JP7505673B2 - Ice making unit - Google Patents

Description

Applicable under Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act. Sold to Credit Saison Co., Ltd. on April 8, 2020.

The present invention relates to an ice making unit.

The water tray of an ice maker rises and falls. A boss shaft protrudes from both sides of the water tray, and the lower end of a coil spring is hooked onto this boss shaft. The upper end of the coil spring is attached to the tip of an arm-shaped cam (also called a drive arm) that is connected to a gear motor. When the cam rotates, the upper end of the coil spring moves back and forth between an upper fulcrum and a lower fulcrum, causing the water tray to close and open.

We want to install the ice tray and water tray as high up as possible on the product, but the limit is where the cam hits the insulation on the top plate when it is at the upper fulcrum. For this reason, it is advantageous to design the cam as short as possible in order to maximize the amount of ice stored.
The upper and lower ends of the coil spring have annular portions that protrude in the length direction of the coil, perpendicular to the winding surface of the coil, and these annular portions are engaged with a cylindrical portion formed at the tip of the cam or with a boss shaft.

Figure 2 of Patent Document 1 shows the drive arm and coil spring that tilt the water tray.

JP 2010-54071 A

Because the cams and boss shafts are designed based on the force required to hold the water tray and the amount of tilt of the water tray required to eject the ice, the position of the ice tray and water tray are restricted, resulting in a reduction in the amount of ice stored in the ice maker or the need to design individual parts according to ice-making capacity.
The present invention provides an ice making unit that allows for standardization of parts and an increased amount of ice storage.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a water tray that is formed in a roughly rectangular shape when viewed from above, with one side of the rectangular shape supported so as to be pivotable and the other side of the rectangular shape supported so as to be movable up and down, a gear motor supported on the other side of the water tray, a rotating shaft that is rotated by the gear motor and arranged parallel to the other side of the water tray, a pair of drive arms that are arranged above the other side of the water tray so as to sandwich the water tray in the width direction and are rotated by the rotating shaft, and a pair of coil springs whose both ends are engaged with the tip sides of the pair of drive arms and the side surfaces of the water tray in the width direction, When the drive arm rotates within a specified range, it drives the other side of the water tray, which is suspended and supported by the coil spring, in the vertical direction to drop ice in a specified direction during de-icing. The drive arm has a base portion on the side of the rotating shaft and a tip portion on the tip side, and the tip portion has a cylindrical portion that protrudes perpendicular to the rotation plane, and the tip side of this cylindrical portion has an annular, narrow-diameter locking groove that locks the annular portion of the tip of the coil spring, and the approximate center of the locking groove is shifted radially outward from the center of the cylindrical portion.

In the above configuration, the drive arm has a base portion on the side of the rotating shaft and a tip portion on the side of the tip, and the tip portion has a cylindrical portion protruding perpendicular to the rotation plane. The tip side of the cylindrical portion has an annular, small-diameter locking groove formed therein, and the annular portion at the tip of the coil spring is hooked and locked into the locking groove.
When the drive arm rotates within a predetermined range, the cylindrical portion moves in an arc. The upper end of the coil spring moves up and down in conjunction with the vertical movement of the cylindrical portion, thereby driving the other side of the water tray that it supports by hanging in the vertical direction.

The approximate center of the locking groove is shifted radially outward from the center of the cylindrical portion of the drive arm. If the drive arm and cylindrical portion were of a conventional design, it would be necessary to increase the amount of extension of the coil spring or lower the position of the lower fulcrum at the top end of the coil spring in order to ensure the required load capacity and tilt angle of the water tray, which may require the drive arm to be lengthened.

However, by leaving the shapes of the drive arm and the cylindrical portion unchanged and shifting the approximate center of the engagement groove radially outward from the center of the cylindrical portion, the radius of the arc along which the apparent upper end of the coil spring moves becomes larger.
In addition, a flange-shaped portion is formed on the opposite side of the cylindrical portion with respect to the engagement groove in the drive arm, and the outer periphery of the flange-shaped portion can be configured to be longer at the base side of the drive arm than at the tip side.

Furthermore, the outer periphery of the flange-shaped portion may have a narrow portion that is cut away between the tip side and the base side of the drive arm so as to become narrower toward the base side.
The narrow portion may be configured to be substantially linear.
Furthermore, the narrow portions of the approximately straight lines may be inclined at about 5 to 30 degrees with respect to parallel lines, so that the flange-like portions are narrower on the base side.
The side surface of the cylindrical portion may be cut to form a cylindrical side surface that is concentric with the engagement groove.

According to the present invention, it is possible to maintain the same load capacity as if the drive arm were longer while keeping the shape of the drive arm and cylindrical portion the same. As a result, parts can be standardized between large and small machines, and since there is no need to lengthen the drive arm, it is possible to increase the amount of ice storage.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the ice making machine. FIG. 13 is a front view of the water tray in the raised position. FIG. 13 is a front view of the water tray in the lowered position. FIG. FIG. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the drive arm and the spring when the water tray is raised. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the drive arm and the spring when the water tray is lowered. FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view of the tip portion of the drive arm. 13 is an enlarged front view showing a coil spring engaged with the tip portion of the drive arm. FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an ice making machine to which the present invention is applied.
In the figure, ice-making machine 40 has a roughly rectangular box-shaped housing, ice storage compartment 41 at the top and machine room 42 at the bottom, with ice storage compartment 41 having door 43 at the front. Door 43 can be opened by rotating its upper edge in an arc around its lower edge as the axis of rotation and pulled out toward the front (front side), or it can be closed by rotating it in the reverse order.

Ice storage compartment 41 has ice storage compartment 41a in the shape of a generally rectangular box, and ice-making unit 10 is housed in the upper portion of ice storage compartment 41a.
Ice-making unit 10 is configured so that the right side can tilt up and down with the left side as a fulcrum when viewed from the front of ice-making machine 40. That is, ice is made with the water tray, which will be described later, held horizontally, and when the ice is removed after it has been made (during ice removal), the water tray descends so that the right end rotates clockwise with the left end as the pivot point. When the right end descends, the surface of the water tray tilts, and when ice falls off the ice-making tray located above the water tray, it falls to the right (predetermined direction) along the surface of the water tray.

The falling ice accumulates in the ice storage 41a below. When the ice removal is completed, the water tray rotates in the opposite counterclockwise direction, and the right end portion rises and returns to the original horizontal position, and the ice making process is repeated.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the ice making unit with the water tray raised, and FIG. 3 is a front view of the ice making unit with the water tray lowered.
The figure shows ice making unit 10 comprising ice making tray 11 connected to a cooling mechanism (not shown), water tray 12 formed in a roughly rectangular shape in a plan view and pivoting about one side of the rectangular shape as a fulcrum so that the other side of the rectangular shape can move up and down to open and close ice making tray 11, and gear motor unit 13 supported by the other side of water tray 12 to rotate water tray 12. Ice making tray 11, water tray 12, and gear motor unit 13 are installed above ice storage chamber 41.

The ice tray 11 has multiple cells that open on the bottom, and below that is a water tray 12 that sprays water for making ice toward the cells. As shown in Figure 2, while ice is being made in the cells, the water tray 12 faces the ice tray 11 in an elevated position, but once ice is made in the cells, as shown in Figure 3, the water tray 12 tilts by rotating one end as a fulcrum so that the other end moves away from the ice tray 11. Then, ice that falls from the ice tray 11 slides down the top of the water tray 12 and is stored in the ice storage 41a below.

The gear motor unit 13 is fixed to the same frame 14 as the ice tray section 11, and by rotating the rotating shaft 13a arranged in the width direction of the water tray section 12 within a predetermined range, the drive arms 21 arranged and connected to the front and rear of the water tray section 12 on the rotating shaft 13a are pivoted.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the drive arm, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views of the drive arm.
A pair of drive arms 21 are connected to a rotating shaft 13a that is rotated by the gear motor unit 13 and arranged parallel to the other side of the water dish portion 12, and are arranged above the water dish portion 12 on the other side of the water dish portion 12 so as to sandwich the water dish portion 12 in the width direction. The drive arm 21 is rotated by the rotating shaft 13a and has a root portion 21a connected to the rotating shaft 13a and a tip portion 21b that rotates in an arc, and a cylindrical portion 21c is formed at the end of the tip portion 21b, and is connected to a portion of the water dish portion 12 away from the fulcrum via a coil spring 22 that is engaged with the cylindrical portion 21c. Therefore, the water dish portion 12 reciprocates between an elevated position and a lowered position depending on the rotation position of the drive arm 21. In this way, the pair of coil springs 22 are engaged with the cylindrical portion 21c at one end and with the side surface of the water dish portion 12 in the width direction at the other end.

In this way, when the drive arm 21 rotates within a predetermined range, the ice making unit 10 drives the other side of the water tray 12, which is suspended and supported by the coil spring 22, in the vertical direction, causing the ice to fall in a predetermined direction during de-icing. The drive arm 21 also has a base portion 21a on the side of the rotating shaft 13a and a tip portion 21b on the tip side, and the tip portion 21b has a cylindrical portion 21c that protrudes perpendicular to the rotation plane.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the drive arm and the spring when the water tray is raised, and FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the drive arm and the spring when the water tray is lowered.
When the water tray 12 is raised, the drive arm 21 has a base portion 21a and a tip portion 21b, and a lower portion 21d is formed on the opposite side of the tip portion 21b when the base portion 21a is used as a reference. The lower portion 21d is a type of cam, and faces the upper edge portion 12a of the water tray 12. A metal sliding plate 12b is attached to cover the upper edge portion 12a, and when the water tray 12 is raised, the lower portion 21d abuts against the sliding plate 12b, preventing the water tray 12 from rising above a certain height.

When making ice, the water tray 12 holds a certain amount of water and has a certain weight. In order to hold the water tray 12 in a predetermined position, it is necessary to generate a certain amount of deflection in the coil spring 22.
Free length of coil Li
Deflection amount δ2
When
Total height Hall = Li + δ2 ... (1)
It is.

The cam length Rcam is the distance from the rotation axis of the drive arm 21 to the center of the cylindrical portion 21c.
Distance Rcout from the center of the cylindrical portion 21c to the upper end (tip side direction) of the locking groove 21e formed in the cylindrical portion 21c
Distance Rcbtm from the rotation axis of the drive arm 21 to the lower end of the lower part 21d
The distance from the top end of the water tray 12 to the water surface is defined as the water surface distance Hwall.
Distance Yts from the water tray surface to the center of the spring bolt cap 30 to which the lower end of the coil spring 22 is attached
Distance Rtsout from the center of the spring bolt cap 30 to the lower end of the lower end side locking groove 31 formed in the spring bolt cap 30
Then,
Total height Hall = Rcam + Rcout + Rcbtm + Hwall + Yts + Rtsout
…(2)
The distance Rtsin from the center of the spring bolt cap 30 to the upper end of the lower end side locking groove 31 formed in the spring bolt cap 30 does not necessarily have to be the same as the distance Rtsout to the lower end. This is because the shape may be an ellipse or a semicircle.

Therefore, the deflection amount δ2 is
δ2 = (Rcam + Rcout + Rcbtm + Hwall + Yts + Rtsout) - Li
…(3)
The load capacity is (spring constant x δ2). In order to increase the ice storage capacity, it is necessary to install ice making unit 10 at a high position.
1) Distance Rcbtm from the rotation axis of the drive arm 21 to the lower end of the lower portion 21d
2) The distance from the top end of the water tray 12 to the water surface is called the water surface distance Hwall.
3) The distance Yts from the water tray surface to the center of the cylindrical spring bolt cap 30 to which the lower end of the coil spring 22 is attached
There is extremely low tolerance for change.

Also,
4) Regarding the cam length Rcam from the rotation axis of the drive arm 21 to the center of the cylindrical portion 21c, δ2 can be increased by lengthening it, but if it is made longer, it will come into contact with the ceiling of the ice storage room 41a, which will lower the installation height of the ice-making unit 10.

Therefore, the remaining elements are
5) Distance Rcout from the center of the cylindrical portion 21c to the upper end of the locking groove 21e formed in the cylindrical portion 21c
6) Distance Rtsout from the center of the spring bolt cap 30 to the lower end of the lower end side locking groove 31 formed in the spring bolt cap 30
However, in the past, these were naturally determined at the same time that the central positions of the columnar portion 21c and the spring bolt cap 30 were determined, and there was no room for change.

Next, the water tray section 12 needs to have a minimum downward length. This is because the water tray section 12 is tilted to form a gap between it and the ice tray section 11, and the ice that is made needs to slide out through this gap.

Referring to FIG. 8, the parameter proportional to the actual gap is
The distance from the rotation axis of the drive arm 21 to the lower end of the coil spring 22 is the lowering distance Lext
Distance Rcin from the center of the cylindrical portion 21c to the lower end (toward the base side) of the locking groove 21e formed in the cylindrical portion 21c
Then, the descent distance Lext = Rcam - Rcin + Li ... (4)
The height of the water tray surface is the sum of the distance Yts to the center of the cylindrical spring bolt cap 30 to which the lower end of the coil spring 22 is engaged, and the distance Rtsout from the center of the spring bolt cap 30 to the lower end of the lower end side engaging groove 31 formed in the spring bolt cap 30.

From these,
6) Distance Rtsout from the center of the spring bolt cap 30 to the lower end of the lower end side locking groove 31 formed in the spring bolt cap 30
7) Distance Rcin from the center of the cylindrical portion 21c to the lower end (toward the base side) of the locking groove 21e formed in the cylindrical portion 21c
However, in the past, these were naturally determined at the same time that the central positions of the columnar portion 21c and the spring bolt cap 30 were determined, and there was no room for modification.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged front view of the tip portion of the drive arm, and FIG. 10 is an enlarged front view of the tip portion of the drive arm to which a coil spring is engaged.
As shown in Figures 9, 5 and 6, the columnar portion 21c protrudes perpendicular to the plane of rotation, and a small-diameter locking groove 21e is formed on the tip side of the columnar portion 21c to lock the ring portion of the upper end 22a1 of the coil spring 22. As a premise, the columnar portion 21c is basically cylindrical in shape, but since the side surface is cut away as described below, it is not a perfect circle (not a precise meaning, but a normal circle). In this embodiment, the locking groove 21e is a perfect circle. Here, the approximate center 21e1 of the locking groove 21e does not coincide with the center 21c1 of the columnar portion 21c, and is shifted to the radial outside of the drive arm 21, in other words, to the tip portion.

In this embodiment, the original radius of the cylindrical portion 21c is designed to be 7.7 mm, and the radius of the locking groove 21e is designed to be 5 mm. The approximate center 21e1 of the locking groove 21e is shifted radially outward by 1 mm from the center 21c1 of the cylindrical portion 21c. The spring bolt cap 30 will not be described in detail here, but similarly, the center of the lower end locking groove 31 that locks the annular portion of the other end (lower end 22a2) of the coil spring 22 is not aligned with the center of the spring bolt cap 30, and the center of the lower end locking groove 31 formed in the spring bolt cap 30 is shifted downward by 0.5 mm.

The fact that the center is shifted in this way means that the distance Rcout from the center of the cylindrical portion 21c to the upper end of the locking groove 21e formed in the cylindrical portion 21c is
6) Distance Rtsout from the center of the spring bolt cap 30 to the lower end of the lower end side locking groove 31 formed in the spring bolt cap 30
The deflection amount δ2 increases by 1.5 mm, and the load capacity increases. The lowering distance Lext is also increased by the amount of the decrease in Rcin.

In other words, assuming that the actual length of the drive arm 21 is Rcam, the load capacity has increased and the descent distance has also increased without increasing this length. This essentially means that the installation height of the ice-making unit can be increased, which can be said to have increased the amount of ice storage. Also, because the load capacity was increased without increasing the actual length of the drive arm 21, the load capacity required for large models of ice-making machines 40 can be maintained at the same level as the drive arm 21 that can be used for small models. Therefore, it has been possible to standardize parts.

In this embodiment, the locking groove 21e is substantially a perfect circle, but the cross-sectional shape of the locking groove 21e is not necessarily limited to a perfect circle. For example, if the cross-sectional shape of the locking groove 21e on the side of the base portion 21a is made thinner, that is, if the overall shape is an ellipse that is short in the radial direction, Rcin will be shorter and the descent distance Lext will be longer.

Both ends of the coil spring 22 (upper end 22a1, lower end 22a2) are formed into a ring shape by forming one or several turns in the length direction, and are engaged with the above-mentioned locking groove 21e and the lower end locking groove 31. When the drive arm 21 rotates approximately half a turn within a predetermined range, the upper end 22a1 of the coil spring 22 also rotates approximately half a turn along the locking groove 21e. The shape of the locking groove 21e can be deformed to an extent that the rotation operation is performed smoothly while securing the required distance Rcout described above. Although it depends on the formation position of the spring bolt cap 30, the lower end 22a2 of the coil spring 22 does not rotate almost at all relative to the lower end locking groove 31. For this reason, to put it extremely, it is only in contact with the lower semicircle, and it is also possible to change the shape of the part other than the semicircle. In addition, the shape of the hooks at the upper and lower ends of the coil spring 22 does not have to be limited to a perfect circle. By making it an ellipse or a semicircle, the length of the coil part can be increased while maintaining the overall length. In other words, the coil spring should be elliptical or annular in shape, with the length in the longitudinal direction being shorter than the length in the radial direction. Here, the annular shape does not necessarily have to be a ring, but should be roughly annular and capable of engaging with the lower end engaging groove 31 as a hook.

After forming a locking groove 21e in the cylindrical portion 21c, a flange-like portion 21f is formed on the opposite side of the cylindrical portion 21c with respect to the locking groove 21e in the drive arm 21. The flange-like portion 21f needs to have a larger diameter than the annular portion of the upper end 22a1 of the coil spring 22 so that the upper end 22a1 does not easily come off the locking groove 21e. However, if it is too large, it will not fit, and if it is too small, it will fit easily but will come off easily.

In this embodiment, the outer periphery of the flange-shaped portion 21f is longer on the base side than on the tip side of the drive arm 21. In addition, the outer periphery of the flange-shaped portion 21f is shaped to have narrow portions 21f1, 21f1 that are cut out between the tip side and the base side of the drive arm 21 so that the width becomes narrower as it approaches the base side. Furthermore, these narrow portions 21f1, 21f1 are roughly straight, and are formed at an angle of approximately 20 degrees with respect to lines that are parallel to each other. Note that 20 degrees is just an example, and a range of approximately 5 to 30 degrees is preferable.

As a result, the flange-shaped portion 21f is narrower on the base side, and the distance from the center 21e1 of the locking groove 21e is longer. With this shape, first, the coil spring 22 is turned upside down with the annular portion of the upper end 22a1 facing downward, and the annular portion of the upper end 22a1 is hooked onto the narrow portion of the base side of the flange-shaped portion 21f. Then, when the coil spring 22 is pulled upward, the narrow portions 21f1, 21f1 naturally enter the annular portion of the upper end 22a1. Finally, when the tip side portion of the flange-shaped portion 21f enters the annular portion, the coil spring 22 is completely locked into the locking groove 21e and will not come off. The narrow portion of the flange-shaped portion 21f on the base side is longer than the tip side, and because this portion is narrow, it is easy to enter the annular portion. Once locked, the length from the base to the tip of the flange-shaped portion 21f is roughly the same as that of the cylindrical portion 21c, and is sufficiently larger than the diameter of the locking groove 21e, making it easy to put on but difficult to remove.

The centers of the cylindrical portion 21c and the locking groove 21e are misaligned. The diameter of the cylindrical portion 21c is such that when the locking groove 21e is concentric, the coil portion of the coil spring 22 does not come into contact with the cylindrical portion 21c when the upper end 22a1 of the coil spring 22 is locked in the locking groove 21e. However, because the centers of the cylindrical portion 21c and the locking groove 21e are misaligned, when the coil spring 22 rotates relative to the cylindrical portion 21c, part of the coil spring 22 comes into contact with the side of the cylindrical portion 21c.

In this embodiment, to prevent this, the side of the cylindrical portion 21c is cut. Specifically, in FIG. 9, the portion from the left side of the cylindrical portion 21c downward is cut so that it has a cylindrical side surface centered on the center 21e1 of the locking groove 21e. Therefore, the side of the cylindrical portion 21c is a cylindrical side surface that is concentric with the locking groove 21e. Since the locking groove 21e is a perfect circle and the coil spring 22 rotates half a turn while locked in this locking groove 21e, by cutting the cylindrical portion 21c so that it has a cylindrical side surface centered on the center 21e1 of the locking groove 21e, interference between the coil spring 22 and the cylindrical portion 21c can be prevented.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment.
- Applying mutually replaceable components and configurations, etc. disclosed in the above examples by appropriately modifying their combinations. - Applying mutually replaceable components and configurations, etc. disclosed in the above examples by publicly known technology that is not disclosed in the above examples, and modifying their combinations. - Applying mutually replaceable components and configurations, etc. disclosed in the above examples by publicly known technology that is not disclosed in the above examples, and modifying their combinations. These are disclosed as one embodiment of the present invention.

10...Ice making unit,
11...Ice tray section,
12... Water tray section,
12a...upper edge portion,
12b...sliding plate,
13...Gear motor unit,
13a...rotation shaft,
14...Frame,
21... Drive arm,
21a...root part,
21b...tip portion,
21c...cylindrical portion,
21c1...center,
21d...lower meat part,
21e... locking groove,
21e1...center,
21f... flange-shaped portion,
21f1...narrow part,
22...coil spring,
22a1...upper end,
22a2...lower end,
30...Spring bolt cap,
31...Lower end side locking groove,
40...Ice maker,
41...Ice storage section,
41a…Ice storage room,
42...Machine room,
43...Door.

Claims (8)

A water tray that is formed in a generally rectangular shape in a plan view, one side of the rectangular shape is pivotally supported, and the other side of the rectangular shape is supported so as to be vertically movable;
a gear motor supported on the other side of the water tray;
A rotating shaft rotated by the gear motor and disposed parallel to the other side of the water tray;
A pair of drive arms are disposed on the other side of the water tray above the water tray so as to sandwich the water tray in the width direction, and are rotated by the rotation shaft;
a pair of coil springs each having both ends engaged with the tip end of each of the pair of drive arms and the side surface of the water tray in the width direction;
When the drive arm rotates within a predetermined range, the other side of the water tray suspended and supported by the coil spring is driven in a vertical direction to drop ice in a predetermined direction during ice removal,
the drive arm has a base portion on the side of the rotation shaft and a tip portion on the side of the tip, the tip portion having a cylindrical portion protruding perpendicular to the rotation plane, and a ring-shaped small-diameter locking groove is formed on the tip side of the cylindrical portion for locking the ring portion of the tip of the coil spring, and the approximate center of the locking groove is shifted radially outward from the center of the cylindrical portion ,
An ice-making unit characterized in that the distance from the center of the cylindrical portion to the lower end of the locking groove is shorter than the distance from the center of the cylindrical portion to the lower end of the locking groove when the center of the locking groove coincides with the center of the cylindrical portion . A water tray that is formed in a generally rectangular shape in a plan view, one side of the rectangular shape is pivotally supported, and the other side of the rectangular shape is supported so as to be vertically movable;
a gear motor supported on the other side of the water tray;
A rotating shaft rotated by the gear motor and disposed parallel to the other side of the water tray;
A pair of drive arms are disposed on the other side of the water tray above the water tray so as to sandwich the water tray in the width direction, and are rotated by the rotation shaft;
a pair of coil springs each having both ends engaged with the tip end of each of the pair of drive arms and the side surface of the water tray in the width direction;
When the drive arm rotates within a predetermined range, the other side of the water tray suspended and supported by the coil spring is driven in a vertical direction to drop ice in a predetermined direction during ice removal,
the drive arm has a base portion on the side of the rotation shaft and a tip portion on the side of the tip, the tip portion having a cylindrical portion protruding perpendicular to the rotation plane, and a ring-shaped small-diameter locking groove is formed on the tip side of the cylindrical portion for locking the ring portion of the tip of the coil spring, and the approximate center of the locking groove is shifted radially outward from the center of the cylindrical portion,
This ice-making unit is characterized in that a flange-shaped portion is formed on the opposite side of the cylindrical portion of the drive arm relative to the engagement groove, and the outer periphery of the flange-shaped portion is longer at the base side of the drive arm than at the tip side. The ice making unit according to claim 2, characterized in that the outer periphery of the flange-shaped portion has a narrow portion cut out between the tip side and the base side of the drive arm so that the width becomes narrower toward the base side. The ice making unit according to claim 3, characterized in that the narrow portion is generally linear. The ice making unit of claim 4, characterized in that the narrow portions of the approximately straight lines are inclined at approximately 5 to 30 degrees from parallel lines, so that the flange-shaped portions are narrower at the base. A water tray that is formed in a generally rectangular shape in a plan view, one side of the rectangular shape is pivotally supported, and the other side of the rectangular shape is supported so as to be vertically movable;
a gear motor supported on the other side of the water tray;
A rotating shaft rotated by the gear motor and disposed parallel to the other side of the water tray;
A pair of drive arms are disposed on the other side of the water tray above the water tray so as to sandwich the water tray in the width direction, and are rotated by the rotation shaft;
a pair of coil springs each having both ends engaged with the tip end of each of the pair of drive arms and the side surface of the water tray in the width direction;
When the drive arm rotates within a predetermined range, the other side of the water tray suspended and supported by the coil spring is driven in a vertical direction to drop ice in a predetermined direction during ice removal,
the drive arm has a base portion on the side of the rotation shaft and a tip portion on the side of the tip, the tip portion having a cylindrical portion protruding perpendicular to the rotation plane, and a ring-shaped small-diameter locking groove is formed on the tip side of the cylindrical portion for locking the ring portion of the tip of the coil spring, and the approximate center of the locking groove is shifted radially outward from the center of the cylindrical portion,
The ice-making unit is characterized in that a side surface of the cylindrical portion is carved to form a cylindrical side surface that is concentric with the engagement groove. A water tray that is formed in a generally rectangular shape in a plan view, one side of the rectangular shape is pivotally supported, and the other side of the rectangular shape is supported so as to be vertically movable;
a gear motor supported on the other side of the water tray;
A rotating shaft rotated by the gear motor and disposed parallel to the other side of the water tray;
A pair of drive arms are disposed on the other side of the water tray above the water tray so as to sandwich the water tray in the width direction, and are rotated by the rotation shaft;
a pair of coil springs each having both ends engaged with the tip end of each of the pair of drive arms and the side surface of the water tray in the width direction;
When the drive arm rotates within a predetermined range, the other side of the water tray suspended and supported by the coil spring is driven in a vertical direction to drop ice in a predetermined direction during ice removal,
the drive arm has a base portion on the side of the rotation shaft and a tip portion on the side of the tip, the tip portion having a cylindrical portion protruding perpendicular to the rotation plane, and a ring-shaped small-diameter locking groove is formed on the tip side of the cylindrical portion for locking the ring portion of the tip of the coil spring, and the approximate center of the locking groove is shifted radially outward from the center of the cylindrical portion,
An ice-making unit, characterized in that the locking groove formed in the cylindrical portion is not a perfect circle, and the length of the coil spring in the longitudinal direction is shorter than its radial length, forming an approximately annular shape. The ice-making unit described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the circular portion at the tip of the coil spring is not a perfect circle, and the length of the coil spring in the longitudinal direction is shorter than its radial length, making it roughly circular.

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