JP3130199B2 - Water supply device for refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator water supply device used for an ice making device incorporated in a refrigerator or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an ice machine is often used in a refrigerator. As this type of ice making device, for example, a configuration disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 51-3082 is known. Hereinafter, a conventional ice making device disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 51-3082 will be described.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a conventional ice making device.
The conventional ice making device 200 is roughly divided into an ice tray 201,
It comprises a reversing device 202, a pump 203, a measuring tank 205, a water supply tank 206 and a pipe 207.
Among them, the ice tray 201 and the reversing device 202 are located in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator, and the other members are located in the refrigerator compartment.

[0004] The ice tray 201 is a tray for freezing the water inside. The reversing device 202 has a built-in gear train, and functions to invert the ice tray 201 and to twist the ice tray 201 to separate ice.

[0005] The measuring tank 205 is a water tank partitioned into a measuring chamber 212 and a water storage chamber 213. A small hole is provided in a partition wall that separates the two, and when the water level of the measuring chamber 212 falls, water flows slowly from the water storage chamber 213. Note that the upper surface of the measuring tank is open.

The pump 203 includes a motor section 210 and a pump section 211. In the conventional ice making device 200, a spiral pump is employed as the pump 203. Therefore, in the ice making device 200, the pump unit 211 of the pump 203 is directly inserted into the measuring chamber 212.

The water supply tank 206 has a closed tank body provided with a lid 217. Then, the lid 217
Is provided with an on-off valve. The water supply tank 206 is filled with water, and the measuring tank 20 with the lid 217 down.
5, and a part of the above-described on-off valve is in contact with the bottom of the water storage chamber 213 of the water supply tank 206.

In the ice making device 200, the water in the water supply tank 206 falls into the measuring tank 205, and fills the measuring chamber 212 through the water storage chamber 213. The water is pumped up by a pump 203 inserted into the measuring chamber 212 and supplied to the ice making device 201 through a pipe 207.

[0009]

The prior art ice making apparatus 2
00 is widely used as a device built in a refrigerator. However, the ice making device 200 of the related art has a problem that water in the measuring tank 205 is spoiled or an odor is transferred to ice.

That is, the conventional ice making device 200 is
The measuring tank 205 is essential, and water is exposed to the air in the part of the measuring tank 205. More specifically, in the ice making apparatus 200 of the related art, since a spiral pump is used as the pump 203, the pump 203
Must be inserted into the measuring tank 205. In the prior art, the measuring tank 205
The supply of water to the water supply tank 206 is performed by dropping water from the water supply tank 206. Therefore, the measuring tank 205, which is indispensable in the prior art, must have an open upper surface.

In addition, the water supply to the ice tray 201 is not always performed, and it is not uncommon that the ice tray is not supplied for a considerable period of time depending on the amount of ice consumed.

Therefore, as long as the water is not supplied to the ice tray, the water in the measuring tank is not replaced at all. During this time, dust and the like floating in the refrigerator compartment fall on the water surface of the measuring tank, and the dust and the like in the water decay for a long period of time. Alternatively, the gas having an off-flavor component in the refrigerator may melt into the water from the surface of the measuring tank for a long time, and the resulting ice may emit off-flavor.

The water supply tank 206 has a valve function attached to the lid 217. When supplying water to the tank, the lid is turned upward and the lid is removed. In this case, the water adhering to the tank was blown to the surroundings.
Furthermore, the opening was small due to the lid with a valve, making it difficult to check how much water had entered when refilling water.

The present invention focuses on the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art, reduces the chance of water being exposed to the air in the water supply path,
For refrigerators that can prevent water rot and off-flavors
It is intended to provide a water supply device.

Further, it is possible to easily supply water to the tank.

[0016]

The present invention for achieving the above object is characterized by a self-priming pump and a water supply pipe connected to the suction side and the discharge side of the self-priming pump. A water supply tank coupled to the self-priming pump via the water supply pipe, wherein the water supply tank closes an opening of the tank body with a container-like tank body having an entire upper surface opened. The body and the front
The water supply tank is installed in the refrigerator of the self-priming pump.
It is disposed in front of the position, and the discharge pipe digits set to project to the upper surface of the lid, in the direction of the self吸性pump
Extending rearwardly, this mounting from the front of the water tank
And connected to the water supply pipe.

[0017]

The water supply device for a refrigerator according to the present invention employs a pump having a self-priming property. The suction side of the pump is connected to the inside of the water supply tank by a water absorption pipe. Therefore, the water is sucked directly from the water supply tank by the rotation of the pump, and supplied to the ice tray through the pipe. Therefore, the chance of the water coming into contact with the air from the water supply tank to the ice tray is reduced.

Further, since the water supply tank is open on the entire upper surface, it is easy to check how much water is contained when replenishing water.

[0019]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a refrigerator according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.
It is the schematic of the ice making apparatus which employs the water supply apparatus . FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an ice making device according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a water supply tank employed in the refrigerator water supply device of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a lid portion of the water supply tank of FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a lid portion of the water supply tank of FIG. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal configuration of the water supply tank of FIG. FIG. 7 shows the refrigeration of FIG.
It is a principal part perspective view of the water supply apparatus for storage .

First, the water supply device for a refrigerator of this embodiment is employed.
The basic configuration of the ice making device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic configuration of the ice making device 1 of the present embodiment, and a frame 8 described later is not illustrated. The ice making device 1 of the present embodiment includes an ice tray 2, an inverting device 3, an ice storage container 5, a pump 6, a water supply tank 7, and pipes 4 and 9. That is, the ice making device 1 of the present embodiment does not have a member corresponding to the measuring tank that is essential in the related art.

The ice making device 1 of this embodiment is arranged in a refrigerator. More specifically, among the above components, the ice tray 2, the reversing device 3, and the ice storage container 5 are provided in the lower freezer compartment 10
The pump 6 and the water supply tank 7 are located in the upper refrigerator compartment 11.
Is placed within. The pipe 4 connects the water supply tank 7 and the pump 6. On the other hand, the pipe 9 connects the pump 6 and the ice tray 2. Here, the pipe 4 is continuously connected without a gap, while the pipe 9 has a configuration in which a nozzle 13 is opened on the upper surface of the ice tray 2 and water is injected from the nozzle 13 into the ice tray 2.

Among the components of the ice making device 1 described above, the ice making tray 2, the reversing device 3, and the ice storage container 5 are not different from known components. In brief, the ice tray 2 is
A dish that freezes the water inside. The reversing device 3 has a built-in gear train, and functions to reverse the ice tray 2 and release ice. The ice storage container 5 is located below the ice tray 2 and stores ice dropped from the ice tray 2.

The characteristic configuration of the ice making device 1 of this embodiment is as follows.
Mainly in the pump 6, the water supply tank 7, the pipes 4 and 9, and the frame 8 supporting these.

The water supply tank 7 will be described. The water supply tank 7 includes a tank body 15 made of a resin such as acrylic nitrostyrene, a lid 16 also made of acrylic nitrostyrene or the like, and accessories such as a filter. It was made.

Here, the tank body 15 is a container whose entire upper surface is open. The opening 18 of the tank body 15
, A small flange 20 is formed.

On the other hand, the bottom surface of the tank body 15 has a convex shape, and extends over about one third of the length of the bottom surface.
Gradient 21 toward the opening is formed.

The lid 16 is a plate-like member having a shape that matches the opening 18 of the tank body 15, and a bag-like portion 23 is provided around the periphery to fit the opening end of the tank body 15. A packing (not shown) is arranged inside the bag-like portion 23.

The four projections 2 are provided on the side surface of the lid 16.
5 are provided. The projections 25 are disposed at positions facing each other in pairs. A hole (not shown) is provided on the opposite surface of the projection 25. Protrusion 25
, A lock member 26 as shown in FIG. 4 is rotatably attached. The lock member 26 has a plate shape, and has a protrusion 27 on the side surface that fits into the hole (not shown).
Is provided. The lock members 26 each have 2
Two engaging claws 28 are provided.

The water supply tank 7 employed in this embodiment is shown in FIG.
The lid 16 is put on the opening of the tank body 15 as shown in FIG. At this time, the bag-like portion 2 provided around the lid 16
3 is fitted to the open end of the tank body 15. The engaging claw 28 of the lock member 26 is connected to the flange 2 of the tank body 15.
Engage with the bottom of 0. Therefore, the lid 16 is attached to the tank body 15 so as not to come off.

In addition to the above-described configuration, the lid 16 is formed with a concave portion 31 that functions as a handle for pulling out the water supply tank 7. Further, a hole is provided in the center of the lid 16, and the discharge pipe 30 is attached to this hole.
The discharge pipe 30 has a suction pipe section 36 and an air vent pipe section 37 provided integrally. That is, the suction pipe portion 36 has a long tubular shape, and its end reaches the bottom of the tank body 15 as shown in FIG.

The tip of the suction pipe portion 36 is connected to the lid 1.
A pipe joint member 35 is provided at the protruding portion so as to protrude upward from 6. The pipe joint member 35 has a nozzle shape and extends in the horizontal direction. In addition, on the outer peripheral surface of the pipe joint member 35,
An annular projection 39 is formed. Top surface 4 of discharge pipe 30
2 has a gradient that decreases in the axial direction of the pipe joint member 35.

On the other hand, the air vent pipe portion 37 has an extremely short tubular shape and communicates the upper surface of the tank body 15 with the outside.

Next, the inside of the water supply tank 7 will be described.
A filter case 38 and a filter 40 are arranged inside the water supply tank 7 as shown in FIGS.

The filter case 38 includes a funnel-shaped member 41.
And the storage section 43. Funnel-shaped member 41
An engagement groove 45 is formed at the end on the thinner side, and the funnel-shaped member 41 is attached to the seat of the discharge pipe 30 at the engagement groove 45. The funnel-shaped member 4
Four engagement projections 47 are provided around the end of the large open side.

The storage section 43 of the filter case 38 is a cylindrical member having a bottom 48 and a peripheral wall 50.

The peripheral wall 50 is provided with four openings 51 for introducing water. In addition, on the peripheral wall 50,
An L-shaped fitting groove 53 is provided. Storage section 43
The “L” -shaped fitting groove 53 is fitted into the fitting projection 47 of the funnel-shaped member 41, and the funnel-shaped member 41 and the storage portion 43
Are integrated to form one case.

Further, by slightly rotating the storage portion 43, the fitting between the fitting groove 53 and the fitting projection 47 is released, and both can be easily disassembled.

A filter 40 is housed in the filter case 38. The filter 40 used in this embodiment is made of activated carbon having a deodorizing effect, and has a ring shape. Further, the filter 40 has a considerably small passage area, and water passes relatively slowly.

The filter 40 is disposed in the filter case 38 as described above, and the opening of the suction pipe 36 of the discharge pipe 30 is located at the center of the filter 40.

Here, favorable design conditions are added to the internal volume of the filter case 38 of the present embodiment. The internal volume of the filter case 38 is substantially equal to the volume of the ice tray 2 except for the volume occupied by the filter 40. An amount equal to the required water supply is good. More specifically, filter case 3
It is desirable that the amount of water in the filter case 38 from the water surface in 8 to the rear end surface of the suction pipe 36 be equal to the amount of water when the ice tray 2 is full.

Note that the filter case 38 and the filter 40 are not always necessary for carrying out the present invention, and a filter having a simpler configuration can be employed. 7 and 8 show a configuration using a simple filter. In the configuration of the modified embodiment, the filter 55 in the form of a mesh is directly brought into contact with the opening of the suction pipe portion 36, and the pressing member 56 is attached to the end of the suction pipe portion 36, and the filter member 55 is prevented from falling off by the pressing member 56. are doing.

Next, the frame 8 will be described. The frame 8 having the above-described configuration is fixed in the refrigerator compartment 11. The frame 8 is made of resin,
It is divided into a water supply tank mounting section 60 and a pump arrangement section 61.

The water supply tank mounting portion 60 is constituted by a bottom plate 63 and a peripheral wall 65 having a low height. And bottom plate 6
The longitudinal end of the discharge pipe housing 3 has a raised end.
Are formed. When viewed from above, the discharge pipe housing 67 is
It has a trapezoidal shape, and the end side of the water supply tank mounting portion 60 is wide, and is tapered toward the center to be narrow. In addition, an opening 68 is provided at the distal end side of the discharge pipe housing section 67, in other words,
Is provided.

Further, an opening 68 of the water supply tank mounting portion 60 is provided.
A pipe joint member 71 and an engagement claw 72 are provided on the periphery via a support base 70.

The engaging claw 72 is provided at the tip of the rod-shaped member 80 with the claw 8.
1 is provided. The engaging claw 72 is swingably supported by a shaft 83. As shown in FIG. 2, a spring 85 abuts on the rod-shaped member 80 of the engaging claw 72, and the engaging claw 72 is constantly urged so that the claw 81 moves downward.

A pressing lever 87 is provided at a position near the pump disposing portion 61 of the water supply tank mounting portion 60. The pressing lever 87 is attached to the frame 8 by a shaft 88, and can swing about the shaft 88. The tip of the pressing lever 87 projects downward from an opening provided in the bottom plate 63 of the frame 8. The pressing lever 87 is pressed by a spring (not shown) in a direction away from the pump disposition portion 61.

The pump 6 employed in the ice making device 1 of this embodiment is a gear pump and has a self-priming property.

The pump 6 includes a rubber vibration-proof mount 101.
Is attached to the pump disposition portion 61 via the.

Hereinafter, the operation of the ice making device 1 of the present embodiment will be described following the operation procedure of the ice making device. In using the ice making device 1 of the present embodiment, first, water is supplied to the water supply tank 7. When pouring water into the water supply tank 7, the lid 16 is removed from the tank body 15, and the water is supplied into the water supply tank 7 from above.

If the inside of the water supply tank 7 is dirty, the tank main body 15 has a large opening, so that the tank can be easily cleaned. In addition, in the water supply tank 7 adopted in the present embodiment, the fitting of the storage portion 43 of the filter case 38 is performed by engaging the fitting protrusion 47 of the funnel-shaped member 41 with the “L” -shaped fitting groove 53. By slightly rotating the storage section 43, the filter case 3
8 is also separable, so that the inside can be easily cleaned.

After water is supplied into the water supply tank 7, the water supply tank 7 is attached to the frame 8. Ice making device 1 of the present embodiment
Then, when the water supply tank 7 is mounted, the water supply tank 7 is held horizontally, and the bottom plate 63 of the water supply tank mounting portion 60 of the frame 8 is mounted.
By inserting the water supply tank 7 between the bottom plate 112 of the refrigerator.

Here, when the water supply tank 7 is mounted, the discharge pipe 30 advances from the wide opening of the discharge pipe housing 67 along the taper, and the discharge pipe 30 is moved by the side surface of the discharge pipe housing 67. Since it is held, the lateral movement of the water supply tank 7 is restricted. Then, the discharge pipe 30 is connected to the discharge pipe housing 67.
To the opening 68 at the tip of the.

When the water supply tank 7 is still pushed in, the top surface 42 of the discharge pipe 30 comes into contact with the claw 81 and the engagement claw 7
Push 2 up. Then, the nozzle-shaped pipe joint member 35 provided at the distal end of the discharge pipe 30 is inserted into the pipe joint member 71.

When the pipe joint member 35 is completely inserted into the pipe joint member 71, the engaging claw 72 is lowered by the force of the spring 85 and engages with the side surface of the discharge pipe 30. as a result,
The pipe joint member 35 is held so as not to come off from the pipe joint member 71.

The mounting operation of the water supply tank 7 described above is performed to some extent because the pressing lever 87 is provided on the frame 8 of the ice making device 1 of the present embodiment, and the pressing lever 87 acts in the direction of pushing out the water supply tank 7. This is the task of feeling resistance. However, when the water tank 7 is completely installed,
As described above, the engaging claw 72 is engaged with the vertical surface of the discharge pipe 30, and the force of the pressing lever 87 is supported by the engaging claw 72, so that the resistance felt by the user's hand is significantly reduced.

Accordingly, the user can know whether or not the water supply tank 7 has been completely mounted, based on the presence or absence of the resistance felt by the hand.

Here, the pump 6 employed in the ice making apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is a gear pump and has a self-priming property, so that water is directly drawn from the water supply tank 7. That is, water enters the pump 6 from the suction pipe 36 inserted into the water supply tank 7 via the pipe joint members 35 and 71. Then, water is discharged from the nozzle 13 through the pipe 9 from the pump 6.

When the first water supply timer expires, the pump 6 is switched to the reverse rotation, and the discharge of water from the nozzle 13 stops. At this time, the ice tray 2 is in a state of being filled with water.

That is, in the ice making device 1 of the present embodiment, there is no need to fill a member having an open top such as a measuring tank with water, and water is drawn from the water supply tank 7 when necessary. In addition, in the ice making device 1 of the present embodiment, when a predetermined amount of water has been supplied to the ice tray 2, even the water remaining in the piping is collected in the water supply tank 7. Further, since the water supply tank 7 is sealed except for the air vent pipe 37, there is no concern that dust or the like may enter the inside.

In this embodiment, a gear pump is used as the pump 6. The gear pump has a simple structure,
Since there are few failures, it is the most preferable as the pump used in the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to a gear pump as a pump type, and any other pump having a self-priming property can be adopted. To give a specific example, it is conceivable to employ a vane pump, an axial piston pump, a diaphragm pump, or the like.

Since the water supply tank 7 can easily replenish water by attaching and detaching the lid 16, the replenishment work is improved.

[0063]

The water supply device for a refrigerator according to the present invention employs a pump having a self-priming property. Water is drawn directly from a water supply tank by rotation of the pump, and supplied to an ice tray through piping. . Therefore, in the ice making device of the present invention,
There is little opportunity for water to come into contact with air between the water tank and the ice tray. Therefore, in the ice making device of the present invention, there is an effect that water can always be kept in a clean state without dust or the like falling into the water or mixing of off-flavor gas components to contaminate the water. As a result, the ice made by the ice making device of the present invention has a very good effect.

Since the water supply tank has an open upper surface, it can be replenished with a wide opening just by attaching and detaching the lid. Therefore, it is easy to check the replenishment amount, and since the lid has a discharge pipe as in the conventional case. There is no need to turn the tank upside down.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a refrigerator water supply device according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.
Schematic diagram of the ice making device used

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an ice making device according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a water supply tank used in the ice making device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a lid portion of the water supply tank of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a configuration of a lid portion of the water supply tank of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal configuration of the water supply tank of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a main part of the ice making device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a conventional ice making device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ice making device 2 ice tray 3 reversing device 6 pump 7 the water supply tank 8 frame 9 pipe 10 refrigeration compartment 11 refrigeration chamber 15 tank body 16 lid 30 discharge pipe 35 fitting member

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A self-priming pump, a water supply pipe connected to a suction side and a discharge side of the self-priming pump, and a water supply tank coupled to the self-priming pump via the water supply pipe. The water supply tank comprises a container-shaped tank body having an entire upper surface opened and a lid closing the opening of the tank body, and the water supply tank is
The self-priming pump is located in front of the mounting position in the refrigerator.
It is location, and the discharge pipe digits set to project to the upper surface of said lid, extending of the rear in the direction of the self吸性pump
It is a refrigerator water supply apparatus formed by connecting a pipe for the water supply by attaching the water supply tank from the front.