JP2006078084A - Refrigerator with automatic ice making machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform an ice making operation without any trouble in a case that an ice making tray containing water is unnecessarily attached in attachment of the ice tray by enabling detachment and attachment of the ice tray in a refrigerator with automatic ice making machine. <P>SOLUTION: This refrigerator comprises an ice tray driving means 10 operating the ice tray 5 by an ice separating mechanism, a water supply operation means 8 performing water supply operation, an ice tray detection means 14 detecting the presence of the ice tray 5, an ice making stopping means 26 stopping the ice tray driving operation and the water supply operation, and an automatic ice making control means 30 controlling the ice tray driving means and the water supply operation means according to signals of the ice tray detection means and the ice making stopping means. The start time of ice making operation after attaching the ice tray is controlled depending on the presence/absence of the signal of the ice making stopping means 26, whereby the ice making time can be shortened without any trouble in ice making. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator provided with an ice making device.

  In recent years, refrigerators with automatic ice makers have become mainstream. An automatic ice maker incorporated in a refrigerator or the like automatically supplies ice-making water from a water storage tank provided in the refrigerator through a water supply pipe, automatically makes ice, rotates the ice-making tray when ice is formed, and A twist is applied to drop the ice in the ice tray into the ice storage container, and when the ice in the ice storage container accumulates in a certain amount, it is detected by the ice storage detection lever etc. to stop the ice making operation and the ice in the ice storage container When the amount of water is reduced, it is detected by the ice storage detection lever, water is supplied again, and ice making automatically resumes. Here, the ice tray of the automatic ice maker is generally connected and fixed to the rotating shaft of the drive mechanism driven by the motor of the automatic ice maker, but cannot be separated from the drive mechanism. It was a structure that could not be done. Therefore, in order to improve the hygiene of ice trays, a refrigerator with an automatic ice maker was proposed in which the ice tray was separated from the drive mechanism and improved so that it could be taken out of the refrigerator, making it easier to clean the ice tray, etc. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 9 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing the structure of a portion provided with a conventional refrigerator automatic ice maker described in Patent Document 1, and FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the automatic ice maker. In each figure, 100 is a refrigerator main body, and this main body 100 has a freezer compartment 102 and a refrigerator compartment 103 inside. 104 is a door that opens and closes the front opening of the freezer compartment 102, and 105 is a door that opens and closes the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 103. The automatic ice making machine 106 is provided in the freezer compartment 102. The entire structure of the automatic ice making machine 106 is an ice making tray 107, and a drive mechanism 108 for turning the ice making tray 107 downward and releasing the ice while twisting the ice making plate 107 when the ice making is completed. Consists of. Reference numeral 109 denotes a mechanism box that houses the drive mechanism 108, and has a motor, a gear, and the like inside. The mechanism box 109 is installed and fixed at a predetermined location in the back of the freezer compartment 102. Reference numeral 110 denotes a rotating shaft that protrudes from the mechanism box 109 and is connected to the ice tray 107 to rotate it.

  A water storage tank 111 for storing ice-making water is provided in the refrigerating chamber 103, and the water in the tank 111 is led to the upper part of the ice-making tray 107 in the freezing chamber 102 through a water supply pipe 113 by a pump 112. The water is supplied from above. The ice tray 107 has a box-like container shape with an open upper surface, and the inside thereof is partitioned into a plurality of small chambers 107m to produce ice of a predetermined size. In addition, 121 is a cooling fan, 122 is an evaporator.

  The ice tray 107 is integrally provided with a connecting portion 114 that can be fitted to the rotating shaft 110 at the central portion of the longitudinal end portion 107b facing the mechanism box 109. A long shaft portion 116 that functions as an ice tray support provided on the ice making machine support 115 is inserted from a longitudinal end 107 c of the ice tray 107 opposite to the connecting portion 114, so that the ice tray 107 is The ice making machine support 115 is rotatably supported. As a result, the ice tray 107 is first rotated clockwise by the motor in the mechanism box 109 with the rotation axis P as a fulcrum, and then reversed and rotated counterclockwise. ing. The longitudinal end 107c of the ice tray 107 is provided with a projection 117 for twisting, while the projection 117 is formed on the inner surface of the end wall 120a from which the shaft portion 116 of the ice making machine support 115 projects. An arcuate guide groove 118 that fits and slides is formed. As the ice tray 107 is rotated by the rotating shaft 110, the projection 117 slides on the guide groove 118 and is finally on one end side of the guide groove 118. After the rotation is stopped and the rotation is stopped, a twist is added to the ice tray 107, so that the ice is easily deiced.

  An ice storage container 119 is disposed below the ice tray 107 so as to be able to be taken in and out. The ice tray 107 is rotated when the ice making is completed, and receives ice falling when the ice removing operation is performed.

Here, the ice tray 107 is rotatably attached to the ice making machine support 115, and the ice making tray 107 and the ice making machine support 115 are integrated with each other from the rotating shaft 110 on the mechanism box 109 side. The ice making tray 107 can be easily cleaned by using a structure that can be separated.
JP 2000-161824 A

  However, in the above-described conventional configuration, no means for recognizing the state where the ice tray is actually removed or the state where the ice tray has been removed is disclosed, and the ice making operation after the removal and installation of the ice tray is not disclosed. The timing is unclear.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and it is possible to remove and install an ice tray, recognize the presence or absence of the ice tray by a reasonable means, and to install an ice tray with water mischievously when the ice tray is installed. An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator with an automatic ice making machine that can perform an ice making operation without any trouble even when it is attached.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the refrigerator of the present invention includes an ice tray driving means, a water supply operation means, an ice tray presence / absence detection means for detecting the presence / absence of an ice tray, and a signal detected by the ice tray presence / absence detection means. The ice making drive means and the automatic ice making control means for controlling the water supply operation means are provided, and the automatic ice making control means, after the signal of the ice making tray presence / absence detecting means at the time of mounting the ice tray is detected, after a certain time has passed. The ice tray driving means and the water supply operation means are operated.

  As a result, even if the ice tray is misplaced and installed in the refrigerator, the ice tray drive means and the water supply operation means are operated in a state where sufficient ice has been made for a certain period of time. It is possible to eliminate ice-making troubles such as ice removal in the ice making process or ice-making in an inadequate ice-making condition and water being supplied with ice remaining in the ice-making dish.

  Further, the refrigerator of the present invention includes an ice tray driving means, a water supply operation means, an ice tray presence / absence detection means for detecting the presence or absence of an ice tray, an ice making stop means for stopping the ice tray driving operation and the water supply operation, and an ice tray. An ice making tray drive means and an automatic ice making control means for controlling the water supply operation means by signals detected by the presence detection means and the ice making stop means; The start time of the water supply operation means is controlled.

  Thus, when the ice tray is removed, it is determined whether the ice making stop means has removed it with intention to remove it, and by controlling the start time of the ice tray drive and water supply operation, which are the ice making operations after the ice tray is installed, The ice making time can be shortened without any ice making problems.

  Further, the refrigerator of the present invention detects the signal of the ice making stop means as the automatic ice making control means, and immediately after the ice making tray presence / absence detecting means detects the ice making tray presence / absence detecting means after the ice making tray is removed. The ice tray driving means and the water supply operation means are operated.

  As a result, it is determined that the ice tray has been removed by the user's intention for the purpose of cleaning the ice tray, etc., and the ice making time can be reduced by immediately executing the ice making operation after the ice tray is installed.

  Further, the refrigerator of the present invention, as an automatic ice making control means, without detecting the signal of the ice making stop means, when the ice making tray presence / absence detecting means detects the ice making tray presence signal after the ice making tray is removed, After a certain period of time, the ice tray driving means and the water supply operation means are operated.

  As a result, it is determined that the ice tray has been removed for purposes other than cleaning the ice tray, etc., and the ice making operation after the ice tray has been installed is the ice tray drive means and the water supply operation means after a certain time has passed and the ice has been sufficiently made. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate ice-making troubles such as the ice-making tray being deiced in the state of water or being iced in an inadequate ice-making state and being supplied with water remaining in the ice-making tray.

  The refrigerator of the present invention operates the ice tray driving means and the water supply operation means in a state where the ice tray is fully iced after a certain period of time even when the ice tray is attached to the refrigerator in a state where water has entered. Ice can be removed in the state of water or ice can be removed in an inadequate ice making condition and water can be supplied with ice remaining in the ice tray.

  Further, the refrigerator of the present invention determines whether or not the ice tray is removed with the intention of removal by the ice making stop means when the ice tray is removed, and the start time of the ice tray drive and the water supply operation, which are the ice making operations after the ice tray is installed, is determined. By controlling, the ice making time can be shortened without any ice making trouble.

  The invention according to claim 1 is configured such that the water supplied from the water supply device is stored in an ice tray installed in a freezer compartment to make ice, and after ice making, the ice tray is inverted by a de-icing mechanism to be iced, In a refrigerator-freezer equipped with an automatic ice maker in which the ice tray can be freely removed from the ice removing mechanism, an ice tray driving means for operating the ice tray by the ice removing mechanism, a water supply operating means for performing a water supply operation from the water supply device, An ice making tray presence / absence detecting means for detecting the presence / absence of the ice tray, and an automatic ice making control means for controlling the ice tray driving means and the water supply operation means by a signal detected by the ice tray presence / absence detecting means. When the signal of the ice tray presence / absence detecting means when the ice tray is mounted is detected, the ice making control means is operated by operating the ice tray driving means and the water supply operation means after a certain time has elapsed. In addition, even if the ice tray is installed in the refrigerator with water, the ice tray drive means and the water supply operation means are operated in a state where the ice tray drive means and the water supply operation means have been sufficiently made after a certain period of time. In other words, it is possible to eliminate the problem of ice making such as being iced in an inadequate ice making condition and being supplied with ice remaining in the ice tray.

  The invention according to claim 2 is configured to store the water supplied from the water supply device in an ice making tray installed in a freezing chamber and to make ice, and after ice making, the ice making plate is inverted by a deicing mechanism to be deiced, In a refrigerator-freezer equipped with an automatic ice maker in which the ice tray can be freely removed from the ice removing mechanism, an ice tray driving means for operating the ice tray by the ice removing mechanism, a water supply operating means for performing a water supply operation from the water supply device, The ice making tray presence / absence detecting means for detecting the presence / absence of the ice tray, the ice making stop means for stopping the ice tray driving operation and the water supply operation, and the ice making tray based on the signals detected by the ice tray presence detecting means and the ice making stop means. Drive means and automatic ice making control means for controlling the water supply operation means, and the start times of the ice tray drive means and the water supply operation means after the ice tray is attached are controlled by the presence or absence of a signal from the ice making stop means. By determining whether or not the ice tray is removed by the ice making stop means when the ice tray is removed, and by controlling the start time of the ice tray drive and water supply operation that are the ice making operations after the ice tray is installed. The ice making time can be shortened without any ice making trouble.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the automatic ice making control means according to the second aspect of the invention detects the signal of the ice making stop means, and after the ice tray is removed, the ice making tray presence / absence detecting means detects that the ice making tray is present. When the signal is detected, the ice tray drive means and the water supply operation means are immediately operated to determine that the ice tray has been removed by the user's intention for purposes such as cleaning the ice tray. The ice making time can be shortened by immediately executing the ice making operation after mounting the dish.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the automatic ice making control means according to the second aspect of the invention has an ice making tray by the ice making tray presence / absence detecting means after the ice tray is removed without detecting the signal of the ice making stop means. When the signal is detected, the ice tray is determined to have been removed for purposes other than cleaning the ice tray by operating the ice tray drive means and the water supply operation means after a certain period of time has elapsed, and so on. The ice making operation after installing the ice tray is to operate the ice tray drive means and water supply operation means after a certain amount of time has passed, so that the ice tray can be de-iced in the state of water or the ice making condition is insufficient. It is possible to eliminate ice-making troubles such as water being supplied with ice remaining in the ice-making tray with ice remaining.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but detailed description of the same configurations as those of the conventional example will be omitted. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional side view of a refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of an ice making device according to the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a view showing a state where an ice tray is pulled out in FIG. . In FIG. 1, 1 is a refrigerator main body, which has an ice making chamber 2 and a refrigerator compartment 3, and has an ice making chamber door 2a and a refrigerator compartment door 3a, respectively. An ice making device 4 is disposed in the upper part of the ice making chamber 2, and the ice making device 4 has an ice making plate driving means 10 with a built-in motor disposed behind the ice making door in the direction opposite to the door. The formed ice is stored in the lower ice storage box 6 by rotational driving from the ice tray driving means 10. A water supply tank 7 for storing ice making water is arranged in the refrigerator compartment 3, and water in the water supply tank 7 is supplied to a certain amount of ice making tray 5 through a water supply pipe 9 by a water supply operation means 8 comprising a water supply motor. It is supposed to be.

  Next, the structure of the ice making device 4 will be described in detail. 2 and 3, the ice tray driving means 10 is installed at the end of the frame 11 which is fixed to the upper part of the ice making chamber 2 and has an air path action for conveying the cold air of the refrigerator to the ice tray 5. A rotating shaft 10a that rotates in conjunction is provided at a substantially central portion. The ice tray 5 is configured integrally with a holding body 13 that has rotatable shaft portions 5 a and 5 b and has a holding portion that supports both shaft portions, and is detachable from the rotation shaft 10 a of the ice tray driving means 10. Can be linked. The holding body 13 has a substantially U-shaped handle portion 13d that is attached to and removed from the frame 11. Reference numeral 14 denotes an ice tray presence / absence detecting means for detecting the presence / absence of the holder 13 integrally formed with the ice tray 5 and is constituted by a micro switch or the like and fixed to the frame 11. Reference numeral 16 denotes a holding unit which is integrally formed with the ice tray 5 by fitting and fixing a fitting part to a groove part of the frame 11 via a spring (not shown) at an end opposite to the driving part 10 of the frame 11. The drawer of the body 13 is regulated.

  The ice making operation will be described in the above configuration. The ice tray 5 first establishes the horizontal position of the ice tray 5 after rotating the ice tray 5 by rotating the rotation shaft 10 a by the drive control of the ice tray driving means 10. Thereafter, when a certain amount of water is supplied to the ice tray 5 by the water supply operation means 8 and ice making is completed after ice making is performed for a predetermined time, when the temperature sensor provided in the vicinity of the ice tray 5 detects, the ice tray drive means When the rotation shaft 10a is rotated by the drive control 10 to rotate the ice tray 5 and the ice tray 5 is reversed and twisted, the ice is deiced, and the drive motor is turned on when the rotation shaft 10a is at a predetermined horizontal position. Stop and complete ice removal. The deiced ice is stored in the ice storage box 6 below. Moreover, when removing the ice tray 5 from the refrigerator main body 1, after removing the fitting part 16, the holding body 13 comprised integrally with the ice tray 5 is removed, and attachment is also possible by reverse operation. .

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the refrigerator control device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the refrigerator control device according to the embodiment.

  In FIG. 4, reference numeral 14 denotes an ice tray presence / absence detection means. When the ice tray 5 is attached to the rotating shaft 10a, a detection signal is output by the microswitch as being an ice tray. The automatic ice making control means 30 controls the ice tray driving means 10 and the water supply operation means 8 by inputting a signal from the ice tray presence / absence detection means 14. The automatic ice making control means 30 is composed of a microcomputer (not shown) mounted on an electronic board and is programmed with a control algorithm.

  About the control apparatus of the refrigerator comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement is demonstrated using FIG. When removing the ice tray 5 during the operation of the refrigerator, first, the ice tray is removed by a signal indicating that there is no ice tray of the ice tray presence / absence detection means 14 (Step 1), and the confirmation of the ice tray attachment after cleaning is performed. 14 is performed with an ice tray presence signal (Step 2), and at the same time as the installation is completed, the time T1 is measured by a timer (Step 3). Next, a comparison is made between the time T1 and the ice making completion time X1 set in advance from the operating state of the refrigerator (Step 4). When T1> X1, the ice making tray 5 is A drive operation is performed (Step 5), the ice tray 5 is set to a predetermined horizontal position, and then a water supply operation (Step 6) is performed by the water supply operation means 8 to make ice using a cooler.

  This is because when the ice tray 5 is removed and then installed, the ice tray 5 is accidentally poured by pouring water, the ice tray 5 is driven in a state where the ice is not sufficiently made, or a water supply operation is performed. It is something that protects.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an operation panel that is installed in the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator main body according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention and in which the user performs settings such as temperature adjustment. In the operation panel 23, 24 is the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 3. Each time the button is pressed, the temperature adjustment in the refrigerator compartment 3 switches from weak to strong. Reference numeral 25 denotes a freezer compartment temperature adjustment button for adjusting the temperature of the ice making chamber 2, and the temperature adjustment of the ice making chamber 2 switches from weak to strong each time the button is pressed. Reference numeral 26 denotes an ice making stop means of an operation button for temporarily stopping the ice making tray driving means 10 and the water supply operation means 8 which are automatic ice making functions.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the refrigerator control device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the refrigerator control device according to the embodiment.

  In FIG. 7, reference numeral 14 denotes an ice tray presence / absence detecting means. When the ice tray 5 is attached to the rotary shaft 10a, a detection signal is output by the microswitch as being an ice tray. The automatic ice making control means 30 controls the ice making tray driving means 10 and the water supply operation means 8 by inputting a signal from the ice making tray presence / absence detecting means 14 and a signal input from the ice making stop means 26. The automatic ice making control means 30 is composed of a microcomputer (not shown) mounted on an electronic board and is programmed with a control algorithm.

  About the control apparatus of the refrigerator comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement is demonstrated using FIG. When removing the ice tray 5 during operation of the refrigerator, first, the presence or absence of an ice making stop signal from the ice making stop means 26 is confirmed (Step 1).

  When there is an ice making stop signal at Step 1, the ice making tray is removed by the signal from the ice making presence / absence detection means 14 without the ice making tray (Step 2). Performed with a tray presence signal (Step 3), and at the same time the installation is completed, the ice tray 5 is driven by a signal from the ice tray driving means 10 (Step 8), and the ice tray 5 is set to a predetermined horizontal position, followed by a water supply operation. A water supply operation (Step 9) is performed by means 8, and ice making by a cooler is performed.

  If there is no ice making stop signal at Step 1, the ice making tray is removed by the signal from the ice making presence / absence detection means 14 (Step 4), and the ice making tray presence / absence detection means 14 confirms whether the ice making tray is attached after cleaning. It performs with a dish presence signal (Step 5), and measures the time T2 with a timer at the same time that the mounting is completed (Step 6). Next, the time T2 is compared with the ice making completion time X2 set in advance from the operation state of the refrigerator (Step 7). When T2> X2, the ice making tray 5 A drive operation is performed (Step 8), the ice tray 5 is set to a predetermined horizontal position, and then a water supply operation (Step 9) is performed by the water supply operation means 8 to perform ice making by the cooler.

  If the ice making operation is previously stopped by the ice making stop means 26 when the ice tray 5 is removed, it is determined that the ice tray 5 has been removed with the intention of cleaning and the ice making time is shortened thereafter. Immediately after installing the ice tray 5, the ice making tray drive and water supply operation for ice making preparation are performed. If the ice making operation is not stopped, it is determined that the ice tray 5 has been removed without intention of cleaning, and the ice tray 5 When this is installed, the ice tray 5 is protected from being driven or supplied with water in a state where the ice has not been sufficiently made.

  As described above, the refrigerator according to the present invention controls the start time of the ice tray driving means and the water supply operation means after the ice tray is attached according to the presence or absence of the signal of the ice making stop means, and is not limited to the refrigerator for ice making. The present invention can also be applied to a water supply device in which a water storage container can be separated.

Schematic side sectional view of the refrigerator in the first embodiment of the present invention. Vertical sectional view of the ice making device in the same embodiment The figure which shows the state which pulled out the ice tray in FIG. Block diagram of the refrigerator control device in the same embodiment The flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the control apparatus of the refrigerator of the embodiment Schematic of the operation panel of the refrigerator main body in Embodiment 2 of the present invention Block diagram of the refrigerator control device in the same embodiment The flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the control apparatus of the refrigerator of the embodiment Partial vertical sectional view of a conventional refrigerator Disassembled perspective view of conventional automatic ice maker for refrigerator

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator body 2 Ice making chamber 2a Ice making chamber door 4 Ice making apparatus 5 Ice making tray 8 Water supply operation means (water supply mechanism)
10 Ice tray drive means (drive mechanism)
10a Rotating shaft 14 Ice tray presence / absence detection means 23 Operation panel 26 Ice making stop means (ice making stop button)
30 Automatic ice making control means

Claims (4)

  The water supplied from the water supply device is stored in an ice tray installed in the freezer compartment to make ice, and after ice making, the ice tray is inverted by the ice release mechanism to release the ice, and the ice tray is free from the ice release mechanism. In a refrigerator-freezer with an automatic ice making machine that can be removed, an ice making tray driving means for operating the ice tray by an ice removing mechanism, a water supply operating means for supplying water from the water supply device, and an ice making for detecting the presence or absence of the ice tray A tray presence / absence detection means; and an automatic ice making control means for controlling the ice tray driving means and the water supply operation means based on a signal detected by the ice tray presence / absence detection means, wherein the automatic ice making control means is attached to the ice tray. A refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, wherein when a signal from the ice tray presence / absence detection means is detected, the ice tray driving means and the water supply operation means are operated after a predetermined time has elapsed.   The water supplied from the water supply device is stored in an ice tray installed in the freezer compartment to make ice, and after ice making, the ice tray is inverted by the ice release mechanism to release the ice, and the ice tray is free from the ice release mechanism. In a refrigerator-freezer with an automatic ice making machine that can be removed, an ice making tray driving means for operating the ice tray by an ice removing mechanism, a water supply operating means for supplying water from the water supply device, and an ice making for detecting the presence or absence of the ice tray A tray presence / absence detection means, an ice making stop driving means for stopping the ice tray driving operation and the water supply operation, and the ice tray driving means and the water supply operation means are controlled by signals detected by the ice tray presence / absence detection means and the ice making stop means. Automatic ice making control means for controlling the start times of the ice tray driving means and the water supply operation means after the ice tray is mounted according to the presence or absence of a signal from the ice making stop means. Refrigerator with ice maker.   The automatic ice making control means detects the ice making stop means signal, and when the ice making tray presence / absence detecting means detects the ice making tray presence signal after the ice making tray is removed, the ice making tray drive means and the water supply operation immediately. The refrigerator with an automatic ice making machine according to claim 2, wherein the means is operated.   The automatic ice making control means does not detect the ice making stop signal, but after the ice tray is removed and the ice making presence / absence detecting means detects the ice making presence signal, the ice making tray is 3. The refrigerator with an automatic ice making machine according to claim 2, wherein the driving means and the water supply operation means are operated.

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