KR0150859B1 - Water supply apparatus of automatic ice-maker - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a water supply device of an automatic ice making device, and the valve body for opening and closing the outlet 37 of the fixed amount reservoir 36 when supplying a predetermined amount of water stored in the fixed amount reservoir 36 to the ice making tray 22 ( By lowering 40 step by step, the opening degree of the outlet 37 is increased step by step. In this way, the water supply to the ice making tray 22 is characterized in that the water falls to the ice making tray 22 in a relatively small amount so that water does not have to be scattered.

Description

Water supply device of automatic ice maker

1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an essential part of an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 showing the water supply state from the reservoir tank to the fixed-quantity reservoir.

3 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 showing the water supply state from the fixed water reservoir to the ice tray.

4 is an exploded perspective view of the drain valve mechanism.

5 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a cam mechanism.

6 is a time chart showing the opening and closing relationship between the up and down operating positions of the operation shaft and the drain valve mechanism and the water supply valve mechanism.

7 is a longitudinal side view showing an ice maker of the refrigerator.

8 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 7 showing an example of a conventional water supply device.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

22: ice tray (ice tray) 25: drip container

26: outlet 29: water supply

36: quantitative reservoir 37: drain

38: drain valve mechanism 39, 55: valve rod

40, 56: valve body 41: upper valve rod

42: lower valve rod 44, 46, 57: compression coil spring

47: sealing member 50: annular packing

51: reservoir tank 52: cap

53: water supply port 54: water supply valve mechanism

59: Ice Storage Box

The present invention relates to an absorption device of an automatic ice making device for supplying a certain amount of water to an ice making container.

The conventional structure of this kind of water supply apparatus in a refrigerator is shown in FIG.

This water supply device is configured to supply the water stored in the plastic drip tray 2 in the refrigerating chamber 1 to the ice making tray 5 which is an ice making container installed in the ice making chamber 4 by the feed pump 3, and the drip tray (2) The detachable water storage tank 6 is provided above. This water storage tank 6 has a water level in the drip tray 2 from the water inlet 8 having the water supply valve 7 to the drip tray 2 to always block the lower opening of the water inlet 8. Water to maintain.

The drip tray (2) is partitioned into a drip tray (11) and a water purification chamber (12) by a partition wall (10) having a water hole (9), and a reservoir tank (6) in the drip chamber (11). The water supply port 8 of is inserted, and the suction port part 3a of the water supply pump 3 is inserted into the water purification chamber 12. Therefore, when the feed pump 3 starts, the feed pump 3 supplies the water in the purified water chamber 12 to the ice making container 5. At this time, the water level of the water purification chamber 12 gradually decreases to generate a water level difference between the drip chambers 11, but the water passage hole 9 communicating the two chambers 11 and 12 has a small diameter so that the water supply pump 3 Since the water flowing into the water purification chamber 12 through the water passage hole 9 from the water receiving chamber 11 at the time of water supply by the water supply is very small, the ice maker 5 is supplied with a certain amount of water stored in the water purification chamber 12. will be.

In the water supply device of this configuration, assuming that the water flowing into the water purification chamber 12 from the water receiving chamber 11 through the water passage 9 is limited to a very small amount during the water supply by the water supply pump 3. A fixed series is established. However, the diameter of the water passage 9 may not be constant due to a molding error of the drip tray 2, and if the diameter of the water passage 9 is larger than the design value, the diameter of the water passage 9 during the water supply by the water supply pump 3 will be reduced. The amount of water flowing into the water purification chamber 12 from (11) was irregular, and as a result, there was a problem that the amount of water supplied to the ice making tray 5 was not constant for each product.

Therefore, in recent years, a water supply device is composed of a fixed amount reservoir having a drain valve mechanism, a storage tank disposed on the fixed amount reservoir and having a water supply valve mechanism, and a valve operation device for opening and closing the drain valve mechanism and the water supply valve mechanism. And supplying a certain amount of water from the reservoir tank to the fixed water reservoir by closing the drain valve mechanism by the valve operating device and opening the water supply valve mechanism, and then storing the water storage device in the fixed water reservoir by closing the water supply valve mechanism and opening the drain valve mechanism. Supply of a fixed amount of water to the ice making vessel by free fall is being made.

In a configuration in which a predetermined amount of water collected in the fixed flow reservoir is supplied to the ice making plate by a free fall, the drain valve mechanism of the fixed flow reservoir is operated in a completely open state from a closed state at one time. In this case, since a large amount of water is suddenly supplied from the metering reservoir to the ice tray, the water may violate the ice tray, become water droplets, and fall into an ice storage box under the ice tray. As a result, the amount of water stored in the ice tray decreases, and water droplets falling on the ice storage box freeze by the cold air, and ice cubes collected in the ice storage box freeze together with the ice storage box or the ice cube.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a water supply device for an automatic ice making device which can prevent water from scattering when water is supplied to an ice making container.

In order to achieve the above object, the water supply device of the automatic ice making device of the present invention is disposed above the ice making container and has a drainage outlet having a bottom portion; A storage tank disposed above the metering reservoir and configured to supply a predetermined amount of water to the metering reservoir from a water supply port at a bottom thereof; An upper valve rod in contact with the lower valve rod through a valve body for opening and closing the drainage port of the fixed water reservoir from below, a lower valve rod extending vertically through the valve body, and a flexible sealing member sealing the top of the valve body. And a drain valve mechanism having a compression coil spring respectively provided between the lower valve rod and the valve body and between the upper valve rod and the supporting member of the upper valve rod; A valve body for opening and closing the water supply port of the water storage tank inside the tank, a valve rod for supporting the valve body, a support member for supporting the valve rod, and a compression coil spring provided between the valve body and the support member. Having a water supply valve mechanism; It is provided with the operation shaft which can move to an up-down direction, and when this operation shaft is in the stop state, it is located in the middle of an up-down movement range, and stops, The said lower valve rod and an upper valve in a 1st stroke which raises from this intermediate position to an upper limit position In the 2nd stroke which pushes up a rod and pushes up the valve body of the said water supply valve mechanism in the state which closed the valve body of an upper-drain drain valve mechanism, and descends from an upper limit position to an intermediate position, an upper valve rod and a lower valve rod Is lowered by the respective compression coil springs to close the valve body of the water supply valve mechanism, and the valve body of the drain valve mechanism is half-opened in the third stroke, which is lowered from the intermediate position to a position slightly below. In the fourth stroke descending from the lower limit position to the lower limit position, the valve element of the drain valve mechanism In the fifth stroke and rising from the lower limit position to an intermediate position by raising the lower push the valve rod having a valve control device closes the valve body of the drain valve mechanism apparatus; And a drip container configured to receive the water discharged from the drain port and supply the water to the ice making container.

When the drain valve mechanism is closed and the feed valve mechanism is opened, a certain amount of water is supplied from the reservoir tank to the fixed water reservoir. Thereafter, the water supply valve mechanism is closed and the drain valve mechanism is opened to supply the water in the fixed water reservoir to the ice making container. At this time, since the drain valve mechanism increases the opening degree of the drain step by step, a large amount of water is not supplied to the ice maker at a time, and water can be prevented from splashing against the ice maker.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an automatic ice maker of a refrigerator will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, an ice tray 22, which is a plastic ice tray, is installed in the ice maker 21 of the refrigerator, and water stored in the ice tray 22 is supplied to the ice maker 21. It is cooled by the cold air, which becomes ice. On the other hand, in the refrigerating chamber 23 in the upper part of the ice-making chamber 21, the plastic base 24 is provided, and the circular trough container 25 is integrally formed in this base 24. As shown in FIG. In addition, a part of the front side of the drip tray 25 extends forward.

In order to receive the water measured by a predetermined quantity and the drip container 25 is supplied to the ice making dish 22, the outlet part 26 is formed in the bottom part of the front part extended as shown in FIG. In addition, a tube 28 penetrating through the partition wall 27 of the ice making chamber 21 and the refrigerating chamber 23 is connected to the outlet 26, and the water received by the drip container 25 receives the tube 28. Through the ice tray 22 is injected. Therefore, the drip tray 25 and the tube 28 function as the water supply path 29 which receives the water measured by the fixed quantity and supplies it to the ice-making dish 22. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 30 denotes a water force relaxation member for weakening the force of the water supplied from the tube 28 so that water does not splash away from the ice making plate 22, and reference numeral 29a denotes an outlet 26 and It is a heater for preventing the water droplets attached to the inner surface of the tube 28 from freezing.

1, the opening part 31 is formed in the center of the bottom part of the drip container 25, and the cylindrical part 32 which protrudes upwards is integrated in the circumference part of this opening part 31. As shown in FIG. It protrudes and is installed. In addition, a container-shaped sealing member 33 made of an elastic material that seals and closes the opening 31 is disposed inside the cylindrical portion 32, and the sealing member 33 is inside the cylindrical portion 32. As shown in FIG. It is compression-fixed by the ring 35 by the bag-shaped nut 34 screwed to the male screw 32b of the outer periphery of the cylindrical part 32 to the annular step part 32a formed in the inside.

In the drip container 25, a circular fixed water reservoir 36 made of plastic is housed. This fixed water reservoir 36 is detachable with respect to the drip tray 25, and in the storage state, the wide diameter of the lower side in which the annular rib 36a of the upper outer periphery was formed in the upper opening of the drip tray 25. It is supported by the end surface 25b of the part 25a.

A drain port 37 is formed at the center of the bottom of the fixed water reservoir 36, and the drain port 37 is opened and closed by a drain valve mechanism 38. The drain valve mechanism 38 has a valve rod 39 and a valve body 40 as main components, and the valve rod 39 has an upper valve rod 41 having a flange portion 41a having a large diameter at a lower end thereof. Similarly, it is divided into two parts by the lower valve rod 42 which has the large flange part 42a in the lower end part. Moreover, the valve body 40 is formed in the stepped cylindrical shape which has the skirt part 40a which is a cylindrical part opened downward in the lower part. And the skirt part 40a is equipped with the cylindrical packing 40b which always keeps in contact with the inner bottom face of the drip container 25 irrespective of the vertical motion of the valve body 40. As shown in FIG.

The upper valve rod 41 is inserted into the central bearing portion 36c of the plurality of ribs 36b installed on the inner bottom surface of the fixed water reservoir 36 so as to move up and down to be stopped by the stop ring 43. A first compression coil spring 44 is provided between the bearing portion 36c and the flange portion 41a of the upper valve rod 41 to force the upper valve rod 41 downward.

On the other hand, the lower valve rod 42 is inserted into the center of the upper disk portion 40c of the valve body 40 so as to be movable up and down to be stopped by the stop ring 45 and the upper disk portion of the valve body 40 is provided. Between the 40c and the flange part 42a of the lower valve rod 42, the 2nd compression coil spring 46 which adds the force to the valve body 40 upward with respect to the lower valve rod 42 is provided. In the upper cylindrical portion 40d of the valve body 40, a container-shaped sealing member 47 made of an elastic material for sealing and blocking the upper opening of the cylindrical portion 40d is disposed. The member 47 is fixedly fixed to the upper end of the cylindrical portion 406 through the ring 49 by means of a bag-shaped nut 48 screwed to the male screw 40e around its outer circumference.

The valve body 40, the lower valve rod 42, the second compression coil spring 46 and the sealing member 47 combined in this way are the upper valve rod 41 and the first compression coil installed in the fixed water reservoir 36. It is comprised by the unit separate from the spring 44, and as shown in FIG. 4, it becomes separable from the fixed quantity reservoir 36. As shown in FIG. And the lower unit of this drain valve mechanism 38 fits the skirt part 40a of the valve body 40 to the outer side of the said nut 34 which is the protrusion part of the water supply path 29, The drip container 25 It is in the state supported so that up-and-down movement to the side is possible.

In this way, the fixed quantity water reservoir 36 is attached to the dripping container 25 side after attaching the lower unit of the drain valve mechanism 38 to the drip container 25, and in this storage state, it is the 1st As shown in FIG. 1, the upper portion of the valve body 40 is inserted into the drain port 37 so that the upper valve rod 41 and the lower valve rod 42 fit the sealing member 47 to each other. 1 The compression coil spring 44 is in a state of applying force to the lower valve rod 42 downward. At this time, the protrusion 47a protruding from the sealing member 47 fits into the recess 41b formed at the lower end of the upper valve rod 41, so that the upper valve rod 41 and the lower valve rod 42 are the same. The position is adjusted to be an axis. Then, the valve body 40 is moved upward by the added force of the second compression coil spring 46 and abuts from the bottom to the annular packing 50 fixed and attached to the periphery of the drain port 37. The drain 37 is opened, and as will be described later, it is pressed down by the added force of the first compression coil spring 44 to move downward from the annular packing 50 to open the drain 37. It is supposed to be.

Here, the part of the valve body 40 which abuts on the annular packing 50 is formed in the tapered inclined surface 401 descending toward the outer circumferential side, and thereby the inclined surface 40f of the valve body 40. The annular packing 50 is in line contact with its entire circumference. Moreover, in order to make line contact of the inclined surface 40f and the annular packing 50 more reliably, the lower end part of the annular packing 50 is formed in circular arc shape.

On the other hand, on the fixed water storage 36, the storage tank 51 provided detachably to the base 2 is provided. The cylindrical part 51a protrudes downward and is installed in the bottom surface of this water storage tank 51, and the cap 52 is screwed to this cylindrical part 51a. The water supply port 53 is formed in the center of this cap 52, and the ring part 52a with the large diameter of the short length which protrudes downward is formed in the lower surface of the cap 52. As shown in FIG.

The water supply port 53 is opened and closed by the water supply valve mechanism 54. The water supply valve mechanism 54 is a valve rod 55 supported by the center bearing 52c of the support frame 52b provided in the cap 52 so as to be movable up and down, and a valve fixed to the lower end of the valve rod 55. It consists of a sieve 56.

The valve rod 55 is forced downward by a compression coil spring 57 which is a means for applying a force provided between the valve body 56 and the bearing portion 526 to always close the water supply port 53. In addition, the water storage tank 51 is sealed except the site | part connected to the exterior through the water supply port 53. As shown in FIG. In addition, a water filter 51b is provided in the water storage tank 51.

Since the cylindrical portion 51a of the water storage tank 51 is used as a hole for inserting a hand when cleaning the inside of the water storage tank 51, it is considerably larger in diameter, for example, than the quantitative water storage 36. The diameter is formed large. Accordingly, the cap 25c is also formed to have a larger diameter than the upper surface of the metering reservoir 36 and is located in the wide diameter portion 25c above the drip container 25 so as to be slightly spaced apart from the top of the metering reservoir 36. Opposite, leaving the top of the metering reservoir 36 blocked. In addition, the ring portion 52a having a large diameter of the water inlet 53 is set to be slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the metering reservoir 36, and the metering is performed with a slight gap between the inner circumferential surfaces of the metering reservoir 36. It is inserted into the reservoir 36. The valve rod 55 of the water supply valve mechanism 54 is located on the same axis as the valve rod 39 of the drain valve mechanism 38.

In FIG. 7, reference numeral 58 denotes a switch for detecting, via the lever 58a, that the water storage tank 51 is mounted on the pedestal 24. In FIG. In addition, the ice produced in the ice making plate 22 is separated and dropped as the ice making plate 22 is reversed and twisted, so that the reference numeral 59 is used to store each ice falling apart from the ice making plate 22 and falling. Ice storage box for the reference numeral '60 is a lever for detecting the ice storage amount of the ice storage box (59).

On the other hand, a valve operating device 61 for opening and closing the drain valve mechanism 38 and the water supply valve mechanism 54 is attached to the partition wall 27. The valve operating device 61 is operated by the operation shaft 63, which is an operation unit supported by the case 62 so as to be movable up and down, the motor 64 shown in FIG. 5, and the rotational movement of the motor 64. For example, the cam mechanism 65 is provided as a converting means for converting to the up-and-down motion of 63). The cam mechanism 65 is configured by attaching a cam plate 68 to a cam shaft 67 that is rotationally driven through the reduction mechanism 66 by the motor 64, and the cam plate 68 is the upper surface of the cam surface. Is formed in an uneven shape. The lower end of the operation shaft 63 is in contact with the upper surface of the cam plate 68, and the operation shaft 63 reciprocates once by one rotation of the cam plate 68.

As shown in FIG. 1, the operation shaft 63 protrudes upward from the case 62 and is positioned inside the opening 31 of the bottom of the drip container 25 to allow the operation of the drain valve mechanism 38. The lower valve rod 42 is in contact with the sealing member 33. And the operating shaft 63 is normally stopped in the middle height position of an up-down movement range. At this time, even if the upper and lower valve rods 41 and 42 of the drain valve rod 38 are in the position pushed up by a predetermined amount from the lower limit position by the operation shaft 63, the upper end of the upper valve rod 41 is the feed water valve mechanism. Away from the valve rod 55 of 54. In such a state, the valve body 40 of the drain valve mechanism 38 is pressed by the elastic force of the second compression coil spring 46 so that the annular packing 50 is closed to close the drain port 37. The valve body 56 of the valve mechanism 54 is pushed down by the elastic force of the compression coil spring 57 to close the water supply port 53. In addition, since the upper valve rod 41 and the lower valve rod 42 of the drain valve mechanism 38 perform the same up and down operation, the valve rod 39 is used as a valve rod 39 except when it is necessary to specifically describe the following. Explain.

Water supply to the ice tray 22 is performed by the rotation of the cam plate 68 (cam shaft 67) shown in FIG. 5 once, and the operation shaft (by the rotation of the cam plate 68 once). 63 reciprocates once and opens and closes the drain valve mechanism 38 and the water supply valve mechanism 54. In this case, as described above, since the operation shaft 63 is normally stopped at an intermediate position of the vertical movement range, one round trip of the operation shaft 63 is started at the intermediate position, and the operation shaft 63 is operated. In accordance with the rotation of the cam plate 68, first ascends from the intermediate position to the upper limit position (first stroke), continues the state that has been inclined to this upper limit position for a while, and then descends from the upper limit position to the intermediate position (second position). Stroke), hold this intermediate position for a while. After that, it descends from the intermediate position to a little below it (third stroke), holds this position for a while, then descends to the lower limit position (fourth stroke), and then keeps the state lowered to the lower limit position for a while, The motor returns to the intermediate position from the lower limit position and stops (5th stroke). The magnet plate 69 is attached to the cam plate 68 and the integrated circuit 70 is provided on the case 64 side to allow the operation shaft 63 to perform the above-described first to fifth stroke operations. The control device (not shown) is configured to detect that the cam plate 68 has rotated once by the self-detecting operation of the integrated circuit 70 and to cut off the motor 66.

Here, the up / down operation of the operation shaft 63 when the cam plate 68 rotates once will be described with reference to FIG. 6 for the opening / closing relationship with the drain valve mechanism 38 and the water supply valve mechanism 54. 6 shows PC as the intermediate position of the operating shaft 63, PU as the upper limit position, PCC as the position slightly lower than the intermediate position, and PL as the lower limit position.

First, when the operation shaft 63 is in the intermediate position PC, the valve bodies 40 and 56 of the drain valve mechanism 38 and the water supply valve mechanism 54 respectively connect the drain port 37 and the water supply port 53. Closing. When the operation shaft 65 starts to rise from the intermediate position PC to the upper limit position PU, the valve rod 39 of the drain valve mechanism 38 is pushed up by the operation shaft 63. At this time, since the valve rod 39 is pushed up while compressing the first and second compression coil springs 44 and 46, the valve body 40 of the drain valve mechanism 38 is the second compression coil spring 46. The pressing force of the annular packing 50 is maintained in the closed state, that is, the drainage hole 37 is closed, and the valve rod 39 slides with respect to the valve body 40 in the stopped state. do. For this reason, in particular, the valve body 40 is gradually compressed by the second compression coil spring 46 in accordance with the rise of the valve rod 39 so as to be firmly pressed against the ring-shaped packing 50 and sealed to the drain hole 37. This is more certain.

Then, when the valve rod 39 of the drain valve mechanism 38 is pushed up to a predetermined height position, the valve rod 39 fits the valve rod 55 of the water supply valve mechanism 54 as shown in FIG. The valve body 56 opens the water supply port 53 because it touches and pushes it against the force applied by the compression coil spring 57.

When the operation shaft 65 is changed to the second stroke descending from the upper limit position PU to the intermediate position PL, the valve rods 39 and 55 of the drain valve mechanism 38 and the water supply valve mechanism 54 are compressed into a coil. It is pushed down by the spring force of the springs 44, 46, and 57, and the valve body 56 of the water supply valve mechanism 54 closes the water supply port 53. As shown in FIG. At this time, the valve body 40 of the drain valve mechanism 38 is forced upward by the second compression coil spring 46 in spite of the lowering of the valve rod 39, thereby being tightly attached to the annular packing 50. Since it is pressed, the drain 37 is kept closed.

The valve rod 39 of the drain valve mechanism 38 is then supplied with water when the operating shaft 63 moves to the third stroke from the intermediate position PC to the position slightly lower than the intermediate position PC. When the valve rod 39 falls from the valve rod 54 of the valve mechanism 54 and the valve rod 39 descends again, the second compression coil spring because the stop ring 45 of the lower valve rod 42 abuts against the valve body 40. The elastic force of 46 is to be accommodated in the stop ring 45. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, the valve rod 39 is moved downward downward integrally with the valve body 40 by the added force of the first compression coil spring 44. Is moved downward by the added force of the first compression coil spring 44 to slightly drop from the annular packing 50 to bring the drain 37 to half open.

And when the operation shaft 63 changes to the 4th stroke which descend | falls from the position PCC slightly below the intermediate position PC to the lower limit position PL, the valve body 40 will descend | fall again and the drain hole 37 will be completely completed. The open state. Thereafter, when the operating shaft 63 shifts to the fifth stroke from the lower limit position PL to the intermediate position PC, the valve rod 39 of the drain valve mechanism 38 moves to the first compression coil spring 44. It is raised while compressing. When the valve rod 39 together with the operation shaft 63 rises by a predetermined amount, the valve body 40 abuts the annular packing 50 so that the stop ring 45 slightly falls upward from the valve body 40, that is, As shown in FIG. 1, the valve body 40 is pressed against the annular packing 50 by the added force of the second compression coil spring 46 to close the drain hole 37 so that the operation shaft 63 is originally Return to the intermediate position (PC) of and stop there.

As described above, the water supply valve mechanism and the drain valve mechanism are opened and closed by the vertical movement of the operation shaft 63. Further, the time from when the water supply valve mechanism 54 starts to open the water supply port 53 to the completion of closing, the time for the drain valve mechanism 38 to maintain the drain port 37 in the half open state is 30 seconds. The time to keep 5 seconds and a fully open state is set to 9.6 seconds. The interval between the inclined surface 40f of the valve body 40 and the annular packing 50 is approximately 1 mm when the drain valve mechanism 38 makes the drain opening 37 half open. It is set to be about 2 mm. Moreover, when it is in the fully open state, the space | interval of the inclined surface 401 and the annular packing 50 of the valve body 40 is about 2 mm, For example, even if dregs adhere to the inclined surface 40f and the annular packing 50, The outflow of water from the said gap is not stopped by the dregs.

Thus, the ice making in the ice tray 22 is completed, the ice tray 22 is inverted up and down, and the ice is dropped and stored in an ice storage box (not shown). When the ice is returned, the water is supplied to the ice tray 22. The motor 66 to be energized. When energized, the operating shaft 37 first rises from the intermediate position PC to the upper limit position PU (first stroke), so that the valve body 40 of the drain valve mechanism 38 is shown in FIG. The water supply valve mechanism 54 opens the water supply port 53 of the water storage tank 51 in a state in which the drain port 37 of the fixed quantity water reservoir 36 is closed. As a result, the water in the reservoir tank 51 flows out into the quantitative reservoir 36 through the water supply port 53, and the water is stored in the quantitative reservoir 36. Then, the water level in the quantitative reservoir 36 rises with the outflow of water from the water supply port 53, and the lower end opening of the large ring portion 52a, which is the lower end of the water supply port 53 portion, is blocked by the water surface. If it loses, the outflow of water from the water supply port 53 is stopped. At this time, since the ring portion 52a having a large diameter is always supported at a constant height position, the fixed water reservoir 36 always stores a constant water level, that is, a certain amount of water.

As described above, when a certain amount of water is stored in the fixed amount reservoir 36, the operation shaft 63 then shifts to the second stroke in which the operation shaft 63 descends from the upper limit position PU to the intermediate position PCC. As the operation shaft 63 descends, the valve body 56 of the water supply valve mechanism 54 closes the water supply port 53 of the water storage tank 51, after which the operation shaft 63 is an intermediate position PC. If it is moved to the third stroke descending to a position PC slightly below it, as shown in FIG. 3, the valve body 40 of the drain valve mechanism 38 is removed from the bottom of the metering reservoir 36. The drain port 37 is half-opened by falling. Then, the water stored in the fixed amount reservoir 36 and the water present in the water supply port 53 of the water storage tank 51 are discharged from the drain 37 to the drip container 25 in small amounts as indicated by arrow A in FIG. It flows out and is supplied into the ice-making dish 22 through the tube 28 from the outlet 26 by the fall. Thereafter, the operation shaft 63 shifts to the fourth stroke in which the operation shaft 63 descends from the position PCC slightly below the intermediate position PC to the lower limit position PL, and thereby the drain port 37 is brought into a fully open state. In the metering reservoir 36, a large amount of water flows out into the drip tray 25 and is supplied into the ice tray 22 through the tube 28 at the outlet 26 by this drop.

Then, when the operation shaft 63 descends to the lower limit position PL, the operation shaft 63 shifts to the fifth stroke in which the operation shaft 63 returns from the lower limit position PL to the intermediate position PC, thereby draining the drain valve mechanism 38. When the valve rod 39 of) is pushed up by a predetermined amount by the operation shaft 63, the valve body 40 of the drain valve mechanism 38 closes the drain port 37. At this time, the water supply to the ice making tray 22 is finished, and then, the operation shaft 63 rises to the intermediate position PC shown in FIG. 1, stops at this position, and closes the drain hole 37. Leave

As described above, according to the present embodiment, only a predetermined amount of water stored in the fixed quantity reservoir 36 including the water in the ring portion 52a having a large diameter is supplied to the ice making dish 22. At this time, the water in the purified water chamber 12, which has been passed through the water receiving chamber 11 through the conventional configuration shown in FIG. Unlike the structure to supply, since there is no possibility that the water from the outside in the quantitative reservoir 36 may flow in at the time of water supply to the ice maker 22, a certain amount of water can always be supplied to the ice maker 22, and the precision We can perform good quantitative water supply.

Moreover. When a certain amount of water stored in the metering reservoir 36 is supplied into the ice tray 22 by a drop through the water supply passage 29, the valve rod 39 of the drain valve mechanism 38 of the metering reservoir 36 is supplied. By lowering stepwise, the opening degree of the drain port 37 is initially made small (half-open) and then large (completely open), so that the amount of drainage at the drain port 37 can be controlled less at the beginning of water supply. For this reason, since the amount of water which falls from the tube 28 to the ice making plate 22 at the time of water supply to the ice making plate 22 is small, the degree which scatters when it collides with the force relaxation member 30 of the water of falling water becomes small, An unreasonable state in which the amount of water stored in the ice tray 22 decreases, and water droplets scatter to the outside of the ice tray 22 and fall to the ice storage box 59, and water droplets splash on the sides and the bottom of the ice tray 21. Can be prevented from occurring. In addition, when the drain hole 37 is completely opened, a relatively large amount of water will fall from the tube 28, but since the amount of water from the half-open state increases little, the water droplets do not scatter.

In this way, since the initial amount of water supply to the ice making plate 2 can be reduced, the water force relaxation member 30 can be omitted, and the water dropped to the ice making plate 22 does not scatter even in this way.

In the present embodiment, the cylindrical packing 40b is attached to the valve body 40 of the drain valve mechanism 38, and the cylindrical packing 40b is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the drip container 25. When the water level in the drip container 25 temporarily rises when supplying a predetermined amount of water stored in the fixed amount reservoir 36 to the ice making plate 22, the water penetrates into the cylindrical packing 40b. none. For this reason, water invades by the surface tension between the nut 34 and the skirt part 40a of the valve body 40, and this is repeated, so that debris adheres therebetween and the vertical movement of the valve body 40 is carried out. It can prevent the bad condition which hinders.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) Since the water in the quantitative water reservoir 36 is supplied to the ice tray 22 by dropping, unlike the water supplied by the water supply pump, there is no risk of generating a large noise of the pump blades during water supply, and the water can be quietly supplied. In this case, since the drive source of the valve operating device 61 is the motor 64, it is more effective in quiet water supply.

(2) Since the fixed quantity reservoir 36 is usually empty and water is stored for a short time when water is supplied to the ice maker 22, the water for supplying the ice maker 22 in the fixed quantity reservoir 36 is always stored. Unlike the constitution, it is difficult for water to stick to the metering reservoir 36 or mold, and the smell of food contained in the refrigerating chamber 23 is not absorbed by the water in the metering reservoir 36. In addition, since the time required until the ice-making in the ice-making dish 22 is completed is 2 to 5 hours, when water is always stored in the quantitative water storage 36, the odor of the food in the refrigerator compartment 23 enters the water. It is absorbed.

(3) Since the drain valve mechanism 38 is also maintained in a closed state together with the water supply valve mechanism 54, for example, a slight gap is formed between the circumferential edge of the water supply port 53 and the valve body 56. If water leaks from there, the water is stored in the drip container 25). Therefore, it is possible to prevent unreasonable occurrence that water leaked from the reservoir tank 51 is supplied to the ice making tray 22 through the tube 28 and the water overflowing from the ice making tray 22. In addition, water leaked from the reservoir tank 51 and stored in the metering reservoir 36 is supplied to the ice maker 22 at the next water supply.

④ The valve body 40 of the drain valve mechanism 38 is installed on the lower valve rod 42 so as to be movable upward and downward, and is provided with a second compression coil spring provided between the shutoff flange portion 42a of the lower valve rod 42. Since the force is added upward by the 46 to tightly press the annular packing 50, the second compression coil spring 46 when the operation shaft 63 is raised to open the water supply valve mechanism 54 is opened. This further compression causes the compressive force of the valve body 40 to the annular packing 50 to be strong. For this reason, sealing of the drain opening 37 is performed more reliably at the time of water supply from the water supply tank 51 to the fixed-quantity reservoir 36, and water leaks from the drain opening 37 so that the amount of supply to the ice making tray 22 is disturbed. There is no irrationality that causes it.

⑤ When closing the drain port 37, the added force of the first compression coil spring 44 is received by the lower valve rod 42 so that the valve body 40 is added by the second compression coil spring 46. When pressing the ring-shaped packing 50 tightly to open the drain hole 37, the force applied by the second compression coil spring 46 is received by the stop ring 45 so that the valve body 40 is the first compression coil. Since the force applied by the spring 44 is separated from the annular packing 50 only, the strength and weakness relationship between the force applied by the first compression coil spring 44 and the force applied by the second compression coil spring 46 is determined. The valve body 40 can be opened and closed without any consideration by the force added by the first and second compression coil springs 44 and 46, so that both compression coil springs 44 and 46 can be easily manufactured.

(6) In addition, since the fixed quantity reservoir 36 is detachable, when it becomes dirty by long-term use, it can be removed easily from the drip container 25 and can be cleaned easily by water washing etc., and it is convenient. In this case, the valve rod 39 of the drain valve mechanism 38 is divided into the upper valve rod 41 and the lower valve rod 42, and the upper valve rod 41 side is attached to the fixed water reservoir 36 side. Since the lower valve rod 42 side is configured as a separate unit that can be separated from the fixed water reservoir 36, the valve body 40 and two compression coil springs 44 and 46 are attached to one valve rod. It is easier to attach to each other than in the case.

(7) The lower valve rod 42 side, which is a separate unit, can be attached to the fixed amount reservoir 36 by fitting the skirt portion 40a of the valve body 40 with the nut 34, so that the assembly is easy. Moreover, since the vertical movement of the valve body 40 is guided by the nut 34, the vertical movement of the valve body 40 is performed more smoothly. The valve rod 42 and the sealing member 47 which prevents water from leaking out from the fitting portion of the valve body 40 are formed on the upper portion of the valve body 40, which is a separate unit from the water reservoir 36. Since it is attached to the cylindrical portion 40c, the sealing member 47 can be easily attached.

(8) Since the inclined surface 40f of the valve body 40 is in line contact with the annular packing 50 attached to the periphery of the drain hole 37, The compression force per unit area of the valve body 40 becomes large. For this reason, the annular packing 50 tends to be elastically deformed at the contact portion with the inclined surface 40f. Even if the inclined surface 40f has some irregularities, the annular packing 50 is elastically deformed and the unevenness is well. As a result, the sealing between the valve body 40 and the annular packing 50 is more reliably performed when the drain port 37 is closed, so that water leakage can be reliably prevented. In addition, since the valve body 40 contacts the annular packing 50 on the inclined surface 40f, the valve body 40 is slightly eccentric with respect to the annular packing 50. Since the position of the valve body 40 is corrected so as to be the same center, the inclined surface 40f of the valve body 40 comes into contact with the annular packing 50 more reliably in its entire circumference, thereby providing a more reliable sealing state. You can get it.

In addition, the stop ring 45 of the lower valve rod 42 functions as a stopper for regulating the lift limit position of the valve body 40 relative to the valve rod 39, but this may be replaced with a pin, and the lower valve rod 42 ) May be replaced with a protrusion integrated with the unit.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described matters and the embodiments shown in the drawings, and may be changed or expanded as follows.

The member 30 that relaxes the force of the water may be omitted, and the water falling from the tube 28 may fall directly on the ice making plate 22.

The cam mechanism 65 corresponds to rotational motion and linear motion conversion means for converting the rotational motion of the motor 64 into linear motion, and may be replaced with a screw mechanism or a crank mechanism. As a driving source of the valve operating device 61, an electromagnet that can hold the operating shaft 63 at an upper limit position PU, an intermediate position PC, a position slightly below the intermediate position PCC, and a lower limit position PL. You may change it.

The opening degree of the drain port 37 is not limited to two steps, but may be three or more steps.

As described above, according to the water supply apparatus of the automatic ice making apparatus of the present invention, when the water supply of the fixed quantity reservoir is supplied to the ice making container, the opening degree of the drainage of the measuring container is increased step by step. Since the water is supplied to the ice making container in a relatively small amount, it is different from the case where a large amount of water is supplied to the ice making container at one time, and water can be prevented from flying and scattering. As a result, the amount of ice in the ice storage container is reduced, and the scattered water droplets freeze, so that the ice stored in the ice box is stuck to the ice box and the ice cubes are not stuck together. The effect can be obtained.

Claims (2)

A fixed quantity water reservoir disposed above the ice making vessel and having a drain at the bottom thereof; A storage tank disposed above the metering reservoir and configured to supply a predetermined amount of water to the metering reservoir from a water supply port at a bottom thereof; An upper valve rod in contact with the lower valve rod through a valve body for opening and closing the drainage port of the fixed water reservoir from below, a lower valve rod extending vertically through the valve body, and a flexible sealing member sealing the top of the valve body. And a drain valve mechanism having a compression coil spring respectively provided between the lower valve rod and the valve body and between the upper valve rod and the supporting member of the upper valve rod; A valve body for opening and closing the water supply port of the water storage tank inside the tank, a valve rod for supporting the valve body, a support member for supporting the valve rod, and a compression coil spring provided between the valve body and the support member. Having a water supply valve mechanism; It is provided with the operation shaft which can move to an up-down direction, When this operation shaft is in the stop state, it is located in the middle of an up-down movement range, and stops, The said lower valve rod and an upper valve are carried out in the 1st stroke which raises from this intermediate position to an upper limit position. In the 2nd stroke which pushes up a rod and pushes up the valve body of the said water supply valve mechanism in the state which closed the valve body of the said drain valve mechanism, opens a water supply port, and descends from an upper limit position to an intermediate position, an upper valve rod and a lower valve rod Is lowered by the respective compression coil springs to close the valve body of the water supply valve mechanism, and the valve body of the drain valve mechanism is half-opened in the third stroke, which is lowered from the intermediate position to a position slightly below. In the fourth stroke descending from the lower limit position to the lower limit position, the valve element of the drain valve mechanism In the fifth stroke and rising from the lower limit position to an intermediate position by raising the lower push the valve rod having a valve control device closes the valve body of the drain valve mechanism apparatus; And a drip container configured to receive the water discharged from the drain port and supply the water to the ice making container. 2. The water supply apparatus of the automatic ice making apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cylindrical packing is attached to a lower part of the valve body of the drain valve mechanism, and the lower end of the cylindrical packing is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the drip container. .