JPWO2019176023A1 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The refrigerator includes a main body having a first chamber and a second chamber, a first ice making means having a first ice tray arranged inside the first chamber, and a second ice tray arranged inside the second chamber. The second ice making means having the ice making means and a dispenser having a discharge port capable of discharging ice. The temperature in the first chamber is maintained at a temperature lower than the temperature in the second chamber. The first ice tray is configured to make first ice with the first size. The second ice tray is configured to make a second ice having a second size smaller than the first size. The second ice tray is located higher than the discharge port. The dispenser can discharge the second ice from the discharge port.

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

A refrigerator having at least a pair of blades and provided with an ice crushing device for driving at least one of the pair of blades to break ice is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-349207

According to a refrigerator equipped with an ice crusher as shown in Patent Document 1, it is possible to provide cube ice made by an ice maker and crushed ice obtained by crushing the cube ice with an ice crusher. That is, according to the refrigerator, two types of ice of different sizes can be provided.

However, the refrigerator equipped with the icebreaker has the following disadvantages. It is necessary to provide a safety mechanism so that the user does not touch the sharp blade of the icebreaker. Since the cutting edge of the blade of the ice crusher needs to be thin, the cutting edge may be chipped. In addition, the motor for rotating the blade may not be able to withstand the load and may break down.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of efficiently producing two types of ice of different sizes without using an ice crusher.

The refrigerator of the present invention has a main body having a first chamber and a second chamber, a first ice making means having a first ice tray arranged inside the first chamber, and a second ice making means arranged inside the second chamber. A second ice making means having an ice tray and a dispenser having a discharge port capable of discharging ice are provided, and the temperature in the first chamber is maintained at a temperature lower than the temperature in the second chamber. The second ice tray is configured to make the first ice with the first size, the second ice tray is configured to make the second ice with the second size smaller than the first size, and the second ice tray is the outlet. The dispenser is capable of discharging the second ice from the discharge port.

According to the present invention, by providing the first ice making means and the second ice making means, it is possible to efficiently make two types of ice of different sizes without using an ice crushing device.

It is a front view which shows the refrigerator by Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of the control system of the refrigerator by Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a side sectional view which shows the 1st ice making apparatus provided in the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a second ice making device included in the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. It is a partial side sectional view which shows the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a front view which shows the refrigerator of the comparative example. It is a side sectional view which shows the ice making apparatus provided in the refrigerator of the comparative example.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Common or corresponding elements in the drawings are designated by the same reference numerals to simplify or omit duplicate description.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a refrigerator according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 includes a main body 2, a first ice making device 3, a second ice making device 4, and a dispenser 5. The dispenser 5 has a discharge port 13 capable of discharging ice. The dispenser 5 is incorporated in the main body 2. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the control system of the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 2 of the refrigerator 1 includes a control device 6, a cooling mechanism 7, a water supply device 8, and an operation panel 9. The dispenser 5 includes a dispenser switch 10, an ice transfer device 11, and an opening / closing lid 12. The control device 6 is electrically connected to each of the first ice making device 3, the second ice making device 4, the cooling mechanism 7, the water supply device 8, the operation panel 9, the dispenser switch 10, the ice transfer device 11, and the opening / closing lid 12. ing. The operation of the refrigerator 1 described later is controlled by the control device 6. It should be noted that each of FIGS. 1 and the drawings described later is a schematic diagram, and the relationship and shape of the dimensions of each component shown in each diagram may differ from the actual ones.

As shown in FIG. 1, the main body 2 includes a first chamber 14 and a second chamber 15. The first ice making device 3 includes a first ice making dish 16 arranged inside the first chamber 14. The second ice making device 4 includes a second ice making dish 17 arranged inside the second chamber 15. In the following description, the ice made by using the first ice tray 16 is referred to as "first ice", and the ice made by using the second ice tray 17 is referred to as "second ice".

The first ice making device 3 further includes an ice bank 18 arranged inside the first chamber 14. The first ice can be stored in the ice bank 18. The second ice making device 4 further includes an ice bank 19 arranged inside the second chamber 15. The second ice can be stored in the ice bank 19.

The main body 2 has a heat insulating box body having an open front surface, that is, a front surface. A space insulated from the outside is formed inside the insulated box. Typically, the heat insulating box body has a metal outer box, a resin inner box, and a heat insulating material filled in the space between the outer box and the inner box. By partitioning the space inside the heat insulating box by one or a plurality of partitioning members, a plurality of storage chambers for storing food are formed. The refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment includes a refrigerating room 20 and a freezing room 21 as a plurality of storage rooms.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, a cooling mechanism 7 for cooling each storage chamber is provided on the back side of the main body 2. Typically, the cooling mechanism 7 includes a refrigerant circuit that operates a refrigeration cycle, an air passage and a blower fan for sending cold air to each storage chamber, and a damper that controls the amount of cold air supplied to each storage chamber. To be equipped. The refrigerant circuit consists of a compressor that compresses the refrigerant, a condenser that condenses the compressed high-pressure refrigerant, an expansion device that expands and decompresses the high-pressure refrigerant that has passed through the condenser, and decompressed low-pressure refrigerant and air. Includes a cooler that produces cold air by exchanging heat between them. The control device 6 controls the operation of the cooling mechanism 7 so that the temperature in each storage chamber is maintained in the temperature range set for each. In the refrigerator 1, the temperature in each storage chamber can be detected by a temperature sensor (not shown) such as a thermistor installed in each storage chamber.

The refrigerating chamber 20 has a space for storing food at a temperature of 0 ° C. or higher. The control device 6 may control the operation of the cooling mechanism 7 so as to maintain the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 20 at a temperature in the range of, for example, 0 ° C to 8 ° C. The freezing chamber 21 has a space for storing food at a temperature lower than 0 ° C. The control device 6 may control the operation of the cooling mechanism 7 so as to maintain the temperature in the freezing chamber 21 in the range of, for example, −20 ° C. to −10 ° C.

The refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment corresponds to a bottom freezer type refrigerator in which the freezing chamber 21 is below the refrigerating chamber 20. Refrigerator 1 may further include a storage chamber other than the refrigerating chamber 20 and the freezing chamber 21. For example, a vegetable compartment (not shown) for storing vegetables may be provided under the freezing chamber 21. The type, number, arrangement, and shape of the storage chambers included in the refrigerator 1 are not limited to the configurations shown.

The refrigerating room 20 is defined by an inner wall surface 22, a first door 23, and a second door 24. The first door 23 and the second door 24 are double door type. By opening at least one of the first door 23 and the second door 24, food can be put into the refrigerator compartment 20 and food can be taken out from the refrigerator compartment 20. The door of the refrigerator compartment 20 is not limited to the double door type, and may be a single door.

The freezing chamber 21 is defined by an inner wall surface 25 and a third door 26. The third door 26 may be configured to open by pulling out the third door 26 toward the front side. The basket for storing food in the freezing chamber 21 may be connected to the third door 26, and the basket may be pulled out to the front side together with the third door 26.

In the present embodiment, the first chamber 14 corresponds to a part of the freezing chamber 21. The temperature in the first chamber 14 is equal to the temperature in the freezing chamber 21. The control device 6 may control the operation of the cooling mechanism 7 so as to maintain the temperature in the first chamber 14 at a temperature in the range of, for example, −20 ° C. to −10 ° C. The internal space of the first chamber 14 and the space outside the first chamber 14 and inside the freezing chamber 21 may be separated by a partition wall 27. In FIG. 1, the first ice tray 16, the ice bank 18, and the partition wall 27 are shown through the third door 26. The partition wall 27 may have an opening through which air can pass. The partition wall 27 may be omitted. That is, the first chamber 14 and the freezing chamber 21 may be a continuous space.

In the present embodiment, the second chamber 15 is formed inside the refrigerating chamber 20. The internal space of the second chamber 15 and the space outside the second chamber 15 and inside the refrigerating chamber 20 are separated by a partition wall 28 having a heat insulating property. Since the partition wall 28 has a heat insulating property, the temperature inside the second chamber 15 can be maintained at a temperature lower than the temperature of the space outside the second chamber 15 and inside the refrigerating chamber 20. The control device 6 may control the operation of the cooling mechanism 7 so as to maintain the temperature in the second chamber 15 within the range of, for example, −3 ° C. to −7 ° C. In FIG. 1, the second ice tray 17, the ice bank 19, and the partition wall 28 are shown through the first door 23. The second ice making device 4 is arranged at the uppermost part inside the refrigerating chamber 20.

The first ice tray 16 is configured to make first ice having a first size. The first ice tray 16 has a recess 16a for making the first ice. The shape of the recess 16a corresponds to the shape of the first ice. The first ice tray 16 has a plurality of recesses 16a, and a plurality of first ice cubes can be made at one time. In the illustrated example, the shape of the first ice, that is, the shape of the recess 16a is a quadrangular pyramid. The size of the first ice, that is, the size of the recess 16a may be about 40 mm in length, 30 mm in width, and 20 mm in height. The shape of the first ice, that is, the shape of the recess 16a is not limited to the illustrated example, and is, for example, a cube-shaped shape, a polyhedral shape, a star shape, a heart shape, a crescent shape, a spherical shape, a hemispherical shape, and the like. It may be columnar or semi-cylindrical. The volume of the first ice per piece, that is, the volume of the recess 16a per piece may be, for example, about 10 mL to 30 mL. When using the first ice, the user opens the third door 26 and manually removes the first ice from the ice bank 19.

The second ice tray 17 is configured to make a second ice having a second size smaller than the first size. That is, the volume of the second ice per piece is smaller than the volume of the first ice per piece. The second ice tray 17 has a plurality of recesses 17a, and a plurality of second ice cubes can be made at one time. In the illustrated example, the shape of the second ice, that is, the shape of the recess 17a is a quadrangular pyramid. The shape of the second ice, that is, the shape of the recess 17a is not limited to the illustrated example, and is, for example, a cube-shaped shape, a polyhedral shape, a star shape, a heart shape, a crescent shape, a spherical shape, a hemispherical shape, and the like. It may be columnar or semi-cylindrical. The shape of the second ice may be similar to the shape of the first ice. The second ice may have a different shape from the first ice. The second ice has a size suitable for use as a substitute for crushed ice used for drinks and the like. The volume of the second ice per piece, that is, the volume of the recess 17a per piece may be, for example, about 0.5 mL to 5 mL. The volume of the second ice per piece, that is, the volume of the recess 17a per piece is about 1/20 to 1/3 of the volume of the first ice per piece, that is, the volume of the recess 16a per piece. It may be.

According to the present embodiment, the first ice having a relatively large size and the second ice having a relatively small size can be provided to the user. Since the second ice making device 4 is provided with the second ice tray 17 as described above, the second ice can be made without crushing the ice. In the present embodiment, since an ice crusher is not required, there are the following advantages. There is no need for a safety mechanism to prevent the user from touching the sharp blade of the icebreaker. There is no risk of the blade edge of the icebreaker being chipped or the motor for rotating the blade breaking down. No noise is generated by the icebreaker.

The temperature in the first chamber 14 is maintained at a temperature lower than the temperature in the second chamber 15. Since the first ice having a relatively large size is made in the first chamber 14 having a low temperature, the first ice can be made in a relatively short time. Since the ice making time is short, it is possible to make highly transparent first ice.

Second ice, which is relatively small in size, can be made with a smaller cooling load than the first ice. Therefore, the second ice can be produced in a relatively short time even in the second chamber 15, which has a higher temperature than the first chamber 14. Since the ice making time is short, it is possible to make highly transparent second ice. It is difficult for the second chamber 15 in the refrigerating chamber 20 to be cooled to the same temperature as the freezing chamber 21. In the present embodiment, it is not necessary to cool the second chamber 15 to the same temperature as the freezing chamber 21, so that the structure of the cooling mechanism 7 can be made relatively simple.

Since the second ice making device 4 produces only the second ice having a relatively small size, it can be sufficiently miniaturized. Therefore, since the space occupied by the second room 15 in the refrigerating room 20 can be reduced, it is possible to prevent the space in which the food can be stored in the refrigerating room 20 from being reduced.

The operation panel 9 is arranged on the outer surface of the first door 23. The operation panel 9 includes an operation unit and a display unit. The operation unit may include, for example, an operation switch capable of setting the cold storage temperature of each storage room and the operation mode of the refrigerator 1. The display unit may include a display that displays various information such as the temperature of each storage room. Further, the operation panel 9 may be provided with a touch panel that also serves as an operation unit and a display unit.

The discharge port 13 of the dispenser 5 is formed in the first door 23. The dispenser 5 is configured so that the second ice produced by the second ice making device 4 can be discharged from the discharge port 13. An ice passage 33 is formed inside the first door 23. The ice passage 33 is a passage for transporting the second ice from the ice bank 19 to the discharge port 13. The second ice tray 17 and the ice bank 19 are located higher than the discharge port 13. Therefore, the ice passage 33 can be formed so as to descend from the ice bank 19 toward the discharge port 13. Therefore, the second ice in the ice passage 33 can be transported by gravity.

The first ice tray 16 and the ice bank 18 are located lower than the discharge port 13. In the present embodiment, since the first ice is not provided from the dispenser 5, it does not matter that the first ice tray 16 and the ice bank 18 are located lower than the discharge port 13. In the present embodiment, since the first ice tray 16 and the ice bank 18 can be arranged in the freezing chamber 21 below the refrigerator 1, the ice making speed of the first ice can be sufficiently increased.

A water supply tank 29 is arranged inside the refrigerator compartment 20. Water for ice making and water used as cold water for drinking are stored in the water supply tank 29. FIG. 1 shows the water supply tank 29 through the first door 23. The water supply device 8 includes a first water supply path 30, a second water supply path 31, and a third water supply path 32. The first water supply path 30 is a path for supplying the water in the water supply tank 29 to the first ice making device 3. The second water supply path 31 is a path for supplying the water in the water supply tank 29 to the second ice making device 4. The third water supply path 32 is a path for supplying the water in the water supply tank 29 to the discharge port 13 of the dispenser 5. The water supply device 8 includes a pump (not shown), and by operating the pump, the water in the water supply tank 29 can be supplied to the first ice making device 3, the second ice making device 4, and the dispenser 5.

In the present embodiment, by providing the third water supply path 32, cold drinking water can be provided from the discharge port 13 of the dispenser 5. The third water supply path 32 may be omitted. That is, the dispenser 5 may be capable of supplying only the second ice.

Instead of the configuration shown in the figure, tap water supplied from the water pipe connected to the refrigerator 1 may be directly supplied to the first ice making device 3, the second ice making device 4, and the dispenser 5. In this case, the water tank 29 becomes unnecessary.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing the first ice making device 3 included in the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the control device 6 controls the first ice making device 3 to automatically make the first ice as follows. As shown in FIG. 3, the first ice making device 3 includes a dish rotating device 34. The plate rotating device 34 includes an actuator (not shown) that inverts the first ice plate 16 upside down by rotating a rotating shaft connected to the first ice plate 16. The dish rotating device 34 rotates the first ice tray 16 when the first ice is removed from the first ice tray 16. When the plate rotating device 34 rotates the first ice tray 16, the first ice tray 16 is placed upside down on the ice bank 18. The first ice making device 3 includes an ice removing means (not shown) for separating the first ice from the first ice tray 16. The ice removing means may be configured to separate the first ice from the first ice tray 16 by twisting and deforming the first ice tray 16. Alternatively, the ice removing means may be configured to separate the first ice from the first ice tray 16 by heating the first ice tray 16 to melt the surface of the first ice. The first ice separated from the first ice tray 16 falls into the ice bank 18.

After the first ice is separated from the first ice tray 16, the dish rotating device 34 returns the first ice tray 16 to its original position. After that, water is discharged from the outlet 35 of the first water supply path 30. The water enters one recess 16a of the first ice tray 16. A notch or a hole (not shown) is formed in the wall separating the recess 16a and the recess 16a. The water that has entered one recess 16a from the outlet 35 sequentially flows into the adjacent recess 16a through the notch or hole, and all the recesses 16a of the first ice tray 16 are filled with water. In this way, the first ice is generated by freezing the water filled in the recess 16a.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a second ice making device 4 included in the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the control device 6 controls the second ice making device 4 to automatically make the second ice as follows. As shown in FIG. 4, the second ice making device 4 includes a dish rotating device 36. The plate rotating device 36 includes an actuator (not shown) that inverts the second ice plate 17 upside down by rotating a rotating shaft connected to the second ice plate 17. The dish rotating device 36 rotates the second ice tray 17 when the second ice is removed from the second ice tray 17. When the plate rotating device 36 rotates the second ice tray 17, the second ice tray 17 is placed upside down on the ice bank 19. The second ice making device 4 includes an ice removing means (not shown) for separating the second ice from the second ice tray 17. The ice removing means may be configured to separate the second ice from the second ice tray 17 by twisting and deforming the second ice tray 17. Alternatively, the ice removal means may be configured to separate the second ice from the second ice tray 17 by heating the second ice tray 17 to melt the surface of the second ice. The second ice separated from the second ice tray 17 falls into the ice bank 19.

After the second ice is separated from the second ice tray 17, the dish rotating device 36 returns the second ice tray 17 to its original position. After that, water is discharged from the outlet 37 of the second water supply path 31. The water enters one recess 17a of the second ice tray 17. A notch or a hole (not shown) is formed in the wall separating the recess 17a and the recess 17a. The water that has entered one recess 17a from the outlet 37 sequentially flows into the adjacent recess 17a through the notch or hole, and all the recesses 17a of the second ice tray 17 are filled with water. In this way, the second ice is generated by freezing the water filled in the recess 17a.

The ice transfer device 11 is configured to be able to send the second ice in the ice bank 19 to the ice passage 33. When the second ice is provided from the dispenser 5, the ice transfer device 11 is operated and the second ice in the ice bank 19 is sent to the ice passage 33. The ice transfer device 11 may include a rotating member such as a screw arranged in the ice bank 19. The rotating member may be arranged near the bottom of the ice bank 19 so that the second ice having a small size can be conveyed.

At least one of the first ice tray 16 and the second ice tray 17 may be made of metal. Since the metal ice tray has a higher thermal conductivity than the resin ice tray, it is possible to shorten the time required for water to freeze and become ice, that is, the ice making time. In particular, it is preferable to use a high thermal conductivity material such as aluminum.

FIG. 5 is a partial side sectional view showing the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the air passage 38 communicates with the second chamber 15. The cold air generated by the cooling mechanism 7 is supplied from the air passage 38 into the second chamber 15. The refrigerant pipe 39 included in the cooling mechanism 7 extends into the second chamber 15. The refrigerant pipe 39 is in contact with the second ice tray 17. The refrigerant pipe 39 supplies a refrigerant for cooling the second ice tray 17. In the present embodiment, the second ice tray 17 can be directly cooled by the refrigerant pipe 39, so that the ice making time can be further shortened. As a modification, the refrigerator 1 may not be provided with the refrigerant pipe 39 and may be configured to freeze the water in the second ice tray 17 only by the cold air from the air passage 38. Further, the refrigerator 1 may be provided with a refrigerant pipe that is in contact with the first ice tray 16 and cools the first ice tray 16. In that case, the ice making time of the first ice can be further shortened.

An opening / closing lid 12 is provided at a portion where the discharge port 13 of the dispenser 5 and the ice passage 33 communicate with each other. When the opening / closing lid 12 is closed, it is possible to block between the discharge port 13 leading to the outside of the refrigerator 1 and the ice passage 33 leading to the inside of the refrigerator 1. A dispenser switch 10 is provided near the discharge port 13. When the dispenser switch 10 is pressed with a container such as a cup held by the user, the opening / closing lid 12 is opened and the ice transfer device 11 is operated. As a result, the second ice in the ice bank 19 is discharged from the discharge port 13 through the ice passage 33.

In the present embodiment, it is not necessary to allow the first ice having a large size to pass through the ice passage 33, so that the cross section of the ice passage 33 can be made relatively small. If the cross section of the ice passage 33 is large, the second ice discharged from the discharge port 13 is likely to scatter, so that the second ice is likely to spill out of the container. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the cross section of the ice passage 33 can be made relatively small, it is possible to reliably prevent the second ice discharged from the discharge port 13 from scattering. The minimum cross section of the ice passage 33 in the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the ice passage 33 may be equal to or less than the maximum cross section of the first ice. This makes it possible to more reliably achieve the above effect. The "maximum cross section of the first ice" is the cross section when the first ice is cut at the position where the cross section is maximized.

The total weight of the second ice produced by the second ice making device 4 at one time may be lighter than the total weight of the first ice produced by the first ice making device 3 at one time. That is, the total amount of water entering the second ice tray 17 may be smaller than the total amount of water entering the first ice tray 16. Since the temperature of the second chamber 15 is higher than that of the first chamber 14, if the amount of water is large, it may take time to make ice. On the other hand, by making the total amount of water entering the second ice tray 17 smaller than the total amount of water entering the first ice tray 16, the time required for ice making of the second ice can be shortened more reliably.

The control device 6 may be configured as follows. Each function of the control device 6 may be realized by a processing circuit. The processing circuit of the control device 6 may include at least one processor 6a and at least one memory 6b. When the processing circuit includes at least one processor 6a and at least one memory 6b, each function of the control device 6 may be realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. At least one of the software and firmware may be written as a program. At least one of the software and firmware may be stored in at least one memory 6b. At least one processor 6a may realize each function of the control device 6 by reading and executing a program stored in at least one memory 6b. The at least one memory 6b may include a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, or the like. The processing circuit of the control device 6 may include at least one dedicated hardware. When the processing circuit comprises at least one dedicated hardware, the processing circuit may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-). The Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof may be used. The functions of each part of the control device 6 may be realized by the processing circuit. Further, the functions of each part of the control device 6 may be collectively realized by the processing circuit. For each function of the control device 6, a part may be realized by dedicated hardware and the other part may be realized by software or firmware. The processing circuit may realize each function of the control device 6 by hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. The configuration is not limited to the configuration in which the operation is controlled by a single control device 6, and the operation may be controlled by the cooperation of a plurality of control devices.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing the refrigerator 100 of the comparative example. FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing an ice making device 50 included in the refrigerator 100 of the comparative example. Hereinafter, the refrigerator 100 of the comparative example will be described with reference to these figures, but the differences from the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same parts or corresponding parts will be designated by the same reference numerals. , The description is simplified or omitted.

The refrigerator 100 includes an ice making device 50 arranged in an ice making chamber 51 formed inside the refrigerating chamber 20. The ice tray 52 included in the ice making device 50 is configured to make ice having a size corresponding to the first ice. The dispenser 5 is configured so that the first ice produced by the ice making device 50 can be discharged from the discharge port 13. The ice passage 53 from the ice bank 19 to the discharge port 13 is configured to allow the first ice to pass through. That is, the ice passage 53 has a larger cross section than the ice passage 33 provided in the refrigerator 1.

As shown in FIG. 7, the refrigerator 100 includes an ice crushing device 54 provided near the ice making device 50. The ice crusher 54 can crush the first ice to make crushed ice. The ice crushing device 54 includes, for example, a fixed blade and a rotary blade, and crushes the first ice by sandwiching the first ice with the fixed blade and the rotary blade. The dispenser 5 of the refrigerator 100 can provide both first ice and crushed ice. That is, when the first ice is provided, the first ice in the ice bank 19 is discharged as it is from the discharge port 13 through the ice passage 53 without operating the ice crushing device 54. When the crushed ice is provided, the ice crushing device 54 is operated to crush the first ice, and the obtained crushed ice is discharged from the discharge port 13 through the ice passage 53.

The refrigerator 100 of the comparative example has the following disadvantages. Since the blade of the icebreaker 54 is sharp, the user may touch the blade and get injured, which is not safe. When the blade is rotated during ice breaking, a strong force is applied to the ice, so the output of the motor used to rotate the blade is high and noise may be generated. Since the ice passage 53 has a cross section that matches the size of the first ice, when the crushed ice is provided, the crushed ice scatters from the discharge port 13 and easily spills from the container. Since the ice making chamber 51 is formed inside the refrigerating chamber 20, it is difficult to cool it to a low temperature like the freezing chamber 21. Since the first ice having a relatively large size is produced in such an ice making chamber 51, efficient ice making is difficult, the ice making time is long, and the convenience is lowered. In addition, the transparency of the produced ice tends to be low, and the quality of the ice is low. Since both the first ice and the crushed ice are covered by the ice making device 50, it is necessary to make the ice making device 50 large. For this reason, the space occupied by the ice making chamber 51 inside the refrigerating chamber 20 becomes large, and the space in which food can be stored in the refrigerating chamber 20 is significantly reduced.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, it may be as follows. The first chamber 14 may be formed as a separate chamber independent of the freezing chamber 21. The second chamber 15 may be formed as a separate chamber independent of the refrigerating chamber 20. The first ice making device 3 does not have to be configured to automatically make the first ice. The user may manually perform the operation of supplying water to the first ice tray 16 and the operation of separating the first ice from the first ice tray 16. As a means of removing ice from the ice making device, an ejector that scrapes ice from the ice tray may be provided. An ice-removing means capable of flowing hot gas through a refrigerant pipe in contact with an ice tray may be used. In order to increase the transparency of ice, the ice making device arranges a metal ice tray cooled by a refrigerant pipe so that its opening is horizontal, and circulates water from above to make ice. May be good.

1 Refrigerator, 2 Main body, 3 1st ice maker, 4 2nd ice maker, 5 dispenser, 6 control device, 7 cooling mechanism, 8 water supply device, 9 operation panel, 10 dispenser switch, 11 ice transfer device, 12 opening / closing lid, 13 Discharge port, 14 1st room, 15 2nd room, 16 1st ice tray, 17 2nd ice tray, 18 ice bank, 19 ice bank, 20 refrigerating room, 21 freezer room, 22 inner wall surface, 23 1st door , 24 2nd door, 25 inner wall surface, 26 3rd door, 27 partition, 28 partition, 29 water supply tank, 30 1st water supply route, 31 2nd water supply route, 32 3rd water supply route, 33 ice passage, 34 dish rotation Equipment, 36 dish rotating device, 38 air passage, 39 refrigerant pipe, 50 ice making device, 51 ice making room, 52 ice tray, 53 ice passage, 54 ice breaking device, 100 refrigerator

The refrigerator of the present invention has a main body having a first chamber and a second chamber, a first ice making means having a first ice tray arranged inside the first chamber, and a second ice making means arranged inside the second chamber. A second ice making means having an ice tray and a dispenser having a discharge port capable of discharging ice are provided, and the temperature in the first chamber is maintained at a temperature lower than the temperature in the second chamber. The second ice tray is configured to make the first ice with the first size, the second ice tray is configured to make the second ice with the second size smaller than the first size, and the second ice tray is the outlet. located at a position higher than, dispensers, Ri ejectable der the second ice from the discharge port, the volume of the second ice is 1/3 der shall 1/20 of the volume of the first ice.

Claims (9)

The main body with the first room and the second room,
A first ice making means having a first ice tray arranged inside the first chamber,
A second ice-making means having a second ice-making tray arranged inside the second chamber,
Equipped with a dispenser having a discharge port capable of discharging ice
The temperature in the first chamber is maintained at a temperature lower than the temperature in the second chamber.
The first ice tray is configured to make first ice with the first size.
The second ice tray is configured to make a second ice having a second size smaller than the first size.
The second ice tray is located higher than the discharge port.
The dispenser is a refrigerator capable of discharging the second ice from the discharge port. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the second ice making means is configured to make the second ice without crushing the ice. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the total weight of ice produced by the second ice-making means at one time is lighter than the total weight of ice produced by the first ice-making means at one time. The dispenser has an ice passage through which the second ice passes toward the discharge port.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the minimum cross section of the ice passage in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the ice passage is equal to or less than the maximum cross section of the first ice. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first chamber is a part of a freezing chamber having a space for storing food at a temperature lower than 0 ° C. The main body has a storage chamber having a space for storing food at a temperature of 0 ° C. or higher.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second chamber is formed inside the storage chamber. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first ice tray is located at a position lower than the discharge port. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein at least one of the first ice tray and the second ice tray is made of metal. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising at least one of a refrigerant pipe in contact with the first ice tray and a refrigerant pipe in contact with the second ice tray.

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