JP2011133172A - Automatic ice-making machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve positional accuracy of an ice discharge member with respect to a second ice-making chamber and thus, achieve smooth posture displacement of the ice discharge member. <P>SOLUTION: A first ice-making chamber 21 defining a large number of hemispherical first ice-making small chambers opened downwardly is arranged in a mounting member 13 installed in a casing 10. A water pan 23 in which the second ice-making chamber 22 defining a large number of hemispherical second ice-making small chambers 22A opened upwardly are arranged on the upper face is arranged in the mounting member 13 so as to be tiltable. The ice discharge member 33 enabling positional displacement to a retract posture in an approximately erected state and an ice discharge posture covering the upper face of the second ice-making chamber 22 in the opened position is arranged in the mounting member 13 via a fixation member 41. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic ice maker that manufactures a group of ice blocks having a spherical shape or a polyhedral shape in an ice making unit.

  For example, an automatic ice making machine as shown in FIG. 14 has been put to practical use as an injection type automatic ice making machine capable of continuously producing spherical or polyhedral ice blocks in an ice making unit. In this automatic ice maker, the inside of a substantially box-shaped housing 10 is vertically divided, and the upper side of the housing 10 is configured as an ice storage chamber 11 and the lower side is configured as a machine chamber 12. An ice making unit U is disposed in the upper part of the ice storage chamber 11, and the spherical ice (ice block) S generated in the ice making unit 20 of the ice making unit U falls and is stored in the bottom of the ice storage chamber 11. The Various parts such as a compressor, a condenser, a cooling fan motor, and expansion means (none of which are shown) constituting the refrigeration mechanism are disposed in the machine room 12, and the evaporator 18 constituting the refrigeration mechanism includes the evaporator 18 described above. It is disposed on the upper surface of the ice making unit 20.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the ice making unit U is disposed on a mounting member 13 installed on the casing 10, and defines a number of hemispherical first ice making chambers 21A that open downward, and the evaporator 18 is placed on the upper surface. And the second ice making chamber 22 having a plurality of hemispherical second ice making chambers 22A opened upward. In addition, the ice making unit U integrates the water tray 23 having the second ice making chamber 22 on the upper surface, the ice making water tank 24 disposed at the lower portion of the water tray 23, and the water tray 23 and the ice making water tank 24. A water tray opening / closing mechanism 25 that tilts automatically, a water supply unit 26 that supplies water from an external water source into the ice making water tank 24, and the like. In the water dish 23, a support part 27 attached to the front part and the rear part of the front left end is pivotally supported by a water dish support bracket 14 disposed on the attachment member 13 via a pivot shaft 15, The vicinity of the right end portion is supported by a water tray opening / closing mechanism 25, and by driving the water tray opening / closing mechanism 25, a horizontal posture (closed position) shown in FIG. 14 and a right-down inclined posture (open position) shown in FIG. ) Can be tilted between. The ice making water tank 24 is provided with a water supply pump 29 for supplying ice making water to the ice making unit 20 through an injection hole 28 provided in the water tray 23 on the left front wall which is the deepest part of the ice making water tank 24. ing.

  During the ice making operation, the automatic ice making machine displaces the water tray 23 to the closed position by driving the water tray opening / closing mechanism 25 and causes the second ice making chamber 22 to contact the first ice making chamber 21 from below to make ice. By closing the portion 20, the first ice making chambers 21 </ b> A of the first ice making chamber 21 and the second ice making chambers 22 </ b> A of the second ice making chamber 22 are correspondingly aligned, and a plurality of ice making chambers 20 are arranged inside the ice making portion 20. The ice making space 20A is defined (see FIG. 14). Then, while the ice making unit 20 is cooled by the refrigeration mechanism, the ice making water in the ice making water tank 24 is jetted and supplied to each ice making space 20A defined in the ice making unit 20 by the water pump 29. Spherical ice S is generated in each ice making space 20A. The automatic ice making machine shifts to the deicing operation after the generation of the spherical ice S by the ice making operation is completed. First, the deicing water at room temperature is accumulated around the second ice making chamber 22 to warm the second ice making chamber 22. The freezing of the second ice making chamber 22A and the spherical ice S is released. Next, as shown in FIG. 15, the water tray 23 is moved to the open position by driving the water tray opening / closing mechanism 25, and the second ice making chamber 22 is separated from the first ice making chamber 21 to open the ice making section 20. Then, by supplying hot gas to the evaporator 18, the first ice making chamber 21 is heated to release the freezing between the first ice making chambers 21 </ b> A and the spherical ice S. It falls from each first ice making chamber 21A.

  In the automatic ice making machine, the second ice making chamber 22 is disposed on the upper surface of the water tray 23, so that the second ice making chamber 22 is located below the first ice making chamber 21 in the open position of the water tray 23. Each of the second ice making chambers 22A opens upward. For this reason, it is necessary to prevent the spherical ice S falling from the first ice making chamber 21 from being fitted into the second ice making chamber 22A of the second ice making chamber 22, and the ice covering the second ice making chamber 22 from above. A discharge member 30 is provided. The ice discharging member 30 is a plate-like member having a size capable of covering substantially the entire second ice making chamber 22, and a support shaft 31 is provided in the vicinity of the right end of the drainage tray 17 disposed below the ice making unit U. It is arrange | positioned so that rotation is possible. The ice discharge member 30 rotates between an upright retracted posture (FIG. 14) and an ice discharge posture (FIG. 15) that covers the second ice making chamber 22 from above when the water pan 23 is tilted to the open position. It is possible. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 15, when the ice discharge member 30 covers the second ice making chamber 22 in an inclined manner from above at the open position of the water dish 23, the first ice making chamber 21 </ b> A of the first ice making chamber 21 The fallen spherical ice S slides down on the ice discharge member 30 and is discharged to the ice storage chamber 11. The ice discharge member 30 is provided with a contact piece 32 that can contact the right end of the water tray 23 whose posture is displaced from the closed position to the open position. By abutting, the ice discharge member 30 is configured to rotate following the ice discharge posture from the standing posture. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the mounting member 13 is provided with a holding member 16 that can be brought into contact with the upper end portion of the ice discharge member 30 that has been pushed up by the second ice making chamber 22 and displaced into a retracted posture. It is installed. An automatic ice maker provided with such an ice discharge member 30 is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example.

JP-A-2-143068

  Since the ice discharge member 30 is tilted so as to contact the water tray 23 and the second ice making chamber 22 and to be displaced between the ice discharge posture and the retracted posture when the water tray 23 is tilted, the water tray 23 and the ice discharge member It is necessary to set the positional relationship with 30 with high accuracy. However, the drainage tray 17 in which the ice discharge member 30 is disposed is a member disposed on the inner wall of the cabinet which is a separate member from the mounting member 13 in which the ice making unit U is disposed. Since the assembly error with respect to the inner wall of the cabinet and the assembly error of the ice discharge member 30 with respect to the drainage tray 17 overlap, the ice discharge member 30 cannot be accurately positioned with respect to the water tray 23, and the water tray 23 is opened and closed. It is pointed out that the ice discharge member 30 does not tilt smoothly during the movement, or is not held in the prescribed ice discharge posture or retracted posture. Therefore, when assembling each part, complicated adjustment work is required, and there is a problem that the assembly work becomes complicated.

  In recent years, a drain pan provided integrally with a front panel that covers the front side of the ice making unit U has been adopted. In the drain pan configured in this way, the front side of the ice discharge member disposed in the drain tray is also covered with the front panel, so it is difficult to check the operation of the ice discharge member with the drain tray attached in the cabinet. Met.

  Accordingly, in the present invention, in view of the problems inherent in the above-described conventional technology, the present invention has been proposed to suitably solve the problem, and improves the positional accuracy of the ice discharge member with respect to the water dish, and the ice discharge An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic ice making machine capable of achieving smooth posture displacement of members.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the intended purpose, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application provides:
A first ice making chamber formed with a first ice making chamber that opens downward, and a second ice making chamber that opens upward, and is disposed on an attachment member so as to be tiltable below the first ice making chamber; During the ice making operation, the first ice making chamber is contacted from below and is held in a closed position in which the second ice making chamber is made to correspond to the first ice making chamber, and during the deicing operation, the first ice making chamber is separated downward from the first ice making chamber. In an automatic ice making machine comprising a second ice making chamber that tilts and displaces to an inclined open position that opens the ice making chamber,
The fixed member arranged suspended from the mounting member is displaced in a retracted posture retracted from the second ice making chamber in the closed position and an ice discharging posture covering the second ice making chamber in the open position in an inclined manner from above. The ice discharging member is configured to be rotatably supported.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the ice discharge member is arranged with respect to the mounting member on which the second ice making chamber is arranged, the positional relationship between the second ice making chamber and the ice discharge member is accurately determined. It can be set well, and a smooth posture displacement of the ice discharge member can be achieved. Further, the amount of adjustment work when assembling the parts can be reduced, and the work burden can be reduced. Further, even when a drainage tray provided with a front panel covering the front side of the ice making unit is adopted, the drainage tray can be removed for maintenance or the like, and the operation can be confirmed in a state where the ice discharge member is easily visible from the front side.

In a second aspect of the present invention, the second ice making chamber is connected to an opening / closing mechanism disposed on the mounting member, and is driven between the closed position and the opened position by driving the opening / closing mechanism. The gist is configured to tilt, and the fixing member is disposed on the attachment member via a fixing portion of the switchgear.
According to the second aspect of the invention, since the ice discharge member is arranged on the attachment member via the fixing portion of the opening / closing mechanism of the second ice making chamber, the opening / closing mechanism for moving the second ice making chamber to open / close and the ice The accuracy of the positional relationship with the discharge member is improved, and a smooth posture displacement of the ice discharge member can be achieved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the fixing member includes a pair of arm portions sandwiching the ice discharge member, and is configured to rotatably support the ice discharge member via bearing portions provided on both arm portions. The summary is as follows.
According to the invention of claim 3, since the ice discharge member is sandwiched between the pair of arm portions with respect to the fixing member and is rotatably supported, the ice discharge member can be stably supported. .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the ice discharge member is provided in a posture orthogonal to a substrate that is rotatably supported by the bearing portion and an extension end of the substrate from the bearing portion. And an ice discharge plate covering the second ice making chamber in a substantially T-shape,
The fixing member is provided with a guide portion that extends toward an inclined lower end side of the ice discharge plate in an ice discharge posture on the opposite side to the second ice making chamber across the bearing portion,
A gist of the invention is that the lower end of the ice guide plate in the ice discharge posture is configured to face upward from the extended end of the guide portion.
According to the invention which concerns on Claim 4, the ice lump which slides on the ice discharge | release member can discharge | release smoothly, without being caught by a fixing member.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the ice discharge member is abutted against the ice discharge member by being biased by the second ice making chamber whose posture is displaced from the closed position to the open position to displace the ice discharge member into the ice discharge posture. A gist is provided, and the ice discharge member is characterized in that the abutment piece abuts on the fixed member and is held in a retracted posture.
According to the invention according to claim 5, since the contact piece that holds the ice discharge member in the retracted posture is configured to be used as a part that displaces the ice discharge member to the ice discharge posture when the second ice making chamber is tilted, The configuration of the ice discharge member can be simplified.

  According to the automatic ice making machine of the present invention, it is possible to improve the positional accuracy of the ice discharge member with respect to the water tray and achieve a smooth posture displacement of the ice discharge member.

It is a principal part schematic perspective view which shows the ice making unit of the automatic ice maker of Example 1 in the state of deicing operation. It is a principal part side view which shows the ice making unit of the automatic ice making machine of Example 1 in the state of deicing operation. It is a schematic front view which shows the ice making unit of the automatic ice making machine of Example 1 partially broken in the state of ice making operation. It is a schematic front view which shows the ice making unit of the automatic ice making machine of Example 1 partially broken in the state of deicing operation. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an ice discharging member disposed on the fixing member of Example 1. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a fixing member of Example 1. FIG. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the ice discharge | release member of Example 1. FIG. It is a principal part front view which shows the ice discharge | release member of Example 1. FIG. It is a principal part schematic perspective view which shows the ice making unit of the automatic ice maker of Example 2 in the state of deicing operation. It is a principal part side view which shows the ice making unit of the automatic ice maker of Example 2 in the state of deicing operation. FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing an ice discharge member disposed on a fixing member of Example 2. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the ice discharge | release member arrange | positioned at the fixing member of Example 2 from the bottom face side. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing a fixing member of Example 2. FIG. It is a schematic front view which shows the automatic ice making machine which concerns on a prior art partially fractured | ruptured in the state of an ice making unit. It is a schematic front view which shows the automatic ice making machine which concerns on the prior art partially fractured | ruptured in the state where an ice making unit is deicing operation.

  Next, an automatic ice making machine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings by way of preferred embodiments. In the examples, the left-right direction refers to the left-right direction when the automatic ice making machine is viewed from the front (FIG. 3), and the front-rear direction refers to the front-rear direction of the automatic ice making machine.

  The automatic ice making machine according to the first embodiment includes each component constituting the ice making unit U, that is, an ice making unit 20 including a first ice making chamber 21 and a second ice making chamber 22, a water tray 23, an ice making water tank 24, and a water tray opening / closing mechanism. 25, the water pump 29, the water supply unit 26, and the like basically have the same configuration as the ice making unit U of the conventional automatic ice making machine shown in FIGS. Therefore, in each embodiment, the same members and parts as those already described in FIGS. 14 and 15 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description of the basic configuration of the ice making unit U is omitted. The ice discharge member 33 that is the gist and the portion related thereto will be mainly described. However, a configuration of the water tray opening / closing mechanism (opening / closing mechanism) 25 that has not been described in detail in the description of the prior art will be briefly described before the ice discharge member 33 and the like are described.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a partially broken automatic ice maker according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a partially broken automatic ice maker according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of bearings 34, 34 are suspended and fixed to the lower surface of the mounting member 13 at a required interval in the front-rear direction of the housing 10. 35 is supported by the insertion shaft. Cam arms 36 are coupled to both ends of the cam shaft 35 in the axial direction so as to be integrally rotatable at one end in the longitudinal direction. In addition, a motor bracket 37 formed in a U-shape that opens downward is disposed on the front surface of the mounting member 13 so as to cover the front cam arm 36 from above. Further, a motor 38 typified by a geared motor is attached to the front surface of the motor bracket 37, and an output shaft of the motor 38 is connected to the front cam arm 36. That is, by rotating the motor 38 forward and backward, the pair of cam arms 36 and 36 are integrally rotated in forward and reverse directions.

  A tension coil spring 40 as an elastic means is elastically interposed between the other longitudinal end of each cam arm 36 and a support pin 39 protruding from the corresponding front or rear wall of the water dish 23. It is disguised. In the closed posture of the cam arms 36, 36 shown in FIG. 3, the other end of the cam arms 36, 36 faces upward from the shaft support (connecting portion with the camshaft 35), and the tension coil springs 40, 40 are extended to 23 is pulled up to a substantially horizontal closing position, and the first ice making chamber 21 is closed by the second ice making chamber 22 from below. In the open posture of the cam arms 36, 36 shown in FIG. 4, the other end faces downward from the pivotal support portion, and the water tray 23 is moved from the first ice making chamber 21 to the second through the tension coil springs 40, 40. The ice making chamber 22 is configured to be suspended and supported in an open position that is spaced apart and opened downward.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the ice discharge member 33 according to the first embodiment is arranged in a suspended state via a fixing member 41 with respect to the attachment member 13 to which the ice making unit U is attached. As shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6, the fixing member 41 is provided on a holding frame 42 that rotatably supports the ice discharge member 33, and is disposed at the front and rear ends of the holding frame 42 and extends upward. And a pair of support frames 46 and 47 fixed to the mounting member 13 with screws. The holding frame 42 is formed by bending a pair of arm portions 44 and 45 at the front and rear end portions of the holding plate 43 extending in the front-rear direction so as to extend toward the left (the rotation fulcrum side of the water tray 23). On the basis of the main body having a U-shape in a plan view, bearing portions 44a and 45a are provided at the extending end portions of both arm portions 44 and 45 with the shaft centers aligned in the front-rear direction. Further, the front front arm portion 44 is formed with a front flange portion 44b bent along the upper end edge toward the front side, and the rear rear arm portion 45 has a rear flange portion 45b along the upper end edge. Is bent toward the rear side, and the support frames 46 and 47 corresponding to the flange portions 44b and 45b are attached at the lower end. The front flange portion 44b also functions as a member that positions the ice discharge member 33 at the retracted position.

  A guide portion 43a is formed at the upper end edge of the holding plate 43 in the holding frame 42 so as to be inclined upward as it goes to the left.

  A lower end portion of the front support frame 46 is attached to the right end side of the front flange portion 44 b of the holding frame 42, and an attachment portion 46 a formed by bending at the upper end portion of the front support frame 46 is provided on the attachment member 13. Screwed to the bottom surface. Further, a lower end portion of the rear support frame 47 is attached to the right end side of the rear flange portion 45 b of the holding frame 42, and an attachment portion 47 a formed by bending at the upper end portion of the rear support frame 47 is provided on the attachment member 13. Screwed to the back. Then, in a state where both the support frames 46 and 47 are screwed and fixed to the mounting member 13, the holding frame 42 is configured to face the inside of the right end portion of the drain pan 17 as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. The holding plate 43 of the holding frame 42 is positioned so as to contact the inner surface of the right side wall 17a of the drain tray 17, and its upper end is positioned so as to face above the upper end of the right side wall 17a. That is, the inclined lower end of the guide portion 43a formed at the upper end edge of the holding plate 43 is located above the upper end of the right side wall 17a of the drainage tray 17, and the spherical ice S sliding down on the guide portion 43a is on the right side as will be described later. It is comprised so that it may not catch on the upper end part of the wall 17a.

  As shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. 8, the ice discharge member 33 is provided with shaft members 49 at both front and rear end portions of one end portion (left end portion in FIG. 8) of a flat plate-like substrate 48. By loosely fitting the members 49, 49 to the front and rear bearing portions 44 a, 45 a of the holding frame 42, the ice discharge member 33 is attached between the arm portions 44, 45 so as to freely rotate. In addition, the description about the structure of the ice discharge | release member 33 shall refer to the up-down and left-right direction by the relationship in the state which has faced the retracting attitude | position shown in FIG. 3 or FIG.

  A flat plate-shaped first ice discharge plate 50 having the same width (dimension in the front-rear direction) as that of the substrate 48 is attached to the right end portion side of the substrate 48 (the extending end side separated from the shaft member 49). It has been. Further, the first ice discharge plate 50 is attached to the substrate 48 at an intermediate position in the vertical direction, and on the right side surface of the upper plate portion 50a extending above the substrate 48 in the first ice discharge plate 50, A lower end portion of a flat second ice discharge plate 51 having the same width as the first ice discharge plate 50 is disposed in parallel via a spacer 52. Then, the ice discharge member 33 has a retracted posture (FIG. 3) in which the second ice discharge plate 51 is retracted and raised from the second ice making chamber 22 of the ice making unit U, and a second on the water tray 23 tilted to the open position. The ice making chamber 22 is configured to be tiltable from the upper right and to be able to be displaced between an inclined ice discharge posture (FIG. 4) covering the second ice making chamber 22 with a second ice discharge plate 51. In other words, the ice discharge member 33 is formed in a substantially T shape from the substrate 48 and the pair of ice discharge plates 50 and 51, and the ice discharge member 33 with respect to the second ice discharge plate 51 covering the second ice making chamber 22. The position (shaft member 49) serving as the rotation center of 33 is set so as to be separated in the orthogonal direction.

  The lower plate portion 50b extending downward from the substrate 48 in the first ice discharge plate 50 faces the inside of the drain pan 17 in the retracted position as shown in FIG. 3, and the ice discharge position as shown in FIG. The open end (inclined lower end) is configured to face upward from the extended end of the guide portion 43a of the holding frame 42. Further, the extension length of the lower plate portion 50b from the connection portion with the substrate 48 does not interfere with the guide portion 43a when the ice discharge member 33 tilts, and in the ice discharge posture, Is set so that the spherical ice S does not fit into the gap. Incidentally, the size of the gap is set to be equal to or less than the radius of the spherical ice S.

  The second ice discharge plate 51 is formed to have a size that can cover the second ice making chamber 22 in whole or in part. The second ice discharge plate 51 does not have to be set to a size that covers all the second ice making chambers 22A formed in the second ice making chamber 22, and the spherical ice S falling from the first ice making chamber 21 is The size of the two ice making chambers 22A may be prevented. That is, the extended end of the second ice discharge plate 51 can receive the spherical ice S falling from the first ice making chamber 21A at the left end (the shaft support portion side) of the first ice making chamber 21 in the ice discharging posture shown in FIG. As long as it faces the position, it may be of a length that can partially cover the second ice making chamber 22A at the left end of the second ice making chamber 22 as in the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 5 or 7, a contact piece 53 extending forward is provided at the front end of the substrate 48, and the contact piece 53 moves the ice discharge member 33 from the ice discharge posture to the retracted posture. When it tilts, it contacts the front flange portion 44b of the holding frame 42 from above and functions to hold the ice discharge member 33 in the retracted position (see FIG. 3). The abutment piece 53 faces the turning locus of the support pin 39 provided on the front wall of the water tray 23, and the support pin 53 is tilted from the closed position toward the open position. Since 39 contacts the corresponding contact piece 53 from above, it also has a function of tilting the ice discharge member 33 together with the water dish 23 toward the ice discharge posture.

(Operation of Example 1)
Next, the operation of the automatic ice making machine according to the first embodiment will be described.

  During the ice making operation of the automatic ice making machine, the water tray 23 is held in the closed position shown in FIG. 3 by the water tray opening / closing mechanism 25, and the first ice making chamber 21 </ b> A and the second ice making chamber 21 of the first ice making chamber 21. A plurality of ice making spaces 20 </ b> A are defined inside the ice making unit 20 by correspondingly aligning with the second ice making chambers 22 </ b> A of the chamber 22. Further, the ice discharge member 33 is held in a retracted posture standing on the right side (open end side) of the water dish 23 by the contact piece 53 coming into contact with the upper surface of the front flange portion 44 b of the holding frame 42. At this time, the extending end portion of the guide portion 43 a in the holding frame 42 is accommodated in a step portion formed by the spacer 52 of the first ice discharge plate 50 and the second ice discharge plate 51 in the ice discharge member 33.

  The ice making operation is performed with the water tray 23 facing the closed position, and the ice making operation is terminated when the ice making detection means (not shown) detects that the spherical ice S has been generated in the ice making space 20A. Transition to driving. In the deicing operation, first, the deicing water between the second ice making chamber 22A and the spherical ice S is released by accumulating room-temperature deicing water around the second ice making chamber 22 and warming the second ice making chamber 22. Next, the motor 38 of the water tray opening / closing mechanism 25 rotates in the forward direction to rotate the pair of cam arms 36, 36 in the forward direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 3). Is moved toward the open position to separate the second ice making chamber 22 from the first ice making chamber 21 and open the ice making section 20. During the tilting of the water dish 23 to the open position, the support pin 39 provided on the front wall of the water dish 23 comes into contact with the contact piece 53 of the ice discharge member 33 in the retracted position from above, thereby The ice discharge member 33 is tilted about the pair of shaft members 49 and 49 together with the water dish 23. The rotation of the motor 38 is stopped, the water tray 23 is suspended and held in the cam arms 36 and 36 by the tension coil springs 40 and 40 at the open position, and the second ice making chamber 22 of the water tray 23 is stopped. The upper surface is covered with the ice discharge member 33 tilted to the ice discharge posture.

  While the water tray 23 is stopped at the open position, the first ice making chamber 21 is heated by supplying hot gas to the evaporator 18 to freeze the first ice making chambers 21A and the spherical ice S. To release. Then, each spherical ice S falling from each first ice making chamber 21A slides down on the upper surface of the ice discharge member 33 covering the upper surface of the second ice making chamber 22 as shown in FIG. Is released towards. At this time, the open end portion of the lower plate portion 50b of the first ice discharge plate 50 in the ice discharge member 33 faces above the extension end of the guide portion 43a of the holding frame 42 and is a gap with the guide portion 43a. However, the spherical ice S sliding down the upper surface of the ice discharge member 33 is smoothly guided to the ice storage chamber 11.

  When the deicing detecting means (not shown) detects that all the spherical ice S has fallen from the first ice making chamber 21, the motor 38 is rotated in the opposite direction. As a result, the pair of cam arms 36, 36 rotate in the clockwise direction, and the water tray 23 connected via the tension coil springs 40, 40 starts to tilt obliquely upward with the pivot shaft 15 as a fulcrum. When the water tray 23 returns to the substantially horizontal closed position, the motor 38 stops, and the water tray 23 stops at the closed position and starts the ice making operation again.

  Further, when the water tray 23 tilts to the closed position, the ice discharge member 33 is pressed by the water tray 23 from below and tilts about the shaft members 49, 49, and the contact piece 53 is held. By making contact with the front flange portion 44b of the frame 42 from above, the ice discharge member 33 is returned to and held in a retracted posture standing substantially vertically.

  In the first embodiment, the ice discharge member 33 that is tilted and displaced between the retracted posture and the ice discharge posture by the tilting of the water tray 23 is attached and fixed to the mounting member 13 in which the water tray 23 is disposed via the fixing member 41. Since it comprised in this way, the precision of the relative positional relationship of the water tray 23 and the ice discharge | release member 33 can be improved, and the ice discharge | release member 33 can be tilted smoothly with the tilting of the water tray 23. FIG. Further, since the pair of shaft members 49, 49 disposed before and after the ice discharge member 33 are sandwiched and supported by both arm portions 44, 45 of the holding frame 42 which is a single member, the front and rear shaft members The axial positions of 49 and 49 are not displaced, and the ice discharge member 33 can be tilted more smoothly. Furthermore, since the ice discharge member 33 is attached to the fixing member 41 that is detachably attached to the attachment member 13 and both members 33 and 41 can be handled as a unit, the detachability of the ice discharge member 33 is improved.

  Further, since the ice discharging member 33 according to the first embodiment does not adopt the configuration of being disposed in the drain pan 17 as in the prior art, the mounting member in which the ice making unit U is disposed in the assembly process of the automatic ice making machine. 13, the ice discharge member 33 can be disposed through the fixing member 41, and the operation of the ice discharge member 33 can be confirmed before the ice making unit U is disposed in the housing 10. Furthermore, even after the assembly of the automatic ice making machine, the ice discharge member 33 is not disposed on the drain pan 17, so that the drain pan 17 is of a type integrally provided with a front panel. In this case, it is possible to make the ice discharge member 33 visible from the front side by removing the drainage tray 17 from the housing 10, and the operation of the ice discharge member 33 can be easily confirmed.

  The ice discharge member 33 is configured to be held in a retracted posture by contacting the contact piece 53 with a front flange portion 44b provided on a fixing member 41 for attaching the ice discharge member 33 to the attachment member 13. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated member for holding the ice discharge member 33 in the retracted posture, and the number of parts can be reduced to suppress an increase in cost. Further, the abutment piece 53 abuts on the water pan 23 (support pin 39) that tilts during the transition from the ice making operation to the deicing operation, and has a function of displacing the ice discharge member 33 from the retracted position to the ice discharge position. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a dedicated portion for displacing the ice discharge member 33 from the retracted posture to the ice discharge posture, and the configuration of the ice discharge member 33 can be simplified.

  Here, the ice discharge member 33 brings the rotation center position (the position of the shaft member 49) closer to the rotation center position of the water dish 23 (the position of the pivot shaft 15) and the substrate serving as the rotation center. 48 and the second ice discharge plate 51 that covers the second ice making chamber 22 are formed in an inverted L shape, and are necessary to cover the second ice making chamber 22 as the second ice discharge plate 51. The rotation radius of the second ice discharge plate 51 can be reduced while ensuring a sufficient length dimension. Thus, the second ice discharge plate 51 can be tilted from the retracted position to the ice discharge position without interfering with the spherical ice S generated in the first ice making chamber 21. Further, when the ice discharge member 33 is simply formed in an inverted L shape, a large gap is formed between the right end portion of the drain pan 17 when the ice discharge posture is reached, and the spherical ice S is guided to the ice storage chamber 11. There is a risk that it will enter the drainage tray 17 without being carried out. However, in the automatic ice making machine according to the first embodiment, the guide frame 43a extending obliquely upward to the left from the upper end side of the right side wall 17a of the drain pan 17 is provided on the holding frame 42 that rotatably supports the ice discharge member 33. In addition, the ice discharge member 33 is formed so that the substrate 48 and the first ice discharge plate 50, which are rotatably disposed on the holding frame 42, are formed in a T shape. In the ice discharge posture, the gap formed between the first ice discharge plate 50 and the guide portion 43a can be reduced by the lower plate portion 50b of the first ice discharge plate 50, and the spherical ice S can be reliably guided to the ice storage chamber 11. In addition, since the open end portion of the lower plate portion 50b of the first ice discharge plate 50 is located above the extended end portion of the guide portion 43a in the ice discharge posture, the first ice discharge plate 50 moves to the guide portion 43a. The spherical ice S is smoothly discharged without being caught by the guide portion 43a.

  Further, in the retracted position shown in FIG. 3, the ice discharge member 33 is arranged at the step portion formed by the spacer 52 of the first ice discharge plate 50 and the second ice discharge plate 51 in the guide portion 43 a of the holding frame 42. Thus, when the spherical ice S is taken out from the ice storage chamber 11, the operator's hand can be prevented from coming into contact with the guide portion 43a.

  9 to 13 show an automatic ice making machine according to the second embodiment, and the basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, only different parts are described in detail, and the same parts are the same. Reference numerals are assigned and description is omitted. That is, the configuration of the fixing member 54 will be described in detail because the configuration of the fixing member 54 for mounting the ice discharge member 33 to the mounting member 13 is different between the first embodiment and the second embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, the fixing member 54 in the second embodiment is disposed on the holding frame 42 on which the ice discharge member 33 is rotatably supported, and on the front and rear ends of the holding frame 42. It is comprised from a pair of support frames 55 and 56 extended toward upper direction. The front support frame 55 whose lower end portion is attached to the front flange portion 44b formed on the front arm portion 44 of the holding frame 42 has an attachment portion 55a bent at the upper end portion, and the attachment bracket 13 is attached to the motor bracket 37. It is comprised so that it can attach to the motor (fixed part) 38 arrange | positioned through this. On the other hand, the rear support frame 56 whose lower end portion is attached to the rear flange portion 45b formed on the rear arm portion 45 of the holding frame 42 has an attachment portion 56a bent at the upper end portion thereof. It is comprised so that it can attach to the inner wall of the back side of detachable.

  In the automatic ice making machine according to the second embodiment, the ice discharge member 33 is attached to the motor 38 of the water tray opening / closing mechanism 25 that tilts the water tray 23 via the fixing member 54. The accuracy of the relative positional relationship between the camshaft 35 on which the cam arms 36 and 36 for opening and closing the tray 23 are disposed and the shaft members 49 and 49 of the ice discharge member 33 can be improved. When facing the open position, the ice discharging member 33 can be stably rotated to a position covering the second ice making chamber 22. In addition, since the structure of the ice discharge | release member 33 of Example 2 is the same as Example 1, it cannot be overemphasized that the effect similar to having mentioned above is acquired. However, although a part of the fixing member 54 of the second embodiment is attached to the housing 10, the configuration provided in the drain tray 17 is not adopted, so that maintenance and the like after the assembly of the automatic ice making machine is performed. At this time, the operation of the ice discharge member 33 can be easily confirmed by removing the drain pan 17.

(Example of change)
The automatic ice making machine of the embodiment can be changed to a form other than the embodiment.
(1) In each of the examples, an automatic ice maker that generates spherical ice as an ice block is illustrated, but an automatic ice maker that is formed so that the shape of the ice making space can generate square ice or irregularly shaped ice is also targeted. The
(2) In each embodiment, the step portion is formed by arranging the first ice discharge plate and the second ice discharge plate via a spacer, but the step portion is formed by bending one plate material. May be formed.
(3) In each embodiment, the ice discharge member is displaced from the retracted position to the ice discharge position by contacting the support pin of the water dish against the contact piece of the ice discharge member in the retracted position. The portion that contacts the contact piece is not limited to the water dish, but may be any member provided on a member that rotates integrally with the second ice making chamber.
(4) In the second embodiment, the front support frame is attached to the motor (casing thereof). However, the fixing part for attaching the front support frame is not limited to the motor, and may be any fixed part that does not move, such as a motor bracket. .
(5) In the second embodiment, the rear support frame is attached to the inner wall of the casing. However, a configuration in which the rear support frame is attached to the attachment member may be employed.

(Reference example)
In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the holding frame on which the ice discharging member is pivotally supported is configured to be attached to the mounting member or the like via the support frame. However, the support frame is omitted and the holding frame is arranged on the drain tray. Can be set. For example, a screw hole is provided in the holding plate of the holding frame, a through hole is provided in the right side wall of the drainage tray, and the screw inserted through the through hole is screwed into the screw hole of the holding plate, and the holding plate is fixed to the right side wall by screwing. By doing so, the ice discharge member is attached to the drain tray. Also in this configuration, since the shaft member of the ice discharge member is pivotally supported by the single holding frame, the ice discharge member is not displaced and can be smoothly rotated.

13 mounting member, 21 first ice making chamber, 21A first ice making chamber, 22 second ice making chamber 22A second ice making chamber, 25 water tray opening / closing mechanism (opening / closing mechanism), 33 ice discharging member 38 motor (fixing portion), 41 fixing Member, 43a Guide part 44 Front arm part (arm part), 44a Bearing part, 45 Rear arm part (arm part)
45a Bearing part, 48 substrate, 50 1st ice discharge plate (ice discharge plate)
51 2nd ice discharge plate (ice discharge plate), 53 contact piece, 54 fixing member

Claims (5)

A first ice making chamber (21) formed with a first ice making chamber (21A) that opens downward and a second ice making chamber (22A) that opens upward are formed and disposed on the mounting member (13). It faces the first ice making chamber (21) so that it can tilt freely, and contacts the first ice making chamber (21) from below during the ice making operation, so that the first ice making chamber (21A) corresponds to the second ice making chamber (22A). A second ice making chamber (22) that is held in a closed position and is tilted and displaced to an inclined open position that is spaced downward from the first ice making chamber (21) and opens the first ice making chamber (21A) during deicing operation. )
A retraction posture retracted from the second ice making chamber (22) in the closed position and a second ice making chamber (22 in the open position) are fixed to the fixing members (41, 54) suspended from the mounting member (13). ) Is configured to pivotably support an ice discharge member (33) that is displaced in an ice discharge posture that covers the upper surface of the ice discharger from above.   The second ice making chamber (22) is connected to an opening / closing mechanism (25) disposed on the mounting member (13), and the opening / closing mechanism (25) is driven so that the closing position and the opening position are set. The automatic ice making device according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member (54) is disposed on the attachment member (13) via the fixing portion (38) of the switchgear (25). Machine.   The fixing member (41, 54) includes a pair of arm portions (44, 45) that sandwich the ice discharge member (33), and has bearing portions (44a, 45a) provided on both arm portions (44, 45). The automatic ice maker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ice discharging member (33) is rotatably supported through the ice discharging member. The ice discharge member (33) is provided on a base plate (48) rotatably supported by the bearing portions (44a, 45a), and an extended end of the base plate (48) from the bearing portions (44a, 45a). Formed in a substantially T shape from an ice discharge plate (50, 51) provided in an orthogonal posture and covering the second ice making chamber (22) in the ice discharge posture;
The fixed member (41, 54) has an inclined lower end in an ice discharge plate (50, 51) in an ice discharge position on the opposite side to the second ice making chamber (22) across the bearing portion (44a, 45a). A guide portion (43a) extending toward the side is provided,
The automatic ice maker according to claim 3, wherein the lower end of the ice guide plate (50, 51) in the ice discharging posture faces upward from the extended end of the guide portion (43a).   The ice discharge member (33) is abutted by the second ice making chamber (22) whose posture is displaced from the closed position to the open position to displace the ice discharge member (33) to the ice discharge posture. A piece (53) is provided, and the ice discharge member (33) is held in a retracted position with the contact piece (53) contacting the fixing member (41, 54). The automatic ice maker according to one item.

Images