JP2006105420A - Automatic ice maker and freezing refrigerator equipped therewith - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for making an ice tray and an electric operated mechanism part demountable to the outside of a refrigerator and for effectively supplying cold blown out of the rear part of an ice making chamber to the ice tray when an automatic ice maker is arranged with the ice tray in front and an electric operated mechanism therebehind. <P>SOLUTION: In the automatic ice maker, the ice tray is turned in a freezing temperature chamber by the electric operated mechanism 7A, whereby ice in the ice tray falls down. A body member 100 has the electric operated mechanism arranged at the rear part and the ice tray 7B arranged in front thereof, and it is detachably mounted at the upper part of the freezing temperature chamber. In the body member 100, a cold supply passage is bent and arranged passing through the side of the electric operated mechanism toward the side of the ice tray for supplying cold blown out of the rear part of the freezing temperature chamber to the ice tray. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic ice maker incorporated in a refrigerator-freezer, and more particularly to an automatic ice maker configured to be detachable from the refrigerator-freezer and a refrigerator-freezer provided with the automatic ice maker.

Some automatic ice makers for refrigerators have a structure in which the ice tray can be attached and detached (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, a thermistor is attached to an ice tray, the temperature of the ice tray is detected by the thermistor, and the process proceeds to the deicing process. In such a configuration, the thermistor can be easily attached and detached with the ice tray. It is related to technology.
JP 2000-88410 A

  As described above, the invention of Patent Document 1 is a technique for facilitating the attachment and detachment of the ice tray and the thermistor. However, the electric mechanism that rotates the ice tray remains in the refrigerator. For this reason, when the ice making room is used as a normal freezing room for storing food, the remaining portion is in the way and the usability is poor.

  In view of these points, the present invention makes it possible to remove the ice tray while leaving the electric mechanism for rotating the ice tray in the ice making chamber, and also allows the ice tray and the electric mechanism to be simultaneously removed from the refrigerator. Provide technology that makes it easy to assemble, repair, and inspect automatic ice makers and clean ice trays. Then, when the automatic ice making machine is arranged with the ice making tray in front and the electric mechanism in the rear, the technology for effectively supplying cold air blown from the rear of the ice making chamber to the ice making tray is provided.

  The automatic ice maker of the first invention is an automatic ice maker configured to drop the ice in the ice tray downward by rotating the ice tray placed in the freezing temperature chamber in the refrigerator with an electric mechanism, A body member in which the electric mechanism is disposed at the rear and the ice tray is disposed at a front position thereof is detachably attached to an upper portion of the freezing temperature chamber, and the main body member has cold air blown out from the rear of the freezing temperature chamber. The cooling air supply passage for supplying the ice to the ice tray is bent toward the side of the ice tray through the side of the electric mechanism.

  The automatic ice maker of the second invention is an automatic ice maker configured to drop the ice in the ice tray downward by rotating the ice tray placed in the freezing temperature chamber in the refrigerator with an electric mechanism, In the automatic ice maker, a main body member is supported by a left and right rail portion provided in the freezing temperature chamber so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction and can be pulled out of the freezing temperature chamber, and the main body member houses the electric mechanism in a rear portion. And an ice tray storage portion that stores the ice tray in a position in front of the electric mechanism storage portion. The ice making tray passes through a side of the electric mechanism storage portion on the upper wall of the main body member. A cold air supply passage for supplying cold air from the side surface of the tray storage unit to the ice tray is formed.

  The automatic ice maker of the third invention is an automatic ice maker configured to drop the ice in the ice tray downward by rotating the ice tray placed in the freezing temperature chamber in the refrigerator with an electric mechanism, In the automatic ice maker, a main body member is supported by a left and right rail portion provided in the freezing temperature chamber so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction and can be pulled out of the freezing temperature chamber, and the main body member houses the electric mechanism in a rear portion. An auxiliary ice tray that can be manually twisted to the side of the ice tray storage portion. The ice tray storage portion that stores the ice tray at a position in front of the electric mechanism storage portion. An auxiliary ice tray storage portion that slidably stores in the front-rear direction, and a cold air supply passage that supplies the cold air blown from the rear portion of the freezing temperature chamber to the ice tray through the side of the electric mechanism storage portion. ice making The so as to communicate with the side surface of the housing part, characterized in that formed on the upper wall of the auxiliary ice tray housing section.

  The automatic ice maker of the fourth invention is an automatic ice maker configured to drop the ice in the ice tray downward by rotating the ice tray placed in the freezing temperature chamber in the refrigerator with an electric mechanism, In the automatic ice maker, a main body member is supported by a left and right rail portion provided in the freezing temperature chamber so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction and can be pulled out of the freezing temperature chamber, and the main body member houses the electric mechanism in a rear portion. And an ice tray storage section for storing the ice tray at a position in front of the electric mechanism storage section. The ice tray can be pulled out of the ice tray storage section and detachably supported in the pulled out state. In addition, a cold air supply passage is formed on the upper wall of the main body member to supply cold air from the side surface of the ice tray storage unit to the ice tray through the side of the electric mechanism storage unit.

  A fifth invention is a refrigerator-freezer provided with the automatic ice maker according to any one of the first invention to the fourth invention.

  In the first invention, the ice tray and the electric mechanism for rotating the ice tray can be removed from the freezing temperature chamber at the same time, and it is easy to assemble, repair, and inspect the automatic ice making machine, and this freezing temperature chamber is used as an ice making chamber. The case can be selected so that it can be used as a normal frozen food storage room. In addition, since the cold air supply to the ice tray of the automatic ice maker is formed from a passage that is bent toward the side of the ice tray through the side of the electric mechanism, the ice making in the ice tray is also good. In particular, in order to leave the electric mechanism part in the ice making chamber so that the ice tray can be removed from the main body member and cleaned, the ice tray is arranged in the front position of the electric mechanism part. Cold air supply is a preferred form. Since the bent cool air supply passage is formed in the main body member, the structure of the cool air passage on the freezing temperature chamber side is simplified.

  In the second invention, in addition to the effects of the first invention, since the electric mechanism and the ice tray are stored in their respective storage units, they are prevented from being damaged by external force in a state where the ice storage container is pulled out, It is safe.

  In addition to the effects of the first invention or the second invention, the third invention can be applied when there is a great demand for ice, because an auxiliary ice tray storage unit can be provided to perform manual ice making separately from automatic ice making. In addition to being convenient, when the demand for ice is small, it is possible to cope with ice making using only an auxiliary ice tray, and selectivity can be achieved. Since the auxiliary ice tray storage unit does not need to be rotated, the height of the auxiliary ice tray storage unit can be reduced, and a cold air supply passage to the ice tray of the automatic ice maker can be formed accordingly. It also contributes to keeping the height of the main body member low.

  In the fourth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effects of the first aspect, since the electric mechanism and the ice tray are stored in their respective storage portions, the ice storage container is prevented from being damaged by an external force in a state in which the ice storage container is pulled out. It is safe. Further, in order to make the ice tray removable and make it easy to clean the ice tray, the ice tray storage unit is arranged in front of the electric mechanism storage unit. In this case, sufficient cold air can be supplied to the ice tray by the method of supplying the cold air from the side surface to the ice tray through the side of the electric mechanism storage unit.

  5th invention can provide the novel refrigerator-freezer which the convenience and usability in the refrigerator-freezer of a full surface opening improved by providing the automatic ice making machine with the above effects.

  The present invention is an automatic ice maker configured to cause ice in the ice tray to fall downward by rotating an ice tray placed in a freezing temperature chamber in a refrigerator with an electric mechanism, and the electric mechanism has a rear portion. A body member having the ice tray disposed at a front position thereof is detachably attached to an upper portion of the freezing temperature chamber, and cool air blown from a rear portion of the freezing temperature chamber is transferred to the ice tray. The cold air supply passage to be supplied is bent and arranged toward the side of the ice tray through the side of the electric mechanism. Examples of the invention are described below.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a front view of the refrigerator-freezer of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal side view of the ice making chamber and the freezer compartment where the automatic ice maker of the refrigerator-freezer body of the present invention is installed, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the automatic ice maker part in a state where the ice making room door of the refrigerator / freezer according to the present invention is opened (drawn), and FIG. FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the automatic ice making machine slightly pulled out, FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the automatic ice making machine with the ice making chamber door opened (drawn) and the ice tray of the automatic ice making machine pulled out. FIG. 8 is a front perspective view for explaining a state where the ice making chamber door of the refrigerator / freezer of the present invention is opened (drawn) and the ice tray of the automatic ice maker is pulled out and removed, FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the automatic ice maker of the present invention, FIG. Is a front perspective view of the automatic ice making machine of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of the ice making machine, FIG. 11 is a front perspective view of the automatic ice making machine of the present invention with the ice tray being pulled out, and FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of the automatic ice making machine of the present invention with the ice tray being pulled out and removed. 13 is a front perspective view of the automatic ice maker according to the present invention in which a part of the upper wall of the main body member is cut. FIG. 14 is a front perspective view of the automatic ice maker according to the present invention showing a state in which the ice tray is slightly rotated. 15 is a front view of the automatic ice making machine of the present invention shown in a longitudinal section, FIG. 16 is a front view of the automatic ice making machine of the present invention showing a state in which the ice tray is slightly rotated, and FIG. 17 is an automatic ice making machine of the present invention. FIG. 18 is a longitudinal side view showing a state in which the automatic ice making machine of the present invention is slightly pulled out forward of the ice making room, and FIG. 19 shows the automatic ice making machine of the present invention. FIG. 20 is a side view of a longitudinal section showing a state of being slightly pulled further forward than the ice making chamber. FIG. 21 is a vertical side view of the automatic ice making machine of the present invention showing the unlocked state of the ice tray, and FIG. 22 is an unlocked ice making tray. It is a vertical side view of the automatic ice making machine of this invention which shows the state which pulled out slightly.

  The refrigerator-freezer 1 which concerns on Example 1 is the structure which partitions off the inside of the refrigerator-freezer main body 2 of front opening, and forms several storage chambers, and the front surface of each of these storage chambers can be opened and closed with a door. The refrigerator-freezer 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. A refrigerator compartment 3, a freezing temperature compartment 5, and a vegetable compartment 4 are partitioned and provided in the refrigerator main body 2 from the top. In the freezing temperature chamber 5, an ice making chamber 6 having a front opening that is maintained at the freezing temperature is partitioned by a partition plate (partition plate) 41, and a freezing chamber 5 </ b> A that is maintained at the freezing temperature is partitioned in the lower portion. An automatic ice making machine 7 is attached to the upper part of the ice making chamber 6, and an ice storage container 8 is disposed below the automatic ice making machine 7. A freezer compartment 5B is defined on the side of the ice making chamber 6.

  The refrigerating chamber 3 located in the upper part and the freezing temperature chamber 5 (in the figure, the ice making room 6 and the freezing small room 5B) located in the lower part are partitioned by a heat insulating partition wall. The heat insulating partition wall 28 is a heat insulating material 31 in which polyurethane resin is foam-filled between an injection-molded synthetic resin upper plate 29 and an injection-molded synthetic resin lower plate 30, foamed polystyrene or the like previously molded into a predetermined shape, etc. The heat insulating structure provided with the heat insulating material 31 is formed.

  An automatic ice making machine 7 is attached to the upper part of the ice making chamber 6, and an ice storage container 8 having an upper surface opening is disposed immediately below the automatic ice making machine 7. The front opening of the ice making chamber 6 is opened and closed by a pull-out door 14 supported by the support device 18 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction together with the ice storage container 8. The support device 18 is configured such that the rails 16 of the left and right support members 19 extending horizontally from the back side of the door 14 are placed on rollers 17 attached to the left and right walls of the ice making chamber 6. 8, the left and right sides of the ice storage container 8 are placed on the left and right support members 19 so as to be removable upward. With this configuration, with the automatic ice maker 7 left in the ice making chamber 6, the ice storage container 8 is pulled out to the front of the ice making chamber 6 as the pull-out door 14 is pulled out. As shown in FIG. 2, the ice storage container 8 has a size such that the automatic ice maker 7 enters the upper surface opening and wraps the automatic ice maker 7 from below, and the drawer type door 14 is pulled out. It is supported so as to be removable upward from the support member 19.

  The front opening of the refrigerator compartment 3 is opened and closed by a revolving refrigerator door 10 that is rotated laterally by hinge devices 21 </ b> A and 21 </ b> B on one side of the refrigerator refrigerator body 2. The front opening of the vegetable compartment 4 is opened and closed by a drawer-type door 11 that is supported so as to be movable in the front-rear direction together with the vegetable container by a support device using a combination of left and right rails and rollers, as in the ice making compartment 6. Like the ice making chamber 6, the front opening of the freezing chamber 5 </ b> A is a drawer type door 12 that is supported so as to be movable in the front-rear direction together with the container 15 by a support device that is a combination of left and right rails and rollers provided in the freezing chamber 5 </ b> A. It is opened and closed at. Similar to the ice making chamber 6, the front opening of the freezer compartment 5B is formed in a drawer type door 13 that is supported in the freezer compartment 5B so as to be movable in the front-rear direction together with the container of the upper surface opening by a support device using a combination of left and right rails and rollers. Open and close.

  Reference numeral 20 denotes a refrigerant compressor installed in a machine room provided at the bottom of the refrigerator-freezer main body 2. The refrigerant compressed by the compressor 20 is condensed by a condenser (not shown), and a decompression unit such as a capillary tube is provided. After passing through the evaporator (cooler) 24 and evaporating, the refrigerant is returned to the compressor 20 and compressed again, and a refrigeration cycle is constituted by these. A blower 25 circulates the cold air cooled by the evaporator (cooler) 24 to the freezing room 5A, the ice making room 6 and the freezing small room 5B constituting the freezing temperature room 5, and further to the refrigerating room 3 and the vegetable room 4 through a duct. It is. The freezer compartment 5A, the ice making compartment 6 and the freezer compartment 5B are configured to be cooled by circulating the cool air cooled by the evaporator (cooler) 24 by the blower 25, while the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetables The chamber 4 may be configured to be cooled by circulating the cool air cooled by another evaporator (cooler) connected to the refrigeration cycle by another blower.

  The automatic ice making machine 7 includes an electric mechanism 7A and an ice tray 7B that is rotationally driven by the electric mechanism 7A. The electric mechanism 7A and the ice tray 7B are configured to be detachable together by pulling out of the refrigerator 1 including the automatic attachment / detachment of the power supply line to the electric mechanism 7A. The ice-making tray 7B is formed of a twistable material and has a long shape in the front-rear direction. The ice-making tray 7B is arranged in a plurality of ice-making cells 7B1 such as four rows, five rows, two rows, or six rows in the longitudinal direction. It is made of synthetic resin that is divided into 8 to 12 square ice cubes. 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.

  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 ice tray 7B of the automatic ice making machine 7. The water supply container 9 has a rectangular shape whose depth is longer than the horizontal width, and is a small chamber partitioned in the refrigerator compartment 3 And is cooled at the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 3. By opening the front door 10 of the refrigerator compartment 3, the water supply container 9 can be taken out to the front of the refrigerator 1 and the upper lid 9A can be opened to inject new water. The ice making water may be pumped from the water supply container 9 by a pump and supplied to the ice tray 7B of the automatic ice making machine 7. In the embodiment, however, the ice making water is supplied from a water supply channel 51 that vertically penetrates the heat insulating partition wall 28 by a natural fall method. The structure supplied to the ice tray 7B of the automatic ice making machine 7 is shown.

  A solenoid 52 is disposed around the water supply channel 51, and the operation rod disposed in the water supply channel 51 is raised by energization of the solenoid 52, and the open / close valve 53 provided at the bottom of the water supply container 9 is pushed up to supply water. The water supply hole 54 at the bottom of the container 9 is opened, and ice-making water is supplied from the water supply channel 51 to the ice tray 7B. Then, when the solenoid 52 is not energized, the on-off valve 53 is lowered by a spring force to close the water supply hole 54 at the bottom of the water supply container 9.

  The automatic ice maker 7 includes an electric mechanism 7A and an ice tray 7B that is rotationally driven by the electric mechanism 7A in the main body member 100. Since the main body member 100 of the automatic ice maker 7 constitutes a frame that combines the respective members, It will be referred to as member 100. In the housing member 100, an electric mechanism 7A and an ice tray 7B are disposed in front of the electric mechanism 7A. The rear part of the housing member 100 is provided with a connector 120 that is detachably connected to a connector 121 provided on the refrigerator-freezer main body 2 side. The housing member 100 can be pulled out to the front of the ice making chamber 6 using the supporting portion 200 as a rail and can be stored in the ice making chamber 6. With such a configuration, the automatic ice maker 7 including the electric mechanism 7A and the ice tray 7B can be removed by pulling forward of the refrigerator 1 and can be stored in the refrigerator 1.

  A specific configuration related to this will be described below. A partition plate 40 between the ice making chamber 6 and the freezer compartment 5B is attached to the left and right middle portions of the synthetic resin lower plate 30 of the heat insulating partition wall 28 constituting the ceiling wall of the ice making chamber 6 and the freezer compartment 5B. Support portions 200 are formed on the left and right side portions near the ceiling wall portion of the chamber 6 so as to perform a rail function in the front-rear direction. Although the support part 200 is formed by integral molding with the lower plate 30, a structure in which the support part 200 is formed in a rail form extending in the front-rear direction integrally or separately from the left and right walls of the ice making chamber 6 may be used. The left and right flange portions 100A of the housing member 100 are placed on the support portion 200 so that they can be pulled out in the front-rear direction. For this reason, the left and right support portions 200 can be referred to as the left and right rail portions 200.

  The present invention may be configured so that at least the automatic ice making machine 7 and the ice storage container 8 are installed in the ice making chamber 6, but for convenience, in the embodiment, it can be manually twisted to the side of the automatic ice making unit 101. An auxiliary ice making portion 105 is formed to house the auxiliary ice tray 7C made of a synthetic resin so that it can be pulled out forward. Therefore, when the housing member 100 is installed in the ice making chamber 6, the left and right side walls and the front wall of the ice storage container 8 prevent the automatic ice making unit 101 and the auxiliary ice making unit 105 from falling out of the ice falling from the ice tray 7B. The ice storage container 8 is enclosed. The rear wall of the ice storage container 8 is formed low so as not to collide with the housing member 100 when the ice storage container 8 is stored and pulled out.

  The housing member 100 is formed with an automatic ice making unit 101 surrounded by front and rear and left and right walls 101A, 101B, 101C, 101D and a bottom wall 101E. The housing member 100 is formed with an auxiliary ice making portion 105 that accommodates an auxiliary ice tray 7C made of synthetic resin that can be manually twisted so that it can be pulled out forward. The automatic ice making unit 101 and the auxiliary ice making unit 105 are adjacently arranged on both the left and right sides with the right wall 101D of the automatic ice making unit 101, which is a partition wall therebetween, as a boundary. The auxiliary ice making unit 105 is surrounded by the front and rear and left and right walls 105A, 105B, 105C (same as 101D), 105D and the bottom wall 105E, and the auxiliary ice tray 7C is placed on the bottom wall 105E so as to be slidable back and forth. . Further, from the form of the housing member 100, the right side wall 105D and the right bottom wall 105E of the auxiliary ice making unit 105 have a structure in which the integrated members Q are combined.

  The front part of the automatic ice making unit 101 forms the storage part 102 of the ice tray 7B, and the rear part of the automatic ice making part 101 forms the storage part 103 of the electric mechanism 7A. The housing member 100 is made of a synthetic resin, and includes a main body member base (hereinafter referred to as a housing main body) 100B and a cover 106 that covers the upper surface thereof. The cover 106 is attached to the housing main body 100B with screws at the fixing portion 106B so as to cover the automatic ice making portion 101 and the auxiliary ice making portion 105, and forms an upper wall of the housing member 100. Therefore, the storage portion 102 of the ice tray 7B is an area surrounded by the cover 106, the front wall 101A, the left and right walls 101C, 101D, and the bottom wall 101E. The storage portion 103 of the electric mechanism 7A is an area surrounded by the cover 106, the rear wall 101B, the left and right walls 101C, 101D, and the bottom wall 101E. The auxiliary ice making section 105 is an area surrounded by the cover 106, the front wall 105A, the left and right walls 105C, 105D, and the bottom wall 105E. In order to improve the cooling from the bottom surface of the ice tray 7B, a hollow portion R is formed in the bottom wall 101E of the storage portion 102, and in order to improve the cooling from the bottom surface of the auxiliary ice tray 7C, an auxiliary A hollow portion S is formed in the bottom wall 105E of the ice making portion 105.

  In the storage portion 102 of the ice tray 7B, a frame-shaped ice tray support 104 that supports the ice tray 7B is placed on the bottom wall 101E so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. In the electric mechanism 7A, an electric motor and a speed reduction mechanism that is a combination of a plurality of gears rotated by the electric motor are housed in a case, and a drive shaft 110 that decelerates in front of the case protrudes in the horizontal direction. In the electric mechanism 7A, the left and right engaging claws 7A1 formed on the front upper part of the case are held in the storage portion 103 in a state of being engaged with the engaging portion 106B of the cover 106.

  A horizontal shaft portion 70 is formed at the front portion of the ice tray 7B, and a bearing portion 71 that rotatably supports the shaft portion 70 of the ice tray 7B is formed at the front portion of the ice tray support 104. Yes. The bearing portion 71 is opened upward, and the shaft portion 70 of the ice tray 7B can be taken out and placed on the bearing portion 71 in the vertical direction. A driven shaft 72 is formed at the rear of the ice tray 7B. The drive shaft 110 of the electric mechanism 7A and the driven shaft portion 72 of the ice tray 7B are non-circularly coupled so that the non-circular portion of the drive shaft 110 can be detachably fitted to the driven shaft portion 72 in the front-rear direction. The power transmission unit 80 is configured.

  At the rear of the ice tray support 104, a circular hole support portion 73 is formed in which a driven shaft portion 72 provided at the rear of the ice tray 7B is supported in a penetrating state. The driven shaft portion 72 at the rear part of the ice tray 7B may be formed simultaneously with the ice tray 7B, but in the embodiment, the driven shaft member 75 in which the front shaft 77 is fitted to the protruding shaft 74 at the rear portion of the ice tray 7B. Is formed by. The driven shaft member 75 is attached with the upper and lower elastic claws 76 engaged with the protruding shaft 74. Since the driven shaft portion 72 is loosely fitted to the support portion 73, the electric mechanism 7A is pulled by pulling the ice tray 7B forward while the shaft portion 70 of the ice tray 7B is slightly lifted from the bearing portion 71. Since the driven shaft portion 72 of the ice tray 7B is detached from the drive shaft 110, the ice tray 7B can be removed from the ice tray support 104 upward.

  In addition, when the ice tray 7B is placed on the ice tray support 104, pulling the ice tray support 104 forward removes the driven shaft 72 from the drive shaft 110, and the ice tray 7B has a front portion. With the shaft portion 70 placed on the bearing portion 71, the rear driven shaft portion 72 is placed on the support portion 73. In this state, the ice tray 7B is held in a substantially horizontal state, and the ice tray 7B is prevented from falling off. Then, the ice tray 7B can be removed upward from the ice tray support 104. Thus, since the ice tray 7B can be held in a substantially horizontal state with the ice tray support 104 being pulled out, the ice tray 7B is placed on the ice tray support 104 and is slid to the normal position. In this case, the driven shaft portion 72 and the drive shaft 110 can be connected smoothly.

  In the present invention, as described above, the ice tray 7B is pivotally supported by the ice tray support 104 that is slidably supported by the housing member 100, which is a main body member, and the electric mechanism 7A is left in the housing member 100. In this state, the ice tray support 104 can be pulled out of the freezing temperature chamber 6 together with the ice tray 7B. In addition, a lock device is provided in which the ice tray support 104 is locked to a normal position with respect to the housing member 100 and the lock is manually released.

  As one form of this locking device, a drawer handle 78 is rotatably attached to the front surface portion of the ice tray support 104. The handle 78 is positioned in front of the front wall 104A so as to keep a distance from the front wall 104A of the ice tray support 104, and an upper part is rotatably supported by a shaft 78A, and an applied spring (not shown) force is provided. Thus, the locking projection 79 protruding upward is engaged with the locking portion 81 formed on the cover 106. With this engaged state, the ice tray support 104 is kept in the normal position of the storage portion 102 of the ice tray 7B, and the drive shaft 110 of the electric mechanism 7A and the driven shaft portion 72 of the ice tray 7B are fitted. Thus, power transmission is possible.

  When the ice tray support 104 is pulled forward from the housing member 100, the handle 78 is rotated by pulling it forward (forward) against the spring force, and the locking projection 79 is disengaged from the locking portion 81. Therefore, the ice tray support 104 can be pulled forward from the housing member 100. In order to prevent the ice tray support 104 from falling off the housing member 100 in a state where the entire upper surface of the ice tray 7B is almost exposed and the ice tray 7B is pulled out from the ice tray support 104 to a position where it can be removed. A stopper device 111 is provided. In this manner, the ice tray 7B can be detached from the ice tray support 104 with almost all the ice tray 7B being pulled out.

  When the ice tray 7B is pulled out from the housing member 100, which is a main body member, to the detachable position by pulling out the ice tray support 104, the stopper device 111 is provided with an elastic locking piece 112 provided at the lower portion of the ice tray support 104. The locking projection 113 is in contact with a stopper portion 111 provided at the bottom front portion of the housing member 100 so that the drawing out of the ice tray support 104 is stopped. In the state stopped by the stopper device 111, the ice tray 7B can be taken out from the ice tray support 104. Further, when removing the ice tray support 104 from the state stopped by the stopper device 111, the ice tray support 104 is supported in a state where the elastic locking piece 112 is pushed up from below to remove the locking projection 113 from the stopper portion 114. This is accomplished by pulling the body 104 forward of the housing member 100.

  The elastic locking piece 112 is formed by integral molding with the bottom of the synthetic resin ice tray support 104, and the stopper 111 is formed by integral molding with the bottom wall of the synthetic resin housing member 100. The device 111 can be easily formed in an inconspicuous place.

  In the present invention, the ice tray 7B can be taken out of the ice making chamber 6 with the electric mechanism 7A left in the ice making chamber 6. Therefore, even when the ice tray 7B is removed and washed with water, the electrical components may be splashed with water. There is no configuration. As a configuration that exhibits this effect, since the electric mechanism 7A for rotationally driving the ice tray 7B is housed in the rear portion of the automatic ice making unit 101, the cold air cooled by the evaporator (cooler) 24 is converted into the ice tray 7B. It cannot be introduced into the ice tray 7B from behind. Therefore, the cold air introduction path 90 bypasses the automatic ice maker 7 in order to introduce the cold air cooled by the evaporator (cooler) 24 from the cold air passage 91 formed on the back surface of the ice making chamber 6 to the ice tray 7B. Further, the housing member 100 is formed. The cold air introduction path 90 has a portion corresponding to the auxiliary ice making unit 105 of the cover 106 recessed downward so that the cold air supplied from the cold air passage 91 flows into the ice tray storage unit 102 from the side of the ice tray 7B. The cold air introduction path 90 is bent and formed at a position directly above the side wall (right side wall in the figure) of the ice tray support 104 so as to communicate with the side of the automatic ice making unit 101.

  The cold air cooled by the evaporator (cooler) 24 flows from the cold air passage 91 into the cold air introduction passage 90 by the blower 25 and also flows into the freezer compartment 5A from the cold air passage 92 formed on the back surface of the freezer compartment 5A. The cold air that has flowed into the cold air introduction path 90 is diverted by the flow dividing wall 90 </ b> A and flows into the ice tray storage unit 102 from the right side surface of the ice tray storage unit 102. The cold air flowing into the freezer compartment 5A cools the freezer compartment 5A, then returns to the periphery of the evaporator (cooler) 24 from the suction port 93, and is cooled again to circulate as described above. In a state where the housing member 100 is housed in a predetermined position of the ice making chamber 6, the outlet at the front end of the cold air introduction path 90 and the inlet at the rear end of the cold air introduction path 90 are in close contact with each other through a sealing material so as not to leak cold air And come to communicate.

  The ice tray storage unit 102 and the auxiliary ice making unit 105 communicate with each other through a cold air passage so that the cold air on the ice tray 7B passes to the auxiliary ice tray 7C. That is, the cold air that has flowed into the ice tray receiving section 102 from the cold air introduction path 90 formed by recessing the portion corresponding to the auxiliary ice making section 105 of the cover 106 flows around the ice tray 7B to cool the ice tray 7B. The water in it can be frozen. A wall in which a part of the cold air is a vent hole 83 formed in the right side wall of the ice tray support 104 and a partition wall between the ice tray storage portion 102 and the auxiliary ice making portion 105 that are opened at a position overlapping the vent hole 83. The auxiliary ice tray 7C in the auxiliary ice tray 105 is cooled through the vent hole 84 formed in 101D (same as 105C) to freeze the water in the auxiliary ice tray 7C, so that the hollow portion S and the right side wall 105D It flows out from the vent hole 87 to the ice making chamber 6. Further, the other portions of the cold air that flowed around the ice tray 7B are a portion that flows out from the hollow portion R to the ice making chamber 6 below, and a vent hole 85 formed in the left side wall of the ice tray support 104. There is a portion that flows out to the ice making chamber 6 through the vent hole 86 formed in the left side wall 101C of the ice tray storage unit 102 that is opened at a position overlapping with the vent hole 85. The cold air that has flowed out into the ice making chamber 6 flows into the freezing chamber 5A through a gap around the bottom plate 47 of the ice making chamber 6 and returns to the surroundings of the evaporator (cooler) 24 through the suction port 93 and is cooled again. Repeat the above cycle.

  As described above, the automatic ice maker 7 is supported by the left and right rail portions 200 provided in the ice making chamber 6 in which the housing member 100 is the freezing temperature chamber so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. For this reason, the automatic ice making machine 7 can be pulled out of the ice making chamber 6 by pulling out the housing member 100 with the front door 14 pulled out and the ice storage container 8 pulled out forward, and can be stored by sliding. . In order to store and hold the automatic ice making machine 7 in a regular position in the ice making chamber 6, a lock device 95 is provided for holding the housing member 100 in the regular position. The locking device 95 is pivotable on the front wall of the housing member 100, and a locking recess 97 formed by recessing upward in the synthetic resin lower plate 30 of the heat insulating partition wall 28 constituting the ceiling wall of the ice making chamber 6. It is comprised in combination with the lock lever 96 attached to.

  The housing member 100 can be held in the normal position by engaging the upper end of the lock lever 96 with the locking recess 97 while the housing member 100 is stored in the normal position. Further, the housing member 100 can be pulled out from the ice making chamber 6 in a state where the lock lever 96 is rotated and removed from the locking recess 97.

  The ice making water supplied from the water supply channel 51 to the ice making tray 7B is supplied to one ice making cell 7B1 of the ice making tray 7B, and is sequentially supplied from there to another ice making cell 7B1 by overflow. Therefore, a water supply hole 106A is formed in the cover 106 at a position corresponding to one ice making cell 7B1 at the rear of the ice tray 7B, and the lower end of the water supply path 51 corresponds to the water supply hole 106A. A groove 106 </ b> D is formed in the cover 106 so as to open rearward from the water supply hole 106 </ b> A so that the lower end of the pipe forming the water supply path 51 does not hit the cover 106 when the housing member 100 is pulled forward.

  As described above, the automatic ice making machine 7 is attached to the housing member 100 disposed along the upper wall 30 of the ice making chamber 6 so as to be disposed in the vicinity of the upper wall of the ice making chamber 6, and the freezing temperature chamber. Are supported by the left and right rail portions 200 provided in the ice making chamber 6 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. For this reason, the electric line which electrically connects the electrical equipment part and control circuit part by the side of the refrigerator-freezer main body 2 and the electric mechanism 7A is a detachable connector mechanism. This specific configuration will be described below.

  The housing member 100 is provided with an automatic ice maker 7 side connector 120, and a connector 121 to which electric power is supplied from an electrical component (not shown) of the refrigerator refrigerator body 2 through a lead wire is provided on the refrigerator refrigerator body 2 side. Is provided. The automatic ice maker 7 side connector 120 connected to the electric mechanism 7A is provided to protrude rearward from the rear portion of the housing member 100, specifically, to the housing main body 100B. The connector 121 on the side of the refrigerator main body 2 is attached to the synthetic resin lower plate 30 so as to be disposed in the vicinity of the upper wall 30 of the ice making chamber 6. In order for the automatic ice making machine 7 to be housed in the refrigerator-freezer 1, the left and right portions 100 </ b> A of the housing member 100 are placed on the support portion 200 and pushed in, so that the automatic ice-making machine 7 reaches a predetermined position in the refrigerator-freezer 1. 120 is connected to the connector 121. In order to facilitate the pushing-in of the housing member 100, the combination of the housing member 100 and the support portion 200 is provided with a little flexibility, so that the connector 120 and the connector 121 are also joined slightly. As a result, the connection between the connector 120 and the connector 121 becomes smooth.

  As a specific configuration, the terminal portion of the connector 120 is constituted by a protruding pin, and the connector 121 is a terminal portion in the form of a hole into which the protruding pin is inserted. However, when the housing member 100 is pushed in, the housing member 100 slightly moves up and down. Even if it is shifted to the left or right, the entrance of the hole of the connector 121 is slightly widened so that the protruding pin of the connector 120 can easily enter the hole of the connector 121. Further, the connector 120 has a flexible mounting structure so that the connector 120 can move slightly in the vertical and horizontal directions.

  In the automatic ice maker 7, the housing member 100 is supported by the left and right rail portions 200 provided in the ice making chamber 6 that is a freezing temperature chamber so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. If it is removed from the chamber 6, the ice storage container 8 can be used as a storage container for frozen food. Furthermore, by removing the ice storage container 8 from the ice making chamber 6, the ice making chamber 6 can be used as a freezing room for storing frozen food.

  Since the terminal portion of the connector 121 is exposed to the ice making chamber 6 with the housing member 100 pulled out and the automatic ice making machine 7 removed from the ice making chamber 6, there is a risk that the user of the refrigerator / freezer 1 touches the terminal portion of the connector 121. In order to prevent other objects from fitting into the terminal portion of the connector 121, and to prevent water from adhering to the terminal portion of the connector 121, the terminal portion of the connector 121 is covered. A connector cover 130 is provided. The connector cover 130 has a rear end support portion 132 attached to the synthetic resin lower plate 30 so that the front cover portion 131 moves up and down. Therefore, the connector cover 130 is made of a synthetic resin having elasticity so that the cover portion 131 moves up and down while being supported by the rear end support portion 132, and the connector cover 130 is made elastic. Any of the structures made of an unexpected synthetic resin and having a shaft support structure that can be rotated by the support portion 132 may be used. In order to prevent the connector 120 and the connector 121 from freezing and becoming unremovable, an electric heater for heating the connector 121 can be provided.

  The connector cover 130 is lowered so that the cover portion 131 covers the terminal portion of the connector 121 when the housing member 100 is pulled out from the ice making chamber 6. In this state, the housing member 100 is slid rearward along the left and right rail portions 200 in order to store the housing member 100 in the ice making chamber 6, so that the cover portion 131 protrudes rearward of the housing member 100. The terminal portion of the connector 121 is gradually exposed by being pushed up along the inclined surface of the upper surface of the pair of operating portions 133. Further, when the housing member 100 slides rearward along the left and right rail portions 200, when the connector 120 is inserted into the connector 121 and the housing member 100 is stored in the normal position, both connectors are properly connected. It becomes a state.

  When the housing member 100 is pulled out from the ice making chamber 6, the connector 120 is detached from the connector 121 and the cover portion 131 gradually descends along the inclined surface on the upper surface of the operating piece 133. At a predetermined pull-out position of 100, the connector 120 is detached from the connector 121, and the cover part 131 covers the terminal portion of the connector 121 from the front surface.

  The pair of left and right operating pieces 133 are disposed close to both the left and right sides of the connector 120 to protect the connector 120, and the cover portion 134 of the housing member 100 is configured to cover the pair of left and right operating pieces 133 from both the left and right sides and the lower side. It is provided on the rear wall. When the housing member 100 is pulled out, the cover part 134 protects the connector 120 and the pair of left and right operating pieces 133 from collision with other objects.

  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 ice making process is started in a state where a sufficient amount of ice making water is contained in the water supply container 9 set at a predetermined position in the refrigerator compartment 3, the solenoid 52 is energized for a predetermined time by the control circuit unit, and is opened and closed. The valve 53 opens the water supply port 54, and a predetermined amount of ice making water required for one ice making is automatically supplied to the ice making tray 7B by natural fall.

  By supplying water to the ice tray 7B, the water in the ice tray 7B is frozen, and when the timer means of the control circuit unit has passed for a certain period of time, or the ice tray sensor detects the lowered temperature of the ice tray 7B when ice is formed. Then, the deicing process is started by the control circuit unit, the electric mechanism 7A is started, and the ice tray 7B is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 8 and reversed, and the protrusion provided at the front portion of the ice tray 7B. 7B2 comes into contact with the stopper 104B of the ice tray support 104, and the ice tray 7B is twisted, and the ice in the ice tray 7B is dropped to the ice storage container 8 below. After this twisting, the ice tray 7B is returned and rotated clockwise in FIG. 8, and the ice tray 7B returns to the horizontal state. In this state, the next ice making process starts automatically, and after supplying water again, the above operation is performed. By performing such an ice making operation cycle, ice is stored in the ice storage container 8. In the deicing step, the ice tray 7B may be configured such that the ice tray 7B rotates clockwise as shown in FIGS.

  The amount of ice in the ice storage container 8 is detected by the ice detecting lever 140 that is lowered by the electric mechanism 7A for each ice making process. The ice detecting lever 140 is disposed on the side of the ice tray 7B so as not to obstruct the rotation of the ice tray 7B, and enters the ice storage container 8 through the hollow portion R to detect the amount of ice. When the amount of ice in the ice storage container 8 becomes full, the ice detecting lever 140 is restricted from descending by the ice, so this state is electrically detected and the ice tray before entering the next ice making process. It is a mechanism to stop water supply to 7B.

  The automatic ice making machine of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the arrangement relationship of the refrigerator compartment, the freezing room, the ice making room, etc. of the refrigerator-freezer is not limited to the above form and deviates from the technical scope of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, it can be applied to various types of refrigerator-freezers.

It is a front view of the present invention refrigerator-freezer. (Example 1) It is a vertical side view of the ice making room and the freezing room part which installed the automatic ice making machine of the refrigerator-freezer main body of this invention. (Example 1) It is a front view of the automatic ice maker part of this invention refrigerator-freezer. (Example 1) It is a front perspective view of the automatic ice maker part of the state which opened the ice-making chamber door of this invention refrigerator refrigerator (drawn). (Example 1) It is a front perspective view of the state which opened the ice-making chamber door of this invention refrigerator refrigerator, and pulled out the whole automatic ice making machine a little. (Example 1) It is a front perspective view of the state which opened the ice-making chamber door of this invention refrigerator refrigerator, and pulled out the ice tray of the automatic ice maker. (Example 1) It is a front perspective view explaining the state which opened the ice-making chamber door of this invention refrigerator refrigerator and pulled out the ice-making tray of the automatic ice maker. (Example 1) It is a disassembled perspective view of the automatic ice making machine of this invention. (Example 1) It is a front perspective view of the automatic ice making machine of this invention. (Example 1) It is a back perspective view of the automatic ice making machine of this invention. (Example 1) It is a front perspective view of the automatic ice maker of the present invention in the state where an ice tray was pulled out. (Example 1) It is a front perspective view of the automatic ice making machine of the present invention in a state where the ice tray is pulled out and removed. (Example 1) It is a front perspective view of the automatic ice making machine of this invention which cut | disconnected a part of upper wall of the main-body member. (Example 1) It is a front perspective view of the automatic ice making machine of this invention which shows the state which the ice-making tray rotated a little. (Example 1) It is a front view of the automatic ice maker of the present invention shown in a longitudinal section. (Example 1) It is a front view of the automatic ice making machine of this invention which shows the state which the ice-making tray rotated a little in the longitudinal section. (Example 1) It is a vertical side view of the state in which the automatic ice making machine of the present invention is attached to the ice making chamber. (Example 1) It is a vertical side view which shows the state which pulled out the automatic ice making machine of this invention a little to the ice making chamber front. (Example 1) It is a vertical side view which shows the state which pulled out the automatic ice making machine of this invention a little further ahead of the ice making chamber from FIG. (Example 1) It is a vertical side view of the automatic ice maker of the present invention in which the ice tray is stored. (Example 1) It is a vertical side view of the automatic ice making machine of this invention which shows the state which removed the lock | rock of the ice tray. (Example 1) It is a vertical side view of the automatic ice making machine of the present invention showing a state where the lock is removed and the ice tray is slightly pulled out. (Example 1)

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Refrigeration refrigerator 2 ... Refrigeration refrigerator main body 3 ... Refrigeration room 4 ... Vegetable room 5 ... Freezing room 5A ... Freezing room 6 ... Ice making room 7 ... Automatic ice making machine 7A · · Electric mechanism 7B · · Ice tray 7C · · Auxiliary ice tray 8 · · · ice storage container 9 · · · water supply container 24 · · cooler 25 · · blower 28 · · heat insulation partition wall of the refrigerator compartment and ice making chamber 29 ·・ Insulating partition wall upper plate 30 ..Insulating partition wall lower plate 31 ..Insulating material 51 ..Water supply channel 52 ..Solenoid 53 ..Open / close valve 54 ..Water supply port 70 ..Shaft part 71 of ice tray · Bearing portion 72 · · · A driven shaft portion of the ice tray 73 · · · A support portion at the rear portion of the ice tray · · · 78 · Handle 78A · · · shaft 79 · · · projection convex 80 · · · power transmission portion 81 ·・ ・ Locking part 90 ・ ・ ・ Cooling air introduction passage 90A ・ ・ Diversion wall 91 ・ ・ ・ Cooling air passage 95 ・ ・ ・ Lock Location 96 ... lock lever 97 ... engaging recess 100 ... the body member (housing member)
100A .. Left and right parts of main body member (housing member) 100B .. Main body member base (housing main body)
101.. Automatic ice making unit 102.. Ice tray storage unit 103.. Electric mechanism storage unit 104.. Ice tray support 105. · · Elastic locking piece 114 · · Stopper portion 120 · · Refrigerator main body side connector 121 · · Automatic ice maker side connector 200 · · Support portion (rail portion)

Claims (5)

  An automatic ice maker configured to cause ice in the ice tray to fall downward by rotating an ice tray placed in a freezing temperature chamber in a refrigerator with an electric mechanism, and the electric mechanism is disposed at a rear portion thereof. A main body member in which the ice tray is disposed at a front position is detachably attached to an upper portion of the freezing temperature chamber, and the main body member is supplied with cold air supplied from a rear portion of the freezing temperature chamber to the ice tray. An automatic ice making machine characterized in that a passage is bent toward a side of the ice tray through a side of the electric mechanism.   An automatic ice maker configured to cause ice in the ice tray to drop downward by rotating an ice tray placed in a freezing temperature chamber in a refrigerator with an electric mechanism, the main body member of the automatic ice maker being The left and right rails provided in the refrigeration temperature chamber are slidably supported in the front-rear direction and can be pulled out of the refrigeration temperature chamber, and the main body member includes an electric mechanism storage portion for storing the electric mechanism at the rear. An ice making tray storage portion for storing the ice tray in a position forward of the mechanism storage portion is provided, and the ice tray is passed through a side of the electric mechanism storage portion on an upper wall of the main body member from a side surface of the ice tray storage portion. An automatic ice making machine characterized in that a cold air supply passage for supplying cold air to the water is formed.   An automatic ice maker configured to cause ice in the ice tray to drop downward by rotating an ice tray placed in a freezing temperature chamber in a refrigerator with an electric mechanism, the main body member of the automatic ice maker being The left and right rails provided in the refrigeration temperature chamber are slidably supported in the front-rear direction and can be pulled out of the refrigeration temperature chamber, and the main body member includes an electric mechanism storage portion for storing the electric mechanism at the rear. An ice tray storage section for storing the ice tray is provided at a position in front of the mechanism storage section, and an auxiliary ice tray that can be manually twisted to the side of the ice tray storage section is slidably stored in the front and rear direction in the main body member. An auxiliary ice tray storage unit is provided, and a cold air supply passage for supplying cold air blown out from the rear portion of the freezing temperature chamber to the ice tray is communicated with a side surface of the ice tray storage unit through a side of the electric mechanism storage unit. Automatic ice maker, characterized in that sea urchin said formed on the upper wall of the auxiliary ice tray housing section.   An automatic ice maker configured to cause ice in the ice tray to drop downward by rotating an ice tray placed in a freezing temperature chamber in a refrigerator with an electric mechanism, the main body member of the automatic ice maker being The left and right rails provided in the refrigeration temperature chamber are slidably supported in the front-rear direction and can be pulled out of the refrigeration temperature chamber, and the main body member includes an electric mechanism storage portion for storing the electric mechanism at the rear. An ice-making tray storage unit for storing the ice-making tray is provided at a position in front of the mechanism storage unit, and the ice-making tray is supported by the ice-making tray storage unit so that it can be pulled out and removed in a pulled-out state. The automatic ice maker is characterized in that a cold air supply passage for supplying cold air to the ice tray from the side surface of the ice tray storage section through the side of the electric mechanism storage section is formed.   A refrigerator-freezer comprising the automatic ice maker according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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