JP7259466B2 - ice dispenser and refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to ice dispensers and refrigerators.

2. Description of the Related Art Ice dispensers are known for dispensing ice onto a container containing a liquid such as a beverage. Patent Document 1 below discloses that, in a cup-type vending machine for selling cup-filled beverages, a passage for supplying ice formed between an ice-supplying machine and a cup is provided to change the falling direction of the ice. Providing an inclined surface is disclosed.

JP-A-2002-251667

The conventional technique has a problem that it is not always possible to sufficiently suppress splashing of the liquid when ice is added to the liquid in the container.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an ice discharge device that is advantageous in suppressing splashing of liquid when ice is thrown into a container containing liquid, and the same. An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator equipped with an ice discharge device.

An ice discharging device according to the present invention comprises an ice making section for making ice having a shape having a longitudinal direction, an ice discharging section having an ice discharging port for discharging ice, an ice transfer means for transferring ice to the ice discharging section, , the ice has a shape in which the projected area in the longitudinal direction is the minimum projected area and the projected area in the direction other than the longitudinal direction is larger than the minimum projected area, and the ice is one end in the longitudinal direction Ice in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, having an end and a second end, which is the other longitudinal end, from the first end to at least a position halfway between the first and second ends. is constant or increases, and the ice transfer means transfers the ice so that the ice exits the ice outlet with the first end facing downward.
A refrigerator according to the present invention includes the above-described ice discharge device.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an ice ejection device that is advantageous in suppressing splashing of liquid when ice is thrown into a container containing liquid, and a refrigerator equipped with the ice ejection device. becomes.

1 is a front view showing a refrigerator equipped with an ice ejection device according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a refrigerator control system according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a refrigerator according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a refrigerator according to Embodiment 1; FIG. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the interior of the ice making chamber in the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1; Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional front view of the interior of the ice making chamber in the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1; It is the front view seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional side view of the interior of the ice making chamber in the refrigerator according to Embodiment 2;

Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. Elements that are common or correspond to each figure are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are simplified or omitted. In addition, when referring to angles in the present disclosure, when there is a dominant angle and a minor angle whose sum is 360 degrees, in principle, it refers to a minor angle, and there are an acute angle and an obtuse angle whose sum is 180 degrees. In principle, it refers to an acute angle.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a refrigerator equipped with an ice discharge device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. As shown in FIG. 1 , refrigerator 1 includes main body 2 , ice making device 3 corresponding to an ice making section, water supply tank 4 , and dispenser 5 . The dispenser 5 corresponds to an ice dispenser having an ice outlet 13 for dispensing ice. A dispenser 5 is built into the main body 2 . FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control system of refrigerator 1 according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 2 of the refrigerator 1 includes a control device 6, a cooling mechanism 7, a water supply device 8, an operation panel 9, a dispenser switch 10, an ice moving device 11, and an opening/closing lid 12. Prepare. The control device 6 is electrically connected to the ice making device 3, the cooling mechanism 7, the water supply device 8, the operation panel 9, the dispenser switch 10, the ice moving device 11, and the opening/closing lid 12, respectively. The later-described operation of refrigerator 1 is controlled by control device 6 . It should be noted that FIG. 1 and the figures described later are schematic diagrams, and the dimensional relationship, shape, etc. of each constituent member shown in each figure may differ from the actual one.

As shown in FIG. 1, the main body 2 has a heat insulating box with an open front surface. A space insulated from the outside is formed inside the heat insulating box. Typically, the heat insulating box has a metal outer box, a resin inner box, and a heat insulating material filled in the space between the outer box and the inner box. A plurality of storage chambers for storing food are formed by dividing the space inside the heat insulating box by one or more partition members. Refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment includes refrigerating compartment 20 and freezing compartment 21 as a plurality of storage compartments.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, a cooling mechanism 7 for cooling each storage chamber is provided on the rear side of the main body 2 . Typically, the cooling mechanism 7 includes a refrigerant circuit that operates a refrigeration cycle, an air path and fan for sending cold air to each storage compartment, and a damper that controls the amount of cold air supplied to each storage compartment. Prepare. The refrigerant circuit includes a compressor that compresses the refrigerant, a condenser that condenses the compressed high-pressure refrigerant, an expansion device that expands and decompresses the high-pressure refrigerant that has passed through the condenser, and the decompressed low-pressure refrigerant and air. and a cooler that produces cold air by exchanging heat therebetween. The control device 6 controls the operation of the cooling mechanism 7 so that the temperature inside each storage chamber is maintained within the temperature zone set for each. In the refrigerator 1, the temperature in each storage compartment can be detected by a temperature sensor (not shown) such as a thermistor installed in each storage compartment.

Refrigerator compartment 20 has a space for storing food at a temperature of 0° C. or higher. The control device 6 may control the operation of the cooling mechanism 7 so as to maintain the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 20 within the range of 0° C. to 8° C., for example. Freezer compartment 21 has a space for storing food at a temperature lower than 0°C. The control device 6 may control the operation of the cooling mechanism 7 so as to maintain the temperature inside the freezer compartment 21 within the range of -20°C to -10°C, for example.

Refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment corresponds to a bottom freezer type refrigerator in which freezer compartment 21 is lower than refrigerating compartment 20 . The refrigerator 1 may further include storage compartments other than the refrigerating compartment 20 and the freezing compartment 21 . For example, a vegetable compartment (not shown) for storing vegetables may be provided under the freezer compartment 21 . The type, number, arrangement, and shape of the storage compartments provided in the refrigerator 1 are not limited to the illustrated configuration.

A first door 23 and a second door 24 are provided in the refrigerator compartment 20 . The first door 23 and the second door 24 are double doors. By opening at least one of the first door 23 and the second door 24, food can be put into the refrigerator compartment 20 or taken out of the refrigerator compartment 20. - 特許庁The door of the refrigerating compartment 20 is not limited to a double door type, and may be a single door.

A third door 26 is provided in the freezer compartment 21 . The third door 26 may be configured to open by pulling the third door 26 forward. A basket for storing food in the freezer compartment 21 may be connected to the third door 26 and the basket may be pulled out to the front side together with the third door 26 .

The ice making device 3 is arranged in the ice making chamber 14 . In the present embodiment, ice making chamber 14 is formed inside refrigerating chamber 20 . The inner space of the ice making chamber 14 and the space outside the ice making chamber 14 and inside the refrigerating chamber 20 are separated by a partition wall 28 having heat insulating properties. Since the partition wall 28 has heat insulating properties, the temperature inside the ice making chamber 14 can be maintained at a temperature lower than the temperature of the space outside the ice making chamber 14 and inside the refrigerating chamber 20 . The control device 6 may control the operation of the cooling mechanism 7 so as to maintain the temperature inside the ice making chamber 14 within the range of -3°C to -7°C, for example. In FIG. 1 , the partition wall 28 is shown through the first door 23 .

The operation panel 9 is arranged on the outer surface of the first door 23 . The operation panel 9 includes an operation section and a display section. The operation unit may include, for example, an operation switch capable of setting the cold insulation temperature of each storage compartment, the operation mode of the refrigerator 1, and the like. The display unit may include a display that displays various information such as the temperature of each storage compartment. Moreover, the operation panel 9 may include a touch panel that serves as both an operation unit and a display unit.

The dispenser 5 is provided on the first door 23 . The dispenser 5 is configured to discharge ice made by the ice making device 3 from the ice discharge port 13 . An ice passage 33 is formed inside the first door 23 . The ice passage 33 is a passage for conveying ice from the ice making chamber 14 to the ice discharge port 13 . The ice making chamber 14 is positioned higher than the ice ejection port 13 . Therefore, the ice passage 33 can be formed so as to descend from the ice making chamber 14 toward the ice discharge port 13 . Therefore, the ice in the ice passage 33 can be transported by gravity.

A water supply tank 4 is arranged inside the refrigerator compartment 20 . Water used for making ice and cold water for drinking is stored in the water supply tank 4 . FIG. 1 shows the water supply tank 4 as seen through the first door 23 .

The control device 6 may be configured as follows. Each function of the control device 6 may be implemented by a processing circuit. The processing circuitry of controller 6 may comprise at least one processor 6a and at least one memory 6b. If the processing circuitry comprises at least one processor 6a and at least one memory 6b, each function of the control device 6 may be realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. At least one of software and firmware may be written as a program. Software and/or firmware may be stored in at least one memory 6b. At least one processor 6a may implement each function of control device 6 by reading and executing a program stored in at least one memory 6b. The at least one memory 6b may include non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory, magnetic disks, or the like. The processing circuitry of controller 6 may comprise at least one piece of dedicated hardware. If the processing circuit comprises at least one piece of dedicated hardware, the processing circuit may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field- Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. The function of each section of the control device 6 may be implemented by a processing circuit. Also, the functions of the respective units of the control device 6 may be collectively realized by a processing circuit. A part of each function of the control device 6 may be realized by dedicated hardware, and another part may be realized by software or firmware. Processing circuitry may implement the functions of controller 6 in hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. The configuration is not limited to a configuration in which the operation is controlled by a single control device 6, and a configuration in which a plurality of control devices cooperate to control the operation may be employed.

3 and 4 are partial cross-sectional side views of the refrigerator 1 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. As shown in these figures, the ice making device 3 has an ice tray 17 . An ice storage unit 19 is provided in the ice making chamber 14 . An air passage 38 communicates with the ice making chamber 14 . Cold air generated by the cooling mechanism 7 is supplied into the ice making chamber 14 through the air passage 38 . A refrigerant pipe (not shown) included in the cooling mechanism 7 may extend into the ice making chamber 14 so that the refrigerant pipe contacts the ice tray 17 . In that case, the ice tray 17 can be directly cooled by the refrigerant pipe, which is advantageous in shortening the ice making time, which is the time required for water to freeze and become ice. Alternatively, the refrigerator 1 may be configured to freeze the water in the ice tray 17 only with cold air from the air passage 38 without the refrigerant pipe. The ice tray 17 may be made of metal. Since metal has higher thermal conductivity than resin, it is possible to shorten the ice making time. In particular, it is preferable to use a high thermal conductivity material such as aluminum.

As shown in FIG. 4 , an opening/closing lid 12 is provided at the boundary between the ice discharge port 13 of the dispenser 5 and the ice passage 33 . When the opening/closing lid 12 is closed, the ice discharge port 13 leading to the outside of the refrigerator 1 and the ice passage 33 leading to the inside of the ice making chamber 14 can be blocked. The ice passage 33 slopes downward toward the ice discharge port 13 . Therefore, the ice can move through the ice passage 33 by gravity. Instead of the illustrated configuration, the ice passage 33 may be formed to extend parallel to the vertical line.

A dispenser switch 10 is provided near the ice outlet 13 . When the user presses the dispenser switch 10 with a container 100 such as a cup held by hand, or when the user operates the operation panel 9, the opening/closing lid 12 is opened and the ice moving device 11 is operated. As a result, the ice in the ice storage portion 19 passes through the ice passage 33 and is discharged from the ice discharge port 13 . 3 and 4, illustration of the ice moving device 11 is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 3, the dispenser 5 of this embodiment includes a water ejection portion 41 capable of ejecting water. The water supply device 8 includes a first water supply path 30 for supplying water from the water supply tank 4 to the ice tray 17, a second water supply path 31 for supplying water from the water supply tank 4 to the water discharge section 41, and a water supply tank. 4 to the first water supply path 30 or the second water supply path 31, and a switching valve 43 for switching between the first water supply path 30 and the second water supply path 31.

Instead of providing the switching valve 43 , separate water supply pumps may be provided for the first water supply path 30 and the second water supply path 31 . Further, instead of the illustrated configuration, tap water supplied from a water pipe connected to the refrigerator 1 may be configured to directly flow into the first water supply path 30 and the second water supply path 31 . In that case, the water supply tank 4 becomes unnecessary.

In the present embodiment, since the water discharge portion 41 and the second water supply path 31 are provided, cold drinking water can be provided from the water discharge portion 41 of the dispenser 5 . The water discharge part 41 and the second water supply path 31 may be omitted. That is, the dispenser 5 may be capable of supplying only ice.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of the interior of ice making compartment 14 in refrigerator 1 according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional front view of the inside of ice making chamber 14 in refrigerator 1 according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. 7 is a front view seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 5. FIG. In these figures, illustration of the first water supply path 30 is omitted.

As shown in these figures, the ice making device 3 in this embodiment is configured to make ice 90 having a longitudinal direction. In the following description, the longitudinal direction of the ice 90 is referred to as "ice longitudinal direction". The ice making device 3 in this embodiment is configured to make ice 90 having an elongated columnar shape. The ice storage part 19 stores ice 90 made by the ice tray 17. - 特許庁The ice storage section 19 in this embodiment can store a plurality of pieces of ice 90 . The ice storage section 19 is arranged below the ice tray 17 .

In the following description, the direction connecting the front side of the refrigerator 1, that is, the front side, and the back side, that is, the rear side of the refrigerator 1, is referred to as the "refrigerator front-rear direction". The ice 90 is stored in the ice storage part 19 in such a posture that the longitudinal direction of the ice is parallel to the front-rear direction of the refrigerator. The ice longitudinal direction is perpendicular to the paper plane of FIGS.

The ice tray 17 can make a plurality of pieces of ice 90 at once. Although illustration is omitted, the ice tray 17 has an upper mold and a lower mold, makes ice 90 between the upper mold and the lower mold, and takes out the ice 90 by opening the upper mold and the lower mold. may be configured to The ice making device 3 has a plate rotating device 36 . The tray rotating device 36 can rotate the ice tray 17 around the rotating shaft 37 to turn the ice tray 17 upside down.

In this embodiment, the control device 6 may control the ice making device 3 to automatically make the ice 90 as follows. When the water supplied to the ice tray 17 by the water supply device 8 freezes to form ice 90 , the tray rotating device 36 rotates the ice tray 17 . When the tray rotating device 36 rotates the ice tray 17 , the ice tray 17 is turned upside down on the ice storage section 19 . The ice making device 3 includes ice separating means (not shown) for separating the ice 90 from the ice tray 17 . The ice release means may be configured to separate the ice 90 from the ice tray 17 by twisting and deforming the ice tray 17 . Alternatively, the ice release means may be configured to separate the ice 90 from the ice tray 17 by heating the ice tray 17 to melt the surface of the ice 90 . The ice 90 separated from the ice tray 17 falls into the ice storage section 19 . After the ice 90 is separated from the ice tray 17, the tray rotating device 36 returns the ice tray 17 to its original position. After that, water is supplied to the ice making tray 17 by the water supply device 8, and the next ice making is started.

The ice 90 has a shape in which the projected area in the longitudinal direction of the ice is the minimum projected area, and the projected area in directions other than the longitudinal direction of the ice is larger than the minimum projected area. The ice 90 has a first end 90a that is one end in the ice longitudinal direction and a second end 90b that is the other end in the ice longitudinal direction. As for the ice 90 in the ice storage part 19 , the first end 90 a faces the front side of the refrigerator 1 , and the second end 90 b faces the back side of the refrigerator 1 .

In the following description, the cross-sectional area obtained by cutting the ice 90 along a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the ice is referred to as "ice cross-sectional area." In this embodiment, the ice cross-sectional area is constant from the first end 90a to the second end 90b. The ice 90 in this embodiment has a constant cross-sectional shape from the first end 90a to the second end 90b.

The ice container 19 has an opening 19a through which ice 90 to be transferred to the dispenser 5 passes. The opening 19 a is a through hole that penetrates the front wall 19 b of the ice storage section 19 . The opening 19a is formed at a position facing a first end 90a of one piece of ice 90 at the bottom of the ice compartment 19. As shown in FIG.

The ice moving device 11 is configured to push the ice 90 in the ice storage section 19 out of the ice storage section 19 through the opening 19a. The ice moving device 11 has an elongated rod-shaped plunger 11a and a drive portion 11b for moving the plunger 11a. The ice compartment 19 has a rear wall 19c opposite to the front wall 19b. The plunger 11a is arranged to penetrate the rear wall 19c. The tip of the plunger 11a is positioned to face the second end 90b of the piece of ice 90 at the bottom of the ice compartment 19. As shown in FIG. The drive portion 11b is arranged outside the back wall 19c and moves the plunger 11a in its longitudinal direction. The drive unit 11b may be configured to move the plunger 11a using at least one of, for example, a crank mechanism, a link mechanism, a gear mechanism, a rack and pinion mechanism, a fluid pressure cylinder, and a linear motor. .

When the ice 90 is to be provided from the dispenser 5, the controller 6 drives the ice moving device 11 to move the plunger 11a leftward in FIG. When the plunger 11a moves, the tip of the plunger 11a presses the second end 90b, causing the ice 90 to move leftward in FIG. pushed out to The ice 90 pushed out of the ice storage section 19 enters the ice passage 33 , advances through the ice passage 33 by gravity, and is supplied from the ice outlet 13 into the container 100 .

In the case where the container 100 contains liquid, the contact area when the ice 90 ejected from the ice discharge port 13 first contacts the liquid surface in the container 100 is hereinafter referred to as the "landing area." The smaller the landing area, the less likely the liquid in the container 100 will splash.

In this embodiment, the ice moving device 11 , the ice storage section 19 , and the ice passage 33 correspond to ice transfer means for transferring the ice 90 to the dispenser 5 when the ice is discharged from the ice outlet 13 . The ice transfer means is configured to transfer the ice 90 such that the ice 90 exits the ice outlet 13 with the first end 90a facing downward. This provides the following effects. The posture of the ice 90 can be reliably controlled so that the first end 90 a first contacts the liquid surface in the container 100 . As a result, the splashing of the liquid in the container 100 can be reliably suppressed because the water-landing area can be reliably reduced. Moreover, when the container 100 does not contain any liquid, the ice 90 can be reliably prevented from popping out of the container 100 .

Regarding the attitude of the ice 90 when it comes out of the ice discharge port 13, the "orientation with the first end 90a facing down" means not only the attitude in which the longitudinal direction of the ice is parallel to the vertical line, but also the attitude in which the first end 90a is lower than the second end 90b, the longitudinal direction of the ice is inclined with respect to the vertical line. When the longitudinal direction of the ice 90 discharged from the ice outlet 13 is inclined with respect to the vertical line, the angle of inclination is preferably 45 degrees or less, more preferably 30 degrees or less.

The landing area can be considered to be approximately equal to the ice cross-sectional area at the first end 90a. Therefore, in order to minimize the water landing area, it is preferable that the ice cross-sectional area at the first end 90a is as small as possible. From this point of view, the cross-sectional area of ice at the first end 90a is preferably 1 cm ² or less.

As shown in FIG. 5, ice length L is the dimension of ice 90 in the ice longitudinal direction. An ice thickness T is the dimension of the ice 90 in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the ice. The ice thickness T in this embodiment corresponds to the diameter of the ice 90 . When the cross-sectional shape of the ice 90 is a shape other than circular, or when the cross-sectional shape of the ice 90 changes along the ice longitudinal direction, the maximum dimension of the ice 90 in the direction perpendicular to the ice longitudinal direction is the ice thickness. It is good also as T. The ice length L is greater than the ice thickness T.

The number of ice cubes 90 put into one container 100 is hereinafter referred to as "the number of ice cubes put in". It can be said that if the landing areas are equal, the less the number of ice throws, the lower the possibility of the liquid splashing. When the total volume of the ice cubes 90 thrown into one container 100 is the same, the larger the volume of the ice cubes 90 per piece, the smaller the number of ice cubes thrown, which is more advantageous in suppressing liquid splashing. become. In the present embodiment, the ice length L is larger than the ice thickness T, so that it is possible to increase the volume of each piece of ice 90 and reduce the landing area. be advantageous. Therefore, splashing of the liquid can be prevented more reliably.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the dispenser switch 10 is placed in a recess 25 recessed with respect to the surface of the first door 23 . At least a portion of container 100 is insertable into recess 25 . The height H of the recess 25 is the length of the recess 25 in the vertical direction. The height of container 100 is smaller than height H of recess 25 . The ice length L should be smaller than the height H of the recess 25 . Moreover, it is desirable that the ice length L is equal to or less than the height of the container 100 . From these points of view, the ice length L is preferably 10 cm or less. From the same point of view, the ice length L is preferably 40 times or less the ice thickness T, preferably 30 times or less, and more preferably 20 times or less. On the other hand, in order to increase the volume of each piece of ice 90, it is desirable that the ice length L is large. From this point of view, the ice length L is preferably 5 cm or more. From the same point of view, the ice length L is preferably two times or more the ice thickness T, more preferably three times or more, and even more preferably five times or more.

In this embodiment, since the ice cross-sectional area is constant from the first end 90a to the second end 90b, the ice 90 from the first end 90a to the second end 90b is below the liquid level in the container 100. It is more advantageous in suppressing the turbulence of the liquid surface while it is immersed in the water. Therefore, it is more advantageous in suppressing splashing of the liquid. A similar effect can be obtained if the ice cross-sectional area is constant in at least a portion from the first end 90a to the second end 90b.

The ice transfer means in this embodiment is configured to move the ice 90 with the first end 90a leading. As a result, the posture of the ice 90 can be controlled more reliably so that the first end 90 a first lands on the liquid surface in the container 100 .

As shown in FIG. 6, a recessed portion 19d and an inclined surface 19e for aligning the direction of the ice 90 are formed in the bottom of the ice storage portion 19. As shown in FIG. The concave portion 19d has a groove-like shape extending along the refrigerator front-rear direction. The recess 19 d is positioned at the lowest point in the ice storage section 19 . Only one piece of ice 90 can enter recess 19d at a time. The recess 19d is formed at the same position as the opening 19a and the plunger 11a in the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the refrigerator. When the ice moving device 11 is driven, the plunger 11a presses the second end 90b of the ice 90 contained in the recess 19d, and the ice 90 is pushed out of the ice container 19 through the opening 19a.

The slopes 19e are provided on both sides of the recess 19d. The ice storage section 19 has a side wall 19f and a side wall 19g facing each other. 19 f of side walls and 19 g of side walls are parallel walls with respect to the refrigerator front-back direction. One slope 19e slopes downward from the lower end of the side wall 19f toward the recess 19d. The other slope 19e slopes down from the lower end of the side wall 19g toward the recess 19d. The slope 19e is parallel to the front-rear direction of the refrigerator. When there are a plurality of pieces of ice 90 in the ice storage section 19, at least one piece of ice 90 is positioned on the slope 19e. The ice 90 can move on the slope 19e by gravity. Slope 19e is slanted to move ice 90 to recess 19d.

When the ice 90 contained in the concave portion 19d is pushed out of the ice storage portion 19 by the ice moving device 11 and supplied to the dispenser 5, the ice 90 on the slope 19e automatically moves due to gravity, and the following Ice 90 enters recess 19d. This completes preparations for delivering the next piece of ice 90 to the dispenser 5 .

The ice longitudinal direction of the ice 90 in the ice tray 17 is parallel to the front-rear direction of the refrigerator. Depending on how the ice cubes 90 fall from the ice tray 17 into the ice storage unit 19, the longitudinal direction of the ice cubes 90 immediately after dropping may not be parallel to the front-rear direction of the refrigerator. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, by providing the recessed portion 19d and the slope 19e, the ice 90 is arranged in the ice storage portion 19 such that the longitudinal direction of the ice 90 is parallel to the front-rear direction of the refrigerator. The orientation of 90 can be reliably adjusted. The concave portion 19d and the slope 19e correspond to an orientation correcting portion for adjusting the orientation of the ice.

Even if only one of the recessed portion 19d and the sloped surface 19e is provided, an effect similar to that described above can be obtained. For example, the recessed portion 19d may not be provided, and the corner portion where the one slope 19e and the other slope 19e intersect may be formed at the lowest portion in the ice storage portion 19. FIG.

In the present embodiment, the ice 90 has a columnar shape whose axial direction is the longitudinal direction of the ice, so that the following effects can be obtained. It is more advantageous to both reduce the ice cross-sectional area of the first end 90a corresponding to the landing area and increase the volume of each piece of ice 90 . In addition, it is possible to reliably adjust the orientation of the ice 90 by using the orientation adjusting section having a relatively simple configuration.

In the present embodiment, the ice 90 as a whole has a columnar shape. effect is obtained. Further, the columnar ice 90 is not limited to a columnar shape as shown in the drawing, and may be, for example, a prismatic shape such as a triangular prism shape, a square prism shape, a hexagonal prism shape, or an octagonal prism shape.

As shown in FIG. 7, the opening 19a has a size that allows only one piece of ice 90 to pass through at a time and prevents a plurality of pieces of ice 90 from passing through at the same time. The size of the opening 19a is such that the ice 90 can pass through the opening 19a when the ice 90 moves in the longitudinal direction of the ice, and the ice 90 is open when the ice 90 moves in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the ice. The size is such that it cannot pass through the portion 19a. Thereby, the posture of the ice 90 can be more reliably adjusted, and the supply of the ice 90 to the dispenser 5 in an inappropriate posture can be more reliably prevented. The opening 19a in this embodiment has a circular shape with a slightly larger diameter than the circular cross-sectional shape of the ice 90 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , ice making compartment 14 in the present embodiment is arranged in the middle portion of refrigerating compartment 20 . A storage space 27 capable of storing articles other than the ice 90 is provided in the refrigerator compartment 20 at a position higher than the ice making compartment 14 . In this embodiment, ice making chamber 14 can be arranged at a relatively low position by providing storage space 27 at a position higher than ice making chamber 14 . As a result, the drop of the ice passage 33 from the ice making chamber 14 to the ice discharge port 13 of the dispenser 5 is relatively small, which is advantageous in reducing the falling speed of the ice 90 when it is discharged from the ice discharge port 13. become. As a result, splashing of the liquid in the container 100 can be suppressed more reliably.

The ice passage 33 has a thickness that allows only one piece of ice 90 to pass through at a time and prevents a plurality of pieces of ice 90 from passing through it at the same time. The size of the cross section of the ice passage 33 taken along a plane perpendicular to its longitudinal direction is such that the ice 90 can pass through the ice passage 33 when the ice 90 moves in the ice longitudinal direction. It is sized such that the ice 90 cannot pass through the ice passage 33 when moving in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. As a result, the posture of the ice 90 can be more reliably adjusted, and the ice 90 can be more reliably prevented from coming out of the ice outlet 13 in an inappropriate posture. The cross-sectional shape of the ice passage 33 may be, for example, circular with a slightly larger diameter than the circular cross-sectional shape of the ice 90 .

Embodiment 2.
Next, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 8. The description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment described above. to simplify or omit redundant description. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side view of the inside of ice making chamber 14 in refrigerator 1 according to Embodiment 2. As shown in FIG.

This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the shape of ice 90 . The ice 90 in this embodiment has an increased cross-sectional area portion 90c, a columnar portion 90d, and a boundary portion 90e. The boundary portion 90e is located halfway between the first end 90a and the second end 90b, and corresponds to the boundary between the increased cross-sectional area portion 90c and the columnar portion 90d. The increased cross-sectional area portion 90c is a portion from the first end 90a to the boundary portion 90e. The columnar portion 90d is a portion from the boundary portion 90e to the second end 90b. In the illustrated example, regarding the length in the ice longitudinal direction, the length of the increased cross-sectional area portion 90c is shorter than the length of the columnar portion 90d.

The ice cross-sectional area of the increased cross-sectional area portion 90c increases continuously from the first end 90a to the boundary portion 90e. According to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained by providing the increased cross-sectional area portion 90c. The ice cross-sectional area of the first end 90a, which corresponds to the water landing area, can be made smaller than in the first embodiment while suppressing the decrease in the volume of each piece of ice 90 . Therefore, splashing of the liquid can be suppressed more reliably.

The increased cross-sectional area portion 90c in the present embodiment has a conical or pyramidal shape with the first end 90a as the apex. This is more advantageous in reducing the ice cross-sectional area of the first end 90a corresponding to the water landing area. Instead of the illustrated example, the increased cross-sectional area portion 90c may have a truncated cone shape or a truncated pyramid shape. Similar effects can be obtained in that case as well. The pyramid may be, for example, a triangular pyramid or a quadrangular pyramid.

The columnar portion 90d has a columnar shape whose axial direction is the longitudinal direction of the ice. The shape of the columnar portion 90d may be cylindrical or prismatic. The ice cross-sectional area of the columnar portion 90d is constant from the boundary portion 90e to the second end 90b. In the present embodiment, by providing the columnar portion 90d, it is possible to reduce the ice cross-sectional area of the first end 90a corresponding to the water landing area and to increase the volume of each piece of ice 90. It is more advantageous in balancing In addition, it is possible to reliably adjust the orientation of the ice 90 by using the orientation adjusting section having a relatively simple configuration.

In the present disclosure, the shape of ice 90 is not limited to the shapes described in the first and second embodiments. The shape of the ice 90 may be any shape such that the cross-sectional area of the ice is constant or increases from the first end 90a to at least a point halfway between the first end 90a and the second end 90b. It's okay. For example, the ice 90 may have a shape in which the ice cross-sectional area increases continuously from the first end 90a to the second end 90b. By way of example, the overall shape of ice 90 may be conical, pyramidal, frustoconical, or frustopyramidal. Also, the ice 90 may have a portion where the cross-sectional area of the ice decreases from a position halfway between the first end 90a and the second end 90b toward the second end 90b. As an example, the overall shape of ice 90 may be shaped like a rugby ball.

Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and may be, for example, as follows. An ejector for scraping out the ice 90 from the ice tray 17 may be provided as an ice releasing means of the ice making device 3 . An ice releasing means capable of flowing hot gas through a refrigerant pipe in contact with the ice tray 17 may be used. In order to increase the transparency of the ice 90, the ice-making device 3 arranges the metal ice-making tray 17 cooled by the refrigerant pipe so that its opening is horizontal, and circulates and flows water from the top. You can make ice. The ice making device 3 does not have to be configured to automatically make the ice 90 . A user may manually perform the operation of supplying water to the ice tray 17 and the operation of separating the ice 90 from the ice tray 17 .

1 Refrigerator 2 Main Body 3 Ice Maker 4 Water Supply Tank 5 Dispenser 6 Control Device 6a Processor 6b Memory 7 Cooling Mechanism 8 Water Supply Device 9 Operation Panel 10 Dispenser Switch 11 Ice Moving Device 11a Plan Jar 11b Drive unit 12 Open/close lid 13 Ice outlet 14 Ice chamber 17 Ice tray 19 Ice storage unit 19a Opening 19b Front wall 19c Rear wall 19d Recess 19e Slope 19f Side wall 19g Side wall 20 Refrigerator compartment 21 Freezer compartment 23 First door 24 Second door 25 Recess 26 Third door 27 Storage space 28 Partition wall 30 First water supply path 31 Second water supply path 33 Ice passage , 36 disk rotating device, 37 rotating shaft, 38 air passage, 41 water discharge part, 42 water supply pump, 43 switching valve, 90 ice, 90a first end, 90b second end, 90c cross-sectional area increasing part, 90d columnar part, 90e boundary, 100 container

Claims (12)

an ice making unit for making ice having a shape with a longitudinal direction;
an ice discharge unit having an ice discharge port for discharging the ice;
ice transfer means for transferring the ice to the ice discharge unit;
with
The ice has a shape in which the projected area in the longitudinal direction is the minimum projected area, and the projected area in directions other than the longitudinal direction is larger than the minimum projected area,
The ice has a first end that is one end in the longitudinal direction and a second end that is the other end in the longitudinal direction,
A cross-sectional area cut through the ice in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction from the first end to at least a point halfway between the first end and the second end is constant or increasing. ,
The ice transfer means is an ice discharge device for transferring the ice so that the ice comes out of the ice discharge port with the first end facing downward. 2. The ice ejection device according to claim 1, wherein said cross-sectional area is constant in at least a portion from said first end to said second end. 2. The ice discharging device according to claim 1, wherein the ice has a cross-sectional area increasing portion in which the cross-sectional area increases from the first end to at least the intermediate position. 4. The ice discharging device according to claim 3, wherein the increased cross-sectional area has a conical, pyramidal, truncated conical or truncated pyramidal shape. The ice discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein at least a portion of the ice has a columnar shape with the longitudinal direction as an axial direction. 6. The ice discharging device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the ice transfer means moves the ice so that the first end is at the front. 7. The ice discharging device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the ice transfer means has an orientation adjusting section for adjusting the orientation of the ice. The ice transfer means has an ice storage section capable of storing the ice,
8. The ice discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein at least one of an inclined surface and a concave portion for arranging the orientation of the ice is formed in the bottom of the ice storage portion. The ice transfer means has an ice storage section capable of storing the ice,
the ice storage section has an opening through which the ice is transferred to the ice discharge section;
The size of the opening is such that the ice can pass through the opening when the ice moves in the longitudinal direction, and the ice can pass through the opening when the ice moves in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. 9. An ice discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which is sized so that it cannot pass through the . The ice transfer means has an ice passage that is a passage leading to the ice discharge port,
The size of the cross section of the ice passage taken along a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is such that the ice can pass through the ice passage when the ice moves in the longitudinal direction, and the ice is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. 10. The ice discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the size is such that the ice cannot pass through the ice passage when moving in any direction. A refrigerator comprising the ice ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 10. 12. The refrigerator according to claim 11, wherein the refrigerator has a storage space that is positioned higher than the ice making unit and can store articles.

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