JP5268693B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator capable of making transparent ice without needing a long ice-making time by deaerating ice-making water stored for water supply in a stage before the supply of water to an ice tray. <P>SOLUTION: In the refrigerator provided with an automatic ice-making device 16 making the ice by receiving the ice-making water from a water supply tank 30 disposed in a refrigerating space 6 in the ice tray 29 disposed in an ice-making compartment 17, and automatically detecting the completion of ice-making to separate the ice, a decompression pump 38 is disposed to deaerate a dissolved gas from the ice-making water in the water supply tank. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator equipped with an automatic ice making device, and more particularly to a refrigerator capable of making ice with high transparency.

  In general, an automatic ice making device installed in a refrigerator for home use has a water supply tank installed in the refrigerator compartment, and the cold water in the water supply tank is guided to the ice making room maintained at the freezing temperature by a water supply pump, and a predetermined amount of water is supplied to the ice tray Then, after ice making, the ice is automatically taken off and stored for use by the user.

  On the other hand, ice particles generated by the automatic ice making apparatus are generally opaque. That is, in the ice making process, ice making proceeds by low-temperature cold air flowing from the back to the periphery of the ice tray, but the water surface at the opening of each ice making block that is most affected by the cold air freezes first and then freezes to the center of the block As a result, the dissolved gas, which is the air contained in the water injected into the ice making block due to freezing of the surface, freezes while confined in the ice particles, resulting in a cloudy appearance as ice particles. It is.

  On the other hand, transparent ice grains are suitable for eating and drinking because they are hard and difficult to melt, and they are beautiful in appearance, so in order to produce transparent ice than before, the top surface of an ice tray is heated to The method of accelerating the deaeration of dissolved air by delaying the freezing of the ice or vibrating the ice tray, or as described in Patent Document 1, sucking the air in the metal container in which the ice making container is arranged The concentration of dissolved air is decreased by lowering the pressure to increase the transparency of the ice particles, or as described in Patent Document 2, the ice making water is degassed by ultrasonic waves and the highly transparent ice particles Various proposals have been made, such as a method for generating.

JP 2004-3754 A JP-A-4-110578

  However, as described above, the method of vibrating the ice making container such as the ice making tray in the ice making unit, heating, and depressurizing the installation space of the ice making plate itself not only makes the structure complicated, but also during ice making. When the deaeration operation is performed, the effect on the ice making time is large, and there is a problem that the ice making time is greatly delayed as compared with the normal ice making operation, which makes it difficult to realize as a product.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and in the stage before water supply to the ice tray, the dissolved gas is degassed from the water for ice making stored for water supply, thereby extending the ice making time. It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator capable of making transparent ice without need.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 makes ice making from an ice-making tray installed in an ice-making chamber by receiving ice-making water from a water supply tank provided in a refrigerated space. detect and in ice removal and refrigerator provided with an automatic ice making device for ice, with the dissolved gas from the ice-making water in the water supply tank, a vacuum pump for degassing through the exhaust pipe to the rear of the water tank, the An exhaust pipe is arranged in the front-rear direction, and the water supply tank is detachable forward .

  According to the present invention, transparent ice can be made at a speed equivalent to that of the prior art without delaying the ice making time.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the refrigerator which shows one Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the detailed structure of the automatic ice making apparatus part in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the control flow of the automatic ice making apparatus of FIG. It is a schematic diagram of the water supply tank part of FIG.

  Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described. The refrigerator main body (1) whose longitudinal cross-sectional view is shown in FIG. 1 is formed by filling a foam heat insulating material (4) between the outer box (2) and the inner box (3) to form a heat insulating box, Is partitioned into an upper refrigerated space (6) and a lower refrigerated space (7) by a heat insulating partition wall (5).

  The front opening of the refrigeration space (6) is closed by a refrigeration room door (8), and the inside is a refrigeration room (10) provided with a plurality of food loading shelves (9), and the lower part is a partition plate ( 11) Partition the drawer-type vegetable container (13) into a vegetable room (12), and at the bottom, cool the room to about 0 to -3 ° C via the bottom partition plate (14) A cryogenic chamber (15) with a cryogenic container is provided.

  The freezing space (7) has an ice making chamber (17) having a relatively small volume provided immediately below the heat insulating partition wall (5) with an ice making unit (18) and an ice storage box (19) in an automatic ice making device (16). And a small freezer compartment (not shown) are divided into left and right by a vertical partition plate provided in the front opening, and an ice storage box (19) and container are juxtaposed together with a door (20) provided in each front opening. In the lower part, a large-capacity freezer compartment (21) which is divided into a top and bottom with a horizontal partition plate and has a drawer door type as described above is provided over the entire width of the main body.

  In the freezer compartment (21), a pair of left and right support frames (not shown) are fixed inside a freezer compartment door (22) that closes its front opening so as to be openable and closable. ) The storage container (23) for storing frozen food is held in three stages by rail members arranged on both side wall surfaces in the inside, and the drawer system is slidable back and forth.

  On the back of each of the refrigerator compartment (10) and the freezer compartment (21), there are a refrigerator for cooling (24) and a refrigerator for freezing (25), and an R fan (26) and F corresponding to each cooler. A fan (27) is provided.

  The refrigeration cooler (24) and the refrigeration cooler (25) are cooled by a refrigeration cycle, and refrigerant discharged from a compressor (28) provided at the lower portion of the refrigerator main body (1), By the switching valve connected downstream of the condenser, the refrigeration cooler (24) side or the refrigeration cooler (25) is alternately switched to evaporate to lower the temperature and generated by each cooler (24) (25). The cooled air is introduced into the respective storage chambers through the cold air ducts by the fans (26) and (27) and circulated to cool them.

  As shown in FIG. 2, which is a detailed cross-sectional view of the main part of the present invention, between one side of the low temperature chamber (15) located at the lowermost part of the refrigerated space (6) and the side wall of the inner box (3) Is provided with a water supply tank (30) for supplying cold water for ice making to the ice tray (29) of the ice making unit (18). This water supply tank (30) is a container having a narrow width and a long shape in the depth direction. Water is stored in the tank, and its upper surface opening is sealed with a lid (31), and a predetermined position in the refrigerator compartment (10). At the time of water supply operation after ice making is completed, the water supply pump (32) of the magnetic coupling system placed in the water supply tank (30) is driven, and the water tray (34) is inserted from the water supply port (33). ), A predetermined amount, for example, about 100 cc of ice making water is supplied to the ice making tray (29) installed in the ice making chamber (17) through the water supply pipe (35).

  The water supply pipe (35) extends through the partition insulation wall (5) to the upper part of the ice tray (29) of the ice making unit (18) installed in the ice making chamber (17) below, and ice making starts. The cold water in the water tank (30) is sucked up by the pump according to the water supply signal at the time, and a fixed amount of water is supplied to the ice tray (29) to make ice. After the water pump (32) is operated, the ice tray (29) If the temperature sensor installed on the outer surface of the bottom detects an increase in the temperature of the ice tray (29), it is determined that water has been supplied. If the temperature does not increase, it is determined that the water supply tank (30) has been emptied. To do.

  When the ice making operation proceeds after the water supply, and the temperature sensor detects the completion of ice making due to the temperature drop from water to ice, it is judged that the ice making is completed and the ice storage amount detection lever (36) is turned to turn the ice storage box (19 ) Detects whether the inside is full or not, and if it is not full, turn the ice tray (29) upside down with a drive, add a twist to release the ice, and store in the ice storage box (19) below Drop into ice and store ice.

  Therefore, in the present invention, an exhaust pipe (37) that connects the inside of the tank and the outside of the tank is integrally formed on the lid (31) that completely covers the upper surface opening of the water supply tank (30). The outside of the tank of the pipe (37) extends to the rear of the water supply tank (30), and is connected to a decompression pump (38) installed in the rear space via a check valve (39).

  The decompression pump (38) degass the dissolved gas dissolved in the stored water for ice making by sucking and discharging the air in the water supply tank (30) and decompressing the space in the tank. Yes, after the suction operation of the decompression pump (38) is stopped, the decompression state in the water supply tank (30) is maintained by the check valve (39).

  The water supply tank (30) is attached to and detached from the refrigerator main body (1) every time ice making water is supplied or the tank itself is cleaned, so the exhaust pipe (37) is connected to the water supply tank (30) side. And a decompression pump (38) side fixed to the main body side, and a predetermined position in the main body of the water supply tank (30), similar to the coupling structure of the water supply port (33) in the water supply pump (32). A configuration is adopted in which the pipe ends of the exhaust pipe (37) are hermetically fitted together with the installation of the exhaust pipe (37).

  Therefore, when the water supply pump (32) is operated during ice making, the ice making water in the water supply tank (30) deaerated by driving the pressure reducing pump (38) is supplied to the ice making tray (29). Since ice making operation is performed with water with low dissolved gas from the beginning, the time required for ice making is not as long as the ice tray is heated or vibrated, and it is as short as the time required for normal ice making. In addition, it is possible to obtain ice particles with high transparency.

  The control flow of the ice making operation will be described along the flowchart of FIG. When the ice making chamber door (20) is closed (step 1) after removing ice particles from the ice storage box (19) and supplying water for making ice to the water tank (30), this is detected. Ice making operation and water supply operation are started again, but the air in the upper space in the water supply tank (30) is sucked and discharged by driving the pressure reducing pump (38) (step 2), and the ice is made in the tank by reducing the pressure. A deaeration operation is performed to remove dissolved gas from the water. When the refrigerator door (8) is open, the depressurization pump (38) is not driven and the deaeration operation is stopped (step 3).

  If 90 minutes have passed after the water supply operation to the ice tray (29) (step 4), ice making is completed in the normal case, and the temperature sensor temperature on the lower surface of the ice tray (29) is -12 ° C. When it is detected (step 5), it is assumed that ice making has been completed and the process moves to deicing. However, if the ice storage box (19) is full, it cannot be deiced. Rotate to detect the amount of ice in the ice storage box (19) (step 6), and when the amount of ice is below the predetermined amount (step 7), rotate the ice tray (29) to twist the ice. (Step 8), the decompression pump (38) is stopped (Step 9).

  In step 5, when the ice storage amount is full, the operation is not shifted to the deicing operation, and when the user opens the refrigerator door (8) (step 10), the operation of the decompression pump (38) is stopped. (Step 11) to prevent the pump operation sound from leaking outside, and if the refrigerator door (8) remains closed, the deaeration operation is continued (Step 12).

  Like Step 3 and Step 11, the decompression pump (38) is driven only when the refrigerator door (8) is closed because the internal motor operating noise generated when the pump is driven is leaked when the door is released. This is because the noise is enlarged and is suppressed.

  Then, after stopping the deaeration operation in step 8 after the deicing operation, if the refrigerator door (8) is opened (step 13), the check valve (39) is opened (step 14), The inside of the water supply tank (30) is returned to a normal pressure state to perform a water supply operation (step 15).

  This is because if the water supply tank (30) is in a depressurized state during the water supply operation performed after the deicing operation, the amount of water supplied by the water supply pump (32) will decrease, and the amount of ice produced will also decrease. Before starting the operation, stop the decompression pump (38), open the check valve (39), and keep the metered water supply by supplying water under normal pressure. When it is detected that the temperature of the ice tray (29) has risen to −9 ° C. or higher (step 16), it is assumed that the water has been supplied, and the ice making operation is started. The deaeration operation by the vacuum pump (38) is performed again under the condition that the door is closed.

  In the embodiment, the deaeration from the water in the water supply tank (30) was performed only by the decompression pump (38), but as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. A sonic transducer (40) may be provided and driven in synchronism with the drive of the vacuum pump (38).

  The ultrasonic transducer (40) has a top surface that contacts the bottom surface of the water supply tank (30) and the top surface of the heat insulating partition wall (5) that forms the bottom surface of the refrigerated space (6) where the water tank (30) is installed. It is buried so as to be in contact with each other, and when energized, dissolved gas in the water is bubbled and floated on the surface to be degassed from the water.

  Although it is possible to arrange the ultrasonic transducer (40) inside the water supply tank (30), the above configuration does not complicate the structure of the water supply tank (30), and the water supply tank Maintenance is also facilitated without considering the power supply structure in the case of (30) detachment.

  According to this configuration, the deaeration by driving the decompression pump (38) and the deaeration by the ultrasonic vibrator (40) facilitate the synergistic effect of deaeration of the dissolved gas in the ice making water. I can feel and can produce ice grains with higher transparency.

  In the control flow described above, the operation of the decompression pump (38) is described to be driven only when the refrigerator door (8) is closed. Therefore, the ultrasonic transducer (40) synchronized with the decompression pump (38) is driven only when the refrigerator door (8) is closed. By doing so, both noises in the deaeration operation can be suppressed.

  Note that the degassing operation of the dissolved gas in the ice making water in the water supply tank (30) by driving the decompression pump (38) will be saturated if the degassing action is saturated after a certain period of time. The operation is not performed at all times. For example, the operation is performed only for a certain time after water supply, for example, 90 minutes. Thereby, an efficient degassing operation of the dissolved gas can be performed, which contributes to reduction of power consumption. In addition, as in the above embodiment, if the ultrasonic transducer (40) synchronized with the vacuum pump (38) is driven only during a predetermined time after the water supply operation, the same effect as described above can be obtained. be able to.

1 Refrigeration room body 5 Insulation partition wall 6 Refrigerated space 7 Refrigerated space 8 Refrigerated room door 10 Refrigerated room
12 Vegetable room 15 Low greenhouse 16 Automatic ice making equipment 17 Ice making room 18 Ice making unit 19 Ice storage box
21 Freezer room 24 Refrigeration cooler 25 Refrigeration cooler
26, 27 Fan 29 Ice tray 30 Water supply tank
31 Lid 32 Water supply pump 33 Water supply port
34 Water tray 35 Water supply pipe 36 Ice storage amount detection lever
37 Exhaust pipe 38 Pressure reducing pump 39 Check valve
40 ultrasonic transducer

Claims (6)

Ice-making water from a water supply tank provided in the refrigerated space is received by an ice-making tray installed in the ice-making chamber, and an ice-making machine is installed to automatically detect and release ice when ice-making is completed. In the refrigerator
A decompression pump for degassing dissolved gas from the water for ice making in the water supply tank through an exhaust pipe is provided at the rear of the water supply tank ,
Arrange the exhaust pipe in the front-rear direction,
The water tank is detachable forward;
A refrigerator characterized by that. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein after the water supply operation from the water supply tank to the ice tray is performed, the deaeration operation by driving the decompression pump is performed for a predetermined time. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the deaeration operation is stopped when the door of the refrigerated space in which the water supply tank is installed is open. A check valve that stops the pressure reducing pump before driving the water supply pump that supplies ice-making water from the water supply tank, and blocks the flow in the direction of the water supply tank installed in a pipe line between the water supply pump drive motor and the water supply tank. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerator is opened. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein an ultrasonic vibration is applied to the stored water by contacting an ultrasonic vibrator with a wall surface of the water supply tank. The ultrasonic vibrator is disposed on the bottom surface of the water supply tank, and the ultrasonic vibrator is brought into contact with the outer wall surface of the water supply tank so as to apply vibration to the stored water. Item 6. The refrigerator according to Item 5.

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