JP2005308323A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator comprising a water softening means easily assembleable and replaceable at a low cost. <P>SOLUTION: This refrigerator comprises a refrigeration chamber 3, a freezing chamber 4, a water supply tank 6 composed of a water storage tank 13 mounted on the refrigeration chamber 3 and opened at its upper face and a tank cover 12 covering an opening part of the water storage tank, a retention member 15 formed at an upstream part of a suction pipe 8 for sending the water to a pump, of a tank cover 12 member, a water purifying means 20 and the water softening means 21 accommodated in the retention member 15, a water softening means holding part 22 mounted at an upper part in the retention member 15 and holding the water softening means 21, and an ice making means 10 mounted in the freezing chamber 4. As the water softening means 21 is composed of an ion-exchange resin 23 covered by a filter 24 composed of water permeable non-woven fabric, a conventional filter fixing member for vertically mounting the filter becomes unnecessary, thus the number of components can be reduced and a cost can be reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator provided with an ice making device for supplying water from a water supply tank to ice making means by a water supply pump.

  Conventionally, this type of refrigerator has an ion exchange function member attached to a water supply tank in order to remove minerals that cause ice turbidity and make ice with high transparency (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ).

  Hereinafter, the conventional refrigerator will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 7 shows a conventional refrigerator described in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the refrigerator main body 101 forms a refrigerator compartment 102 and a freezer compartment 103 by a heat insulating box. The refrigerating chamber 102 includes a water supply tank 104, a water supply pump 105 disposed in the vicinity of the water supply tank 104, a piping path 106 connecting the outlet of the water supply pump 105 and the freezing chamber 103, and an outlet section of the piping path 106 in the freezing chamber 103. It is comprised from the ice tray 107 arrange | positioned in proximity to. The water supply tank 104 is composed of a lower tank portion 108 and an upper tank cover 109. The tank cover 109 is connected to the open water supply port 110, the water softening device 111 disposed on the water supply port side, and the water supply pump 105. The pipe 112 and the water purifier 113 attached to the inlet of the suction pipe 112 so that the lower part is positioned near the bottom of the tank 108 are configured.

  The operation of the refrigerator configured as described above will be described below.

  In order to supply water to the water supply tank 104, the water supply tank 104 is taken out of the refrigerator compartment 102, and water is supplied to the water supply tank 104 from the water replenishment port 110. Here, the tank cover 109 of the water supply tank 104 can be removed, and by removing the tank cover 109, the water softening device 111 can be attached and detached. The water supplied to the water replenishing port 110 is softened by passing through the water softening device 111 and stored in the tank unit 104.

The stored water supply tank 104 is returned to the refrigerator compartment 102 and connected to the water supply pump 105. When ice making is started, the water supply pump 105 is operated for a predetermined time, and the softened water in the water supply tank 104 is purified by passing through the water purifier 113, and the purified water passes through the suction pipe 112 to supply water. It is discharged to the piping path 106 by the pump 105 and supplied to the ice tray 107 in the freezer compartment 103. The water supplied to the ice tray 107 begins to freeze due to the cold air in the freezer compartment 103. When ice making is completed, the ice is released, and the water supply pump 105 is operated again to supply water to the ice tray 107 and start ice making.
JP 2002-48445 A

  However, in the above conventional configuration, since the entire water softening device must be replaced when the water softening device is deteriorated, there is a problem that replacement parts are expensive.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide a refrigerator including a transparent ice making device provided with water softening means that is easy to assemble and replace the water softening means at low cost.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, a refrigerator according to the present invention includes a refrigerating room, a freezing room, a water tank that is disposed in the refrigerating room and has an open upper surface, and a tank cover that covers the water tank opening. A storage member formed in an upstream portion of a suction pipe for feeding water to a water supply pump of the tank cover, a water purifying means and a water softening means stored in the storage member, and a water softening means disposed at an upper portion in the storage member. The water-softening means holding part to hold | maintain and the ice-making means arrange | positioned in the said freezer compartment are used, The said water-softening means is made into the ion exchange resin covered with the filter which is a water-permeable nonwoven fabric.

  This eliminates the filter fixing member for arranging the filters vertically as in the prior art.

  The refrigerator of the present invention is a refrigerator according to the present invention. The refrigerator of the present invention includes a refrigerating room, a freezing room, a water tank disposed in the refrigerating room, and a tank cover that covers the water tank opening, and a tank cover that covers the water tank opening. A storage member formed in an upstream portion of a suction pipe for feeding water to the water supply pump, water purification means and water softening means housed in the storage member, and water softening disposed on the upper portion of the storage member to hold the water softening means A means holding part and an ice making means arranged in the freezer compartment, wherein the water softening means is an ion exchange resin covered with a filter that is a water-permeable non-woven fabric, reducing the number of parts and reducing the cost. it can.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a water supply tank composed of a refrigerating room, a freezing room, a water storage tank disposed in the refrigerating room and having an upper surface opened, and a tank cover covering the water tank opening, and a water supply pump for the tank cover A storage member formed in an upstream portion of a pipe for sending water to the water, a water purifying means and a water softening means housed in the storage member, and a water softening means holding portion which is disposed at an upper portion in the storage member and holds the water softening means The ion-exchange resin is provided with ice making means disposed in the freezer, and the water softening means is an ion exchange resin covered with a filter that is a water-permeable non-woven fabric. Since the filter fixing member can be eliminated, the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the refrigerator according to the first aspect of the present invention can be easily packed into the storage member by storing the ion exchange resin in the storage member after the ion exchange resin is covered with the filter. Therefore, the assembly efficiency can be improved.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the joint portion of the filter is disposed on a side surface or a corner portion of the storage member, so that the joint portion has water resistance. Therefore, by reducing the water flow resistance in the storage member, uneven flow can be prevented and water can be softened efficiently.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the refrigerator of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an antibacterial agent is added to the filter, so that the bacteria contained in the water to be passed are converted into an ion exchange resin. Since it is prevented from entering and breeding, sanitary water can be supplied to the ice tray.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the water softening means is compressed and sandwiched between the water purification means and the water softening means holding portion. Since the unevenness of the density of the ion exchange resin in the water softening means can be eliminated, the uneven flow in the storage member can be eliminated and the water softening can be performed efficiently.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the water purification means and the water softening means in the storage member can be respectively removed by the user, so that the water softening means and the water purification means can be removed. Since each of the means can be replaced and the inside of the storage member can be washed, the water softening means and the water purification means can be replaced according to their respective lives and the inside of the storage member can be cleaned.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective sectional view of the storage member. FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the storage member. FIG. 4 is a developed perspective view of the filter. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the filter when the ion exchange resin is filled. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a filter enclosing an ion exchange resin.

  In FIG. 1, a refrigerator 1 is partitioned into a refrigerator compartment 3 and a freezer compartment 4 by a partition wall 2, and an ice making device 5 is disposed so as to cover the refrigerator compartment 3 and the refrigerator compartment 4. The ice making device 5 includes a water supply tank 6 disposed in the refrigerator compartment 3, a water supply pump 7 disposed in the vicinity of the water supply tank 6, a suction pipe 8 connecting the water supply pump 7 suction port and the inside of the water supply tank 6, and a water pump 7 discharge. A discharge pipe 9 connecting the outlet and the freezer compartment 4, an ice making means 10 disposed near the outlet of the discharge pipe 9 in the freezer compartment 4, and a drive device 11 connected to the ice making means 10 are configured. The water supply tank 6 includes a tank cover 12 through which the upper suction pipe 8 penetrates, a lower water storage tank 13, a protruding tank cover fixing portion 14 disposed on the tank cover 12 so as to be near the outlet of the suction pipe 8, and a lower part at the bottom. It is arranged so as to be near the bottom of the water storage tank 13, and is composed of a storage member 15 whose upper part is connected to the suction pipe 8 and the fixing part 14 of the tank cover 12.

  2 and 3, the storage member 15 is disposed in the center of the upper surface near the discharge port 16, the storage member fixing portion 17 connected to the tank cover fixing portion 14, and an O-ring 18 disposed on the outer periphery of the discharge port 16. Is arranged. Inside the storage member 15, a space is formed by a holding unit 19 that is detachably connected to the storage member 15 in a mesh shape from the bottom, a water purifying unit 20 stored in the holding unit 19, a water softening unit 21, and a discharge port. The mesh-shaped water softening means holding portions 22 provided and arranged are arranged in layers. The water softening means 21 includes an ion exchange resin 23 and a water-permeable filter 24 that covers the entire ion exchange resin.

  4 to 6, the filter 24 of the water softening means 21 is cut so as to be a cube stored in the storage member 15 at the time of assembly, and the upper portion of the filter 24 is opened when the ion exchange resin 23 is filled. After joining and filling, the opening is joined and sealed so that the folded ion exchange resin 23 does not leak.

  The operation and action of the refrigerator configured as described above will be described below.

  A water supply tank 6 disposed in the refrigerator compartment 3 of the refrigerator 1 is detachable from the ice making device 5. When water is supplied to the water supply tank 6, the water supply tank 6 is taken out of the refrigerator 1 and supplied with water. In the water supply tank 6, the tank cover 12 can be removed from the water storage tank 13, and the storage member 15 fixed by the tank cover fixing portion 14 and the suction pipe 8 can be attached and detached by removing the tank cover 12. The storage member 15 is provided with an O-ring 18 for sealing so as not to leak water from the inlet of the suction pipe 8 and the discharge port 16, and the discharge port 16 of the storage member 15 is inserted into the inlet of the suction pipe 8 in the horizontal direction. , The storage member fixing portion 17 and the tank cover fixing portion 14 of the storage member 15 are hooked, and the storage member 15 is fixed to the tank cover 12 in a sealed state. When removing the storage member 15, the storage member 15 is turned in the direction opposite to that when the storage member 15 is mounted, the tank cover fixing portion 14 and the storage member fixing portion 17 are removed, and the discharge port 16 of the storage member 15 is pulled out from the suction pipe 8.

  When the supply of water to the water supply tank 6 is completed, it is attached to the ice making device 5 in the refrigerator 1 again. With the start of ice making, the water supply pump 7 operates for a certain period of time. Here, the water supply pump 7 is in the vicinity of the water supply tank, but may be disposed in the water supply tank. The water stored in the water storage tank 13 sucks water uniformly over the entire bottom surface of the storage member 15, and the sucked water passes through the holding unit 19 and the water purification means 20. When water is passed through the water purification means 20, chlorine and organic matter are adsorbed by the fine pores on the surface of the activated carbon contained in the water purification means 20, so that chlorine and organic matter that cause odor and oxidative degradation of the ion-exchange resin are removed. Removed.

  The water that has passed through the water purification means 20 passes through the filter 24 that covers the water softening means 21, and the ion exchange resin 23 filled in the filter 24 passes through the water, so that the ion exchange groups of the ion exchange resin 23 become water. It adsorbs minerals that cause ice turbidity such as Ca and Mg ions having a high ionic value and releases Na and H ions adsorbed on the exchange group, thereby softening the water.

  In order to prevent the water that has passed through the water softening means 21 by passing through the upper part of the filter from drifting in the storage member 15 between the water softening means 21 and the discharge port 16 and sucking the water softening means 21 into the discharge port 16. The water that has passed through the water softening means holding portion 22 arranged to provide the space and is dechlorinated and water softened is discharged from the discharge port 16 to the suction pipe 8. The water discharged from the storage member to the suction pipe 8 passes through the water supply pump 7 and the discharge pipe 9, is supplied to the ice making means 10 in the freezer compartment 4, and begins to freeze.

  Here, the holding part 19 is detachable from the storage member 15, and by attaching the holding part 19, the water softening means 21 is compressed by the water purifying means 20 and the water softening means holding part 22 housed in the holding part 19. The ion exchange resin in the water softening means 21 is not biased, and the water purifying means 20 and the water softening means 21 are taken out of the storage member 15 by removing the holding portion 19. Can be cleaned and replaced with new water purification means 20 and water softening means 21.

  Here, the water softening means 21 is joined so that the upper part opens the filter 24 cut | disconnected so that it may become the cube accommodated in the inside of the storage member 15, so that the ion exchange resin 23 may be easily accommodated in a storage member. After that, the ion exchange resin 23 is filled from the opening, the upper part is sealed, and the joint is folded so that it can be stored in the storage member 15. Be in the corners or corners.

  In addition, an antibacterial agent is added to the filter 24 to prevent the bacteria from entering and breeding in the ion exchange resin 23.

  Although not shown in the figure, during ice making, the ice making means is vibrated and swung using the driving device 11 while freezing the ice from the bottom surface, thereby forcibly releasing the underwater air from the unfrozen top surface to the atmosphere. Discharge air that causes white turbidity. Here, ice making from the bottom surface and vibration / oscillation are used as the air discharging method, but the method of transparent ice making is not limited to this. When the ice making is completed, the drive device 11 is rotated so that the ice of the ice making means 10 is deiced and the ice is made again.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the refrigerating room 3, the freezing room 4, the water tank 13 disposed in the refrigerating room 3 and having the upper surface opened and the tank cover 12 covering the water tank opening are provided. 6, a storage member 15 formed in the upstream portion of the suction pipe 8 that sends water to the pump of the tank cover 12 member, a water purification means 20, a water softening means 21, and a storage member 15 in the storage member 15. A water softening means holding portion 22 that is disposed in the upper part and holds the water softening means 21 and an ice making means 10 that is disposed in the freezer compartment 4 are covered with a filter 24 that is a water-permeable nonwoven fabric. By using the broken ion exchange resin 23, it is possible to eliminate the filter fixing member for arranging the filters up and down as in the conventional case, so that the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, since the ion exchange resin 23 is covered with the filter 24 and then stored in the storage member 15, it becomes easy to pack the ion exchange resin 23 into the storage member 15. Can be better.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, since the junction part of the filter 24 is arrange | positioned in the side surface or corner | angular part of the storage member 15, it can prevent that a junction part becomes water flow resistance, Therefore By reducing the resistance, uneven flow can be prevented and water can be softened efficiently.

  Further, in this embodiment, by adding an antibacterial agent to the filter 24, it is possible to prevent bacteria contained in the water to pass through from entering the ion exchange resin 23 and breeding. Can be supplied to.

  In the present embodiment, the water softening means 21 is compressed and sandwiched between the water purification means 20 and the water softening means holding portion 22, thereby eliminating the uneven density of the ion exchange resin 23 in the water softening means 21. Therefore, the drift in the storage member 15 can be eliminated and the water softened efficiently.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, since the water purification means 20 and the water softening means 21 in the storage member 15 can each be removed by the user, since each of the water softening means 21 and the water purification means 20 can be replaced | exchanged, the inside of the storage member 15 can be wash | cleaned. The water softening means 21 and the water purification means 20 can be replaced according to their respective lifetimes, and the inside of the storage member 15 can be cleaned.

  As described above, since the refrigerator according to the present invention can remove minerals and chlorine in water with a simple structure, it can be applied to uses such as drinking water and a water softener for cooking.

Sectional drawing of the principal part of the refrigerator by Embodiment 1 of this invention The perspective sectional view of the storage member of the embodiment Exploded view of the storage member of the same embodiment The development perspective view of the filter of the embodiment The perspective view of the filter at the time of ion exchange resin filling of the embodiment The perspective view of the filter after enclosing the ion exchange resin of the embodiment Cross section of the main part of a conventional refrigerator

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator 3 Refrigeration room 4 Freezing room 6 Water supply tank 7 Water supply pump 8 Suction piping 10 Ice making means 12 Tank cover 13 Water storage tank 15 Storage member 20 Water purification means 21 Water softening means 22 Soft water softening means holding part 23 Ion exchange resin 24 Filter

Claims (6)

  A refrigerating room, a freezing room, a water tank that is arranged in the refrigerating room and has a water tank with an upper surface open and a tank cover that covers the water tank opening, and an upstream part of a suction pipe that sends water to a water supply pump of the tank cover A storage member formed in the storage member, a water purification means and a water softening means housed in the storage member, a water softening means holding part for holding the water softening means disposed in the upper part of the storage member, and the freezer A refrigerator comprising ice making means, wherein the water softening means is an ion exchange resin covered with a filter that is a water-permeable nonwoven fabric.   The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the ion exchange resin is stored in a storage member after being covered with a filter.   The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the joint portion of the filter is disposed on a side surface or a corner portion of the storage member.   An antibacterial agent is added to a filter, The refrigerator of Claim 1 to 3 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the water softening means is compressed and sandwiched between the water purification means and the water softening means holding portion.   The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the water purifying means and the water softening means in the storage member can be respectively removed by a user.

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