JPH08226735A - Water distributor for refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To minimize generation of dripping water and remaining water by making the operation easier, the operation of valve body secure and the discharging flow of cold water uniform. SOLUTION: A refrigerator is provided with a front cover 32, having a water- dispensing lever attached to the front surface of a door and rotatably joined by a hinge, a cylinder member 40 inside which is elastically attached with a sliding member for sliding by the turning operation of water dispensing lever, having a water intake on a side, a cold water vessel 50 attached on the upper side of a cylinder member 40 storing cold water inside it, and a lower part cap 56 having a valve body selectively supplying the cold water in a cold water vessel 50 with the operation of sliding member.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water distributor for a refrigerator which allows cold water stored in a refrigerator to be taken out of the refrigerator without opening a door. In addition to being convenient for use, the opening and closing movement of the water intake is performed reliably, and the flow of the discharged cold water is dropped in a vertical line so that the generation of residual water and water droplets can be minimized. Related to a refrigerator water distributor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a refrigerator, water is stored by storing it in a container so that refreshing cold water can be drunk especially in summer. After taking out the container, a proper amount of water is drunk by using a container such as a cup, and the container in which water is stored is stored again. Such a method not only raises the temperature inside the refrigerator by opening and closing the door to increase power consumption, but also has a problem that it is extremely inconvenient to use.

Conventionally, a refrigerator equipped with a water cooler designed so that cold water cooled in a refrigerator can be taken out of the refrigerator is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 50-37546.

According to the above-mentioned publication, as shown in FIG. 5, a door 2 is openably and closably connected to a front surface of a refrigerator body 1 having a refrigerator compartment therein, and inside the refrigerator compartment 1a. A cold water container 3 storing cold water is attached,
An operation lever 6 is connected to the lower side of the chilled water container 3 by operating the valve device 4 to open and close to discharge the chilled water in the chilled water container 3 into the cup 5 so that water can be taken. Consists of

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the operation lever 6 is removably and elastically hinged to a support point 7 fixed to the door 2, and has an operation rod 6a on one side. It is protruding. The valve device 4, which is opened and closed as the operation lever 6 is operated, is provided with a valve operating portion 8 which is provided so as to slide up and down as the operation rod 6a moves up and down.
And a valve element 10 that opens or closes a water intake 9 formed on one side of the valve body 10 by being moved up and down in conjunction with the valve operating portion 8.

Accordingly, when the cold water in the refrigerator compartment 1a is to be taken in from outside, the tip of the operating lever 6 is moved downward in the drawing, and the operating rod 6a formed on one side thereof is turned upward. The valve operating portion 8 of the valve device is raised, and the valve body 10 is detached at a predetermined interval at the upper end of the water intake 9 as the valve operating portion 8 moves upward, so that the valve operating portion 8 is moved into the water intake 9. The cold water in the cold water container 3 is discharged into the cup 5 so that water can be taken.

Further, when the urging of the operating lever 6 is released, the valve actuating portion 8 is lowered by the elastic force of the elastic member, so that the valve body 10 is brought into close contact with the upper end of the water intake port 9 to cool water. Is stopped.

[0008]

The conventional technique constructed as described above has an advantage that the operation lever can be easily attached and detached, thereby cleaning the surrounding area to some extent. The flow of the cold water discharged through the air is scattered to generate a large amount of water droplets, so that the periphery of the refrigerator becomes dirty. Also, the conventional technology is
It is unsanitary and one hand of the user grips a container such as a cup at the time of water intake, and the other hand must operate the operating lever, which is extremely inconvenient to use, and it is not convenient for use. By moving the operation lever downward, the operation becomes extremely inconvenient when the water distributor is provided below the door, and there are various problems that it is difficult to apply the water distributor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned various problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an easy operation, a reliable operation of a valve body, and a chilled water. The object of the present invention is to provide a water distributor for a refrigerator that minimizes the generation of water drops and residual water because the flow of discharge is uniform.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a water distributor for a refrigerator which is easy to clean and easy to separate and combine with each other, and is very convenient to use. It is in.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, a refrigerator water distributor according to a first aspect of the present invention is configured such that cold water cooled in a refrigerator is discharged to the outside of a door to take water. In a refrigerator made possible, a front cover having a water intake lever rotatably hingedly coupled to a front surface of the door and a sliding member which is slid along with the rotation operation of the water intake lever are internally slung. A cylinder member having a water intake port on one side, and a cold water container seated on the upper side of the cylinder member and storing cold water therein,
A lower cap having a valve body for selectively supplying the cold water in the cold water container with the operation of the sliding member is provided.

Therefore, not only is the structure simple, the components can be easily separated and joined, and it is convenient for cleaning and the like, and the water intake lever can be operated while holding a container such as a cup with one hand. In addition, the discharged cold water scatters or is not dispersed and is discharged in a drooping shape, so that the generation of the falling water drop receiving member and the residual water can be minimized.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a falling water drop receiving member for storing falling water drops and a tray member formed in a mesh shape so as to allow the falling water drops to separate are provided below the front cover. The main point is to be comfortable. Therefore, the falling water drops can be introduced and stored.

A third aspect of the present invention is summarized in that the falling water drop receiving member is provided with an upwardly gripping projection so as to be separable. Therefore, since the gripping protrusion can be taken out in a gripped state, the processing of falling water drops is extremely convenient.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of guide projections are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the water intake port so as to guide the flow of cold water and discharge the water in a drooping manner. That is the summary. Therefore, the flow of the discharged cold water is not dispersed and is uniformly discharged.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is summarized in that at least one of the guide protrusions is a central protrusion extending to the vicinity of the center of the water intake. Therefore,
Even when a small amount of cold water is discharged, the flow of cold water can be guided so as not to be dispersed.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the slidable member is formed with an inclined portion for sliding the slidable member to move the valve body up and down to selectively discharge the cold water in the cold water container. That is the summary. Therefore, the cold water in the cold water container can be selectively discharged.

The seventh aspect of the present invention is that the cold water container is provided with a filter member having a plurality of fine holes for removing foreign substances contained in the cold water. And Therefore, it is possible to prevent foreign substances contained in the cold water from flowing into the cold water container when the cold water is replenished.

An eighth aspect of the present invention is summarized in that the lower cap is provided with a contact preventing projection for protecting the valve body. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the cold water from flowing out due to the valve body being actuated by carelessness when refilling the cold water.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.

In the figure, reference numeral 20 indicates a door in which a heat insulating material 26 is foamed between an inner side plate 22 and an outer side plate 24. The door 20 is cooled in the cabinet at the lower side in the figure. A water intake chamber 28 for taking in cold water is formed.

Further, on the front surface of the water intake chamber 28 in the drawing, a water intake lever having hinge shafts 30a projecting on both sides is rotatably inserted and a front cover 32 having a through hole 32a formed in the front surface. Is attached, and a falling water drop receiving member 34 having a gripping projection 34a protruding to facilitate water intake is removably inserted under the front cover 32.
On the upper side of the falling water drop receiving member 34, a tray member 36, which is formed in a mesh shape so that falling water drops can flow in, is seated.

On the other hand, a cylinder member 40 having a water intake 38 capable of discharging cold water is tightly inserted through a packing member 42 into a through hole 32a provided in the front cover 32. 40 has a slope 4 on one side
A sliding member 44 having 4a is inserted through a sealing member 46 so as to be slidable in the horizontal direction in the figure. The sliding member 44 is fixed to the door 2 by an elastic member 48 interposed on one side.
0 so as to be located on the front side.

A plurality of guide protrusions 38a are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the water intake port 38 so as to allow the flow of the discharged cold water to be uniformly distributed without being dispersed. As shown in FIG. 3, at least one of the protrusions 38a is provided so as to project to the vicinity of the center of the intake port 39 in order to guide the flow of the cold water so as not to be dispersed even when a small amount of the cold water is discharged. A central projection 38b is provided.

Further, a cold water container 50 having a predetermined amount of cold water W stored therein is detachably seated in the opening 40a formed on the upper side of the cylinder member 40.

On the upper side of the cold water container 50 in the figure, a filter member 52 is provided with a plurality of fine holes 52a for preventing the inflow of foreign substances contained in the cold water W when the cold water W is replenished.
Is inserted, and a separable lid 54 is coupled to the upper side thereof.

Furthermore, a cold water inflow passage 56a is provided under the cold water container 50 so that the cold water W can flow into the cold water container 50, and the contact prevention portion 5 is formed so as to be inclined to one side.
6b is coupled to the lower cap 56,
Inside the cold water inflow passage 56a, a valve body 58 is elastically mounted by an elastic member 48a, the lower end of which is brought into contact with the inclined portion 44a and moved up and down as the sliding member 44 slides.

A valve plate 60 having an elastic force to selectively discharge the cold water W in the cold water container 50 by adhering to or detaching from the upper end of the cold water inflow passage 56a on the upper side of the valve body 58 in the figure. Is fixed, and the cylinder member 4
A plug 62 is separably connected to the inside of the container 0 with the sliding member 44 via an elastic member 48.

On the other hand, a plurality of coupling projections 22A are provided on the inner side of the inner plate 22, and a rear cover 64 having a cutout 64a is detachably coupled to the coupling projections 22a.

Further, on the upper side of the front cover 32,
A cover plate 66 that supports the inner surface of the water intake lever 30 so as to be in contact with the tip of the sliding member 44 is fixed.

In the figure, the unexplained reference numeral 68 is the water intake lever 3.
Cold water W discharged through the intake port 38 as the operation of 0
70a, 70b
Indicates a gasket made of silicon.

Next, the operation and effect of the refrigerator water distributor according to the present invention constructed as described above will be described.

First, when the cold water W cooled in the refrigerator is to be taken in, a container 6 such as a cup is placed in the water intake chamber 28.
When 8 is positioned and the water intake lever 30 is pressed, the water intake lever 30 is rotated at a predetermined angle around the hinge shaft 30a as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 44 will be moved to the inside of the refrigerator.

Further, the sliding member 44 is an elastic member 48.
When the inward movement of the valve body 58 is performed while compressing it, the inclined portion 44a rises while pressing the lower end of the valve body 58. When the valve body 58 rises while compressing the elastic member 48a, the valve plate 60 connected to the upper side thereof is detached at a predetermined interval from the upper end of the cold water inflow passage 56a, so that the inside of the cold water inflow passage 56a is removed. The chilled water W in the chilled water container 50 flows into the tank.

The cold water W that has flowed into the cold water inflow passage 56a flows into the cylinder member 40 that is connected to the lower side thereof, and then is discharged into the container 68 through the water intake port 38, as shown in FIG. It

At this time, a plurality of guide protrusions 38a are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the water intake port 38, so that the flow of the cold water W discharged is not dispersed but is discharged in a drooping manner. In addition, a central projection 38b extending to the vicinity of the center is protrudingly provided on the water intake port 38 and the inner peripheral surface.
Even when the amount of the chilled water W stored in the chilled water container 50 is small, the chilled water W discharged through the water intake port 38 can be discharged in the form of a droop without being dispersed, thereby minimizing the generation of water droplets. It is done.

On the other hand, when the urging of the water intake lever 30 is released, the sliding member 44 positioned inside the refrigerator inside the cylinder member 40 returns to its original state due to the elastic force of the elastic member 48, and is inclined. When the portion 44a is detached from the valve body 58, the valve body 58 is moved downward in the figure by the elastic force of the elastic member 48a.

At this time, the valve body 58 is moved downward and the valve plate 60 is turned downward so that the cold water inflow passage 5
By closing the upper end of 6a, the cold water container 5
While the supply of cold water W stored in 0 is interrupted,
The discharge of the cold water W into the water intake 38 is also interrupted.

That is, the closing movement of the valve plate 60 blocks the inflow of the cold water W into the cold water inflow passage 56a, and the sliding member 44 is elastically slid by the elastic force of the elastic member 48. The cold water W in the cylinder member 40 is discharged into the container 68 through the water inlet 38 while applying pressure, and the residual water does not remain in the water inlet 38.

At this time, the cylinder member 40 is passed through the cold water inflow passage 56a formed inside the lower cap 56.
The cold water W flowing into the inside is prevented from being discharged by the sealing member 46 coupled to one side of the sliding member 44 being brought into close contact with the side surface of the cylinder member 40 by the elastic force of the elastic member 48, The sliding member 44 is an elastic member 48
The spring force returns to the original state, and the water intake lever 30 in contact with the tip thereof also returns to the original state.

Further, when the cold water W in the cold water container 50 is replenished, the cold water container 50 seated in the opening 40a is separated from the cylinder member 40, and then the lid 54 is opened to open the filter member 52. A proper amount of cold water W can be supplied through the filter member 52 and a plurality of fine holes 52a are formed in the filter member 52, so that foreign substances contained in the cold water W flow into the cold water container 50. Besides, the lower cap 56 connected to the front surface of the cold water container 50 is formed with a contact prevention portion 56b, so that the valve body 58 is actuated inadvertently when the cold water W is replenished. W is prevented from flowing out.

On the other hand, when the cold water container 50 is separated and the cutout portion 64a inserted into the coupling projection 22a is slid upward, the rear cover 64 can be separated from the inner plate 22, and the rear cover can be separated. After the separation of 64, the cylinder member 40 is separated from the through hole 32a, and then the plug 62 is separated from the cylinder member 40, so that the sliding member 44 can be separated. Can be easily cleaned.

At this time, the cylinder member 40, the sliding member 44 and the back cover 64 are connected in the reverse order of the separated order.

Further, the falling water drops generated by the improper position of the container 68 during the water intake are stored in the falling water drop receiving member 34 through the tray member 36, and the falling water drop receiving member 3
The falling water droplets stored in 4 can be taken out with the gripping protrusion 34a held after being separated into the tray member 36, so that the processing of the falling water droplets is extremely convenient.

[0045]

As described above, according to the refrigerator water distributor of the present invention, not only the structure is simple, the separation and connection are easy and the work such as cleaning is extremely convenient, and the refrigerator water distributor can be used with one hand. In addition to being operable, the cold water discharged through the intake port is not scattered and dispersed, but is discharged in a drooping line shape, which is extremely convenient for use such as minimizing the generation of water drops and residual water. Since the door is provided not only on the upper side but also on the lower side, it has various excellent advantages such as easy design change.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a refrigerator water distributor according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a combination of a refrigerator water distributor according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing a water intake to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part showing an operation state of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view showing a refrigerator provided with a conventional water distributor.

FIG. 6 is a partially connected cross-sectional view showing the structure of a conventional water distributor.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 20 door 30 water intake lever 32 front cover 34 water drop receiving member 34a gripping protrusion 36 tray member 38 water intake 38a guide protrusion 44 sliding member 44a inclined portion 50 cold water container 52 filter member 52a minute hole 56 lower cap 56a cold water inflow passage 58 valve Body 60 Valve plate W Cold water

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A refrigerator in which cold water cooled in a refrigerator is discharged to the outside of a door so that water can be taken in, a front cover having a water intake lever rotatably hingedly coupled to a front surface of the door. And a cylinder member having a water intake port on one side and a sliding member that is slid as the water intake lever is rotated, and a cold water seated on the upper side of the cylinder member. A refrigerator water dispenser, comprising: a cold water container to be stored; and a lower cap having a valve body for selectively supplying the cold water in the cold water container as the sliding member operates. 2. Below the front cover, a falling water drop receiving member for storing falling water drops and a tray member formed in a mesh shape for allowing the falling water drops to flow in are separably seated. The refrigerator water dispenser according to claim 1. 3. The water dispenser for a refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the falling water drop receiving member is provided with an upwardly gripping projection that is separable upward. 4. The plurality of guide protrusions are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the water intake port so as to guide the flow of cold water and discharge the water in a drooping manner. Water dispenser for refrigerator. 5. The refrigerator water distributor according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the guide protrusions is a central protrusion extending to the vicinity of the center of the water intake. 6. The slidable member is formed with a slanted portion that slides to move the valve body up and down to selectively discharge the cold water in the cold water container.
Refrigerator water distributor described 7. The refrigerator water according to claim 1, wherein the cold water container is provided with a filter member having a plurality of fine holes for removing foreign substances contained in the cold water. Distributor. 8. The water dispenser for a refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the lower cap is provided with a contact preventing protrusion for protecting the valve body.