JP3852609B2 - Ice making equipment, refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ice making apparatus that separates gas components, ion components, and the like dissolved in water supplied to an ice tray when producing ice to obtain ice with high transparency.

  Conventionally, in a refrigerator-freezer for home use, the water supplied from the water supply device is stored in an ice tray to make ice, and after ice making, the ice tray is inverted by the drive device to separate the ice, and the ice is stored. Ice making equipment is widespread. However, generally cloudy ice is formed.

  In general, when a substance forms crystals, crystals are formed with a single component. The same applies to the case where water freezes to become ice, so that impurities dissolved in water are discharged to the ice-water interface during the freezing process, and the impurities are supersaturated at the ice-water interface. When the growth rate of ice is larger than the diffusion rate of impurities in the supersaturated water layer into the water, the ice grows while taking in the impurities, and the ice becomes clouded by the taken-in one.

Ice appears to be cloudy because light is reflected on the ice to form parts that appear white. This is due to substances dissolved in water, especially gas components dissolved in ice (CO ₂ , This is because O ₂ etc.) are trapped in ice as fine bubbles. Light that enters the ice is refracted and reflected on the surface of the bubble. Even if the volume of the gas component is the same, the probability that the path of the light is changed is increased as more fine bubbles are formed, that is, the light is more easily scattered and reflected, so that it looks whitish.

  However, the ice generally seen is polycrystalline ice that is formed by solidifying a large amount of single crystal ice regardless of transparency, and there are many cases in which a substance dissolved in the supply water remains between the crystals. Therefore, the purpose of making transparent ice is not to improve the actual taste of ice, but to pursue the deliciousness and beauty of its appearance. This is a major problem in refrigerators related to food, and many known technologies are known. It has been.

  For example, an ice making apparatus having a double structure in which an ice tray is connected with a large number of cores (see Patent Document 1) and an automatic ice making apparatus in which this ice tray is attached to an open surface of a heat insulating tank provided with a heater have been proposed ( Patent Document 2). Further, there is a technique for storing water containing impurities, draining and draining water, and pumping a part of the water (see Patent Document 3).

Japanese Patent No. 2524811 (FIGS. 6, 10, etc.) Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-4561 (FIG. 1 etc.) Patent registration No. 2781429 (claim 1 etc.)

  In conventional ice making equipment, if the hole communicating between the part that obtains clear ice and the part that collects cloudy water is small, water may not enter the lower dish due to the surface tension of water, and there is a possibility that cloudy ice can form on the upper dish There was a problem that there was a risk that the ice tray was damaged by the pressure due to the volume expansion of ice.

  Furthermore, air bubbles may accumulate at the bottom of the separator during water supply. This bubble rises after the surface of the upper ice plate freezes and the deaeration surface disappears, and deformed ice is formed. In addition, when the ice is removed, the thickness of the solid layer is increased over the entire bottom surface of the plate, which increases the twisting torque at the time of the ice removal and requires extra energy as well as the motor size.

  Furthermore, to melt the lower tray ice after deicing, continuous energization is required for 30 to 60 minutes with a high input of about 10 W, the effect on the ice in the ice storage box provided under the ice tray and other rooms, power consumption There was a problem that it was not practical, such as worsening. Furthermore, there is a problem that the structure is complicated, the size is large, and the manufacturing cost is high, such as a mechanism for returning the water after melting the ice to the water supply tank and a drainer for pulling the ice from the water and drying it. there were.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, can solve the problem of ice, and does not require a mechanism for treating cloudy ice-melted water. An object is to provide an ice making apparatus and an ice making method capable of purifying high ice. A further object of the present invention is to obtain a low energy device that can easily produce transparent ice. A further object of the present invention is to provide a practical refrigerator in which delicious transparent ice can be obtained without reducing the space in the food storage part.

Ice making device of the present invention, the ice tray produced given the twist performs ice receives cool air to respectively store the water supply to the plurality of ice making blocks partitioned ice to the ice removing, it is divided into the ice tray A first ice generating unit that is an ice making block that is promoted to generate ice by receiving cold air, and the first ice generating unit, and the water supply is provided at the first ice generating unit and the opening. A second ice generator that delays ice making by reducing the influence of cold air from the first ice generator , and the ice generated in the first ice generator is the ice tray The wall thickness of each ice making block of the ice tray is made thinner than the flange portion on the outer periphery of the ice tray to reduce the twisting torque of the ice tray .

The ice making device according to the present invention stores water in each of a plurality of partitioned ice making blocks, receives cold air to make ice, and generates ice that can be de-iced, and is divided into the ice making trays to cool the air. A first ice generating unit that is an ice making block that receives and promotes ice making; and the first ice generating unit is provided integrally with the first ice generating unit. A second ice generating unit heated by heating means so as to delay ice making from the one ice generating unit, and the heating unit is sandwiched between the second ice generating units and fixed by a cover. It is a thing.

The ice making device of the present invention, each of a plurality of partitioned ice making blocks stores water supply, receives cold air to make ice, and is twisted to produce ice that is de-iced, and is divided into the ice making trays, A first ice making unit, which is an ice making block that promotes ice making by receiving cold air, is provided integrally with the first ice producing unit, and the water supply communicates with the first ice producing unit and the opening. And a second ice generator that delays ice making by reducing the influence of cold air from the first ice generator, and the ice generated in the first ice generator is from the ice tray. The wall thickness of each ice making block of the ice tray is made thinner than the flange on the outer periphery of the ice tray to reduce the twisting torque of the ice tray so that it can be easily separated. And even after repeated twisting, it breaks Potential is small. In addition, it is possible to obtain a low-energy device that can easily produce transparent ice. Furthermore, the present invention can provide a practical refrigerator in which delicious transparent ice can be obtained without reducing the space in the food storage portion.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a front sectional view of a domestic refrigerator-freezer to which an ice making device according to the present invention is applied, and illustrates a state where a front door is removed. 2 (a) is a side sectional view of an ice making tray according to the present invention, (b) is a top view of the ice making device, FIG. 3 is a top view of the ice making device, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the ice making tray according to the present invention. 5 (a) and 5 (b) are cross-sectional views of the ice tray, and FIG. 5 (c) is a top view showing the ice tray partially cut out and a main portion thereof being enlarged.

  The refrigerator-freezer main body 1 is composed of an outer box 2, an inner box 3, and a heat insulating material 4 filled between the outer box 2 and the inner box 3, and is provided with a plurality of compartments for storing food. A refrigerating room 6 installed in the upper part, a vegetable room 7 installed in the lower part of the ice making room 5, and a switching room 8 in which the end user can arbitrarily set the temperature by an operation panel (not shown) provided on the door of the refrigerator 1 And a freezer compartment 9 and the like, which are divided by a partition wall 10 filled with a heat insulating material 4 for partitioning each chamber. Although FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which the ice storage box 21 and the ice tray 11 are stored in the same ice making chamber 5, they may be provided in different chambers. Further, the above-described operation panel (not shown) can be used by the end user to select the temperature adjustment and operation mode of each room of the refrigerator, or can display the current temperature and operation mode of each room to inform the end user.

  The ice tray 11 described in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 is a molded product made of a resin material such as polypropylene, which is installed in the ice making chamber 5. The top surface is opened, and a plurality of recesses are formed on the inside. Cold air blown out from the wall surface of the refrigerator 1 to the open surface, which is the upper surface of the ice tray 11, as shown by the air flow in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b). In response, ice is generated from the upper part, and the cold air that has cooled the upper surface circulates in the lower part and is sucked into the wall surface of the refrigerator 1 again. As shown in FIG. 3, some wall surfaces between adjacent ice making blocks are connected by notch grooves 11 c that make it easier to pour water into each block 11 b provided closer to the inside of the dish. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a water supply pipe 13 for flowing water from the water supply tank 12 for storing water supplied to the ice tray 11 to the ice tray 11 is provided. A heater (not shown) for preventing freezing is provided at the outlet, and a certain amount of water is supplied to the ice tray 11 by opening and closing the electromagnetic valve of the water supply pipe 13 based on an instruction from the control device. A driving device 15 incorporating a motor and a reduction gear for rotating the support shaft 14 of the ice tray 11 shown in FIG. One end of the support shaft 14 communicates with a frame 16 that supports the ice tray 11, and the other end is connected to the driving device 15. When the ice tray 11 is inverted when this drive is performed at the time of ice removal, the ice tray 11 is reversed. The frame 16 is also provided with a frame-side stopper 17 that limits the reversal of the rotation and promotes the deicing by twisting. Even if the driving device 15 rotates the support shaft 14 and the ice tray side stopper 11a of the ice tray 11 stops at the frame side stopper 17, the twist applied to the ice tray 11 is further lowered by 45 °, for example. By rotating, the ice tray 11 is twisted, and the ice tray 11 is deformed on the stoppers 11a, 17 side and the driving device 15 side.

  A temperature sensor comprising a heat-insulating material provided at a position where the water in the ice tray 11 can be recognized substantially frozen, for example, the thermistor shown in FIG. Further, a groove-like protrusion 20 for storing the supplied water is provided so as to protrude downward, and is molded integrally with an opening 19 provided on the bottom surface of the ice tray 11. And the opening 19 communicates with each other. The protrusion 20 is provided for each of the plurality of upper ice making blocks 11b. Further, below the ice making device, there is an ice storage box 21 for receiving and storing ice that has been inverted from the ice making tray 11 and deiced. In this way, the ice making tray 11 is made of ice by the first ice generating portion a which is the plurality of ice making block portions 11b in the upper portion and the second protrusion 20 which is a groove-like protrusion portion 20 having a significantly smaller internal volume. The ice generation part b of the.

  Although not shown, the refrigerator-freezer body 1 includes a compressor that compresses the refrigerant, a capillary tube that squeezes the refrigerant, a condenser that radiates and condenses the heat of the gaseous refrigerant to the outside, and a liquid refrigerant. Adjusting the refrigeration cycle of the cooler, cooler, etc. that cools the air in the cabinet with the cool heat that can be vaporized, the ventilation duct and blower that carries the cool air to each room through this cooler, and the amount of cool air supplied to each room There are cool air circulation devices such as dampers and control devices such as control boards for controlling the operation of each device of the refrigerator. Cold air is supplied by these devices to change the temperature of each individual room in the refrigerator, to keep it at a predetermined temperature, and to control defrosting, ice making, lighting, and the like.

  Next, an example of the steps of the ice making operation according to this embodiment will be described based on FIGS. First, water is supplied to a part of the ice tray 11 from the water supply tank 12 through the water supply pipe 13, and then supplied to each ice making block 11b through the notch groove 11c. Further, at this time, water is also supplied to the protrusion 20 through the opening 19. The notch groove 11 c may be provided at a position in series with the opening 19 so that water can easily flow into the protrusion 20. Moreover, when there are a plurality of openings 19, there may be a plurality of cutout grooves 11c on the wall surface between one ice making block 11b so as to be in series with each opening 19. This not only makes the water supply to each ice making block 11b smooth, but also reduces the torque required for twisting the ice making tray 11.

  As means for smoothing the water supply to each ice making block 11b, the bottom surface of the notch groove 11c shape from each ice making block 11b to each ice making block 11b is inclined as shown in FIG. 5 (a). It is also effective. This makes it easy to supply water to each ice making block 11b even when a small amount of water is generated when water is supplied immediately before the water supply tank 12 is emptied.

Next, the supplied water is frozen in the ice making chamber 5. Generally, freezing starts from the surface exposed to the low temperature part. At that time, ice forms crystals only with water molecules, and all substances dissolved in water (mineral components such as Ca and gaseous components such as O ₂ and CO ₂ ) are released to the unfrozen part outside the crystals. The At this time, since the freezing rate of about 5 mm / hour or less is sufficiently slow, initially the dissolved substance diffuses to the unfrozen part faster than the freezing rate, and transparent ice is generated, and then reaches supersaturation. Designed with excellent design ice that has a large concentration of gas components and one or more large bubbles that suppress the scattering and reflection of light to some extent, and has an ice accent that does not affect transparency, such as glass with bubbles. Can be generated. Transparent ice is generated in this process for each block 11b of the ice tray.

  At the time of this freezing, as shown in FIG. 2, cold air is supplied from the upper surface of the ice tray 11 so that the freezing speed is lower than the diffusion speed, and the ice storage box 21 and the lower surface of the ice tray 11 are passed through the gap between the side surface of the ice tray 11 and the frame 16. It flows through the space between. At this time, since the upper surface of the ice tray 11 is in contact with air at a lower temperature and higher wind speed than the lower surface, freezing mainly proceeds from the upper surface to the lower surface of the ice tray 11 and most of the substances dissolved in water. Diffuses toward the unfrozen portion, that is, the lower part of the ice tray 11. When the freezing further proceeds, only the protrusion 20 becomes an unfrozen part, and transparent ice is formed on the ice tray 11. Finally, the protrusion 20 is frozen in white turbidity in a form containing most of the substance dissolved in water, and ice making. Is completed.

  In this process, the ice volume increases by about 10%. Therefore, if there is no open space where the increased volumetric ice can be extended, the ice tray 11 may be damaged by the pressure of volume expansion. In a structure in which a partition is provided in the ice tray 11 as in the ice tray 11 in the conventional example, pressure is applied to the partition, and the ice tray 11 is damaged therefrom. In the present invention, since the ice expands toward the open space above the ice tray 11 by the amount of volume expansion both in the ice tray 11 and in the protrusion 20, It is only as strong as the ice tray 11 and there is no risk of breakage. In other words, the relationship between the opening of the opening 19 and the internal volume of the protrusion 20 is open without a lid that restricts the expansion of ice, and the area and direction also limit the extension of the ice to the open space. Because it is not, a highly reliable device can be made.

  When ice making is finished, the ice is removed. The timing of deicing is a state in which the ice deiced from the ice tray 11 is completely frozen and water does not fall from the ice tray 11 or the protrusion 20 when falling into the ice storage box 21. If this state is possible, an unfrozen portion may remain in the ice tray 11 or the protrusion 20.

  The timing for moving to the deicing operation is when the thermistor of the temperature sensor unit 18 reaches a certain temperature at which it can be confirmed in advance that ice making is completed. However, this timing may be after the elapse of a predetermined time calculated based on an arbitrary operation in the refrigerator, such as at the start of water supply or at the time of temperature detection set in advance by the temperature sensor unit 18 after water supply. It is also possible to use a combined operation. By this timing detection, as described above, the ice breaks in the vicinity of the opening 19 due to the twist for deicing applied to the ice tray 11 by the driving device 15 and the stopper 17.

  At this time, the periphery of the protrusion 20 must be below a predetermined temperature. The predetermined temperature is preferably an upper limit value of a temperature range that can avoid the possibility that the peripheral portion of the ice of the protrusion 20 melts and the ice of the protrusion 20 is connected to the ice of the ice tray 11. The temperature may be lower than this.

  In addition, it is necessary to take a specification that the ice in the ice tray 11 does not break outside the vicinity of the opening 19 and quickly drops after breaking near the opening 19. First, the side surface of the ice tray 11 has a sufficient inclination angle (for example, the inclination angle is at least 10 ° or more with respect to the vertical direction) from the bottom surface upward and outward. It is also desirable to mold with a mold (# 2000 level) that has been polished sufficiently to minimize the friction between the ice inside the dish and the ice tray. In the case of taking the structure of the ice tray 11, the ice removal torque is almost the same as the torque when the ice is removed from the ice tray 11 that is generally used for automatic ice making. Like the ice tray 11 shown, it is not necessary to add new parts when high torque is required, the dimensions are not changed, and the manufacturing cost is not increased.

  In order to break in the vicinity of the opening 19 as described above, as shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C, the ice formed by the first ice generating part a near the opening 19 and the second It is effective to provide a deicing promotion rib 20a that promotes the separation of ice produced by the ice generating part b on the inner surface of the protrusion part 20 or the bottom surface of the ice making block 11b and the triangular protrusion rib 11d in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction.

Increasing the twist angle of the ice tray 11 also leads to an improvement in deicing properties. However, in this case, unless the twisting torque of the ice tray 11 is reduced, the possibility that the ice tray 11 and the ice tray stopper 17 portion of the frame 16 will be damaged due to repeated twisting increases.
In such a case, it is effective to use a specification in which the thickness of the ice tray 11 is reduced in order to reduce the twisting torque.

  Although it is effective to reduce the thickness of the ice tray to reduce the twisting torque, a certain degree of effect can be expected without reducing the thickness of the ice tray outer peripheral shape or the like in which stress is generated during twisting. At that time, only the longitudinal outer peripheral flange 11e of the first generation part a that affects the twisting torque is thinned, and only the short direction flange 11f of the first generation part with the ice tray side stopper 11a is normally thickened. Alternatively, it is effective to make the wall thickness of each ice making block 11b wall portion of the ice tray smaller than that of the ice tray outer peripheral flanges 11e and 11f.

  Further, if there is no problem in the durability of the driving device 15 for twisting the ice tray 11, the ice tray 11 can be twisted a plurality of times and effective for deicing. As a result, even if the ice is removed for the first time, even if the ice does not fall, the probability that it will fall more than once will increase.

  In addition, when such an ice tray 11 is inverted and twisted to remove ice, it is necessary to take specifications that the ice generated on the inner surface side of the protrusion 20 does not fall. First, the side face of the protrusion 20 takes not only a necessary minimum inclination angle (for example, an angle of 10 ° or less) from the bottom toward the outside, but also a triangular rib 20a in the protrusion 20 as shown in FIG. It is also effective to provide a shape or the like to easily catch the ice in the protrusion to some extent. As for the position of the triangular rib 20a shape, an optimal position and quantity are arranged in consideration of the degree of deflection of each ice making block 11b.

  After this deicing operation, water is supplied and the ice making process of the next cycle is started. At this time, the ice remaining in the protrusion 20 is gradually melted by the supplied water. In the melting, not only the upper surface of the ice remaining on the protrusion 20 but also the water gradually flows from the side and melts. Therefore, when the water sufficiently flows to the bottom of the protrusion 20, the ice remaining on the protrusion 20 is It floats and mixes while being melted by the water stored in the ice tray 11. At this time, if the surface of the water stored in the ice tray 11 is not completely frozen, the gas component is released from the water surface, so that the cloudy component does not increase significantly in the next ice making step.

  In the above description, the method of cooling from above the ice tray 11 has been described. Next, a configuration in which the heating means 22 such as a heater is provided in the vicinity of the protrusion will be described. Thereby, the substance which forms a cloudiness part can be reliably driven into the projection part 20, and transparent ice can be produced | generated in the ice tray 11, and the ice of the projection part 20 in the water storage of the ice tray 11 at the time of water supply after deicing. Time to ascend can be shortened. Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the description that is the same as the previous description is omitted.

  6A and 6B are explanatory views of an ice making device according to the present invention, in which FIG. 6A is a side sectional view, FIG. 7B is a top view, FIG. 7 is a transverse sectional view of an ice making tray according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a heating means (hereinafter referred to as a code heater) according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the code heater installed under the ice tray when the ice tray according to the present invention is viewed from above. 10 is a fixed diagram of the cord heater according to the present invention, FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the ice making process according to the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a time chart of the ice making process according to the present invention.

  A cord heater 22 in which a heating element such as a nichrome wire 26 is covered with silicon rubber or the like is provided below the ice tray 11, and as shown in FIG. 9, a protrusion 20 provided for each ice making block of the ice tray 11. It is installed in close contact between the two. The cord heater 22 needs to be formed of a cold-resistant member that does not crack even at low temperatures and a flexible member that can follow the twisting of the ice tray 11 during deicing, such as a silicon material. Further, in order to install the cord heater 22 as compactly as possible, the length is as short as the outer circumference of the side surface of the ice tray 11 at most as shown in FIG. 9, and the member does not change even if the heat generation density is high. It is also necessary. However, the cord heater 22 does not cause any deformation or failure of the members of the refrigerator body 1 including the ice tray 11 even when the ice making chamber 5 is not sufficiently cooled and is baked without water supply. It has sufficient reliability in terms of safety, such as being insulated.

  The cord heater 22 includes a general single coat 27 cord heater 22 in which a heating element such as a nichrome wire 26 is wound around a glass core and the outer shell is coated with, for example, silicon. This is a cord heater 22 having double insulation 28 specifications. By adopting this double insulation structure, safety can be ensured even if the end user directly touches the cord heater 22. Moreover, the safety | security which makes combustion more difficult by making a coating material into a highly flame-retardant material, for example, a vinyl chloride, a silicon | silicone, etc. is improved more.

  When manufacturing the cord heater 22, the cord heater 22 of the single coating 27 described above may be set in the mold to form the double coating 28, but this only increases the cost due to an increase in the number of steps. In addition, the position of the single covering 27 heater 22 varies during molding, and it is difficult to stably secure a necessary thickness, that is, an insulation distance.

  Therefore, when the single coating 27 cord heater 22 is formed by extrusion molding, the double coating 28 is formed, so that not only the position of the single coating 27 is stabilized, but also the setting up for molding is unnecessary, the production capacity is improved, and the cost is reduced. it can.

  A method for fixing the cord heater 22 to the ice tray will be described. When sandwiched between the protrusions 20 provided in each ice making block and fixed, heat can be applied to the two protrusions 20 by one cord heater 22. At this time, if the fixing method is to insert the protrusions 20 between the protrusions 20, the protrusions 20 may be dropped from the protrusions due to variations in the dimensions between the protrusions 20 or the dimensions of the cord heater 22. Therefore, it is safer to provide a cover 23 below the cord heater 22. The cord heater 22 may be fixed by providing the claw piece 20b on the ice tray 11 and fixing it, but it is more stable if the screw boss 24 is provided on the back of the ice tray 11 and the screw 25 is fixed. It becomes. However, when the screw 25 is fixed, the heater cover 23 can be made to some extent even if the boss 24 shape protrudes from the cover 23 and the screw 25 is fixed so that the twisting torque of the ice tray 11 does not increase. good.

Further, devising the shape of the heater cover 23 leads to improvement of transparency. For example, the ice making block 11b around the ice making block 11b where the ice is quickly formed and the heat generated by the code heater 22 is to be used more effectively is covered with the heater cover 23, and the cover shape around the ice making block 11b where the ice making time is to be accelerated is erased. By making the shape suitable for each ice making block 11b, ice with more stable transparency can be generated.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10 (a), the protruding portion 20 of the ice tray 11 is set larger than the width of the cord heater 22, and the position and number of ribs 20b for adjusting the fitting for each ice making block 11b are set. Set. As a result, even if the code heater 22 itself has a uniform heat generation temperature, the heat generation amount can be adjusted for each ice making block 11b.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10B, by providing three or more protrusions 20 at the lower part of the ice tray 11 and attaching the cord heater 22 as the heating means between the protrusions 20 in a meandering manner. It is also possible to change the amount of heat generated by each ice making block 11.

The cord heater 22 installed as described above may be continuously energized. However, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the energization is performed for a certain period after water supply, and then the power is cut off, thereby reducing the amount of energy used. Even if the ice making speed is increased, highly transparent ice can be obtained.

  The ice making operation including the control operation of the cord heater 22 will be described along the control method shown in FIGS. In step 1, as shown in FIG. 12, the water supply solenoid valve is energized, the water supply pump is operated for a certain period of time, and the determined amount of water is supplied to the ice tray 11. Immediately after the completion of the water supply performed in step 1, energization of the heater 22 is started in step 2. As a result, the ice remaining in the protrusion 20 in the previous cycle is melted by supplying and heating water, and impurities and you spread throughout the ice tray 11 and a part is released from the open surface. In step 3, the output of the temperature sensor 18 is a predetermined temperature Ta set based on a value correlated with the freezing of the water in the ice tray 11 obtained by experiments or the like, for example, a temperature lower than −1 degree. A certain amount of power is applied until the value is reached. When the predetermined temperature Ta is reached, the heater is turned off in step 4. At this time, transparent ice is formed on the ice tray 11, but the water of the protrusion 20 is still in an unfrozen portion. When the cord heater 22 is disconnected and the heating is stopped, the unfrozen portion in the protrusion 20 is rapidly frozen. This is because the protrusion 20 loses heat supply and is exposed to the cold air forming the ice making room 5 environment of the refrigerator.

  When it is determined in step 5 that the output of the temperature sensor unit 18 has reached a predetermined temperature Tb set based on a value correlated with the freezing of the water in the projection 20 obtained by experiments or the like. Then, the process proceeds to the de-icing process starting from step 6. In step 6, the ice removing drive device 15 rotates in the normal direction to reverse the ice tray 11, and continues to operate in the normal direction until the time tr elapses in step 7. At this time, the stopper 11a on the ice tray 11 side is pressed against the frame-side stopper 17, the tray is twisted, and the ice on the ice tray 11 and the protrusion 20 is divided by the stress applied to the opening 19 due to twisting, and the ice tray 11 ice falls into the ice storage box 21. In step 8, the driving device 15 reversely rotates and rotates the ice tray 11 toward the original position. In step 9, it continues to operate in the reverse direction until time tr elapses, and in step 10, the ice tray 11 returns to the original position. Then, the driving device 15 stops. At the time of this ice removal, the ice in the protrusion 20 remains as it is. In step 11, it is detected whether or not the ice storage box 21 is full of ice, and the process of supplying water, making ice, and removing ice is a one-cycle ice making process. The process returns to step 1 until the ice is full and the ice making operation cycle is repeated. .

  In addition, when the cord heater 22 is energized immediately before the ice is de-iced, the ice tray 11 is warmed to separate the ice and the ice tray 11 from the ice tray 11 to separate the ice from the ice tray 11 instead of the transparent ice. It can also lead to ice improvement.

  It should be noted that the energization timing of the cord heater 22 is set immediately after the completion of the water supply, but any time can be used as long as there is a timing at which the energization can be started before the water that has flowed into the protrusion 20 begins to freeze. It may be when the temperature detected by the sensor unit 18 reaches a predetermined temperature, or when a predetermined time elapses from these timings.

  The same applies to the disconnection timing of the cord heater 22 that stops the heating of the protrusion 20, and the water supplied to the ice tray 11 is not limited to when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 18 reaches a predetermined temperature. Any timing can be used as long as it can be disconnected when the protrusion 20 is frozen and a large number of unfrozen portions remain in the protrusion 20. For example, after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of energization of the heater 22, or the cord heater 22 It may be when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor unit 18 reaches a predetermined temperature after a predetermined time has elapsed from the energization start timing.

  Moreover, although the energization amount of the cord heater 22 during ice making is made constant, this may be arbitrarily changed. For example, by increasing / decreasing the energization amount of the cord heater 22 as the cooling amount increases / decreases due to the compressor on / off of the refrigerator, the power consumption during ice making can be reduced while increasing the ice making speed without affecting the transparency. In addition, reducing the amount of energization or de-energizing at the time of defrosting when no cold air is blown onto the ice tray 11 can also reduce the power consumption during ice making while increasing the ice making speed without affecting the transparency.

  The refrigerator according to the present invention is a single-structure ice tray that is partitioned into a plurality of ice making blocks to store water and make ice, and is equipped with an ice making tray 11 provided with a plurality of ice generating portions for each ice making block, This is an ice making device capable of providing transparent ice to the end user by separating the cloudy part. As a result, transparent ice can be obtained with almost the same structure and dimensions as an ice making apparatus provided in a conventional refrigerator, with little increase in energy.

It is front sectional drawing which shows the state at the time of remove | excluding the front door to the domestic refrigerator-freezer to which the ice making apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention was applied. The ice making device in Embodiment 1 of this invention is shown, (a) is a sectional side view, (b) is a top view. It is a top view of the ice making apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a cross-sectional view of the ice making device in Embodiment 1 of this invention. Fig. 2 shows another ice making device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, in which (a) and (b) are cross-sectional views of the ice tray, and (c) is a partially cutaway view of the ice tray and an enlarged main part. It is a top view. It is a sectional side view which shows the other ice making apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is an expansion cross-sectional view which shows the other ice making apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which mounts | wears with the other heating apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a bottom view which shows the ice making apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a principal part enlarged view which shows the layout of a heating apparatus in the other ice making apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the flow of the ice making process in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the time chart of the ice making process in Embodiment 1 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator main body, 5 Ice making chamber, 11 Ice tray, 11a Ice tray side stopper, 11b Ice making block, 11c Notch groove, 11d Triangular protrusion rib, 11e Longitudinal outer periphery flange, 11f Short direction outer periphery flange, 12 Water supply tank, 13 Water supply piping, 15 driving device, 16 frame, 17 frame side stopper, 18 temperature sensor part, 19 opening part, 20 protrusion part, 20a de-icing promotion rib, 20b claw piece, 21 ice storage box, 22 code heater, 23 cover, 24 Boss, 25 Screws, 26 Nichrome wire, 27 First coating, 28 Double coating.

Claims (12)

Water is stored in each of the divided ice making blocks to receive cold air to make ice, and a twist is applied to the ice making tray that separates the generated ice. A first ice generating unit which is an ice making block to be promoted, and the first ice generating unit are provided integrally with the first ice generating unit, and the water supply is communicated with the first ice generating unit and the opening. comprising a second ice generating unit to reduce the influence received cool air from the generator is delayed ice, and the like ice generated in the first ice generating unit is easily separated from the ice tray An ice making apparatus characterized in that the wall thickness of each ice making block of the ice making tray is made thinner than the flange portion on the outer periphery of the ice making tray to reduce the twisting torque of the ice making tray . Ice making device according to claim 1, characterized in that the addition of multiple twisting the ice tray for easy separation from the previous SL ice tray. Ice making device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the notch bottom surface of the groove which is provided between the ice making blocks as water is spread to each ice making block before Symbol ice tray and diagonally. Ice making device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that before SL with the notched groove water is provided between the ice making blocks to spread over the respective ice blocks of the ice tray and a plurality of placement. Water is stored in each of a plurality of partitioned ice making blocks and ice is made by receiving cold air, and the generated ice is separated from the ice making tray, and the ice making tray is partitioned to receive ice to promote ice making. A first ice generating unit, which is an ice making block, and the first ice generating unit are provided integrally with the first ice generating unit, and the water supply is communicated with the first ice generating unit and the opening to make ice from the first ice generating unit. A second ice generating unit heated by heating means so as to delay the heating means, and the heating means is sandwiched between the second ice generating units and fixed by a cover. Ice making equipment. 6. The ice making apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the heating means is a double insulation with a double heater coating. 7. The ice making device according to claim 6 , wherein the heating means is a heater insulative coated with a flame retardant material. Water is stored in each of a plurality of partitioned ice making blocks, and ice is made by receiving cold air, and the generated ice is separated from the ice making tray, and the ice making tray is partitioned to receive ice to promote ice making. A first ice generating unit, which is an ice making block, and the first ice generating unit are integrated with the first ice generating unit, and the water supply is communicated with the first ice generating unit and the opening to make ice from the first ice generating unit. And a second ice generating part that forms a projection part into which a substance that forms a cloudy part is driven by the heating means, and the heating means is disposed between the protrusions of the second ice generating part. It is possible to adjust the heat generation amount by increasing and decreasing the contact area of the heating means by sandwiching and fixing with the adjustment rib that adjusts the contact area of the heating means to the second ice generation unit . it shall be the features of the made-icing system. Providing a plurality of said projections in each ice making blocks, according to claim 5 to 8, characterized in that which is capable of adjusting the heating value of the meandering mounted so with the ice block heating means between the protrusion The ice making device according to any one of the above. The ice making device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the opening is sized and shaped so that ice near the opening can be cut by receiving the mechanical force. An ice making device characterized in that the ice produced by the first ice producing unit cut in the vicinity of the opening by the twisting of the ice making plate is deiced. A refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising the ice making device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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