JP3598328B2 - Ice tray control device for automatic ice maker - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a technique for accurately detecting a reference position of an ice tray and reliably controlling the ice tray among a series of means for storing ice in an ice storage box in an automatic ice making means of a refrigerator. Things.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various types of configurations have been disclosed for detecting the completion of ice making on an ice tray in a home refrigerator and storing the ice in an ice storage box installed thereunder. This basic technology detects that the water in the ice tray has frozen, then detects the amount of ice remaining in the ice bin, and if the ice is full, does not release the ice from the ice tray, If it is detected that there is no or little ice, the ice is removed from the ice tray and ice is stored in the ice tray.In either case, after driving the ice tray, the ice tray is returned to the initial position again. Thus, a series of operations is completed.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in order to reliably perform the above-described operation, it is necessary to constantly detect the posture of the part performing the movement. For this purpose, the position where the ice tray is located should be determined as a reference, that is, the origin position, and the configuration must be such that this position can be reliably grasped. If the origin position is incorrect, for example, even if the ice tray is twisted to separate ice, the twist is weak or too strong, which may cause damage to the synthetic resin ice tray.
[0004]
Therefore, conventionally, the position of the ice tray has been detected by the transmitting means, and the origin position is set when the ice tray is in a horizontal state, and the output signal is changed before and after the origin position as a boundary. (See FIG. 4). According to this means, it is possible to detect from the change in the output signal that the ice tray is at the origin position, that is, in the horizontal state. However, since the signal becomes a steady state after the change, the output signal has changed. In order to reliably capture the ice, the ice tray must be turned forward and backward around the origin position. Therefore, according to this means, there is a problem that the rotation control of the ice tray is complicated and the water supplied to the ice tray is spilled by this movement.
[0005]
Further, as another means, the ice tray is forcibly stopped in a horizontal state against the driving force of the drive motor at the time of the return operation, and at this time, the ice tray is brought into a horizontal state by detecting a load applied to the drive motor. Although there is a method for detecting that there is, there is a problem that an overload is applied to the drive motor.
[0006]
The present invention has been made based on the above-described problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a control device for an ice tray in an automatic ice maker that can accurately detect that the ice tray is in a reference position, that is, in a horizontal state, with a simple configuration. To provide.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, an ice tray driving means for rotating an ice tray in a range where ice can be released from a horizontal state in cooperation with a drive motor, and when the ice tray is in a horizontal state, A delay drive unit having an overrun region that operates independently of the drive motor in addition to the operation region of the ice tray drive unit; and a pulse that outputs a pulse signal during a delay operation in the overrun region of the delay drive unit. A means for detecting the horizontal state of the ice tray by reading the change point of the pulse signal to a steady state. In addition, a means for stopping the drive motor at the same time as reading the change point of the pulse signal to the steady state is selectively used. Here, the transition point of the pulse signal to the steady state is the falling edge of the pulse signal whose amplitude changes in the positive direction, and the rising edge of the pulse signal whose amplitude changes in the negative direction. Is defined.
[0008]
Further, in the control device having the above configuration, a pulse signal different from the pulse signal output in the operation area of the delay driving means is output in the operation area of the ice tray driving means, and the rotation direction of the drive motor is determined based on the appearance order of both signals. Is selectively used. Further, a means of selectively using both signals as signals having different pulse widths was used.
[0009]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a control device of an ice tray in an automatic ice making machine according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a specific configuration example thereof. In the figure, 1 is an ice tray, 2 is a drive motor, 3 is control means for controlling the rotation and stop of the drive motor 2 in the normal and reverse directions, and 4 is an interlock with the drive motor 2 to move the ice tray 1 from a horizontal state. This is an ice tray driving unit that rotates in a range where ice can be separated. That is, in the configuration example shown in FIG. 2, the ice tray driving means 4 is constituted by a gear provided with teeth meshing with the pinin-on gear P of the driving motor 2 at a predetermined angle (α = 160 degrees), and the rotation axis thereof is The ice tray 1 is fixed.
[0010]
With the above configuration, the operation area of the ice tray driving means 4 and the rotation area of the ice tray 1 correspond to each other, and the ice tray 1 rotates when the drive motor 2 rotates forward (when the pinion gear P rotates clockwise in the drawing). , And the operation of returning to the horizontal state is performed together with the reverse rotation of the drive motor 2. Then, when the ice tray 1 is in the returning operation, the ice tray driving means 4 does not work with the drive motor 2 at the same time as the ice tray 1 reaches the horizontal state. The plate 1 can be stopped in a horizontal state.
[0011]
Next, reference numeral 5 denotes a delay driving means for delaying the operation of the ice tray driving means 4 when the driving motor 2 rotates in the reverse direction. The delay driving means 5 is interlocked with the driving motor 2 even after the ice tray 1 is stationary in a horizontal state during the return operation. It works. That is, in the configuration example shown in FIG. 2, the delay driving means 5 is constituted by a gear provided with teeth over a predetermined angle (β = 35 degrees). 4, the shaft is coaxially fixed to the ice tray driving means 4 so as to mesh with the pinion gear P of the driving motor 2. Therefore, the delay driving means 5 has an overrun area in which the ice making tray 1 is in a horizontal state and independently of the operation area of the ice making tray driving means 4 by an angle β provided with teeth. .
[0012]
A pulse generator 6 outputs a pulse signal to the controller 3 in conjunction with the delay driver 5 in the overrun region. That is, in the configuration example shown in FIG. 2, the switching lever 20 having the magnet 21 facing the Hall element 40 at the tip and the support piece 22 provided in the middle part facing downward is rotatably fixed to the shaft. The pulse generating means 6 is formed by forming a cam ridge 5a on the inner circumference of the inside and further rotatably fixing an approximately L-shaped assist lever 30 between the support piece 22 and the cam ridge 5a. ing. Therefore, according to this configuration example, when the gear 5 having the cam ridge 5a is rotated, the driven pin 32 projecting from the assist lever 30 (in the depth direction in the figure) rides over the cam ridge 5a, so that the assist lever 30 is moved. Is rotated with the sliding surface 31 facing upward, and at this time, the support piece 22 of the switching lever 20 abutting on the sliding surface 31 is lifted, whereby the switching lever 20 is rotated, and the magnet 21 attached to the tip of the switching lever 20 is rotated. A pulse signal that is separated from the Hall element 40 and that matches the cam peak 5a is output.
[0013]
At the time of the ice releasing operation, the control means 3 determines whether to start the drive motor 2 based on signals output from the ice making detecting means 7 and the ice detecting means 8. That is, the ice making detecting means 7 detects the ice making state of the ice tray 1, and when the ice making detecting means 7 detects the completion of ice making, the control means 3 starts the drive motor 2 to start the ice releasing operation. To start. The ice detecting means 8 detects whether the ice storage box 9 is full or less than ice, and if the ice detecting means 8 detects a state of less than ice in the ice storage box, the control means 3 controls the ice making detecting means. While the ice removing operation is permitted in accordance with the signal 7, if the full ice state is detected, the stop of the ice removing operation is determined prior to the signal of the ice making detecting means 7. Here, the ice detecting means 8 can perform the ice detecting operation before rotating the ice tray 1, but if the ice detecting operation is performed during the rotation of the ice tray 1 and the state of less than ice is detected, the ice detecting means 8 remains unchanged. The ice-making tray 1 may be rotated to continue the ice-separating operation, and if the ice-full state is detected, the control means 3 may immediately reverse the driving motor 3 to perform the returning operation of the ice-making tray 1.
[0014]
Next, the operation of detecting the horizontal position of the ice tray by the control device having the above configuration will be described with reference to the time chart of FIG. 3 showing the operation timings of the ice tray 1, the drive motor 2 and the pulse generating means 6. Here, the ice tray 1 is assumed to be in a horizontal state with A as an origin position, and the drive motor 2 is driven with B as a starting point.
[0015]
First, when the ice making detecting means 7 and the ice detecting means 8 detect the completion of ice making of the ice tray 1 and the state of less than ice in the ice storage box 9, the control means 3 starts the drive motor 2 in the normal rotation direction. Accordingly, the delay drive means 5 operates up to A in conjunction with the drive motor 2. Further, the interval between A and B is set as an overrun area of the delay driving means 5, and a pulse signal T is output from the pulse generating means 6 to the control means 3 in this area. Then, the control means 3 can recognize that the drive motor 3 has been driven normally by the pulse signal T output when the drive motor 2 rotates forward by the above operation.
[0016]
Thereafter, from A, the ice tray driving means 4 performs a delay operation, and accordingly, the ice tray 1 rotates to start the actual ice releasing operation. As the operation of the ice tray driving means 4 proceeds, the inclination and deformation of the ice tray 1 increase, and the ice is completely removed with C being the rotation limit position of the ice tray 1. Then, the control means 3 detects the completion of ice separation, rotates the drive motor 2 in the reverse direction, and returns the ice tray 1 to the horizontal state.
[0017]
As the ice tray 1 reaches A by this returning operation, the ice tray driving means 4 stops operating in conjunction with the drive motor 2 at the same time. At this point, the ice tray 1 also terminates its return operation and stands still in a horizontal state. Thereafter, the drive motor 2 continues to be driven further. At this time, in the overrun region in which the delay drive means 5 operates in conjunction with the drive motor 2, the pulse signal T is output again from the pulse generation means 6 to the control circuit 3. The control means 3 reads the falling edge of the pulse signal T to detect that the ice tray 1 is in a horizontal state, stops driving the drive motor 2, and returns to the initial state before the ice releasing operation. .
[0018]
That is, in the series of operations described above, when the drive motor 2 is rotating in the reverse direction so as to return the ice tray 1 to the return operation, the falling of the pulse signal T generated in the overrun region of the delay drive unit 5 is controlled by the control unit. By reading at 3, the ice tray 1 can be reliably detected as being in a horizontal state.
[0019]
In the above embodiment, a positive-going pulse signal consisting of a rising and a falling order is output, and the falling of the pulse signal is read. However, a negative-going pulse signal consisting of a falling and a rising order is output. The horizontal state of the ice tray 1 can be detected by reading the rising edge of the pulse signal. What is needed here is to output a signal whose amplitude changes from the steady state and lasts for a finite time and returns to the original steady state, and reads the transition point of this signal to the steady state. is there.
[0020]
In addition, if the control means 3 is configured to be able to grasp the rotation direction of the drive motor 2, it is not essential to generate the pulse signal T in the overrun region when the drive motor 2 rotates forward. That is, in order to detect the horizontal state of the ice tray 1, it is only necessary to be able to read the falling edge of the pulse signal T when the drive motor 2 is rotating in the reverse direction.
[0021]
If the control means 3 does not have the function of grasping the rotation direction of the drive motor 2 described above, and the pulse signal T is output even when the drive motor 2 is rotating forward, the horizontal configuration of the ice tray 1 can be achieved with this configuration. In order to detect the state, another pulse signal T1 is output even during the return operation of the ice tray 1 (see FIG. 3). This is because in the configuration example shown in FIG. 2, a cam ridge 4a is provided on the inner periphery of the gear constituting the ice tray driving means 4, and the support piece 22 of the switching lever 20 rides over the cam ridge 4a so that the cam ridge 4a Can be output. That is, the control means 3 can grasp the rotation direction of the drive motor 2 from the appearance order of the pulse signal T in the overrun area and the pulse signal T1 during the return operation. In order to monitor the order of appearance by the control means 3, it is necessary to make both pulse signals identifiable by, for example, changing the pulse width and amplitude. In the configuration example shown in FIG. This can be realized by changing the peak height and the arc length of the cam peaks 5a and 4a of the delay driving means 5 and the ice tray driving means 4.
[0022]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the pulse signal is output after the ice tray has stopped in the horizontal state when the drive motor is rotating in the reverse direction, so that the point at which the pulse signal changes to the steady state can be read. It was possible to reliably detect that the ice tray was horizontal. According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the drive motor is stopped at the same time when the change point is read, it is possible to prevent the drive motor from being overloaded.
[0023]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, a pulse signal is also output in the operation region of the ice tray driving means separately from the pulse signal. Therefore, the drive motor is reversed by detecting the appearance order of both pulse signals. I was able to grasp it for sure. Further, according to the invention of claim 4, since the pulse widths of both pulse signals are changed to enable the identification, the order of appearance can be easily detected.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a control device for an ice tray in an automatic ice maker according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a specific configuration example showing a control device for an ice tray in an automatic ice maker according to the present invention; FIG. Time chart showing operation timing of drive motor and pulse generating means. [FIG. 4] Time chart showing relationship between ice tray and transmitting means in the prior art.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 ice tray 2 drive motor 3 control means 4 ice tray drive means 5 delay drive means 4a cam peak 5a provided in ice tray drive means cam peak 6 provided in delay drive means 6 pulse generation means 7 ice detection means 8 ice detection Means 9 Ice storage box 20 Switching lever 21 Magnet 22 Support piece 30 Assist lever 31 Sliding surface 32 Follower pin 40 Hall element

Claims (4)

An ice tray driving means for rotating the ice tray in a range where ice can be released from a horizontal state in conjunction with a drive motor; and an operation area of the ice tray driving means separately when the ice tray is in a horizontal state. A delay drive unit having an overrun region that operates independently in conjunction with the drive motor; and a pulse generation unit that outputs a pulse signal during a delay operation in the overrun region of the delay drive unit. An ice tray control device for an automatic ice maker, wherein a horizontal state of an ice tray is detected by reading a change point to a state. 2. The ice tray control device for an automatic ice maker according to claim 1, wherein the drive motor is stopped at the same time as the steady-state change point of the pulse signal is read. A pulse signal different from the pulse signal output during the delay operation of the delay driving means is output during the operation of the ice tray driving means, and the rotation direction of the drive motor is determined from the appearance order of both signals. An ice tray control device in the automatic ice maker described in the above. 4. The ice tray control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the two signals have different pulse widths.

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