TWI636223B - Automatic ice maker and refrigerator-freezer - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides an automatic ice making machine, which can produce ice of at least two sizes, and can produce ice that is smaller than the ice of the same volume even if the size is smaller. Therefore, the automatic ice making machine includes: an ice making dish (11) having a plurality of ice making trays (20) separated by a first partition wall (19) at a first height; a water supply device that supplies water to the plurality of making Each inside of the ice tray (20); and a cooling device that cools the water inside the ice tray (20) into ice. The ice making dish (11) further includes a second partition wall (21) at a second height lower than the above-mentioned first height, which is arranged inside the ice making tray (20) and divides the ice making tray (20) into a plurality Pcs.

Description

Automatic ice machine and freezer

The invention relates to an automatic ice maker and a freezer refrigerator.

There are ice trays separated, water supply means to feed the ice trays, a de-icing means that rotates the ice tray after the ice making is completed to separate the ice, and changes the amount of water supply from the water supply means to the ice tray An automatic ice maker with variable water supply means is known (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

【Advanced technical literature】 【Patent Literature】

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-325682

The shape of ice of various sizes that can be produced by the automatic ice maker as shown in Patent Document 1 is a pyramidal frustum shape. The shape of each size, the size of the lower surface is common, and the size of the height is different. Therefore, in the case of small-sized ice, the shape becomes flatter than that of large-sized ice, and the surface area per unit volume, that is, the specific surface area becomes larger. Therefore, compared with the large-sized ice, the contact area of the small-sized ice with surrounding air, water, etc. becomes wider, and it becomes easier to melt.

The present invention is made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to obtain an automatic ice maker and a freezer, which can produce ice of at least two sizes, and can produce ice of a smaller size than the same volume Ice that does not melt easily.

The automatic ice making machine related to the present invention includes: an ice making dish having a plurality of ice making trays separated by a first partition wall at a first height; a water supply device for supplying water to each of the plurality of ice making trays Inside; and a cooling device that cools the water inside the ice tray into ice; wherein the ice tray further includes a second partition wall at a second height lower than the first height, disposed inside the ice tray , Divide the ice tray where it is located into a plurality of.

In addition, the freezer refrigerator according to the present invention includes the automatic ice maker configured as described above.

The automatic ice maker and the freezer-freezer related to the present invention achieve the following technical effects: they can produce ice of at least two sizes, and can produce ice that is smaller than the ice of the same volume even if the size is smaller.

1‧‧‧Freezer

2‧‧‧Compressor

3‧‧‧cooler

4‧‧‧Supply fan

5‧‧‧Wind Road

6‧‧‧Operation panel

6a‧‧‧Operation Department

6b‧‧‧Display

7‧‧‧Refrigerator door

7a‧‧‧Right door

7b‧‧‧Left door

8‧‧‧Control device

8a‧‧‧ processor

8b‧‧‧Memory

9‧‧‧Ice making room door

10‧‧‧Ice storage box

11‧‧‧ ice making

12‧‧‧Water supply tank

13‧‧‧ feed pump

14‧‧‧ water supply pipe

15‧‧‧cool air outlet

16‧‧‧Rotating device

17‧‧‧Ice inspection rod

18‧‧‧Temperature sensor

19‧‧‧ Next to the first area

20‧‧‧Ice making tray

21‧‧‧ Next to the second area

22‧‧‧Ice making unit

23‧‧‧ Ditch

24‧‧‧Notch

25‧‧‧ Rotating device installation

26‧‧‧brake department

27‧‧‧heater

28‧‧‧ Upper ice storage box

29‧‧‧Bottom

30‧‧‧Opening

90‧‧‧Insulation box

100‧‧‧Refrigerator

200‧‧‧Switch room

300‧‧‧Ice making room

400‧‧‧Freezer

500‧‧‧vegetable room

401‧‧‧Freezer storage box

501‧‧‧ Vegetable room storage box

A-A‧‧‧Profile

1‧‧‧The size of the opening 30

S101 ~ S115‧‧‧Step

x‧‧‧Width of ice making unit 22

y‧‧‧ width of ice tray 20

[Figure 1] is a front view of a freezer including an automatic ice maker according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[FIG. 2] It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view of the freezer refrigerator concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention.

[FIG. 3] It is the ice-making compartment part of the freezer refrigerator concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. Enlarged cross-sectional view.

[FIG. 4] It is a top view of the ice making dish of the ice making chamber concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention.

[FIG. 5] It is a cross-sectional view of the ice dish of section A-A shown in FIG. 4.

[FIG. 6] It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control system of the freezer refrigerator concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention.

[FIG. 7] It is a cross-sectional view showing the state after the ice-making dish according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is fed to the first water level.

[FIG. 8] It is a perspective view which shows the shape of the ice which completed ice-making after the ice-making dish according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention was fed to the first water level.

[Figure 9] is a cross-sectional view showing a state after feeding water to the second water level in the ice making dish according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[FIG. 10] It is a perspective view which shows the shape of the ice which completed ice-making after the ice-making dish concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention was fed to the 2nd water level.

[Figure 11] is a flowchart showing the ice making operation of the freezing refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[FIG. 12] It is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 5, and shows an example of the ice tray related to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[Figure 13] is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system for a freezer refrigerator according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[FIG. 14] is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 5, and shows another example of the ice tray according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[FIG. 15] It is an enlarged sectional view of the ice making compartment part of the freezer refrigerator concerning Embodiment 3 of this invention.

[FIG. 16] It is a perspective view of the upper stage ice storage box of the ice making compartment concerning Embodiment 3 of this invention. [FIG.

[FIG. 17] It is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 5 of the ice dish according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[Forms for carrying out the invention]

With reference to the attached drawings, the embodiments for implementing the present invention will be described. In each drawing, the same or corresponding parts are marked with the same symbols, and the repeated description is appropriately simplified or omitted. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Embodiment 1.

FIGS. 1 to 11 are Embodiment 1 of the present invention, wherein FIG. 1 is a front view of a freezer refrigerator including an automatic ice maker; FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the freezer refrigerator; and FIG. 3 is a freezer refrigerator Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the ice making room part; Figure 4 is a top view of the ice making dish of the ice making room; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the ice making dish of section AA shown in Figure 4; Figure 6 is a block Fig. 7 shows the configuration of the control system of the freezer; Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the state after feeding water to the first water level for the ice making dish; Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the water feeding to the first water level for the ice making dish Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the state after feeding water to the ice tray to the second water level; Figure 10 is a perspective view showing the water feeding to the ice tray to the second water level The state after the completion of ice-making is shown in Figure 11; Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the ice-making action of the freezer. In addition, in each drawing, the relationship between the size of each member, the shape, etc. may be different from the real thing. In addition, the positional relationship (for example, the up-and-down relationship, etc.) of each member in the specification is to set the refrigerator in principle The situation when the state is available.

(Composition of Freezer)

The freezer-refrigerator 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention has a heat insulation box 90 as shown in FIG. 2. The front (front) of the heat insulation box 90 has an opening, and a storage space is formed inside. The heat insulation box 90 has an outer box, an inner box, and a heat insulation material. The outer box is made of steel, the inner box is made of resin, and the inner box is arranged inside the outer box. The heat insulating material is, for example, urethane foam, and fills the space between the outer box and the inner box. The storage space formed inside the heat insulation box 90 is divided into a plurality of storage rooms for storing and storing food by one or a plurality of compartment members.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the freezer refrigerator 1 includes, for example, a refrigerator compartment 100, a switching compartment 200, an ice making compartment 300, a freezer compartment 400, and a vegetable compartment 500 as a plurality of storage compartments. These storage rooms are arranged in four stages in the heat insulation box 90 in the vertical direction.

The refrigerator compartment 100 is arranged at the uppermost stage of the heat insulation box 90, and the switching compartment 200 is disposed on the left and right sides below the refrigerator compartment 100. The cold storage temperature zone of the switching chamber 200 may select any one of a plurality of temperature zones and switch. A plurality of temperature zones can be selected as the cold storage temperature zone of the switching room 200, for example, a freezing temperature zone (for example, about -18 ° C), a refrigeration temperature zone (for example, about 3 ° C), a condensation temperature zone (for example, about 0 ° C), and Freezing temperature zone (for example, around -7 ° C), etc. The ice-making compartment 300 is arranged adjacent to the side of the switching compartment 200 and juxtaposed with the switching compartment 200, that is, on the other side of the left and right below the refrigerating compartment 100.

The freezing compartment 400 is arranged below the switching compartment 200 and the ice making compartment 300. The freezer compartment 400 is mainly used to continuously freeze and store objects for a longer period of time. The vegetable compartment 500 is the lowermost stage arranged below the freezing compartment 400. vegetables The chamber 500 is mainly used to store vegetables, large-capacity (for example, 2 liter) large bottles, and the like.

An opening formed in the front of the refrigerator compartment 100 is provided with a rotary refrigerator compartment door 7 that opens and closes the opening. Here, the refrigerator compartment door 7 is a double door type (left and right split type), and is composed of a right door 7a and a left door 7b. An operation panel 6 is provided on the outer surface of the refrigerator compartment door 7 (for example, the left door 7b) in front of the freezing refrigerator 1. As shown in FIG. 6, the operation panel 6 has an operation portion 6a and a display portion 6b. The operation unit 6a is an operation key for setting the cooling temperature of each storage room and the operation mode (thaw mode, etc.) of the freezer refrigerator 1. The display unit 6b is a liquid crystal display that displays various information such as the temperature of each storage room. In addition, the operation panel 6 may include a touch panel that also serves as the operation unit 6a and the display unit 6b.

Each storage room (switching room 200, ice making room 300, freezing room 400, and vegetable room 500) other than the refrigerator compartment 100 is opened and closed by a drawer-type door, respectively. These drawer-type doors are in a form that can be opened and closed in the depth direction (front-rear direction) of the freezer 1 by sliding a frame fixed to the door relative to rails formed horizontally on the left and right inner wall surfaces of each storage room .

In addition, inside the freezer compartment 400, a freezer compartment storage box 401 capable of storing foods or the like is stored in a form that can be freely pulled out separately. Similarly, inside the vegetable compartment 500, a vegetable compartment storage box 501 capable of storing foods and the like is stored in a form that can be freely pulled out separately.

(Cooling mechanism)

The freezer refrigerator 1 includes a refrigeration cycle, and cools the air supplied to each storage room. The refrigeration cycle circuit is composed of a compressor 2, a condenser (not shown), a throttle device (not shown), a cooler 3, and the like. The compressor 2 cools the The medium is compressed and released. The condenser is used to condense the refrigerant released from the compressor 2. The throttling device is used to expand the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser. The cooler 3 is supplied to each refrigerant by the refrigerant expanded by the throttling device. Air cooling in the storage room. The compressor 2 is arranged, for example, in the lower part of the back side of the freezer refrigerator 1.

In the freezing refrigerator 1, an air path 5 is formed for supplying the air cooled by the freezing circulation circuit to each storage room. The air path 5 is mainly arranged on the back side of the freezing refrigerator 1, and the cooler 3 of the refrigeration cycle circuit is provided in the air path 5. In addition, a blower fan 4 is also provided in the air path 5 for sending the air cooled by the cooler 3 to each storage room.

Once the blower fan 4 is operated, the air (cold air) cooled by the cooler 3 is sent to the freezing compartment 400, the switching compartment 200, the ice making compartment 300, and the refrigerating compartment 100 through the air duct 5, and cools these storage compartments. In the vegetable compartment 500, the return cold air from the refrigerator compartment 100 is introduced into the vegetable compartment 500 via the return air path for the refrigerator compartment, and is cooled. The cold air that cools the vegetable compartment 500 passes through the vegetable compartment return air path and returns to the air path with the cooler 3 (the return air path is not shown), and then is cooled by the cooler 3 again to make the cold air in the freezer 1 Internal circulation.

In a space halfway from the air duct 5 to each storage room, a baffle plate (not shown) is provided. Each baffle plate opens and closes the air path 5 to the space of each storage room. When the opening and closing state of the baffle plate is changed, the air supply amount of the cold air supplied to each storage room can be adjusted. In addition, the temperature of the cold air can be adjusted by controlling the operation of the compressor 2.

The refrigeration cycle including the compressor 2 and the cooler 3 provided as described above, the blower fan 4, the air path 5, and the baffle constitute cooling means for cooling the inside of each storage compartment including the ice-making compartment 300.

The control device 8 is housed in the upper part of the back side of the freezer 1, for example. The control device 8 includes a control circuit and the like for performing various controls necessary for the operation of the freezing refrigerator 1. Examples of the control circuit included in the control device 8 include a circuit for controlling the operation of the compressor 2 and the blower fan 4 and the degree of opening and closing of the baffle based on the temperature in each storage room and information input to the operation panel 6. That is, the control device 8 controls the aforementioned cooling means and the like, and controls the operation of the freezing refrigerator 1. In addition, the temperature of each storage room can be detected by a thermistor or the like provided in each storage room.

(Composition of ice making room)

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the ice-making compartment 300 of the freezing refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment. In front of the ice making room 300, an ice making room door 9 is provided. Inside the ice making room 300, an ice storage box 10 and an ice making dish 11 are housed. The ice storage box 10 is supported by a frame (not shown) of the ice making compartment door 9. When the ice compartment door 9 is pulled forward, the ice storage box 10 is integrated with the ice compartment door 9 and its frame, and is pulled out forward. The ice storage box 10 is arranged below the ice dish 11. The ice storage box 10 is a device that receives ice detached from the ice dish 11 and stores ice.

As shown in FIG. 2, a water supply tank 12 and a water supply pump 13 are provided inside the refrigerator compartment 100. Moreover, in order to connect the refrigerator compartment 100 and the ice-making compartment 300, the water supply pipe 14 is provided. The water supply tank 12 and the water supply pump 13 are arranged, for example, in the lowermost part of the interior of the refrigerator compartment 100. One end of the water supply pipe 14 is connected to the water supply pump 13, and the other end of the water supply pipe 14 is disposed above the ice making dish 11 located in the ice making compartment 300.

In the water supply tank 12, water for making ice is stored. The feed water pump 13 is a device for drawing water in the feed water tank 12. The water drawn by the water supply pump 13 is supplied to the ice tray 11 through the water supply pipe 14. In the first embodiment, the water supply tank 12, The water pump 13 and the water supply pipe 14 constitute a water supply device that supplies water to the inside of the plurality of ice trays 20 (Figures 4 and 5) described later on the ice tray 11.

A cold air outlet 15 is formed on the back of the ice making chamber 300. From the cold air outlet 15, the cold air is blown into the ice making chamber 300 through the air passage 5 of the cooling means described above. The cold air blown from the cold air outlet 15 into the ice making chamber 300 cools the water of the ice making dish 11. In the first embodiment, the cooling means and the cold air outlet 15 constitute a cooling device that cools the water inside each ice making tray 20 (FIGS. 4 and 5) described later on the ice making tray 11 into ice.

In the ice making room 300, there are a rotating device 16, an ice detecting rod 17, and a temperature sensor 18. The ice making dish 11 is supported in the ice making room 300 in such a manner that it can rotate upside down. The rotating device 16 can rotate the ice tray 11 to invert the ice tray 11 up and down. The ice detection rod 17 is a device for detecting the amount of ice in the ice storage box 10. The ice detection rod 17 is continuously lowered until it contacts the ice in the ice storage box 10, and the height of the ice in the ice storage box 10 can be detected. The temperature sensor 18 is arranged above the ice making dish 11 located in the ice making room 300. The temperature sensor 18 detects the temperature of the water in the ice tray 11.

(Composition of ice dish)

Next, the configuration of the ice tray 11 will be described while referring to FIGS. 4 and 5. The ice making dish 11 is, for example, a molded product made of synthetic resin material such as polypropylene. The ice making dish 11 can be flexed. The ice making dish 11 has a rectangular shape in plan view and the ice making dish 11 has pluralities. 20 ice trays. The plurality of ice trays 20 are formed by partitioning the interior of the ice tray 11 into a plurality of first partitions 19. The ice making trays 20 are concave. The first partition wall 19 is the first height from the bottom surface of the ice tray 11. Here, the first height is the outer edge wall of the ice dish 11 For the same height.

A plurality of ice making units 22 are formed inside each ice making tray 20. The ice-making unit 22 is formed by dividing the ice-making tray 20 into plurals by the second partition 21. That is, the partition 21 in the second area is provided inside the ice tray 20. The ice-making units 22 are concave. The second partition 21 is the second height from the bottom surface of the ice tray 11. The second height is lower than the above-mentioned first height.

The internal volume of the ice making tray 20 is larger than the internal volume of the ice making unit 22. The inner surface of the ice making tray 20, that is, the surfaces of the first partition wall 19 and the second partition wall 21 are formed to be smooth so that the ice easily peels off.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the ice tray 11 is provided with six ice trays 20 arranged in two rows and three columns. However, the configuration, number, shape, etc. of the ice tray 20 are not limited by this example. In the same example, in one ice making tray 20, a total of four ice making units 22 are arranged in two rows and two columns. However, like the ice making tray 20, the arrangement, number, shape, etc. of the ice making units 22 are not limited by this example.

In the first partition wall 19, a groove 23 is formed. The ice trays 20 adjacent to each other across the first-region partition wall 19 are communicated by the groove 23 formed in the first-region partition wall 19. In the second partition 21, a notch 24 is formed. The inner sides of the ice-making units 22 adjacent to each other across the second partition 21 are communicated by the notch 24 formed in this second partition 21.

As mentioned above, water is supplied from the water supply pipe 14 of the water supply device to the ice making dish 11. Therefore, first, water enters the ice tray 20 located directly below the water supply pipe 14. If the water supply from the water supply pipe 14 continues, the water will flow from the ice tray 20 directly below the water supply pipe 14 to the adjacent ice tray 20 through the groove 23. Then, finally, the water from the water supply pipe 14 passes through the groove 23 and flows through all the ice making trays 20. Showing In the example of FIG. 4, grooves 23 are formed in all the first partition walls 19. However, as long as all the ice making trays 20 are directly or indirectly communicated with the ice making trays 20 located directly below the water supply pipe 14, it is not limited to where the groove 23 should be arranged in the partition 19 of the first zone.

The same applies to the notch 24. As long as all the ice-making units 22 directly or indirectly communicate with the ice-making unit 22 located directly below the water supply pipe 14 via the groove 23 or the notch 24, the second partition 21 Where to arrange the notch 24 is not limited by this. In particular, as shown in FIG. 5, the height from the bottom surface of the ice tray 11 to the lowermost part of the groove 23 is lower than the second height. Furthermore, the height from the bottom surface of the ice tray 11 to the lowermost part of the groove 23 is the same as the height from the bottom surface of the ice tray 11 to the lowermost part of the notch 24. As such, water can also come and go between the adjacent ice-making units 22 through the first partition wall 19.

In addition, the ice making dish 11 may be tilted and supported in such a manner that the side closer to the water supply pipe 14 is higher and the side farther from the water supply pipe 14 is lower. In this way, water can easily flow from the ice making tray 20 or the ice making unit 22 directly below the water supply pipe 14 to other ice making trays 20 or the ice making unit 22.

The ice dish 11 includes a rotating device mounting portion 25 and a braking portion 26. The rotating device attachment portion 25 is provided on one end side of the ice tray 11 in the longitudinal direction, for example. The rotating device 16 is mounted on the rotating device mounting portion 25. The ice dish 11 is supported via the rotating device mounting portion 25 and can be rotated in both directions by the rotating device 16. The rotation device 16 has a rotation drive mechanism including a motor, a gear, and the like (not shown). The rotating device 16 rotates the ice making dish 11 bidirectionally around the rotating axis X shown in FIG. 4 via the rotating device mounting portion 25.

The braking portion 26 is provided on the side opposite to the rotating device mounting portion 25 located on the ice tray 11. The braking portion 26 is a flat member. The braking portion 26 protrudes from the side of the ice tray 11.

In normal times, the ice tray 11 is supported with the opening side upward. Once the rotating device 16 rotates the ice making dish 11 in this state, at a fixed angle at which the rotation angle is preset, the braking portion 26 comes into contact with the member fixed inside the ice making chamber 300. Once the braking portion 26 comes into contact with this member, the side of the braking portion 26 of the ice tray 11 is obstructed and cannot rotate anymore. In this state, once the rotating device 16 further rotates the ice making dish 11, only the side of the rotating device mounting portion 25 of the ice making dish 11 rotates, and the ice making dish 11 will be twisted and deformed. In this manner, the ice completed in the ice tray 20 of the ice tray 11 or the ice making unit 22 is forced from all directions on the surface of the ice tray 11 and peels from the surface of the ice tray 11 to separate the ice.

(Control system of refrigerator)

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control system of the freezer refrigerator 1. Here, FIG. 6 specifically shows the part related to the control of the ice-making chamber 300. The control device 8 has, for example, a microcomputer, and has a processor 8a and a memory 8b. The control device 8 executes a program stored in the memory 8b by the processor 8a, executes a preset process, and controls the freezing refrigerator 1.

The control device 8 inputs a detection signal of the amount of ice in the ice storage box 10 output from the ice detection rod 17. The control device 8 also inputs a detection signal of the temperature of the water in the ice tray 11 output from the temperature sensor 18. Although not shown in FIG. 6, the control device 8 also inputs a temperature detection signal of each storage chamber output from the thermistor provided in each storage chamber. In addition, the control device 8 also inputs operation signals from the operation section 6a of the operation panel 6.

The control device 8 executes a process of controlling the operation of the above-mentioned cooling device such as the compressor 2 and the blower fan 4 based on the input signal to maintain each storage compartment including the ice-making compartment 300 at the set temperature. In addition, the control device 8 outputs the display signal to the display unit 6b of the operation panel 8. In addition, the control device 8 operates the feed water pump 13 and the rotating device 16 to control the ice making operation. The control of the ice making operation here is a detection signal using the detection signal of the amount of ice in the ice storage box 10 output from the ice detection rod 17 and the detection signal of the temperature of the water in the ice making dish 11 output from the temperature sensor 18 And the operation signal from the operation part 6a.

(Control of ice making movement)

Next, the control of the ice making operation from the control device 8 will be described. The operation panel 6 is to allow the user to select the size of ice making. For example, the operation panel 6 is provided with keys of "L" and "S" as the operation portion 6a. When the user selects a large ice-making size, the "L" button is operated. On the other hand, the user selects the ice making size to be small and operates the "S" button.

The control device 8 determines the amount of water to be supplied to the ice tray 11 according to the ice making size of the key operated by the operation unit 6a. Then, the control device 8 operates the water supply pump 13 to the extent of the water supply time determined according to the water supply amount. Here, the water supply time when the selected ice making size is large is set to ΔT1, and the water supply time when the selected ice making size is small is set to ΔT2. △ T2 is shorter than △ T1. As a specific example, ΔT1 is set to 12 seconds, and ΔT2 is set to 6 seconds.

Fig. 7 shows the water level of the water supply to the ice tray 11 when the selected ice making size is large. When the size of the ice-making is selected to be large, the control device 8 causes the feed water pump 13 to operate to the extent of ΔT1. If the feed water pump 13 is operated to the extent of ΔT1, the ice tray 11 enters the water to the preset first water level. This first water level is lower than the above first height and higher than the upper State the second height. That is, the ice making vessel 11 is fed with water to a height exceeding the partition wall 21 of the second zone and not reaching the partition wall 19 of the first zone.

The ice completed when making ice at this first water level is shown in Figure 8. The ice completed in the ice making dish 11 is ice completed by freezing the water in the groove 23, and the ice of each ice making tray 20 is connected. However, the stress that occurs when the ice is detached is divided into individual ices in units of ice trays 20, and the individual ices have a shape as shown in FIG. 8.

Figure 9 shows the water level for the ice making dish 11 when the ice making size is selected small. When the ice-making size is selected to be small, the control device 8 causes the feed water pump 13 to operate by the degree of ΔT2. If the feed water pump 13 is operated to the extent of ΔT2, the water in the ice dish 11 enters the preset second water level. This second water level is lower than the above-mentioned second height. That is, the ice making vessel 11 is fed with water to the height of the partition 21 of the second zone.

As described above, the height from the bottom surface of the ice tray 11 to the lowermost portion of the groove 23 is the same as the height from the bottom surface of the ice tray 11 to the lowermost portion of the notch portion 24. Therefore, when the water is supplied to the second water level, the water passes through both the groove portion 23 and the notch portion 24, so that the water can flow through all the ice-making units 22.

The ice completed when making ice at this second water level is shown in Figure 10. The ice completed in the ice dish 11 is ice completed by freezing the water in the groove portion 23 and the notch portion 24, and the ice in the ice trays 20 is connected. However, as in the case of the first water level, the stress generated when the ice is detached is divided into individual ice in units of the ice-making unit 22, and the individual ice has a shape as shown in, for example, FIG. The individual ice in the unit of ice making unit 22 is smaller than the individual ice in the unit of ice making unit 20.

In this way, the supply including the water supply tank 12, the water supply pump 13 and the water supply pipe 14 The water level of the water supply to the inside of the ice making tray 20 by the water device can be selected from at least two water levels of the first water level and the second water level. The first water level is lower than the first height and higher than the second height, and the second water level is lower than the second height.

After the water supply device feeds water inside the ice making tray 20, the water inside the ice making tray 20 is cooled by the aforementioned cooling device. Once the temperature of the water in the ice making dish 11 detected by the temperature sensor 18 becomes below a preset reference temperature, the control device 8 determines that the ice making is completed. The reference temperature is specifically set at, for example, -6 ° C. Once the temperature sensor 18 detects that the temperature of the water in the ice dish 11 has become below the reference temperature, the control device 8 operates the ice detection rod 17 to detect the amount of ice in the ice storage box 10.

Then, when the amount of ice in the ice storage box 10 has not reached the full ice amount, the control device 8 rotates the ice making dish 11 by the rotating device 16. At this time, the ice tray 11 is rotated to twist it, so that the ice tray 11 is temporarily deformed, and ice is detached from the ice tray 11. The full ice amount is preset to a position where the height of the ice in the ice storage box 10 becomes lower than the lowest position of the rotation locus of the ice dish 11.

In addition, for each of the plurality of ice making trays 20, the water supply device may select to supply water to the first water level or to supply water to the second water level. By doing this, you can make ice of different sizes at the same time.

Next, an example of the flow of the ice making operation control by the control device 8 in the freezing refrigerator 1 having the automatic ice maker configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 11. When the user operates the operation portion 6a to select the ice-making size, the control device 8 starts the ice-making operation. When the ice-making size L (large) is selected by the operation of the operation unit 6a, in step S101, the control device 8 sets the operation time ΔT of the feed water pump 13 to ΔT1. On the other hand, by the operation section 6a When the ice-making size S (small) is selected, in step S102, the control device 8 sets the operation time ΔT of the feed water pump 13 to ΔT2. After performing either step S101 or step S102, the processing proceeds to step S103.

In step S103, the control device 8 starts the operation of the feed water pump 13. Therefore, water supply to the ice tray 11 by the water supply device is started. After step S103, processing proceeds to step S104.

In step S104, the control device 8 resets the timer t that counts the water supply time to zero, and starts counting by the timer. After step S104, processing proceeds to step S105.

In step S105, the control device 8 confirms whether the timer t has reached ΔT set in step S101 or step S102. That is, the control device 8 confirms whether or not ΔT has passed after the start of water supply in step S103. When ΔT has not passed after starting water supply, the confirmation of this step S105 is repeated until ΔT is passed. Then, if ΔT has passed after starting the water supply, the process proceeds to step S106.

In step S106, the control device 8 stops the operation of the feed water pump 13. Therefore, the water supply to the ice tray 11 by the water supply device is stopped. After step S106, processing proceeds to step S107.

In step S107, the control device 8 confirms whether the temperature θ of the water in the ice tray 11 detected by the temperature sensor 18 has become the reference temperature θ1 or less. When the temperature θ of the water in the ice tray 11 is not below the reference temperature θ1, the confirmation of this step S107 is repeated until it becomes the reference temperature θ1 or lower. Then, if the temperature θ of the water in the ice tray 11 becomes the reference temperature θ1 or less, the process proceeds to step S108.

In step S108, the control device 8 starts the operation of the rotating device 16. The rotation direction of the rotation device 16 at this time is the preset positive direction. therefore, The rotating device 16 starts to rotate in the positive direction of the ice dish 11. After step S108, processing proceeds to step S109.

In step S109, the control device 8 resets the timer t that counts the rotation time to zero, and starts counting by the timer. After step S109, processing proceeds to step S110.

In step S110, the control device 8 confirms whether the timer t has reached the preset rotation driving time tr. The rotation drive time tr is specifically set to, for example, 5 seconds. That is, the control device 8 confirms whether the rotation driving time tr has elapsed after the rotation is started in step S109. When the rotation driving time tr has not elapsed after the start of rotation, the confirmation of this step S110 is repeated until the rotation driving time tr elapses. Then, if the rotation driving time tr has elapsed after the rotation is started, the process proceeds to step S111.

In step S111, the control device 8 rotates the rotating device 16 in the reverse direction. This reverse direction refers to the direction opposite to the above-mentioned positive direction. Therefore, the rotating device 16 starts to rotate in the opposite direction of the ice tray 11. After step S111, processing proceeds to step S112.

In step S112, the control device 8 resets the timer t that counts the rotation time to zero, and starts counting by the timer. After step S112, the process proceeds to step S113.

In step S113, the control device 8 confirms whether the timer t has reached the preset rotation driving time tr. This rotational driving time tr is specifically the same value as the rotational driving time tr in step S110. That is, the control device 8 confirms whether the rotation driving time tr has elapsed after the reverse rotation is started in step S111. When the rotation driving time tr has not elapsed after starting reverse rotation, repeat this step S113 Confirmation until the rotation drive time tr has elapsed. Then, if the rotation driving time tr has elapsed after starting the reverse rotation, the process proceeds to step S114.

In step S114, since the ice tray 11 returns to the original position, the control device 8 stops the rotation of the rotating device 16. After step S114, processing proceeds to step S115.

In step S115, the control device 8 operates the ice detection rod 17 to detect the amount of ice in the ice storage box 10. Then, the control device 8 confirms whether the amount of ice in the ice storage box 10 detected by the ice detecting rod 17 has reached the aforementioned full ice amount. When the amount of ice in the ice storage box 10 is the full ice amount, the confirmation of this step S115 is repeated until the ice in the ice storage box 10 is taken out and becomes not full of ice. On the other hand, when the amount of ice in the ice storage box 10 is not the full ice amount, the process returns to step S103 to continue ice making.

As described above, the automatic ice maker and the freezing refrigerator 1 having the automatic ice maker can produce ice of different sizes with one ice tray 11. Also, not only large-sized ice, but even small-sized ice can be shaped like a cube. Therefore, the small-size ice can also reduce the specific surface area, and it is possible to make ice with a small size but not easy to melt. In addition, when the size of ice-making is selected, the number of ices obtained by one-time ice-making is greater than the number of ices obtained by one-time ice-making when the size of the ice-making is large. Therefore, when a large number of small ice cubes are required, ice can be efficiently produced.

Embodiment 2.

Figures 12 to 14 relate to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, where Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view equivalent to Figure 5, showing an example of an ice tray; Figure 13 is a block diagram showing the control of a freezer The structure of the system; Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to Fig. 5, showing another example of an ice tray.

The second embodiment described here is the configuration of the aforementioned first embodiment, and a heating device is provided to heat the ice making dish that has been generated inside the ice making tray of the ice making dish. Hereinafter, the freezing refrigerator including the automatic ice maker according to the second embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 12, in this second embodiment, a heater 27 is attached to the ice dish 11 of the freezing refrigerator 1. The heater 27 is provided in connection with the outer surface of the ice tray 11. In the example shown in the same figure, the heater 27 is arranged outside the side wall of each ice tray 20 and is located near the bottom of the ice tray 11. In this example, the heater 27 has an oval cross section. The heater 27 can heat the ice making dish 11 from the outside of the ice making dish 11.

As shown in FIG. 13, in the second embodiment, the control device 8 also controls the operation of the heater 27. As in the embodiment, after the water supply device feeds water inside the ice making tray 20 to the first water level or the second water level, the water inside the ice making tray 20 is cooled by the aforementioned cooling device. When the temperature of the water in the ice making dish 11 detected by the temperature sensor 18 becomes below the aforementioned reference temperature, the control device 8 determines that the ice making is completed.

Once it is detected by the temperature lever device 18 that the temperature of the water in the ice dish 11 becomes below the reference temperature, the control device 8 starts the operation of the heater 27. The heater 27 operates to preset the fixed time to heat the ice tray 11. That is, the heater 27 is a device that heats the ice tray 11 where ice has been generated inside the ice tray 20. Once the heater 27 heats the ice making dish 11, the contact surface of the ice with the ice making dish 11 is heated by the heated ice making dish 11. Then, by this heating, the contact surface of the ice in the ice tray 20 and the ice tray 11 can be melted.

Then, after the heating of the ice dish 11 by the heater 27 is finished, The control device 8 rotates the ice tray 11 by the rotation device 16. That is, in the second embodiment, the rotating device 16 rotates the ice-making dish 11 that melts the surface of the ice by the heating of the heater 27 as the heating device to separate the ice. At this time, the ice tray 11 is rotated and twisted, and the ice tray 11 is temporarily deformed, so that the ice can be detached from the ice tray 11.

In addition, other configurations and operations are the same as in the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted here.

The automatic ice maker constructed as described above and the freezer refrigerator 1 having the automatic ice maker can also achieve the same effect as the first embodiment. In addition, after the ice making is completed, before the ice making dish 11 is rotated, the ice making dish 11 is heated by the heater 27 to melt the surface of the ice in the ice making dish 11, regardless of the size of the ice making Ice does make its own ice dish 11 free.

In addition, especially when the number of ice making trays 20 and ice making units 22 is large, only the ice making dish 11 is twisted to temporarily deform it, and there may be a small stress acting on the ice at some positions in the ice making dish 11 The possibility of ice making grid 20 and ice making unit 22. In the ice making tray 20 and the ice making unit 22 where the stress acting on the ice is small, there is a possibility that the ice cannot be completely separated. According to the second embodiment, the surface of the ice melted by the heater 27 can reliably remove the ice even in the ice making tray 20 and the ice making unit 22 where the stress acting on the ice is small.

In addition, the number, shape, arrangement, etc. of the heaters 27 are not limited to the example of FIG. 12. For another example, as shown in FIG. 14, a thin plate-shaped heater 27 may be arranged to cover the bottom surface portion of the ice tray 11 from the outside.

Embodiment 3.

Figures 15 to 17 relate to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, of which 15 Fig. 16 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the ice making compartment of the freezer, Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the upper ice storage box of the ice making compartment, and Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to Fig. 5 of the ice making dish.

Embodiment 3 described here is in the configuration of Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2 described above, a sorting device is provided in the ice storage box to distinguish between ice with a large ice-making size and ice with a small ice-making size. A device for storing and retaining large ice-making ice and small ice-making ice. Hereinafter, the automatic ice maker and the freezer refrigerator according to the third embodiment will be described based on the configuration of the first embodiment, and the difference from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

As shown in FIG. 15, in this third embodiment, the ice storage box 10 includes the upper stage ice storage box 28. The upper-stage ice storage box 28 is arranged inside the ice storage box 10. Then, the bottom surface 29 of the upper-stage ice storage box 28 is arranged below the ice tray 11 and above the bottom surface of the ice storage box 10. Once the ice compartment door 9 is pulled forward, the ice storage bin 10 and the upper ice storage bin 28 will be pulled out forward as a whole. In the state where the ice compartment door 9 has been pulled out, once the upper ice storage box 28 is slid backward, only the ice storage box 10 is pulled out, and the ice in the ice storage box 10 can be accessed.

The configuration of the upper ice storage box 28 will be described while referring to FIG. 16. As shown in the figure, the bottom surface 29 of the upper-stage ice storage box 28 has a lattice shape in which a plurality of openings 30 are formed. The opening 30 has a rectangular or square shape, for example. When the opening 30 is rectangular, the length of the long side is set to 1; when the opening 30 is square, the length of one side is set to 1. In the following, the above cases are integrated and the size of the opening 30 is set to 1.

As shown in FIG. 17, the width of the ice making unit 22 of the ice tray 11 is set to x. That is, the distance from the second partition 21 to the first partition 19 and from The distance between the second partition wall 21 and the wall portion of the outer periphery of the ice tray 11 is x. The width x of the ice making unit 22 becomes the size of ice with a small ice making size. In addition, let the width of the ice tray 20 of the ice tray 11 be y. That is, the distance from the first partition wall 19 to the outer peripheral wall portion of the ice tray 11 is y. The width y of the ice making tray 20 becomes the size of ice with a large ice making size.

The size 1 of the opening 30 is adjusted to be larger than the width x of the ice making unit 22 and smaller than the width y of the ice making tray 20. Therefore, the ice having a small ice-making size that has detached from the ice-making dish 11 falls through the opening 30 to the ice storage box 10. On the other hand, the ice having a large ice-making size that has detached from the ice-making dish 11 does not pass through the opening 30 and remains in the upper-stage ice storage box 28. Therefore, the ice storage box 10 stores ice with a small ice-making size. In addition, the ice storage box 28 in the upper stage has a large size for storing ice.

In this way, the upper ice storage box 28 constitutes a sorting device so that ice with a small ice-making size passes through the ice generated by feeding water from the inside of the ice-making tray 20 to the above-mentioned second water level, and does not make ice with a large ice-making size The ice produced by feeding water to the inside of the ice tray 20 to the first water level passes through.

In addition, other configurations and operations are the same as those in the first embodiment or the second embodiment, and their descriptions are omitted here.

The automatic ice maker configured as above and the freezer refrigerator 1 having the automatic ice maker can also achieve the same effects as those in the first embodiment or the second embodiment. In addition, the ice storage box 10 is provided with a distinguishing device to distinguish between the ice with a large ice-making size and the ice with a small ice-making size. Even if different sizes of ice are produced in the same period, the ice with a large ice-making size and the ice-making Ice with small size. Therefore, the user can use ice of two sizes, without using his own hand as a choice, to improve convenience.

[Industry availability]

The invention can be applied to automatic ice making machines and freezing refrigerators using ice making dishes.

Claims (6)

An automatic ice making machine, comprising: an ice making dish having a plurality of ice trays separated by a first partition wall at a first height; a water supply device for supplying water to the inside of each of the plurality of ice trays; and A cooling device that cools the water inside the ice tray into ice; wherein the ice tray further includes a second partition wall at a second height lower than the first height, which is located inside the ice tray The ice tray is divided into multiples. The automatic ice maker as described in item 1 of the patent application range, wherein the water level of the water supply device for the inner water supply of the ice tray is selected from: a first water level higher than the second height and a lower water level than the second At least two water levels of the second water level. The automatic ice making machine as described in item 2 of the patent application scope, wherein the water supply device is able to select for each of the plurality of ice making trays to feed water to the first water level or to the second water level. The automatic ice maker as described in item 2 or 3 of the patent application scope further includes an ice storage box, which is arranged below the ice making dish and receives ice detached from the ice making dish, wherein the ice storage box contains a distinction The device passes ice generated by feeding water to the inside of the ice making tray to the second water level, and does not allow ice generated by feeding water to the inside of the ice making tray to the first water level. The automatic ice making machine as described in any one of the items 1 to 4 of the patent application scope further includes: a heating device that heats the ice making dish that has generated ice on the inside of the ice making tray; and a rotating device to make The surface of the ice is heated by the heating device and the ice tray melted by the rotation rotates to separate the ice. A freezer includes the automatic ice maker as described in any one of the items 1 to 5 of the patent application.