator, wherein the water is supplied from an outlet to an ice tray. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the water supply tank is provided with a detachable lid, and by closing the lid, the discharge port is set and the position of the pump is determined. Water supply. 3. A guide and a guide receiver provided on the water supply tank and the pump for suppressing a displacement of the pump, wherein the guide fits into the guide receiver and suppresses a displacement. Item 7. A water supply device for a refrigerator according to Item 1. 4. The pump according to claim 1, wherein a distal end of a discharge port of the pump for supplying water to the outside of the water supply tank is located above a maximum water level in the water supply tank.
A water supply device for a refrigerator according to any one of the above. 5. A water receiving portion for receiving water flowing out from the discharge port and supplying the water to the ice making tray is provided near a distal end of the discharge port of the pump for supplying water to the outside of the water supply tank. Item 5. A water supply device for a refrigerator according to any one of Items 1 to 4. 6. The water supply device for a refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the water receiving portion is covered by a lid of the water supply tank. 7. The water supply device for a refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the inside of the pump is splittable and can be washed.