JPH10288435A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simplify a mechanism for checking an ice storage box for ice and enhance reliability by providing an ice storage part for storing ice below an ice making pan rotatively driven by a rotation mechanism and checking the ice storage part for quantity of stored ice by detecting contact with the ice during rotation of the ice making pan. SOLUTION: In an automatic ice making machine installed within a refrigerator ice is produced by use of an ice making pan 13 and when the ice is detached into an ice storage box 12 provided below the ice making pan, a motor within a gear box 11 is energized for executing ice detaching operation. When the motor makes forward rotation, the ice making pan 13 is twisted to perform ice detaching and when a position detecting switch detects reversed state, the motor makes reverse rotation for restoration of an original position. At this time if the ice making pan 13 comes in contact with the ice 14 before returning to an origin, a judgment whether reverse rotation time at normal ice detaching movement is shorter than a specified time or not is made and if the reverse rotation time is shorter, a judgment of full ice is made and standby state for ice detaching is held at a reversed position after stopping of reverse rotation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator equipped with an automatic ice maker.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG.
FIG. 1 is a side view of an automatic ice maker of a conventional refrigerator as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 9-203, in which an ice tray 13 is horizontal. In this automatic ice maker, the ice tray 13 is installed in a freezing room, and after the ice making is completed, the ice detecting lever 10 detects the amount of ice in the ice storage box 12, and when the ice storage amount is not full ice, the ice tray driving shaft is used. 27, the driven end of the ice tray 13 is restrained in the vicinity where the ice tray 13 is rotated forward and inverted by the gear box 11 serving as a driving source, twisted to release ice, and the restraint is removed. It returns to the origin in accordance with the operation flowchart shown. or,
The gear box 11 is provided with an ice tray 13 and a drive unit for the ice detecting lever 10. FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view of the gear box 11. As shown in FIG.
1 and reduction gears 42, 43, 4 for reducing the number of rotations of the motor
4 and a main gear 45. The main gear 45 is provided with a groove 47 for driving an ice detecting lever driving shaft 48, and also drives the ice tray driving shaft 24.

[0003]

The gear box 11 is
Since both the ice detecting lever 10 and the ice tray 13 are driven, there is a problem that the mechanism is complicated and the manufacturing cost is high. In view of the above, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and has a simple mechanism for detecting ice in an ice storage box, thereby improving reliability.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A refrigerator according to the present invention comprises an ice tray for making ice, a rotating mechanism for rotating the ice tray, a drive source for driving the rotating mechanism, and an ice storage section for storing ice below the ice tray. The ice tray rotates and detects the contact of ice to detect the amount of ice stored in the ice storage section.

Further, when the ice tray comes into contact with ice during the period from ice release to home return, a change in the rotational torque of the ice tray is detected, and the ice tray returns to the inverted state and stands by in that state. is there.

The torque of the ice tray drive shaft is changed during and after ice detection.

Further, the rotation torque of the ice tray is increased at the start of rotation of the ice tray.

Further, after the ice tray is detected to be full ice, the rotation torque of the ice tray during the reverse operation to return to the inverted state is made larger than the rotation torque at the time of ice detection.

Further, the ice making tray is provided with an angle control means for controlling an angle at which the ice making does not start before the ice making tray ends the ice detection.

The angle control means detects the amount of ice stored in the ice storage section.

The ice tray is provided with an ice storage amount estimating means for estimating the ice storage amount after the ice is removed so that the rotation locus of the ice tray assumes the ice storage amount after the ice is removed.

The ice storage amount estimation means detects the amount of ice storage in the ice storage section.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiment 1 FIG. FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator, wherein 1 is a box, and 2 is a door. FIGS. 2 and 3 show the refrigerator with the door removed, and FIG. 3 shows the position of the ice separating mechanism according to the present invention.
The ice separating mechanism may be provided at another position of the refrigerator. FIG.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of FIG. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a gear box 11 serving as a drive source. The gear box 11 includes a motor 40, a worm gear 41, reduction gears 42, 43, and 44 for reducing the number of rotations of the motor, and a main gear 45.
The main gear 45 drives the ice tray drive shaft 24, which is a rotating mechanism. 13 is an ice tray connected to the gear box, 12 is an ice storage box for storing ice 14 separated from the ice tray, and 25 is a water supply port.

The present invention uses the ice tray 13 itself to detect whether or not the ice storage box 12, which is the ice storage section, is full of ice.
It controls the rotation torque of the ice tray 13 and the like, and controls the driving torque of the ice tray when the ice tray 13 comes into contact with the ice in the ice storage box 12, for example. FIG.
(A) is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the ice releasing mechanism viewed from the direction of arrow X in FIG. 5 when the ice is not full. An ice tray drive shaft 24 serving as a rotation mechanism is provided at an ice tray rotation center (center) 16, and the ice tray 13 rotates. FIG. 6 (b) shows the state after the ice making in the state of FIG. 6 (a) (the ice making tray is horizontal).
The figure shows the voltage and current applied to the motor 40 in the gear box 11 and the operation status of the ice tray position detection SW (not shown) until the motor 40 returns to the home position after performing the normal rotation and the ice release operation. ing. The position detection SW is turned ON when the ice tray 13 is at the origin (state) where the ice tray 13 is in a horizontal state, and when the ice tray 13 is inverted (state) when the ice tray 13 is in a horizontal state where it is inverted. The position detection SW (switch) is provided with protrusions 25 and 26 around the ice tray drive shaft 24 as shown in FIG. 14, for example, and the protrusion turns ON / OFF the position detection SW. It turns on. In FIG. 6B, a
When the normal rotation operation is started from the point (origin) and the ice tray starts to be twisted from the point b, the motor current increases, the ice is separated from the ice tray 13, and the position detection SW is turned on at the point c (reversed). Complete Thereafter, the operation is reversed and the operation is completed at the origin d.

FIG. 7A is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the ice releasing mechanism when the ice is full. FIG. 7 (b) shows the state of FIG. 7 (a). After the ice making, the position detection SW is turned on and rotates forward from the origin, and when it comes into contact with the ice of the ice storage box 12, the ice tray 13 is reversed and the ice making tray 13 is reversed. The motor 4 in the gear box 11 until the stand-by state for ice removal
It shows the voltage and current applied to 0 and the operation status of the ice tray position detection SW. From point a in the figure, forward rotation
When the ice tray 13 comes in contact with a foreign matter, for example, the ice 14 of the ice storage box 12, it is determined whether the time B is shorter than the normal rotation operation time A in FIG. 50) If it is short, it is determined that the ice is full, and a command is sent to the motor 40. After the normal rotation operation is stopped, the motor rotates in the reverse direction and waits for ice separation at the origin d. This operation is repeated, and the ice 14
When the contact is lost, the same operation as in FIG. 6 is performed. Here, the forward rotation operation is when the ice tray rotates counterclockwise, and the reverse rotation operation is when the ice tray rotates clockwise.However, the normal rotation operation and the reverse rotation operation are operations in which the rotation directions are different. Good.

FIG. 8A is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the ice releasing mechanism when the ice becomes full after the ice is released. FIG. 8B shows FIG.
Gearbox 11 when ice-removal operation is performed in the state of (a)
2 shows the voltage and current applied to the motor 40 in the inside and the operation status of the ice tray position detection SW. When the normal rotation operation is started from the point a in the drawing and the ice tray starts to be twisted from the point b, the motor current increases, the ice is released from the ice tray 13, and the position detection SW is turned on at the point c (reversed). Complete After that, when the ice making tray 13 comes into contact with foreign matter, for example, the ice 14 of the ice storage box 12 (point e) before returning to the original position and returning to the origin, the time is longer than the reverse rotation time C in FIG. It is determined whether or not D is short (step 51 in FIG. 21). If it is short, it is determined that the ice is full, and a command is sent to the motor 40. After the reverse rotation operation is stopped, the motor rotates forward and stands by at the reversal position f for ice separation. This operation is repeated, and when there is no contact with the ice 14 of the ice storage box 12, the same operation as in FIG. 6 is performed. These operations are shown in the flowchart of FIG. In the present embodiment, detection of the origin position,
Although the detection of the reversal position was determined using the position detection SW,
As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 22, the determination may be made based on the motor current value without using the position detection SW (steps 52 and 53), and the number of parts can be reduced. When the determination is made based on the current value, I1 + α, for example, I2 may be used as the determination value in consideration of the torque fluctuation due to the variation of the parts. With the above configuration, the ice detecting lever can be eliminated, and FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the gear box. As shown in this figure, the number of components in the gear box 11 related to the ice detecting lever can also be reduced.

Embodiment 2 FIG. FIG. 9A is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the ice separating mechanism, and is a diagram when the ice tray is rotated forward from a horizontal state to θc degrees (ice detection completion angle). The ice detection completion angle is, for example, a point where the end Y of the ice tray 13 and the upper surface Z of the ice storage box 12 are in contact with each other in FIG. FIG. 9 (b)
In the state of FIG. 9 (a), after ice making, it rotates forward from the origin (point a),
The figure shows the voltage and current applied to the motor 40 in the gear box 11 and the operation status of the ice tray position detection SW until the return to the origin (point e) after performing the ice releasing operation. From the point a in the figure, the normal operation is performed at a low voltage, the normal operation is performed at the normal voltage from the point b, which is a passing point of the ice separation angle (θc), the ice tray starts to twist at the point c, and the position detection SW is started at the point d. Enter and complete ice removal. Thereafter, the motor rotates reversely, operates at a low voltage up to the position of (180-θc) degrees, then reverses at a normal voltage, returns to the point e, and the operation is completed. The operation when the ice is full is described in Embodiment 1.
The description is omitted for the same structure. In the present embodiment,
The detection of the origin position, the reversal position, and the detection of full ice were determined using the position detection SW and the driving time of the motor.
As shown in the flowchart, the determination may be made based on the current value of the motor without using the position detection SW, and the number of parts can be reduced. In addition, malfunction due to icing of the position detection SW can be prevented. In the present invention, a low-voltage section is provided between sections E and F in FIG. 9B, and the torque of the drive source is changed in two stages for both normal rotation and reverse rotation to complete the ice detection and remove ice. The rotation torque of the ice tray 13 was set in consideration of the time of completion. Here, a two-stage change is shown, but the change may be made in two or more stages, and may be divided into those for ice detection, ice removal, and full ice (reversal standby) as shown in the flowchart of FIG. Furthermore, in order to drive at a low torque until the ice detection, as shown in the operation explanatory diagram of FIG. 24, a high torque may be used at the time of normal rotation and reverse rotation at the time of startup, and the startup torque may be saved. Further, the current value for judging full ice during ice detection may be smaller than the current for judging inversion. With the above configuration, the ice detecting operation can detect even a little contact with ice because of low torque, and
At the same time, it is possible to prevent the ice tray from being stuck when the ice is full (the torque is too strong), and it is possible to cope with a change in the starting torque due to hardening of grease due to a temperature change, frost formation and the like.

Embodiment 3 FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an ice tray 13 according to the third embodiment. In the above embodiment,
Although the ice tray 13 is used as the means for detecting the ice storage amount, the present embodiment is a means for preventing ice from being separated before ice detection is completed in ice detection in the ice tray. The detection means 15 is provided on the ice tray 13. When the ice tray 13 in FIG. 11 performs ice detection, the ice tray 13 may have started de-icing in some cases. The provision of the ice storage amount detecting means eliminates such a problem and reduces the possibility of ice detection. Increases reliability. Although 15 is shown as a rod in FIG. 10, it may be a plate as shown in FIG.
The shape may be a semi-disc shape as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the maximum rotation locus R1 of the ice tray from the ice tray rotation center 16 and the maximum rotation locus R2 of the ice storage amount detecting means 15 are set to be the same. Although R2 is desirably the same as R1, it is only necessary that R2 be equal to or greater than R1. As shown in FIG. 13, the maximum rotation trajectory forming part 15 a of the ice storage amount detecting means 15 sets the ice-freeing completion angle before the ice tray ice detection side surface part 17 becomes horizontal.
(θc). That is,
The maximum rotation locus forming unit 15a is set to be larger than (θc−θd). With such a structure, it is possible to prevent the ice from naturally dropping from the ice tray before the ice detection is completed.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, a scoop-up preventing structure 18 is provided to prevent the ice from rising to the ice detecting portion of the ice tray after the ice is separated, thereby preventing the ice scooping during the reversing operation. You can also. The same effect can be obtained even if the scoop-up preventing structure 18 is semi-circular as shown in FIG. 18 or the upper part 26 of the ice detecting surface of the ice tray 13 is rounded (added with r).

Embodiment 4 In FIG. 19, an anti-scooping structure 18 is installed on the ice detecting surface side of an ice tray 13, and an ice storage amount detecting means 15 is installed on the opposite side. Normally, the ice tray 13 starts with the normal rotation operation, but in the present embodiment, FIG. 20B shows the state diagram of FIG. 20A. As shown in FIG.
As in the case of 0, an inversion operation is performed before the normal rotation operation to perform ice detection.
Thereafter, the operation of the first embodiment may be performed by moving to a normal forward operation. In the case of the present embodiment, the ice storage amount detecting means 15 is provided as a detecting means for post-ice removal in consideration of an increase in the amount of ice removed from ice at the time of ice detection as compared with the time of ice detection, and the trajectories R1 and R4 of the detecting means are provided. By utilizing the difference between the two, it is possible to detect a space that can return to the origin after the ice removal before the ice removal as a locus of (R4-R1). As described above, the rotation of the ice tray is normal before ice removal and reverse after ice removal, but the rotation directions before and after ice removal may be the same.

[0021]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, it has the following effects.

An ice tray for making ice, a rotating mechanism for rotating the ice tray, a driving source for driving the rotating mechanism, and an ice storage section for storing ice below the ice tray are provided. Is detected to detect the amount of ice stored in the ice storage section, so that the ice detecting lever can be eliminated, and costs can be reduced, for example, by simplifying the internal structure of the gearbox.

When the ice tray comes into contact with ice during the period from ice release to home return, the change in the rotational torque of the ice tray is detected, and the ice tray returns to the inverted state and waits in that state. In addition, it is possible to prevent the ice tray from being damaged due to ice being caught.

In addition, since the torque of the ice tray drive shaft changes during and after ice detection, the sensitivity of ice detection is improved,
It also saves energy.

Further, since the rotation torque of the ice tray is increased at the start of rotation of the ice tray, hardening of grease due to temperature change,
It is possible to cope with a change in the starting torque due to frost and the like, thereby preventing malfunction and saving energy.

Further, after the full ice is detected, the rotation torque of the ice tray between rotation in the direction opposite to that before the detection and the stand-by state is made larger than the rotation torque at the time of ice detection. This prevents damage to the ice tray and saves energy.

Further, since the ice tray is provided with an angle control means for controlling an angle at which ice is not started before the ice tray ends ice detection, damage to the ice tray due to catching of ice or the like can be prevented.

Further, since the angle control means detects the amount of ice stored in the ice storage section, the reliability is improved.

Further, the ice tray is provided with an ice storage amount estimating means for estimating the ice storage amount after ice removal so that the rotation trajectory of the ice tray assumes the ice storage amount after ice removal. The reliability of time increases.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the inside of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the refrigerator ZZ according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of the ice releasing mechanism according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a main part of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of an operation at the time of normal ice removal according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of an operation when the ice is full according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of an operation at the time of full ice during a reversing operation after ice separation according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of an operation at the time of normal ice separation with the motor torque varied according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an ice storage amount detecting unit according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of FIG. 15 according to the third embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of another ice storage amount detecting means according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 13 is an installation diagram of ice storage amount detecting means according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged internal view of the gear box according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of another ice storage amount detecting means according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view of FIG. 20 of the third embodiment;

FIG. 17 is a front view of another ice storage amount detecting means according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a front view of another ice storage amount detecting means according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a front view of the ice storage amount detecting means according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 20 is an operation explanatory view of Embodiment 4;

FIG. 21 is a flowchart of the ice releasing operation according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart of the ice-removal operation according to another embodiment of the first embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart of the ice releasing operation according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram of an operation at the time of normal ice separation with the starting torque set in the second embodiment.

FIG. 25 is a side view of a conventional example.

FIG. 26 is an enlarged view of the inside of a conventional gearbox.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart of a conventional ice releasing operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 refrigerator box, 2 refrigerator door, 3 ice release mechanism, 10
Ice detection lever, 11 gear box, 12 ice storage box, 13
Ice tray, 14 ice, 15 Ice storage amount detection means, 15a
Ice storage amount detecting means maximum trajectory forming section, 16 ice tray rotation center, 17 ice tray side taper section, 18 scoop-up prevention structure, 40 motor, 41 worm gear, 42
Worm gear, 43 reduction gear, 44 reduction gear, 45
Main gear, 47 Ice detection lever drive shaft drive groove, 48 Ice detection lever drive shaft.

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Yoshihiko Kojima 2-3-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Inside Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Claims (9)

[Claims] An ice tray for making ice; a rotating mechanism for rotating the ice tray; a driving source for driving the rotating mechanism; and an ice storage unit for storing ice below the ice tray. A refrigerator for detecting the amount of ice stored in the ice storage section by detecting contact with ice when rotating. 2. When the ice tray comes into contact with ice during a period from ice release to home return, a change in the rotational torque of the ice tray is detected, and the ice tray returns to the inverted state and waits in that state. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the torque of the ice-shaft driving shaft changes during and after ice detection. 4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the rotation torque of the ice tray is increased at the start of rotation of the ice tray. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein after the full ice is detected, the rotation torque of the ice tray during rotation in a direction opposite to that before the detection and before a standby state is made larger than the rotation torque at the time of ice detection. Item. 6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the ice tray is provided with angle control means for controlling an angle at which the ice tray does not start ice removal before the ice tray ends ice detection. 7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the angle control means detects an amount of ice stored in the ice storage section. 8. An ice tray is provided with an ice storage amount estimating means for estimating the ice storage amount after ice removal so that the rotation locus of the ice tray reflects the ice storage amount after ice removal. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein 9. The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the ice storage amount estimation means detects an ice storage amount in the ice storage section.