JP4260000B2 - Refrigerator with automatic ice machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator with an automatic ice maker that supplies ice-making water from a water storage container installed in the refrigerator to an ice tray of an automatic ice maker.

  The freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment are partitioned by a partition wall so that the refrigerator compartment is located in the upper part of the refrigerator body, and the ice making water of the water supply tank disposed in the refrigerator compartment passes through the water supply pipe penetrating the partition wall. There is a refrigerator with an automatic ice making machine that is supplied to an ice making container of an automatic ice making machine disposed in a freezing room (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Patent Document 1 discloses a valve body that opens and closes a water supply hole formed in a bottom portion of a water supply tank in order to supply ice making water to a water supply tank without using a pump. Provided. As an opening / closing mechanism of the valve body, one end of a connecting lever whose shaft is supported at the intermediate portion corresponds to the valve body, and the other end of the connecting lever is connected to a solenoid. By operating the solenoid, the connecting lever rotates to push up the valve body, thereby opening a water supply hole formed in the bottom of the water supply tank and supplying water to the ice making container. This water supply amount is configured to be adjusted according to the time width for operating the solenoid.

  Further, there is a configuration in which a water receiver for receiving water from the water storage tank and a measuring container for storing ice making water required for one ice making to be supplied to the ice tray are provided below the water storage tank (for example, Patent Documents). 2).

In the configuration of Patent Document 2, since it is inconvenient to take out the water storage tank, there is an invention in which it is improved (see Patent Document 3).
JP 2001-311574 A JP-A-3-137173 JP-A-5-133654

  Thus, the invention of Patent Document 1 requires a connecting lever when opening and closing the valve body that opens and closes the water supply hole by the operation of the solenoid, and it is necessary to secure a mounting area for the connecting lever. And since the water for ice making from a water supply tank splashes on this connection lever, a water receiving tray is needed under this connection lever as shown in the figure. For this reason, the on-off valve mechanism for supplying ice-making water is complicated, and the water supply device provided in the refrigerator compartment is complicated. In view of the above, the present invention provides a water supply device that can reduce the size of an on-off valve mechanism that supplies ice-making water by adopting a configuration in which such a connecting lever is not provided. .

  Further, in the invention of Patent Document 1, the amount of water supplied to the ice making container is configured to be adjusted according to the time width for operating the solenoid, whereas the invention of Patent Document 3 is similar to the invention of Patent Document 2, It is the structure by which the water receptacle and the measurement container which receive the water of a water storage tank were provided below the water storage tank. However, the water storage device is complicated and difficult to assemble, and a valve body that closes the water tap at the bottom of the water storage tank is required to prevent the water in the water storage tank from leaking when the water storage tank is removed. In view of the above, the present invention provides a simplified water storage container.

In the present invention, the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment are partitioned by a heat insulating partition wall so that the refrigerator compartment is located in the upper part of the refrigerator body, and the ice making water of the water storage container disposed in the refrigerator compartment has the heat insulating partition wall. In the refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, the water supply pipe 51 is supplied to an ice tray of an automatic ice maker disposed in the freezer compartment through a penetrating water supply pipe, and the cold air cooled by a cooler is supplied to the ice tray by a blower. Is connected to the ice making water receiving portion 65 that penetrates the heat insulating partition wall in the vertical direction and has an upper end spread upward. The water storage container has a main body with an upper surface opening that is fitted from the upper surface opening of the tank body to the upper part of the tank body so as to form a tank body with an upper surface opening and a metering tank portion closed with the bottom of the tank body. Tank container The a main tank lid for closing the top opening openably container, an air tube provided on one side of the metering tank to supply air to the metering tank, the ice-making water in the main tank container A small-diameter supply hole formed in the bottom wall of the main tank container for supplying to the measuring tank section, and a position corresponding to the ice-making water receiving section when the water storage container is stored in a predetermined position in the refrigerator compartment A water supply port formed at the bottom of the metering tank unit, and a magnet that moves in the metering tank unit so as to move up and down so that the water supply port is closed by raising and opening the water supply port by lowering the pressure of the spring. An on-off valve is provided, and the measuring tank unit stores ice-making water required for one ice making by the automatic ice making machine, and the magnet is configured to raise the on-off valve when supplying the ice-making water to the ice tray. Repulsive magnetic force The solenoid generated provided, the reservoir is a drawable and inserting the heat insulating partition Kabejo at the slide to the position where the water supply port corresponds to a receiving portion of the ice making water, the solenoid periphery of the water supply pipe And is disposed in a heat insulating material of the heat insulating partition wall and separated from the water storage container .

The present invention forms a water storage container in which a main tank unit, a metering tank unit, a supply hole for supplying ice making water from the main tank container to the metering tank unit and an air pipe for supplying air to the metering tank unit are integrated. Therefore, as a water storage container that can be attached to and detached from the refrigerator, the valve body as in the prior art is not required, and the entire water supply apparatus can be simplified. When the ice making water in the metering tank is supplied by the energization of the solenoid and the ice making water level decreases, air is sucked in from the water supply port of the metering tank. The phenomenon is cut off, and an excessive amount of ice making water is not sucked in, so the water supply is stabilized. In addition, there is no need for a connecting lever that opens the on-off valve by the solenoid operation, and the on-off valve mechanism that supplies ice-making water from the water storage container to the ice tray of the automatic ice maker can be downsized, simplifying the entire water supply device. I can plan.

In the present invention, the on / off valve is opened / closed by effectively applying the magnetic force of the solenoid to the magnet of the on / off valve above the solenoid. And since a solenoid is provided in the main body side of the refrigerator directly under an opening-and-closing valve in the state separated from a water storage container, a solenoid does not become an obstacle to taking in and out of a water storage container, and a structure is also simplified.

Furthermore, the present invention relates to an automatic ice maker in which ice making water in a water storage container disposed in a refrigeration room is disposed in the freezing room through a water supply pipe penetrating a heat insulating partition wall that partitions the freezing room and a refrigeration room below the freezing room. By arranging the solenoid in the heat insulating partition wall with the configuration to be supplied to the ice tray , the solenoid is not exposed to the refrigeration room or freezer compartment, and the solenoid is not exposed to water, and the heat generated by the solenoid is transferred to the freezer compartment. There is an effect that transmission is suppressed.

According to the present invention, a water storage container disposed in a refrigerator compartment has a main tank portion having a volume for storing ice making water necessary for an automatic ice maker disposed in a freezer compartment below the main storage portion, and main ice making water from the main tank portion. There is an open / close valve that opens and closes the water supply port formed at the bottom of the measurement tank unit and the water supply port formed at the bottom of the measurement tank unit, and this open / close valve opens the water supply port when supplying ice making water to the ice tray of the automatic ice maker. A water supply port provided with a solenoid for generating magnetic force, which is formed at the bottom of the measuring tank unit at a position corresponding to the receiving unit for the ice making water when the water storage container is stored in a predetermined position in the refrigeration chamber And an open / close valve with a magnet that moves up and down to close the water supply port and open the water supply port when the water supply port is opened by raising and closing the water supply port. One time production with an ice machine And a solenoid that generates a magnetic force that repels the magnet so as to raise the on-off valve when supplying the ice making water to the ice tray. The heat insulating partition wall can be inserted and pulled out by sliding on the heat insulating partition wall at a position corresponding to the ice-making water receiving portion, and the solenoid is wound around the outer periphery of the water supply pipe in a cylindrical shape so as to be in the heat insulating material of the heat insulating partition wall. The storage container is separated from the water storage container. Examples of the invention are described below.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. 1 is a front view of the refrigerator of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of the refrigerator main body of the present invention viewed from the front, FIG. 3 is a longitudinal side view of the refrigerator of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the water storage container of the present invention, FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of the open / close valve of the open / close valve mechanism of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a view of the open / close valve of the open / close valve mechanism of the present invention opened. FIG. 8 is an explanatory view and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a solenoid mounting portion.

  The refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment has a configuration in which a main body 2 having a front opening is partitioned to form a plurality of storage chambers, and the front surfaces of these storage chambers can be opened and closed by doors. The refrigerator main body 2 has a heat insulating structure in which a foam heat insulating material 2C is filled between an outer box (outer wall plate) 2A and an inner box (inner wall plate) 2B. In the refrigerator main body 2, a refrigerator compartment 3, a freezer compartment 5, and a vegetable compartment 4 are partitioned and provided from above.

  The front opening of the refrigerator compartment 3 is opened and closed by a revolving refrigerator door 10 that is rotated laterally by a hinge device on one side of the refrigerator body 2. The front opening of the vegetable compartment 4 is blocked by a pull-out door 11 that is drawn forward together with a vegetable container 15 supported so as to be able to be pulled out in the front-rear direction by a support device 18 using left and right rails and rollers provided in the vegetable compartment 4. Yes. The front opening of the freezer compartment 5 is closed at one side of the refrigerator body 2 by a pivotable door 12 that pivots laterally by a hinge device. The container supported so that it can be pulled out in the front-rear direction with respect to the provided left and right rails may be configured to be pulled out together with the door 12.

  20 is a refrigerant compressor for the refrigeration cycle, and 21 is a refrigerant condenser for the refrigeration cycle. Reference numeral 22 denotes an evaporating dish for evaporating defrosted water, which will be described later, by the heat of the condenser 21. The evaporating dish 22 is placed on the condenser 21 and can be pulled out from the lower front of the refrigerator body 2. The compressor 20, the condenser 21, and the evaporating dish 22 are installed in a machine room 23 provided in the lower part of the refrigerator body 2. Reference numeral 24 denotes a refrigerant evaporator (cooler) installed in a cooler chamber 26 formed on the back surface of the freezer compartment 5. A blower 25 circulates the cold air cooled by the evaporator (cooler) 24 to the freezer compartment 5, the refrigerator compartment 3, and the vegetable compartment 4. Reference numeral 27 denotes a glass tube heater for defrosting the evaporator (cooler) 24. The defrosted water in the evaporator (cooler) 24 is guided to the evaporating dish 22 through the drain pipe and is evaporated there.

  The refrigerating chamber 3 positioned at the upper part and the freezing chamber 5 positioned at the lower part thereof are partitioned by a heat insulating partition wall 28, and the heat insulating partition wall 28 is composed of an injection molded synthetic resin upper plate 29 and an injection molded synthetic resin. A heat insulating structure in which a heat insulating material 31 such as styrofoam previously formed into a predetermined shape is sandwiched between the lower plate 30 and the lower plate 30 is formed. Such a heat insulating partition wall 28 includes grooves formed in the front and rear direction on the left and right side walls of the inner box (inner wall plate) 2B of the refrigerator body 2, and a groove 2D having a front opening formed on the rear wall of the inner box (inner wall plate) 2B. It is the structure inserted in and attached from the front opening part of the refrigerator main body 2.

  Reference numeral 32 denotes a back wall member of the refrigerator compartment 3 disposed on the front side of the back wall of the refrigerator main body 2, which is configured by combining a synthetic resin back plate and a heat insulating material such as styrene foam attached to the back side thereof. A cold air supply passage 35 in the vertical direction is formed on the back side of the air flow, and a cold air passage 35A is formed on the left and right sides thereof.

  In the rear part of the heat insulating partition wall 28, a cold air supply passage 36 penetrating up and down the heat insulating partition wall 28 is formed. The cold air supply passage 36 has a lower portion serving as an introduction portion of the cold air supplied from the blower 25, and an upper portion thereof. The arrangement communicates with the cold air supply passage 35. A damper device 50 is attached to the cold air supply passage 36. The damper device 50 operates to open and close the cold air supply passage 36 by the control circuit unit based on the temperature sensing of the sensor that senses the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 3. The refrigerator compartment 3 is controlled to a predetermined temperature by the opening / closing operation of the damper device 50.

  Reference numeral 9 denotes a water storage container (also referred to as a water supply container) for storing ice making water to be supplied to the automatic ice making machine 7 which will be described later, and is disposed in a small chamber 46 formed by partitioning the partition wall 45 in the refrigerator compartment 3. 3 can be taken out by opening the front door 10. The small chamber 46 is the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 3.

  An ice making chamber 6 having a front opening is partitioned and formed in the freezing chamber 3 by a partition plate 47, and an automatic ice making machine 7 is disposed in the upper portion of the ice making chamber 6 maintained at the freezing temperature. Is provided with an ice storage container 8 having an upper opening. The automatic ice making machine 7 includes an ice tray 7B that is rotationally driven by an electric mechanism 7A. The ice making chamber 6 has its front opening opened by opening the door 12, and the ice storage container 8 can be taken out forward.

  The ice making water is supplied from the water storage container 9 to the ice making tray 7B of the automatic ice making machine 7 through the water supply pipe 51 penetrating the heat insulating partition wall 28 by a natural dropping method as described later. The ice tray 7B is a synthetic resin in which 8 to 12 square ices are made by dividing into a plurality of ice making chambers such as four rows, two rows, six rows and two rows with the longitudinal direction as the row direction. It is made. The ice storage container 8 is made of a white, transparent, translucent or other color synthetic resin, and has a box shape with a top opening that is longer than the left and right widths.

  In the refrigerator 1, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 20 is condensed by the condenser 21, then depressurized through an expansion valve or a capillary tube, evaporated by the evaporator (cooler) 24, and returned to the compressor 20, and again the compressor A refrigeration system that compresses at 20 and repeats the same circulation is configured. The cold air cooled by the evaporator (cooler) 24 is circulated by an air blower 25 as shown by an arrow. That is, the cold air sent out from the blower 25 is supplied to the freezing chamber 5 and the ice making chamber 6 from the cold air outlet 37 at the upper back wall of the freezing chamber 5, and from the cold air suction port 38 at the lower back wall of the freezing chamber 5 to the cooler chamber. It returns to 26 and circulates cooled by the evaporator (cooler) 24 again. Further, the cold air sent out from the blower 25 is supplied to the cold air supply passage 35 through the cold air supply passage 36, communicates with the cold air passages 35 </ b> A formed on the left and right sides of the cold air supply passage 35, and the back wall 32 of the refrigerator compartment 3. Is supplied to the refrigerator compartment 3 from the cold air outlet 39 formed in the above.

  The cold air supplied to the refrigerating room 3 is sucked from a cold air suction port 40 formed at one lower part of the back wall 32 of the refrigerating room 3 and flows downward through a cold air passage 41 formed at the rear of the freezing room 5. It blows out to the vegetable compartment 4 from the cold air outlet 42 opened at the rear part of the compartment 4. The cold air blown into the vegetable room 4 cools the vegetables in the vegetable container 15 and returns to the cooler room 26 from the cold air inlet 43 opened at the upper part of the vegetable room 4 or at the rear part of the vegetable room 4, and again the evaporator. (Cooler) circulates cooled by 24.

  The water storage container 9 is in close contact with the front, rear, left and right walls of the tank main body 9A so as to close the upper surface opening of the tank main body 9A on the tank main body 9A having a rectangular upper surface opening that is longer than the width. The main tank container 9B having an upper surface opening is fitted into the upper part of 9A, whereby the main tank container 9B forms the main tank part, and the measuring tank part 9C whose upper surface is closed by the main tank container 9B is the tank body 9A. Formed on the inner bottom.

  Further, the water storage container 9 is closed by a cover 9D in which the upper surface opening of the main tank container 9B is removable. The cover 9D is detachably combined with the tank body 9A. In the water storage container 9, an air pipe 9E is erected on one side of the measuring tank unit 9C (a position closer to the rear in the drawing) through the bottom wall of the main tank container 9B so as to supply air to the measuring tank unit 9C. A small-diameter supply hole is formed in the bottom wall of the main tank container 9B in order to drop and supply the ice making water of the main tank container 9B to the measuring tank section 9C on the other side of the measuring tank section 9C (position closer to the front in the figure). 9H is formed. With the upper surface opening of the main tank container 9B closed by a cover 9D having a water injection port 9K, the upper end opening of the air pipe 9E communicates with the space on the main tank container 9B. The water inlet 9K is in a state of being closed by an openable / closable lid 9M which is a part of the cover 9D. Water can be poured into the main tank container 9B by pulling out the water storage container 9 from the refrigerator 1 and opening the lid 9M, but can also be performed by removing the cover 9D.

  The measuring tank unit 9C stores ice making water in an amount required for one ice making by the automatic ice making machine 7. The amount required for one ice making is the amount that the ice tray 7B is almost full. Further, the main tank container 9B has a capacity for storing an amount of ice making water required for multiple ice making by the automatic ice making machine 7.

  The water storage container 9 is held in a predetermined position by sliding on the heat insulating partition wall 28 and inserting it into the small chamber 46 with the cover 9D attached to the tank body 9A. As this holding mechanism, an elastic member 71 slightly protruding upward from the synthetic resin upper plate 29 of the heat insulating partition wall 28 is configured to be engaged with the front portion of the bottom of the water storage container 9. The water storage container 9 can be taken out from the small chamber 46 while pushing the elastic member 71 downward by pulling forward.

  When the water storage container 9 is locked to the elastic member 71 and held at a predetermined position, a switch 73 provided inside the back wall 32 of the refrigerator compartment 3 is turned on. The ice making cycle described later can be started by the unit.

  The water storage container 9 has a water supply port 60 formed at the bottom of the measuring tank portion 9C, and includes an open / close valve mechanism P including an open / close valve 61 that opens and closes the water supply port 60 by vertical movement. The water supply port 60 has a circular cross section with a larger diameter at the upper part than the lower part so that the valve seat 62 is formed in the middle part, and the on-off valve 61 also has a crossing with a larger diameter at the upper part than the lower part along this shape. The surface is circular. The on-off valve 61 is provided with a permanent magnet 63 at the upper large-diameter portion thereof, and the permanent magnet 63 is integrated by molding the synthetic resin on-off valve 61. The on-off valve 61 includes an annular packing 64 in order to improve adhesion between the valve seat 62 and the valve seat 62.

  On the synthetic resin upper plate 29 of the heat insulating partition wall 28, when the water storage container 9 is stored in a predetermined position in the refrigerator, a receiving portion for ice making water that guides the ice making water to the water supply pipe 51 at a position corresponding to the water supply port 60. 65 is formed. A water supply pipe 51 is attached to the receiving portion 65 so as to pass through the heat insulating partition wall 28 at a position directly below the receiving portion 65. The lower end of the water supply pipe 51 is open at a position facing the ice making chamber of the ice tray 7B.

  66 is a solenoid that generates a magnetic force in a direction to open the water supply port 60 by raising the on-off valve 61 with respect to the magnet 63. The solenoid 66 having a coil wound in a cylindrical shape is disposed in the heat insulating material 31 of the heat insulating partition wall 28 immediately below the ice making water receiving portion 65 and is embedded in the heat insulating material 31 on the outer periphery of the water supply pipe 51. It is the structure attached cylindrically. A water supply path is provided on the central axis M of the solenoid 66 from the water supply port 60 through the water supply pipe 51 to flow the ice making water to the ice tray 7B. The central axis 51 and the central axis M of the solenoid 66 coincide with each other, and the on-off valve 61 that opens and closes the water supply port 60 moves up and down on the central axis M. The energization control to the solenoid 66 is performed in connection with the supply control of the ice making water to the automatic ice making machine 7 controlled by the control circuit unit provided in the refrigerator 1.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the relationship between the water supply pipe 51 and the solenoid 66 is such that the solenoid 66 is attached to the outer periphery of the synthetic resin water supply pipe 51 via a heat conductive layer 72. As its specific structure, the heat conductive layer 72 is an aluminum foil with good heat conductivity. The aluminum foil 72 is wound around the outer periphery of the water supply pipe 51 directly or via a heat conductive adhesive, and this aluminum foil 72 is. The holding frame 66B of the solenoid 66 is attached to the outer periphery of the solenoid 66 in a contact state. For this reason, the heat generated by the solenoid 66 is transmitted to the aluminum foil 72 through the holding frame 66B to heat the water supply pipe 51. For this reason, freezing of the water adhering in the water supply pipe 51 by the cold air of the freezer compartment 5 can be prevented.

  If the weight of the on-off valve 61 is sufficient, the water supply port 60 can be satisfactorily closed by the weight. The on-off valve 61 may be in a state in which the water supply port 60 is closed by its own weight when the solenoid 66 is not energized, but if the water supply port 60 is not sufficiently closed only by its own weight, the on-off valve 61 A device for applying an additional force is provided. As one of them, in order to close the water supply port 60 by the on-off valve 61, an annular iron 70 is provided on the bottom wall of the tank body 9A as a magnetic body so as to surround the water supply port 60. The annular iron 70 is configured to be attached simultaneously with the molding of the synthetic resin tank body 9A. When the magnet 63 is attracted to the magnetic body 70, the water supply port 60 is preferably closed by the on-off valve 61.

  As another method for applying an additional force to the on-off valve 61, a spring 67 for closing the water supply port 60 by pressing the on-off valve 61 downward can be provided. Reference numeral 68 denotes two to four arc-shaped spring holding portions arranged at equal intervals in a circular shape on the bottom wall of the tank main body 9A of the water storage container 9, that is, the bottom wall of the measuring tank portion 9C. The open / close valve 61 is pressed downward by the coil spring 67 whose upper end is locked to the valve seat 62 and closes the water supply port 60. This state is shown in FIG.

  The magnet 63 is arranged with the S pole on the top and the N pole on the bottom. When the solenoid 66 is energized, the solenoid 66 generates a magnetic force line 69 in the repulsive direction. Since this repulsive force exceeds the attractive force between the magnetic body 70 and the magnet 63 and the pressing force of the opening / closing valve 61 by the spring 67, the opening / closing valve 61 rises while compressing the spring 67 to open the water supply port 60. This state is shown in FIG.

  As described above, the water storage container 9 includes the on-off valve 61 that opens and closes the water supply port 60 formed at the bottom of the measuring tank portion 9C. Normally, the water supply port 60 is closed by the on-off valve 61. Includes a magnet 63 and a solenoid 66 that generates a magnetic force in a direction in which the opening / closing valve 61 opens the water supply port 60 with respect to the magnet 63 when supplying ice-making water to the ice tray 7B.

  The solenoid 66 is provided on the side of the refrigerator main body 2 directly below the opening / closing valve 61 in a state separated from the water storage container 9. When the water storage container 9 is attached to or detached from the refrigerator compartment 3, an electrical connector is provided. There is no need to attach or detach, and the solenoid 66 does not get in the way. Further, since the solenoid 66 is provided in the heat insulating material of the heat insulating partition wall 28 directly under the ice making water receiving portion 65, the solenoid 66 is not exposed to the refrigerating room 3 or the freezing room 5, and the solenoid 66 is not exposed to water. In addition, the heat generation of the solenoid 66 can be prevented from being transmitted to the freezer compartment 5.

  The ice making operation of the automatic ice making machine 7 includes an ice making process and a deicing process controlled by a control circuit unit provided in the refrigerator 1. If the water storage container 9 is held at a predetermined position and the switch 73 is in an ON state, the ice making process starts when the start switch is manually turned on, and the solenoid 66 is energized for a predetermined time by the control circuit unit. The water supply port 60 is opened, and a predetermined amount of water is automatically supplied from the measuring tank unit 9C to the ice tray 7B by natural fall. Ice making is performed after this water supply, and when a certain time has elapsed by the timer means of the control circuit unit, or when the ice tray sensor detects the temperature at which the ice tray sensor 7B has dropped, the control circuit unit removes the ice. The ice process is started, the electric mechanism 7A is started, the ice tray 7B is reversed and twisted, and the ice in the ice tray 7B is dropped into the ice storage container 8 below, and then the ice tray 7B is returned to supply water again. The ice making operation cycle that enters the ice making process is performed.

  For the sake of safety, when the water storage container 9 is removed from the refrigerator due to replenishment of water or the like, the switch 73 is turned off, and the ice making process does not start even when the start switch is turned on. Since no power is supplied to 66, ice making water is not supplied.

  The ice-making water in the main tank container 9B is supplied from the supply hole 9H to the measuring tank unit 9C by natural fall. The inner diameter (cross-sectional area) of the water supply port 60 is considerably larger than the inner diameter (cross-sectional area) of the supply hole 9H. The supply hole 9H measures the ice-making water in the main tank container 9B at an ice-making water supply speed that is sufficiently slower than the ice-making water supply speed at which the on-off valve 61 is opened and ice-making water is supplied from the water supply port 60 to the ice tray 7B. It is formed in a size suitable for dropping and supplying to the tank portion 9C. Therefore, per unit time, the amount of ice-making water supplied from the supply hole 9H is sufficiently smaller than the amount of ice-making water supplied from the water supply port 60 to the ice tray 7B, and the time until the measuring tank unit 9C becomes full is It takes several minutes and is set to about 2 minutes.

  The time until the measuring tank portion 9C becomes full is determined by the automatic ice making machine 7 to finish the predetermined ice making process and go through the deicing process. Then, the predetermined amount of ice making water necessary for the next ice making process is as described above. This time is sufficiently longer than the time for supplying ice making water when the on-off valve 61 is opened and supplied from the water supply port 60 to the ice making tray 7B, and is shorter than the time required for the ice making process. If the time until the measuring tank portion 9C becomes full is too long, there is a problem. That is, when the main tank container 9B is empty or the amount of ice-making water supplied from the main tank container 9B to the measuring tank unit 9C becomes insufficient, the water storage container 9 is removed from the refrigerator 1 and the cover 9D is opened. The ice making water is injected into the main tank container 9B, but the time until the ice making water in the main tank container 9B is supplied to the measuring tank unit 9C through the supply hole 9H and the measuring tank unit 9C becomes full becomes too long. The waiting time until the ice making process is started becomes longer, and the adaptability in the summer season when a lot of ice is required becomes worse. Considering these, the size of the supply hole 9H is set so as to be an appropriate time.

  As described above, when ice-making water is supplied from the water supply port 60 to the ice tray 7B by opening the on-off valve 61, the ice-making water in the main tank container 9B falls from the supply hole 9H. Since the amount supplied from the mouth 60 to the ice tray 7B is extremely small, the energization of the solenoid 66 is stopped in a state where the water level for ice making in the measuring tank portion 9C is reduced until the air is sucked from the water supply port 60. Thus, even if it is assumed that a predetermined amount of ice making water has been supplied, there is no substantial adverse effect. As described above, the energization time to the solenoid 66 may be such that substantially all of the ice-making water stored in the measuring tank unit 9C can be supplied to the ice tray 7B.

  As one example, the diameter of the supply hole 9H is 2 mm, the diameter of the water supply port 60 is 8 mm, and the inner diameter of the air pipe 9E is 8 mm. The water supply time to the ice tray 7B is 20 seconds, and it takes about 100 minutes for water to be supplied to the ice tray 7B after the water is supplied to the ice tray 7B. The time until the ice-making water supplied through the tank 9C fills the measuring tank 9C is set to 2 minutes. Thereby, at the beginning of the ice making process, the on-off valve 61 opens the water supply port 60 by energizing the solenoid 66 for a predetermined time, and the ice making water in the measuring tank section 9C is supplied to the ice making tray 7B for ice making. During the next ice making process, ice making water is supplied from the main tank container 9B through the supply hole 9H to fill the measuring tank portion 9C. Thereby, a smooth ice making cycle can be achieved.

  When the water for ice making in the main tank container 9B is supplied to the measuring tank section 9C through the supply hole 9H and the measuring tank section 9C becomes full, the water for ice making enters the air pipe 9E, and the level thereof is the main tank container 9B. The ice making water level L is the same. The cross-sectional area of the air pipe 9E is made larger than the cross-sectional area of the water supply port 60.

  As described above, since the speed of ice making water supplied from the supply hole 9H to the measuring tank unit 9C is slow, the ice making water in the measuring tank unit 9C is supplied to the ice tray 7B by energizing the solenoid 66 for a predetermined time. When the ice-making water level in the measuring tank unit 9C decreases, a sufficient amount of air is supplied from the air pipe 9E onto the ice-making water in the measuring tank unit 9C. For this reason, the ice making water in the measuring tank portion 9C is reduced and air is sucked from the water supply port 60, and the siphon phenomenon does not occur between the water supply port 60 and the main tank container 9B due to the suction of this air. Therefore, since an excessive amount of ice making water is not sucked in, a predetermined amount of ice making water can be supplied to the ice tray 7B, and an excessive amount of ice making water can be supplied to the ice tray 7B and overflow. Absent.

  Thus, since the inner diameter (cross-sectional area) of the air pipe 9E is slightly larger than the inner diameter (cross-sectional area) of the water supply port 60, the volume of the air for the ice making water supplied from the water supply port 60 to the ice tray 7B is reduced. The volume flows in, and the inside of the measuring tank unit 9C does not become negative pressure, and a certain amount of ice-making water accumulated in the measuring tank unit 9C is supplied to the ice tray 7B. If the inside of the measuring tank unit 9C is negative pressure, the ice making water in the main tank container 9B is drawn to the measuring tank unit 9C through the supply hole 9H, and the amount is larger than the supply amount in natural fall. Although it may enter the measuring tank portion 9C and an excessive amount of ice making water is supplied to the ice making tray 7B and overflows, such a problem is eliminated in the present invention. In addition, in order to inflow air from the air pipe 9E, a communication ventilation portion with outside air may be formed in a part of the cover 9D including the lid 9M.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory sectional view seen from the front side of the water storage container 9 in a state where the on-off valve mechanism P of the present invention according to the second embodiment is closed. The same functional parts as those in FIGS. 1 to 8 are indicated by the same reference numerals. The refrigerator 1 is the same as that shown in FIGS. Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of FIG. 9 will be described.

  The water storage container 9 is formed in a state in which a plurality of water supply ports 60 are arranged in a circular shape on the bottom wall portion of the tank body 9A, that is, the bottom wall portion of the measuring tank portion 9C, and below the bottom wall of the measuring tank portion 9C. On the side, an open / close valve 61 that opens and closes the water supply port 60 by vertical movement is provided. The on-off valve 61 is provided with a permanent magnet 63 in a cylindrical portion extending upward of a valve body 61A made of synthetic resin, and an iron core 61B extending downward in a separated state with a gap 61C between the permanent magnet 63 and the lower portion. . 61D is an annular sealing material that seals the gap between the on-off valve 61 and the bottom wall of the tank body 9A, and is attached to the valve body 61A.

  The ice making water receiving portion 65 formed on the upper surface of the heat insulating partition wall 28 is integrally formed with the water supply pipe 51 that guides the ice making water to the ice tray 7B, and is surrounded by the annular wall 80 that is integrally formed with the water supply pipe 51 and protrudes upward. It is. The bottom wall of the tank main body 9A is formed with a cylindrical portion 81 projecting upward at the inner portion of the water supply port 60. The cylindrical portion 81 is a hollow having a lower surface opened and closed on the upper surface. The cylindrical part is fitted so that it can slide up and down. A magnetic body 82 that becomes an adsorbent in a cap shape is attached to the cylindrical portion 81 so as to cover the upper portion of the cylindrical portion 81.

  Similarly to the above, the solenoid 66 is disposed in the heat insulating material 31 of the heat insulating partition wall 28 immediately below the ice making water receiving portion 65 and is attached to the outer periphery of the water supply pipe 51 while being embedded in the heat insulating material 31. It is.

  In this configuration, when the solenoid 66 is in a non-energized state, the permanent magnet 63 is attracted toward the adsorbent 82, so that the on-off valve 61 is raised and the annular sealing material 61D is brought into close contact with the bottom wall of the measuring tank portion 9C. The open / close valve 61 closes the water supply port 60. When the solenoid 66 is energized in this state, the iron core 61B and the permanent magnet 63 are attracted by the magnetic force of the solenoid 66, and this attraction force is superior to the attraction force between the permanent magnet 63 and the adsorbing body 82. Then, the opening / closing valve 61 opens the water supply port 60. By such up-and-down movement of the on-off valve 61, ice-making water in the water storage container 9 is supplied to the ice-making tray 7B. The supply control of the refrigerator portion and ice making water according to this is the same as in the first embodiment.

  An annular rib 83 is formed on the bottom wall of the tank body 9A, that is, on the lower side of the bottom wall of the measuring tank portion 9C, so as to surround the water supply port 60 and close to the inside of the annular wall 80. Prevents scattering. Reference numeral 84 denotes a support rib in the front-rear direction formed outside the annular wall 80 and below the bottom wall of the measuring tank portion 9C, and supports the water storage container 9 on the upper surface of the heat insulating partition wall 28 so as to be slidable. 85 is a protrusion formed on the lower side of the bottom wall of the measuring tank portion 9C, and is a portion that restricts the lowering position of the on-off valve 61 when the on-off valve 61 is opened.

  Next, Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of the refrigerator main body of the present invention as viewed from the front, FIG. 11 is a longitudinal side view of the refrigerator of the present invention, FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the water storage container of the present invention, and FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the part, FIG. 14 is an explanatory view with a cross section of the water storage container according to the present invention in a closed state, FIG. 15 is an explanatory view with a cross section of the water storage container according to the present invention in an open state, FIG. These are the perspective views of the action | operation member of this invention.

  10 to 16 according to the third embodiment, parts having the same names as those in FIGS. 1 to 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals. Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the third embodiment will be described. In the freezer compartment 5, an ice making chamber 6 having a front opening that is kept at the freezing temperature on the left side by a partition plate 47 and a freezing compartment 5A that is kept at the freezing temperature on the right side are partitioned and formed in the ice making chamber 6. An automatic ice maker 7 is disposed, and an ice storage container 8 having an upper surface opening is disposed below the automatic ice maker 7. The ice storage container 8 is provided on the left and right side walls of the ice making chamber 6 and supported by the rail 6A so as to be drawn out in the front-rear direction. The automatic ice making machine 7 includes an ice tray 7B that is rotationally driven by an electric mechanism 7A. The ice making chamber 6 has its front opening opened by opening the door 12, and the ice storage container 8 can be taken out forward. The front opening of the ice making chamber 6 and the freezer compartment 5A may be configured to be openable and closable by separate doors.

  Reference numeral 9 denotes a water storage container (also referred to as a water supply container) for storing ice-making water to be supplied to the automatic ice making machine 7 which will be described later. The water storage container 9 has a rectangular shape with a depth longer than the horizontal width, and the inside of the refrigerator compartment 3 is partitioned by a partition wall 45. It is arranged in the formed small chamber 46, cooled by the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 3, and can be taken out forward with the handle 9S by opening the front door 10 of the refrigerator compartment 3.

  The ice making water is supplied from the water storage container 9 to the ice making tray 7B of the automatic ice making machine 7 through the water supply channel 51A by a natural drop method. The ice tray 7B is a synthetic resin in which 8 to 12 square ices are made by dividing into a plurality of ice making chambers such as four rows, two rows, six rows and two rows with the longitudinal direction as the row direction. It is made. The ice storage container 8 is made of a white, transparent, translucent or other color synthetic resin, and has a box shape with a top opening that is longer than the left and right widths.

  If the ice-making water in the water storage container 9 is simply supplied over a certain period of time, the amount of water supplied in a certain time will vary greatly between when the ice-making water in the water storage container 9 is full and when the water level drops. It is not preferable.

  In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides a configuration in which the supply time of ice making water required for one ice making is relatively short and the fluctuation of the supply amount is small even if a constant time supply method is adopted. For this reason, the auxiliary tank unit 9C is provided in the water storage container 9, and the auxiliary tank unit 9C stores ice making water in an amount required for one to several ice making operations by the automatic ice making machine 7. The amount required for one ice making is a specified amount of water that makes the ice tray 7B almost full.

  The water storage container 9 of the present invention is close to or substantially in close contact with the front, rear, left, and right walls of the tank body 9A so as to close the upper surface opening of the tank body 9A having a rectangular upper surface opening that is longer than the width. A main tank container 9B having an upper opening is fitted into the upper part of the tank body 9A, and an outward flange 9P formed at the upper end of the main tank container 9B is placed on the step part 9Q on the inner surface of the tank body 9A. 9B is held in a state of floating in the tank body 9A, and the main tank container 9B is detachable from the tank body 9A. As a result, the main tank container 9B forms a main tank part, and an auxiliary tank part 9C whose upper surface is closed by the main tank container 9B is formed on the inner bottom part of the tank body 9A. As will be described later, the auxiliary tank portion 9C has a volume for storing ice-making water necessary for one to three ice-making operations, and is also a portion that supplies ice-making water for each time.

  Further, the water storage container 9 is closed by a cover 9D in which the upper surface opening of the main tank container 9B is removable. The cover 9D is a combination in which a downward groove 9T formed in the peripheral edge of the lower surface is detachably fitted to the upper end of the tank body 9A, and the cover 9D is configured to be fastened to the tank body 9A by a detachable hook device 9R. The water storage container 9 includes an air passage 9E so as to supply air to the auxiliary tank portion 9C. This is because a recess 9E1 penetrating vertically is formed in the rear part of the main tank container 9B, and an air passage 9E is formed between the tank main body 9A and the main tank container 9B. A configuration in which a pipe penetrating the wall and communicating with the space above the main tank container 9B and the auxiliary tank portion 9C may be employed.

  A small-diameter supply hole 9H is formed in the bottom wall of the main tank container 9B in order to naturally supply ice making water in the main tank container 9B to the auxiliary tank portion 9C. With the upper surface opening of the main tank container 9B closed by a cover 9D having a water injection port 9K, the upper end opening of the air passage 9E communicates with the space above the main tank container 9B. The water inlet 9K is in a state of being closed by an openable / closable lid 9M which is a part of the cover 9D. Water can be poured into the main tank container 9B by pulling out the water storage container 9 from the refrigerator 1 and opening the lid 9M, but can also be performed by removing the cover 9D.

  With the cover 9D attached to the tank main body 9A, the water storage container 9 is inserted into the small chamber 46 by sliding on the heat insulating partition wall 28, thereby being fitted into the concave portion of the synthetic resin upper plate 29 and held at a predetermined position. The As the holding mechanism for the predetermined position of the water storage container 9, the elastic member that slightly protrudes upward from the synthetic resin upper plate 29 of the heat insulating partition wall 28 is configured to be locked to the locking portion at the bottom of the water storage container 9. By holding the water storage container 9 forward against the elastic member, the elastic member is pushed downward, and the water storage container 9 can be pulled out from the small chamber 46.

  When the water storage container 9 is locked to the elastic member and held at a predetermined position, a switch provided on the inner side of the back wall 32 of the refrigerator compartment 3 is turned on. An ice making cycle described later can be started.

  The water storage container 9 has a circular water supply port 60 formed at the bottom of the auxiliary tank portion 9C at a position directly below the supply hole 9H on the bottom wall of the main tank container 9B, and is made of a synthetic resin that opens and closes the water supply port 60 by vertical movement. The on-off valve mechanism P provided with the on-off valve 61 is provided. The opening / closing valve 61 is formed with a valve portion 61A for opening / closing the supply hole 9H on the bottom wall of the main tank container 9B at the upper portion thereof, and the valve portion 61A is fitted in a conical spreading seat portion formed at the lower end of the supply hole 9H. Make a dome shape to fit. The on-off valve 61 is formed with a circular projecting portion that enters the water supply port 60 on the lower surface thereof, and an O-ring-shaped annular seal packing 64 is provided around the circular projecting portion. And the adhesion between the peripheral portion of the water supply port 60 are improved. In order to guide the up-and-down movement of the on-off valve 61, a plurality of guide pieces 95 are provided at equal intervals around the on-off valve 61 from the bottom of the auxiliary tank portion 9C. And is detachable from the tank body 9A.

  The on-off valve 61 may be of a type that closes the water supply port 60 by its own weight. However, if the closing function of the water supply port 60 is weak, the on / off valve 61 may be lowered by the bias of the spring 65 to close the water supply port 60. . The spring 65 fits into a groove formed around the dome-shaped valve portion 61 </ b> A and is held by the on-off valve 61.

  When the water storage container 9 is stored in the refrigerator 1, at a position directly below the water supply port 60, the heat insulating partition wall 28 is vertically passed through the heat insulating partition wall 28 in the substantially vertical direction and opened toward the upper surface of the ice tray 7 </ b> B. A water supply channel 51A in the vertical direction is formed. The lower end of the water supply channel 51A opens to a position facing one of the ice making chambers on the rear side of the ice tray 7B. The water supply channel 51A is formed by a water supply pipe 51 having an ice making water receiving portion 65 that spreads in a funnel shape so that the receiving of the ice making water flowing down from the water supply port 60 is good. It is fixed by adhesion in a through pipe portion 29A integrally formed with the synthetic resin upper plate 29 so as to penetrate the heat insulating partition wall 28. The water supply pipe 51 forming the water supply path 51 </ b> A having a circular cross section is in a state of slightly protruding below the heat insulating partition wall 28.

  The on-off valve 61 is opened and closed by an operating member 90 with a permanent magnet 63 housed in the water supply channel 51A so as to be movable up and down. The permanent magnet 63 is configured in a direction in which a pair of permanent magnets 63A and 63B that are spaced apart from each other are repelled from each other, and as an example, the permanent magnets 63A and 63B are disposed with the S poles facing each other. Has been.

  A solenoid 66 is provided around the operating member 90 so as to correspond to the permanent magnets 63A and 63B. The solenoid 66 is held by a holder 68 and fitted to the outside of the through pipe portion 29A so as to be positioned around the water supply channel 51A in a state of being housed in the recess 30A of the synthetic resin lower plate 30 of the heat insulating partition wall 28, The holder 93 is fixed to the synthetic resin lower plate 30 with screws 94. The energization control to the solenoid 66 is performed in connection with the supply control of the ice making water to the automatic ice making machine 7 controlled by the control circuit unit provided in the refrigerator 1.

  As will be described later, when the operating member 90 is raised and the on-off valve 61 is opened, a flow-down passage for ice-making water is formed between the periphery of the operating member 90 and the water supply pipe 51. Therefore, a lower member 90B having a circular cross section having a circular cross section smaller than the inner diameter of the water supply pipe 51 having a circular cross section, and an upper member having a circular cross section coupled to the upper end of the lower member 90B. 90A, the upper member 90A has an outer shape to be placed on the ice-making water receiving portion 65 of the water supply channel 51A, and the lower member 90B has a shape in which the outer shape gradually decreases downward. The upper permanent magnet 63A is held by the upper member 90A, and the lower permanent magnet 63B is held by the lower member 90B. As a result, the operating member 90 is detachable upward from the water supply channel 51 </ b> A, that is, the water supply pipe 51.

  The upper end portion of the upper member 90A of the operating member 90 forms a dome-shaped convex portion 90C that fits into the conical concave portion 61B formed on the lower surface of the on-off valve 61, and the convex portion 90C is the concave portion 61B. The operation of opening the on-off valve 61 upward becomes accurate by entering.

  The lower end of the actuating member 90 looks into the lower end of the water supply channel 51A in a slightly projecting state, and prevents the ice making water flowing down from flowing down to accurately guide the ice making water to a predetermined ice making chamber of the ice making tray 7B. Yes. Therefore, the lower end portion of the operating member 90 is formed in a tapered shape. More specifically, the lower end portion of the lower member 90B has a tip shape reduced in a conical shape toward the center thereof, and a plurality of recesses 90D whose depths become deeper downward are formed on the outer surface. The upper and lower ribs 90E formed at intervals and formed between the recesses 90D have a shape converged at the center of the conical tip.

  With such a shape, the ice making water flowing down the water supply channel 51A formed around the operating member 90 flows down while adhering to the peripheral surface of the operating member 90, and the ice making water is formed by the rib 90E at the place where the water supply channel 51A exits. Is turned off and flows downward through the depression 90D, so that the ice making water can be accurately guided to a predetermined ice making chamber of the ice tray 7B.

  In order to prevent the remaining water in the water supply passage 51A from freezing, the heat generated by the solenoid 66 is transmitted to the water supply passage 51A. For this reason, the aluminum foil 72 as the heat conductive layer 72 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the through pipe portion 29 </ b> A, and the heat generated by the solenoid 66 is transmitted into the water supply channel 51 </ b> A through the aluminum foil 72.

  At the bottom of the main tank container 9B, a filter 92 is detachably held by a holding rib 91 formed in the main tank container 9B so as to cover the supply hole 9H of the main tank container 9B. The main tank container 9B is in a mounted state in which the outward flange 9P is locked to the step portion 9Q of the tank body 9A, and therefore can be removed from the tank body 9A by removing the cover 9D. For this reason, the inside of the tank main body 9A including the auxiliary tank portion 9C can be cleaned, and the filter 92 can be removed, so that the inner and outer surfaces of the main tank container 9B can be easily cleaned. Furthermore, since the on-off valve 61 can be removed, cleaning of the water storage container 9 is easy.

  FIG. 14 shows a state in which the solenoid 66 is not energized and the on-off valve 61 is lowered to close the water supply port 60. In this state, when the solenoid 66 is energized, an S pole is formed on the solenoid 66 and an N pole is formed on the bottom of the solenoid 66, and the operating member 90 is driven upward by the interaction with the permanent magnets 63A and 63B of the operating member 90. The on-off valve 61 is pushed upward by the member 90 to compress the spring 67 and the on-off valve 61 opens the water supply port 60. The on-off valve 61 opens the water supply port 60 and closes the supply hole 9H on the bottom wall of the upper main tank container 9B by the valve portion 61A. This state is shown in FIG. The relationship between the solenoid 66 and the permanent magnets 63 </ b> A and 63 </ b> B is such that the on-off valve 61 performs an attracting action to drive the operating member 90 up so as to open the water supply port 60, and the magnetic force by the solenoid 66 and the permanent magnet of the operating member 90. This is a relationship of performing a suppressing action so as to prevent the operating member 90 from popping out upward by the interaction of 63A and 63B. Since the permanent magnets 63A and 63B are arranged to face each other with the same polarity, they are arranged so that their N poles face each other. The solenoid 66 is energized to form the N pole on the top and the S pole on the bottom. You may comprise as follows.

  As described above, the water storage container 9 is removably stored in the refrigerator 1. Further, the main tank container 9B is combined with the tank body 9A in a floating state, whereby the main tank portion and the auxiliary tank portion 9C can be easily formed. In the water storage container 9, the cover 9D is detachable from the tank body 9, and the main tank container 9B is detachable from the tank body 9A. The on-off valve 61 is also detachably combined with the guide piece 95 and can be detached from the tank body 9A. For this reason, it is easy to remove the inside of the water storage container 9, that is, a combination of these, and wash it, and keep it hygienic.

  Further, since the operation member 90 is detachable upward from the water supply channel 51A, that is, the water supply pipe 51, the structure for easily cleaning and cleaning the water supply channel 51A and the receiving portion 65 of the ice-making water spreading in a funnel shape at the inlet thereof. It becomes.

  The auxiliary tank unit 9C stores ice-making water required for one ice making, and if the entire amount for one time is supplied to the ice-making tray 7B quickly, there is no problem, but it is difficult to supply the final several cubic centimeters properly. There is a case. In order to supply water properly up to the final amount of several cubic centimeters, the inner bottom surface of the auxiliary tank portion 9C is greatly increased toward the water supply port for water for ice making provided at the bottom of the water storage container 9 (water supply port 60 described later). Although there is a method of inclining, when the internal volume of the water storage container 9 is not reduced, the height of the water storage container 9 is increased by this steep inclination. For example, the upper space of the water storage container 9 is placed in a storage part for other articles. In the configuration used for the above, the height of the upper space is reduced, and a predetermined article cannot be stored.

  Further, the height of the water storage container 9 may be limited depending on the structure of the refrigerator. In this case, in order to put a predetermined amount of water into the water storage container 9, the plane area of the water storage container 9 is increased. The amount of water required for one ice making is a specified amount of water that makes the ice tray 7B almost full. However, the amount of water for ice making required for one ice making makes it difficult to obtain the head (water level). There is a way to increase the water supply time in order to supply water to the last several cubic centimeters properly, but this makes the ice making time substantially longer, which is more efficient. Good ice making cannot be achieved.

  Therefore, even when the height of the water storage container 9 is limited, it is desirable that the ice making water required for one ice making can be properly supplied within a predetermined time to suppress a decrease in ice making efficiency. In order to solve this problem, in the present invention, a certain amount of water head (water level) can be obtained by storing the amount of ice making water required for several ice making operations by the automatic ice making machine 7 in the auxiliary tank portion 9C. Therefore, even when the ice making water in the water storage container 9 is supplied for a certain period of time, the supply time for ice making water required for one ice making can be made relatively short, and the supply amount fluctuation is considered to be small. Can do.

  In this case, since the flow rate of the ice making water supplied from the water supply port 60 to the ice tray 7B depends on the water level of the auxiliary tank unit 9C, when the auxiliary tank unit 9C has a capacity for storing a large amount of ice making water. After the main tank container 9B is emptied, the fluctuation in the flow rate of the ice making water between the high level and the low level of the auxiliary tank 9C becomes large, and the ice making water supplied to the ice tray 7B is increased. The fluctuation of the amount becomes large, which is not preferable. For this reason, the amount of water for ice making required for one ice making may be stored in the auxiliary tank portion 9C. However, since the water level is low as described above, problems such as a long time for supplying ice making water become long.

  In order to solve this, as described above, in order to reduce the supply amount fluctuation supplied from the auxiliary tank unit 9C even when the ice making water is supplied within a certain time by the timer control, In the auxiliary tank portion 9C, an amount of ice making water required for several times of ice making by the automatic ice making machine 7 is stored. In the above embodiment, three times the amount of ice making water required for one ice making is 80 cubic cm, that is, less than four times of ice making so as to secure the amount of water for ice making required for three times of ice making. I try to store cubic centimeters. As a result, water can be supplied in a state in which the amount of supplied water is less variable.

  As described above, the auxiliary tank section 9C has a larger amount of water for ice making than that required for one ice making by the automatic ice making machine 7 after the main tank container 9B is emptied and the ice making water supplied from the supply hole 9H is exhausted. It has a capacity to store the amount of ice making water required for ice making several times. Specifically, when the main tank container 9B is emptied by the ice making operation and the ice making water supplied from the supply hole 9H is exhausted, the auxiliary tank unit 9C has a larger amount of water for ice making than that required for three ice making operations. Store much less than 4 times of ice making. If the amount of ice making water necessary for ice making operation four times or more is stored, the water level becomes high, and the decrease in the amount of water supply due to a change in the water level that decreases with each supply of ice making water becomes large. Then, since the main tank container 9B is emptied by the ice making operation and the ice making water supplied from the supply hole 9H disappears, the amount of ice making water required for one ice making operation is supplied from the auxiliary tank portion 9C for each ice making operation. However, even when 80 cubic centimeters, which is the last water for ice making, is supplied by the ice making operation, the volume of the auxiliary tank portion is set so that an amount smaller than the amount of water for ice making remains in the auxiliary tank portion 9C. Therefore, the last water supply for ice making can be supplied properly.

  The ice making operation of the automatic ice making machine 7 includes an ice making process and a deicing process controlled by a control circuit unit provided in the refrigerator 1. When a sufficient amount of ice-making water is injected into the water storage container 9 and stored in a predetermined position of the refrigerator, the ice-making process starts when the ice-making start switch is turned on manually. 66 is energized for a predetermined time, the operating member 90 is raised, the on-off valve 61 opens the water supply port 60, and a predetermined amount of ice making water required for one ice making from the auxiliary tank portion 9C to the ice tray 7B automatically falls due to natural fall. Water is supplied.

  Ice making is performed by the control circuit unit after this water supply, and when a certain period of time has elapsed by the timer means of the control circuit unit, or when the ice tray sensor detects the temperature at which the ice tray 7B has lowered the formation of ice, The deicing process is started by the control circuit unit, the electric mechanism 7A is started, the ice tray 7B is reversed and twisted, the ice in the ice tray 7B is dropped into the ice storage container 8 below, and then the ice tray 7B is returned. The ice making operation cycle is started by supplying water again and entering the ice making process.

  The ice-making water in the main tank container 9B is supplied from the supply hole 9H to the auxiliary tank unit 9C by natural fall. The inner diameter (cross-sectional area) of the supply hole 9 </ b> H is considerably smaller than the inner diameter (cross-sectional area) of the water supply port 60. The supply hole 9H assists the ice-making water in the main tank container 9B with an ice-making water supply speed that is sufficiently slower than the ice-making water supply speed at which the on-off valve 61 opens and supplies ice-making water from the water supply port 60 to the ice tray 7B. It is formed in a size suitable for dropping and supplying to the tank portion 9C. As an example, the inner diameter (cross-sectional area) of the supply hole 9H is a hole having a diameter of 3 mm. Therefore, per unit time, the amount of ice-making water supplied from the supply hole 9H is sufficiently smaller than the amount of ice-making water supplied from the water supply port 60 to the ice-making tray 7B, and the time until the auxiliary tank unit 9C is full is several. Minutes, set to about 2 minutes.

  The time until the auxiliary tank portion 9C becomes full is determined by the automatic ice making machine 7 after the predetermined ice making process is completed and the deicing process is performed, and a predetermined amount of ice making water necessary for the next ice making process is supplied. Thus, the opening / closing valve 61 is opened and is sufficiently longer than the time for supplying ice-making water when it is supplied from the water supply port 60 to the ice tray 7B, and is shorter than the time required for the ice making process. If the time until the auxiliary tank portion 9C becomes full is too long, there is a problem. That is, when the main tank container 9B is empty, or when the amount of water for making ice in the auxiliary tank portion 9C becomes insufficient, the water storage container 9 is taken out of the refrigerator 1 and the cover 9D is opened to enter the main tank container 9B. Ice making water is injected, but the ice making water in the main tank container 9B is supplied to the auxiliary tank portion 9C through the supply hole 9H, and the auxiliary tank portion 9C stores a predetermined amount of ice making water necessary for one ice making process. Time becomes too long, the waiting time until the ice making process is started becomes long, and adaptability becomes worse in summer when a lot of ice is required. Considering these, the size of the supply hole 9H is set so as to be an appropriate time.

  As described above, when ice-making water is supplied from the water supply port 60 to the ice tray 7B by opening the on-off valve 61, the ice-making water in the main tank container 9B falls from the supply hole 9H. Since the amount of ice-making water supplied from the water supply port 60 to the ice-making tray 7B is not adversely affected by the ice-making water falling from the supply hole 9H because it is extremely small compared to the amount supplied from the mouth 60 to the ice-making tray 7B. . For this reason, the energization time for the solenoid 66 is sufficient if the amount of time required for one ice-making water stored in the auxiliary tank portion 9C to be supplied to the ice-making tray 7B can be secured.

  As one example, the specified water storage amount of the main tank container 9B is 850 cubic cm, the specified water storage amount of the auxiliary tank portion 9C is 200 cubic cm, and the amount of ice making water required for one ice making is 80 cubic cm. It is. Further, the diameter of the supply hole 9H is 3 mm, the water supply time to the ice tray 7B is 20 seconds, and it takes about 100 minutes for the predetermined ice to be formed on the ice tray 7B after being supplied to the ice tray 7B. The supply time of the ice making water amount required for one ice making supplied from the main tank container 9B through the supply hole 9H is set to about 2 minutes. As a result, the solenoid valve 66 opens the water supply port 60 by energizing the solenoid 66 for a predetermined time at the beginning of the ice making process, and the amount of ice making water required for one ice making is supplied from the auxiliary tank portion 9C to the ice making tray 7B. During the ice making process, ice making water is supplied from the main tank container 9B through the supply hole 9H to supply the specified amount of water to the auxiliary tank portion 9C for the next ice making process, thereby enabling a smooth ice making cycle. Can be achieved.

  When the on-off valve 61 is opened, since a sufficient amount of air is supplied from the air passage 9E to the auxiliary tank 9C, the supply of ice-making water from the water supply port 60 to the ice tray 7B is smooth. The shortage of ice making water in the auxiliary tank 9C is supplemented by supplying ice making water in the main tank container 9B to the auxiliary tank 9C through the supply hole 9H. When the specified amount of water accumulates in the auxiliary tank portion 9C, ice making water also enters the air passage 9E, and its level is the same as the ice making water level L of the main tank container 9B.

  The present invention is a refrigerator with an automatic ice making machine, but the arrangement relationship between the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment is not limited to the above-described form, and can be applied to various refrigerator forms without departing from the technical scope of the present invention. .

It is a front view of this invention refrigerator. Example 1 It is explanatory drawing which looked at the refrigerator main body of this invention from the front. Example 1 It is a vertical side view of this invention refrigerator. Example 1 It is sectional drawing of the water storage container installation part of this invention. Example 1 It is a perspective view of the water storage container of the present invention. Example 1 It is explanatory drawing of the state which the on-off valve of the on-off valve mechanism of this invention closed. Example 1 It is explanatory drawing of the state which the on-off valve of the on-off valve mechanism of this invention opened. Example 1 It is sectional drawing of the attaching part of the solenoid of this invention. Example 1 It is explanatory drawing seen from the front side of the water storage container of the state where the on-off valve mechanism of this invention closed. (Example 2) It is explanatory drawing which looked at the refrigerator main body of this invention from the front. (Example 3) It is a vertical side view of this invention refrigerator. (Example 3) It is a perspective view of the water storage container of the present invention. (Example 3) It is a disassembled perspective view of the water storage container and water supply channel part of this invention. (Example 3) It is explanatory drawing by the cross section of the state which the on-off valve of the water storage container of this invention closed. (Example 3) It is explanatory drawing by the cross section of the state which the on-off valve of the water storage container of this invention opened. (Example 3) It is a perspective view of the action | operation member of this invention. (Example 3)

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Refrigerator 2 ... Refrigerator main body 3 ... Refrigeration room 4 ... Vegetable room 5 ... Freezing room 6 ... Ice making room 7 ... Automatic ice making machine 7B ... Ice making plate 8 ... · Ice storage container 9 · · · Water storage container 9A · · Tank body 9B · · Main tank container 9C · · Measuring tank section 9D · · Cover 9E · · Air pipe 9F · · Suction side pipe 9J · · Suction side pipe suction port 9H ··· Supply hole 9P · · · Outward flange of main tank container 9Q · · Stepped portion of tank body 24 · · Cooler 25 · · Blower 28 · · Insulated partition wall of refrigerator compartment and freezer compartment 29 · · Insulated partition wall Upper plate 30 ··· Lower plate of heat insulation partition wall 31 ··· Insulation material 51 · · Water supply pipe 51A · · Water supply channel 60 · · Water supply port 61 · · On-off valve 61B · · Iron core 63 · · Magnet 63A, 63B · · · Permanent magnet 65 ・ ・ Receiving part for ice making water 66 ・ ・ So Rhenoid 67 ... Spring 70 ... Magnetic material 72 ... Heat conduction layer (aluminum foil)
82 .. Magnetic body 90 .. Actuating member 90 A.. Upper member of actuating member 90 B... Lower member of actuating member 90 C .. Convex portion of actuating member 90 D.

Claims (1)

The freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment are partitioned by a heat insulating partition wall so that the refrigerator compartment is located in the upper part in the refrigerator body, and the water supply pipe through which the ice making water of the water storage container disposed in the refrigerator compartment penetrates the heat insulating partition wall In the refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, which is supplied to an ice tray of an automatic ice maker disposed in the freezer compartment, and the cold air cooled by the cooler is supplied to the ice tray by a blower, the water supply pipe 51 includes the heat insulating partition. Opening at a position where the lower end communicates with the ice making water receiving portion 65 whose upper end extends vertically and the upper end spreads upward, opens to a position facing the ice tray of the automatic ice maker disposed in the freezer compartment , A tank body with an upper surface opening, and a main tank container with an upper surface opening fitted to the upper part in the tank body from the upper surface opening of the tank body so as to form a metering tank part closed by the inner bottom part of the tank body ; The main A lid for closing the upper opening of the ink container openably and air tube provided on one side of the metering tank to supply air to the metering tank, the metering tank ice water in the main tank container The small-diameter supply hole formed in the bottom wall of the main tank container for supplying to the section, and the metering at a position corresponding to the ice-making water receiving section when the water storage container is stored in a predetermined position in the refrigerator compartment A water supply port formed at the bottom of the tank unit, and an on-off valve with a magnet that moves up and down in the metering tank unit so as to descend by the pressing pressure of a spring, close the water supply port and open the water supply port by ascending The measuring tank unit stores ice-making water required for one ice making by the automatic ice making machine, and repels the magnet to raise the on-off valve when the ice-making water is supplied to the ice tray. Generate The provided solenoids, the reservoir is a drawable and inserting the heat insulating partition Kabejo at the slide to the position where the water supply port corresponds to a receiving portion of the ice making water, the solenoid is cylindrical on the outer circumference of the water supply pipe A refrigerator with an automatic ice making machine, wherein the refrigerator is provided in a heat insulating material of the heat insulating partition wall and is separated from the water storage container .

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