JP2007212088A - Automatic icemaker and refrigerator equipped therewith - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic icemaker having improved bacteria/mold deposition preventing or antibacterial effects, and to provide a refrigerator equipped therewith. <P>SOLUTION: The automatic icemaker comprises comprises a water supply part 2 for storing water in a refrigerating chamber 1a and an icemaking part 12 for making ice in a freezing chamber 1b, a water supply device 9 for automatically supplying water from the water supply part 2 into the icemaking part 12, and a suction pipe 4 connecting the water supply part 2 to the water supply device 9. The suction pipe 4 consists of a water supply part side suction pipe 4a connected to the water supply part 2 and a water supply device side suction pipe 4b connected to the water supply device 9. In a joint portion 5 between the water supply part side suction pipe 4a and the water supply device side suction pipe 4b, a bacteria/mold deposition preventing or antibacterial mechanism is provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic ice making device provided with an antibacterial or fungus adhesion prevention or antibacterial mechanism, and a refrigerator equipped with the same.

  In recent years, many types of refrigerators equipped with an automatic ice making device have been commercialized, and many of the automatic ice making devices employ the following water supply system. First, a certain amount of water stored in a water supply tank in the refrigerator compartment is supplied to an ice tray in the freezer compartment by means of an electric pump and a suction pipe. Ice is completed on a cooled ice tray and falls into an ice container. Thereafter, the water stored in the water supply tank is again supplied to the ice tray by the same route. Since the above process is automatically repeated, ice is continuously stored in the ice making container when the water supply tank is replenished with water.

  However, in the automatic ice making device, the problem that ice mixed with mold is made is clarified. It has been considered that this is because scale in the water supply tank, bacteria or mold attached to food in the refrigerator are mixed into the water in the water supply tank along the airflow circulating in the refrigerator compartment.

As a method for solving these problems, for example, a method of performing sterilization by attaching an ultraviolet lamp in a water supply tank (see Patent Document 1) or a method of performing sterilization by generating ozone by short-wave ultraviolet irradiation (see Patent Document 2). ), A method of using a material containing an antibacterial agent in a water receiving portion in a water supply tank (see Patent Document 3), and a method of using a material containing an antibacterial agent in an ice making part where ice is generated (see Patent Document 4) A means for preventing the contamination of mold and bacteria by keeping the inside of the water supply tank and the ice making part clean has been devised.
JP-A-6-249559 JP-A-6-249560 JP-A-6-241630 JP-A-10-160305

  However, many of these ideas are based on the idea of sterilizing molds and fungi mixed in ice-making parts or molds and fungi that have grown after mixing, leading to the idea of preventing mold and fungus contamination. It wasn't. On the other hand, it has been found from recent research that bacteria mixed in the ice making process are caused by contamination with bacteria that are resident in human hands in addition to the above causes. In order to keep the inside of the water supply tank clean, it is necessary to remove the water supply tank from the automatic ice making device and wash it once every few weeks. When the water tank after cleaning is reattached to the automatic ice making device, there is a possibility that the hand touches the suction pipe, which is a connecting portion of the automatic ice making device and the water tank. At this time, bacteria and molds adhering to the hand adhere to the suction pipe and enter the water supply path.

  The present invention has been made in view of this problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator with an automatic ice making device that makes safe ice without causing bacteria or mold to enter the ice.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a water supply device that includes a water supply unit that stores water in a refrigerator compartment and an ice making unit that makes ice in a freezer compartment, and automatically supplies water in the water supply unit to the ice making unit; In the automatic ice making device comprising the water supply unit and a suction pipe connecting the water supply device, the suction pipe is connected to the water supply unit side suction pipe and the water supply device side connected to the water supply device An automatic ice making device comprising a suction pipe, wherein a joint between the water supply side suction pipe and the water supply side suction pipe is provided with an antibacterial or fungus adhesion prevention or antibacterial mechanism.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that the bonding portion contains or is coated with a component having an antibacterial effect. With this configuration, the bacteria attached to the joint portion of the suction pipe can be sterilized, and the bacteria can be prevented from being mixed into the water supply path.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the coupling part, the coupling part of the water supply unit side suction pipe is formed in a concave shape, and the coupling part of the water supply device side suction pipe is formed in a convex shape. With this configuration, during the operation of attaching and removing the water supply unit, the finger does not touch the inside of the connection portion of the water supply unit side suction pipe unless the finger is intentionally inserted.

  In addition, the present invention is characterized in that a cover is provided to cover the coupling portion of the water supply side suction pipe. With this configuration, when the water supply unit is removed from the automatic ice making device, the binding site of the water supply unit side suction pipe is covered with a cover, so that the floating bacteria in the air and the bacteria or mold attached to the human hand are bound by It can prevent adhering to a site.

  Moreover, this invention is characterized by the said cover being removable from the coupling | bond part of the said water supply part side suction pipe.

  According to the present invention, in the suction pipe connecting the water supply unit and the water supply device, prevention of bacteria or mold from adhering to the joint of the water supply unit side suction tube connected to the water supply unit and the water supply device side suction tube connected to the water supply device Alternatively, by providing an antibacterial mechanism, the hand touches the joint, and bacteria and molds that are resident in the hand are attached to the joint, and airborne bacteria that are present in the air are prevented from attaching to the joint. At the same time, it can be sterilized even if bacteria are attached. For this reason, it can prevent that a microbe mixes and propagates in the water supply path | route in an automatic ice making apparatus through the inside of a suction pipe from a coupling | bond part. Therefore, it is possible to provide consumers with safe ice free from bacteria and mold.

  In addition, it is possible to reduce the amount of ozone, ultraviolet rays, antibacterial agents and the like that have been conventionally used to keep the water supply tank and the automatic ice making device clean. Therefore, it is possible to provide an automatic ice making device that reduces costs and easily prevents bacteria or molds from being mixed into ice.

  Further, according to the present invention, the binding site of the suction pipe connecting the water supply unit and the automatic ice making device contains or is coated with a component having an antibacterial effect, thereby improving the antibacterial effect and preventing the bacteria from growing. Thereby, it can suppress that a microbe mixes in a water supply path | route. In addition, it is possible to further prevent the bacteria from being propagated by the component having a bactericidal effect and mixed into the inside through the water supply path.

  Further, according to the present invention, in the coupling portion of the suction pipe that connects the water supply section and the water supply device, the coupling portion of the water supply portion side suction pipe is formed in a concave shape, and the coupling portion of the water supply device side suction pipe is formed in a convex shape. The possibility of a human finger touching the inside of the binding site of the part side suction pipe is reduced. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the bacteria from adhering to the inside of the suction pipe from the finger and prevent the bacteria from being mixed into the water supply path and growing. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the ice mixed with bacteria and molds from being made. Moreover, since only the shape is changed, no new cost is generated and the production can be performed at a low cost.

  Further, according to the present invention, by providing a cover that covers the binding site between the water supply unit side suction pipe and the water supply device side suction pipe, airborne bacteria in the air and bacteria attached to human hands directly adhere to the binding site. Can be prevented. This further suppresses mixing of mixed bacteria and fungi from the binding site into the water supply path through the inside of the suction pipe.

  Moreover, according to this invention, the cover which covers the coupling | bond part of a water supply part suction pipe was made removable, Therefore A cover can always be kept clean.

  Moreover, according to this invention, the refrigerator provided with the automatic ice making apparatus excellent in the adhesion prevention effect of the said microbe or mold | fungi can be provided at low cost.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing the entire refrigerator main body. The refrigerator 1 is provided up and down in the order of the refrigerator compartment 1a, the freezer compartment 1b, and the vegetable compartment 1c.

  The automatic ice making device includes a water supply unit 2, a water supply device 9, and an ice making unit 12. The water supply device 9 and the ice making section 12 are connected by a suction pipe 4 (see FIG. 2), and the suction pipe 4 can be separated by a coupling section 5 into a water supply side suction pipe 4a and a water supply apparatus side suction pipe 4b. The water supply unit 2 has a water supply tank 3 and a water supply unit side suction pipe 4a provided in the lower part of the refrigerator compartment 1a, and the water supply unit 9 has an electric pump 7, a water supply unit side suction pipe 4b, and a water supply pipe 8, and ice making The unit 12 includes an ice making tray 10 and an ice making container 11 provided in the freezer compartment 1b. Thereby, the water supply part 2 can be removed from the main body of the refrigerator 1 including the water supply device 9 in the coupling part 5.

  In the water supply path of the automatic ice making device, first, water stored in the water supply tank 3 is sucked up from the suction port of the water supply unit side suction pipe 4a by the electric pump 7 and passes through the water supply unit side suction pipe 4b from the water supply pipe 8 to the ice making tray 10. Supplied to.

  The water supplied to the ice tray 10 is cooled and made in the freezer compartment 1b, and the ice made is dropped into the ice making container 11 and stored. Water is again supplied from the water supply tank 3 to the emptied ice tray 10 by the electric pump 7. The automatic ice making device automatically repeats the above process, and continues to store ice in the ice making container 11 when the water supply tank 3 is replenished with water.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged side sectional view showing the water supply unit 2. 3 is a water supply tank, 13 is the cover part. The lid 13 is provided with a water supply inlet 14 to the water supply tank 3, and the inlet 14 is normally closed by a stopper 15. When replenishing the water stored in the water supply tank, the stopper 15 is removed and the water supply tank 14 is replenished.

  Reference numeral 16 denotes a filter case having a water purification filter 17 attached to the bottom surface, and is arranged in the water supply tank 3 as shown in the figure. By assembling the filter case 16 integrally with the lid portion 13, the filter case 16 can be taken out of the tank by pulling up the lid portion 13. This facilitates replacement of the water purification filter 17.

  Further, water does not flow into the water supply tank 3 through the part other than the water purification filter 17 of the filter case 16. Thus, the replenished water flows into the filter case 16 and is filtered through the water purification filter 17 and then stored in the water supply tank. The suction pipe 4 is connected to the water supply section side suction pipe 4 a, the water supply apparatus side suction pipe 4 b, and the coupling section 5. The electric pump 7 is connected to the ice making unit 12 through a water supply pipe 8, operates only when water supply is necessary, sucks up water in the water supply tank 3, and supplies the ice making unit 12 through the water supply pipe 8.

  FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing the main part of the water supply unit 2, and FIG. 3 (b) is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the coupling part 5 of the water supply side suction pipe 4a surrounded by the dotted line in FIG. 3 (a). is there. An inorganic antibacterial agent is kneaded into a resin of about 1.5 cm (shaded part) from the tip of the water supply unit side suction pipe 4a. About 1.5 cm is a coupling | bond part with the water supply apparatus side suction pipe 4b of the current water supply part side suction pipe 4a.

  In addition, the manufacturing cost can be reduced by kneading the inorganic antibacterial agent only in the connection portion of about 1.5 cm. Specifically, as the inorganic antibacterial agent, metal ions such as copper, silver and zinc are suitable. Thereby, when the water supply part 5 is removed from the refrigerator 1 main body, even if bacteria adhere to the vicinity of the coupling part 5, the bacteria are mixed into the ice through the water supply path to prevent the entry of bacteria into the water supply part side suction pipe 4. Can be prevented.

  Moreover, by mixing the inorganic antibacterial agent also in the joint portion 5 of the water supply apparatus side suction pipe 4b (see FIG. 2), it is possible to further prevent the bacteria from being mixed inside the suction pipe. For example, even if the user puts a liquid other than tap water into the water supply unit to make ice or the ice making device is not used for a long period of time, the bacteria grow even in an environment that tends to become a hotbed of bacteria and mold. Can be prevented.

  4 is a side cross-sectional view showing the main part of the water supply unit 2, and FIG. 4 (b) is a joint of the water supply unit side suction pipe 4a and the water supply unit side suction pipe 4b surrounded by the dotted line in FIG. 4 (a). 5 is an enlarged view of the shape in FIG. In the coupling portion 5, the tip of the water supply portion side suction pipe 4 a is formed in a concave shape, and the tip of the water supply device side suction tube 4 b is formed in a convex shape. These two suction pipes are fitted and connected. Thereby, the water supply part 2 which consists of a water supply tank becomes removable with the refrigerator 1 main body.

  Moreover, when the front-end | tip of the water supply part side suction pipe 4a was formed in concave shape with an internal diameter of about 0.5 cm or more and 0.75 cm or less, the fungus or mold adhesion prevention effect improved further. When the inner diameter is 0.75 cm or less, a human finger cannot be inserted into the water supply unit side suction pipe 4a. Thereby, it can prevent that a microbe adheres directly from the finger | toe inside the coupling | bond part of the water supply part side suction pipe 4, and can prevent that microbe mixes into ice via a water supply path. If the inner diameter is smaller than 0.5 cm, the electric pump requires high output to suck up water, which is not appropriate.

  Further, the tip of the water supply apparatus side suction pipe 4b is formed in a convex shape, and the convex surface comes into contact with the inside of the suction pipe 4 when fitting and coupling with the concave tip of the water supply section side suction pipe 4a. For this reason, if the hand touches the convex surface, the bacteria may be mixed into the suction pipe 4 after the binding. However, usually, when the water supply unit 2 is detached from the main body of the refrigerator 1, only the water supply unit 2 is held with both hands or one hand. Therefore, at this time, it is inconceivable that the hand touches the convex surface on the side of the water supply device 9 other than deliberately reaching out.

  In addition, you may take the structure where an inorganic type antibacterial agent is kneaded into the convex part 18 (shaded part) of the water supply apparatus side suction pipe 4b front-end | tip. Thereby, even when a hand touches the convex part 18 or when a microbe floating in the refrigerator adheres to the convex part 18, it is possible to suppress the growth of the microbe and prevent mixing into the suction pipe 4. Therefore, it is possible to further prevent the bacteria from entering the ice through the water supply path.

  Further, even when the inorganic antibacterial agent is kneaded into the binding portion, not only the convex portion 18 (shaded portion) at the tip of 4b but only the concave portion (shaded portion) at the tip of 4a, the bacterium enters the concave suction pipe 4a. Can be further prevented.

  Moreover, the said effect improves further by knead | mixing an inorganic type antibacterial agent into both 4b front-end | tip and 4a front-end | tip. In addition, the proliferation rate of a microbe falls, so that the kneading range of an antibacterial agent is wide.

  In the conventional coupling part, the coupling part of the water supply unit side suction pipe 4a is formed in a convex shape, and the connection part of the water supply unit side suction pipe 4b is formed in a concave shape. However, according to the configuration of the present invention, the joint part of the water supply unit side suction pipe 4a is formed in a concave shape, and the joint part of the water supply device side suction pipe 4b is formed in a convex shape, thereby preventing the adhesion of bacteria or fungi or antimicrobial It became possible to provide an automatic ice making device equipped with a mechanism.

  FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view showing the main part of the water supply unit 2, and the vicinity of the coupling site 5 of the water supply unit side suction pipe 4 a is covered with a cover 19. FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating a state where the water supply tank 3 is detached from the refrigerator 1 main body. FIG. 5B is a view showing a state where the water supply tank 3 is attached to the refrigerator 1 main body.

  The cover 19 can have a structure in which the outer surface of the water supply unit side suction pipe 4a can slide. For example, the cover 19 and the water supply unit side suction pipe 4a are connected so that the cover 19 is urged in the direction of arrow A by an urging means (not shown) such as a spring. At this time, when the water supply unit 2 is removed from the refrigerator main body as shown in FIG. 5A, the cover 19 slides in the direction of arrow A, and the vicinity of the coupling site 5 of the water supply unit side suction pipe 4 a is covered with the cover 19.

  Moreover, when attaching the water supply part 2 to a refrigerator main body, since the cover 19 contacts the refrigerator inner wall 20, the cover 19 slides in the arrow B direction against biasing. As a result, the tip of the water supply unit side suction pipe 4a appears, and the water supply unit 2 can be coupled to the refrigerator main body at the coupling unit 5 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of the cover 19 in the vicinity of the coupling portion 5 of the water supply unit side suction pipe 4 shown in FIG. FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the cover 19 cut in the y direction shown in FIG. The cover 19 has a tubular shape in which the water supply side suction pipe 4a is enlarged concentrically. The cover 19 is formed with a length sufficient to cover the entire coupling portion 5 of the water supply unit side suction pipe 4a in the x direction. For this reason, when the water supply part 2 is removed from a refrigerator main body, it becomes possible to cover the whole coupling | bond part 5 of the water supply part side suction pipe 4a.

  As a result, there is no possibility that the hand directly contacts the coupling part 5 of the water supply side suction pipe 4a, and no bacteria are attached to the coupling part 5 and the inside of the suction pipe is not mixed. Therefore, it is possible to further prevent the bacteria from entering the ice through the water supply path. In addition, by kneading the cover 19 with an inorganic antibacterial agent, it is possible to provide an automatic ice making device that is more effective in preventing the adhesion of bacteria or mold.

  The configuration of the automatic ice making device of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but includes the configuration relating to the supply of water, the type of antibacterial agent, the shape of irregularities, the cover position and the shape of the cover. As long as it does not deviate from the gist of the present invention, it can be changed as needed.

  The antibacterial includes not only the meaning of suppressing the growth of bacteria but also the meaning of sterilization that kills the bacteria.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the water supply unit has been described as being incorporated in an automatic ice making device. However, the present invention can naturally be applied to a case where a water purifier or the like connected to the tip of a water pipe is used as the water supply unit. In such a case, there is no problem even if a cooling device or the like is appropriately installed in the water tank for storing the washed water so that the water in the tank is always kept at a predetermined temperature or lower.

  The present invention relates to an automatic ice making device and a refrigerator including the automatic ice making device.

Side surface sectional drawing which shows the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention Side surface sectional drawing which shows the water supply part of the automatic ice making apparatus of embodiment of this invention Side surface sectional drawing which shows the coupling | bond part of the water supply part of the automatic ice making apparatus of embodiment of this invention Side surface sectional drawing which shows the coupling | bond part of the water supply part of the automatic ice making apparatus of embodiment of this invention Side surface sectional drawing which shows the coupling | bond part of the water supply part of the automatic ice making apparatus of embodiment of this invention Sectional drawing which shows the cover provided in the joining site | part vicinity of the water supply part of the automatic ice making apparatus of embodiment of this invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator 2 Water supply part 3 Water supply tank 4 Suction pipe 4a Water supply part side suction pipe 4b Water supply apparatus side suction pipe 5 Connection part 7 Electric pump 8 Water supply pipe 9 Water supply apparatus 10 Ice tray 11 Ice making container 12 Ice making part 13 Lid part 14 Water supply Inlet 15 Plug 16 Filter case 17 Water purification filter 18 Convex 19 Cover 20 Refrigerator inner wall

Claims (6)

  A water supply unit that stores water in the refrigerator compartment and an ice making unit that makes ice in the freezer compartment, and automatically connects the water supply unit to the ice making unit, and connects the water supply unit and the water supply unit. In the automatic ice making device provided with the suction pipe, the suction pipe is composed of a water supply side suction pipe connected to the water supply unit and a water supply side suction pipe connected to the water supply unit, and the water supply side An automatic ice making device, wherein a joint between the suction pipe and the water supply apparatus side suction pipe is provided with an antibacterial or fungus adhesion prevention or antibacterial mechanism.   The automatic ice making device according to claim 1, wherein the joint portion contains or is coated with a component having an antibacterial effect.   The automatic coupling according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the coupling portion, the coupling site of the water supply unit side suction pipe is formed in a concave shape, and the coupling site of the water supply device side suction pipe is formed in a convex shape. Ice making equipment.   The automatic ice making device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a cover that covers a joint portion of the water supply unit side suction pipe.   The automatic ice making device according to claim 4, wherein the cover is removable from a joint portion of the water supply unit side suction pipe.   A refrigerator provided with the automatic ice making device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

Images