JP2005127685A - Refrigerator with automatic ice maker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water supply device with an opening/closing valve mechanism having a reduced size for supplying ice making water by actualizing construction with no existence of a connection lever which is conventionally required for connecting a solenoid to a valve element when the ice making water is supplied to an ice making pan of an automatic ice maker with the operation of the solenoid for opening /closing the valve element to open/close a water supply hole of a water supply container. <P>SOLUTION: The water supply container provided in a refrigerating room has an opening/closing valve for opening/closing the water supply hole formed in the bottom. When the ice making water is supplied through a water supply passage which vertically passes through a heat insulating partition wall between the refrigerating room and a freezing room, to the ice making pan of the automatic ice maker which is provided in the freezing room, magnetic force is generated in the direction of opening the opening/closing valve by the solenoid provided around the water supply passage. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, and more particularly to an on-off valve mechanism that supplies ice-making water from a water supply container to an ice tray of an automatic ice maker.

  The freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment are partitioned by a partition wall so that the refrigerator compartment is located in the upper part of the refrigerator body, and the ice making water of the water supply tank disposed in the refrigerator compartment passes through the water supply pipe penetrating the partition wall. There is a refrigerator with an automatic ice making machine that is supplied to an ice making container of an automatic ice making machine disposed in a freezing room (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent Document 1 discloses a valve body that opens and closes a water supply hole formed in a bottom portion of a water supply tank in order to supply ice making water to a water supply tank without using a pump. Provided. As an opening / closing mechanism for this valve body, one end of a connecting lever whose shaft is supported by the intermediate portion corresponds to this valve body, and the other end of the connecting lever is connected to a solenoid, and the connecting lever rotates by the operation of the solenoid. By pushing up the valve body, the water supply hole formed in the bottom of the water supply tank is opened.
JP 2001-311574 A

  Thus, the invention of Patent Document 1 requires a connecting lever when opening and closing the valve body that opens and closes the water supply hole by the operation of the solenoid, and it is necessary to secure a mounting area for the connecting lever. And since the water for ice making from a water supply tank splashes on this connection lever, a water receiving tray is needed under this connection lever as shown in the figure. For this reason, the on-off valve mechanism for supplying ice-making water is complicated, and the water supply device provided in the refrigerator compartment is complicated. In view of the above, the present invention provides a water supply device that can reduce the size of an on-off valve mechanism that supplies ice-making water by adopting a configuration in which such a connecting lever is not provided. .

  The first invention is a refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, wherein ice making water is supplied from a water supply container to an ice tray of an automatic ice maker, and cold air cooled by a cooler is supplied to the ice tray by a blower. An opening / closing valve for opening and closing the water supply port formed in the normal, the water supply port is normally closed by the on / off valve, the opening / closing valve is provided with a magnet, and when supplying ice-making water to the ice tray, On the other hand, a solenoid for generating a magnetic force in a direction in which the on-off valve opens the water supply port is provided.

  The second invention is a refrigerator with an automatic ice making machine in which ice making water is supplied from a water supply container to an ice making tray of an automatic ice making machine, and cold air cooled by a cooler is supplied to the ice making tray by a blower. There is an on-off valve with a magnet that moves up and down to open and close the water supply opening when the water supply port formed at the bottom is raised, and when the ice making water is supplied to the ice tray, the opening and closing valve is raised. A solenoid for generating a magnetic force repelling the magnet is provided, and the water supply container is detachable at a position corresponding to a receiving portion for ice making water for supplying ice making water to an automatic ice making machine provided in the refrigerator. The solenoid is provided on the main body side of the refrigerator immediately below the on-off valve in a state separated from the water supply container.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment are partitioned by a heat insulating partition wall so that the refrigerator compartment is located in the upper part of the refrigerator body, and the ice making water in the water supply container disposed in the refrigerator compartment is the heat insulating partition. In the refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, which is supplied to an ice tray of an automatic ice maker arranged in the lower freezing chamber through a water supply pipe penetrating a wall, and cooled by a cooler is supplied to the ice tray by a blower. The water supply container is provided with an opening / closing valve with a magnet that moves up and down to open and close a water supply port by raising and lowering a water supply port that is detachably attached to the refrigerator and formed at the bottom. The wall is provided with an ice-making water receiving portion for guiding ice-making water to the water supply pipe at a position corresponding to the water supply port when the water supply container is stored in the refrigerator, and when supplying ice-making water to the ice tray Against the magnet The solenoid whose serial is raised off valve to generate the water supply open mouth direction of the magnetic force, characterized in that provided in the heat insulating partition wall immediately below the receiving portion of the ice making water.

  A fourth invention is a refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, wherein ice-making water is supplied from a water supply container to an ice tray of an automatic ice maker, and cold air cooled by a cooler is supplied to the ice tray by a blower. The opening / closing valve for opening and closing the water supply port formed in the opening / closing valve includes a magnet and an iron core, and the water supply port is closed by the opening / closing valve by an attractive force between the magnet and a magnetic body provided in the water supply container. A solenoid that generates a magnetic force that opens the water supply port with respect to the iron core when the ice making water is supplied to the ice tray is provided.

  In a refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, ice making water is supplied from a water supply container to an ice tray of an automatic ice maker through a water supply path, and cold air cooled by a cooler is supplied to the ice tray by a blower. The water supply container is provided with a magnet open / close valve that opens and closes a water supply port formed at the bottom thereof, and the water supply port is normally closed by the open / close valve, and when the water for ice making is supplied to the ice tray, On the other hand, a solenoid that generates a magnetic force in a direction in which the opening / closing valve opens the water supply port is provided, and the water supply path is secured on a central axis of the solenoid.

  A sixth invention is a refrigerator with an automatic ice making machine in which ice making water is supplied from a water supply container to an ice making tray of an automatic ice making machine through a water supply path, and cold air cooled by a cooler is supplied to the ice making tray by a blower. The water supply container is provided with a magnet open / close valve that opens and closes a water supply port formed at the bottom, and the water supply port is normally closed by the open / close valve, and the magnet is energized when supplying ice-making water to the ice tray. On the other hand, a solenoid that generates a magnetic force in a direction in which the on-off valve opens the water supply port is provided, and the water supply path is heated by heat generated when the solenoid is energized.

  In a refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, ice making water is supplied from a water supply container to an ice tray of an automatic ice maker through a water supply path, and cold air cooled by a cooler is supplied to the ice tray by a blower. The water supply container is provided with an on-off valve that is normally kept in a closed state at the water supply port formed at the bottom of the water supply container, and when the water supply container is stored in the refrigerator, The portion is provided with a vertical water supply passage for guiding ice making water to the ice tray, and an operating member with a permanent magnet for opening and closing the on-off valve is housed in the water supply passage so as to be movable up and down. Is provided with a solenoid, and the actuating member is driven up to a position where the on-off valve is opened by energizing the solenoid.

  According to an eighth aspect of the invention, the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment are partitioned by a heat insulating partition wall so that the refrigerator compartment is located in the upper part of the refrigerator body, and the ice making water in the water supply container disposed in the refrigerator compartment is the heat insulating partition. In the refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, which is supplied to the ice tray of the automatic ice maker arranged in the lower freezing chamber through the water supply channel penetrating the wall, and the cold air cooled by the cooler is supplied to the ice tray by the blower, The water supply container is provided with an opening / closing valve that lowers the water supply port formed at the bottom of the water supply container by weight or spring bias and closes and raises the water supply port, and the water supply channel includes the water supply container. With a permanent magnet that opens and closes the on-off valve by forming a vertical water supply passage that opens through the heat insulating partition wall corresponding to the water supply opening and opens toward the upper surface of the ice tray when housed in a refrigerator The operating member is the water supply channel Vertically movably housed, the solenoid is provided surrounding the actuating member, characterized by increased driving said actuating member to a position opening said closing valve by energization of the solenoid.

  A ninth aspect of the present invention is the refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, wherein ice making water is supplied from a water supply container to an ice tray of an automatic ice maker, and cold air cooled by a cooler is supplied to the ice tray by a blower. A main tank portion having a volume for storing a large amount of ice-making water, and an amount of ice-making water sufficiently smaller than the main tank portion formed below the main tank portion and supplied with ice-making water from the main tank portion through a supply hole An auxiliary tank portion having a volume for storing a predetermined amount of water, and a water supply port formed at a bottom portion of the auxiliary tank portion is normally kept closed on the water supply container side. An on-off valve is provided, and a portion of the refrigerator main body directly below the water supply opening is provided with a vertical water supply path for guiding ice making water to the ice tray, and an operation member with a permanent magnet for opening and closing the on-off valve is the water supply The solenoid is provided around the actuating member so that the actuating member is driven up by the energization of the solenoid and is pushed up to a position where the on-off valve is opened. A refrigerator with an automatic ice making machine, wherein the supply hole is closed by an on-off valve.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the seventh to ninth aspects of the invention, the permanent magnet is arranged and configured in a direction in which a pair of permanent magnets spaced apart from each other are repelled from each other, and the solenoid and the permanent magnet Is a relationship of performing an action of driving up the operating member to a position where the on-off valve is opened by energization of the solenoid and a suppressing action of preventing the operating member from popping upward.

  In the first aspect of the invention, since the magnetism of the solenoid and the magnet of the on-off valve repel when energized to the solenoid and the on-off valve opens the water supply port of the water supply container, the connection lever that opens the on-off valve by the operation of the solenoid becomes unnecessary. The on-off valve mechanism for supplying ice making water from the container to the ice tray of the automatic ice making machine can be reduced in size, and the entire water supply device can be simplified.

  In the second invention, in addition to the effect of the first invention, the magnetic force of the solenoid can be effectively applied to the magnet of the on-off valve above it, so that the on-off valve is stably opened and closed. And since a solenoid is provided in the main body side of the refrigerator directly under an on-off valve in the state isolate | separated from the water supply container, a solenoid does not become the obstacle of taking in / out of a water supply container, and a structure is also simplified.

  In addition to the effects of the second invention, the third invention is a refrigerator in which the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment are partitioned by a heat insulating partition wall so that the refrigerator compartment is located in the upper part of the refrigerator body. In the case where the ice making water in the water supply container installed is supplied to the ice tray of the automatic ice making machine arranged in the freezer compartment through the water supply pipe penetrating the heat insulating partition wall, the solenoid is arranged in the heat insulating partition wall. As a result, the solenoid is not exposed to the refrigerator compartment or the freezer compartment, so that the solenoid is not exposed to water, and the heat generation of the solenoid is suppressed from being transmitted to the freezer compartment.

  The fourth invention is suitable for a mode in which the opening / closing valve closes the water supply port by the attractive force of the opening / closing valve having a magnet and an iron core and the magnet is provided in the water supply container. The opening / closing valve mechanism for supplying ice making water from the water supply container to the ice tray of the automatic ice making machine can be downsized.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a water supply path through which ice-making water is supplied from a water supply container to an ice tray of an automatic ice maker is secured on the central axis of the solenoid so that the solenoid is close to the on-off valve and the outer periphery of the water supply path Therefore, the relationship with the on-off valve is easily determined, and the configuration is suitable for incorporation into a refrigerator.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent water droplets remaining in the water supply path from being frozen due to heat generated when the solenoid is energized. For this reason, the electric heater for freezing prevention can also be omitted in the structure with a short water supply path. Note that the wattage of the electric heater can also be reduced when the water supply path becomes long and the heat generated by the solenoid is insufficient and an electric heater for preventing freezing is added.

  7th invention is equipped with the opening / closing valve of the state which normally closes the water supply opening formed in the bottom part of the auxiliary tank part in the water supply container side, and the solenoid part which is a drive part which opens and closes the said opening / closing valve is provided in the main body side of a refrigerator Therefore, there is no need for a connecting lever as in the prior art that opens the on-off valve by the operation of the solenoid, and the on-off valve mechanism that supplies ice-making water from the water supply container to the ice tray of the automatic ice maker can be downsized. The whole can be simplified. Further, the water supply container can be removed from the refrigerator while leaving the drive part of the on-off valve on the main body side of the refrigerator, and water can be poured into the water supply container without leakage of the residual water. And the operation member can be easily cleaned.

  In addition to the effects of the seventh aspect of the invention, the eighth invention is an automatic system provided in the lower freezer compartment through a water supply passage penetrating the heat insulating partition wall from the water supply vessel provided in the upper refrigerator compartment to the lower portion thereof. When applied to a configuration for supplying ice making water to an ice tray of an ice making machine, the on-off valve mechanism can be downsized and the entire water supply device can be simplified.

  In the ninth invention, in addition to the effect of the seventh invention, when the actuating member is driven up by energization to the solenoid and pushed up to the position where the on-off valve opens, the on-off valve pushed up from the main tank portion to the auxiliary tank Since the supply hole for supplying ice-making water to the section is closed, the water supply port formed at the bottom of the auxiliary tank section and the water supply path below the supply hole can be arranged substantially coaxially. The configuration is simplified. And since the on-off valve opens and closes the water supply port and the supply hole, the valve mechanism is simplified.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the seventh to ninth aspects, the opening / closing valve can be opened by raising the operating member and the upward jumping of the operating member can be suppressed, so that a stable on / off valve mechanism can be configured.

  According to the present invention, a water supply container disposed in a refrigerator compartment is provided with an on-off valve that opens and closes a water supply port formed at the bottom thereof, and this water supply port is normally closed by the gravity of the on-off valve and an additional force applied to the on-off valve. When the ice making water is supplied to the ice tray disposed in the freezer compartment, the solenoid that generates the magnetic force in the direction in which the on-off valve opens the water supply port is separated from the water supply container on the refrigerator body side. Examples of the present invention are described below.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. 1 is a front view of the refrigerator of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of the refrigerator main body of the present invention viewed from the front, FIG. 3 is a longitudinal side view of the refrigerator of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the water supply container of the present invention, FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of the open / close valve of the open / close valve mechanism of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is the open state of the open / close valve mechanism of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing.

  The refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment has a configuration in which a main body 2 having a front opening is partitioned to form a plurality of storage chambers, and the front surfaces of these storage chambers can be opened and closed by doors. The refrigerator main body 2 has a heat insulating structure in which a foam heat insulating material 2C is filled between an outer box (outer wall plate) 2A and an inner box (inner wall plate) 2B. In the refrigerator main body 2, a refrigerator compartment 3, a freezer compartment 5, and a vegetable compartment 4 are partitioned and provided from above.

  The front opening of the refrigerator compartment 3 is opened and closed by a revolving refrigerator door 10 that is rotated laterally by a hinge device on one side of the refrigerator body 2. The front opening of the vegetable compartment 4 is blocked by a pull-out door 11 that is drawn forward together with a vegetable container 15 supported so as to be able to be pulled out in the front-rear direction by a support device 18 using left and right rails and rollers provided in the vegetable compartment 4. Yes. The front opening of the freezer compartment 5 is closed at one side of the refrigerator body 2 by a pivotable door 12 that pivots laterally by a hinge device. The container supported so that it can be pulled out in the front-rear direction with respect to the provided left and right rails may be configured to be pulled out together with the door 12.

  20 is a refrigerant compressor for the refrigeration cycle, and 21 is a refrigerant condenser for the refrigeration cycle. Reference numeral 22 denotes an evaporating dish for evaporating defrosted water, which will be described later, by the heat of the condenser 21. The evaporating dish 22 is placed on the condenser 21 and can be pulled out from the lower front of the refrigerator body 2. The compressor 20, the condenser 21, and the evaporating dish 22 are installed in a machine room 23 provided in the lower part of the refrigerator body 2. Reference numeral 24 denotes a refrigerant evaporator (cooler) installed in a cooler chamber 26 formed on the back surface of the freezer compartment 5. A blower 25 circulates the cold air cooled by the evaporator (cooler) 24 to the freezer compartment 5, the refrigerator compartment 3, and the vegetable compartment 4. Reference numeral 27 denotes a glass tube heater for defrosting the evaporator (cooler) 24. The defrosted water in the evaporator (cooler) 24 is guided to the evaporating dish 22 through the drain pipe and is evaporated there.

  The refrigerating chamber 3 positioned at the upper part and the freezing chamber 5 positioned at the lower part thereof are partitioned by a heat insulating partition wall 28, and the heat insulating partition wall 28 is composed of an injection molded synthetic resin upper plate 29 and an injection molded synthetic resin. A heat insulating structure in which a heat insulating material 31 such as styrofoam previously formed into a predetermined shape is sandwiched between the lower plate 30 and the lower plate 30 is formed. Such a heat insulating partition wall 28 includes grooves formed in the front and rear direction on the left and right side walls of the inner box (inner wall plate) 2B of the refrigerator body 2, and a groove 2D having a front opening formed on the rear wall of the inner box (inner wall plate) 2B. It is the structure inserted in and attached from the front opening part of the refrigerator main body 2.

  Reference numeral 32 denotes a back wall member of the refrigerator compartment 3 disposed on the front side of the back wall of the refrigerator main body 2, which is configured by combining a synthetic resin back plate and a heat insulating material such as styrene foam attached to the back side thereof. A cold air supply passage 35 in the vertical direction is formed on the back side of the air flow, and a cold air passage 35A is formed on the left and right sides thereof.

  In the rear part of the heat insulating partition wall 28, a cold air supply passage 36 penetrating up and down the heat insulating partition wall 28 is formed. The cold air supply passage 36 has a lower portion serving as an introduction portion of the cold air supplied from the blower 25, and an upper portion thereof. The arrangement communicates with the cold air supply passage 35. A damper device 50 is attached to the cold air supply passage 36, and the damper device 50 operates to open and close the cold air supply passage 36 by the control circuit unit based on temperature sensing of a sensor that senses the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 3. The refrigerator compartment 3 is controlled to a predetermined temperature by the opening / closing operation of the damper device 50.

  Reference numeral 9 denotes a water supply container (also referred to as a water storage container) for storing ice-making water to be supplied to the automatic ice making machine 7 to be described later. The water supply container 9 is arranged in a small chamber 46 formed by partitioning the partition wall 45 in the refrigerator compartment 3. The front door 10 can be opened forward by opening. The water supply container 9 includes a tank body 9A having a rectangular upper surface opening and a cover 9B that detachably covers the upper surface opening. The cover 9B includes a water injection port 9D communicating with the inside of the tank body 9A, and the water injection port 9D is closed by a lid 9C that can be freely opened and closed. Water can be poured into the tank main body 9A by pulling out the water supply container 9 from the refrigerator 1 and opening the lid 9C, but the cover 9B may be removed.

  An ice making chamber 6 having a front opening is defined in the freezer compartment 3 by a partition plate 47, and an automatic ice making machine 7 is disposed in the upper portion of the ice making chamber 6. A container 8 is arranged. The automatic ice making machine 7 includes an ice tray 7B that is rotationally driven by an electric mechanism 7A. The ice making chamber 6 has its front opening opened by opening the door 12, and the ice storage container 8 can be taken out forward.

  The ice making water is supplied from the water supply container 9 to the ice making tray 7B of the automatic ice making machine 7 through the water supply pipe 51 by a natural dropping method. The ice tray 7B is a synthetic resin in which 8 to 12 square ices are made by dividing into a plurality of ice making chambers such as four rows, two rows, six rows and two rows with the longitudinal direction as the row direction. It is made. The ice storage container 8 is made of a white, transparent, translucent or other color synthetic resin, and has a box shape with a top opening that is longer than the left and right widths.

  In the refrigerator 1, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 20 is condensed by the condenser 21, then depressurized through an expansion valve or a capillary tube, evaporated by the evaporator (cooler) 24, and returned to the compressor 20, and again the compressor A refrigeration system that compresses at 20 and repeats the same circulation is configured. The cold air cooled by the evaporator (cooler) 24 is circulated by an air blower 25 as shown by an arrow. That is, the cold air sent out from the blower 25 is supplied from the cold air outlet 37 at the upper back wall of the freezer room 5 to the ice tray 7B of the freezer room 5 and the ice making room 6, and the cold air inlet 38 at the lower back wall of the freezer room 5 is supplied. Then, the refrigerant is returned to the cooler chamber 26 and circulated again by the evaporator (cooler) 24. Further, the cold air sent out from the blower 25 is supplied to the cold air supply passage 35 through the cold air supply passage 36, communicates with the cold air passages 35 </ b> A formed on the left and right sides of the cold air supply passage 35, and the back wall 32 of the refrigerator compartment 3. Is supplied to the refrigerator compartment 3 from the cold air outlet 39 formed in the above.

  The cold air supplied to the refrigerating room 3 is sucked from a cold air suction port 40 formed at one lower part of the back wall 32 of the refrigerating room 3 and flows downward through a cold air passage 41 formed at the rear of the freezing room 5. It blows out to the vegetable compartment 4 from the cold air outlet 42 opened at the rear part of the compartment 4. The cold air blown into the vegetable room 4 cools the vegetables in the vegetable container 15 and returns to the cooler room 26 from the cold air inlet 43 opened at the upper part of the vegetable room 4 or at the rear part of the vegetable room 4, and again the evaporator. (Cooler) circulates cooled by 24.

  The water supply container 9 has a water supply port 60 formed at the bottom of the tank body 9A, and includes an on-off valve mechanism P including an on-off valve 61 that opens and closes the water supply port 60 by vertical movement. The water supply port 60 has a circular cross section with a larger diameter at the upper part than the lower part so that the valve seat 62 is formed in the middle part. The surface is circular. The on-off valve 61 is provided with a permanent magnet 63 at the upper large diameter portion thereof, and the permanent magnet 63 is configured to be integrally held by molding the synthetic resin on-off valve 61. The on-off valve 61 includes an annular packing 64 in order to improve adhesion between the valve seat 62 and the valve seat 62.

  An ice making water receiving portion 65 for guiding the ice making water to the water supply pipe 51 is formed on the upper surface of the heat insulating partition wall 28. Specifically, the synthetic resin upper plate 29 is recessed. The ice making water receiving portion 65 is located at a position corresponding to the water supply opening 60 when the water supply container 9 is stored in a predetermined position in the refrigerator. A water supply pipe 51 is attached to the receiving portion 65 so as to pass through the heat insulating partition wall 28 at a position directly below the receiving portion 65. The lower end of the water supply pipe 51 is open at a position facing the ice making chamber of the ice tray 7B.

  66 is a solenoid that generates a magnetic force in a direction to open the water supply port 60 by raising the on-off valve 61 with respect to the magnet 63. A solenoid 66 having a coil wound in a cylindrical shape is disposed in the heat insulating material 31 of the heat insulating partition wall 28 directly below the ice making water receiving portion 65 and is embedded in the heat insulating material 31 on the outer periphery of the water supply pipe 51. It is the structure attached cylindrically. In this configuration, a water supply path for flowing ice-making water from the water supply port 60 through the water supply pipe 51 to the ice tray 7B is secured on the central axis M of the solenoid 66. As a typical configuration, The central axis of the water supply pipe 51 coincides with the central axis M of the solenoid 66, and the on-off valve 61 that opens and closes the water supply port 60 moves up and down on the central axis M. In the first embodiment, the central axis of the water supply port 60 and the central axis of the water supply pipe 51 coincide with the central axis M of the solenoid 66, whereby the on-off valve 61 that opens and closes the water supply port 60 moves up and down on the central axis M. Move. The energization control of the solenoid 66 is performed in association with the supply control of the ice making water to the automatic ice making machine 7 controlled by the control circuit unit provided in the refrigerator 1.

  If the weight of the on-off valve 61 is sufficient, the water supply port 60 can be satisfactorily closed by the weight. The on-off valve 61 may be in a state in which the water supply port 60 is closed by its own weight when the solenoid 66 is not energized, but if the water supply port 60 is not sufficiently closed only by its own weight, the on-off valve 61 A device for applying an additional force is provided. As one of them, in order to close the water supply port 60 by the on-off valve 61, an annular iron 70 is provided on the bottom wall of the tank body 9A as a magnetic body so as to surround the water supply port 60. The annular iron 70 is configured to be attached simultaneously with the molding of the synthetic resin tank body 9A. When the magnet 63 is attracted to the magnetic body 70, the water supply port 60 is preferably closed by the on-off valve 61.

  As another method for applying an additional force to the on-off valve 61, a spring 67 for closing the water supply port 60 by pressing the on-off valve 61 downward can be provided. Reference numeral 68 denotes two to four arc-shaped spring holding portions arranged at equal intervals in a circular shape on the bottom wall of the tank body 9 </ b> A of the water supply container 9. Normally, a coil spring whose upper end is locked to the spring holding portion 68. The on-off valve 61 is pressed downward by 67 and is in close contact with the valve seat 62 to close the water supply port 60. This state is shown in FIG.

  The magnet 63 is arranged with the S pole on the top and the N pole on the bottom. When the solenoid 66 is energized, the solenoid 66 generates a magnetic force line 69 in the repulsive direction. Since this repulsive force exceeds the attractive force between the magnetic body 70 and the magnet 63 and the pressing force of the opening / closing valve 61 by the spring 67, the opening / closing valve 61 rises while compressing the spring 67 to open the water supply port 60. This state is shown in FIG.

  The ice making operation of the automatic ice making machine 7 includes an ice making process and a deicing process controlled by a control circuit unit provided in the refrigerator 1. When the start switch is turned on, the ice making process is started, the solenoid 66 is energized for a predetermined time by the control circuit unit, and a predetermined amount of water is automatically supplied from the water supply container 9 to the ice tray 7B by natural fall. After this water supply, when a certain time has passed by the timer means of the control circuit unit, or when the ice tray sensor detects the lowered temperature of the ice tray 7B, the deicing process is started by the control circuit unit. Then, after the electric mechanism 7A is started and the ice tray 7B is reversed and twisted to drop the ice into the lower ice storage container 8, the ice tray 7B is returned, and the ice making operation cycle is started by supplying water again and entering the ice making process. Do.

  As a means for positioning the water supply container 9 at a position where the water supply port 60 corresponds to the ice receiving water receiving portion 65, an elastic member 75 attached to the synthetic resin upper plate 29 of the heat insulating partition wall 28 is formed at the bottom of the water supply container 9. It is the structure positioned by the latching | locking part 76 latched. Positioning of the water supply container 9 at a predetermined position in the refrigerator can also be achieved by adopting a configuration in which an elastic member having the same configuration as the elastic member 75 is engaged with the front portion of the water supply container 9. That is, an elastic member is provided that elastically locks to the front of the bottom of the water supply container 9 when the water supply opening 60 stores the water supply container 9 at a position corresponding to the ice-making water receiving portion 65. Other configurations can also be adopted.

  For safety, ice-making water is not supplied when the water supply container 9 is not stored at a predetermined position. That is, a switch is provided for detecting that the water supply container 9 is stored in a predetermined position corresponding to the ice making water receiving portion 65 in the water supply port 60, and this switch detects that the water supply container 9 is stored in the predetermined position. In this state, the ice making process and the deicing process are controlled by the control circuit unit provided in the refrigerator 1. For this reason, in a state where the water supply container 9 is removed from the refrigerator due to replenishment of water or the like, the ice making process does not start even when the start switch is turned on, and the solenoid 66 is not energized. Is not supplied.

  As described above, the water supply container 9 includes the on-off valve 61 that opens and closes the water supply port 60 formed at the bottom. Normally, the water supply port 60 is closed by the on-off valve 61, and the on-off valve 61 includes the magnet 63. When supplying ice making water to the ice tray 7B, a solenoid 66 is provided that generates a magnetic force in a direction in which the opening / closing valve 61 opens the water supply port 60 with respect to the magnet 63.

  The solenoid 66 is provided on the side of the refrigerator main body 2 directly below the on-off valve 61 in a state separated from the water supply container 9. When the water supply container 9 is attached or detached, the electrical connector is attached or removed and the solenoid 66 is in the way. Never become. Further, since the solenoid 66 is provided in the heat insulating material of the heat insulating partition wall 28 directly under the ice making water receiving portion 65, the solenoid 66 is not exposed to the refrigerating room 3 or the freezing room 5, and the solenoid 66 is not exposed to water. In addition, the heat generation of the solenoid 66 can be prevented from being transmitted to the freezer compartment 5. Further, the heat generated by the solenoid 66 heats the water supply pipe 51 constituting the water supply path of the ice making water, and thus acts as a freeze prevention heater for the water supply path of the ice making water, thereby preventing the remaining water droplets in the water supply pipe 51 from freezing. it can.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory sectional view as seen from the front side of the water supply container 9 in a state where the on-off valve mechanism P of the present invention according to the second embodiment is closed. The same functional parts as those in FIGS. 1 to 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The refrigerator 1 is the same as that shown in FIGS. Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of FIG. 8 will be described.

  The water supply container 9 is formed in a state in which a plurality of water supply ports 60 are arranged in a circular shape on the bottom wall portion of the tank body 9A, and the water supply port 60 is opened and closed by a vertical movement below the bottom wall of the tank body 9A. An open / close valve 61 is provided. The on-off valve 61 is provided with a permanent magnet 63 in a cylindrical portion extending upward of a valve body 61A made of synthetic resin, and an iron core 61B extending downward in a separated state with a gap 61C between the permanent magnet 63 and the lower portion. . 61D is an annular sealing material that seals the gap between the on-off valve 61 and the bottom wall of the tank body 9A, and is attached to the valve body 61A.

  The ice making water receiving portion 65 formed on the upper surface of the heat insulating partition wall 28 is integrally formed with the water supply pipe 51 that guides the ice making water to the ice tray 7B, and is surrounded by the annular wall 80 that is integrally formed with the water supply pipe 51 and protrudes upward. It is. The bottom wall of the tank main body 9A is formed with a cylindrical portion 81 projecting upward at the inner portion of the water supply port 60. The cylindrical portion 81 is a hollow having a lower surface opened and closed on the upper surface. The cylindrical part is fitted so that it can slide up and down. A magnetic body 82 serving as an adsorbent is attached to the cylindrical portion 81 so as to cover the upper portion of the cylindrical portion 81.

  Similarly to the above, the solenoid 66 is disposed in the heat insulating material 31 of the heat insulating partition wall 28 immediately below the ice making water receiving portion 65 and is attached to the outer periphery of the water supply pipe 51 while being embedded in the heat insulating material 31. It is. A water supply path is provided on the central axis M of the solenoid 66 from the water supply port 60 through the water supply pipe 51 to flow the ice making water to the ice tray 7B. The central axis 51 and the central axis M of the solenoid 66 coincide with each other, and the on-off valve 61 that opens and closes the water supply port 60 moves up and down on the central axis M.

  In this configuration, when the solenoid 66 is in a non-energized state, the permanent magnet 63 is attracted toward the adsorbent 82, so the on-off valve 61 is raised and the annular sealing material 61D is in close contact with the bottom wall of the tank body 9A. The on-off valve 61 is in a state where the water supply port 60 is closed. When the solenoid 66 is energized in this state, the iron core 61B and the permanent magnet 63 are attracted by the magnetic force of the solenoid 66, and this attraction force is superior to the attraction force between the permanent magnet 63 and the adsorbing body 82. Then, the opening / closing valve 61 opens the water supply port 60. When the solenoid 66 is in a non-energized state, the permanent magnet 63 is attracted toward the adsorbent 82 and the on-off valve 61 closes the water supply port 60. By such vertical movement of the on-off valve 61, ice-making water in the water supply container 9 is supplied to the ice tray 7B. The other refrigerator parts and ice making water supply control related to this are the same as in the first embodiment.

  An annular rib 83 is formed below the bottom wall of the tank body 9A so as to surround the water supply port 60 and close to the inside of the annular wall 80 to prevent the ice-making water falling from the water supply port 60 from scattering. 84 is a support rib in the front-rear direction formed outside the annular wall 80 and below the bottom wall of the tank main body 9A, and supports the water supply container 9 on the upper surface of the heat insulating partition wall 28 so as to be slidable. Reference numeral 85 denotes a protrusion formed on the lower side of the bottom wall of the tank main body 9 </ b> A, and is a portion that restricts the lowering position of the on-off valve 61 when the on-off valve 61 is opened.

  Next, Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described. 9 is an explanatory view of the refrigerator main body of the present invention as viewed from the front, FIG. 10 is a longitudinal side view of the refrigerator of the present invention, FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the water supply container of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 13 is an explanatory view with a section of the water supply container according to the present invention in a closed state, FIG. 14 is an explanatory view with a section of the water supply container according to the present invention in an opened state, and FIG. These are the perspective views of the action | operation member of this invention.

  9 to 15 according to the third embodiment, the same name portions as those in FIGS. 1 to 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals. Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the third embodiment will be described. In the freezer compartment 5, an ice making chamber 6 having a front opening that is kept at the freezing temperature on the left side by a partition plate 47 and a freezing compartment 5A that is kept at the freezing temperature on the right side are partitioned and formed in the ice making chamber 6. An automatic ice maker 7 is disposed, and an ice storage container 8 having an upper surface opening is disposed below the automatic ice maker 7. The ice storage container 8 is provided on the left and right side walls of the ice making chamber 6 and supported by the rail 6A so as to be drawn out in the front-rear direction. The automatic ice making machine 7 includes an ice tray 7B that is rotationally driven by an electric mechanism 7A. The ice making chamber 6 has its front opening opened by opening the door 12, and the ice storage container 8 can be taken out forward. The front opening of the ice making chamber 6 and the freezer compartment 5A may be configured to be openable and closable by separate doors.

  Reference numeral 9 denotes a water supply container (also referred to as a water storage container) for storing ice making water to be supplied to the automatic ice making machine 7 which will be described later. It is arranged in the formed small chamber 46, cooled by the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 3, and can be taken out forward with the handle 9S by opening the front door 10 of the refrigerator compartment 3.

  The ice making water is supplied from the water supply container 9 to the ice making tray 7B of the automatic ice making machine 7 through the water supply channel 51A by a natural drop method. The ice tray 7B is a synthetic resin in which 8 to 12 square ices are made by dividing into a plurality of ice making chambers such as four rows, two rows, six rows and two rows with the longitudinal direction as the row direction. It is made. The ice storage container 8 is made of a white, transparent, translucent or other color synthetic resin, and has a box shape with a top opening that is longer than the left and right widths.

  If the ice-making water in the water supply container 9 is simply supplied over a certain period of time, the amount of water supplied in a certain period of time varies greatly between when the water for ice-making in the water supply container 9 is full and when the water level drops. It is not preferable.

  In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides a configuration in which the supply time of ice making water required for one ice making is relatively short and the fluctuation of the supply amount is small even if a constant time supply method is adopted. For this reason, the auxiliary tank unit 9C is provided in the water supply container 9, and the auxiliary tank unit 9C stores ice making water in an amount required for one to several times of ice making by the automatic ice making machine 7. The amount required for one ice making is a specified amount of water that makes the ice tray 7B almost full.

  The water supply container 9 of the present invention is close to or substantially in close contact with the front, rear, left and right walls of the tank body 9A so as to close the upper surface opening of the tank body 9A having a rectangular upper surface opening that is longer than the width. A main tank container 9B having an upper opening is fitted into the upper part of the tank body 9A, and an outward flange 9P formed at the upper end of the main tank container 9B is placed on the step part 9Q on the inner surface of the tank body 9A. 9B is held in a state of floating in the tank body 9A, and the main tank container 9B is detachable from the tank body 9A. As a result, the main tank container 9B forms a main tank part, and an auxiliary tank part 9C whose upper surface is closed by the main tank container 9B is formed on the inner bottom part of the tank body 9A. As will be described later, the auxiliary tank portion 9C has a volume for storing ice-making water necessary for one to three ice-making operations, and is also a portion that supplies ice-making water for each time.

  In addition, the water supply container 9 is closed by a cover 9D in which the upper surface opening of the main tank container 9B is removable. The cover 9D is a combination in which a downward groove 9T formed in the peripheral edge of the lower surface is detachably fitted to the upper end of the tank body 9A, and the cover 9D is configured to be fastened to the tank body 9A by a detachable hook device 9R. The water supply container 9 includes an air passage 9E so as to supply air to the auxiliary tank portion 9C. This is because a recess 9E1 penetrating vertically is formed in the rear part of the main tank container 9B, and an air passage 9E is formed between the tank main body 9A and the main tank container 9B. A configuration in which a pipe penetrating the wall and communicating with the space above the main tank container 9B and the auxiliary tank portion 9C may be employed.

  A small-diameter supply hole 9H is formed in the bottom wall of the main tank container 9B in order to naturally supply ice making water in the main tank container 9B to the auxiliary tank portion 9C. With the upper surface opening of the main tank container 9B closed by a cover 9D having a water injection port 9K, the upper end opening of the air passage 9E communicates with the space above the main tank container 9B. The water inlet 9K is in a state of being closed by an openable / closable lid 9M which is a part of the cover 9D. Water can be injected into the main tank container 9B by pulling out the water supply container 9 from the refrigerator 1 and opening the lid 9M, but can also be performed by removing the cover 9D.

  When the cover 9D is attached to the tank main body 9A, the water supply container 9 is inserted into the small chamber 46 by sliding on the heat insulating partition wall 28, so that the water supply container 9 is fitted into the concave portion of the synthetic resin upper plate 29 and held at a predetermined position. The The predetermined position holding mechanism of the water supply container 9 is stable by adopting a configuration in which an elastic member slightly projecting upward from the synthetic resin upper plate 29 of the heat insulating partition wall 28 is engaged with an engaging part at the bottom of the water supply container 9. The elastic member is pushed downward by pulling the water supply container 9 forward against the elastic member, and the water supply container 9 can be pulled out from the small chamber 46.

  When the water supply container 9 is locked to the elastic member and held at a predetermined position, a switch provided on the inner side of the back wall 32 of the refrigerator compartment 3 is turned on. An ice making cycle described later can be started.

  The water supply container 9 has a circular water supply port 60 formed at the bottom of the auxiliary tank portion 9C at a position directly below the supply hole 9H on the bottom wall of the main tank container 9B, and is made of a synthetic resin that opens and closes the water supply port 60 by vertical movement. The on-off valve mechanism P provided with the on-off valve 61 is provided. The opening / closing valve 61 is formed with a valve portion 61A for opening / closing the supply hole 9H on the bottom wall of the main tank container 9B at the upper portion thereof, and the valve portion 61A is fitted in a conical spreading seat portion formed at the lower end of the supply hole 9H. Make a dome shape to fit. The on-off valve 61 is formed with a circular projecting portion that enters the water supply port 60 on the lower surface thereof, and an O-ring-shaped annular seal packing 64 is provided around the circular projecting portion. And the adhesion between the peripheral portion of the water supply port 60 are improved. In order to guide the up-and-down movement of the on-off valve 61, a plurality of guide pieces 95 are arranged at equal intervals around the on-off valve 61 from the bottom of the auxiliary tank portion 9C.

  The on-off valve 61 may be of a type that closes the water supply port 60 by its own weight. However, if the closing function of the water supply port 60 is weak, the on / off valve 61 may be lowered by the bias of the spring 65 to close the water supply port 60. . The spring 65 fits into a groove formed around the dome-shaped valve portion 61 </ b> A and is held by the on-off valve 61.

  When the water supply container 9 is stored in the refrigerator 1, at a position directly below the water supply port 60, the heat insulating partition wall 28 is vertically penetrated in the vertical direction so as to open toward the upper surface of the ice tray 7 </ b> B. A water supply channel 51A in the vertical direction is formed. The lower end of the water supply channel 51A opens to a position facing one of the ice making chambers on the rear side of the ice tray 7B. The water supply channel 51A is formed by a water supply pipe 51 having an ice making water receiving portion 65 that spreads in a funnel shape so that the receiving of the ice making water flowing down from the water supply port 60 is good. It is fixed by adhesion in a through pipe portion 29A integrally formed with the synthetic resin upper plate 29 so as to penetrate the heat insulating partition wall 28. The water supply pipe 51 forming the water supply path 51 </ b> A having a circular cross section is in a state of slightly protruding below the heat insulating partition wall 28.

  The on-off valve 61 is opened and closed by an operating member 90 with a permanent magnet 63 housed in the water supply channel 51A so as to be movable up and down. The permanent magnet 63 is configured in a direction in which a pair of permanent magnets 63A and 63B that are spaced apart from each other are repelled from each other, and as an example, the permanent magnets 63A and 63B are disposed with the S poles facing each other. Has been.

  A solenoid 66 is provided around the operating member 90 so as to correspond to the permanent magnets 63A and 63B. The solenoid 66 is held by a holder 68 and fitted to the outside of the through pipe portion 29A so as to be positioned around the water supply channel 51A in a state of being housed in the recess 30A of the synthetic resin lower plate 30 of the heat insulating partition wall 28, The holder 93 is fixed to the synthetic resin lower plate 30 with screws 94. The energization control to the solenoid 66 is performed in connection with the supply control of the ice making water to the automatic ice making machine 7 controlled by the control circuit unit provided in the refrigerator 1.

  As will be described later, when the operating member 90 is raised and the on-off valve 61 is opened, a flow-down passage for ice-making water is formed between the periphery of the operating member 90 and the water supply pipe 51. Therefore, a lower member 90B having a circular cross section having a circular cross section smaller than the inner diameter of the water supply pipe 51 having a circular cross section, and an upper member having a circular cross section coupled to the upper end of the lower member 90B. 90A, the upper member 90A has an outer shape that is locked to a portion of the ice-making water receiving portion 65 of the water supply channel 51A, and the lower member 90B has a shape that gradually decreases in outer shape. The upper permanent magnet 63A is held by the upper member 90A, and the lower permanent magnet 63B is held by the lower member 90B.

  The upper end portion of the upper member 90A of the operating member 90 forms a dome-shaped convex portion 90C that fits into the conical concave portion 61B formed on the lower surface of the on-off valve 61, and the convex portion 90C is the concave portion 61B. The operation of opening the on-off valve 61 upward becomes accurate by entering.

  The lower end of the actuating member 90 looks into the lower end of the water supply channel 51A in a slightly projecting state, and prevents the ice making water flowing down from flowing down to accurately guide the ice making water to a predetermined ice making chamber of the ice making tray 7B. Yes. Therefore, the lower end portion of the operating member 90 is formed in a tapered shape. More specifically, the lower end portion of the lower member 90B has a tip shape reduced in a conical shape toward the center thereof, and a plurality of recesses 90D whose depths become deeper downward are formed on the outer surface. The upper and lower ribs 90E formed at intervals and formed between the recesses 90D have a shape converged at the center of the conical tip.

  With such a shape, the ice making water flowing down the water supply channel 51A formed around the operating member 90 flows down while adhering to the peripheral surface of the operating member 90, and the ice making water is formed by the rib 90E at the place where the water supply channel 51A exits. Is turned off and flows downward through the depression 90D, so that the ice making water can be accurately guided to a predetermined ice making chamber of the ice tray 7B.

  In order to prevent the remaining water in the water supply passage 51A from freezing, the heat generated by the solenoid 66 is transmitted to the water supply passage 51A. For this reason, the aluminum foil 72 as the heat conductive layer 72 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the through pipe portion 29 </ b> A, and the heat generated by the solenoid 66 is transmitted into the water supply channel 51 </ b> A through the aluminum foil 72.

  At the bottom of the main tank container 9B, a filter 92 is detachably held by a holding rib 91 formed in the main tank container 9B so as to cover the supply hole 9H of the main tank container 9B. The main tank container 9B is in a mounted state in which the outward flange 9P is locked to the step portion 9Q of the tank body 9A, and therefore can be removed from the tank body 9A by removing the cover 9D. For this reason, the inside of the tank main body 9A including the auxiliary tank portion 9C can be cleaned, and the filter 92 can be removed, so that the inner and outer surfaces of the main tank container 9B can be easily cleaned. Furthermore, since the on-off valve 61 can be removed, the inside of the water supply container 9 can be easily cleaned.

  FIG. 13 shows a state in which the solenoid 66 is not energized, the on-off valve 61 is lowered and the water supply port 60 is closed. In this state, when the solenoid 66 is energized, an S pole is formed on the solenoid 66 and an N pole is formed on the bottom of the solenoid 66, and the operating member 90 is driven upward by the interaction with the permanent magnets 63A and 63B of the operating member 90. The on-off valve 61 is pushed upward by the member 90 to compress the spring 67 and the on-off valve 61 opens the water supply port 60. The on-off valve 61 opens the water supply port 60 and closes the supply hole 9H on the bottom wall of the upper main tank container 9B by the valve portion 61A. This state is shown in FIG. The relationship between the solenoid 66 and the permanent magnets 63 </ b> A and 63 </ b> B is such that the on-off valve 61 performs an attracting action to drive the operating member 90 up so as to open the water supply port 60. This is a relationship of performing a suppressing action so as to prevent the operating member 90 from popping out upward by the interaction of 63A and 63B. The permanent magnets 63A and 63B may be arranged so that the N poles face each other, and the solenoid 66 may be configured such that the N pole is formed on the upper side and the S pole is formed on the lower side when the solenoid 66 is energized.

  The auxiliary tank unit 9C stores ice-making water required for one ice making, and if the entire amount for one time is supplied to the ice-making tray 7B quickly, there is no problem, but it is difficult to supply the final several cubic centimeters properly. There is a case. In order to supply water properly up to the final amount of several cubic centimeters, the inner bottom surface of the auxiliary tank portion 9C is increased toward the water supply port for ice-making water provided at the bottom of the water supply container 9 (water supply port 60 described later). Although there is a method of inclining, when the internal volume of the water supply container 9 is not reduced, the height of the water supply container 9 is increased by this steep inclination. For example, the upper space of the water supply container 9 is placed in a storage part for other articles. In the configuration used for the above, the height of the upper space is reduced, and a predetermined article cannot be stored.

  Further, the height of the water supply container 9 may be limited depending on the structure of the refrigerator. In this case, in order to put a predetermined amount of water into the water supply container 9, the plane area of the water supply container 9 is increased. The amount of water required for one ice making is a specified amount of water that makes the ice tray 7B almost full. However, the amount of water for ice making required for one ice making makes it difficult to obtain the head (water level). There is a way to increase the water supply time in order to supply water to the last several cubic centimeters properly, but this makes the ice making time substantially longer, which is more efficient. Good ice making cannot be achieved.

  Therefore, even when the height of the water supply container 9 is restricted, it is desirable that the ice making water required for one ice making can be properly supplied within a predetermined time to suppress a decrease in ice making efficiency. In order to solve this problem, in the present invention, a certain amount of water head (water level) can be obtained by storing the amount of ice making water required for several ice making operations by the automatic ice making machine 7 in the auxiliary tank portion 9C. Therefore, even when the ice making water in the water supply container 9 is supplied in a certain period of time, the supply time for ice making water required for one ice making can be made relatively short, and the supply amount fluctuation is considered to be small. Can do.

  In this case, since the flow rate of the ice making water supplied from the water supply port 60 to the ice tray 7B depends on the water level of the auxiliary tank unit 9C, when the auxiliary tank unit 9C has a capacity for storing a large amount of ice making water. After the main tank container 9B is emptied, the fluctuation in the flow rate of the ice making water between the high level and the low level of the auxiliary tank 9C becomes large, and the ice making water supplied to the ice tray 7B is increased. The fluctuation of the amount becomes large, which is not preferable. For this reason, the amount of water for ice making required for one ice making may be stored in the auxiliary tank portion 9C. However, since the water level is low as described above, problems such as a long time for supplying ice making water become long.

  In order to solve this, as described above, in order to reduce the supply amount fluctuation supplied from the auxiliary tank unit 9C even when the ice making water is supplied within a certain time by the timer control, In the auxiliary tank portion 9C, an amount of ice making water required for several times of ice making by the automatic ice making machine 7 is stored. In the above embodiment, three times the amount of ice making water required for one ice making is 80 cubic cm, that is, less than four times of ice making so as to secure the amount of water for ice making required for three times of ice making. I try to store cubic centimeters. As a result, water can be supplied in a state in which the amount of supplied water is less variable.

  As described above, the auxiliary tank section 9C has a larger amount of water for ice making than that required for one ice making by the automatic ice making machine 7 after the main tank container 9B is emptied and the ice making water supplied from the supply hole 9H is exhausted. It has a capacity to store the amount of ice making water required for ice making several times. Specifically, when the main tank container 9B is emptied by the ice making operation and the ice making water supplied from the supply hole 9H is exhausted, the auxiliary tank unit 9C has a larger amount of water for ice making than that required for three ice making operations. Store much less than 4 times of ice making. If the amount of ice making water necessary for ice making operation four times or more is stored, the water level becomes high, and the decrease in the amount of water supply due to a change in the water level that decreases with each supply of ice making water becomes large. Then, since the main tank container 9B is emptied by the ice making operation and the ice making water supplied from the supply hole 9H disappears, the amount of ice making water required for one ice making operation is supplied from the auxiliary tank portion 9C for each ice making operation. However, even when 80 cubic centimeters, which is the last water for ice making, is supplied by the ice making operation, the volume of the auxiliary tank portion is set so that an amount smaller than the amount of water for ice making remains in the auxiliary tank portion 9C. Therefore, the last water supply for ice making can be supplied properly.

  The ice making operation of the automatic ice making machine 7 includes an ice making process and a deicing process controlled by a control circuit unit provided in the refrigerator 1. When a sufficient amount of ice-making water is injected into the water supply container 9 and stored in a predetermined position of the refrigerator, the ice-making process starts when the ice-making start switch is turned on manually. 66 is energized for a predetermined time, the operating member 90 is raised, the on-off valve 61 opens the water supply port 60, and a predetermined amount of ice making water required for one ice making from the auxiliary tank portion 9C to the ice tray 7B automatically falls due to natural fall. Water is supplied.

  Ice making is performed by the control circuit unit after this water supply, and when a certain period of time has elapsed by the timer means of the control circuit unit, or when the ice tray sensor detects the temperature at which the ice tray 7B has lowered the formation of ice, The deicing process is started by the control circuit unit, the electric mechanism 7A is started, the ice tray 7B is reversed and twisted, the ice in the ice tray 7B is dropped into the ice storage container 8 below, and then the ice tray 7B is returned. The ice making operation cycle is started by supplying water again and entering the ice making process.

  The ice-making water in the main tank container 9B is supplied from the supply hole 9H to the auxiliary tank unit 9C by natural fall. The inner diameter (cross-sectional area) of the supply hole 9 </ b> H is considerably smaller than the inner diameter (cross-sectional area) of the water supply port 60. The supply hole 9H assists the ice-making water in the main tank container 9B with an ice-making water supply speed that is sufficiently slower than the ice-making water supply speed at which the on-off valve 61 opens and supplies ice-making water from the water supply port 60 to the ice tray 7B. It is formed in a size suitable for dropping and supplying to the tank portion 9C. As an example, the inner diameter (cross-sectional area) of the supply hole 9H is a hole having a diameter of 3 mm. Therefore, per unit time, the amount of ice-making water supplied from the supply hole 9H is sufficiently smaller than the amount of ice-making water supplied from the water supply port 60 to the ice-making tray 7B, and the time until the auxiliary tank unit 9C is full is several. Minutes, set to about 2 minutes.

  The time until the auxiliary tank portion 9C becomes full is determined by the automatic ice making machine 7 after the predetermined ice making process is completed and the deicing process is performed, and a predetermined amount of ice making water necessary for the next ice making process is supplied. As described above, the opening / closing valve 61 is opened and is sufficiently longer than the time for supplying ice-making water when the water is supplied from the water supply port 60 to the ice tray 7B, and is shorter than the time required for the ice making process. If the time until the auxiliary tank portion 9C becomes full is too long, there is a problem. That is, when the main tank container 9B is empty or the amount of water for making ice in the auxiliary tank portion 9C becomes insufficient, the water supply container 9 is taken out of the refrigerator 1 and the cover 9D is opened to enter the main tank container 9B. Ice making water is injected, but the ice making water in the main tank container 9B is supplied to the auxiliary tank portion 9C through the supply hole 9H, and the auxiliary tank portion 9C stores a predetermined amount of ice making water necessary for one ice making process. Time becomes too long, the waiting time until the ice making process is started becomes long, and adaptability becomes worse in summer when a lot of ice is required. Considering these, the size of the supply hole 9H is set so as to be an appropriate time.

  As described above, when ice-making water is supplied from the water supply port 60 to the ice tray 7B by opening the on-off valve 61, the ice-making water in the main tank container 9B falls from the supply hole 9H. Since the amount of ice-making water supplied from the water supply port 60 to the ice-making tray 7B is not adversely affected by the ice-making water falling from the supply hole 9H because it is extremely small compared to the amount supplied from the mouth 60 to the ice-making tray 7B. . For this reason, the energization time for the solenoid 66 is sufficient if the amount of time required for one ice-making water stored in the auxiliary tank portion 9C to be supplied to the ice-making tray 7B can be secured.

  As one example, the specified water storage amount of the main tank container 9B is 850 cubic cm, the specified water storage amount of the auxiliary tank portion 9C is 200 cubic cm, and the amount of ice making water required for one ice making is 80 cubic cm. It is. Further, the diameter of the supply hole 9H is 3 mm, the water supply time to the ice tray 7B is 20 seconds, and it takes about 100 minutes for the predetermined ice to be formed on the ice tray 7B after being supplied to the ice tray 7B. The supply time of the ice making water amount required for one ice making supplied from the main tank container 9B through the supply hole 9H is set to about 2 minutes. As a result, the solenoid valve 66 opens the water supply port 60 by energizing the solenoid 66 for a predetermined time at the beginning of the ice making process, and the amount of ice making water required for one ice making is supplied from the auxiliary tank portion 9C to the ice making tray 7B. During the ice making process, ice making water is supplied from the main tank container 9B through the supply hole 9H to supply the specified amount of water to the auxiliary tank portion 9C for the next ice making process, thereby enabling a smooth ice making cycle. Can be achieved.

  When the on-off valve 61 is opened, since a sufficient amount of air is supplied from the air passage 9E to the auxiliary tank 9C, the supply of ice-making water from the water supply port 60 to the ice tray 7B is smooth. The shortage of ice making water in the auxiliary tank 9C is supplemented by supplying ice making water in the main tank container 9B to the auxiliary tank 9C through the supply hole 9H. When the specified amount of water accumulates in the auxiliary tank portion 9C, ice making water also enters the air passage 9E, and its level is the same as the ice making water level L of the main tank container 9B.

  The present invention is a refrigerator with an automatic ice making machine, but the arrangement relationship between the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment is not limited to the above-described form, and can be applied to various refrigerator forms without departing from the technical scope of the present invention. .

It is a front view of this invention refrigerator. (Example 1) It is explanatory drawing which looked at the refrigerator main body of this invention from the front. (Example 1) It is a vertical side view of this invention refrigerator. (Example 1) It is sectional drawing of the water storage container installation part of this invention. (Example 1) It is a perspective view of the water storage container of the present invention. (Example 1) It is explanatory drawing of the state which the on-off valve of the on-off valve mechanism of this invention closed. (Example 1) It is explanatory drawing of the state which the on-off valve of the on-off valve mechanism of this invention opened. (Example 1) It is explanatory drawing seen from the front side of the water supply container of the state where the on-off valve mechanism of this invention was closed. (Example 2) It is explanatory drawing which looked at the refrigerator main body of this invention from the front. Example 3 It is a vertical side view of this invention refrigerator. Example 3 It is a perspective view of the water supply container of this invention. Example 3 It is a disassembled perspective view of the water supply container and water supply channel part of this invention. Example 3 It is explanatory drawing by the cross section of the state which the on-off valve of the water supply container of this invention closed. Example 3 It is explanatory drawing by the cross section of the state which the on-off valve of the water supply container of this invention opened. Example 3 It is a perspective view of the action | operation member of this invention. Example 3

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Refrigerator 2 ... Refrigerator main body 3 ... Refrigeration room 4 ... Vegetable room 5 ... Freezing room 6 ... Ice making room 7 ... Automatic ice making machine 7B ... Ice making plate 8 ... · Ice storage container 9 · · · Water storage container 9A · · Tank body 9B · · Main tank container 9C · · Measuring tank section 9D · · Cover 9E · · Air pipe 9F · · Suction side pipe 9J · · Suction side pipe suction port 9H ·· Supply hole 24 ·· Cooler 25 ·· Blower 28 ·· Insulation partition wall of refrigerator compartment and freezer compartment 29 ·· Top plate of insulation partition wall 30 ·· Lower plate of insulation partition wall 31 ·· Insulation material 51・ ・ Water supply pipe 51A ・ ・ Water supply channel 60 ・ ・ Water supply port 61 ・ ・ Open / close valve 61B ・ ・ Iron core 63 ・ ・ Magnet 63A, 63B ・ ・ Permanent magnet 65 ・ ・ Receiving part for ice making water 66 ・ ・ Solenoid 67 ・ ・ Spring 70 .. Magnetic material 72 .. Heat conduction layer (aluminum Beam foil)
82..Magnetic body 90..Operating member 90A..Upper member of actuating member 90B..Lower member of actuating member 90C..Convex portion of actuating member 90D..Depression of actuating member 90E..Rib of actuating member

Claims (10)

  In a refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, ice-making water is supplied from a water supply container to an ice tray of an automatic ice maker, and cold air cooled by a cooler is supplied to the ice making tray by a blower.The water supply container has a water supply opening formed at the bottom. An on-off valve that opens and closes, the water supply port is normally closed by the on-off valve, the on-off valve is provided with a magnet, and the on-off valve is provided to the magnet when supplying ice-making water to the ice tray. A refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, wherein a solenoid that generates a magnetic force in a direction to open the water supply port is provided.   In the refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, ice making water is supplied from the water supply container to the ice making tray of the automatic ice maker, and the cold air cooled by the cooler is supplied to the ice making tray by the blower. A magnet opening / closing valve that moves up and down to open and close the water supply inlet when descending, and a magnetic force repelling the magnet to raise the opening / closing valve when supplying ice making water to the ice tray The water supply container is detachable at a position corresponding to a receiving portion of ice making water for supplying ice making water to an automatic ice making machine provided in the refrigerator. A refrigerator with an automatic ice making machine, which is provided on the main body side of the refrigerator directly below the on-off valve in a state separated from a water supply container.   The refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment are partitioned by a heat insulating partition wall so that the refrigerator compartment is located in the upper part in the refrigerator body, and the water supply pipe through which the ice making water of the water supply container disposed in the refrigerator compartment penetrates the heat insulating partition wall In the refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, which is supplied to an ice tray of an automatic ice maker disposed in the freezer compartment at the bottom, and the cold air cooled by a cooler is supplied to the ice tray by a blower, the water supply container is A water supply opening formed on the bottom of the water supply opening that is detachable from the refrigerator and that opens and closes the water supply opening to close the water supply opening is provided, and the water supply container is provided on the heat insulating partition wall. Is provided in the position corresponding to the water supply opening when the ice making water is received in the refrigerator, the ice making water receiving portion for guiding the ice making water to the water supply pipe is provided, and the ice making water is supplied to the ice tray with respect to the magnet. Raise the on-off valve The refrigerator with automatic ice maker, characterized in that provided in the heat insulating partition wall immediately below the receiving portion of the ice making water a solenoid for generating the water supply open mouth direction of the magnetic force by.   In a refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, ice-making water is supplied from a water supply container to an ice tray of an automatic ice maker, and cold air cooled by a cooler is supplied to the ice making tray by a blower.The water supply container has a water supply opening formed at the bottom. An open / close valve that opens and closes, the open / close valve includes a magnet and an iron core, and the water supply port is closed by the open / close valve by the suction force of the magnet with a magnetic body provided in the water supply container; A refrigerator with an automatic ice making machine, wherein a solenoid is provided that generates a magnetic force such that the opening / closing valve opens the water supply port with respect to the iron core when supplying ice-making water to the iron core.   In the refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, ice-making water is supplied from the water supply container to the ice tray of the automatic ice maker through the water supply path, and the cold air cooled by the cooler is supplied to the ice tray by the blower. The on-off valve with a magnet for opening and closing the water supply port formed in the above is normally, the water supply port is closed by the on-off valve, and when the ice making water is supplied to the ice tray, the on-off valve is connected to the magnet. A refrigerator with an automatic ice making machine, wherein a solenoid for generating a magnetic force in a direction to open the water supply port is provided, and the water supply path is secured on a central axis of the solenoid.   In the refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, ice-making water is supplied from the water supply container to the ice tray of the automatic ice maker through the water supply path, and the cold air cooled by the cooler is supplied to the ice maker by a blower. An on-off valve with a magnet for opening and closing the formed water supply port, and the water supply port is normally closed by the on-off valve, and when the ice making water is supplied to the ice tray, the on-off valve is energized with respect to the magnet by energization Provided with a solenoid that generates a magnetic force in a direction to open the water supply port, and the water supply path is heated by heat generated when the solenoid is energized.   In the refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, ice-making water is supplied from the water supply container to the ice tray of the automatic ice maker through the water supply path, and the cold air cooled by the cooler is supplied to the ice tray by the blower. An open / close valve that is normally kept in a state in which a water supply opening formed at the bottom of the water supply container is closed; and when the water supply container is housed in the refrigerator, a portion on the refrigerator main body directly below the water supply opening has the ice tray A water supply path in the vertical direction for guiding ice-making water is provided, and an operating member with a permanent magnet for opening and closing the on-off valve is accommodated in the water supply path so as to be vertically movable, and a solenoid is provided around the operating member. A refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, wherein the actuating member is driven up to a position where the on-off valve is opened by energizing the solenoid.   The refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment are partitioned by a heat insulating partition wall so that the refrigerator compartment is located in the upper part in the refrigerator body, and the water supply channel through which the ice making water of the water supply container disposed in the refrigerator compartment penetrates the heat insulating partition wall In the refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, which is supplied to the ice tray of an automatic ice maker disposed in the freezer compartment below through the cooler cooled by the cooler and supplied to the ice tray by a blower, A water supply port formed at the bottom of the water supply container is provided with an opening / closing valve that lowers by weight or spring bias and opens the water supply port by closing and lifting, and the water supply path includes the water supply container housed in the refrigerator An operation member with a permanent magnet that opens and closes the on-off valve is formed by forming an up and down direction water supply passage that passes through the heat insulating partition wall corresponding to the water supply opening and opens toward the upper surface of the ice tray. Move up and down The stored, the solenoid is provided surrounding the actuating member, a refrigerator with automatic ice maker, characterized by increased driving said actuating member to a position opening said closing valve by energization of the solenoid.   In a refrigerator equipped with an automatic ice maker, ice making water is supplied from a water supply container to an ice making tray of an automatic ice making machine, and cold air cooled by a cooler is supplied to the ice making tray by a blower. The water supply container stores a main amount of ice making water. A main tank portion having a volume to be stored, and a volume that is formed below the main tank portion and that stores a sufficiently small amount of ice making water than the main tank portion to which ice making water is supplied from the main tank portion through a supply hole. An auxiliary tank part having a volume in which a specified full water amount is stored, and a water supply port formed at the bottom of the auxiliary tank part is provided on the water supply container side, and an on-off valve maintained in a normally closed state, A portion of the refrigerator main body directly below the water supply opening is provided with a vertical water supply channel that guides ice-making water to the ice tray, and an operating member with a permanent magnet that opens and closes the on-off valve moves up and down in the water supply channel. A solenoid is provided around the actuating member, and the actuating member is driven upward by energization of the solenoid to be pushed up to a position where the on-off valve is opened. A refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, characterized in that the supply hole is closed.   The permanent magnet is disposed and configured in a direction in which a pair of permanent magnets spaced apart from each other repel each other, and the solenoid and the permanent magnet are moved to a position where the on-off valve is opened by energizing the solenoid. The refrigerator with an automatic ice making machine according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the refrigerator has a relationship of performing an upward driving action and a suppressing action for preventing the operating member from protruding upward.

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