JPH0875332A - Water feeding device for automatic ice making device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To feed a predetermined amount of the water to be purified in a short time from a water storage tank to a water purifying filter without making its mesh wide, in a water feeding structure wherein, at the time of water feed to an ice making dish, the water which is purified through the water purifying filter and is sent out from the water storage tank is temporarily stored in a water reservoir of a predetermined capacity and the water is thereafter fed therefrom to an ice making container. CONSTITUTION: In a purifying case 58, water is stored in an amount hot less than a predetermined amount of the water to be fed in a water reservoir 36 of a predetermined capacity. In this condition, a water outlet valve mechanism 38 closes a water outlet opening 37 and a water feed valve mechanism 54 opens a water feed opening 53. Then, the purified water stored in the purifying case 58 is allowed to flow out from the water feed opening 53 and a predetermined amount of the water is held in the water reservoir 36. Afterwards, the water feed opening 53 is closed, the water outlet opening 37 is opened and the water is thus fed from the water reservoir 36 through a water receiving container 25 and a tube 28 to an ice making tray 22.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water supply device for an automatic ice making device for supplying a fixed amount of water to an ice making container.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 15 shows a conventional structure of a water supply device of this type in a refrigerator. This water supply device is configured to supply the water stored in the plastic water tray 2 in the refrigerating compartment 1 to the ice tray 5, which is an ice making container provided in the ice making compartment 4, by the water feed pump 3. A water storage tank 6 is detachably installed on the top. This water storage tank 6 has a water supply port 8 having a water supply valve 7, and
Water is supplied so that the inner water level always maintains a constant water level that closes the lower end opening of the water supply port 8.

The inside of the water receiving tray 2 is divided into a water receiving chamber 11 and a constant volume chamber 12 by a partition wall 10 having a water passage hole 9. The water receiving chamber 11 has a water supply port for a water storage tank 6 therein. The portion 8 is inserted, and the intake port portion 3 of the water supply pump 3 is inserted in the constant volume chamber 12.
a is inserted. Then, when the water supply pump 3 is activated, the water supply pump 3 supplies the water in the constant volume chamber 12 to the ice making container 5
Supply to. At this time, the water level in the constant volume chamber 12 gradually lowers and a water level difference with the water receiving chamber 11 is generated.
Since the water passage hole 9 communicating with the water tanks 1 and 12 has a small diameter, very little water flows into the constant volume chamber 12 from the water receiving chamber 11 through the water passage hole 9 during water supply by the water supply pump 3. Is supplied with a fixed amount of water stored in the constant volume chamber 12.

In the water supply device of this structure, it is premised that the amount of water flowing from the water receiving chamber 11 into the constant volume chamber 12 through the water passage hole 9 during the water supply by the water supply pump 3 is limited to a very small amount. A fixed amount of water has been established. However,
The diameter of the water passage hole 9 may vary due to molding error of the water receiving tray 2, and if the diameter of the water passage hole 9 is larger than the designed value, the water receiving chamber 11 to the constant volume chamber 12 during the water supply by the water supply pump 3. There is a problem that the amount of water flowing into the ice tray varies, and as a result, the amount of water supplied to the ice tray 5 varies from product to product. In addition, since water is always stored in the water tray 2, water stains are likely to adhere to the inner surface and molds and the like are likely to occur, which is not preferable for hygiene.

Therefore, recently, a water supply device is provided with a constant quantity water reservoir having a water discharge valve mechanism, a water storage tank provided on the constant quantity water reservoir and having a water supply valve mechanism, a water discharge valve mechanism and a water supply valve mechanism. It is composed of a valve operating device that opens and closes.The valve operating device closes the water discharge valve mechanism and opens the water supply valve mechanism, thereby supplying a fixed amount of water from the water storage tank to the fixed amount water reservoir, and then the water supply valve mechanism. By closing and opening the water discharge valve mechanism, a certain amount of water stored in the fixed amount water reservoir is configured to be supplied to the ice making container, so that the fixed amount water reservoir can always be kept empty. What is done is considered. On the other hand, it is also considered that a water purifier equipped with a water purifying filter is arranged in the water storage tank, and iron rust, chlorine, etc. are removed from the water in the water storage tank by this water purifier to supply water to the quantitative water reservoir.

[0006]

The fixed amount water reservoir is always emptied, and when supplying water to the ice tray, a fixed amount of water is supplied from the water storage tank to the fixed amount water reservoir, and then the fixed amount water reservoir is used to make the ice making container. In the case of the structure of supplying a fixed amount of water to the fixed amount water reservoir from the water storage tank within a relatively short time when the water supply valve mechanism is opened by the valve operating device. On the other hand, the water purification filter of the water purifier is formed by constructing fibrous activated carbon into a non-woven fabric, but its eyes are very fine, mainly to remove iron rust and chlorine contained in water. Therefore, the water permeability is quite low. In particular, considering that the water storage tank is arranged in the refrigerating compartment of the refrigerator, the temperature of the water in the water storage tank becomes low and the viscosity thereof becomes high, so that it becomes more difficult for the water to pass through the water purification filter. For this reason, within a relatively short time when the water supply valve mechanism is opened by the valve operating device, a fixed amount of water required for the ice making container cannot be supplied to the fixed amount water reservoir through the water purification filter, and the water supply amount to the ice making container is reduced. May run short. In order to avoid this, it is sufficient to make the filter of the water purifier coarse, but if this is done, iron rust and chlorine cannot be sufficiently adsorbed, and there is no point in providing a water purifier.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to temporarily remove water, which is purified by a water purification filter and flows out from a water storage tank, when water is supplied to an ice making container.
In a configuration in which water is stored in a fixed quantity water reservoir and then water is supplied from the fixed quantity water reservoir to the ice making container, a certain amount of purified water required for the ice making container can be discharged from the water storage tank in a short time without making the water purification filter coarse. An object is to provide a water supply device of an automatic ice making device capable of supplying a fixed amount water reservoir.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a water supply device of an automatic ice making device of the present invention is a fixed quantity water reservoir which is positioned above an ice making container and has a water outlet at the bottom.
A water discharge valve mechanism for opening and closing the water outlet of the fixed quantity water reservoir, a water storage tank which is arranged on the constant water tank and supplies a fixed amount of water from the water supply port at the bottom to the constant water tank, A water supply valve mechanism that opens and closes the water supply port of the water storage tank, and raises the valve rod of the water supply valve mechanism and the valve rod of the water supply valve mechanism to close the water supply port and open the water supply port. After supplying a fixed amount of water from the fixed amount of water to the fixed amount water reservoir, by lowering the valve rod of the water supply valve mechanism and the valve rod of the water discharge valve mechanism, the water supply port is closed and the water discharge port is opened to the fixed amount. A valve operating device for supplying a certain amount of water stored in the water reservoir to the ice making container through a water supply channel, a water purifying filter in the water inflow part of the peripheral part, and an air vent part standing upright Purification case in the water storage tank The water is provided so as to cover the water supply port, and water flowing into the purification case through the water purification filter is caused to flow out from the water supply port, and intrudes into the purification case from the outside as the water flows out from the water supply port. A water purifier for discharging the air from the air vent to the upper part of the water storage tank, wherein the water vent is located in the water storage tank above the valve rod of the water supply valve mechanism. In addition, the inner volume of the purification case is set to be equal to or more than the predetermined amount required for supplying water from the water storage tank to the fixed quantity water reservoir at one time.

In this case, of the inner bottom surface of the water storage tank, the portion where the water purifier is arranged is configured to be depressed, and the water inflow portion of the purification case is located below the inner bottom surface of the water storage tank. It is preferable that

[0010]

When the water discharge valve mechanism is closed and the water supply valve mechanism is opened, the water in the water storage tank flows out from the water supply port to the fixed amount water reservoir. At this time, the inner volume of the purification case is 1
Since it is set to a certain amount or more required for water supply per time, in the purification case there is already more than the amount of water purified through the water purification filter that should be supplied to the quantitative water reservoir, The water is supplied to the fixed amount water reservoir.

When the water in the purifying case flows out from the water supply port of the water storage tank to the fixed amount water reservoir, the outside air accordingly enters into the purifying case from the water supply port. If this air accumulates in the purification case, the subsequent outflow of water and the invasion of air will be impeded.However, since the purification case has an air vent at the top, the invading air will pass through the water filter. The air can be smoothly discharged from the air vent into the water storage tank without passing through, and water can be smoothly supplied to the fixed amount water reservoir.

Further, in order to allow a certain amount of water to flow into the purification case even if the amount of water stored in the water storage tank becomes small, the purification case must be provided at a position as low as possible. Since the air vent portion of is located above the valve stem of the water supply valve mechanism, even if the purification case is installed at a low position, when the valve stem is pushed up, the valve stem will enter the air vent part. Therefore, there is no possibility that the operation will be hindered by the purification case.

In this case, of the inner bottom surface of the water storage tank, the portion where the purifier is arranged is configured to be depressed, and the water inlet of the purification case is positioned below the inner bottom surface of the water storage tank. By doing so, it is possible to always store more than the amount of water to be supplied to the quantitative water reservoir in the purification case except for the last one just before the water storage tank becomes empty.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an automatic ice making device for a refrigerator will be described below with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 11, in the ice making chamber 21 of the refrigerator,
An ice tray 22 serving as a plastic ice container is provided, and the water stored in the ice tray 22 is cooled by cold air supplied to the ice making chamber 21 to become ice. On the other hand, in the refrigerating chamber 23 above the ice making chamber 21, a plastic mounting table 24 is provided, and the circular water receiver 2 is mounted on the mounting table 24.
5 are integrally formed. A part of the front side of the water receiver 25 is extended forward.

The water receiver 25 is for receiving a fixed amount of water and supplying it to the ice tray 22, and at the bottom of the portion extended to the front side, an outlet 26 is provided as shown in FIG. Has been formed. A tube 28 penetrating a partition wall 27 between the ice making chamber 21 and the refrigerating chamber 23 is connected to the outflow port 26, and the water received by the water receiver 25 is supplied to the tube 2
It is adapted to be poured into the ice tray 22 via the nozzle 8.
Therefore, the water receiver 25 and the tube 28 function as a water supply channel 29 that receives a fixed amount of water and supplies it to the ice tray 22. In FIG. 11, reference numeral 30 denotes a water force alleviating member for weakening the momentum of the water supplied from the tube 28 to prevent the water from splashing from the ice tray 22, and 26a.
Is a heater for preventing freezing of water droplets remaining on the inner surfaces of the outflow port 26 and the tube 28.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, an opening 31 is formed at the center of the bottom of the water receiver 25, and a cylindrical portion 32 projecting upward is integrally formed around the opening 31. Is projected on. A container-shaped sealing member 33 made of an elastic material that seals the opening 31 is disposed inside the tubular portion 32. The sealing member 33 is an annular step formed inside the tubular portion 32. The ring 32 is attached to the portion 32a by the cap nut 34 screwed to the male screw 32b on the outer periphery of the tubular portion 32.
It is pressed and fixed via 5.

Inside the water receiver 25, a circular fixed amount water reservoir 36 made of plastic is housed. The fixed amount water reservoir 36 is attachable to and detachable from the water receiver 25. In the housed state, the annular rib 36a around the outer periphery of the upper portion has a lower expanded portion 25a formed at an upper opening of the water receiver 25. It is adapted to be received and supported by the step surface 25b.

A water outlet 37 is formed at the center of the bottom of the fixed quantity water reservoir 36, and the water outlet 37 is provided in the water outlet valve mechanism 3.
It is opened and closed by 8. The water valve mechanism 38 includes a valve rod 39 and
The valve element 40 is a main component, and the valve rod 39 has an upper valve rod 41 having a large-diameter flange portion 41a at the lower end portion.
And a lower valve rod 42 that also has a large-diameter flange portion 42a at the lower end portion. Further, the valve body 40 has a skirt portion 40 as a tubular portion that opens downward in a lower portion.
It is formed in a stepped cylindrical shape having a.

The upper valve rod 41 is vertically movably inserted into a central bearing portion 36c of a plurality of ribs 36b provided upright on the inner bottom surface of the fixed amount water reservoir 36, and is prevented from coming off by a stop ring 43. A first compression coil spring 44 that urges the upper valve rod 41 downward is provided between the bearing portion 36c and the flange portion 41a of the upper valve rod 41.

On the other hand, the lower valve rod 42 is vertically movably inserted in the center of the upper disc portion 40b of the valve body 40 and is prevented from coming off by a stop ring 45. A second compression coil spring 46 that urges the valve element 40 upward with respect to the lower valve rod 42 is provided between the flange portion 42 a of the valve 42 and the flange portion 42 a. A container-shaped sealing member 47 made of an elastic material is disposed on the upper tubular portion 40c of the valve body 40 to seal the upper opening of the tubular portion 40c. The sealing member 47 is tubular. A cap nut 48 screwed to the male screw 40d on the outer periphery of the portion 40c is pressed and fixed to the upper end of the portion 40c via a ring 49.

The valve body 40, the lower valve rod 42, the second compression coil spring 46 and the seal member 4 combined in this way.
7 is configured as a unit separate from the upper valve rod 41 and the first compression coil spring 44 attached to the fixed quantity water reservoir 36, and is separable from the fixed quantity water reservoir 36 as shown in FIG. Then, the lower unit of the water discharge valve mechanism 38 moves up and down toward the water receiver 25 side by fitting the skirt portion 40a of the valve body 40 to the outside of the bag-shaped nut 34 that is the protruding portion of the water supply passage 29. It is in a state of being supported as much as possible.

In the fixed quantity water reservoir 36, after the lower unit of the water discharge valve mechanism 38 is attached to the water receiver 25 side,
It is designed to be housed in the water receiver 25, and in this housed state, as shown in FIG. 1, the upper portion of the valve body 40 is inserted inside the water outlet 37 and the upper valve rod 41 and the lower valve body 41 are inserted. Valve rod 4
The second compression coil spring 44 and the second compression coil spring 44 are in contact with each other with the seal member 47 interposed therebetween, and urge the lower valve rod 42 downward.
At this time, the protrusion 47a protruding from the seal member 47 and the recess 41b formed at the lower end of the upper valve rod 41 are fitted to each other so that the upper valve rod 41 and the lower valve rod 42 are coaxial with each other. Is adjusted to. Then, the valve body 40 is moved upward by the urging force of the second compression coil spring 46 and comes into contact with the annular packing 50 attached to the peripheral portion of the water outlet 37 from below to close the water outlet 37. Further, as will be described later, when the first compression coil spring 44 is pushed down by the urging force, it moves away from the annular packing 50 downward to open the water outlet 37.

Here, of the valve element 40, the annular packing 5
The portion that abuts 0 is formed on the tapered inclined surface 40d that descends toward the outer peripheral side.
The inclined surface 40d of 0 is in line contact with the entire circumference of the annular packing 50. The lower end of the annular packing 50 is formed in an arc shape so that the inclined surface 40d and the annular packing 50 can be more surely brought into line contact with each other.

By the way, the upper valve rod 41 and the lower valve rod 4
Reference numeral 2 is made of plastic and has a substantially round bar shape formed on both sides with flat surfaces 41b, 41b and 42b, 42b as shown in FIG. The upper and lower valve rods 41, 42 are formed in a plurality of split molds, and their mating surfaces (parding lines) are set to be located at the centers of the flat surfaces 41b, 42b. Therefore, even if the split molds are slightly displaced when the molds are matched with each other, the upper and lower valve rods 41 and 42 remain with one half on both sides of the center of the flat surfaces 41b and 42b as shown in FIG. Because it will shift from one half,
The outer diameter of the outer diameter is smaller than that in the case where the flat portions 41b and 42b are not provided, and there is no possibility that the first and second compression coil springs 44 and 46 fitted on the outer sides of the flat portions 41b and 42b are rubbed during expansion and contraction. Further, even if a burr is generated between the mating surfaces of the split molds, since the burr is generated on the flat surfaces 41b and 42b, the first and second compression coil springs 44 and 46 prevent expansion and contraction due to the burr. There is no fear of being.

Further, on the upper surfaces of the flange portions 41a, 42a of the upper and lower valve rods 41, 42, a pair of protrusions 41c, with a spacing equal to the outer diameter dimension of the first and second compression coil springs 44, 46. 42c is provided in a protruding manner, and the first and second portions are provided at the positions 90 degrees apart from these protrusions 41c, 42c.
A pair of protrusions 41d and 42d are provided so as to project at a distance equal to the inner diameters of the compression coil springs 44 and 46. The lower ends of the first and second compression coil springs 44 and 46 have projections 41c and 42c as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG.
Is placed on the flange portions 41a, 42a so as to be positioned inside the projections 41d, 42d and outside the projections 41d, 42d, whereby the first and second compression coil springs 44,
The upper and lower valve rods 41,
It is configured to maintain a concentric state with 42.

On the other hand, on the fixed amount water reservoir 36, the mounting table 2 is placed.
4 is provided with a water storage tank 51 detachably installed. A cylindrical portion 51a is provided so as to project downward on the bottom surface of the water storage tank 51, and the male screw 5 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion 51a.
1b is formed. A cap 52 having an internal thread 52a formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof is screwed onto the tubular portion 51a. A water supply port 53 is formed in the center of the cap 52, and a short large-diameter ring portion 52b protruding downward is formed on the lower surface of the cap 52.

The water supply port 53 is opened and closed by a water supply valve mechanism 54. The water supply valve mechanism 54 includes a valve rod 55 supported by a central bearing 52d of a support frame 52c provided on the cap 52 so as to be vertically movable, and a valve body 56 attached to a lower end of the valve rod 55. It is configured. The valve rod 55 is biased downward by the compression coil spring 57 as a biasing means provided between the valve body 56 and the bearing portion 52d, and the water supply port 53 is always closed. The water storage tank 51 is hermetically sealed except that it is connected to the outside through the water supply port 53.

The cylindrical portion 51a of the water storage tank 51 is set so that its downward protrusion length is relatively long, and
The water storage tank 51 is formed to have a considerably large diameter for use as a maintenance port for cleaning the inside of the water storage tank 51, for example, larger than the fixed amount water reservoir 36. Therefore, the cap 52 is also formed to have a diameter larger than the upper surface of the fixed amount water reservoir 36, and the water receiver 2
5 is located in the upper expanded portion 25c of the container 5 and faces the upper end of the fixed quantity water reservoir 36 with a slight gap, and the upper surface of the fixed quantity water reservoir 36 is closed. Further, the large-diameter ring portion 52b of the water supply port 53 is set to be slightly smaller than the inner diameter dimension of the fixed-quantity water reservoir 36, and a small gap is formed between the fixed-pressure water storage 36 and the inner peripheral surface thereof. It is inserted in the container 36. The valve rod 55 of the water supply valve mechanism 54 is in a state of being positioned on the same axis as the valve rod 39 of the water discharge valve mechanism 38.

A water purifier C is housed in the water storage tank 51. As shown in FIG. 8, the purifying case 58 of the water purifier C has a flat cylindrical container shape, and the lower surface thereof is open. A water inlet 58a, which is a water inlet, is formed in the periphery of the purification case 58, and a cylindrical water filter 59 made of, for example, fibrous activated carbon made of a non-woven fabric is removable inside the periphery. Is attached to.
Further, an air vent portion 58b formed of a small tapered cylinder is provided upright on the upper portion of the purification case 58.

The purification case 58 is the cap 5
2 is detachably attached to the cylindrical attachment portion 52e provided on the inner upper surface of the second member so that the lower end portion is fitted to cover the water supply port 53. In this case, since the downward protrusion length of the cylindrical portion 51a is set to be relatively long, the disposition portion of the purification case 58 is in a state of being relatively deeply depressed from the inner bottom surface of the water storage tank 51. Therefore,
The purification case 58 arranged on the cap 52, which is the bottom surface of the depressed portion, is in a state of being housed inside the tubular portion 51a, which is the depressed portion, and the water inlet 58a is in the water storage tank 51.
It is positioned below the inner bottom surface of the.
Then, the purification case 58 housed inside the tubular portion 51a.
Has a relatively large diameter, and the inner volume of the portion located below the inner bottom surface of the water storage tank 51 has a fixed amount
It is designed to be larger than a certain amount required for each time water supply to.

In FIG. 11, reference numeral 60 is a switch for detecting, via the lever 61, that the water storage tank 51 is placed on the placing table 24. Further, 62 is an ice storage case (not shown) for storing the ice produced in the ice tray 22.
This is a lever for detecting the ice storage amount of.

On the other hand, the partition wall 27 has a water discharge valve mechanism 3
8 and a valve operating device 63 for opening and closing the water supply valve mechanism 54
Is attached. The valve operating device 63 includes an operating shaft 6 as an operating portion which is supported by a case 64 so as to be vertically movable.
5 and the motor 66 shown in FIG. 9 and, for example, a cam mechanism 67 as a conversion unit that converts the rotational movement of the motor 66 into the vertical movement of the operation shaft 65. This cam mechanism 67
Is configured by attaching a cam plate 70 to a cam shaft 69 that is rotationally driven by a motor 66 via a reduction mechanism 68, and the upper surface, which is the cam surface of the cam plate 70, is formed in an uneven shape. The lower end of the operating shaft 65 is in contact with the upper surface of the cam plate 70, and the operating shaft 65 reciprocates once when the cam plate 70 makes one rotation.

As shown in FIG. 1, the operating shaft 65 projects upward from the case 64, is located in the opening 31 at the bottom of the water receiver 25, and is located in the lower valve rod 42 of the water outlet valve mechanism 38. It abuts via the seal member 33. And
The operation shaft 65 is always in a stopped state at an intermediate height position in the vertical movement range. At this time, both the upper and lower valve rods 41, 42 of the water discharge valve mechanism 38 are in a position pushed up by a predetermined amount from the lower limit position by the operation shaft 65, but the upper end of the upper valve rod 41 is separated from the valve rod 55 of the water supply valve mechanism 54. Are apart. In such a state, the valve body 40 of the water outlet valve mechanism 38 is pressed against the annular packing 50 by the elastic force of the second compression coil spring 46 to close the water outlet 37, and the water supply valve mechanism 54.
The valve body 56 is pushed down by the elastic force of the compression coil spring 57 to close the water supply port 53. In addition, the flood valve mechanism 3
Since the upper valve rod 41 and the lower valve rod 42 of FIG. 8 perform the same vertical movement, the valve rod 39 will be described below unless otherwise specified.

Water is supplied to the ice tray 22 by one rotation of the cam plate 70 (cam shaft 69) shown in FIG. 9, and one rotation of the cam plate 70 causes the operation shaft 65 to rotate. Reciprocating water discharge valve mechanism 38 and water supply valve mechanism 5
Open and close 4. In this case, as described above, since the operation shaft 65 is normally stopped at the intermediate position in the vertical movement range,
One reciprocation of the operating shaft 65 starts from its intermediate position, and the operating shaft 65 first rises from the intermediate position to the upper limit position (first stroke) with the rotation of the cam plate 70, and then from the upper limit position to the lower limit position. It descends (second stroke), then returns from the lower limit position to the intermediate position and stops (third stroke). A magnet 71 is attached to the cam plate 70 and a reed switch 72 is provided on the case 64 side in order to cause the operation shaft 65 to perform the above-described first to third stroke operations.
The control device (not shown) is configured to detect that the cam plate 67 has rotated once by turning on the reed switch 72 and turn off the motor 66.

Next, in order to explain the operation of the above configuration, the vertical movement of the operating shaft 65 and the opening / closing relationship of the water discharge valve mechanism 38 and the water supply valve mechanism 54 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 10, the intermediate position of the operating shaft 65 is PC,
The upper limit position is indicated by PU and the lower limit position is indicated by PL.

First, when the operating shaft 65 is at the intermediate position PC, the valve bodies 40 and 56 of the water outlet valve mechanism 38 and the water supply valve mechanism 54 close the water outlet 37 and the water inlet 53, respectively. When the operating shaft 65 starts to rise from the intermediate position PC to the upper limit position PU, the valve shaft 39 of the water outlet valve mechanism 38 is pushed up by the operating shaft 65. At this time, since the valve rod 39 is pushed up while compressing and compressing the first and second compression coil springs 44 and 46, the valve body 40 of the water discharge valve mechanism 38 is urged by the second compression coil spring 46 to press the annular packing 50. Pressed against, that is, water outlet 3
7 is maintained in the closed state, so that the valve rod 39 slides up with respect to the valve body 40 in the stopped state. Therefore, in particular, the valve body 40 is gradually and strongly pressed against the annular packing 50 by the second compression coil spring 46 being gradually compressed as the valve rod 39 moves upward, and the seal against the water outlet 37 is further improved. Be certain. Then, when the valve rod 39 of the water discharge valve mechanism 38 is pushed up to a predetermined height position, the valve rod 39 contacts the valve rod 55 of the water supply valve mechanism 54 as shown in FIG. The valve body 56 opens the water supply port 53 in order to push up against the power.

As the operating shaft 65 is raised from the intermediate position PC to the upper limit position PU in this way, the water supply valve mechanism 54
The valve rod 55 of is pushed up. At this time, the purification case 5
8 is flat and its height is relatively low, but since the air bleeding portion 58b of the purification case 58 is located above the valve rod 55, the upper end portion of the valve rod 55 is deflated as it rises. It comes to invade into the part 58b. Therefore, even if the purification case 58 has a low height such that it can be accommodated in the tubular portion 51a, the rise of the valve rod 55 is not hindered by the purification case 58, and the opening operation of the water supply valve mechanism 54 is hindered. Will never occur.

The operating shaft 65 moves from the upper limit position PU to the lower limit position P.
When turning to the second stroke that descends to L, the valve rods 39 and 55 of the water discharge valve mechanism 38 and the water supply valve mechanism 54 are pushed down by the elastic force of the compression coil springs 44, 46, and 57, and the valve of the water supply valve mechanism 54 is first. The body 56 closes the water supply port 53. At this time, the valve body 40 of the water outlet valve mechanism 38 is urged upward by the second compression coil spring 46 and pressed against the annular packing 50 despite the lowering of the valve rod 39. It remains closed. After that, the valve rod 39 of the water discharge valve mechanism 38 separates from the valve rod 55 of the water supply valve mechanism 54, and when the valve rod 39 further descends, the lower valve rod 4
Since the second stop ring 45 contacts the valve body 40, the elastic force of the second compression coil spring 46 is reduced by the stop ring 45.
Will be accepted by. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the valve rod 39 moves downward integrally with the valve body 40 by the urging force of the first compression coil spring 44, so that the valve body 4
0 is moved downward by the urging force of the first compression coil spring 44, and is separated downward from the annular packing 50.
open.

Then, the operating shaft 65 reaches the lower limit position PL, and rises from the lower limit position PL to the intermediate position PC.
When shifting to the stroke, the valve rod 39 of the water discharge valve mechanism 38 moves upward while compressing and compressing the first compression coil spring 44. When the operating shaft 65 and thus the valve rod 39 are raised by a predetermined amount,
When the valve body 40 contacts the annular packing 50 and the stop ring 45 is slightly separated from the valve body 40, that is, as shown in FIG. 1, the valve body 40 has the second compression coil spring 46.
When the water outlet 37 is closed by being pressed against the annular packing 50 by the urging force of the operating shaft 65, the operating shaft 65 is moved to the original intermediate position PC.
Return to and stop there. As described above, the operation shaft 65
The water supply valve mechanism 38 and the water discharge valve mechanism are opened and closed by the vertical movement of the.

Then, the ice making in the ice making tray 22 is completed,
When the ice tray 22 is turned upside down, the ice is dropped and stored in an ice storage case (not shown), and then returned, the motor 66 for supplying water to the ice tray 22 is energized. Then, the operating shaft 37 first rises from the intermediate position PC to the upper limit position PU (first stroke), so that the valve body 40 of the water outlet valve mechanism 38 causes the water outlet 37 of the fixed quantity water reservoir 36 to move as shown in FIG. The water supply valve mechanism 54 opens the water supply port 53 of the water storage tank 51 in the state of being closed. As a result, the water storage tank 51
The water inside flows out into the fixed amount water reservoir 36 through the water supply port 53, and the water is stored in the fixed amount water reservoir 36.
Then, as the water flows out from the water supply port 53, the water level in the fixed quantity water reservoir 36 rises, and the water surface closes the lower end opening of the large-diameter ring portion 52b which is the lower end part of the water supply port 53 portion. Then, the outflow of water from the water supply port 53 stops.
At this time, since the large-diameter ring portion 52b is always supported at a constant height position, the constant quantity water reservoir 36 always stores a constant water level, in other words, a constant amount of water.

At the start of water supply from the water storage tank 51 to the fixed quantity water storage device 36, the water which has already flowed into the purification case 58 from the water inlet 58a through the water purification filter 59, that is, the water purification filter 59, is used. Water purified by removing iron rust, chlorine, etc. is in a state of being stored in an amount equal to or more than a certain amount necessary for supplying water to the fixed amount water reservoir 46 at one time. Therefore, even when the water in the water storage tank 51 does not flow into the purification case 58 through the water purification filter 59 at the time of water supply from the water storage tank 51 to the fixed quantity water reservoir 36, it is stored in the purification case 36 at the start of water supply. A fixed amount of water can be supplied to the fixed amount water reservoir 36 only with the purified water present. Therefore, even if the water purifying filter 59 has fine meshes and its water permeability is poor, and even if the water in the water storage tank 51 is cooled to a low temperature and its viscosity becomes high, making it difficult to pass through the water purifying filter 59, It is possible to supply a fixed amount of purified water defined in the vessel 36.

By the way, when purified water flows out from the water supply port 53, the same amount of air intrudes into the purification case 58 from the outside. If this air does not escape from the purification case 58, the outflow of water from the water supply port 53 is blocked, and a fixed amount of purified water is supplied to the quantitative water reservoir 36 within a relatively short time when the water supply valve mechanism 54 is in the open state. Although it cannot be done, since the air vent 58b is provided in the upper part of the purification case 58, the air that has entered the purification case 58 is not removed by the air vent 5.
Get out of 8b smoothly. Therefore, unlike the configuration in which the air vent portion 58a is not provided and air is extracted from the fine water purifying filter 59, there is no possibility that the outflow of water from the water supply port 53 will be obstructed.

When a fixed amount of water is stored in the fixed amount water reservoir 36 as described above, then the operation shaft 63 moves to the second stroke in which the operation shaft 63 descends from the upper limit position PU to the lower limit position PL. With the lowering of the operation shaft 63, the valve body 56 of the water supply valve mechanism 54 first closes the water supply port 53 of the water storage tank 51, and thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3, the valve body 40 of the water outlet valve mechanism 38 is the constant quantity water reservoir. The water outlet 37 opens away from the bottom of 36. Then, the water stored in the fixed amount water reservoir 36 and the water existing in the water supply port portion 53 of the water storage tank 51 flow out from the water outlet 37 to the water receiver 25 as shown by an arrow A in FIG. 3, and It is supplied from the outlet 26 into the ice tray 22 through the tube 28 due to the drop.

On the other hand, from the water storage tank 51 to the fixed amount water reservoir 36.
When the amount of water in the purification case 58 decreases due to the start of water supply to the purification case 58, the water in the water storage tank 51 flows into the purification case 58 through the water purification filter 59. Then, even after the water supply port 53 is closed as described above, the water continues to flow into the purification case 58 through the water purification filter 59,
When the water level in the purification case 58 reaches the water level in the water storage tank 58, the purification case 58 is removed from the water purification filter 59.
Ingress of water stops inside. In this way, in the purification case 58, a required amount of water or more is stored in preparation for the next water supply to the fixed amount water reservoir 36.

When the operating shaft 63 descends to the lower limit position PL, the operating shaft 63 then moves to the third stroke in which the operating shaft 63 returns from the lower limit position PL to the intermediate position PC, and the valve rod 39 of the water valve mechanism 38 is operated by the operating shaft 63. When pushed up by a predetermined amount, the valve body 40 of the water outlet valve mechanism 38 closes the water outlet 37. At this time, the water supply to the ice tray 22 is completed, and then the operation shaft 63 is moved to the intermediate position PC shown in FIG.
And stops at that position, leaving the water outlet 37 closed.

The water supplied into the ice tray 22 is stored in the ice making chamber 23.
When ice is cooled by the cold air in the inside, the ice tray 22 is turned upside down in the same manner as described above, the ice is dropped and stored in the ice storage case, and when the ice tray 22 is returned to its original state, the motor 64 is energized again. Then, the above-described operation is repeated. Even if the amount of water remaining in the water storage tank 51 is reduced due to repeated water supply from the water storage tank 51 to the fixed quantity water storage device 36, the water inlet port 58a of the purification case 58 exists below the inner bottom surface of the water storage tank 58. In addition, since the internal volume of the portion of the purification case 58 located below the inner bottom surface of the water storage tank 58 is equal to or more than a certain amount required to supply water to the fixed quantity water reservoir 36 per time, the water storage tank Except for the last water supply just before 51 is emptied, each time the water is supplied, the amount of 1
It is possible to store purified water in excess of the amount required for water supply per time.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, only a fixed amount of water stored in the fixed quantity water reservoir 36 including the water in the large diameter ring portion 52a is supplied to the ice tray 22. At this time, unlike the conventional configuration shown in FIG. 15, that is, the configuration in which the water in the constant volume chamber 12 communicated with the water receiving chamber 11 through the water passage hole 9 is supplied to the ice tray 5 by the water supply pump 3. ,
When supplying water to the ice tray 22, there is no possibility that water will flow into the fixed amount water reservoir 36 from the other, so a certain amount of water is always supplied.
It is possible to supply the water to the water tank 2 and to perform the accurate quantitative water supply.

By setting the inner volume of the purifying case 58 to be equal to or more than the amount of water supplied to the fixed quantity water reservoir 36 per time, the water purified by the water purifying filter 59 is compared with the water supply valve mechanism 54 in the open state. Quantitative water reservoir 3 within a relatively short time
6 can be supplied without shortage.

Further, the air vent portion 5 is provided on the upper portion of the purifying case 58.
By providing 8b, it is possible to smoothly extract the air that enters the purification case 58 along with the water supply from the water storage tank 51 to the fixed quantity water storage device 36, and the water leakage from the water storage tank 51 due to the deterioration of the air escape condition. There is no risk that the outflow of water to the fixed amount water reservoir 36 will deteriorate. The air vent 58b
Is so high as to reach the vicinity of the inner upper surface of the water storage tank 51, the water in the water storage tank 51 is discharged from the air vent 5
It can be prevented from flowing into the purification case 58 through 8b.

Moreover, the air vent 58b of the purifying case 58
Is located above the valve rod 55 of the water supply valve mechanism 54, the upward movement of the valve rod 55 is not hindered by the purification case 51. Further, since the purification case 58 is attached to the cap 52, the purification case 58 can be removed by removing the cap 52, which is convenient for cleaning the water purification filter 59 and the like.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

Since the water in the fixed amount water reservoir 36 is supplied to the ice tray 22 by a drop, unlike the case of supplying water by a water supply pump, there is no fear of generating a loud noise such as a howling noise of pump blades during water supply. , Silent water supply is possible.
In this case, the drive source of the valve operating device 61 is the motor 64, which is more effective for silent water supply.

Since the fixed quantity water reservoir 36 is always empty and water is stored only for a short time when water is supplied to the ice tray 22, water for supplying the ice tray 22 to the fixed quantity water reservoir 36 is provided. Unlike the configuration in which the fixed amount water is constantly stored, the fixed amount water reservoir 36 is unlikely to accumulate water stains or mold, and the odor of the food stored in the refrigerating compartment 23 is the water in the fixed amount water reservoir 36. It will not be absorbed by. Note that the time required to complete the ice making on the ice tray 22 is 2 to
Since it is 5 hours, if water is constantly stored in the fixed amount water reservoir 36, the odor of the food in the refrigerating compartment 23 is absorbed by the water.

Since the water discharge valve mechanism 54 and the water discharge valve mechanism 38 are always kept closed in addition to the water supply valve mechanism 54, for example, a slight gap is formed between the peripheral edge of the water supply port 53 and the valve body 56. If it occurs and water leaks from it, it will be stored in the water receiver 25.
Therefore, the water leaking from the water storage tank 51 is protected by the tube 28.
It is possible to prevent the occurrence of the problem that water is supplied into the ice tray 22 via the water and the water overflows from the ice tray 22. In addition, the fixed quantity water reservoir 3 leaking from the water storage tank 51
The water stored in 6 is supplied to the ice tray 22 at the next water supply.

The valve body 40 of the water valve mechanism 38 is a lower valve rod 42.
The second compression coil spring 46 provided between the lower valve rod 42 and the lower end flange portion 42a of the lower valve rod 42 is biased upward and pressed against the annular packing 50. When the operation shaft 63 moves upward to open the water supply valve mechanism 61, the second compression coil spring 4
6 is further compressed and the valve body 40 to the annular packing 50
The pressing force of increases. Therefore, when the water is supplied from the water supply tank 51 to the fixed amount water reservoir 36, the water outlet 37 is more reliably sealed, and the water leaks from the water outlet 37, which causes an error in the amount of water supplied to the ice tray 22. Does not occur.

When closing the water outlet 37, the urging force of the first compression coil spring 44 is received by the lower valve rod 42, and the valve element 40 is pressed against the annular packing 50 only by the urging force of the second compression coil spring 46. When the water outlet 37 is opened, the urging force of the second compression coil spring 46 is received by the stop ring 45 and the valve body 40 is separated from the annular packing 50 only by the urging force of the first compression coil spring 44. Even if the strength relationship between the urging force of the first compression coil spring 44 and the urging force of the second compression coil spring 46 is not taken into consideration, the valve body 40 is attached to the first and second compression coil springs 44 and 46. The compression coil springs 44 and 46 can be easily manufactured by opening and closing by the force.

Further, since the fixed amount water reservoir 36 is removable, if it becomes dirty due to long-term use, the water receiver 25
It is convenient because it can be easily removed by removing it from the product and washing it with water. In this case, the valve stem 39 of the water discharge valve mechanism 38 is replaced by the upper valve stem 41.
And the lower valve rod 42, and the upper valve rod 41 side is fixed quantity water reservoir 3
Since the lower valve rod 42 side is configured as a separate unit that can be separated from the fixed amount water reservoir 36, it is possible to attach the valve body 40 and the two compression coil springs 44, 46 to one valve rod. In comparison, the assembly work becomes easier.

Since the lower valve rod 42, which is a separate unit, can be attached to the fixed amount water reservoir 36 by fitting the skirt portion 40a of the valve body 40 into the bag-shaped nut 34, the assembly is easy. Moreover, since the vertical movement of the valve body 40 is guided by the bag-shaped nut 34,
The vertical movement becomes smoother. And
Since the seal member 47 for preventing water leakage from the fitting portion of the valve rod 42 and the valve body 40 is attached to the tubular portion 40c at the upper portion of the valve body 40, which is a separate unit from the fixed quantity water reservoir 36, The seal member 47 can be easily attached.

Since the inclined surface 40d of the valve body 40 is in line contact with the annular packing 50 attached to the periphery of the water outlet 37, the valve body 40 with respect to the annular packing 50 is in contact with the annular packing 50 as compared with the case of surface contact. The pressing force per unit area of becomes large. Therefore, the annular packing 50 has the inclined surface 40d.
The inclined surface 40 is easily deformed elastically at the contact portion with
Even if there is some unevenness in d, the annular packing 50 is elastically deformed and conforms to the unevenness, so that the seal between the valve body 40 and the annular packing 50 can be more reliably achieved when the water outlet 37 is closed. Therefore, the occurrence of water leakage can be prevented more reliably. In addition, the valve body 40 has an inclined surface 40d.
Since the valve body 40 is slightly eccentric with respect to the annular packing 50, the inclined surface 4
Since the position of the valve body 40 is corrected to be concentric by the guiding action of 0d, the inclined surface 40d of the valve body 40
Is more reliably brought into contact with the annular packing 50 over the entire circumference, and a more reliable sealed state can be obtained. The stop ring 45 of the lower valve rod 42 functions as a stopper that restricts the rising limit position of the valve body 40 with respect to the valve rod 39, but this may be changed to a pin, and a protrusion that is integral with the lower valve rod 42. You can change to.

12 to 14 show each of the second to fourth embodiments of the present invention, and each of these embodiments has a fixed amount water reservoir 36.
3 shows different configuration examples of the packing that seals between the water outlet 37 and the valve body 40 of the water valve mechanism 38. In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 12, a rib 37a protruding outward is provided at the lower end portion of the peripheral wall of the water outlet 37 of the fixed quantity water reservoir 36, while a packing 73 is formed in an annular shape and a groove 73a is provided at the inner peripheral portion thereof. Is formed and the groove 73a is fitted to the rib 37a, so that the packing 73 is attached to the water outlet 37. In this embodiment, in the valve body 40, the inclined surface 40e portion in the first embodiment is formed as a flat surface 40f, and the valve body 40 has the flat surface 4f.
At 0f, it comes into contact with the packing 73.

In the third embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the inverted L-shaped annular projection 3 is provided at the lower end of the peripheral wall of the water outlet 37 of the fixed quantity water reservoir 36.
7b is formed projectingly, the packing 74 is formed in an annular shape, and a groove 74a is formed on the inner peripheral side thereof, and the groove 74a is fitted into the inverted L-shaped annular projection 37b of the water outlet 37, whereby the packing 74 is formed. Is attached to the water outlet 37.

In the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 14, a groove 40f is formed on the inclined surface 40e of the valve body 40, and the O-ring 75 is used as a packing to fit the O-ring 75 in the groove 40g.
A taper portion 37c is provided at the lower end of the water outlet 37 of the fixed quantity water reservoir 36.
The O-ring 75 abuts on the tapered portion 37c.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, but the following modifications and extensions are possible. The cam mechanism 67 corresponds to a rotary motion / linear motion converting means for converting the rotary motion of the motor 66 into a linear motion, and may be replaced with a screw mechanism or a crank mechanism. The drive source of the valve operating device 63 may be replaced with an electromagnet capable of holding the operating shaft 65 at the upper limit position PU, the intermediate position PC, and the lower limit position PL.

[0064]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. In the water supply device of the automatic ice making device according to claim 1, since the water purified by passing through the water purification filter in the purification case can be stored in an amount equal to or more than the required amount of water supply to the fixed amount water reservoir once, Even if the water permeability of the filter is low and the water in the water storage tank has a low temperature and becomes highly viscous, a fixed amount of purified water can be supplied from the water storage tank to the fixed quantity water reservoir in a short time. Moreover, since the purification case has an air vent,
It is possible to smoothly extract the air that enters when the water is supplied to the fixed quantity water reservoir, and since the air vent is located above the valve stem of the water supply valve mechanism, the valve stem will move when the valve stem is raised. There is no fear that the rising of the air will not be obstructed by the purification case when it enters the air vent.

In the water supply device of the automatic ice making device according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the purifying case is arranged in the depressed portion of the bottom portion of the water storage tank, the purification case is placed just before the water storage tank becomes empty. Except when absorbing water, it is possible to always store a certain amount or more of purified water to be supplied to the quantitative water reservoir.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view of a main part showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 showing a state of water supply from a water storage tank to a fixed amount water reservoir.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which water is supplied from the quantitative water reservoir to the ice tray.
Corresponding figure

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a water valve mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of upper and lower valve rods.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the valve rod.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the upper and lower valve rods when the mold for the valve rod is misaligned.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the water purifier.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a cam mechanism.

FIG. 10 is a time chart showing the relationship between the vertical movement position of the operating shaft and the opening / closing of the water discharge valve mechanism and the water supply valve mechanism.

FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional side view showing an ice making device of a refrigerator.

FIG. 12 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a view corresponding to FIG. 12 showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a view corresponding to FIG. 12 showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a view corresponding to FIG. 11 showing an example of a conventional water supply device.

[Explanation of symbols]

22 is an ice making tray (ice making container), 25 is a water receiver, 26 is an outlet, 29 is a water supply channel, 36 is a constant quantity water reservoir, 37 is a water outlet, 38 is a water outlet valve mechanism, 39 is a valve rod, 40 is a valve. Body, 41
Is an upper valve rod, 42 is a lower valve rod, 44 and 46 are first and second compression coil springs, 47 is a sealing member, 50 is an annular packing, 51 is a water storage tank, 52 is a cap, 53 is a water supply port, 54 Is a water supply valve mechanism, 55 is a valve rod, 56 is a valve body, 57
Is a compression coil spring, 58 is a purification case, 58a is a water inlet (water inlet), 58b is an air vent, 59 is a water filter, 63 is a valve operating device, 65 is an operating shaft, 66 is a motor,
67 is a cam mechanism, 73 to 75 are packings, and C is a water purifier.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A fixed quantity water reservoir that is positioned above the ice making container and has a water outlet at the bottom, a water discharge valve mechanism for opening and closing the water outlet of the constant quantity water reservoir, and above the fixed quantity water reservoir. A water storage tank that is arranged to supply a fixed amount of water from the water supply port at the bottom to the water tank, a water supply valve mechanism that opens and closes the water supply port of the water storage tank, a valve rod of the water supply valve mechanism, and the water discharge valve. After raising the valve rod of the mechanism to close the water outlet and open the water inlet to supply a fixed amount of water from the water storage tank to the fixed quantity water reservoir, the valve rod of the water valve mechanism and the water outlet. A valve for closing the water supply port and opening the water discharge port by lowering the valve rod of the valve mechanism to supply a certain amount of water stored in the fixed amount water reservoir to the ice making container via the water supply passage. Clean the operating device and the surrounding water inlet. A purification case having a filter and an air bleeder provided upright is provided in the water storage tank so as to cover the water supply port, and water flowing into the purification case through the water purification filter flows out from the water supply port. And a water purifier that discharges air that enters the inside of the purification case from the outside with the outflow of water from the water inlet from the air vent to the upper part of the water storage tank, the water purifier, It is arranged in the water storage tank so that the air vent portion is located above the valve rod of the water supply valve mechanism, and the internal volume of the purification case is set so that the water is supplied from the water storage tank to the fixed quantity water reservoir at one time. A water supply device for an automatic ice making device, wherein the water supply device is set to be equal to or more than the required fixed amount. 2. The inner bottom surface of the water storage tank is configured such that the portion where the water purifier is disposed is depressed, and the water inflow portion of the purification case is located below the inner bottom surface of the water storage tank. The water supply device for an automatic ice making device according to claim 1, wherein