JPH1038427A - Ice storage compartment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ice storage compartment whose door for taking out ice can be easily, safely opened and closed even in a narrow space. SOLUTION: An upper door 28 that can be folded up vertically is provided on an upper ice outlet 14 of an ice storage compartment 1. When ice cubes 22 are taken out, the upper door 28 is vertically folded up double by a self hinge 31 and housed in a space under an upper ice guide plate 24 provided in an ice storage chamber 23. When the upper door 28 is closed, an one-way damper mitigates the closing force of the upper door 28.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ice storage attached to an automatic ice maker, and more particularly to an ice storage which can open and close a door in a small space and can take out ice safely and easily. Things.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various automatic ice making machines for automatically making ice cube ice have been known. In these automatic ice making machines, an automatic ice making unit is provided at the top, an ice storage is provided at the bottom of the automatic ice making unit, and ice cubes made by the automatic ice making unit are dropped and stored in the ice storage. . As this ice storage, the actual opening Hei 6-73676
As disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H11-163, a left-right sliding door that closes the front ice outlet with a plurality of left-right sliding doors and slides the door left and right to open and close is used.
As disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 877 and Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. Sho 59-178574, there is known an apparatus that employs a flip-up type door that flips up and opens one door.

[0003]

However, in the ice storage described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 6-73676, the ice outlet on the front is closed by three left and right sliding doors.
Only two-thirds of the opening of the ice outlet can be opened, and when the ice in the ice storage is taken out with a scoop or the like, the door is obstructed. In addition, actual opening 6
The ice storage described in JP-A-14877 and JP-A-59-178574 employs a flip-up door, so that the entire opening of the ice outlet can be opened. Without a lock mechanism to hold the
The door that popped up suddenly closed unexpectedly due to external factors. Further, in the case where a lock mechanism for holding the flipped door is provided, there is a problem that the operation of the lock mechanism is required and the operation becomes complicated. Also, with the flip-up door, when the door is opened, the door protrudes toward the user side, so it is necessary to widen the operation space in front of the door, and there is a problem that the ice storage door cannot be opened and closed in a narrow space. . Therefore, according to the present invention, the opening area of the ice outlet can be widened, the ice can be safely and easily taken out when the door is opened and closed, and the door does not protrude from the front of the ice storage when the door is opened. The purpose is to provide an ice storage.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, an ice storage according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a casing defining an ice storage, an ice outlet provided in the casing, and an ice outlet. An ice guide plate provided in the casing in the vicinity of the outlet, a door provided at the ice outlet and opening and closing the ice outlet, and the door is stored below the ice guide plate when the ice outlet is opened. And a moving mechanism for moving. With the above configuration, when the ice is opened from the ice outlet by opening the door of the ice storage, the door is moved and stored in the space below the ice guide plate in the casing by the moving mechanism. As described above, the ice storage of claim 1 is configured such that the door is stored by skillfully utilizing the space necessarily formed below the ice guide plate that regulates the movement of ice in the casing. The door can be opened and closed in a narrow space.

Further, in the ice storage according to the second aspect of the present invention, in the ice storage according to the first aspect, the door is provided with a bending portion for folding the door up and down. With this configuration, when the ice outlet is opened, the door can be folded up and down in two and housed below the ice guide plate. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the ice storage of the first or second aspect, the moving mechanism includes a braking mechanism for braking the opening and closing of the door. With this configuration, the movement of the door is braked so that the door opens and closes slowly when the door is opened and closed, so that the door can be opened and closed safely, and as a result, the user's hand is pinched by the door and an injury is caused. Accidents such as accidents can be prevented.

[0006] Further, the ice storage of the invention according to claim 4 is:
4. The ice storage device according to claim 1, wherein the moving mechanism includes a rotating shaft provided at a portion above the bent portion of the door, and a sliding shaft provided at a portion below the bent portion of the door. 5. A shaft, a bearing provided on a side of the ice outlet and supporting the rotating shaft, and a sliding groove for guiding the sliding shaft at a position below the bearing. Features. With this configuration, when the ice outlet is opened and closed, a portion above the bent portion of the door is rotatably supported by the rotating shaft, and a portion below the bent portion of the door is provided on a side surface of the ice outlet by a sliding shaft. Guided by the sliding groove, and folded in two at the bending portion toward the inside of the casing, and stored in the lower space of the ice guide plate. Therefore, the door can be opened and closed stably without rattling. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the ice storage of any one of the first to fourth aspects, the door is formed by blow molding. With this configuration,
The door can be manufactured by a simple manufacturing process, and the heat insulating effect of the door can be improved.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an ice storage according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automatic ice maker in which the ice storage according to the present embodiment is used. In FIG. 1, an ice storage 1
The automatic ice making unit 3 is mounted on the ice storage 1. Although not shown, the automatic ice making unit 3 is provided with a water supply mechanism for supplying water as a source of ice, a plurality of ice making plates, a compressor for compressing a refrigerant, and the like.

Next, the ice storage 1 of the present embodiment is shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a front view of the ice storage 1, and FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the ice storage 1. On the bottom surface of the ice storage 1, four pedestals 4 are provided to support the ice storage 1 at a predetermined distance from the installation surface. Ice storage 1
Is constituted by a stainless steel casing 5 defining the ice storage 1 as shown in FIG. This casing 5
Consists of a bottom plate 6, a rear wall 7, left and right side walls 8, 9 and a front wall 10, and these bottom plate 6, rear wall 7, left and right side walls 8, 9 and front wall 10 are made of stainless steel and heat insulating material 11 is formed. It has a sandwiched structure. This structure ensures sufficient heat insulation.
The upper part of the casing 5 of the ice storage 1 has an opening 12 as shown in FIG. 3, and the automatic ice making unit 3 is placed above the opening 12, and the corner made by the automatic ice making unit 3 is formed. The ice 22 has a structure in which the ice 22 is stored inside the ice storage 1 through the opening 12.

As shown in FIG. 3, a lower ice outlet 13 and an upper ice outlet 14 are provided on the front wall 10. The lower ice outlet 13 is provided with a lower door 15 for opening and closing the lower ice outlet 13, and a pair of left and right inner walls 16 for preventing ice from spilling when the lower door 15 is opened. . The lower door 15 has a hinge 17,
18, the lower ice outlet 13 provided in the front wall 10
The pair of left and right inner walls 16 are supported by hinges 19 to open and close the lower door 15.
It is configured to be driven by the opening and closing of. The lower door 15
A handle 20 to be gripped by a user when the lower door 15 is opened and closed is provided on the upper front surface of the vehicle. Further, a packing 21 is provided on the inner side surface of the lower door 15 to prevent cold air from leaking from the ice storage 1.

Next, the internal structure of the ice storage 1 will be described with reference to FIG. Inside the ice storage 1, there is provided an ice storage chamber 23 formed by a bottom plate 6, a rear wall 7, left and right side walls 8 and 9, and a front wall 10 and storing ice cubes 22. In the ice storage chamber 23, an upper ice guide plate 24 is provided above the upper ice outlet 14, and a lower ice guide plate 25 is provided above the lower ice outlet 13. The upper ice guide plate 24 and the lower ice guide plate 25 are partitions for preventing ice from overflowing from the upper ice outlet 14 and the lower ice outlet 13 when a large amount of ice is stored in the ice storage. Below, a space 26 and a space 27 are always formed respectively.

Next, the structure of the upper door 28, which is a characteristic part of the ice storage 1 of the present embodiment, will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the upper door 28, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line AA shown in FIG. The upper ice outlet 14 of the ice storage 1 is provided with an upper door 28 for opening and closing the upper ice outlet 14. This upper door 28
Is composed of an upper plate 28a and a lower plate 28b, as shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 5, the upper plate 28a and the lower plate 28b are each formed into a hollow structure by blow molding using polypropylene. I have. The hollow structure of the upper plate 28a is filled with a heat insulating material 29, and the hollow structure of the lower plate 28b is also filled with a heat insulating material 30. This insulation 29,
30 is made of urethane foam, and the upper plate 28a and the lower plate 2
After the blow molding of 8b, a liquid urethane liquid is injected into the inside through blow holes formed in the upper plate 28a and the lower plate 28b and foamed.

Here, the upper door 28 is formed with a self-hinge 31 for flexibly joining the upper plate 28a and the lower plate 28b. The self-hinge 31 is provided at a joint between the upper plate 28a and the lower plate 28b, as shown in FIG.
When blow molding the upper door 28, the upper plate 28a and the lower plate 28
It is formed integrally with b. Therefore, the self hinge 31
There are no gaps in the area and no cool air leaks. In addition, the chamfered portions 31a, 31
b is provided. Due to the chamfered portions 31a and 31b, the portion of the self hinge 31 has a thinner polypropylene layer and can be bent.

On the left and right ends of the upper end of the upper plate 28a of the upper door 28, there are provided rotating support shafts 32, 33 of hexagonal columns, which serve as support shafts for the rotation of the upper door 28, respectively. Are each provided with a bearing 41 having a hexagonal hole into which the rotating shafts 32 and 33 are fitted. These rotating shafts 32, 33
Are provided with one-way dampers 34 and 35, respectively. The one-way dampers 34 and 35 are provided on the upper plate 28a of the upper door 28.
Is fixed to the upper end. This one-way damper 34,
35, when the upper door 28 is opened, that is, the upper plate 28a
Can be rotated with respect to the rotating shafts 32 and 33 to generate almost any torque when pushed into the ice storage chamber 23. Conversely, when the upper door 28 closes, that is, the upper plate 28a
When turning outward, a toque is generated and the top door 28 is slowly closed.
Therefore, the user can safely open and close the upper door 28.

At the lower end of the lower plate 28b of the upper door 28, a handle 36 which the user grips when opening and closing the upper door 28 is provided integrally with the lower plate 28b over the entire width of the lower plate 28b. As shown in FIG. 4, guide shafts 37 and 38 are provided on the left and right side walls at the lower end of the lower plate 28b. The guide shafts 37 and 38 slide in guide grooves 39 provided on the side walls 8 and 9 of the ice storage 1 to guide the opening and closing of the lower plate 28b of the upper door 28. Although only the side wall 9 is shown in FIG.
The same guide groove is formed. This guide shaft 3
The lower plate 28 b is reliably guided by the guide grooves 7, 38, the guide groove 39, and a guide groove (not shown), and does not rattle when the upper door 28 is opened and closed.

Further, a recess 40 is provided above the guide groove 39.
Are formed. When the upper door 28 is opened as shown in FIG. 3, the guide shaft 38 is engaged with the concave portion 40 so that the upper door 28 is held in a folded state, and the upper ice outlet 14 is opened. become. At this time, the upper plate 28a and the lower plate 28
b is stored in the space 26 below the upper ice guide plate 24. Although not shown, a recess similar to the recess 40 is also formed in the guide groove on the side wall 8 side so that the guide shaft 37 is engaged.

Next, the operation of the ice storage 1 of the present embodiment will be described. Ice cube 2 made by automatic ice making unit 3
2 falls from the opening 12 of the ice storage 1 into the ice storage chamber 23 and accumulates. Eventually, the inside of the ice storage room 23 will be filled with ice cubes 22, but since the upper ice guide plate 24 and the lower ice guide plate 25 are provided in the ice storage room 23, a space 26 is provided below the upper ice guide plate 24. Is formed, and the lower ice guide plate 25 is formed.
A space 27 is formed below the space. Since this space 26 is formed near the upper ice outlet 14, the upper door 28
The ice cubes 22 do not jump out even when the ice cubes are opened, and the space 27 is formed near the lower ice outlet 13, so that even when the lower door 15 is opened, the ice cubes 22 are not Never jump out to.

Next, the user places the ice cubes 22 in the upper ice take-out port 1.
When taking out from the 4, the handle 36 of the upper door 28 is grasped and pushed upward. Then, the lower plate 28 of the upper door 28
The guide shafts 37 and 38 provided on the upper door slide upward in the guide groove 39 and the guide groove (not shown), and the self hinge 31 of the upper door 28 is bent inward as shown in FIG. The upper plate 28a and the lower plate 28 which rotate around the rotation shafts 32, 33 toward the space 26 formed below the upper ice guide plate 24, and constitute the upper door 28.
b is stored in the space 26 in a folded state.
At this time, the guide shaft 38 is engaged with the concave portion 40, and the guide shaft 37 is also engaged with the concave portion (not shown), so that the upper plate 28a and the lower plate 28b constituting the upper door 28 are folded. , And the upper ice outlet 14 is opened. Accordingly, since the upper ice outlet 14 is fully opened, the work of removing the ice cubes 22 is facilitated. In addition,
During the opening operation of the upper door 28, the one-way dampers 34, 3
5 does not generate a torque and does not hinder the opening operation.

When the user removes the ice cubes 22 and closes the upper ice outlet, first, the user grips the handle 36 and pushes the lower plate 28b toward the space 26. Then, the guide shafts 37 and 38 are respectively disengaged from the concave portion 40 and the concave portion not shown, and the guide shafts 37 and 38 are guided downward in the guide groove 39 and the guide groove not shown. At this time, the upper plate 28a of the upper door 28 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 3 by its own weight about the rotation shafts 32 and 33 as its center of rotation, and the lower plate 28b also returns downward by its own weight. The self-hinge 31 of the upper door 28 extends to its original state, and the upper ice outlet 14 is closed by the upper door 28. At this time, torque is generated in the one-way dampers 34 and 35, so that the moment of closing the upper door 28 is reduced, and the upper door 28 can be closed safely.

As described above, in the ice storage 1 of the present embodiment, the upper door 28 is folded so that it can be stored in the space 26 below the upper ice guide plate 24. Opening and taking out the ice cubes 22 becomes easy. The upper door 28 has a one-way damper 3.
Since the upper and lower doors are provided, torque is applied during the closing operation of the upper door 28, so that the upper door 28 can be closed safely without falling freely, and can be closed safely. Further, the upper door 28
During the opening / closing operation, the upper door 28 does not protrude from the casing 5 of the ice storage 1 so that the upper door 28 can be opened / closed even in a small space. Therefore, the ice storage 1 can be installed in a narrow space.

The upper door 28 is formed by injecting a liquid urethane liquid into the inside through blow holes formed in the upper plate 28a and the lower plate 28b after blow molding the upper plate 28a and the lower plate 28b. Since it is formed, it is easy to manufacture, and the heat insulating effect can be enhanced. Since it has a self-hinge structure, leakage of cold air from the hinge portion does not occur. In the above-described embodiment, the upper door 28 is a door of a type in which two plates are folded. However, the upper door 28 is not necessarily limited to a two-plate door. It may be formed and stored in the space 26 below the upper ice guide plate 24 of the ice storage 1. Also, upper door 2
8 is not necessarily limited to the refraction type, and may be constituted by one plate and stored in the space 26 below the upper ice guide plate 24 of the ice storage 1. In the above embodiment, the upper door 28 is not provided with a packing for preventing the leakage of cool air, but the upper door 28 or the upper ice outlet 14 is provided with a packing, and when the upper door 28 is closed, the upper ice outlet is closed. Leakage of cool air from 14 may be prevented.

[0021]

As described above, in the ice storage according to the first aspect of the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, when the door of the ice storage is opened and ice is taken out from the ice outlet, the door is moved by the moving mechanism. Thereby, it is moved and stored in the space below the ice guide plate in the casing. Therefore, the ice outlet can be opened to the full opening, the opening area can be increased, and the work of extracting ice becomes easy. Further, since the casing does not protrude when the door is opened, the door can be opened and closed even in a small space.

Further, in the ice storage according to the second aspect of the present invention, when the ice outlet is opened, the door can be folded up and down to be stored under the ice guide plate.
The door can be stored compactly. Furthermore, in the ice storage device according to the third aspect of the present invention, since the movement mechanism is provided with a braking mechanism for braking the opening and closing of the door, the movement of the door is such that the door opens and closes slowly when the door is opened and closed. Be braked. Therefore, the door can be opened and closed safely.

In the ice storage device according to the present invention, when the ice outlet is opened and closed, a portion above the bent portion of the door is rotatably supported by the rotating support shaft, and a portion below the bent portion of the door. The portion is guided by a sliding shaft in a sliding groove provided on a side surface of the ice take-out opening, is folded into upper and lower portions by a bending portion toward the inside of the casing, and is housed in a lower space of the ice guide plate. . Therefore, the door can be opened and closed stably without rattling. In addition, the door can be opened and closed even in a small space. Further, in the ice storage according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the door is formed by blow molding, the door can be manufactured by a simple manufacturing process, and the heat insulating effect of the door can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automatic ice maker using an ice storage according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the ice storage according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the ice storage according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an ice storage door according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of an ice storage door according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

5 ... Casing, 14 ... Upper ice outlet, 24
... upper ice guide plate, 26 ... space, 28 ... upper door, 31 ... self-hinge, 32, 33 ... rotating shaft, 34, 35 ... one-way dampers, 37, 38
… Guide shaft

Claims (5)

[Claims] A casing defining an ice storage; an ice outlet provided in the casing; an ice guide plate provided in the casing near the ice outlet; and an ice outlet provided in the ice outlet. An ice storage, comprising: a door that opens and closes; and a moving mechanism that moves the door so that the door is stored below the ice guide plate when the ice outlet is opened. 2. The ice storage according to claim 1, wherein the door is provided with a bending portion for folding the door up and down. 3. The moving mechanism is provided with a braking mechanism for braking the opening and closing of the door.
Or the ice storage according to 2. 4. The moving mechanism comprises: a rotating shaft provided at a portion above the bent portion of the door; a sliding shaft provided at a portion below the bent portion of the door; and a side portion of the ice outlet. And a bearing portion for supporting the rotary shaft and a sliding groove for guiding the sliding shaft at a position below the bearing portion.
Ice storage according to any of the above. 5. The ice storage according to claim 1, wherein the door is formed by blow molding.