JP6118191B2 - Ice making device and refrigerator provided with the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ice making device having a function of making and de-icing supplied water, and a refrigerator provided with the ice making device.

  A conventional ice making device and a refrigerator equipped with the ice making device are disclosed in Patent Document 1. This ice making device includes an ice making tray having a plurality of recesses partitioned by a partition wall. Water is stored in each recess to make ice, and ice making is performed by twisting the ice making tray after ice making. And since the communicating groove which connects between adjacent recessed parts is formed in the partition wall, water can be equally supplied to each recessed part at the time of water supply.

  However, since water is stored in this communication groove and is made into ice, it becomes ice that connects the ice formed in the recesses, causing a problem of deicing or forming distorted ice. is there.

  In Patent Document 2, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, by providing a protrusion in the communication groove and generating a crack starting from the protrusion in the communication groove by twisting at the time of deicing, Techniques have been disclosed that facilitate ice breaking.

JP-A-4-260769 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-305930

  However, even in the ice making device disclosed in Patent Document 2, the ice made in the communication groove portion is still connected to the side surface of the ice made in the ice making section, and a part of the communication groove portion is connected to the ice side surface. Since it remains as a protrusion, it has become an ugly and untouchable ice.

  In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an ice making device that can make ice with excellent deicing properties and with few protrusions on the surface, and a refrigerator equipped with the ice making device.

  In the ice making device according to the present invention, a plurality of ice making cells whose upper surfaces are open are arranged side by side in a first direction, and a first water supply path is provided between the side walls of adjacent ice making cells when water is supplied to the ice making cell. The ice making tray in which the communication groove is formed, and the ice making tray is rotated 90 degrees or more around the first direction as the rotation axis, and the rotation amount and the other end of one end of the ice making tray in the first direction The ice making device includes a deicing mechanism that generates a twisting force with the first direction as an axis by setting the amount of rotation of the ice in a different direction to deicing the ice made in the ice making cell downward. Thus, there is a portion where the angle of the boundary portion between the side wall of the first communication groove and the side wall of the ice making cell is an acute angle when viewed from the upper surface side.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the side wall of the first communication groove is arcuate when viewed from the upper surface side so that the intermediate part in the first direction of the first communication groove is wider than both ends. It may be formed.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, unevenness deeper than the surface of the ice making cell may be formed on the surface of the first communication groove.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the ice making cell is also disposed in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and water is supplied to the ice making cell between the side walls of at least a pair of ice making cells adjacent to each other in the second direction. A second communication groove that sometimes serves as a water supply channel is formed, and there may be a portion where the angle of the boundary between the side wall of the second communication groove and the side wall of the ice making cell is an acute angle when viewed from the upper surface side. good.

  The refrigerator which concerns on this invention is a refrigerator provided with the water supply apparatus with which one of said ice-making apparatuses is provided in a freezer compartment, and supplies water to a water supply tray.

  According to the present invention, since the angle of the boundary portion between the side wall of the first communication groove and the side wall of the ice making cell has an acute angle when viewed from the upper surface side, the twisting force at the time of deicing is It can act as a shearing stress to the ice in contact with the boundary, and the ice formed in the ice making cell and the ice formed in the first communication groove can be sheared along the side wall of the ice making cell. Therefore, large protrusions do not remain on the surface of the ice formed by the ice making cell, and it is possible to make ice that is excellent in aesthetics and has a good touch. Moreover, since each ice formed in the ice making cell is separated by the above-described shear stress, the deicing property is also improved.

It is sectional drawing of the refrigerator with an ice making apparatus. It is the schematic which looked at the ice making apparatus of 1st Embodiment from the upper surface. It is the schematic of the communicating groove | channel in the ice tray of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the state before de-icing of the ice made with the ice tray of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the stress which acts on ice making with the ice tray of 1st Embodiment, and the ice made with the ice tray during a deicing operation. It is a figure which shows the state after deicing of the ice made with the ice tray of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the state after the deicing of the ice made by the prior art. It is the schematic of the communicating groove | channel in the ice tray of 2nd Embodiment. It is the schematic of the communicating groove | channel in the ice tray of 3rd Embodiment. It is the schematic of the communicating groove | channel in the ice tray of 4th Embodiment. It is the schematic of the communicating groove | channel in the ice tray of 5th Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  The structural example of the refrigerator provided with the ice making apparatus in FIG. 1 is shown. In FIG. 1, the left side is the front side of the refrigerator 1, and the right side is the back side of the refrigerator 1.

  The internal space of the housing 2 of the refrigerator 1 is divided into two vertically by a horizontal partition wall 3, and the upper space is a refrigerator compartment 4 and the lower space is a freezer compartment 5. The front opening of the refrigerator compartment 4 is closed by the door 6, and the front opening of the freezer compartment 5 is closed by the door 7.

  Inside the refrigerator compartment 4, shelves 8, 9, and 10 are arranged over three levels. Inside the freezer compartment 5, a drawer-type case is arranged over three stages. The uppermost case is an ice storage case 11, the lower case is a first frozen food case 12, and the lowermost case is a second frozen food case 13.

  There is a space partitioned by a partition wall 14 in the back of the freezer compartment 5, and an evaporator 15 is disposed here. The refrigerant compressed by a compressor (not shown) and dissipated by a condenser (not shown) evaporates inside the evaporator 15, so that the surface temperature of the evaporator 15 is lowered and cold air for cooling the refrigerator compartment 4 and the freezer compartment 5 is cooled. Is generated. The cold air is sent into a duct (not shown) by the cold air circulation fan 16, and a predetermined amount is blown into the refrigerator compartment 4 and the freezer compartment 5 through the duct. Thereby, the refrigerator compartment 4 becomes refrigeration temperature, and the freezer compartment 5 becomes refrigeration temperature. Below the evaporator 15, a defrosting heater 17 for melting frost attached to the evaporator 15 is disposed.

  A space exists between the ice storage case 11 and the ceiling portion of the freezer compartment 5, and this space becomes the ice making chamber 18. The ice making chamber 18 is isolated from the front opening of the freezer compartment 5 by a partition wall 19 that hangs down from the ceiling of the freezer compartment 5.

  An ice tray 21 is disposed inside the ice making chamber 18. The ice tray 21 is formed of a synthetic resin that does not lose its elasticity even at a low temperature, and includes a plurality of ice making cells for producing ice having a substantially square pyramid shape. A thermistor 22 for monitoring the temperature inside the ice making cell is attached to the ice tray 21.

  The ice tray 21 is supported by the ice removing mechanism 23. The ice removing mechanism 23 includes a rotating shaft to which the ice tray 21 is fixed and a motor with a speed reducer that rotates the rotating shaft around the axis. When it is determined that the ice making is completed inside the ice making plate 21 by the passage of a predetermined time or the temperature detection inside the ice making cell by the thermistor 22, the ice removing mechanism 23 rotates the ice making plate 21 through the rotating shaft to move the ice making plate 21 to 90. It is rotated until it is turned upside down, preferably upside down. A stopper provided at an end of the ice tray 21 far from the rotation axis of the ice removing mechanism 23 hits a locking portion provided in the ice making chamber 18 at a predetermined angle where the rotation of the rotation axis is 90 degrees or more. Is limited. On the other hand, since the rotational driving force is still applied to the end of the ice tray 21 on the rotating shaft side, the ice tray 21 is twisted, and the ice inside the ice making cell is separated from the ice making cell and falls to the ice storage case 11. Thereafter, the ice removing mechanism 23 rotates the rotating shaft in the reverse direction to return the direction of the ice tray 21 so that the upper surface side is on the upper side. The ice making device 20 of the refrigerator 1 includes the ice making tray 21 and the ice removing mechanism 23.

  A water supply tank 24 and a water supply pump 25 are disposed on the partition wall 3. The water supply tank 24 stores water for ice making and is placed on the bottom plate 26 of the refrigerator compartment 4. The water supply pump 25 is for sending the water stored in the water supply tank 24 to the ice tray 21, and is disposed on the back side of the partition wall 27 at the back of the refrigerator compartment 4.

  When the water stored in the water supply tank 24 is reduced, the water supply tank 24 is pulled out from the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 4 and replenished with water. When the water supply tank 24 replenished with water is pushed toward the back of the refrigerator compartment 4, the water supply tank 24 and the water supply pump 25 are connected when reaching a certain position. Thereafter, the water supply pump 25 is operated to supply water to the ice tray 21. Under the bottom plate 26, an antifreezing heater 28 for the water supply tank 24 is disposed.

  The water sucked up and sent out from the water supply tank 24 by the water supply pump 25 is delivered from the water supply nozzle 30 to the ice tray 21 through the water supply pipe 29 penetrating the partition wall 3. The water supply device of the refrigerator 1 includes the water supply tank 24 and the water supply pump 25.

  The present invention relates to the structure of the ice tray 21 and will be described as each embodiment below.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 2 shows a view of the ice making device 20 according to the first embodiment as viewed from above.

  The ice tray 21 is made of polypropylene containing silicon, has flexibility, and is arranged to be rotatable about the rotation shaft 31. The ice making tray 21 is provided with a plurality of ice making cells 32 opened at the upper surface and partitioned by a partition wall 33.

  The ice making cell 32 is partitioned by a vertical partition wall 33a extending in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 31 (first direction in FIG. 2) and a horizontal partition wall 33b extending in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction (second direction in FIG. 2). The As a result, the ice making cells 32 of the present embodiment are arranged in two rows in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction (second direction) and in four rows in the axial direction (first direction).

  A communication groove 34 is formed in a part of the partition wall 33 between the adjacent ice making cells 32. The horizontal partition wall 33b is formed with a communication groove 34b that communicates the ice making cells 32 adjacent in the first direction. In addition, a communication groove 34a that connects the ice making cells 32 adjacent in the second direction is formed in a part of the vertical partition walls 33a. The upper surface of the communication groove 34 is opened to form a water supply channel, and water is sequentially supplied from the ice making cell 32 directly below the water supply nozzle 30 to each ice making cell 32 via the communication groove 34. The lower end of the communication groove 34 is disposed below the water level of each ice making cell 32 when a predetermined amount of water is supplied to the ice tray 21 by supplying water from the water supply nozzle 30. Thereby, when a predetermined amount of water is supplied to the ice tray 21, the water level of each ice making cell 32 can be made uniform.

  After a predetermined amount of water is supplied to the ice tray 21, it is determined that ice making has been completed by the passage of a predetermined time or by detecting the temperature inside the ice making cell 32 by the thermistor 22. When the ice making is completed, the deicing operation is continued. That is, the ice tray 21 is rotationally driven by the ice removing mechanism 23. When the top surface of the ice making cell 32 faces downward due to the rotation of the ice tray 21, the rotation of one end in the first direction away from the rotation shaft 31 of the ice tray 21 is stopped. Further, by rotating the rotating shaft 31, the first direction is twisted. As a result, the ice is released from the ice making cell 32 and falls and stored in the ice storage case 11.

  For example, in FIG. 2, the ice tray 21 starts to rotate so that the right side moves toward the front of the page and the left side moves toward the back of the page. Then, when the stopper 34 rotates about half a half and rotates to the left, the stopper 34 is locked to a locking portion provided in the ice making chamber 18 and the rotation is restricted. On the other hand, since the rotation shaft 31 continues to apply the rotational driving force to the ice tray 21 even after the stopper 34 is locked to the locking portion, the ice tray 21 is twisted with the stopper 34 as a fulcrum. In the ice tray 21 shown in FIG. 2, the upper left stopper 34 is used as a fulcrum, and the lower left side is twisted so as to be retracted into the paper. Therefore, the ice tray 21 is deformed so that the upper surface of the ice tray 21 is further opened. The ice that has been made is released.

  FIG. 3 shows the communication groove 34 of the present embodiment. FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the communication groove 34 provided in the partition wall 33. FIG. 3B is a view (top view) of the communication groove 34 viewed from the direction (A) shown in FIG. 3A, and FIG. 3C is a view from the (B) direction shown in FIG. It is the figure (side view) of the communication groove 34 seen. A portion hidden by the partition wall 33 is indicated by a dotted line.

  The partition wall 33 has a width and gradually becomes wider from the upper surface side toward the bottom surface side. Therefore, the ice making cell 32 partitioned by the partition wall 33 has a substantially square frustum shape whose bottom surface is smaller than the top surface.

  The surface of the partition wall 33 on one ice making cell 32 side has a region surrounded by 35a and 35c located on the upper surface side and 35e and 35g located on the bottom surface side. The surface of the partition wall 33 has a region surrounded by 35b and 35d located on the upper surface side and 35f and 35h located on the bottom surface side, and the communication groove 34 is formed on the upper surface so as to cut out between both regions. It is formed in a groove shape with the side open. Therefore, each part of 35a-35h becomes a corner part formed in the boundary of the side wall of the ice making cell 32, and the communicating groove 34. FIG.

  In addition, 35a and 35b are located on both side surfaces of the adjacent ice making cell 32 and face each other with the partition wall 33 interposed therebetween. Similarly, 35c and 35d, 35e and 35f, and 35g and 35h face each other across the partition wall 33.

  In the present embodiment, a vertex 35i is provided between the corner portions 35a and 35b facing each other at a position that is on the outer side (left side in FIG. 3B) than 35a and 35b. Similarly, on the outer side (right side in FIG. 3B) between the corners 35c and 35d facing each other, the vertex 35j is on the outer side (shown in FIG. 3B) between the corners 35e and 35f facing each other. A vertex 35k is provided at 3 (b) on the left side, and a vertex 35l is provided on the outside between the corner portions 35g and 35h facing each other (on the right side in FIG. 3 (b)).

  The communication groove 34 forms a wall surface in which the surface surrounded by 35a, 35e, 35k, 35i and the surface surrounded by 35b, 35f, 35k, 35i intersect at a straight line connecting 35i and 35k. Similarly, on the opposite wall surface, the surface surrounded by 35c, 35g, 35l, and 35j and the surface surrounded by 35d, 35h, 35l, and 35j intersect with a straight line connecting 35j and 35l. It is a side wall. That is, the side wall of the communication groove 34 has a V-shaped cross section that protrudes outward when viewed from the upper surface side.

  As a result, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, the width of the communication groove 34 is narrow at the front portion facing the ice making cell 32 and wide at the intermediate portion. Further, the boundary between the side wall of the communication groove 34 and the side surface of the partition wall 33 on the ice making cell 32 side is configured to have an acute angle when viewed from the upper surface side of the ice making tray 21.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, in the corner portion 35a that forms the boundary with the communication groove 34 on the upper surface of the partition wall 33, the side surface of the partition wall 33 on the ice making cell 32 side is an acute angle (θa ) Bent to the side surface of the communication groove 34 and toward the vertex 35 i in the communication groove 34. Further, in the corner portion 35e at the bottom of the communication groove 34, the side surface of the partition wall 33 on the ice making cell 32 side is bent at an acute angle (θe) at the corner portion 35e and is connected to the side surface of the communication groove 34, and the apex in the communication groove 34 Heading for 35k. Similarly for the other corner portions 35b, 35c, 35d, 35f, 35g, and 35h, the angle between the side surface of the partition wall 33 on the ice making cell 32 side and the side wall of the communication groove 34 is viewed from the upper surface side of the ice tray 21. It has an acute angle.

  FIG. 4 shows a state before the ice made by the ice tray of the present embodiment is deiced by the deicing operation. 4 shows ice made by any two ice making cells 32 adjacent to each other in the first direction in the ice tray 21 shown in FIG. 2, and the ice is made by the ice making cell 32 on the upper side in FIG. The ice 36a is made by the ice making cell 32 on the lower side of the paper, and the ice 36c is formed in the communication groove 34b.

  Since the ice tray 21 of the present embodiment includes the communication groove 34 having an acute angle with the partition wall 33 as described above, the boundary between the ice 36a and 36c formed by the ice tray 21 is provided at the boundary. Boundary portions 37a-37e and 37c-37g which are constricted portions are formed by the sharp-angled boundary portion. Similarly, boundary portions 37b-37f and 37d-37h serving as constricted portions are formed at the boundary portion between the ices 36b and 36c by the acute-angled boundary portion.

  FIG. 5 is a view for explaining the stress applied during the deicing operation on the ice made by the ice tray of the present embodiment. FIG. 5 shows the top surfaces of the ice 36a, the ice 36b, and the ice 36c.

  As described above, in the ice removal operation, the ice making plate 21 is twisted about the first direction, whereby the ice 36 is deiced from each ice making cell 32 of the ice making plate 21, but the torsional stress about the first direction is The stress is applied in the second direction to the ice making cells 32 adjacent to each other in the first direction and the ice made ice 36a and ice 36b. In the ice tray 21 shown in FIG. 2, for example, when the upper left stopper 34 is used as a fulcrum and the lower left side is twisted so as to be retracted into the back of the paper, as shown by the arrows in FIG. Is subjected to a stress Fb directed to the left side of the drawing in the second direction. On the other hand, the ice making cell 32 and the ice 36a on the upper side of the paper are subjected to the stress Fa toward the right side of the paper in the second direction by the reaction force of the stress.

  Since the ice tray 21 has flexibility, it easily deforms due to these stresses, but the ice is hard and difficult to deform. Therefore, stress concentrates on the boundary between the ice tray 21 and the ice 36 in the second direction. become. In the vicinity of the communication groove 34, the boundary between the partition wall 33b and the communication groove 34 is the stress concentration portion.

  In the present embodiment, the side wall of the communication groove 34 is formed such that the boundary between the partition wall 33 b serving as the side wall of the ice making cell 32 and the side wall of the communication groove 34 has an acute angle when viewed from the upper surface side of the ice tray 21. doing. In the form shown in FIG. 5, for example, the corner portions 35a, 35b, 35c, and 35d that serve as boundaries between the partition wall 33b and the communication groove 34 each have an acute angle.

  When the stress in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 5 is applied to the ice tray 21, a part of the stress Fa in the right direction is applied to the corner portion 35a of the partition wall 33b. Stress will be concentrated on. The partition wall 33b is deformed according to this stress, and pushes the ice 36a and 36c formed in the communication groove 34 with the stress concentrated on the corner portion 35a. However, since the ice is difficult to deform, the ice is concentrated on the corner 35a. The stress is concentrated on the boundary portion 37a between the ice 36c and the ice 36a. That is, the corner 35a becomes a wedge, and a wedge is hit on the boundary portion 37a between the ice 36c and the ice 36a.

  As a result, the boundary portion 37a between the ice 36c and the ice 36a is likely to crack rightward from the boundary portion 37a. Similarly, a part of the stress Fb in the left direction is applied to the corner 35d of the partition wall 33b, and the boundary portion 37d between the ice 36c and the ice 36b easily cracks leftward from the boundary portion 37d. Further, since the boundary portion 37c between the ice 36c and the ice 36a is pressed against the corner 35c of the partition wall 33b, the tip of the sharp corner portion 35c becomes a wedge to the boundary portion 37c between the ice 36c and the ice 36a. It will bite in and it will become easy to make a crack in the left direction from the boundary part 37c. Similarly, the boundary portion 37b between the ice 36c and the ice 36b is pressed against the corner 35b of the partition wall 33b, so that the tip of the sharp corner portion 35b becomes a wedge and becomes a boundary portion 37b between the ice 36c and the ice 36b. And cracks are easily formed in the right direction starting from the boundary portion 37b. FIG. 5 illustrates a state in which the boundary between the ice 36c and the ice 36a and the ice 36c and the ice 36b is cracked.

  That is, using the stress applied in the second direction by the deicing operation, shearing stress is generated at the boundary between the partition wall 33b and the communication groove 34, and the ice 36c formed in the communication groove 34 is divided. . Then, by forming the side wall of the communication groove 34 so that the boundary between the side wall of the ice making cell 32 and the side wall of the communication groove 34 has an acute angle, the above-described shear stress is applied to the ice 36a produced in the ice making cell 32 and Since it concentrates on the boundary part of the ice 36b and the ice 36c iced in the part of the communicating groove 34, it can divide by making a crack along the boundary of the ice 36a, the ice 36b, and the ice 36c.

  As a result, when the ice 36a and ice 36b made in the ice making cell 32 are detached from the ice tray 21, a part of the ice 36c made in the communication groove 34 is formed on the side surfaces of the ice 36a and ice 36b. It can be prevented that it remains and becomes a large protrusion, and as shown in FIG. 6, ice having excellent appearance and texture can be made with few protrusions 38.

  FIG. 7 shows ice 39 made by using the technique described in Patent Document 2 as a comparative example. Thus, in the prior art, the ice produced in the communicating groove portion is detached while being connected to the ice produced in the ice making cell, so that the protrusion 40 remains large. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as described above, the ice 36 with few protrusions 38 can be made.

  In this embodiment, the angle of the boundary between the side wall of the ice making cell 32 and the side wall of the communication groove 34 is an acute angle. However, the angle may be substantially an acute angle, and the side wall surface of the ice making cell 32 If the angle at which the side wall surface of the communication groove 34 intersects is an acute angle, the angle of the part that actually contacts may not be an acute angle. For example, even if the chamfering process is performed so that the end portion of the side wall surface of the ice making cell 32 is continuous with the side wall surface of the communication groove 34, the ice is cracked when the chamfered portion applies a shear stress to the ice. It suffices if it can be generated.

  Further, the angle of the boundary portion between the side wall of the ice making cell 32 and the side wall of the communication groove 34 is preferably 80 degrees or less. Thereby, the shear stress can be reliably concentrated on the boundary portion between the side wall of the ice making cell 32 and the side wall of the communication groove 34. On the other hand, the angle is preferably 60 degrees or more. As the angle is smaller, the shear stress tends to concentrate on the tip, but the mechanical strength of the tip tends to decrease. Therefore, by setting the above angle to 60 degrees or more, it is possible to maintain a sufficient strength against the stress applied to the ice tray 21 during ice making or ice removal.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3C, the communication groove 34 is preferably shaped so that the upper surface side is wider than the bottom surface side. This not only makes the width of the front end of the communication groove 34, for example, the width between 35a and 35c wider than the width between 35e and 35g, but also the middle portion of the communication groove 34, for example, between 35i and 35j. Is preferably wider than the width between 35k and 35l. As a result, it is possible to prevent the ice on the bottom surface side from being caught on the partition wall 33 on the upper surface side when the ice made in the ice making cell 32 is detached, and remaining from the ice making cell 32 without being removed. it can.

  In FIG. 3, the bottom surface of the communication groove 34 is a flat surface, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be an arbitrary curved surface, for example, a curved surface that swells downward.

  FIG. 2 also shows a communication groove 34a that connects the ice making cells 32 adjacent in the second direction. When the ice making cells 32 are arranged in a plurality of rows in the second direction as shown in FIG. 2, the communication grooves 34a are also provided between the ice making cells 32 adjacent in the second direction, so that the second The water level of the ice making cells 32 arranged in the direction can be made uniform.

  As for the communication groove 34a, the angle of the boundary between the side wall of the ice making cell 32 and the side wall of the communication groove 34a can be made acute as described above. As a result, the stress in the second direction generated by twisting the ice tray 21 in the ice removing operation can be divided by the acute angle portion provided at the boundary with the communication groove 34a of the partition wall 33a. It is possible to prevent the ice made in the portion from moving in the second direction and receiving the stress, and to promote the ice breaking at the boundary between the ice making cell 32 and the communication groove 34a.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 8 shows a communication groove 44 formed in the ice making tray 21 in the ice making device 20 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the communication groove 44 provided in the partition wall 33. FIG. 8B is a view (top view) of the communication groove 44 viewed from the direction (A) shown in FIG. 8A, and FIG. 8C is a view from the (B) direction shown in FIG. 8A. It is the figure (side view) of the communication groove 44 which was seen. A portion hidden by the partition wall 33 is indicated by a dotted line.

  This embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the side walls of the communication groove 44 are formed with curved surfaces instead of multiple surfaces. In this way, the angle of the boundary portion between the side wall of the ice making cell 32 and the side wall of the communication groove 44 can be made an acute angle also by making the side wall of the communication groove 44 a curved surface. Even in this embodiment, the communication groove 44 is formed so that the corners 45a to 45h facing the communication groove 44 of the partition wall 33 are acute when viewed from the upper surface side of the ice tray 21, thereby the first embodiment. The same effect can be achieved.

  Furthermore, in the second embodiment, since the side wall surface of the communication groove 44 has no corners other than the boundary with the side wall surface of the ice making cell 32, stress in the second direction is applied to the middle portion of the communication groove 44. As a result, the stress in the second direction is more concentrated on the boundary between the side wall of the ice making cell 32 and the side wall of the communication groove 44, and the ice can be cracked.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 9 shows the communication groove 54 formed in the ice tray 21 in the ice making device 20 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 9A is a perspective view of the communication groove 54 provided in the partition wall 33. FIG. 9B is a view (top view) of the communication groove 54 viewed from the direction (A) shown in FIG. A portion hidden by the partition wall 33 is indicated by a dotted line.

  In the present embodiment, an acute angle portion is not provided in the portion of the partition wall 33 facing the upper surface of the communication groove 54. In order to increase the volume of ice that can be made in the ice making cell, when the area of the ice making cell is increased with respect to the area of the ice tray, the upper surface of the partition wall 33 is particularly thin, and a constriction or an acute angle portion is provided on the upper surface side of the partition wall 33. It becomes difficult.

  In the present embodiment, corresponding to the above case, the upper surface of the partition wall 33 is not provided with a constriction or an acute angle portion, and the constriction or acute angle portion is provided in the portion of the partition wall 33 on the bottom surface side of the communication groove 54. ing. In FIG. 9, the upper surfaces 55 a and 55 b of the partition wall 33 are not provided with an acute angle portion, and the corner portions 55 c, 55 d, and 55 e that are boundaries between the side wall contacting the bottom surface of the communication groove 54 and the side wall of the ice making cell 32. , 55f is an acute angle. Further, a constriction portion by the apex 55g is provided on the side wall of the communication groove 54 between 55c and 55d, and a constriction portion by the apex 55h is provided on the side wall of the communication groove 54 between 55e and 55f. Therefore, the side wall of the communication groove 54 is shaped like a cone closed toward the upper surface.

  In the present embodiment, there is a case where there is no constricted portion formed by the acute angle portion of the partition wall 33 on the upper surface of the ice made in the communication groove 54, and therefore there is a possibility that cracks cannot occur on the upper surface side of the ice. There is. However, the fact that the partition wall is so thin that an acute angle portion cannot be formed means that the length of the communication groove 54 is short, and if there is no acute angle portion, it follows the side wall of the ice making cell 32. Even if cracks do not occur, the protrusion height of the protrusions remaining on the ice after deicing is slight, and does not become large enough to impair the beauty and texture. On the other hand, since the corners 55c, 55d, 55e, and 55f formed at acute angles are formed on the bottom surface side where the length of the communication groove 54 becomes long, a crack is generated along the side wall of the ice making cell 32. Ice that does not leave large protrusions can be made.

[Fourth Embodiment]
FIG. 10 shows a communication groove 64 formed in the ice tray 21 in the ice making device 20 according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 10A is a perspective view of the communication groove 64 provided in the partition wall 33. FIG.10 (b) is the figure (top view) of the communicating groove 64 seen from the (a) direction shown to Fig.10 (a). A portion hidden by the partition wall 33 is indicated by a dotted line.

  In the present embodiment, the side wall 64 a and the bottom wall 64 b of the communication groove 64 are formed so as to have a rougher surface roughness than the side wall 32 a of the ice making cell 32. Further, the angle of the boundary between the side wall of the ice making cell 32 and the side wall of the communication groove 64 is not an acute angle. That is, instead of the configuration in which the angle of the boundary between the side wall of the ice making cell 32 and the side wall of the communication groove 64 described in the first to third embodiments is an acute angle, the surface roughness of the side wall 64a and the bottom wall 64b of the communication groove 64 is increased. It is characterized by making the thickness rougher than the side wall 32a of the ice making cell 32.

  As described above, by making the surfaces of the side wall 64 a and the bottom wall 64 b of the communication groove 64 rougher than the surface of the side wall 32 a of the ice making cell 32, the ice produced in the communication groove 64 can be formed on the surface of the communication groove 64. It becomes harder to deicide by binding with a stronger force. Therefore, the ice made in the portion of the communication groove 64 behaves as if it is a part of the partition wall 33. Therefore, the stress in the second direction generated by twisting the ice making tray 21 in the deicing operation is as follows. The ice can be concentrated at the boundary between the communication groove 64 and the side wall 32 a of the ice making cell 32, and the ice can be divided at the boundary between the communication groove 64 and the side wall 32 a of the ice making cell 32.

  In the example of FIG. 10, 65a-65e and 65c-65g which are the boundary lines between the side wall 64a and the side wall 32a of the ice making cell 32, and 65e-65g which is the boundary line between the bottom wall 64b and the side wall 32a of the ice making cell 32. The ice made on the side of the communication groove 64 with respect to the surface surrounded by is made difficult to deice by the rough surface treatment applied to the side wall 64a and the bottom wall 64b. On the other hand, the ice made on the ice making cell 32 side than the surface surrounded by 65a, 65e, 65g and 65c is easily deiced from the side wall 32a of the ice making cell 32 due to the stress caused by the ice removing operation. The boundary surface surrounded by the above 65a, 65e, 65g, and 65c is a portion where the ice cannot be removed. Therefore, the stress due to the deicing operation is concentrated on this boundary surface, and the ice is easily divided at this boundary surface. Similarly, ice is likely to be broken at the boundary surface surrounded by 65b, 65f, 65h, and 65d.

  Of the ice divided along the boundary surface, the ice on the ice making cell 32 side is detached from the ice making cell 32, so that it falls into the ice storage case 11 and is stored. On the other hand, the ice on the side of the communication groove 64 remains because it is difficult to de-ice, but the heat capacity is very small. Therefore, when high temperature water is supplied to the ice tray 21 by the next water supply operation, it immediately melts in that water. Therefore, it is possible to supply water uniformly to each ice making cell 32 without blocking the communication groove 64.

  As described above, the surfaces of the side wall 64 a and the bottom wall 64 b of the communication groove 64 are rougher than the surface of the side wall 32 a of the ice making cell 32, thereby forming a boundary surface between the communication groove 64 and the side wall 32 a of the ice making cell 32. It is possible to divide the ice along the surface, and it is possible to make the ice that is made in the communication groove 64 and hardly remains as a protrusion.

  The surface roughness of the surface of the side wall 64 a and the bottom wall 64 b of the communication groove 64 can be made rougher by making a difference in level than the surface of the side wall 32 a of the ice making cell 32. For example, while the surface of the side wall 32a of the ice making cell 32 is a smooth surface with unevenness of 10 μm or less, the surface of the side wall 64a and the bottom wall 64b of the communication groove 64 is likely to catch ice by providing unevenness of 100 μm or more. It can be a surface. The entire surface of the ice tray 21 may be roughened by making the surface of the side wall 64a and the bottom wall 64b of the communication groove 64 rough by subjecting it to irregularities of 10 μm or less. The entire surface of the ice tray 21 may be 100 μm. After forming the rough surface having the above irregularities, the side walls 64a and the bottom wall 64b of the communication groove 64 are polished by chemical polishing after masking the surfaces of the side walls 64a and the bottom wall 64b of the communication groove 64. The surface other than the surface may be a smooth surface with irregularities of 10 μm or less.

[Fifth Embodiment]
FIG. 11 shows a communication groove 74 formed in the ice tray 21 in the ice making device 20 according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 11A is a perspective view of the communication groove 74 provided in the partition wall 33. FIG.11 (b) is the figure (top view) of the communicating groove 74 seen from the (a) direction shown to Fig.11 (a). A portion hidden by the partition wall 33 is indicated by a dotted line.

  This embodiment is a form in which the fourth embodiment is combined with the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the side walls 74a and the bottom wall 74b of the communication groove 74 having a roughened surface make it difficult for the ice in the communication groove 74 to be deiced, as in the fourth embodiment, and the acute angle provided in the partition wall 33. Cracks can be generated in the ice on the boundary surface between the communication groove 74 and the side wall 32a of the ice making cell 32 by the portions 75a to 75h. That is, the movement of ice in the communication groove 74 is limited, and the wedge is hit against the ice at the boundary surface between the communication groove 74 and the side wall 32a of the ice making cell 32, so that the boundary surface is more reliably cracked. Can be made. Note that the second embodiment and the third embodiment may be combined with the fourth embodiment.

  According to this invention, it can utilize for an ice making apparatus and a refrigerator provided with the same.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator 2 Housing | casing 3 Partition wall 4 Refrigeration room 5 Freezer compartment 6, 7 Door 8, 9, 10 Shelf 11 Ice storage case 12 First frozen food case 13 Second frozen food case 14 Partition wall 15 Evaporator 16 Cold air circulation fan 17 Defrosting heater 18 Ice making chamber 19 Partition wall 20 Ice making device 21 Ice making plate 22 Thermistor 23 Deicing mechanism 24 Water supply tank 25 Water supply pump 26 Bottom plate 27 Partition wall 28 Antifreeze heater 29 Water supply pipe 30 Water supply nozzle 31 Rotation Shaft 32 Ice making cell 33 Partition wall 33a Vertical partition wall 33b Horizontal partition wall 34 Communication groove 35a-35h Corner part 35i-35l Apex 36a, 36b Ice made in ice making cell part 36c Ice made in communication groove part 37a-37h Ice Boundary portion 38 Protrusion portion 39 Ice 40 made in ice making cell portion Protrusion portion 44 Communication groove 45a to 45h Corner portion 54 Communication groove 5a~55f corner 55 g, 55h apex 64 communicating groove 64a communicating groove sidewalls 64b communicating Mizosokokabe 65a~65h corner portion 74 communicating groove 74a communicating groove sidewalls 74b communicating Mizosokokabe 75a~75h corner

Claims (5)

A plurality of ice making cells whose upper surfaces are open are arranged side by side in the first direction, and a first communication groove serving as a water supply channel is formed between the side walls of the adjacent ice making cells when water is supplied to the ice making cells. An ice tray,
The ice tray is rotated 90 degrees or more around the first direction as a rotation axis, and the amount of rotation of one end portion and the amount of rotation of the other end portion in the first direction of the ice tray are different from each other. An ice making device comprising a deicing mechanism for generating a twisting force with the first direction as an axis and deicing the ice made in the ice making cell downward,
Has a portion angle of the boundary portion between the side walls of said first communicating sidewall and the adjacent ice making cells of the groove is acute when viewed from the top side, the ice making apparatus.   The side wall of the first communication groove is formed in an arc shape when viewed from the upper surface side so that an intermediate portion in the first direction of the first communication groove is wider than both end portions. The ice making device according to claim 1.   The ice making device according to claim 1, wherein unevenness deeper than a surface of the ice making cell is formed on a surface of the first communication groove. The ice making cell is also arranged in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and a water supply path is provided between the side walls of at least a pair of the ice making cells adjacent to the second direction when water is supplied to the ice making cell. A second communication groove is formed,
Having a portion where the angle of the boundary portion is an acute angle as viewed from the upper side of the side walls of the second communicating sidewall and the second ice adjacent cells in the direction of the grooves, any one of claims 1 to 3, The ice making device described in 1.   A refrigerator comprising the ice making device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 provided in a freezer and a water supply device for supplying water to the water tray.