JP2008151366A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator capable of quickly making approximately rectangular ice of high transparency with an inexpensive structure. <P>SOLUTION: This refrigerator 1 comprises a refrigerator body 21 provided with a storing compartment, a refrigerating cycle having a cooler 64 for the storing compartment to cool the storing compartment, an ice-making device incorporated in the refrigerator body 21, and a control device. The ice-making device comprises an ice-making portion 68 constituted by a part of the refrigerating cycle and having a cooler 67 for ice-making and a tilted ice-making face 31a, a water circulating device for allowing the water for ice-making to flow down on the ice-making face 31a of the ice-making portion 68, a heater 72 for separating ice, for separating the plate-shaped ice produced on the ice-making face 31a of the ice-making portion 68 from the ice-making face 31a, an ice dividing device for dividing the plate-shaped ice 35 separated from the ice-making face 31a of the ice-making portion 68 into the approximate rectangular shape, and an ice storing case 57 for storing ice produced by the ice-making portion 68. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and is particularly suitable for a household refrigerator incorporating an ice making device that generates transparent ice.

  In recent years, commercially available refrigerators for home use have a tendency to increase in capacity due to changes in eating habits and food distribution circumstances. In this flow, users' demand for ice is high, a dedicated ice making room with an independent door is provided, and an ice making device with an ice tray installed in this ice making room (conventional technology) 1) has become widespread.

  In the ice making device in the prior art 1, a water storage tank is installed in a refrigerator compartment, an ice tray serving as an ice making unit is installed in the ice making chamber, and an appropriate amount of water in the water storage tank is supplied to the ice tray by a pump. The ice was frozen by the cold air supplied to the ice making chamber, the drive motor of the ice making unit was driven after freezing, and the generated ice was dropped from the ice tray to the lower ice storage container and provided to the user . In this automatic ice making device, in order to turn the water supplied to the ice tray into ice, a part of the cold air produced by the cooler for the storage room that cools the freezer room, the refrigerator room, the vegetable room, etc. is supplied by the circulation fan. This was performed by supplying the ice into the ice making chamber and blowing this cold air onto the surface of the water in the ice tray.

  Also, as another refrigerator (Prior Art 2), an electric heater is placed around the ice tray so that it becomes transparent ice, and the water in the ice tray is slowly frozen from the surroundings and bottom rather than from the top. A method of expelling a gas component from the upper surface of water in a dish has come to be marketed.

  Another type of refrigerator (Prior Art 3) is proposed in which the ice tray is mechanically swung back and forth and the top of the ice tray is heated with a heating device to expel bubbles from the water. ing.

  Moreover, as a refrigerator (prior art 4) equipped with an ice making device that circulates water to make ice, there is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-5211 (Patent Document 1). This refrigerator is a proposal to circulate water in an ice tray to make transparent ice.The low temperature ice tray is placed in the freezer compartment, the high temperature ice tray is placed in the refrigerator compartment, and the high temperature ice tray is changed to the low temperature ice tray. It is equipped with a water pipe and a water pump for sending ice-making water.

  Moreover, as a refrigerator (prior art 5) that prevents the smell of other storage rooms from being transferred to the produced ice, there is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-194448 (Patent Document 2). This refrigerator has a refrigeration room, an ice making room, a switching room, a vegetable room and a freezing room. The ice making room is a dedicated ice making section, and a dedicated ice making room cooler and blower are provided.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-5211 JP 2003-194448 A

However, in the refrigerator of Prior Art 1, since cold air is blown to the surface of the ice tray water, the water freezes from the ice tray surface. As a result, the gaseous components (CO ₂ , O ₂ ) or mineral components dissolved in the water are confined in the ice, and the resulting ice becomes clouded due to the gaseous components or mineral components. It became opaque ice, and there were problems such as poor appearance.

  Moreover, in the refrigerator of the above-mentioned prior art 2, although the gaseous component in water can escape to some extent, since the mineral component in water cannot be released, the transparency of ice is improved, but it is similar to natural ice. It was not possible to make ice with high transparency.

  Moreover, even in the refrigerator of the above prior art 3, bubbles in the water can escape to some extent, but it does not remove the mineral component in the water, but the mineral component is made fine and folded as crystals. As a result, there is a risk that mineral crystals may be formed on the ice surface.

  Further, the refrigerator of prior art 4 has a problem that it takes time to make ice because the temperature in the ice tray is lowered by low-temperature cold air in the freezer to make water in the ice tray. In addition, the thing which made the reservoir part and circulates the surface water like the ice tray of this refrigerator can escape the gas component, but the chlorinated or mineral component remains in the ice to some extent, The transparency was inferior.

Moreover, in the refrigerator of the prior art 5, as in the prior art 1, since the cold air is blown to the surface of the water in the ice tray, the water freezes from the surface of the ice tray. As a result, the gaseous components (CO ₂ , O ₂ ) or mineral components dissolved in the water are confined in the ice, and the resulting ice becomes clouded due to the gaseous components or mineral components. It became opaque ice, and there were problems such as poor appearance.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator that has an inexpensive structure and is capable of rapidly obtaining substantially transparent ice having high transparency.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides a refrigerator body having a storage room, a refrigeration cycle having a storage room cooler for cooling the storage room, and an ice making device built in the refrigerator body. In the refrigerator comprising the control device, the ice making device includes an ice making cooler constituted by a part of the refrigeration cycle, an ice making portion having an inclined ice making surface, and an ice making surface on the ice making surface of the ice making portion. A water circulation device that circulates and circulates water, an ice removing heater that peels off the plate-like ice generated on the ice-making surface of the ice-making unit from the ice-making surface, and a plate-like ice peeled off from the ice-making surface of the ice making unit In an approximately rectangular shape, and an ice storage container for storing ice generated in the ice making section.

A more preferable specific configuration example of the present invention is as follows.
(1) The ice dividing device includes a lattice-shaped cutting heater that is arranged in a front lower part of the ice making unit and cuts the plate-like ice peeled off from the ice making surface of the ice making unit into a substantially rectangular shape, The ice storage container is installed directly under the heater for cutting.
(2) The ice making unit, the ice dividing device, and the ice storage container are arranged in an ice making chamber separated from a cold air circulation path by the storage room cooler.
(3) The ice making section generates plate ice having a weight of 100 to 250 g, and the heater for cutting generates a substantially rectangular ice having a weight of 10 to 30 g.
(4) The ice splitting device includes a cutting position where the cutting heater cuts the plate-shaped ice peeled off from the ice making surface of the ice making unit into a substantially rectangular shape, and a plate peeled off from the ice making surface of the ice making unit And a drive device that moves to a non-cutting position for dropping the ice into the ice storage container as it is.
(5) A drive motor is used as the drive device, and the control device has a function of moving the heater for cutting to a cutting position and a non-cutting position based on a user's selection.
(6) The ice making unit includes an ice making cooling plate having an inclined ice making surface, and an ice making cooler including a cooling pipe thermally connected to the ice making cooling plate, and the cooling pipe includes a plurality of stages. Provided in parallel, the control device has a function of increasing or decreasing the number of stages of the refrigerant flowing through the plurality of cooling pipes based on a user's selection.
(7) Ice thickness detection means for detecting the thickness of the plate ice generated on the ice making surface of the ice making part is provided, and the ice thickness detection means is the same drive motor as the drive motor for driving the heater for cutting. The thickness of the plate ice is detected by an arm sensor driven up and down using
(8) The ice making unit has an inclined ice making cooling plate, an ice making cooler thermally connected to the ice making cooling plate, and an inclined ice making surface on the ice making cooling plate. Provide ice trays that are detachable.
(9) The gap between the ice tray and the ice-making cooling plate is variable.

  According to the present invention having such a configuration, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that has an inexpensive structure and that can quickly obtain substantially rectangular ice with high transparency.

Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals in the drawings of the respective embodiments indicate the same or equivalent. In addition, this invention includes making it more effective by combining each embodiment suitably as needed.
(First embodiment)
The refrigerator of 1st Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using FIGS. 1-11.

  First, the overall configuration of the refrigerator of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator main body in a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. In addition, FIG. 1 is represented with the door omitted, and a door for opening and closing the front opening of each storage room is provided.

  The refrigerator 1 cools the refrigerator main body 21 in which the storage chambers 22 to 26 are formed, the doors 22a, 23a, 25a, and 26a that can be opened and closed at the front openings of the respective chambers, and the storage chambers 22 and 24 to 26. A refrigerating cycle having a storage room cooler 64 and an ice making device built in the refrigerator main body 21 having an ice making unit for generating ice.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the refrigerator main body 21 has a plurality of storage chambers 22 to 26 therein. These storage rooms 22 to 26 are arranged in the order of the refrigeration room 22, the ice making room 23, the freezing rooms 24 and 25, and the vegetable room 4 from the top. The freezer compartments 24 and 25 are composed of a quick freezer compartment 24 and a main freezer compartment 25. The ice making chamber 23 and the quick freezing chamber 24 are disposed adjacent to each other in the left-right direction, and the ice making chamber 23, the quick freezing chamber 24, and the main freezing chamber 25 are disposed adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. The ice making room 23 and the quick freezing room 24 and the refrigerating room 22 are arranged adjacent to each other vertically through a partition 29 that is thermally partitioned. The refrigerator compartment 22, the freezer compartments 24 and 25, and the vegetable compartment 26 are connected via the cold air ventilation path. The ice making chamber 23 is configured to be partitioned from other chambers by providing partitions 29 and 30 on the upper and lower sides thereof.

  The ice making chamber 23 is not connected to the storage chambers 22, 24 to 26 via the cold air ventilation path, and is configured as an independent room separated from the cold air circulation path by the storage chamber cooler 64. With this configuration, ice making and ice storage can be performed in the ice making chamber 23 so that the odors of the other storage chambers 22, 24-26 do not move.

  And the ice making room 23 is not directly cooled by the cold air cooled by the cooler 64 for the storage room, but indirectly cooled via the boundary wall (partition) with the quick freezing room 24 and the main freezing room 25, It is kept at a low temperature by direct cooling or the like by the ice making cooler 24b.

  A cooler chamber 64 e is provided on the back surface of the main freezer chamber 25. As shown in FIG. 2, a storage room cooler 64, a blower 70, and a defrost heater 71 are disposed in the cooler chamber 64 e. The blower 70 is a blower that cools the refrigerator compartment 22, the freezer compartments 24 and 25, and the vegetable compartment 26 to a predetermined temperature by blowing and circulating the cold air generated by the storage compartment cooler 64. The defrost heater 71 is a heater having a capacity for melting frost adhering to the storage room cooler 64, and is disposed immediately below the storage room cooler 64.

  A compressor 61 is installed at the back corner of the refrigerator main body 21. The compressor 61 forms a part of a refrigeration cycle together with a storage room cooler 64, an ice making cooler 67, and the like.

  The ice making device has an ice making cooler 67 constituted by a part of a refrigeration cycle and an ice making part 68 having an inclined ice making surface 31a, and water for making ice flows down to the inclined ice making surface 31a of the ice making part 68. A water circulation device that circulates, an ice thickness detecting means for detecting the thickness of the plate-like ice generated on the inclined ice making surface 31 a of the ice making unit 68, and an ice making surface 31 a that is generated on the inclined ice making surface 31 a of the ice making unit 68. The ice-breaking heater that peels off the plate-like ice from the ice-making surface 31a, and the plate-like ice 35 (see FIG. 3) peeled off from the inclined ice-making surface 31a of the ice making unit 68 are substantially rectangular ice blocks 36 (see FIG. 3). And an ice storage device 57 for storing the ice produced by the ice making unit 68.

  The ice making unit 68 includes an ice making cooling plate 31 having an inclined ice making surface 31a, and an ice making cooler 67 made of a cooling pipe thermally connected to the lower surface of the ice making cooling plate 31. .

  The ice-making cooling plate 31 is disposed in the upper part on the back side of the ice-making chamber 23. The ice making cooler 67 extends the outlet pipe 65 of the storage room cooler 64 disposed in the cooler chamber 64 e to the inside of the ice making chamber 23, and the extension portion is connected to the back surface of the metal ice making cooling plate 31. It is configured by arranging in a U shape so that heat exchange is possible.

  The water circulation device is configured to circulate ice-making water, a water-supply path for guiding ice-making water stored in the water-supply tank 51 to the ice-making section 68, a recovery path for guiding water flowing down from the ice-making section 68 to the water-supply tank 51, and It comprises a circulation circuit provided with a pump 90. Here, the water supply path is constituted by a water supply pipe 52a. The recovery path includes a drain pipe 54, a recovery tank 55, and a return pipe 56a. The circulation pump 90 includes a water supply pump 52 and a recovery pump 56.

  In other words, the water circulation device includes a water supply side water circulation device for supplying ice making water stored in the water supply tank 51 to the ice making unit 68, and a recovery for returning the water flowing down from the ice making unit 68 to the water supply tank 51. It consists of a side water circulation device. The water supply tank 51 is disposed in the refrigerator compartment 22 that is maintained at a temperature that does not freeze.

  The water supply side water circulation device includes a water supply pipe 52a, a water supply pump 52, a freeze prevention heater 52b, and the like.

  The water supply pipe 52 a extends from the water supply tank 51 of the refrigerating chamber 22 to the upper part of the ice making surface 31 a of the ice making cooling plate 31 of the ice making chamber 23 through the partition 29. The antifreeze heater 52b is wound around the water supply pipe 52a in order to prevent the water in the water supply pipe 52a from freezing.

  The water supply pump 52 is provided in the middle of the water supply pipe 52a in the refrigerating chamber 22, and the ice-making water stored in the water supply tank 51 is passed through the water supply pipe 52a onto the ice-making surface 31a of the ice-making cooling plate 31 of the ice making unit 68. Force watering. By providing the water supply pump 52 in the refrigerator compartment 22, it is not necessary to wind the freeze prevention heater 52b around the water supply pump 52, and input can be reduced.

  The collection-side water circulation device includes a water receiving trough 53, a drain pipe 54, a freeze prevention heater 54b, a collection tank 55, a heat insulating member 27, a return pipe 56a, a freeze prevention heater 56b, a collection pump 56, and the like.

  The water receiving trough 53 is configured to receive water that has been sprinkled on the ice making surface 31a without being frozen on the ice making surface 31a, and is disposed immediately below the lower end of the ice making cooling plate 31. .

  The drain pipe 54 is provided between the ice-making cooling plate 31 and the recovery tank 55 in order to guide the water received by the ice-making cooling plate 31 to the recovery tank 55. The anti-freezing heater 54b is wound around the drain pipe 54 so that the water in the drain pipe 54 does not freeze.

  The collection tank 55 stores the water guided from the ice-making cooling plate 31 in the ice-making chamber 23. The heat insulating member 27 thermally partitions the recovery tank 55 from the ice making chamber 23 so that water stored in the recovery tank 55 does not freeze. The recovery tank 55 and the heat insulating member 27 are arranged in a dead space at the lower part on the back side surrounded by the ice making unit 68 and the ice storage container 57 in the ice making chamber 23.

  The heat insulating member 27 is installed using the dead space generated behind the beam-shaped partition 30a that partitions the ice making chamber 23 and the freezing chamber 25 and across the rear rear projection surface of the beam-shaped partition 30a. It is configured. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the partition 30 that partitions the ice making chamber 23 and the freezing chamber 25 is formed with a beam that forms the sealing surfaces of the packing 23 b of the ice making chamber door 23 a and the packing 25 b of the freezing chamber door 25 a at the front part thereof. The partition 30a part and the shielding board part 30b which is installed in the back of this beam-like partition 30a, and partitions the ice-making room 23 and the freezing room 25 thermally. The size of the thickness Ft1 of the beam-shaped partition 30a requires a certain thickness, for example, about 30 to 60 mm, in order to form a sealing surface between the packing 23b and the packing 25b. On the other hand, the size of the thickness Ft2 of the shielding plate portion 30b that thermally separates the ice making chamber 23 and the freezing chamber 25 is usually the temperature between the inside temperature of the ice making chamber 23 and the inside temperature of the freezing chamber 25. Since the difference is small, it is smaller than the Ft1 dimension, for example, about 2 to 20 mm.

  Further, when the internal temperature of the ice making chamber 23 and the internal temperature of the freezing chamber 25 are set to be substantially the same, the air blown by the blower 70 does not enter the ice making chamber 23 and the refrigerating room 22 or the freezing room. As a shield for preventing the smell of food stored in the ice 25 from entering the ice making chamber 23, the thickness Ft2 of the shielding plate 30b is set to about 1 to 2 mm, for example. .

  That is, since the relationship of Ft1> Ft2 is set, the difference between the Ft1 dimension and the Ft2 dimension occurs as a dead space behind the beam-shaped partition 30a. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the heat insulating member 27 provided with the recovery tank 55 is installed in the dead space so that the dead space generated behind the beam-shaped partition 30a can be effectively used.

  The return pipe 56 a extends from the recovery tank 55 of the ice making chamber 23 through the partition 29 to the water supply tank 51 of the refrigerator compartment 22. The anti-freezing heater 56b is wound around the return pipe 56a in order to prevent water in the return pipe 56a from freezing.

  The recovery pump 56 is provided in the middle of the return pipe 56a in the refrigerating chamber 22, and recovers the water collected in the recovery tank 55 to the water supply tank 51 through the return pipe 56a. By providing the recovery pump 56 in the refrigerator compartment 22, it is not necessary to wind the antifreeze heater 56b around the recovery pump 56, and input can be reduced.

  The ice thickness detection means includes an arm sensor 160 that detects the thickness of the plate ice formed on the ice making surface 31 a of the ice making cooling plate 31, and a driving device 100 that drives the arm sensor 160. . The driving device 100 is composed of a motor, and is fixed in the ice making chamber 23 by a support. The driving device 100 also serves as a driving device for an ice splitting device, which will be described later.

  The ice removing heater is provided over the entire back surface of the ice making cooling plate 31 so as to heat the ice making cooling plate 31 as a whole.

  The ice dividing device includes a lattice-shaped cutting heater 41 that is arranged in front of the lower end of the ice making unit 68 and cuts the plate-like ice 35 peeled off from the ice making surface 31a of the ice making unit 68 into a substantially rectangular shape. And a driving device 100 that moves the heater 41. The driving device 100 cuts the plate-like ice 35 peeled off from the ice-making surface 31 and the cutting position where the heater 41 for cutting cuts the plate-like ice 35 peeled off from the ice-making surface 31 a of the ice making unit 68 into a substantially rectangular shape. Without moving, it can move to the non-cutting position where it drops into the ice storage container 57 in the state of the plate ice 35.

  The ice storage container 57 is provided in front of and below the ice-making cooling plate 31 so as to store the plate-like ice 35 and the ice block 36.

  The control device 28 is installed on the back surface of the refrigerator main body 21 and performs operation control of the entire refrigerator, operation control of the ice making device, and the like. The operation control of the ice making device by the control device 28 includes a function of controlling the operation of the water circulation device and the ice dividing device based on the detection result of the ice thickness detection means.

  A method of making the plate ice 35 and the ice block 36 having the above-described configuration will be specifically described.

  First, when the power of the refrigerator 1 is turned on, the refrigeration cycle formed by the compressor 61, the storage room cooler 64, and the like starts operation. As a result, the cooler 64 for storage room is cooled and the cooler 67 for ice making is cooled. The metal ice-making cooling plate 31 is cooled by the cooling of the ice-making cooler 67.

  When the ice making surface 31a formed by the ice making cooling plate 31 is cooled to a predetermined temperature, the driving device 100 is driven by the judgment and instruction of the control device 28, and the arm sensor 160 supported by the driving device 100 is moved up and down. To do. If there is no foreign material such as a packaging material for transportation on the ice making surface 31a as detected by the vertical movement of the arm sensor 160, the water supply pump 52 is operated according to the judgment and instruction of the control device 28, and the water in the water supply tank 51 is detected. Is sprayed onto the ice making surface 31a from the water supply pipe 52a.

  A part of the water sprinkled on the ice making surface 31a is frozen on the ice making surface 31a, and the water that is not frozen is collected in the recovery tank 55 through the water receiving trough 53 and the drain pipe 5 as shown in FIG. When a predetermined time elapses after the operation of the water supply pump 52 starts and the interior of the recovery tank 55 reaches a predetermined water level, the recovery pump 56 is operated to return the water in the recovery tank 55 according to the judgment and instruction of the control device 28. It returns to the water supply tank 51 through the pipe 56a.

  The water returned to the water supply tank 51 is again sprinkled on the ice making surface 31a from the water supply pipe 52a by the operation of the water supply pump 52. These circulation operations repeat.

  During the ice making operation, according to the judgment and instruction of the control device 28, the antifreeze heaters 52b, 54b, and 56b installed in the water circulation path are energized and heated so that the water is not frozen except on the ice making surface 31a.

  When water spraying onto the ice making surface 31a by the operation of the water supply pump 52 is continued, the thickness of the plate ice generated on the ice making surface 31a gradually increases. When a predetermined time elapses after the operation of the water supply pump 52 starts, the drive device 100 is driven according to the determination and instruction of the control device 28, and the arm sensor 160 is moved up and down periodically at a predetermined interval of, for example, 5 minutes to 10 minutes. The thickness of the plate-like ice produced on the ice making surface 31a is detected.

  When the arm sensor 160 detects the plate ice having the preset thickness, the ice making operation of the water supply pump 52 is stopped and the deicing heater 72 is energized according to the judgment and instruction of the control device 28. Then, the plate-like ice 35 having the set thickness is heated so as to be peeled off from the ice making surface 31a.

  The plate-shaped ice peeled off from the ice making surface 31a falls from the ice making surface 31a by its own weight, and is positioned by the switch / stopper portion 41b and falls onto the cutting heater 41 as shown in FIG. To do.

  When the plate-like ice 35 contacts the switch / stopper portion 41b and falls onto the cutting heater 41, the cutting heater 41 is energized and heated according to the judgment and instruction of the control device 28 to form the cutting heater 41 in a lattice shape. The cut heater wire 41a cuts into a substantially rectangular ice block 36. The cut ice block 36 is dropped into the ice storage container 57.

  In addition, according to market research by the present inventors, it was found that the size of the plate-like ice produced by the household refrigerator is preferably about 100 to 250 g in weight. In other words, with plate-shaped ice of 250 g or more, there are cases where it does not fit into a portable food refrigeration pack that is normally used for home use, and with 100 g or less, for example, the cooling usable time in a portable food refrigeration pack is short. It turns out that too much fear arises.

  Even after the arm sensor 160 detects the set thickness of the plate ice and stops the ice-making operation of the water supply pump 52, the water that has not been frozen on the ice-making surface 31a for a while remains in the water receiving trough 53. Since the collected water continues to flow into the recovery tank 55 through the drain pipe 54, after the operation of the water supply pump 52 is stopped, the operation of the recovery pump 56 is continued for a predetermined time, and when the amount of water stored in the recovery tank 55 falls below a predetermined amount, the recovery pump 56 operation is stopped.

  Since the water in the water supply pipe 52a and the return pipe 56a may be frozen due to the cold heat of the ice making chamber 23, the water supply pump 52 and the recovery pump 56 are reversely rotated after the ice making operation is stopped. The water is not left in the piping pipe connected to the water supply pump 52 and the recovery pump 56.

  Next, a description will be given with reference to FIGS. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 3 when storing ice blocks, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 3 when storing plate ice.

  The cutting heater 41 is configured such that the mounting position of the cutting heater 41 can be varied by turning the driving device 100 by fitting a rotating shaft 45 provided at one end thereof to the driving device 100. is there.

  The cutting heater 41 is normally positioned at a position indicated by a solid line 41c in FIG. 4, that is, when the plate-like ice 35 is dropped, the plate-like ice 35 is formed on the cut heater wire 41a formed in a lattice shape. It is set to the position where it is placed.

  When the user of the refrigerator operates the operation unit to select the “plate ice” operation mode, the control device 28 senses and determines the operation input, and drives the drive device 100 to cut the heater. 41 is moved to the position indicated by the solid line 41d in FIG. Thereby, when the plate-like ice 35 falls, the plate-like ice 35 is stored in the ice storage container 57 as it is.

  Further, when the user of the refrigerator re-operates the operation unit and selects the “ice block” operation mode, the control device 28 senses and determines the operation input, and drives the driving device 100 to thereby cut the heater 41. Is returned to the position indicated by the solid line 41c in FIG. Thereby, when the plate-shaped ice 35 falls, it is reset to the position where the plate-shaped ice 35 is mounted on the cut heater wire | line 41a formed in the grid | lattice form. That is, when the user of the refrigerator operates the operation unit, it is possible to select and store either the plate ice 35 or the ice block 36 in the ice storage container 57.

  Next, a description will be given with reference to FIG. 6 is a perspective explanatory view of the cutting heater 41 of FIG. 6A is a perspective explanatory view of the vertical cut heater wire 42 and the insulator 42a constituting the heater 41 for cutting, and FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the horizontal cut heater wire 43 and the insulator 43a constituting the heater 41 for cutting. FIG. 6C is a perspective explanatory view of the frame 44 constituting the cutting heater 41, and FIG. 6D is a perspective explanatory view of the cutting heater 41 as a whole. For simplicity of explanation, when FIGS. 6A to 6C are overlapped, the drawings are arranged as shown in FIG. 6D.

  A frame 44 shown in FIG. 6C forms an outer shell of the cutting heater 41. The frame body 44 is integrally provided with a rotation shaft 45 fitted to the drive shaft 125 (see FIG. 14) of the drive device 100 and a stopper portion 44b for positioning the plate-like ice 35. The rotating shaft 45 and the stopper portion 44b may be configured by attaching a separate body from the frame body 44.

  The horizontal cut heater wire 43 shown in FIG. 6B is composed of a single wire, and is provided so as to be a parallel wire by reciprocating a plurality of times to a pair of insulators 43a fixed at the lower position of the frame body 44. It has been.

  The vertical cut heater wire 42 shown in FIG. 6A is composed of a single line, and is provided so as to be a parallel line by reciprocating a plurality of times with a pair of insulators 42a fixed to the upper position of the frame body 44. It has been.

  Then, after the insulator 43a is fixed to the left and right frame portions of the frame body 44 and the horizontal cut heater wire 43 is installed, the insulator 42a is fixed to the front and rear frame portions of the frame body 44 and the vertical cut heater wire 42 is installed. Thus, the cutting heater 41 in the state shown in FIG. 6D is formed. The heater 41 for cutting has a grid-like heater wire of M1 size × M2 size by the horizontal cut heater wire 43 and the vertical cut heater wire 42, and can cut the plate ice 35 into a substantially rectangular shape.

  In addition, 42b shown to Fig.6 (a) is a switch which detects the weight of the plate-shaped ice 35, when the plate-shaped ice 35 comes on the vertical cut heater wire 42. FIG. The control device 28 energizes the vertical cut heater wire 42 and the horizontal cut heater wire 43 based on the detection result of the switch 42b.

  Next, a description will be given with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a refrigeration cycle in the refrigerator of FIG. 1, FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of piping between the storage room cooler 64 and the ice making cooler 67 in FIG. 7, and FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the example of piping of the cooler for storage rooms.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the refrigeration cycle includes a compressor 61, a condenser 62, a capillary tube 63, a connecting pipe 63b, a storage room cooler 64, a joint 66, an outlet pipe 65, an ice making cooler 67, a joint 66, The accumulator 69 is connected in a ring shape in this order.

  The ice-making cooler 67 is formed so as to extend from the storage-room cooler 64 and project in a substantially U shape, and is attached so as to be in close contact with the back surface (lower surface) of the ice-making cooling plate 31 and to exchange heat. ing. In other words, the ice making cooler 67 cools the extension of the outlet pipe 65 of the storage room cooler 64 so that the water sprinkled on the ice making surface 31a formed by the ice making cooling plate 31 can be frozen. Consists of pipes for use. That is, the storage room cooler 64 is composed of the pipe 64c and the fins 64d, while the ice making cooler 67 is composed of a pipe extended from the pipe 64c.

  With this configuration, the ice making unit 68 can be provided without cooling the ice making chamber 23 by preparing a separate refrigeration cycle and a separate refrigeration cycle for cooling the storage chambers 22, 24 to 26 other than the ice making chamber 23. Since it can cool, the refrigerator with an ice making function advantageous in cost can be obtained.

  Further, the ice making cooler 67 is operated by the temperature control device 28 of the refrigerator main body 21, but in the case where priority is given to ice making in particular, the ice making capacity is improved if the operation of the refrigerator main body 21 is made continuous operation. be able to.

  Further, when the defrost heater 71 defrosts the storage room cooler 64, if the deicing heater 72 of the ice making cooler unit 67 is energized in synchronization with the defrost heater 71, the storage room cooler 64 is provided. The defrosting of the outlet pipe 65 and the ice making cooler 67 can be performed simultaneously with the defrosting.

  If the ice making cooler 67 is a copper pipe, the ice making chamber 23 can be kept clean for the sterilization of copper metal. As an example of the joining method of different metals, as shown in FIG. 9, the pipe 64c and fin 64d of the storage room cooler 64 and the outlet pipe 65 and the connecting pipe 63b of the cooler are made of aluminum, and the ice cooler is used. The pipe of the part 67 is made of copper, and is integrally formed in advance between the outlet pipe 65 and the pipe of the ice making cooler part 67 so that one side is the aluminum part 66a and the other side is the copper part 66b, and If the joint 66 in which prevention of electrolytic corrosion between dissimilar metals is performed in advance is used, it is possible to prevent electrolytic corrosion between the outlet pipe 65 made of aluminum and the pipe of the ice making cooler portion 67 made of copper. It can be. The joint 66 may be used in the reverse direction between the ice making cooler 67 and the accumulator 69.

  Next, a description will be given with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is an enlarged view showing two different examples in the DD cross section of FIG.

  In the example shown in FIG. 10A, an ice making cooler 67 is held in a groove 32 protruding from the ice making surface side of the ice making cooling plate 31, and the ice making cooling plate 31 and the ice making cooling are provided. Heat exchange with the vessel 67 is promoted. An ice removing heater 72 that covers the ice making cooler 67 and can heat the entire ice making cooling plate 31 is provided on the back side of the ice making cooling plate 31.

  The deicing heater 72 is configured by arranging a plurality of deicing heater wires 72b on a plate-like portion 72a having thermal conductivity such as aluminum foil. This deicing heater 72 conducts the heat of the deicing heater wire 72b efficiently to the entire ice making cooling plate 31 by attaching the plate-like portion 72a from the entire back surface of the ice making cooling plate 31 to the lower portions of both sides. It is supposed to be.

  In the example shown in FIG. 10A described above, the groove 32 holding the ice making cooler 67 protrudes toward the ice making surface 31 a formed by the ice making cooling plate 31, so that the generated plate ice is produced. It becomes the structure which the dent for the groove | channel 32 arises in the back surface of 35.

  Therefore, when the back surface of the plate ice 35 is substantially flat, as shown in FIG. 10B, the ice making surface 31a is substantially flat, and the groove 32 for holding the ice making cooling plate 31 is used for deicing. Desirably, the heater 72 is formed of a plate-like portion 72 a having thermal conductivity such as an aluminum foil.

  Next, a description will be given with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of piping of the water supply pump 51 of FIG.

  On the upper surface of the water supply tank 51, a water supply tank lid 51a for closing the opening is provided. A water supply port 51 b that sucks up water in the water supply tank 51 and a joint portion 51 c that sends the sucked water into the water supply pump 52 are integrally formed and attached to the water supply tank 51. The joint part 52c is a joint part on the water supply pump 52 side. The joint part 51c is installed in the joint part 52c so that removal is possible. The packing 51d is provided so as to prevent water leakage between the joint portions 51c and 52c.

  By adopting such a configuration, the water supply tank lid 51a and the water supply tank 51 can be removed simply by removing the joint portion 51c from the joint portion 52c, so that the water supply tank cover 51a and the water supply tank 51 can be washed with water. it can.

  Since this embodiment has the configuration as described above, it has the following effects.

  The storage room cooler 64 is attached to a metal ice-making cooling plate 31 installed in the partitioned ice-making chamber 23, and the ice in the water storage tank is circulated through the ice-making cooling plate 31 to obtain plate ice. In addition, a cutting heater 41 for cutting the plate-like ice 35 from which the ice-making cooling plate 31 has been detached and an ice storage container 57 for storing the cut ice 35 are provided below the ice-making cooling plate 31 for ice making. The water supply pump 52 that circulates the water in the water storage tank and the recovery pump 56 that collects the circulating water are provided on the cooling plate 31 so as to be separated from the ice making chamber 23. In addition to the high transparency and high hardness ice that does not contain mineral components, there is no smell transfer from other chambers, and a substantially rectangular ice block can be obtained. Further, since a heating device is not required to prevent freezing of the circulation water supply pump 52 and the recovery pump 56, energy can be saved.

  Further, a water storage tank for circulating water to the ice-making cooling plate 31 is divided into a water supply tank 51 and a recovery tank 55. The water supply tank 51 is detachably installed in the refrigerator compartment, and the recovery tank 55 is located at the rear of the ice making chamber 23. Therefore, the user of the refrigerator is in the refrigerated room and can easily supply water to the removable water supply tank 51. Therefore, an easy-to-use refrigerator can be provided. Moreover, since it is not necessary to arrange water pipes or the like in the refrigerator, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that is advantageous in terms of manufacturing cost. Moreover, since the water supply tank 51 can be removed and washed with water, a hygienic advantageous refrigerator can be provided. In addition, since the water supply tank 51 and the recovery tank 55 are unlikely to have a temperature below the freezing point, a heating device is not required to prevent freezing of the water in the water supply tank 51 and the recovery tank 55, so that the refrigerator is advantageous in terms of energy saving. Can provide.

  In addition, a recovery tank 55 partitioned by a heat insulating member 27 or a recovery pump 56 and a recovery tank 55 are provided in the ice making chamber 23 below the ice-making cooling plate 31 and behind the ice storage container 57. Therefore, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that can effectively use the dead space generated below the ice-making cooling plate 31 and behind the ice storage container 57.

  In addition, since the recovery tank 55 or the heat insulating member that partitions the recovery pump 56 and the recovery tank 55 is installed across the rear of the beam-shaped partition 30a that partitions the ice making chamber 23 and the freezing chamber 25, the ice making chamber Therefore, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that can effectively use the dead space generated behind the beam-like partition 30a that partitions 23 and the freezer compartment.

  Further, since the ice making cooler 67 attached to the ice making cooling plate 31 is an extension of the outlet pipe 65 of the storage room cooler 64, it is not necessary to prepare a special refrigeration cycle, which is advantageous in terms of manufacturing cost. A refrigerator can be provided.

  Further, the ice making cooler 67 is formed so as to protrude in a substantially U shape from the storage room cooler 64 and is attached so as to be in close contact with the ice making cooling plate 31. Can be manufactured easily, and a refrigerator advantageous in terms of manufacturing cost can be provided. As described with reference to FIG. 8, if the ice making cooler 67 is installed above the main body of the storage room cooler 64, the ice making cooler 67 separates the gas and liquid from the main body of the storage room cooler 64. Since the function is performed, the accumulator 69 can be reduced in size, and a refrigerator advantageous in terms of manufacturing cost can be provided.

  Further, a pipe of the ice making cooler 67 is held in a groove provided on the back side of the ice making cooling plate 31 so as to promote heat exchange between the ice making cooling plate 31 and the pipe of the ice making cooler 67. Therefore, the ice making surface 31a is directly cooled by the ice making cooler 67, and a refrigerator capable of shortening the ice making time can be provided.

  Further, the ice making surface 31a is provided on the back side of the ice making cooling plate 31 because the ice making heater 73 is provided so as to cover the pipe of the ice making cooler 67 and to heat the entire ice making cooling plate 31. It is possible to provide a refrigerator capable of easily removing the plate-like ice produced in the above. Moreover, since the ice-making cooling plate 31 can be defrosted by energizing and heating the deicing heater 73 at the time of defrosting, it can also be used as a defrosting heater, and a refrigerator that is advantageous in terms of manufacturing cost can be provided.

  In addition, the cutting heater 41 is a lattice-shaped plate that cuts plate-like ice into a substantially rectangular shape. Therefore, the cutting heater 41 is not an ice block having a tapered cone shape or a truncated cone shape as in the prior art, but has a quality. A refrigerator capable of obtaining a good substantially rectangular ice block can be provided.

  Moreover, since the weight of the plate-shaped ice made with the ice-making cooling plate 31 is 100 to 250 g and the weight of each cut ice block is 10 to 30 g, the plate-shaped ice is used in a portable food refrigeration pack or the like. In addition, when it is used for a highball or the like as an ice block, it is possible to obtain easy-to-use ice.

  Further, the cutting heater 41 is variable in its mounting position, and when the position of the cutting heater 41 is variable, the plate ice is stored in the ice storage container 57. A refrigerator capable of providing not only ice blocks but also plate-shaped ice to the user can be provided.

Further, since the drive motor is used to change the position of the cutting heater 41, the position of the cutting heater 41 can be reliably changed, and the drive motor is also used for driving the arm sensor, which is advantageous in terms of manufacturing cost. A refrigerator can be provided.
(Second Embodiment)
Next, the refrigerator of 2nd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using FIGS. 12-16. 12 is an enlarged sectional view of the ice making chamber 23 in the refrigerator according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. 12, and FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the ice tray 37 shown in FIG. 13, and FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the ice-making cooling plate 38 shown in FIG. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the following points, and the other points are basically the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus redundant description thereof is omitted.

  In the second embodiment, an ice tray 37 separate from the ice-making cooling plate 38 is provided on the ice-making cooling plate 38 for freezing the plate-shaped ice so that the ice making time can be adjusted. Is. It can be said that the ice-making cooling plate 38 of the second embodiment and the ice-making tray 37 constitute the ice-making cooling plate 31 of the first embodiment.

  An ice making cooling plate 38 is provided in the ice making chamber 23, and an ice making cooler 67 extended from the outlet pipe 65 of the storage chamber cooler 64 can be exchanged on the back side of the ice making cooling plate 38. It is attached. On the ice-making cooling plate 38, an ice-making tray 37 capable of producing plate-like ice is attached and detachable. On the ice making surface 37 a formed by the ice tray 37, the water in the water supply tank 51 installed in the refrigerator compartment 22 is supplied through the water supply pipe 52 a by the operation of the water supply pump 52. Thereby, plate-like ice is generated on the ice making surface 37a.

  When the thickness of the plate-shaped ice generated on the ice making surface 37a reaches a predetermined thickness, the control device 28 determines the processing based on the detection of the arm sensor 59 driven by the drive motor 58, and the water supply pump 52 is operated. In addition to stopping, by energizing the heater 74 that heats the ice-making cooling plate 38 and the ice-making tray 37 as a whole, the plate-shaped ice with a predetermined thickness is peeled off from the ice-making surface 37a and is cut by its own weight. Drop on the heater 41.

  The plate-like ice 35 peeled off from the ice making surface 37a is positioned by the switch / stopper portion 41b, and is cut into a substantially rectangular ice block 36 by the cut heater wires 41a formed in a lattice shape of the cutting heater 41. It is stored in the ice storage container 57.

  Of the water sprinkled on the ice making surface 37a from the water supply pipe 52a, the water that has not been frozen is divided and installed by the heat insulating member 86 at the rear of the ice making chamber 23 through the drain pipe 83 from the water receiving trough 82. The water is collected in the water storage tank 84, and returned to the water supply tank 51 through the return pipe 81 a and circulated by the operation of the recovery pump 81.

  It is desirable to prepare two or more types of ice trays 37 made of materials having different thermal conductivities so that an ice tray 37 of any material can be attached according to the user's choice. For example, an ice tray 37 made of synthetic resin such as polypropylene and an ice tray 37 made of metal such as aluminum or copper are prepared, and when making ice quickly, a metal ice tray 37 is attached to make ice, When carrying the plate-shaped ice together with the ice tray 37, a synthetic resin ice tray 37 is attached to make the ice as it is, and when it is used where hygienic nerves are used, it is bactericidal. It is desirable to be able to select such as making ice on a certain copper ice tray 37.

  In the second embodiment, the water supply tank 51 and the water supply pump 52 are installed in the refrigerator compartment, and the recovery pump 81 is installed in the rear part of the ice making chamber 23 with a heat insulating member 86. This eliminates the need for a heating device to prevent freezing of the water supply pump 52 and the recovery pump 81 for water circulation.

  Flange 38 a is provided on both edges of ice-making cooling plate 38. An ice tray 37 having a plurality of sliders 85 is attached between the flange 38a of the ice-making cooling plate 38 and the bottom surface 38b. The ice tray 37 is detachable and slides on both edges of the ice tray 37 back and forth. It is installed to be possible.

  Furthermore, the ice tray 37 is installed so that the gap between the ice tray 37 and the ice-making cooling plate 38 can be varied. FIG. 13 shows an example in which the gap between the ice tray 37 and the ice-making cooling plate 38 has a relatively large δ4 dimension, and FIG. 14 shows an example in which the gap δ6 dimension (δ6 <δ4) is smaller than the δ4 dimension.

  In FIG. 13, the dimension H3 is the distance between the flange 38a of the ice-making cooling plate 38 and its bottom 38b, and the dimension H2 is the dimension of the slider 85 that slides within the dimension H3 via the gaps δ1, δ2. Height dimension.

  The slider 85 is a slider that is locked so as to be able to vary the dimension of being individually screwed into the support portion 37 b of the ice tray 37. In other words, it is configured such that the distance dimension δ3 between the head 85a of the slider 85 and the bottom surface portion 37c of the ice tray is individually screwed into the support portion 37b so as to be variable.

  The gaps δ1 and δ2 are the gaps for the slider 85 to slide smoothly within the H3 dimension. However, when a load due to water supply is applied to the ice making surface 37a, that is, the ice making surface 37a has water supply. In this case, the δ1 dimension is configured to be substantially zero because of the load. Therefore, the gap δ4 between the ice tray 37 and the ice making cooling plate 38, that is, the gap δ4 between the bottom surface portion 37c of the ice making plate 37 and the bottom surface portion 38b of the ice making cooling plate 38 shown in FIG. 13 is approximately δ4 = δ3. Therefore, if the δ3 dimension is made variable as described above, the δ4 dimension can also be made almost simultaneously variable.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 14, if the position of the head 85a of the slider 85 is recessed from the bottom surface portion 37c of the ice tray (δ5> zero), when a load due to water supply is applied, The bottom surface portion 37c of the plate 37 and the bottom surface portion 38b of the ice-making cooling plate 38 can be substantially in close contact (δ6 = 0).

  In addition, 37e shown in FIG. 15 is a handle which becomes a handle when the ice tray 37 is attached to and detached from the ice-making cooling plate 38.

  In this second embodiment, since the gap between the ice tray 37 and the ice making cooling plate 38 is made variable, the amount of cooling heat conducted from the ice making cooling plate 38 to the ice making plate can be made variable. A refrigerator that can be made variable can be provided.

  In addition, since the ice tray 37 is attached to and detached from the ice-making cooling plate 38, the ice tray 37 can be removed and washed, so that a refrigerator with excellent hygiene can be provided.

  In addition, since two or more types of ice trays 37 made of materials having different thermal conductivities are prepared and an ice tray 37 of an arbitrary material can be attached according to the user's selection, it is convenient for the user. Can provide a good refrigerator.

Further, since the water supply tank 51 and the water supply pump 52 are installed in the refrigerator compartment 22, and the recovery pump 81 is installed at the rear part of the ice making chamber 23 by the heat insulating member 28, the water supply pump 52 for circulation and the recovery are provided. A refrigerator that can save energy without requiring a heating device to prevent freezing of the pump 81 can be provided.
(Third embodiment)
Next, the refrigerator of 3rd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 17 is a configuration diagram of the refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the following points, and the other points are basically the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus redundant description thereof is omitted.

  In this third embodiment, the cooling pipes constituting the ice making cooler 97 are composed of a plurality of cooling pipes 97a to 97d on the back surface of the ice making cooling plate 31, and the refrigerant is allowed to flow according to the selection of the refrigerator user. The number of stages of the cooling pipes 97a to 97d can be increased or decreased.

  Four stages of cooling pipes 97a to 97d are provided on the rear surface of the ice-making cooling plate 31. For example, the switching valves 91, 93, 94 are normally "closed" and only the switching valve 92 is "open". The refrigerant flowing in from the switching valve 92 is configured to flow through the three cooling pipes 97b to 97d on the downstream side of the switching valve 92. When it is desired to shorten the ice making time, the selector valve 92, 93, 94 is set to “closed” and only the selector valve 91 is set to “open” by the selection operation of the operation button or the like by the refrigerator user. The refrigerant flowing in from the valve 91 is configured to flow through all the stages (four stages) of the cooling pipe. Then, when there is no need to rush ice making, by selecting operation buttons and the like by the user of the refrigerator, the switching valves 91, 92, 94 are “closed”, and only the switching valve 93 is “open”. The refrigerant that has flowed in from the switching valve 93 is configured to flow through the first cooling pipe at the lower stage of the switching valve 93. When ice making is not required, the switching valve 91, 92, 93 is "closed" and only the switching valve 94 is "opened" by the selection operation of the operation button or the like by the refrigerator user. The refrigerant flowing in from the valve 94 is configured so as to be returned to the compressor 61 from the accumulator 99 as it is.

  It is obvious that the same effect can be obtained even if the switching valves 91, 92, 93 and 94 shown in FIG.

  Further, in order to make the manufacturing cost advantageous, the number of stages of the cooling pipe shown in FIG. 17 is reduced, and, for example, an integrally formed three-way switching valve is used in two types of normal ice making mode and quick ice making mode. It is obvious that the same effect can be obtained even if only the mode or only two types of modes, the normal ice making mode and the energy saving mode, can be set.

  In the present embodiment, a plurality of cooling pipes 97a to 97d through which the refrigerant flows are provided on the back surface of the ice-making cooling plate 31, and the number of cooling pipes 97a to 97d through which the refrigerant flows can be increased or decreased according to the user's choice. Therefore, the user of the refrigerator can select the shortening of the ice making time or the energy saving by selecting the operation button or the like, so that it is possible to provide an easy-to-use refrigerator.

It is a front view of the refrigerator main body in the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail view of a main part of FIG. 2. It is CC sectional drawing of FIG. 3 in the case of storing an ice block. It is CC sectional drawing of FIG. 3 in the case of storing plate-shaped ice. FIG. 4 is an explanatory perspective view of the cutting heater of FIG. 3. It is a figure which shows the refrigerating cycle in the refrigerator of FIG. It is a figure explaining the example of piping of the cooler for store rooms in FIG. 7, and the cooler for ice making. It is explanatory drawing explaining the example of piping of the cooler for store rooms using the coupling in FIG. It is an enlarged view which shows two different examples in the DD cross section of FIG. It is piping explanatory drawing of the water supply pump of FIG. It is an expanded sectional view of the ice making chamber in the refrigerator of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is EE sectional drawing in FIG. It is EE sectional drawing in FIG. 12 of a different structure of FIG. It is a perspective view of the ice tray of FIG. It is a perspective view of the cooling plate for ice making of FIG. It is a block diagram of the refrigerating cycle of the refrigerator of 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Refrigerator, 21 ... Refrigerator main body, 22 ... Refrigeration room, 22a, 23a, 25a, 26a ... Door, 23b, 25b, Packing, 23 ... Ice making room, 24 ... Quick freezing room, 25 ... Freezing room, 26 ..., 27, 86 ... heat insulation member, 28 ... control device, 29, 30 ... partition, 30a ... beam-like partition, 30b ... shielding plate part, 31, 38 ... ice-making cooling plate, 31a, 37a ... ice making surface, 32, 33 ... Grooves provided on the back side of the cooling plate, 35 ... ice plate, 36 ... ice block, 37 ... ice tray, 37b ... support portion, 37c ... bottom portion of ice tray, 37e ... handle, 38 ... cooling plate for ice making, 38a ... Flange, 38b ... bottom surface, 41 ... cutting heater, 41a ... cut heater wire, 41b ... switch and stopper, 41c, 41d ... example of variable position of cutting heater, 42 ... vertical cut heater wire, 42a, 43a ... Choshi, 42b 43 ... Horizontal cut heater wire, 44 ... Frame body, 44b ... Stopper part, 45 ... Rotating shaft, 51 ... Water supply tank, 51a ... Water storage tank cover, 51b, 81b ... Water supply port, 51c, 52c ... Joint part , 51d ... packing, 52 ... first pump, 52a ... water supply pipe, 52b, 54b, 56b ... anti-freezing heater, 53, 82 ... water catcher, 54, 83 ... drainage pipe, 55, 84 ... collection tank, 56 81 ... Recovery pump, 56a, 81a ... Return pipe, 57 ... Ice storage container, 58 ... Drive motor, 59 ... Arm sensor, 61 ... Compressor, 62 ... Condenser, 63 ... Capillary tube, 63b ... Connecting pipe, 64 ... Refrigerator cooler, 64a ... inlet pipe, 64b ... outlet pipe, 64c ... pipe, 64d ... fin, 64e ... cooling chamber, 65, 95 ... cooler outlet pipe , 66 ... coupling, 67, 97 ... extension of the outlet pipe of the cooler, 68, 98 ... cooling pipe, 69, 99 ... accumulator, 70 ... blower, 71 ... defrosting heater, 72, 74 ... for deicing Heater, 85 ... slider, 85a ... head, 90 ... circulation pump, 91, 92, 93, 94 ... switching valve, 96 ... split pipe.

Claims (10)

In a refrigerator comprising a refrigerator body forming a storage room, a refrigeration cycle having a cooler for a storage room for cooling the storage room, an ice making device built in the refrigerator body, and a control device,
The ice making device includes an ice making cooler constituted by a part of the refrigeration cycle and an ice making unit having an inclined ice making surface, and a water circulation device for circulating ice making water by flowing down the ice making surface of the ice making unit. A de-icing heater that peels off the plate-like ice generated on the ice-making surface of the ice-making unit from the ice-making surface; And an ice storage container for storing the ice generated in the ice making unit.   2. The ice splitting device according to claim 1, further comprising a lattice-shaped cutting heater that is arranged in front of and below the ice making unit and cuts the plate-like ice peeled off from the ice making surface of the ice making unit into a substantially rectangular shape. The refrigerator is characterized in that the ice storage container is installed immediately below a cutting heater.   The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the ice making unit, the ice dividing device, and the ice storage container are arranged in an ice making chamber separated from a cold air circulation path by the cooler for the storage chamber.   3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the ice making section generates plate ice having a weight of 100 to 250 g, and the heater for cutting generates a substantially rectangular ice having a weight of 10 to 30 g. .   3. The ice dividing device according to claim 2, wherein the cutting heater is peeled off from the ice making surface of the ice making unit and the cutting position for cutting the plate-like ice peeled off from the ice making surface of the ice making unit into a substantially rectangular shape. A refrigerator comprising a drive device that moves to a non-cutting position where the plate-shaped ice is dropped into the ice storage container as it is.   6. The drive motor according to claim 5, wherein a drive motor is used as the drive device, and the control device has a function of moving the heater for cutting to a cutting position and a non-cutting position based on a user's selection. Refrigerator.   3. The ice making unit according to claim 2, comprising an ice making cooling plate having an inclined ice making surface and an ice making cooler comprising a cooling pipe thermally connected to the ice making cooling plate. A refrigerator provided in parallel with a plurality of stages, wherein the control device has a function of increasing or decreasing the number of stages through which the refrigerant flows through the plurality of cooling pipes based on a user's selection.   7. The ice thickness detecting means according to claim 6, further comprising an ice thickness detecting means for detecting a thickness of the plate-like ice generated on the ice making surface of the ice making part, wherein the ice thickness detecting means is the same as a drive motor for driving the cutting heater. A refrigerator characterized in that the thickness of plate-like ice is detected by an arm sensor driven up and down using a drive motor.   3. The ice making part according to claim 2, wherein the ice making part has an inclined ice making cooling plate, an ice making cooler thermally connected to the ice making cooling plate, and an inclined ice making surface. A refrigerator comprising an ice tray detachably installed on the top.   The refrigerator according to claim 9, wherein a gap between the ice tray and the ice-making cooling plate is variable.

Images