JP6543465B2 - Water supply device of automatic ice making device for refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

  In the present invention, the water storage container for storing ice making water is disposed in the non-freezing cooling temperature region of the ice making water, the ice tray of the automatic ice making machine is disposed in the freezing temperature region maintained at the freezing temperature, and supplied from the water storage container The present invention relates to an automatic ice maker for a refrigerator that freezes the ice making water in the ice tray, and more particularly to a water supply apparatus including the water storage container.

  As a water storage device of a refrigerator with an automatic ice making machine that supplies ice making water to an ice tray of an automatic ice making machine from a water storage container installed in a refrigerator, the heat insulating partition dividing the ice making water of the water storage container from the cold room to the cold room Patent Document 1 discloses that the ice tray is supplied through a water supply pipe passing through.

  The inside of the water storage container has a double upper and lower structure, and the upper part is a main tank portion of a volume for storing ice making water of the amount required for multiple times of ice making, and the lower part stores the ice making water required for one ice making. The supply tank is provided with a supply hole for supplying ice making water to the measurement tank at the bottom of the main tank, and the water supply port is provided at a position directly above the water supply pipe at the bottom of the measurement tank. The mouth is equipped with an open / close valve that opens and closes. A solenoid is disposed around the water supply pipe, and is configured to be housed with an actuating member which is raised by energization of the solenoid and which opens the on-off valve.

JP, 2005-127686, A

  In the case of Patent Document 1, the solenoid ascends to rise, and the on-off valve is opened, and a flow-down passage for ice making water is formed between the periphery of the actuating member and the water supply pipe. The upper member is supported by the inlet of the water supply pipe, and the inlet of the water supply pipe is closed. For this reason, in the non-energized state of the solenoid, the cold air of the freezing chamber rises through the flow-down passage of the ice making water between the periphery of the operation member and the water supply pipe, and the water storage container is not exposed to the freezing temperature.

  However, the mechanism for allowing the ice making water in the measuring tank portion to naturally flow down to the water supply pipe is complicated, and the cost is increased, and the on-off valve exists in the water storage container. Work becomes complicated and cleaning is also troublesome.

  In view of the above-mentioned point, the present invention vertically separates a heat insulation partition wall which divides a cold storage room from a freezing room by a novel water supply apparatus for ice making water without providing a solenoid and an operation member operated up and down in the water supply pipe. The present invention provides a technique for preventing freezing of water in a water storage container when cold air below the freezing point of a freezing room rises from a water supply pipe penetrating like a shape.

The present invention comprises a water storage container for storing ice making water, and a water supply pipe communicating with the water storage container and supplying ice making water supplied from the water storage container to an ice tray disposed in an ice making unit of an automatic ice making machine; An ice making water inflow path comprising: a flow straightener inserted into and supported by a water supply pipe, wherein a gap between the flow straightening body and an inner wall of the water supply pipe allows the ice making water to flow down when the flow straightener is supported; It is formed as an ice making water passage, and the straightening body has a cover portion that protrudes so as to cover the upper surface of the ice making water passage, and a support portion is formed on the inner wall of the water supply pipe to hold and support the cover portion. is, the cover portion, characterized in that it is supported so as not to contact the inner wall of the water supply pipe.

  The present invention is characterized in that the straightening body has a rib extending in the longitudinal direction of the straightening body, and the rib divides the ice making water passage.

  The present invention comprises a pump device for supplying compressed air to a water storage container, the water storage container comprising a container body having an opening opening upward and a main tank portion for storing ice making water in the internal space of the container body. A partition that is divided into a measuring tank that stores ice making water in a predetermined manner to be supplied to the ice tray of the automatic ice making apparatus, and a supply hole communicating with the main tank and the measuring tank is formed A lid attached to the opening of the container main body to close the opening of the container main body, a float provided so as to be able to open and close the supply hole according to the water level of ice making water of the measuring tank, and And a compressed air introduction unit in communication with the tank unit, and the water supply pipe is in communication with the measurement tank unit.

  The present invention is characterized in that a water storage container storage unit for storing the water storage container in a removable manner is formed in a refrigerating chamber, and the water storage container is a refrigerator stored in the water storage container storage unit.

According to the present invention, the flow straightener includes a flow straightener inserted and supported in the water feed pipe, the flow straightener having a cover portion projecting to cover the upper surface of the ice making water passage, and the cover portion on the inner wall of the water feed pipe. A supporting portion is formed so as to be hooked and supported, and the cover portion is supported so as not to be in contact with the inner wall of the water supply pipe, whereby the flow adjusting body is supported and the flow adjusting body and the water supply pipe are since the gap between the inner wall formed as the ice making water flowing path and ice water passages for flow down the ice making water, because the space of the water supply pipe is limited by the flow regulator, the cold air from the ice making unit to the reservoir Since the inflow is suppressed to prevent freezing of the ice making water in the water storage container, and the rectifying body is configured to be simply hooked to the support portion , installation and removal become easy. ,water supply , It is possible to facilitate cleaning operations for straightening member.

According to the present invention, since the rib extending in the longitudinal direction of the flow straightener is formed to divide the ice making water channel by the rib, the ice making water flow parallel to the periphery of the flow straightening body in the water supply pipe is evenly arranged. It can be formed, and both the effect of suppressing the rise of cold air below freezing and the smooth flow down of ice making water can be achieved simultaneously.

It is a front view of the refrigerator 1 of 1st Embodiment provided with the water supply apparatus of the automatic ice making apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a front view for demonstrating the internal structure of the refrigerator 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal side view of the refrigerator 1; It is a cross-sectional perspective view for demonstrating the relationship between the water supply apparatus which concerns on this invention, and an automatic ice maker. It is a cross-sectional perspective view for demonstrating the slide structure of the water storage container of the water supply apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is an appearance perspective view of a water storage container concerning the present invention. It is a vertical side view for demonstrating the internal structure of the water storage container which concerns on this invention. It is a longitudinal side perspective view which shows a supply hole part in a cross section in order to demonstrate the internal structure of the water storage container which concerns on this invention. It is a vertical side view which shows a supply hole part in a cross section in order to demonstrate the internal structure of the water storage container which concerns on this invention. It is an exploded view perspective view of a reservoir container concerning the present invention. It is a top perspective view of the container main body of the water storage container which concerns on this invention. It is a top view of the container main part of the water storage container concerning the present invention. It is a perspective view from one direction of the partition of the water storage container concerning the present invention. It is the perspective view from the other direction of the partition of the water storage container which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view from the lower part of the partition of the water storage container concerning the present invention. It is a top perspective view of the state which inserted the partition in the container main body of the water storage container which concerns on this invention. (A) is a top view of the state which inserted the partition body in the container main body of the water storage container which concerns on this invention, (B) is an enlarged view of C circle of (A). It is a perspective view of the float of the water storage container concerning the present invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the supply hole part explaining the relationship of the float of the water supply apparatus which concerns on this invention, and a barrier. It is sectional drawing which shows the arrangement | positioning state of the rectifier which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view of the rectification object concerning the present invention. It is a top perspective view of the water supply pipe which concerns on this invention. It is a cross-sectional view of the feed pipe and the flow control body according to the present invention.

The present invention is a water supply apparatus for supplying ice forming water of a main tank to a measuring tank under natural flow, and pressing the ice making water stored in the measuring tank to an ice tray by compressed air of a pump apparatus, the ice making water An automatic ice making apparatus capable of reducing the flow of ice forming water in the main tank into the measuring tank while pushing out the ice into the ice tray and supplying the specified amount of ice making water smoothly from the measuring tank to the ice tray. It is a water supply device.
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a water supply device of an automatic ice making device according to the present invention will be described.

First Embodiment
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a refrigerator 1 of a first embodiment provided with a water supply device of an automatic ice making apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view for explaining an internal configuration of the refrigerator 1 . Is a vertical side view of the refrigerator 1;

  Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 1, among the directions parallel to the sheet of FIG. 1, the vertical direction of FIG. 1 is referred to as “vertical direction”, and the horizontal direction of FIG. 1 is referred to as “horizontal direction”. Further, a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1 will be described as “front-rear direction”. In the description, one of the vertical directions is referred to as "upper", and the other is referred to as "lower." One in the left-right direction is called the "left" and the other is called the "right". Of the front and rear directions, the front direction is called "front", and the other is called "rear".

  The refrigerator 1 is configured such that the interior of the refrigerator main body 2 having an opening formed on the front surface is partitioned by a partition wall to form a plurality of storage chambers, and the front surface of each storage chamber can be opened and closed by a door. The refrigerator main body 2 has an outer case 2A and an inner case 2B, and has a heat insulating structure in which a foam heat insulating material 2C is filled between the outer case 2A and the inner case 2B. In the refrigerator main body 2, each storage room is divided and provided in order of the refrigerator compartment 3, the freezer compartment 4, and the vegetable compartment 5 from the top.

The opening of the refrigerator compartment 3 is opened and closed by a refrigerator compartment door 10 rotatably attached to one side of the refrigerator body 2 via a hinge. The opening of the freezer compartment 4 is formed to be openable and closable by a door 12 rotatably provided on one side of the refrigerator body 2 via a hinge. The opening of the vegetable compartment 5 is provided in front of the vegetable receptacle 15 and the vegetable receptacle 15 supported so as to be extractable in the front-rear direction by a support device 18 consisting of left and right rails provided in the vegetable compartment 5 and left and right rollers. It is closed by a drawer type door 11.
The opening of the freezer compartment 4 may be configured to be able to be pulled out in the front-rear direction by the freezer container, the support device 18 and the drawer type door, as in the vegetable compartment 5.

  The refrigerator 1 includes a compressor 20 of a refrigerant performing a refrigeration cycle, a condenser 21 of the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle, and an evaporation pan 22 for evaporating defrost water described later by heat of the condenser 21. The compressor 20, the condenser 21, and the evaporation pan 22 are installed in a machine room 23 provided at the lower part of the refrigerator body 2. The evaporation pan 22 is placed on the condenser 21 and is movable forward from the lower front of the refrigerator body 2.

  The refrigerator 1 includes a cooler 24 of a refrigeration cycle installed in a cooler chamber 26 formed on the back of the freezer chamber 4 and cold air cooled by the cooler 24 as a refrigerator room 3, a freezer room 4, a vegetable room It further includes a blower 25 circulating to 5 and a defrosting glass tube heater 27 of the cooler 24. Defrosted water of the cooler 24 is led to the evaporating dish 22 through the drain pipe and evaporated in the evaporating dish 22.

  The refrigerator compartment 3 and the freezer compartment 4 are divided by the heat insulating partition wall 28. As shown in FIG. 4, the heat insulating partition wall 28 is a bottom plate 29 of the injection-molded refrigerator 3 made of a synthetic resin, a ceiling plate 30 of the injection-molded refrigerator 4 made of a synthetic resin, a bottom 29 and a ceiling It is comprised by the heat insulating material pinched | interposed between the board 30 and. The heat insulating material is realized by polystyrene foam or the like which is previously formed into a predetermined shape. The heat insulating partition wall 28 is inserted from the opening of the refrigerator main body 2 into a groove formed extending in the front-rear direction on the left and right side walls of the inner box 2B of the refrigerator main body 2 and a groove formed in the rear wall of the inner box 2B. Installed.

  The refrigerator 1 includes a back wall member 32. The back wall member 32 is a back wall member of the refrigerator compartment 3 disposed on the front side of the back wall behind the refrigerator main body 2, and is made of a synthetic resin back plate and a heat insulating material such as polystyrene foam attached to the back side thereof. Composed of a combination. The back wall member 32 forms a cold air supply passage 35 in the vertical direction on the back side of the refrigerator compartment 3 and a cold air passage 35 A provided in the left-right direction of the cold air supply passage 35.

  At a rear portion of the heat insulating partition wall 28, a cold air supply passage 36 penetrating the heat insulating partition wall 28 up and down is formed. The lower part of the cold air supply passage 36 is an introducing part of the cold air supplied from the blower 25, and the upper part is in communication 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 according to a command from the control circuit unit based on the detection result of the sensor that detects the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 3. By the opening and closing operation of the damper device 50, the flow rate of cold air is controlled, and the refrigerator compartment 3 is maintained at a predetermined temperature.

  The inside of the freezer compartment 4 is divided by the partition plate 47 into an ice making unit 6 constituting an ice making chamber and a freezer compartment 4A. The ice making unit 6 is provided with an automatic ice making machine 7 and an ice storage box 8. The automatic ice making machine 7 includes an electric drive mechanism 7A and an ice tray 7B which rotates forward and reversely on a substantially horizontal axis extending in the front-rear direction by the electric drive mechanism 7A. Below the ice tray 7B, an ice storage box 8 whose upper surface is open is disposed. The ice making unit 6 is an area in which the ice making water supplied from the water storage container 9 described later is frozen to produce ice. The ice making unit 6 has a temperature substantially equal to that in the freezing chamber 4, for example, a freezing temperature range of about 20 ° C. below freezing.

  The ice tray 7B is divided into four, five, or six ice making compartments in a row, with the longitudinal direction extending in the longitudinal direction as a row, and arranged in two rows on the left and right to make 8 to 12 square ice pieces Made of synthetic resin. The ice storage box 8 is made of white, transparent, semi-transparent or other color synthetic resin, and has a box-like shape with an upper opening whose depth is longer than the lateral width.

  A pair of rails 6 </ b> A is provided on the left and right side walls of the ice making unit 6. The ice storage box 8 is supported by the rail 6A so as to be able to be pulled out in the front-rear direction. The ice tray 7B is rotationally driven by the motor mechanism 7A to supply the ice made to the ice storage box 8.

  The ice storage box 8 can be pulled forward by opening the door 12. The openings of the ice making unit 6 and the freezer compartment 4A may be configured to be openable and closable by separate doors.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the automatic ice making device A according to the present invention has an automatic ice making machine 7 and a water supply device B. The water supply apparatus B includes a water storage container 9 and a pump device 60 for supplying compressed water for sending ice making water from the water storage container 9 to the water storage container 9. The water supply device B is disposed in the water storage container storage portion 46 provided in a part of the cold storage room 3.

  The water storage container 9 for storing the ice making water to be supplied to the ice tray 7B is disposed in the water storage container accommodating portion 46 of the small room in which the inside of the cold storage room 3 is divided by the dividing wall 45. The water storage container storage portion 46 is a partial region of the refrigerator compartment 3 and the refrigerator compartment 3 is cooled to a cooling temperature of, for example, 2 to 4 ° C. which does not freeze. For this reason, the water storage container storage unit 46 is also cooled to substantially the same temperature. With the front door 10 of the refrigerator compartment 3 opened, the water storage container 9 can be taken forward by the handle 9T on the front surface, with the upper surface of the bottom plate 29 as a sliding surface.

  The water storage container accommodation unit 46 and the ice making unit 6 are partitioned by the heat insulating partition wall 28. In the heat insulating partition wall 28, the ice making water supply passage 51 is vertically formed so as to vertically flow so that the ice making water supplied from the water supply device B naturally flows down. The ice making water supply passage 51 forms an inlet portion of the ice making water supply passage 51 by means of the water supply pipe 51P. The ice making water is supplied from the water storage container 9 to the ice making tray 7 B of the automatic ice making machine 7 through the ice making water supply path 51.

First, the water storage container 9 will be described.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view for explaining the relationship between the water supply device according to the present invention and the automatic ice making machine. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional perspective view for explaining the slide configuration of the water storage container of the water supply device according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of a water storage container according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal side view for explaining the internal configuration of the water storage container according to the present invention. FIG. 8 is a longitudinal side perspective view showing the supply hole portion in cross section in order to explain the internal configuration of the water storage container according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing the supply hole portion in cross section in order to explain the internal configuration of the water storage container according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the water storage container according to the present invention. FIG. 11 is a top perspective view of the container body of the water storage container according to the present invention. FIG. 12 is a plan view of the container body of the water storage container according to the present invention. FIG. 13 is a perspective view from one direction of the partition of the water storage container according to the present invention. FIG. 14 is a perspective view from the other direction of the partition of the water storage container according to the present invention. FIG. 15 is a perspective view from below of the partition of the water storage container according to the present invention. FIG. 16 is a top perspective view of the water storage container according to the present invention with the partition inserted in the container body. Fig. 17 (A) is a plan view of the water storage container according to the present invention with the partition inserted in the container body, and Fig. 17 (B) is an enlarged view of circle C in Fig. 17 (A).

The water storage container 9 of the present invention has a container body 9A having an opening 9A2 that opens upward, and a lid 9C that is attached to the opening 9A2 of the container body 9A and closes the opening 9A2 of the container body 9A.
The water storage container 9 is further contained in the container body 9A, and the internal space of the container body 9A is measured by storing the ice making water of a predetermined capacity to be supplied to the main tank portion 90 storing ice making water and the ice tray 7B. It has a partition wall which is divided into the tank portion 91 and in which a supply hole 92 communicating with the main tank portion 90 and the measuring tank portion 91 is formed. In the embodiment, the partition wall is constituted by a partition body 9B which is detachably accommodated in the container main body 9A, and a supply hole 92 communicating with the main tank portion 90 and the measuring tank portion 91 is formed in the partition body 9B.
The water storage container 9 further includes a compressed air introducing portion 91A in communication with the measuring tank portion 91, and an ice making water outlet portion 91B in communication with the measuring tank portion 91 and guiding the ice making water in the measuring tank portion 91 to the ice tray 7B. Have. The compressed air supplied to the compressed air introduction portion 91A is supplied by a pump device 60 described later.

  In such a configuration, as a technique for achieving the object of the present invention, the water storage container 9 arranges the compressed air introducing portion 91A on one side of the measuring tank portion 91, and measures the supply hole 92 and the ice making water outlet portion 91B. Arranged on the other side of the tank 91.

  Further, as a technique for achieving the object of the present invention, the supply holes 92 are provided to be separated from the compressed air introducing portion 91A more than the ice making water leading portion 91B.

Further, as a technique for achieving the object of the present invention, the measuring tank portion 91 is in the form of a quadrilateral, and the compressed air introducing portion 91A is disposed at any corner portion, and the supply holes 92 are provided at the diagonal corner portions. Place.

Furthermore, as a technique for achieving the object of the present invention, the partition body 9B includes a supply hole 92 and a compressed air introducing portion 91A.
And the ice making-up water lead-out portion 91B, and is detachable in the container main body 9A.

Hereinafter, the specific structure of the water storage container 9 of this invention is demonstrated.
The form of the water storage container 9 can apply the thing of various shapes and structures, such as circular shape, an elliptical shape, an oval shape, a quadrilateral shape, and a polygonal shape. In addition, various forms such as circular, oval, oval, quadrilateral, and polygonal shapes can be applied to the form of the measurement tank portion 91 for storing ice making water pushed out to the ice tray 7B by the compressed air of the pump device 60. .

  In the present invention, regardless of the form of the water storage container 9 and the form of the measurement tank portion 91, the water storage container 9 includes the supply hole 92 and the compressed air introducing portion 91A communicating with the measurement tank portion 91. And an ice making water lead-out portion 91B communicating with the measuring tank portion 91 and guiding the ice making water in the measuring tank portion 91 to the ice tray 7B. As one of the techniques, the compressed air introducing part 91A is disposed on one side of the measuring tank 91, and the supply hole 92 and the ice making water leading part 91B are disposed on the other side of the measuring tank 91.

  Preferably, the supply hole 92 is provided to be separated from the compressed air introduction portion 91A more than the ice making water discharge portion 91B. As shown in FIG. 17A, the distance L2 to the center of the supply hole 92 is longer than the distance L1 to the center of the ice making water lead-out part 91B with respect to the center of the compressed air introducing part 91A. .

  As shown in FIG. 12 and the like, in the case of a quadrangular shape in which the measuring tank portion 91 forms four corner portions K1 to K4 in top view, the compressed air introducing portion 91A is disposed at any corner portion, and Supply holes 92 are arranged at diagonal corners.

  As a preferred arrangement, the compressed air introduction portion 91A to the measuring tank portion 91 is arranged at one corner portion K1 of the two corner portions K1 and K4 of one side HR among the four corner portions K1 to K4. Do. Further, the ice making water lead-out portion 91B is disposed at the corner portion K2 closer to the compressed air introducing portion 91A out of the two corner portions K2 and K3 on the other side HF side facing the one side HR and compressed air The supply hole 92 is disposed at the corner K3 on the side far from the introduction portion 91A.

  As illustrated, in the case where the measuring tank portion 91 has a rectangular shape forming four corner portions K1 to K4 in top view, it has a pair of short sides HF, HR and a pair of long sides HS, HT in top view A rectangular shape is measured, and among corner portions where a pair of short sides HF, HR and a pair of long sides HS, HT intersect, one corner portion K1 of corner portions K1, K4 on the short side HR side is weighed The compressed air introducing portion 91A to the tank portion 91 is disposed. Further, of the other short side HF side corner portions K2 and K3, the ice making water outlet portion 91B is disposed at the corner portion K2 closer to the compressed air introducing portion 91A, and the corner portion on the side farther from the compressed air introducing portion 91A. The supply holes 92 are arranged in K3. Similar to the peripheral shape of the measuring tank portion 91, an annular packing 117 described later has a rectangular shape including a pair of short sides and a pair of long sides in top view.

  In the water storage container 9 of the present invention, when the ice making water is supplied from the measuring tank 91 to the ice tray 7B, the water for making ice in the main tank 90 is prevented from flowing excessively to the measuring tank 91. The float body 93 is provided so as to be able to open and close the supply hole 92 in accordance with the water level of the ice making water of the portion 91. As a result, the float body 93 closes the supply hole 92 until the water level of the ice making water of the measuring tank portion 91 reaches the predetermined low water level. For this reason, the float body 93 can prevent the flow down from the main tank portion 90 to the measuring tank portion 91 through the supply hole 92. Furthermore, the float body 93 can prevent a portion of the ice making water stored in the measuring tank portion 91 from flowing back to the main tank portion 90 through the supply hole 92.

  As described above, the compressed air introducing part 91A is disposed on one side of the measuring tank 91, and the supply hole 92 and the ice making water leading part 91B are disposed on the other side of the measuring tank 91. Further, the measuring tank portion 91 has a quadrilateral shape, and the compressed air introducing portion 91A is disposed at one of the corner portions, and the supply hole 92 is disposed at the diagonal corner portion. As a result, the supply holes 92 and the ice making water lead-out portion 91B are disposed apart from the compressed air introduction portion 91A. Therefore, the influence of the compressed air introduced from the compressed air introducing portion 91A on the float body 93 can be reduced, and the operation of the float body 93 closing the supply hole 92 is stabilized. Furthermore, by providing the supply hole 92 further away from the compressed air introduction part 91A than the ice making water lead-out part 91B, the open / close operation of the float body 93 can be further stabilized, and the compressed air leaks from the supply hole 92. You can prevent.

Usability of the water storage container 9, productivity, securing of the volume of the main tank portion 90, securing of the volume of the measuring tank portion 91, accommodation of the refrigerator 1 and storage ratio of the water storage container 9 In consideration of the above, as one preferable embodiment, the water storage container 9 has a rectangular shape whose length in the front-rear direction is longer than the lateral width.
Hereinafter, the water storage container 9 of this form will be described in detail.

As illustrated, the water storage container 9 has a length (depth) in the front-rear direction that is the long side compared to the length (horizontal width) in the left-right direction that is the short side. In the shape of a long rectangle, and the overall shape is a rectangular shape long in the front-rear direction.

  According to this shape, the water storage container 9 is inserted into the container main body 9A having an opening portion 9A2 which opens upward forming the main tank portion 90 long in the front-rear direction for storing ice making water, and is inserted into the container main body 9A Immediately below the portion 90, there are provided a partition body 9B for partitioning the measurement tank portion 91, and a lid 9C detachably attached to the container body 9A so as to close the opening 9A2 of the container body 9A.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the measuring tank portion 91 has a rectangular shape long in the front-rear direction in top view, and corner portions K1 to K4 at four corners form a circular arc. As shown in FIG. 17A, the compressed air introducing portion 91A is disposed on one side of the measuring tank portion 91, that is, on the short side HR on the rear side of the short sides HF and HR located on the front and rear. Further, the supply hole 92 and the ice making water lead-out portion 91B are disposed apart from each other on the other side of the measuring tank 91, that is, the short side HF on the front side among the short sides HF and HR located in the front and back.

  In this specific arrangement, as shown in FIG. 17A, compressed air is introduced into one of the corner portions K1 and K4 of the left and right corner portions K1 and K4 of the rear short side HR among the short sides HF and HR located at the front and rear. The section 91A is arranged. Further, the ice making water lead-out portion 91B is disposed at the corner portion K2 closer to the compressed air introduction portion 91A among the left and right corner portions K2 and K3 of the front short side HF, and the side far from the compressed air introduction portion 91A Supply holes 92 are arranged at the corner K3. The ice making-up water lead-out portion 91B and the supply hole 92 are separated from each other, and the supply hole 92 is disposed farther from the compressed air introduction portion 91A than the ice making-use water lead-out portion 91B. In the measuring tank portion 91, a specified amount of ice making water necessary for one ice making by the automatic ice making machine 7 is stored. The prescribed amount required for one ice making is the amount by which the ice tray 7B reaches the prescribed water level.

  Also in the case of the water storage container 9 of this form, similarly to the above, the influence of the compressed air introduced from the compressed air introducing portion 91A on the float body 93 can be reduced, and the operation of the float body 93 closing the supply hole 92 is stable. Do. Further, by providing the supply holes 92 more apart from the compressed air introducing portion 91A than the ice making water leading portion 91B, a more stable operation can be obtained.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 to 15 and FIG. 17A, the supply hole 92, the compressed air introducing portion 91A, and the ice making water leading portion 91B are formed to penetrate the partition 9B. Therefore, the mutual arrangement of the supply holes 92, the compressed air introducing portion 91A, and the ice making water leading portion 91B can be easily determined.

  As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, the compressed air introduction path 94 for introducing the compressed air of the pump device 60 into the measuring tank portion 91 is a compressed air introduction portion 91A formed in the partition 9B. The compressed air guiding pipe 96 which extends backward from the body 9C and is detachably connected to the air discharge port 63 of the front face of the pump device 60, and the upper end communicates with the compressed air guiding pipe 96 via the annular packing 116 and the lower end And the compressed air introduction pipe 97 provided upright on the partition 9B so as to communicate with the compressed air introduction portion 91A. In the embodiment, the compressed air introduction pipe 97 is integrally formed with the compressed air introduction portion 91A in the partition body 9B, and has a circular shape with the same diameter as the circular compressed air introduction portion 91A (there is a gentle draft on molding). The compressed air introduction pipe 97 of the

  The ice making water lead-out passage 95 for leading ice making water from the measuring tank portion 91 to the ice tray 7B is provided upright on the partition 9B so that the ice making water lead portion 91B communicates with the ice making water lead portion 91B. The ice making-up water lead-out pipe 99, the ice making-up water guiding pipe 98 erected on the container main body 9A with its lower end facing the ice making-use water supply path 51, the upper end of the ice making-use water lead-out pipe 99 and the top end of the ice making-up water guiding pipe 98 And a communication passage 100 communicating with the communication channel. Thereby, the ice making-up water lead-out passage 95 constitutes a passage bent upward in an inverted U-shape or a portal shape.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in order to press the ice making water of a specified amount necessary for one ice making to the ice making tray 7B by the compressed air of the pump device 60, from the partition 9B to communicate with the ice making water outlet pipe 99. An ice making water lead-out portion 91B is formed by the opening at the lower end of the downwardly extending outlet pipe 99P. The opening at the lower end of the outlet pipe 99P opens at a position close to the inner bottom surface of the measuring tank portion 91. Between the inner bottom surface 9A1 of the measurement tank portion 91 corresponding to the inner bottom surface 9A1 of the container main body 9A and the lower end of the outlet pipe 99P, an interval TP for the ice making water to flow out is formed. In the embodiment, the circular ice-making water outlet pipe 99 and the circular outlet pipe 99P form a series of pipes having the same inner diameter. For this reason, the circular outlet pipe 99P rises with the same diameter as the circular ice-making water lead-out portion 91B (there is a gentle draft in molding), and is communicated with the circular ice-making water lead-out pipe 99.

  In the embodiment, the outlet pipe 99P communicates with the ice making water outlet pipe 99 at the same inner diameter as the ice making water outlet pipe 99, and is integrally molded with the partition 9B.

  As shown in FIG. 13 to FIG. 17A and FIG. 17B, the communication passage 100 is an open communication passage with an upper surface opening except the lower half of the cylindrical body extending in the lateral direction. The communication passage 100 is provided at an upper end portion of the ice making water guiding pipe 98 with an opening portion 100A of an upper surface opening that expands in a square bowl shape, and an opening of the upper side opening extending forward from the upper end portion of the ice making water lead pipe 99. It comprises the buttocks 100B. The opening 100A forms a notch-like connecting wall 100M in the rear wall. The beveled portion 100B has a tip portion 100P in which the bottom wall and the left and right walls are enlarged, and forms a connecting groove 100N on the outer periphery on the root side of the tip portion 100P.

  As shown in FIGS. 16, 17A and 17B, the opening portion 100B is mounted on the opening portion 100A by the insertion of the partition body 9B into the container main body 9A, and the connection wall 100M is in the connection groove 100N. To fit. In this state, in a state where the tip end portion 100P of the opening portion 100B enters the inside of the opening portion 100A, both are connected to form a continuous communication path 100. The top opening of the communication passage 100 is closed by the lid 9C attached to the container body 9A, and the communication passage 100 extends in the lateral direction. The communication passage 100 inclines low from the ice making water outlet pipe 99 side to the ice making water guiding pipe 98 side. For this reason, the flow of the ice making water from the measuring tank portion 91 to the ice making water supply path 51 is good, and the water removal is good.

  When the container body 9A, the partition 9B, and the lid 9C are formed by synthetic resin molding, the compressed air introduction passage 94, ice making water lead-out passage 95, etc. related thereto are integrally molded by synthetic resin. In this case, if the entire ice making water lead-out passage 95 including the communication passage 100 is used as the underdrain passage, the molding die, molding method and the like become complicated, resulting in a large cost increase. As described above, the ice making-up water lead-out passage 95 constitutes a passage bent upwards in an inverted U-shape or in the shape of a portal, and the communication passage 100 is an open portion 100A of the upper surface opening on the ice making water guiding pipe 98 side. Since the opening portion 100B on the upper surface opening side of the ice making water outlet pipe 99 is formed, the molding die, molding method, etc. are simplified and the cost can be reduced also when molding each part as described above. Can be achieved.

  Although there is also a method of using a seal packing at the connecting portion between the opening portion 100A and the opening portion 100B, in such a case, water remaining in the seal packing portion may rot and cause mold. In the present invention, as described above, with the insertion of the partition body 9B into the container main body 9A, the tip end portion of the opening portion 100B is mounted on the tip end portion of the opening portion 100A, and the tip end portion 100P of the opening portion 100B. Is in the state of entering into the opening portion 100A. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the water leakage of the ice making water flowing through the ice making water lead-out passage 95 without using the sealing packing. Further, if the partition body 9B is removed from the inside of the container main body 9A, it is possible to wash the opening portion 100A and the opening portion 100B, so that the generation of mold can be prevented. Furthermore, since the opening portion 100A and the opening portion 100B can be connected with the insertion of the partition body 9B, the connection work of the both opening portions is simplified. As a result, the connection and separation of the portion of the communication passage 100 is facilitated, and the cleaning is also facilitated, so the assembly and disassembly are facilitated, and the communication passage 100 is a sanitary one.

In addition, the cold water of the ice making unit 6 ascends back to the measuring tank portion 91 by rising the ice making water supply path 51 by forming a passage bent upward in an inverted U-shape or a gate shape upwards. There is an effect that can be suppressed. Furthermore, the compressed air introduction path 94 is configured to rise from the compressed air introduction portion 91A, and the ice making water leading path 95 is a flow of rising and falling ice making water drawn out from the ice making water lead portion 91B. For this reason, the ice making water of the measuring tank 91 is the air of the ice making water supply passage 51 and the pump device 60 due to the vibration when storing the water storage container 9 in the water storage container storage 46 or when opening or closing the refrigerator door 10. Leakage to the discharge port 63 can be prevented.
In order to improve the leakage prevention effect, the bottom surface level 100 L in the communication passage 100 and the bottom surface level 96 L of the compressed air guiding pipe 96 are slightly higher than the ice making water filling level WL in the water storage container 9. The ice-making water filling level WL in the water storage container 9 is, in other words, the ice-making water filling level of the main tank portion 90, and is set to the level of the horizontal side 104A provided at the lower part of the water supply port 104.

Next, the relationship between the supply hole 92 and the float body 93 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 15, the supply hole 92 is shaped to have an enlarged portion 92A at the center of the rectangular hole. As shown in FIGS. 17A and 18, a substantially T-shaped support portion 93A having a size passing through the rectangular supply hole 92 is provided at the center of the upper surface of the float body 93. For this reason, the locking side 93P of the upper end portion of the support portion 93A is formed by turning the float body 93 approximately 90 degrees while passing the support portion 93A through the supply hole 92 from below along the rectangular shape of the supply hole 92. The float body 93 is locked to the upper edge portion of the enlarged portion 92A of the supply hole 92, and the float body 93 is held in a state where it does not fall. In this state, the longitudinal shaft portion 93Q of the support portion 93A is loosely fitted to the enlarged portion 92A of the supply hole 92. For this reason, the float body 93 can move up and down by the water level of the measuring tank portion 91.

  With this configuration, before the water level of the measurement tank portion 91 reaches a predetermined full state, the float body 93 descends, and the ice making water of the main tank portion 90 passes from the periphery of the support portion 93A through the supply hole 92, Flow naturally down to the measuring tank portion 91 through the periphery of the float body 93. When the water level of the measuring tank 91 rises to full, the float 93 rises, and when the measuring tank 91 becomes full as shown in FIG. 19, the upper surface of the float 93 is supplied, as shown in FIG. It abuts on the lower surface of the partition 9 B around the hole 92 and closes the supply hole 92.

  By the start of the ice making process, the pump device 60 is operated, and the compressed air flows in from the compressed air introducing portion 91A, and pushes out the ice making water of the measuring tank portion 91. The water level in the measuring tank portion 91 gradually decreases with the pushing, but the float body 93 keeps the supply hole 92 closed until the measuring tank portion 91 reaches a predetermined low water level. Thus, the buoyancy of the float body 93 is set. As a result, it is possible to limit the extrusion of the ice making water by an amount exceeding the specified amount extruded from the measuring tank portion 91.

  When the water level in the measuring tank portion 91 drops and reaches a predetermined low level, the float body 93 opens the supply hole 92. At that time, the float body 93 does not immediately descend but descends with a slight delay. Do. That is, due to the adhesion of water existing between the upper surface of the float 93 and the lower surface of the partition 9B, the float 93 keeps the supply hole 92 closed. When the balance between the weight of the float body 93 and the adhesion action is lost, the maintenance action disappears, and the float body 93 finally descends to open the supply hole 92. Even if a small amount flows down from the supply hole 92 by opening the supply hole 92, then at this time, a substantially entire amount of ice water for making a defined amount has already been pushed out to the ice tray 7B. Even if this small amount flows down from the supply hole 92, it hardly affects the extrusion of the specified amount of ice making water.

  In the embodiment, the prescribed amount required for one ice making is 80 cc, and the measuring tank portion 91 has a volume for securing this prescribed amount. The predetermined amount of 80 cc of extrusion necessary for one ice making is determined by the operation time of the air pump 61. In the example, it is obtained by running for 15 seconds.

  The present invention is a novel water supply apparatus B for ice making water without providing a solenoid and an actuating member operated up and down in the water supply pipe 51, and a water storage container by cold air below the freezing point of the ice making unit 6 which raises the water supply pipe 51P. Provides technology to prevent water in 9 from freezing. The details will be described below. FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of the flow straightener 130, FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the flow straightener, FIG. 22 is a top perspective view, and FIG.

  The water supply pipe 51P has a flange 51Y at its upper end, and is an inner surface of a pipe having a circular cross section with respect to the pipe axis PL which is the axis of the water supply pipe 51P. It is a straight tubular pipe in which the inlet 51A is formed. The water supply pipe 51P is made of synthetic resin. A positioning projection protruding downward from the collar 51Y in a state in which the water supply pipe 51P is fitted in a hole penetrating the heat insulation partition 28 and the collar 51Y is mounted on the bottom plate 29 of the refrigerator compartment 3 constituting the heat insulation partition 28 The water supply pipe 51P is set in a predetermined state in a state where the ice making water outlet 51C slightly protrudes downward from the heat insulating partition wall 28 by fitting 51Z into a recess or a hole (not shown) formed in the bottom plate 29 of the refrigerator compartment 3. Mounted in position.

  As shown in FIG. 20, a straightening body 130 forming an ice making water passage 133 penetrating vertically between the water supply pipe 51P and the inner surface of the water supply pipe 51P is accommodated in the water supply pipe 51P in the longitudinal direction of the water supply pipe 51P. There is. The ice making water passage 133 may be a circular annular passage between the inner surface of the water supply pipe 51P and the rectifying body 130, but in the embodiment, it is substantially coaxial with the pipe axis PL which is the central axis of the water supply pipe 51P. A straightening body 130 is supported, and a substantially uniform ice making water passage 133 is formed around the straightening body 130.

  In order to form the ice making water passage 133 parallel to the direction of the pipe axis PL which is the central axis of the water supply pipe 51P, the flow control body 130 made of synthetic resin having a plurality of ribs 131 formed on the outer surface It is detachably supported. The rectifying body 130 integrally has a circular cover portion 132 covering an upper surface of the ice making water passage 133 integrally at an upper portion. The flow straightener 130 has a plurality of support portions 135 for supporting the flow straightener 130 such that the ice making water inlet path 134 communicating with the ice making water path 133 is formed around the cover 132. It is integrally formed in the upper inside. The support portions 135 are formed to project into the ice making water inlet 51A at substantially equal intervals. With the cover portion 132 supported by the support portion 135, the cover portion 132 is positioned in the ice making water inlet 51A without the cover 132 projecting upward from the water supply pipe 51P. In this state, the ice making water inflow path 134 is formed between the inner surface of the ice making water inlet 51A and the entire periphery of the cover 132.

  At least three ribs 131 of the flow straightener 130 are in contact with the inner surface of the water supply pipe 51P, and the flow straightener 130 is disposed substantially coaxial with the pipe axis PL which is the central axis of the water supply pipe 51P. The rectifying body 130 is maintained at the central portion of the water supply pipe 51P. As shown in FIG. 20, the lower end portion 130P of the rectifying body 130 has a conical shape with a conical shape at an angle r of approximately 45 degrees in side view in order to introduce it to the ice tray 7B while converging the ice making water to the central portion. It has a tip shape that converges in the central axial direction of 130. With the cover portion 132 supported by the support portion 135 and the flow straightener 130 supported within the water supply pipe 51, the substantially conical lower end 130P of the flow straighten 130 is, as shown in FIG. It protrudes from the lower end downward.

  With the above configuration, the outlet 95D of the ice making water discharge passage 95 and the ice making water inlet 51A are arranged substantially coaxially, so all the ice making water flowing out from the ice making water discharge passage 95 is the ice making water inlet The water is introduced into the ice making water inlet passage 134 substantially uniformly and flows down the ice making water passage 133, whereby the ice making water can be introduced into the ice making tray 7B in a convergent state from the lower end portion of the rectifying body 130.

  In the present invention, a space in the water supply pipe 51P is formed in order to form an ice making water passage in the axial direction of the water supply pipe 51P between the straightening body 130 inserted and supported in the water supply pipe 51P and the inner surface of the water supply pipe 51P. Since the restriction by the rectifying body 130, the rising resistance of the cold air below the freezing point of the ice making unit 7 trying to rise in the water supply pipe 51P becomes large, and it is possible to prevent the water in the water storage container 9 from freezing. Further, when the ice making water passages 133 parallel to each other in the axial direction of the water supply pipe 51P are formed between the ribs 131, the rib 131 makes the water passages for ice making parallel in a substantially uniform arrangement around the rectifying body 130 in the water supply pipe 51P. 133 can be formed, and the effect of suppressing the rise of cold air below the freezing point and the smooth flow-down effect for ice making can be simultaneously achieved.

  Furthermore, the rectifying body 130 has a cover portion 132 covering the upper surface of the ice making water path 133 at the top, and the ice making water inflow path 134 communicating with the ice making water path 133 in a state where the rectifying body 130 is supported by the support portion 135 , And around the cover portion 132. Therefore, the ice making water flowing down from the ice making water discharge path 95 smoothly flows from the ice making water inflow path 134 to the ice making water path 133, while the rise of the cold air below the freezing point is subjected to a rising resistance by the cover portion 132. The effect of suppressing the rise of cold air below freezing can be exhibited. The same effect can be exhibited whether the ice making water passage 133 is annularly formed on the entire periphery of the flow straightener 130 or is formed in parallel by the ribs 131.

  In order to prevent the water droplets remaining in the water supply pipe 51P from freezing, the electric heater 51H may be disposed around the water supply pipe 51P to heat the water supply pipe 51P.

  The present invention is effective when applied to various forms of refrigerator, and is not limited to the form described in the above embodiment. For this reason, it is applicable to the refrigerator of various forms within the scope of the meaning of the present invention.

A · · · Automatic ice making device B · · · · Water supply device 1 · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · refrigerator room 4 · · · Freezing chamber 6 ······ Ice making unit 7 ······· Automatic ice making machine 7 B ··· Ice making tray 8 ····· Ice storage box 9 ······ Water holding container 9 A ·· ... container body 9A3 inner bottom surface 9B of the ... locking portion 9A1 ···· container body ..... partition body 9BF ···· pressing flange 9BT ···· support projections 9C ···· · Lid 9T · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 28 lid · · · · · partition wall 32 · · · back wall member of the cold storage room 46 · · · water storage container housing portion 46A · · · · · locking step 51 ······ Ice supply water supply passage 60 ··· Pump unit 60 U ··· Air pump unit 61 ··· Air pump 62 ··· Main body Soot 63 ··· Air outlet 63A · · · Air outlet pipe 63B · · · Gasket 63C · · · Air discharge path 63D ··· Dustproof filter 65 ··· Exterior case 90 · · · ... Main tank portion 90P · · · Packing holding portion 90P 1 · · · Annular projection 90P 2 · · · Annular groove 90P 3 · · · Abutment portion 90P 4 · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · holding tank 91 · · · measuring tank portion 91A · · · ... compressed air introduction part 91B · · · · ice making water discharge portion 92 ..... supply holes 93 ..... float body
94 ··· Compressed air introduction path 95 ······ Ice discharge water discharge path 96 · · · Compressed air induction pipe 97 ··· Compressed air introduction pipe 98 · · · Ice water induction pipe 99 ----- ice water deriving pipes 99P ... outlet pipe 100 ... communicating passage 100A · · · Hirakimizo portion 100B · · · Hirakimizo 104 ... water supply port 105 .... cap 110 .... engaging protrusion 111 ... engagement groove 111A · · · engaging groove of the outer wall 112 ... inclined surface 115 .... annular inner wall 111B · · · engaging groove Packing 116 · · · Ring packing 117 · · · Ring packing 117D · · · Mounting groove 117Q · · · Shoulder 117R1 · · · outer annular rib 117R2 · · · inner annular rib 117 T · · · · · · · · · · · · Barrier 122 ・ ・ ・ ・ Water flow for ice making Part 125 .... air discharge groove 125A ··· bulging groove

130 ··················································· − ·············································· By current by straightening body 131 ·································································································································································

Claims (4)

A reservoir for storing ice making water;
A water supply pipe communicating with the water storage container and supplying the ice making water supplied from the water storage container to an ice making tray disposed in an ice making unit of an automatic ice making machine;
And a rectifying body inserted and supported in the water supply pipe;
A gap between the flow straightener and the inner wall of the water supply pipe is formed as an ice making water inflow path and an ice making water flow path which allow the flow of the ice making water while the flow straightening body is supported.
The straightening body has a cover portion projecting to cover the upper surface of the ice making water passage,
A support portion is formed on the inner wall of the water supply pipe to hold and support the cover portion,
Wherein the cover portion, the water supply apparatus of a refrigerator for an automatic ice making apparatus characterized by being supported so as not to contact the inner wall of the water supply pipe. The straightening body has a rib extending in the longitudinal direction of the straightening body,
The water supply device of an automatic ice-making device for a refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the rib makes the water passage for ice-making divided. And a pump device for supplying compressed air to the water storage container,
The water storage container is
A container body having an opening that opens upward;
The internal space of the container body is divided into a main tank portion for storing ice making water and a measuring tank portion for storing ice making water in a predetermined manner to be supplied to the ice making tray of the automatic ice making apparatus, A partition in which a supply hole communicating with the measuring tank portion is formed;
A lid attached to the opening of the container body and closing the opening of the container body;
A float body provided so as to be able to open and close the supply hole in accordance with the water level of the ice making water of the measurement tank portion;
A compressed air inlet communicating with the measuring tank;
Have
The water supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the water supply pipe is in communication with the measurement tank portion. The water storage container storage unit for storing the water storage container in a removable manner is formed in a refrigerating chamber, and the water storage container is accommodated in the water storage container storage unit, the water storage container being accommodated in the water storage container storage unit. The refrigerator provided with the water supply apparatus of the automatic ice-making apparatus for refrigerators in any one of 3 .

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