JPS591184Y2 - Quantitative water supply device for ice makers in refrigerators - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] This invention relates to a quantitative water supply device that supplies a fixed amount of liquid such as water to a refrigerator, and is used, for example, to supply water to an ice tray installed in an ice maker of a refrigerator.

Conventionally, when making ice in a household refrigerator, it was necessary to take out an ice tray from the freezing chamber, supply water to the ice tray from a water faucet, etc., and then return the ice tray to the freezing chamber.

As a result, water may be spilled when filling the ice tray, and once water has been taken out of the ice tray, water must be refilled, which is a hassle.

In order to eliminate this hassle, there is a method in which a water storage tank is installed above the ice tray and a fixed volume of water (corresponding to the capacity of the ice tray) is allowed to fall from the tank into the ice tray, or a method that stores water below the ice tray. An automatic water supply method can be considered, such as installing a tank and using a small electric pump with an impeller to send water from this water tank to the ice tray, but the former requires a water storage tank to be installed in or above the freezer compartment. Moreover, controlling the constant volume of water supply to the ice tray is extremely difficult and practically impossible.

In the latter case, there is no need to worry about where to install the water storage tank, but small electric pumps have large fluctuations in water supply due to voltage fluctuations, and variations in the electric pump itself make it difficult to supply a fixed amount of water within a certain amount of time. The problem was that it was very difficult to make it work.

That is, either method is unsuitable as a metered water supply device for a refrigerator, and a device that can always accurately supply a metered amount of water has been desired.

The present invention has been made in view of such demands, and is intended to provide a metered water supply device particularly suitable for metered water supply in refrigerators.

Hereinafter, a device for quantitatively supplying water to an ice tray of a refrigerator will be described in detail as one embodiment.

The feature of this embodiment is that a water storage tank and a metered water tank for taking out a fixed amount of water from the water storage tank are provided in the refrigerator compartment, and an air pump is used as the power to send the water in the metered water tank to the ice tray. This air pump was installed outside the refrigerator compartment.

To explain the embodiment in detail below, Fig. 1 shows a configuration for supplying a fixed amount of water to an ice tray in an ice maker installed in a refrigerator, where 1 is the refrigerator main body, and an ice maker 2 is installed on the top. It has a freezer compartment 3 and a refrigerator compartment 4 at the bottom.
It has.

Inside this refrigerator compartment 4 is a water storage tank 5, which will be described later. A quantitative water tank 6 is provided, and water is supplied from the quantitative water tank 6 to the upper ice maker 2 by a pump means 7 installed outside the refrigerator.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a pumping pipe from the metering water tank 6 to the ice maker 2, and the pumping means 7 includes an air pump, and its air supply pipe 8 is connected to the metering water tank 6.

10 is a water storage container that accommodates the ice cubes produced by the ice maker 2.

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged sectional view of the structure of this quantitative water supply device, and FIG. 2 will be described below.

The water storage tank 5 has a water supply port (not shown) at a suitable location on the top surface, and a connecting pipe 12 is led from a communication hole 11 in the bottom wall.
The other end of the connecting pipe 12 is connected to the bottom wall of the quantitative water tank 6.

The metering water tank 6 is arranged at a lower level than the water storage tank 5 (that is, the top surface of the metering water tank 6 is lower than the bottom of the water storage tank 5 by a predetermined amount), and the amount of water supplied to the water receiving part (ice tray) is It is formed in a similar manner and has a smaller capacity than the water storage tank 5.

The connecting pipe 1 which is the bottom wall of this quantitative water tank 6
A check valve 13 is provided in the second connecting portion 6A.

This check valve 13 maintains the connecting portion 6A in an open state when water normally flows from the water storage tank 5 to the metering water tank 6 through the connecting pipe 12, and connects when backflow from the metering water tank 6 to the connecting pipe 12 occurs. Section 6A is closed to prevent backflow.

The air pump 7 is disposed outside the refrigerator compartment 4 and above the water storage tank 5, and communicates with the inside of the metering water tank 6 through an air supply pipe 8.

Reference numeral 14 denotes an air vent provided in the air supply pipe 8, and is provided near the air pump 7.

The air vent part 14 is a small diameter pipe 15 that communicates with the air supply pipe 8.
is provided with a leak valve 16, and 14a is its opening.

The amount of air leaking from this air vent portion 14 is determined by the diameter of the pipe 15 and the adjustment of the leak valve 16, but as will be described later, when the near pump 1 pump is operating, the amount of air leaking is not a problem, and when the air pump 7 is stopped, the metering water tank 6 Set the amount of air to be useful as an air vent.

Further, the air vent part 14 is located outside the refrigerator compartment 4 and, like the air pump 7, is located above the water storage tank 5.

The air pump 7 is operated at fixed time intervals by a control circuit, and the operating time is set to a time sufficient to pump up all the water in the quantitative water tank 6.

The pumping pipe 9 communicates with the inside of the metering water tank 6 near its bottom, and when the air pump 7 is operated, the water in the metering tank 6 is sent from the pumping pipe 9 to the area to be watered, thereby performing a metered water supply. .

To explain the operation of the quantitative water supply device for a refrigerator configured as described above, when the ice maker 2 is making ice and dehydrating, the operation of the air pump 7 is stopped, and the air pump 7 is operated for a predetermined time after the dehydration operation is completed. be done.

Therefore, while the air pump 7 is stopped during ice making and dewatering, the water in the water storage tank 5 is supplied into the quantitative water tank 6 through the connecting pipe 12.

This water supply operation stops after filling the metering water tank 6 and filling the air supply pipe 8 and water pumping pipe 9 to the same water level as the water storage tank 5.

Thereafter, when the dewatering operation is completed and the air pump 7 is activated, compressed air is sent from the air supply pipe 8 into the metering water tank 6, increasing the internal pressure of the metering water tank 6. At this time, the check valve 13 The connecting portion 6A is closed.

For this purpose, the water in the metering water tank 6 is sent to the ice maker from the pumping pipe 9 by compressed air, and by sending all the water in the metering water tank 6, a predetermined amount of water is supplied, and then the air pump 7 is stopped. .

When the air pump 7 is used to send water from the metered water tank 6, compressed air is blown out from the opening 9a at the tip of the water pumping pipe 9 when the water supply is completed, and water droplets that try to adhere to the opening 9a are blown away by the action of surface tension. 9a has the characteristic that water droplets do not adhere to it.

Therefore, even if the opening 9a provided in the freezer compartment 2 is cooled by the cold air, there will be no inconvenience such as the opening 9a being blocked by freezing of water droplets.

Note that if a small electric pump is used or gravity is used, there is a problem that water droplets will adhere to the opening 9a, freeze, and block the opening 9a.

After the air pump 7 stops, the check valve 13 opens as the internal pressure of the metering water tank 6 decreases, and the water in the water storage tank 5 flows from the connecting pipe 12 into the metering tank 6 due to the pressure difference due to the water level difference with the water storage tank 5. It will also be sent to.

Further, when the air pump 7 is stopped, the air vent part 14 in the middle of the air supply pipe 8 acts as an air vent in the metering water tank 6.

In other words, when the air pump 7 is in operation, the amount of air sent from the air pump 7 is large, so the leakage of air from the air vent part 14 is hardly a problem, but when the air pump 7 is stopped, the leakage of air from the air vent part 14 is long. Since it lasts for a long time, it is sufficiently useful for venting air from the quantitative water tank 6.

In other words, since the air in the water tank 6 is released from the air vent part 14, the water supply operation from the water storage tank 5 to the metering water tank 6 becomes reliable and quick, and the water level on the metering water tank 6 side becomes the same as the water level in the water storage tank 5.

In other words, the water supply action from the water storage tank 5 to the metered water tank 6 is based on the water level difference, but due to the space in the refrigerator compartment 4, the water level cannot be set large, and as a result, the water supply capacity using the water level difference is limited. It is insignificant.

Therefore, if there is no air vent part 14, even if there is some leakage in the pump 7 itself, the air pressure in the metering water tank 6 will not decrease much, and almost no water will be supplied from the water storage tank 5, but even if water is supplied, This causes the inconvenience of being extremely slow, but as in the present invention, the air vent section 14
If this is provided, such inconvenience will not occur.

Thus, by sending only the water in the metered water tank 6 to the area to be watered by the air pump 7, a fixed amount of water can be supplied.

In this case, when water is sent to the metered water tank 6, the air pipe 8
．． Water enters the pumping pipe 9, and the amount of water entering these pipes 8 and 9 and the amount of fluctuation here are determined by the water storage tank 5.
This can be suppressed to a very small extent by the shape of the pipes 8 and 9, and the predetermined amount of water supply is not affected, and a constant amount of water can be sufficiently supplied.

As mentioned above, the metered water supply device of this embodiment uses the air pump 7 to supply water in the metered water tank 6.
It is mechanically simple and safe, with no problems such as water intrusion into the motorized part, rust formation, poor insulation, etc.

If a vertical axis mixed flow pump is used to pump up water from a metered water tank, the installation location will be limited due to the connection with the electric motor, since this part of the impeller is located inside the metered water tank. If it is used in the ice maker of a refrigerator as shown in Figure 1, it must be installed inside the refrigerator (refrigeration room) because it is connected integrally with the metering tank, which requires a large installation space inside the refrigerator. This may result in a reduction in capacity, and since a portion of the impeller and the motor section are connected by a shaft, water may be transmitted to this motor section, causing various problems such as rust and poor insulation due to water intrusion. .

Furthermore, since the air pump 7 and the air vent part 14 are provided outside the refrigerator compartment 4, the quantitative water supply device of this embodiment has the extremely remarkable feature that it is not affected by dew condensation or frost formation due to the cold air inside the refrigerator compartment 4. be.

That is, if the air pump 7 is located in the refrigerator compartment 4, the space in the compartment 4 becomes narrow, and condensation and frost formation due to cold air occurs on the air pump 7 and its electrical components, which may cause rust or short circuit accidents. However, if the air pump 7 is installed outside the refrigerating room as in the present invention, this problem will not occur at all, and a device with high safety and long life can be obtained.

Furthermore, if the air vent section 14 is located inside the refrigerator compartment 4, the opening 14a will be blocked by condensation or frost due to cold air, causing the inconvenience that the air in the quantitative water tank 6 will not be able to escape.

In other words, even if it is simply blocked by water droplets,
The air vent portion 14 does not have a large diameter, and the pressure applied from the water tank 6 side is negligible based on the water level difference with the water storage tank 5 as described above, so it is practically impossible to break the blockage caused by water droplets. First, water is no longer supplied from the water storage tank 5, and the metered water tank 6 cannot supply a fixed amount of water.

Therefore, it is extremely important whether the air vent part 14 is provided inside the refrigerator compartment 4 or outside the refrigerator compartment 4 as in the present invention. If it is provided outside the refrigerator compartment 4 as in the present invention, the opening will not be blocked by water droplets caused by cold air, and a fixed amount of water can always be supplied reliably.

As described above, in the metered water supply device of the present invention, water is once fed from the water storage tank 5 into the metered water tank 6, and the water in the metered water tank 6 is sent to the water supply area using the air pump 7 to perform the metered water supply. Even if the amount of water supplied by the pump motor fluctuates greatly due to voltage fluctuations, or even if there are variations in the pump itself, it will not be affected because the water is only fed into the water tank 6 at a pre-regulated rate. It is possible to always supply a stable amount of water without any problems.

Further, the quantitative water supply device for a refrigerator of the present invention includes a water storage tank and a quantitative water tank in the refrigerator compartment, and an air pump outside the refrigerator compartment for feeding the water in the quantitative water tank to the water-supplied parts in the refrigerator main body. In addition, since an air vent is provided outside the refrigerator compartment of the air supply pipe that connects the air pump and the metered water tank, frost and condensation caused by cold air can cause rust and short circuits on the air pump and its electrical components. It operates safely and reliably over a long period of time without causing any problems, and the air vent opening is not blocked due to frost formation or condensation due to cold air, making it impossible to supply a constant amount of water. A fixed amount of water can be supplied.

As described above, the device of the present invention is most suitable as a fixed-rate water supply device for a refrigerator, and can always reliably supply fixed-quantity water.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the fixed amount water supply device of the present invention installed in an ice maker installed in a refrigerator, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the structure of the fixed amount water supply device. 5: Water storage tank, 6: Metering water tank, 6A: Connection section, 7: Air pump means, 8: Air supply pipe of air pump means, 9:
Lifting pipe, 9a: tip opening, 13: check valve, 14: air vent, 14a: opening.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] The refrigerator main body has a water storage tank and a metering water tank with a smaller capacity than the water storage tank in the refrigerating chamber, and the liquid in the water storage tank is pumped into the refrigerator main body each time the liquid is metered through the metering tank. In a metered water supply device for a refrigerator that supplies water to a water supply area, the metered water tank is provided at a lower level than the water storage tank, and the bottom of the water storage tank and the metered water tank are connected, and a check valve is provided in this communication portion. On the other hand, an air pump is provided outside the refrigerating room, and an air supply pipe communicates the air pump with the metered water tank inside the refrigerating room, with a part of the air pipe being located above the top surface of the water storage tank. , and an air vent portion having an opening is provided in a portion of the air supply pipe above the top surface of the water storage tank and located outside the refrigerating room, and furthermore, one end of the water pumping pipe to the water supply area is provided at the bottom of the metering water tank. A quantitative water supply device for a refrigerator, characterized in that a portion of the water pumping pipe is located above the upper surface of the water storage tank.