JPH0229566A - Ice making device for refrigerator or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain an ice plant which is capable of generating ice having a higher degree of transparency and good taste by performing ice making operation control at the point of period when the temperature of a temperature sensor rises, operating a compressor and a blower which are in refrigeration cycle during both initial and final periods, passing electric power to a heater only during internal period, excluding both the initial and the final period, and operating a drainage system. CONSTITUTION:When a temperature sensor 26b detects a rise in the temperature of an outer wall of a water storage tank 22, a compressor and a blower are adapted to operate so that water may be cooled to a frozen temperature and frozen, discharging the gaseous ingredients or impurities contained in the water. When a specified time has passed, the compressor and the blower are released. As a result, a heater 26a receives electric power so that it may prevent the icing between the inner wall of the water storage tank 23 and the outer wall of an ice making frame 25 and the freezing against a drain water pipe 38. Then, a drainage system is actuated. At that time, the space between the inner wall and the ice making frame is not iced on account of the heating action of the heater 26a, which serves to balance the atmospheric pressure between the upper parts and the lower parts of the ice making frame 25, thereby discharging the gaseous ingredients remaining on the bottom of the ice making frame 25 or the water whose impurity density has been increased. Therefore, there only remains such water having a higher degree of transparency and purity in the ice making frame in terms of the water storage tank 23.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ice-making device that is disposed in a freezer compartment of a refrigerator and is particularly capable of producing transparent ice.

2. Description of the Related Art A method of making ice that has been conventionally used in household refrigerators and the like will be explained with reference to FIG.

1 is the refrigerator itself, and 2 is the outer box. It is composed of an inner box 3 and a heat insulating material 4 filled between the outer box 2 and the inner box 3. Reference numeral 6 denotes a partition wall that divides the interior of the refrigerator body 1 into upper and lower sections, with a freezing compartment 6 in the upper part and a refrigerating compartment 7 in the lower part.

8 is a refrigeration cycle cooler provided on the back side of the freezer compartment 6, and 9 is a blower for forcing the cold air cooled by the cooler 8 into the freezer compartment 6 and the refrigerator compartment 7.

Further, 1o is an ice-making compartment provided in one section of the freezer compartment 6, and 11 is a ventilation path that communicates the discharge side of the blower 9 with the ice-making compartment 1o. An ice tray 12 is placed in the ice making chamber 10.

In this configuration, when the ice tray 12 is filled with water and placed in the ice making compartment 1o, cold air cooled by the cooler 8 is forced into the ice making compartment 1o through the ventilation path 11 due to the forced ventilation action of the blower 9. The water in the ice tray 12 is cooled and frozen from the entire circumference to generate ice.

However, with such an ice generation method, the water in the ice tray 12 freezes when ice is generated.
As it progresses to the center from the contact surface between ice and water and the contact surface between cold air and water, impurities such as gas components and limescale dissolved in the water are trapped in the center of the ice, resulting in The ice becomes cloudy in the center, opaque, and tastes bad.
For example, it was not sensually suitable for use in beverages such as whisky.

Therefore, there has been a need for transparent and good-tasting ice since the past, and a device for producing it is known, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 55-35438, and this method is the first
It was as shown in Figure 0 and Figure 11. Below, the first
The basic contents will be explained with reference to FIGS. 0 and 11. Incidentally, the parts common to those of the conventional example FIG. 6 are given the same reference numerals, and the explanation thereof will be omitted. That is, reference numeral 13 denotes a partition wall into which a heat insulating material 14 is inserted, and defines a freezing chamber 6 in the upper part and a refrigerating chamber 7 in the lower part. Reference numeral 15 denotes an ice making compartment installed in one section of the freezer compartment 6, and a blower 9 is connected to the ice making compartment through a ventilation passage 11.
It communicates with the discharge side of the Reference numeral 16 denotes an ice making device placed in the ice making chamber 16, a container 17 with an open top, and an ice tray 1 stacked on the inner surface with the opening of the container 17 as the upper end.
It consists of days and days. Further, 19 is a through hole provided in the bottom surface of the ice tray 17. Note that when the ice making device 16 is placed in the ice making chamber, the outer periphery of the ice making device 16 except for the front side is surrounded by the heat insulating material 14 of the partition wall 13.

In this configuration, when water is poured into the ice making device 16, the lower space in the container 17 is first filled with water through the through hole 19 provided on the bottom surface of the ice making tray 18, and then the ice making tray 18 is also filled with water. When the ice-making device 16 filled with water is placed in the ice-making compartment 16, cold air is sent into the ice-making compartment 15 through the ventilation path 11 by the forced draft action of the blower 90, and is cooled from the top surface of the ice-making device 16. Do the following. Here, since the outer periphery of the ice making device 16 is surrounded by the heat insulating material 14 of the partition wall 13, the cooling effect from the outer periphery is weak, and freezing generally progresses in one direction from above to below the ice making device 16. That is, the water in the ice tray 18 stacked on top of the container 17 gradually freezes. If this freezing rate is slowed down to an appropriate degree, gaseous components dissolved in the water and impurities contained in the water will precipitate outside the ice crystals and be discharged into the water below as ice continues to form. A through hole 19 is provided at the bottom of the ice tray 18 so as to communicate with the water filled in the lower container 17, so that gaseous components and impurities discharged as the ice tray 18 freezes progress. is through hole 1
Most of the water is diffused into the water in the lower container 17 through the water pipe 9 and discharged.

Therefore, the ice produced in the upper ice tray 18 has high transparency and good taste with less cloudiness and impurities due to air bubbles. However, the ice that is generated by the final freezing of the water in the container 17 at the bottom of the ice tray 18a is initially filled with water, and because the gas components and impurities contained in the water are concentrated, many bubbles are generated and the ice becomes cloudy. This results in ice with a bad taste. That is, ice of different quality is generated in the upper and lower layers, and when used, the upper and lower layers of ice are separated and released, and only the high-quality ice with high transparency and good taste is stored in the upper ice tray 18. It is intended to be used for drinking, etc.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, even with this configuration, there are the following problems.

(1) Since the ice tray 18 and the container 17 are frozen with the generated upper and lower layers of ice, they are actually separated.

Breaking off the ice requires considerable force and is not easy.

@) It is difficult to use because it takes time and effort to separate and dispose of the cloudy ice formed in the container 17 in the lower layer of the ice tray 18.

(3) If the cloudy ice in the lower layer is not disposed of, or if ice is made by pouring water into the ice tray 18 in an insufficient state, the quality and transparency of the ice formed in the upper ice tray 18 will be significantly reduced, so it cannot be used. Considerable care is required when doing so.

(4) Since it is necessary to make the ice making device 16 removable for ice removal, it is not possible to achieve a perfect insulation around the outer periphery of the ice making device 16 and a structure to prevent cold air leakage. Less likely to freeze in one direction. For this reason, some of the freezing progresses from the outer periphery, which causes bubbles and impurities from gaseous components in the water to be incorporated into the water, resulting in a decrease in clarity and taste.

(5) Bubbles, impurities, etc. generated in the gas component 9 in the lower container 17 are discharged through the through hole 19 on the bottom of the ice tray 18, but the opening area of the through hole 19 (determined by the hole diameter and number of holes) is If it is small, it will be difficult to remove these impurities, resulting in a loss of transparency and taste as described in item (4) above.

On the other hand, if the opening area of the through hole 19 is large, impurities etc. are easily discharged and the transparency and taste are improved, but the bonding area between the ice formed in the ice tray 18 and the ice formed in the container 17 becomes large. Since it becomes even more difficult to separate the two and release the ice, it is necessary to set the ice to an intermediate level while partially sacrificing the quality of the ice in terms of clarity and taste, and the usability of water repellency.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and its entire purpose is to provide an ice-making device that easily produces ice with high transparency and good taste without impairing ice release performance or usability.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, an ice making device such as a refrigerator of the present invention has an ice making frame with an open bottom suspended from the inner surface of a water storage tank with a drain port provided in one section of the cooling chamber. At the same time, a heater is installed on the outer wall of the water tank and the drain port, a temperature sensor is provided in close contact with a part of the outer wall of the water tank, and a drainage device and a drain pipe are connected to the drain port. Therefore, ice making operation is controlled for a predetermined period of time from the point when the temperature of the temperature sensor rises, and this continuous ice making time is divided into three periods, and the compressor and blower of the refrigeration cycle are forcibly turned on during the first and last periods. The heater is not energized while the heater is in operation, and the heater is further energized during the intermediate period, and the drainage device is activated before the end of this period.

According to the above-described structure, when the ice-making frame is installed in the water storage tank and water is poured into the water storage tank, the ice-making frame becomes immersed in water and becomes full of water. At this time, the temperature sensor detects a rise in temperature of the outer wall of the water storage tank due to water injection, and time integration is started from the time when the temperature rises to a predetermined temperature.

At the same time, the compressor and blower are forcibly operated in parallel, and the water in the water tank is quickly cooled down to the freezing temperature of 0°C.Then, the gaseous components and impurities in the water are discharged outside the ice crystals, and the water is poured from the top surface. It will continue to freeze, but after a predetermined period of time, the forced operation of the compressor and blower will be canceled and the heater will be energized. Prevent tube freezing. Next, after a predetermined period of time has elapsed for the ice to reach a suitable thickness, the drainage device is activated. At this time, there is no ice between the inner wall of the water tank and the ice-making frame due to the heating effect of the heater, so the air pressure is balanced between the top and bottom of the ice-making frame, and the concentration of gas components and impurities remaining at the bottom of the ice-making frame is high. The resulting water is drained into a drainage system,
Drained through drain pipes. Therefore, highly transparent and pure ice that has grown within the ice making frame is left in the water storage tank.

Then, the heater is de-energized again, the compressor and blower are forced into operation, and the hot ice, whose bottom surface is wet, is quickly cooled down to a low temperature and dried, allowing it to be put to practical use. becomes.

Embodiment Hereinafter, an ice making apparatus such as a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. Incidentally, the same components as those in the prior art are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

2o is a partition wall with a heat insulating material 21 inside, and a freezer compartment 6. A refrigerating chamber 7 is defined in the lower part. 22 is an ice making compartment provided in one section of the freezer compartment θ, and the ventilation passage 1
1 communicates with the discharge side of the blower 9. 23 is a water tank embedded in the heat insulating material 21 and having an open top surface;
A drain port 24 is provided at the bottom. Reference numeral 25a is a removable ice-making frame that is suspended and installed in the water storage tank 23 with the opening of the water storage tank 23 as the upper end, and a partition that separates the small compartments 25a from a plurality of small compartments 2t5a that are opened through the bottom surface. It is composed of a frame 25b. 26a is the water storage tank 2
3 and the outer wall of the drain port 24, and 26b is a temperature sensor that is brought into close contact with the bottom outer wall of the water tank 23.

Further, 27 is a drainage device (hereinafter referred to as a drainage valve) connected to the drainage port 24, and is configured to discharge water by electrically opening the valve. That is, 28 is a plunger, 2
9 is a rubber diaphragm with a water inlet 30 on the outer periphery. A water outlet 31 is formed in the center, and the upper end of the water outlet 31 is sealed with the tip surface of the plunger 28. Further, 32 is a spring for pressing the plunger 28 against the upper end of the water outlet 31, and 33 is an electromagnetic coil for attracting the plunger 28 by electromagnetic action. 34 is an inlet pipe, 36 is an outlet pipe,
36 is a connecting pipe that connects the inlet pipe 34 and the drain port 24 of the water tank 23. Further, 37 is a filter for removing foreign matter provided in the water inlet path within the connecting pipe 36. On the other hand, 38 is a drain pipe connected to the outlet pipe 35 of the drain valve 27, which penetrates through the heat insulating material 21 of the partition wall 2o and the heat insulating material 4 of the main body 1, and is provided in the machine room provided at the bottom of the main body 1. 39
It communicates within. 4o is an evaporator, which is composed of a heating plate 43 to which a high-temperature, high-pressure heating tube 42 piped from the compressor 41 of the refrigeration cycle is closely attached, and an evaporating plate 44 placed on the heating plate 43. . Further, 46 is a water conduit pipe connected to the outlet of the drain pipe 38 for guiding water into the inside of the evaporating dish 44 . 46 detects the temperature inside the freezer compartment θ and operates the blower 9. Operation of compressor 41.

This is a temperature sensor for controlling the stop.

Next, the electric circuit and control circuit will be explained.

After the blower 9 and compressor 41 are both connected in parallel,
It is connected to a power source via a relay contact 47. Also,
The heater 26a is connected to a power source via a relay contact 48. The electromagnetic coil 33 of the drain valve 27 is connected to a power source via a relay contact 49. next,
5o is a freezer compartment temperature control device, and a temperature sensor 46. A comparison circuit including resistors R1, R2, R3 and a comparator 61, and an OR circuit 62. Transistor 63. A relay coil 64 is provided, the output of the comparator 61 is connected to one input of the OR circuit 62, and the output of the OR circuit 62 is connected to the pace of the transistor 63. Further, an attraction relay coil 64 for opening and closing the relay contact 47 is connected to the collector of the transistor 63. 66 is an ice making control device, a temperature sensor 26b,
A comparison circuit including resistors R4°R6, R6, a comparator 56, a timer 67, and an impark 58. The output of the comparator 56 is connected to the input of the timer 67. Here, the timer 67 is set to -degree H
When a high (hereinafter referred to as "H") signal is input,
First, a "H" signal is output for a predetermined time t1, a Low (hereinafter referred to as "L") signal is output for the next predetermined time t2, and then "H" is output again for a final predetermined time t3. An output terminal a outputs a signal of , and when a -degree "H" signal is input, it outputs a signal of "f(" after a predetermined time t4 has elapsed,
Thereafter, the state of output 6H" is maintained only for a time t6, and the output "6H" is maintained at the same time as the end of the predetermined time t2 of the output terminal a.
The output terminal d of the timer 67 is connected to the other input of the OR circuit 62 of the freezer compartment temperature control device 60, and 68 is also connected to the input of the inverter 68.
A relay coil 61 for opening and closing the relay contact 48 is connected to the collector of the transistor 59. On the other hand, the output terminal of the timer τ67 is connected to the vane of the transistor 6Q, and the collector of the transistor 6o is connected to a relay coil 62 for opening and closing the relay contact 49.

In this configuration, when the temperature of the freezer compartment 6 is higher than a predetermined value, the resistance value RTH1 of the temperature sensor 46 becomes small and the output of the comparator 61 becomes "H".
One input of the OR circuit 52 becomes "H" and its output becomes "H". Therefore, the transistor 53 becomes QN and the relay coil 64 becomes conductive.

Then, the relay contact 47 is closed, the compressor 41 is operated, and the cooler 8 performs a cooling action. At the same time, the blower 9 is operated, and the cold air cooled by the cooler 8 is sent to the freezer compartment 6.
In addition to forced ventilation into the refrigerator compartment 7, forced ventilation is also forced into the ice making compartment 22 through the discharge duct 11 to perform a cooling effect.

Thereafter, when the freezer compartment 6 is cooled to a predetermined temperature, the resistance value RTH2 of the temperature sensor 4e increases, and the output of the comparator 51 becomes "L". At this time, the ice making control device 5
5 is not operating, the signal input from the output terminal a of the timer 67 is always 'L', so the output of the OR circuit 52 is 'L'. For this reason, transistor 53ii:OF
F, conduction to the relay coil 64 is cut off, the relay contact 47 is opened, and the compressor 41. The blower 9 stops. Thereafter, this action is repeated to perform the normal cooling action.

In this state, when the user pours water into the water tank 23 in an attempt to make transparent ice, the plunger 28 of the drain valve 27 normally falls and seals the water outlet 31 of the diaphragm 29. Therefore, the water storage tank 23 is filled with water, and the water floods into each small section 25a to a predetermined water level through the opening at the bottom of the ice making frame 26. This state corresponds to the time of water injection on the characteristic diagram of FIG. 6, that is, point A, and the state is as shown in FIG. 6 if shown in the state diagram. At this time, the temperature of the temperature sensor 26b, which is brought into close contact with the bottom outer wall of the water storage tank 23, detects the water temperature and rapidly rises due to the water injection.

Then, when the temperature rises to a predetermined temperature T, the resistance value RTH2 of the temperature sensor 26b becomes small and the output of the comparator 66 becomes H''.
immediately starts time integration, and at the same time output terminal a outputs an H" signal. Then, the H" signal is input to the OR circuit 53, and regardless of the output of the comparator 61, the temperature of the freezing compartment 6 Regardless of the state, the output of the OR circuit 63 becomes "H" and the transistor 63 turns on. Therefore, the relay coil 64 is energized, the relay contact 47 is closed, and the compressor 41 and blower 9 are forced to operate. Therefore, cold air cooled by the cooler 8 is continuously fed into the ice making chamber 22 via the duct 11, and the water in the water storage tank 23 quickly reaches the freezing temperature of 0°C. When the predetermined time t1 has elapsed, the timer 57
Since the output signal of the output terminal a of is switched to "L", one input of the OR circuit 62 becomes "L", and the output of the OR circuit 62 becomes a normal cooling and operating state depending on the output of the comparator 51. On the other hand, the output "L" of the output terminal a is converted to "H" by the inverter 68 and the transistor 69
is turned on and the relay coil 61 is energized. Therefore, the relay contact 48 is closed and the heater 26a is energized. Here, a compressor 41. Blower 9 is operating.

In a normal cooling operation state with repeated stops, cold air cooled by the cooler 8 is sent through the duct 11 by the blower 9, so that the ice-making frame 25 is cooled from the upper surface of each small compartment 25.
The ice-making action of the water in a is performed. However, at this time, since the outer periphery of the water tank 23 is closely surrounded by the heat insulating material 21, there is almost no cooling effect from the outer periphery, and the outer periphery of the water tank 23 is warmed by the heating action of the heater 26a mentioned above. Therefore, the ice-making action progresses in one direction from above to below the ice-making frame 26. Therefore, if the freezing speed is slowed down to an appropriate level (for example, about 5 m/h), gaseous components dissolved in the water and impurities contained in the water will precipitate outside the ice crystals and be discharged into the water below as ice continues to form. However, since the bottom of each small section 25a of the ice-making frame 25 is penetrated and opened, there is no obstructive wall that would prevent the diffusion of precipitated gas components or the settling of impurities, and the water storage tank 23 can be filled smoothly. Discharged into the lower water. In addition, since there is no obstructing wall, the concentration of gaseous components in the water near the freezing surface due to ice growth is difficult to increase, and therefore bubbles are difficult to generate. In this way, the ice that is sequentially generated over time has very high transparency and good taste with few impurities, and at point B on the characteristic diagram in FIG. 6, where time t4 has passed since the timer 67 started integrating, Ice with an appropriate thickness (for example, 26 fl) is generated. That is, as shown in the state diagram of FIG. 7, ice with high transparency and low impurities coexists in the upper part of the ice making frame 26, and water with reduced purity coexists in the lower part. On the other hand, during the ice-making operation described above, due to the heating action of the heater 26a, the gap between the inner wall of the water storage tank 23 and the outer wall of the ice-making frame 25 is not completely frozen, and the outer periphery of the ice-making frame 26 is covered with a film of water. The situation is as follows. Further, the drain port 24 is also heated to prevent the interior from freezing and is ready for drainage. At the same time that time t4 elapses in this state, the output signal of the output terminal of the timer 67 becomes H'', and the transistor 60 is turned on.

Then, the relay coil 62 is energized and the relay contact 49 is closed. Therefore, the electromagnetic coil 33 of the drain valve 27 is energized, and the plunger 28 is pulled up. Here, the gap between the inner wall of the water storage tank 23 and the outer wall of the ice making frame 26 is not completely frozen, and the atmospheric pressure is balanced, so that the remaining water in the water storage tank 23 is drained to the drain port 24. Continuous tube 36. Inlet tube 34.
Water inlet 30° Water outlet 31. Drain pipe 38 via outlet pipe 36
The water is introduced into the evaporating tray 44 of the evaporator 40 in the machine room 39 via the water conduit 45. After that, the evaporating dish 44
The water drained inside is evaporated by the heating action of a heating plate 43 in close contact with a heating tube 42 through which high-pressure, high-temperature refrigerant gas from a compressor 41 flows. In this way, after all the remaining water in the water tank 23 has been drained, the time t6 has elapsed since the start of draining, that is, the output of the output terminal a of the timer 57 is "H".
→When a predetermined time t2 has elapsed after switching to "L",
The output of the output terminal a of the timer 57 changes from “L” to “H” again.
The output from the -force output terminal changes from "H" to "L". Therefore, the transistor 63 is turned ON via the OR circuit 62, and the compressor 41 and the blower 9 are forced to operate continuously again, while the transistor 59 is turned OFF via the inverter 58, and the power supply to the heater 26a is cut off. to end the heating action. Also, the transistor 60 is turned off.
In order to do this, the electromagnetic coil 33 of the drain valve 27 is de-energized and the plunger 28 falls, preparing for the next water injection.

Such a state is shown at the 0 point on the characteristic diagram of FIG. 6, and if shown in the state diagram as shown in FIG. Only highly pure ice remains. On the other hand, the ice left in this way is mainly high-temperature ice with water attached to the bottom surface, but it is quickly cooled to a low temperature and dried by the forced cooling action of the compressor 41 and blower 9 described above, so it is quickly dried. In addition to being put to practical use, there is no problem of ice comrades sticking together. In this way, the timer 67
When a predetermined time t3 has elapsed since the output of the output terminal & of the output terminal & switches from L" to "H", the output of the output terminal d changes from "H" to "H".
The switch 9 changes to "L", the forced continuous operation of the compressor 41 and the blower 9 is canceled, and the series of ice-making operations ends. The time required for the above series of ice-making operations is the period until the injected water is cooled to the freezing temperature of 0°C,
The period until the ice is cooled down to a low temperature after the residual water is drained can be shortened by performing the cooling operation continuously. In addition, ice making automatically starts and ends automatically by detecting water injection, which saves time and effort.
For example, in an example where the user presses the ice-making start switch to start ice-making, if the user forgets to press the ice-making switch after pouring water, the water in the water tank 23 will not be drained and all the water in the water tank 23 will freeze. However, since ice making starts automatically by water injection, there is no need to worry about that. After the ice-making operation is completed, the water film in the gap between the inner wall of the water tank 23 and the outer wall of the ice-making frame 25 formed by the heating action of the heater 26a is drained, and the water is drained out, leaving a void on the outer periphery of the ice-making frame 26. is formed.

Therefore, the user can easily remove the ice making frame 25 from the water storage tank 23, and by simply twisting the ice making frame 26, it is easy to use and does not require any force. . In addition, all of the ice that adheres to the ice making frame 26 is highly transparent and pure ice, and does not include cloudy, low-purity ice that is not suitable for drinking or eating, so there is no need to separate or dispose of it when ice is removed. . Furthermore, since all the remaining water in the water storage tank 23 is drained every time, there is no need to pay attention to the remaining water and ice when ice making is performed next time, and the ice making frame 25
It is easy to use and allows you to repeatedly make stable ice by simply setting it up and pouring water.

Effect of the invention As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) After the start of ice making, operate an appropriate drainage device to drain the remaining water containing gas components and impurities precipitated by the progress of ice formation, and remove only the ice making frame and remove it from the water storage tank. By fixing the ice cubes and tightly surrounding the outer periphery with heat insulating material, ice is frozen in one direction from above to below, and gaseous components and debris are not contained. The resulting ice is extremely transparent and has a good taste with few impurities.

A temperature sensor detects the water being poured into the storage tank, and the ice-making process is automatically started, and a steamer automatically ends it, saving the user's effort. In addition, since the ice-making process always starts automatically when water is poured, if you forget to press the ice-making switch to start ice-making, the water in the water tank will not drain and all the water in the water tank will freeze. There is no such inconvenience.

(3) By forcing the compressor and blower to operate continuously for a specified period of time after the start and end of the ice-making operation, the injected water is quickly cooled to freezing temperature, and the ice that has been made is also quickly brought to a low temperature. Since it is cooled and dried, the time required for making ice is shortened, and the ice is put into practical use immediately after ice making, so ice cubes do not stick together.

(4) Since the bottom of the ice making frame is penetrating and open, there is no obstruction to the downward diffusion of gaseous components precipitated by the progress of ice formation or the downward settling of impurities. Air bubbles, which cause clouding, are less likely to occur, impurities are more easily discharged, and the layer transparency and ice purity are increased.

(6) Appropriately heating the outer wall of the water tank and the outer wall of the drain port balances the pressure during drainage and prevents the drainage route from freezing, ensuring that unnecessary residual water is drained and the user Only ice with the required clarity and purity remains in the ice making frame. The ice-making frame can be easily removed from the water tank due to the heating action of the outer wall of the water tank, and the ice can be easily removed. In addition, there is no need to separate and dispose of unnecessary ice, and there is no need to check whether or not there is residual ice at the mouth of the water tank each time the ice is made, and to dispose of it.It is easy to use and allows for stable ice making.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged sectional view of essential parts of an ice making device such as a refrigerator showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of an ice making frame of the ice making device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is an electric circuit and control circuit diagram of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a characteristic diagram when ice is made with the ice making device shown in FIG. 1. Figure 6 shows the state in which the ice making device shown in Figure 1 is filled with water, Figure 7 shows the state in which ice making has progressed from the state shown in Figure 6, and Figure 8 shows the state in which water is drained in the state shown in Figure 7. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the main parts of a refrigerator equipped with an ice-making device showing a conventional example, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of main parts of a refrigerator equipped with an ice-making device showing an improved example of the conventional example. Figure 11 is the same figure 10.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of an ice tray of the ice making device shown in FIG. 6...Freezer room (cooling room), 21...Insulation material, 23...Water tank, 24...Drain port, 26...・Ice making frame, 26a...Heater, 26b...Temperature sensor, 27...
Drain valve (drainage device), 38... Drain pipe, 66.
...Ice making control device. Name of agent: Patent attorney Shigetaka Awano and 1 other person 1st
Figure 0

Claims (1)

[Claims] A water storage tank with an open top provided in one section of the cooling chamber, a removable ice-making frame with an open bottom and suspended inside the water tank, and surrounding an outer wall of the water tank. a heat insulating material, a drain provided on the bottom of the water tank, a heater that is in close contact with the outer walls of the water tank and the drain, and a temperature sensor that is in close contact with a part of the outer wall of the water tank; a drainage device connected to the drainage outlet, a drainage pipe connected to the drainage device, a blower for forcing cool air into the cooling chamber by cooling it with a cooler of a refrigeration cycle, and bringing the temperature of the temperature sensor to a predetermined temperature. During the first predetermined period of time from the time of rising,
The blower and the compressor of the refrigeration cycle are forcibly operated, the energization of the heater is stopped, and the first
The heater is energized during a second predetermined time period following the second predetermined time period, and the blower and compressor are forcibly operated during a third predetermined time period following the second predetermined time period. An ice-making device such as a refrigerator, comprising an ice-making control device that de-energizes a heater and operates the drainage device before the end of the second predetermined time period.