JP2007101000A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator equipped with an automatic ice making device capable of surely making ice even when the refrigerator is tilted to a water supply side. <P>SOLUTION: A water passage 23 of a block 19 apart from a block 22 to which water from a water supply tank 7 is supplied for one block or more is deepened and widened, a ratio of a depth 5d to a width 5c of an ice making tray 5 is two-and-a-half times or more, and a block 19d on the opposite side from the block 22 to which water is supplied is installed to be lower about 0.5 degrees along the longitudinal direction, and thereby, a flow rate of water to the respective blocks 19 per unit time is increased, water can be surely supplied to the respective blocks 19 of the ice making tray 5, and ice can be surely made even when the refrigerator is installed at a slant to the water supply side by the influence of the tilt of a floor. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic ice making device and a refrigerator for making ice by supplying water from a water supply tank installed in a refrigerator compartment to an ice tray in a freezing temperature zone.

  Conventionally, an automatic ice making device incorporated in a refrigerator or the like automatically supplies ice making water from a water supply tank provided in the refrigerator through a water supply pipe, and ice making is automatically performed. The ice in the ice tray is dropped 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., and the ice making operation is stopped and the ice storage container When the ice in the inside is reduced, it is detected by the ice storage detection lever, water is supplied again, and ice making automatically resumes (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  6 to 7 show an automatic ice making apparatus incorporated in a conventional refrigerator-freezer described in Patent Document 1. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 6 to 7, reference numeral 1 denotes a refrigerator body, which has a freezer compartment 2 and a refrigerating compartment 3, and includes a freezer compartment door 2a and a refrigerating compartment door 3a, respectively. An ice making device 4 is arranged in the upper part of the freezer compartment 2, and the ice made in the ice tray 5 is stored in the lower ice storage box 6. A water supply tank 7 for storing ice making water is arranged in the refrigerator compartment 3, and a certain amount of water in the water supply tank 7 is supplied to the ice tray 5 through a water supply pipe 9 by a water supply pump 8. ing.

  The ice tray 5 of the automatic ice making device is divided into a plurality of blocks by the partition wall, and a water channel having a partially lowered height is provided in the partition wall so that water supplied from the water supply tank flows to each block. Forming.

  Further, the automatic ice making device 4 is configured by arranging an ice tray 5 on the front side and a drive unit 10 on the rear side of the freezer compartment door in the opposite direction of the door, and the ice tray 5 is rotated by rotation from the drive unit 10. Then, the ice comes off the ice tray 5 and falls into the ice storage box 6 at the bottom.

The operation of the automatic ice making device configured as described above will be described below. Water is supplied to the ice tray 5, and the cold air cooled by the cooler 18 from the cold air discharge duct 17 is supplied to the ice tray 5. The water in the ice tray 5 is cooled and ice making is performed. When the temperature sensor 15 detects that the ice making is completed, the rotation shaft 10a is rotated by the drive control of the drive unit 10 to rotate the ice tray 5, and at the same time, the ice full detection lever 12 causes the ice in the ice storage box 6 to move. When the amount of ice is not full, if the ice is not full, the ice tray 5 is reversed and twisted to disengage the ice from the ice tray 5 and when the rotating shaft 10a is in a predetermined position, the drive motor To stop the ice removal. The deiced ice is stored in the ice storage box 6 below.
JP 2000-161824 A

  However, in the above-described conventional configuration, in the water channel provided on the partition wall between the blocks of the ice tray, when the refrigerator is inclined to the water supply side due to the influence of the floor, the refrigerator is placed on the block at the end opposite to the water supply side. It happens that the water doesn't go around.

  This invention is made in view of the above-mentioned problem, and it aims at providing the refrigerator which can produce ice reliably, even when a refrigerator inclines to the water supply side by the influence of the inclination of a floor. is there.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the refrigerator of the present invention includes an automatic ice maker that supplies water from a water supply tank installed in a refrigeration chamber to an ice tray in a freezing chamber, and the ice tray Is divided into a plurality of blocks by a partition wall, a water channel is formed in the partition wall, and the depth of the water channel one block or more away from the block to which water from the water supply tank is initially supplied is determined from the water channel near the water supply unit. It is deep.

  This increases the flow rate of water per unit time between the blocks even when the block from which the water is supplied from the water tank is increased, so that water can be reliably supplied to each block of the ice tray, and the floor can be tilted. Due to the influence, even if the refrigerator is installed inclined to the water supply side, ice can be produced reliably.

  The refrigerator of the present invention increases the flow rate of water per unit time between blocks even when the block is separated from the block to which water from the water supply tank is supplied, and can reliably supply water to each block of the ice tray. Even if the refrigerator is installed tilted to the water supply side, the ice can be reliably produced.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a refrigerator including an automatic ice making device for making ice by supplying water from a water supply tank installed in a refrigerator compartment to an ice tray in a freezer compartment, wherein the ice tray is divided into a plurality of blocks. The partition wall is formed with a water channel, and the depth of the water channel one block or more away from the block where water from the water supply tank is initially supplied is deeper than the water channel near the water supply unit. Even in blocks away from the block where the water is supplied from the tank, the flow rate of water per unit time between blocks increases, water can be reliably supplied to each block of the ice tray, and the refrigerator is also affected by the tilt of the floor. Even if it is installed at an angle toward the water supply side, ice can be reliably produced.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the width of the water channel one block or more away from the water supply block of the ice tray is larger than the water channel in the vicinity of the water supply unit. Even if the block is far from the block where the water is supplied, the flow rate of water per unit time between the blocks increases, water can be reliably supplied to each block of the ice tray, and the refrigerator is affected by the tilt of the floor. Even when installed inclined to the water supply side, ice can be produced reliably.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a rib is provided on a side surface of the water channel of the ice tray, and a rib with a sharp tip at the tip is conventionally provided on one side of the partition wall of the water channel. Although there was only one, when the width and depth of the water channel were widened, when the ice was released, the ice on the adjacent blocks remained connected with the water channel, and there was a risk that it would not break, but it was sharp on both sides of the water channel By providing the ribs, the ice is notched from both sides to concentrate the stress, and the ice is not produced in a connected state even though the size of the water channel is increased.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 3, wherein the rib provided on the side surface of the water channel of the ice tray is provided up to the bottom surface of the water channel. There is no significant loss of width and the flow per unit time between blocks is reduced only slightly. And if the width and depth of the water channel are widened, the ice of adjacent blocks will remain connected with the water channel at the time of deicing, but there is a risk that it will not break, but provide a slight rib on both sides of the water channel As a result, notches are provided on both sides of the ice to concentrate the stress, and the ice can easily cut the water channel between the blocks by the impact of dropping, and the ice is not produced in a connected state.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the height of the partition wall of the block to be supplied with water in the ice tray is only the straight portion excluding the curved surface of the corner of the block. It is lowered to the vicinity of the water level line, so that the water in the block to be supplied can be quickly diffused to the next block, and even if the block is far from the block to which the water from the water supply tank is supplied, the water per unit time between the blocks The flow rate is increased, water can be reliably supplied to each block of the ice tray, and even when the refrigerator is installed inclined to the water supply side due to the influence of the floor, ice can be reliably produced. Furthermore, since the lowered partition wall extends to the vicinity of the water level line, the thickness of the ice is about 1 to 2.5 mm.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is the block according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein water is supplied in an ice tray having a depth ratio of 2.5 times or more to the width of the ice tray. Since the water in the block to be supplied is inclined and lowered in the longitudinal direction, it can be quickly diffused to the adjacent block in the depth direction. Even in blocks away from the block where the water is supplied from the tank, the flow rate of water per unit time between blocks increases, water can be reliably supplied to each block of the ice tray, and the refrigerator is also affected by the tilt of the floor. Even if it is installed at an angle toward the water supply side, ice can be produced reliably.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the same structure as the past, and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted. Further, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a schematic sectional side view of a main part of a refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an automatic ice making device in the same embodiment, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an ice making tray in the same embodiment, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the ice tray shown in FIG. 3 in the embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of the ice tray shown in FIG. 3 according to the embodiment.

  1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a refrigerator body, which has a freezer compartment 2 and a refrigerating compartment 3, and includes a freezer compartment door 2a and a refrigerating compartment door 3a, respectively. An automatic ice making device 4 is arranged in the upper part of the freezer compartment 2, and the ice made in the ice tray 5 is stored in a lower ice storage box 6. A water supply tank 7 for storing ice making water is arranged in the refrigerator compartment 3, and a certain amount of water in the water supply tank 7 is supplied to the ice tray 5 through a water supply pipe 9 by a water supply pump 8. ing.

  Further, the automatic ice making device 4 is configured by arranging an ice tray 5 on the front side and a drive unit 10 on the rear side of the freezer compartment door in the opposite direction of the door, and the ice tray 5 is rotated by rotation from the drive unit 10. Then, the ice comes off the ice tray 5 and falls into the ice storage box 6 at the bottom.

  And the control part (not shown) which controls the operation | movement of the drive part 10 and the full ice detection lever 12 is provided.

  The ice tray 5 is partitioned into a plurality of blocks 19 by a partition wall 20, and a water channel 21 is formed in the partition wall 20. The depth 23a of the water channel 23 that is one block or more away from the water supply block 22 is deeper than the water channel 21 near the water supply unit, and the width 23b of the water channel 23 that is one block or more away from the water supply block 22 is the water supply unit. It is configured to be larger than the width of the nearby water channel 21. Then, the ice tray 5 is formed in an ice tray shape in which the ratio of the depth 5d to the width 5c of the ice tray 5 is 2.5 times or more, and the block 19d opposite to the water supply block 22 is lowered by about 0.5 degrees in the longitudinal direction. Yes.

  In addition, ribs 24 with sharp tips are provided on both sides of the partition wall 20 of the water channel 23 that is one block or more away from the block 22 supplied with water in the ice tray 5. The range of the rib 24 with a sharp tip is provided up to the root vicinity 23c of the draft in the depth direction of the water channel 23.

  Further, the height of the partition wall 20 of the block 22 supplied with water in the ice tray 5 is lowered to the vicinity of the water level line 20b only in the straight portion 20a excluding the rounded corners of the block.

  The effect | action is demonstrated below about the refrigerator comprised as mentioned above.

  First, in contrast to the conventional problem that the flow rate decreases as the distance from the block 22 to which water from the water supply tank 7 is supplied decreases, and the water hardly flows to the block 19a, in the present embodiment, the block 22 supplied first. By deepening and widening the water channel 23 of the block one block away from the block 19, the flow rate of water per unit time to the block 19 increases, so that water can be reliably supplied.

  Further, by deepening and widening the water channel 23 separated by one block or more, the flow rate of water per unit time between the blocks 22 increases, water can be reliably supplied to each block 19 of the ice tray 5, and the floor Even if the refrigerator is installed inclined to the water supply side due to the influence of the inclination, ice can be reliably produced.

  Further, in the present embodiment, by providing the ribs 24 having a pointed tip on both sides of the partition wall 20 of the water channel 23 which is one block or more away from the block 22 to which the ice tray 5 is supplied with water, a pointed tip is conventionally provided. There was only one rib 24 on one side of the water channel 23, but when the width 23b and the depth 23a of the water channel 23 were widened, the ice of the adjacent block 19b remained connected with the water channel 23 at the time of deicing, Although there is a possibility of not breaking, by providing the sharp ribs 24 on both sides of the water channel 23, notches are provided on both sides of the ice to concentrate stress, and the ice channel 23 is enlarged in spite of increasing the size of the water channel 23. Can easily cut the water channel between the blocks 19b by the impact of dropping, and ice is not produced in a connected state.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the range of the rib 24 with the sharp tip is provided up to the root vicinity 23c of the draft angle in the depth direction of the water channel 23. There is no significant loss of width, and the flow rate per unit time between the blocks 19 is reduced only slightly. And when the width 23b and the depth 23a of the water channel 23 are widened, there is a possibility that the ice of the adjacent block 19b remains connected with the water channel 23 at the time of deicing. By providing even a small number of sharp ribs, the ice is notched from both sides and stress is concentrated. The ice can easily cut the water channel 23 between the blocks 19b by the impact of falling, and the ice is produced in a connected state. Not.

  In the present embodiment, the height of the partition wall 20 of the block 22 to be supplied with water in the ice tray 5 is lowered to the vicinity of the water level line 20b only by removing the straight portion 20a excluding the rounded corners of the block. The water of 22 can quickly diffuse to the adjacent block 19, and even in the block 19 away from the block 22 to which the water from the water supply tank 7 is supplied, the flow rate of water per unit time between the blocks 19 increases, Water can be reliably supplied to each block 19, and even if the refrigerator is installed inclined to the water supply side due to the inclination of the floor, ice can be produced reliably. Further, since the lowered partition wall 20b extends to the vicinity of the water level line 20c, the thickness of the ice connection portion ice in the straight portion 20a of the adjacent block 19c is about 1 to 2.5 mm, with water becoming ice and volume expansion. However, since the thickness is thin, it is easy to break when it is deiced, so it has good quality.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, it is set as the ice-making tray whose ratio of depth 5d is 2.5 times or more with respect to the width 5c of the ice-making tray 5, and the block 19d on the opposite side to the block 22 to supply water is about 0.5 in the longitudinal direction. Since the water in the block 22 to be supplied is inclined and lowered in the longitudinal direction, the water supplied from the water supply tank 7 can be quickly diffused to the adjacent block 19 in the depth direction. Even in the block 19a away from the block 22 to which water is supplied, the flow rate of water per unit time between the blocks 19 increases, so that water can be reliably supplied to each block 19 of the ice tray 5, and further, due to the influence of the floor inclination, Even when the refrigerator is installed inclined to the water supply side, ice can be produced reliably.

  As described above, the refrigerator comprising the ice making device of the present invention can increase the flow rate of water per unit time between blocks even in a block away from a block to which water from a water supply tank is supplied, Water can be reliably supplied to each block, and even when the refrigerator is installed inclined to the water supply side due to the tilt of the floor, ice can be produced reliably, so it can be applied to a dedicated automatic ice maker.

Main part schematic side sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of the present invention The perspective view of the automatic ice making apparatus in the embodiment The perspective view of the ice tray in the same embodiment AA line sectional view of the ice tray of FIG. 3 in the same embodiment BB line sectional view of the ice tray of FIG. 3 in the same embodiment Schematic side sectional view of a conventional refrigerator Perspective view of a conventional automatic ice making device

Explanation of symbols

2 Freezing room 3 Refrigeration room 4 Automatic ice making device 5 Ice making tray 5c Width 5d Depth 7 Water supply tank 19 Block 20 Partition wall 20a Straight line portion excluding rounded corner of block 20c Near water level line 21 Water channel 22 Water supply block 23 Water is supplied Waterway 23a depth 23b 1 block or more away from the block Width of waterway 23c or more away from the block to be supplied water 23c Near the root of the draft in the depth direction of the waterway 24 Ribs with sharp tips

Claims (6)

  In a refrigerator equipped with an automatic ice making device that supplies ice from a water supply tank installed in a refrigerator compartment to an ice tray in a freezer compartment, the ice tray is partitioned into a plurality of blocks by a partition wall, A refrigerator characterized in that a water channel is formed and the depth of the water channel one block or more away from the block where water from the water supply tank is first supplied is deeper than the water channel near the water supply unit.   The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the width of the water channel one block or more away from the water supply block of the ice tray is larger than the water channel near the water supply unit.   The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a rib is provided on a side surface of the water channel of the ice tray.   The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein a rib provided on a side surface of the water channel of the ice tray is provided to a bottom surface of the water channel.   The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the height of the partition wall of the block to be supplied with water in the ice tray is lowered to the vicinity of the water level line only in the straight line portion excluding the curved surface at the corner of the block. .   6. The ice tray having a depth ratio of 2.5 times or more with respect to the width of the ice tray, wherein the side opposite to the block to be supplied with water is lowered in the longitudinal direction, and is installed. The refrigerator according to item.

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