JP2001165540A - Driving device of automatic ice making machine and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a switch mechanism for use in sensing a rotating angle of an ice making pan or sensing an amount of ice in an ice storing container in a compact and simple configuration and further enable an automatic assembling of it to be attained. SOLUTION: This driving device 5 for an automatic ice making machine is made such that when a lack of ice in an ice storing container is detected, an ice making pan is reversed to cause the ices to be dropped into the ice storing container, thereafter the ice making pan is returned back to the original position to make ice. A rotary member 41 rotated in cooperation with driving of the ice making pan so as to turn-on or turn-off a switch 42 for use in sensing a position of the ice making pan is arranged in one case half segment 9b of the two divided cases 9 for storing each of the segments of the driving device 5, and a supporting segment for supporting a pivot 41d of the rotary member 41 is constituted by a notch 53a formed at the releasing end of the case half segment 9b of both side walls 53 installed at both sides of the pivot 41d of the rotary member 41.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a driving apparatus for an automatic ice maker installed in a refrigerator for replenishing ice produced when ice is produced and ice shortage in an ice storage container is detected. The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, home refrigerators and the like having an automatic ice making function have been known. An automatic ice making device attached to this type of refrigerator usually has an ice tray connected to a cam wheel that rotates by driving a motor, and when the ice tray is rotated while being twisted with the rotation of the cam wheel, Ice falls from the ice tray. In such an automatic ice making device, after the ice is dropped, the motor is rotated in the reverse direction to return the ice making tray to its original position, and water is supplied to start fresh production of ice.
Therefore, it is necessary to detect the position where the ice tray drops the ice and the original position before the driving in association with the rotation of the driving shaft of the motor, and to control the driving / stopping / reversing of the motor.
A switch for detecting these is provided.

[0003] The above-mentioned automatic ice making apparatus is provided with an ice detecting lever for detecting the amount of ice in an ice storage container for receiving and storing ice falling from an ice tray. The ice detection lever is in contact with the cam surface of the cam wheel, operates in the ice storage container in conjunction with the rotation of the cam wheel, and detects whether or not there is a predetermined amount of ice in the ice storage container. It is something to do. Also in this operation, it is necessary to provide a switch for outputting a signal to that effect when there is ice above a predetermined amount or when there is no ice above a predetermined amount.

[0004] The driving apparatus for an automatic ice maker described in JP-A-8-313132 and the automatic ice-making apparatus described in JP-A-10-78277 are provided with a icing position of the ice tray (when the ice tray is A configuration is disclosed that combines a switch for detecting the original position (origin) before driving and a switch for outputting a signal at the time of ice detection, which can meet the above-described requirements. Configuration.

[0005]

Problems to be Solved by the Invention Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-31313
As shown in FIG. 10, the switch mechanism of the driving device of the automatic ice maker described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2 (1993) -19711 includes a lever 10 that swings in a direction parallel to the cam surface of the cam wheel 101 that rotates in conjunction with the ice tray.
2 is disposed in a case (not shown), and the swing angle of the lever 102 is used to detect the rotation angle of the ice tray. Therefore, the area occupied by the switch lever 102 in the case is large,
In addition, it is necessary to secure a space for the lever to swing, which causes an increase in the size of the device.

The lever 102 swings about a fulcrum 102a arranged in parallel with the center axis of the cam wheel 101. A spring 103 is used as a drive source for this swing. . The spring 103 has an engagement portion 102 such as a hook formed at one end of the lever 102.
b, the other end is hooked to an engaging portion 104 such as a hook of another member arranged in the case. Due to this configuration, when the spring 103 is assembled, it is necessary to perform a delicate operation such as hooking on the engaging portion 102b of the lever 102 and the engaging portion 104 of another member while compressing or expanding the spring 103. The problem is that it is difficult to do so and it is necessary to rely on manual work.

The automatic ice making device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-78277 swings in a direction perpendicular to the cam surface of a cam wheel 111 which rotates in conjunction with an ice tray, as shown in FIG. A lever 112 is disposed in a case (not shown), and the swing angle of the lever 112 is used to detect the rotation angle of the ice tray. In this automatic ice making device, the swing direction is the vertical direction in FIG. 11 (the direction parallel to the rotation center axis of the cam wheel 111), and the lever 112 is compared with the device shown in FIG.
Has a compact structure, and can be swung in a small space.

However, the device shown in FIG. 11 has a structure in which the shaft portion 112a serving as the pivot of the lever 112 is supported by the bearing 114 formed in the case, which makes it difficult to assemble the device. Has become. Also,
Also in the apparatus shown in FIG. 11, a spring 113 is used as a driving source of the swing of the lever 112. One end of the spring 113 is connected to an engaging portion 112b such as a hook formed on the lever 112, and the other end is connected to the other end. Is hooked on an engaging portion 115 such as a hook of another member arranged in the case. Due to such a configuration, delicate work is required when the lever 112 is incorporated into the bearing 114 or when the spring 113 is incorporated, and there is a problem that it is difficult to automate the assembling work and must rely on manual work. .

According to the present invention, a switch mechanism for detecting a rotation angle of an ice tray or detecting an amount of ice in an ice storage container has a compact and simple structure and a structure which can be automatically assembled. It is an object of the present invention to provide a drive device for an automatic ice maker provided with a switch that operates efficiently and at low cost and that operates reliably, and a method for manufacturing the device.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, when a shortage of ice in an ice storage container is detected, the ice making tray is inverted and the ice is dropped into the ice storage container. In a driving device of an automatic ice maker for returning ice trays to an original position and manufacturing ice, a rotating member that rotates in conjunction with the driving of the ice trays and switches on / off a switch for detecting the position of the ice trays is provided. The supporting portion, which is disposed in one of the two case halves of the case for accommodating each part of the driving device and supports the rotation fulcrum shaft of the rotation member, is provided on the rotation fulcrum shaft of the rotation member. It is constituted by a concave portion formed on the open end side of one case half of both side walls arranged on both sides.

[0011] Therefore, the switch mechanism can be made compact, and the turning fulcrum shaft of the turning member for switching the switch on and off can be simply dropped into the concave portions of both side walls arranged on both sides of the turning member. Since the rotation of the rotation member can be easily supported, the work of assembling the switch mechanism is simplified.

According to another aspect of the invention, in addition to the above-described driving device for an automatic ice maker, both side walls are formed integrally with the bottom surface of the case. For this reason, it is possible to easily form the support portion that supports the turning member that turns the switch on and off integrally with the case.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above-described driving device for an automatic ice maker, both side walls provided with a support portion are formed so as to be orthogonal to the rotation fulcrum axis. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the movement of the rotation member in the direction of the rotation fulcrum axis on both side walls, and to stabilize the on / off operation of the switch.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above-described driving device for an automatic ice making machine, the rotating member extends radially outward from the rotating fulcrum shaft, and both side edges contact the both side walls. A projection is formed so as to be in contact with the projection, and the projection is in contact with both side walls, so that the projection is prevented from falling in a direction perpendicular to the rotation direction. Therefore, the rotating member is accurately supported by the support portion without falling down during and after the mounting, and the operation of the rotating member can be stabilized.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above-described driving device for an automatic ice maker, a pressing portion for pressing the switch is provided at a position of the rotating member opposite to the switch, and the pressing portion is pressed against the switch. Urging member, and a pressing preventing means which operates in conjunction with the driving of the ice tray and pushes the pressing portion back to the urging member side against the urging force of the urging member to prevent the pressing portion from pressing the switch. The switch is turned on and off by pressing and releasing the pressing portion. Therefore, the switch can be reliably turned on and off by the pressing and non-pressing of the rotating member by the switch.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above-described automatic ice maker driving device, the rotating member is provided with a sliding portion which comes into sliding contact with a cam surface of a cam wheel which rotates in conjunction with the ice tray. When the sliding portion slides along the cam surface, the sliding portion rotates about the rotation fulcrum shaft, and switches on and off. Therefore, it is easy to synchronize the operation of the turning member for switching the switch on and off with the rotation operation of the cam wheel.

[0017] Further, another invention is such that when the shortage of ice in the ice storage container is detected, the ice tray is inverted to drop the ice into the ice storage container, and then the ice tray is returned to the original position to remove the ice. In a method for manufacturing a driving device of an automatic ice maker for manufacturing, the driving device is formed at an upper end of two side walls erected on one of two case halves constituting a case accommodating each member of the driving device. The two ends of the rotation fulcrum shaft of the rotation member for turning on and off the switch for detecting the position of the ice tray are turned into the recessed portion in conjunction with the driving of the ice tray, and the case half is dropped from above. The other of the body is covered.

As described above, the turning fulcrum shaft of the turning member for switching the switch on and off is dropped into the concave portions of both side walls formed on one of the case halves, and the other case halves are covered therefrom. Since the rotation of the rotation member can be reliably supported by a simple operation, the operation of assembling the switch mechanism is simple and the cost is low.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an automatic ice maker driving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and an automatic ice maker driven by the driving apparatus. This automatic ice maker 1
The apparatus automatically performs ice making, ice separation, and the like, is installed in an ice making room of a refrigerator, and operates by a driving method described later.

The automatic ice making machine 1 includes an ice tray 2 disposed above an ice storage container (not shown), and an ice detection arm 3 serving as an ice detecting means which moves up and down to detect the amount of ice stored in the ice storage container.
And a liquid supply means (not shown) for supplying a liquid such as water to the ice tray 2, and a driving device 5 for driving the ice tray 2 and the ice detecting arm 3 in conjunction with each other. Note that a thermistor 1a for detecting the temperature of the ice tray is provided below the ice tray 2. In this embodiment, normal drinking water is used as the liquid.

The driving device 5 lowers the tip of the ice detecting arm 3 into the ice storage container, and detects the presence or absence of ice in the ice storage container based on the lowered distance. When the driving device 5 detects the shortage of ice, the driving device 5 turns the ice tray 2 over to the ice-free position and drops the ice into the ice storage container. That is, the inverted ice making tray 2 has a protruding portion 2a on the other end side provided with a contact piece (not shown) provided on the machine frame 6 of the refrigerator or the automatic ice making machine 1.
, And the ice is dropped using this deformation. Thereafter, the driving device 5 returns the ice tray 2 to the ice making position (original position) by rotating the motor in the reverse direction. Then, liquid is supplied to the ice tray 2 at the ice making position, and ice is produced.

The driving device 5 is, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a cam wheel 10 connected to the ice tray 2 for reversing the same.
And an ice detecting mechanism 11 and a switch mechanism 12 operated by the cam wheel 10 to operate the ice detecting arm 3. The internal mechanism of the driving device 5 is disposed in a case 9 composed of two case halves 9a and 9b.

The cam wheel 10 includes a DC motor 1 serving as a drive source.
3 is rotated. That is, the rotation of the DC motor 13 is transmitted to the cam wheel 10 via the worm 15, the first gear 16, the second gear 17, and the third gear 18 connected to the output shaft 13 a of the DC motor 13.

FIG. 5 shows the surface of the cam wheel 10 on which the cam surface is formed. That is, FIG. 5 is a diagram of the cam wheel 10 viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow V in FIG.

The cam wheel 10 is integrally formed with a rotation shaft 25 serving as a rotation center axis of the cam wheel 10. The rotating shaft 25 protrudes out of the drive device 5 from a hole provided in one of the case halves 9 a and is connected to the ice tray 2.
Therefore, the cam wheel 10 and the ice tray 2 rotate integrally.

The end of the rotating shaft 25 on the side not connected to the ice tray 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape and has a case half 9b.
Are rotatably supported by a circular base 7 provided in the base. A cylindrical friction member 8 is loosely fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the end of the rotating shaft 25.

The cylindrical friction member 8 is integrally rotatable with respect to the rotating shaft 25 by a frictional force. The lower edge of this friction member 8 (case half 9b)
(Not shown), a notch-shaped groove (not shown) is formed, and both ends of this groove are formed in the case half 9b.
Can be brought into contact with the convex portion (not shown) formed in the first portion. Therefore, the friction member 8 is rotatable only in a range where both ends of the groove and the protrusion on the case half 9b side are in contact with each other. The relationship between the friction member 8 and the rotating shaft 25 is such that the friction member 8 is connected to both ends of the groove and the case half 9.
It rotates integrally until the projection on the b side abuts, and even after the rotation is prevented by the abutment, only the rotation shaft 25 can rotate.

Further, on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical friction member 8, a blocking piece (not shown) for preventing rotation of the ice detecting shaft 31 described later is provided. This blocking piece is a cam wheel 10
Is rotated to the ice release position side, the engagement piece 31 of the ice detection shaft 31
b) and engages with the engaging piece 31b of the ice detecting shaft 31 only when the cam wheel 10 rotates to the ice making position,
Is prevented from rotating. When the rotation of the ice detecting shaft 31 is prevented by the blocking piece, the ice detecting shaft 3 is stopped.
1, the switch half-rotation preventing portion 31d cannot enter the rotation range of the switch pressing lever 41 for turning on / off the tact switch 42, and the tact switch 4
2 can be freely switched on / off.

The friction member 8 is turned on or off in order to discriminate between the lack of ice and the full ice in the ice detecting operation. When the tact switch 42 is turned on or off, the ice detecting arm 3 returns from the ice releasing position to the ice making position. This is to ensure that it is turned on halfway. That is, when the ice detecting arm 3 is lowered to a predetermined position in the ice storage container in the ice detecting operation, it is determined that the ice is insufficient, and the cam wheel 10 is rotated to the ice releasing position to drop the ice. When returning from the ice-releasing position to the ice-making position, there are a case where the ice is already full due to the previous ice-releasing and a case where the ice is still insufficient. Therefore, the tact switch 42 after the ice is removed
There is a variation in on / off of the switch, which is not preferable for control.
The friction member 8 is a member for ensuring that the tact switch 42 is always turned on at the time of the returning operation from the ice release position to the ice making position so as not to cause such a problem.

Also, one case half 9 of the cam wheel 10
As shown in FIG. 4, a groove 26 is formed along the circumferential direction on one side surface 10b opposing a. A protrusion (not shown) formed on the inner surface of one of the case halves 9a is inserted into the groove 26 to limit the angle at which the cam wheel 10 can rotate to a predetermined range. That is, the position where the protrusion of the case half 9a hits both end surfaces (not shown) of the groove 26 is defined as the rotation limit position of the cam wheel 10. In the case of the present embodiment, the cam wheel 10 can rotate within a range from -6 degrees to 168 degrees. Note that this rotation angle ranges from 0 degree to 1 degree as described later in a normal case except when rotating mechanically to -6 degrees during initialization and performing mechanical locking.
It operates in a range of 60 degrees.

On the other hand, the other case half 9 of the cam wheel 10
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, an annular concave portion 27 is formed on the other side surface 10 c facing b. This recess 27
Inside, a cam surface 28 for an ice detecting shaft having an inner wall as a cam surface is provided, and a cam surface 29 for a switch pressing lever similarly having an inner wall as a cam surface is provided outside thereof. Each of the cam surfaces 28 and 29 is formed on an inner peripheral surface portion of a side wall of an extension portion extending substantially in parallel with a rotation shaft 25 serving as a rotation center of the cam wheel 10.

The ice detecting shaft cam surface 28 has an ice detecting non-operating position portion 28a, an ice detecting lowering operating portion 28b, an ice shortage detecting position portion 28c, and an ice detecting returning operation portion 28d. I have. The ice detecting inoperative position portion 28a is a section in which the ice detecting arm 3 is maintained without being lowered, and
In the initial position, the position of contact with the ice detection axis 31 is set to 0.
In the case of degrees, it is formed in the sections of -6 degrees to 11 degrees and 79 degrees to 168 degrees. Also, the ice detection lowering operation unit 28b
Is a section for gradually lowering the ice detecting arm 3 when ice is insufficient, and is formed in a section of 11 degrees to 35 degrees. Further, the ice shortage detection position section 28c
This is a section in which the ice detecting arm 3 is maintained in a state of being lowered most when ice is insufficient, and is formed in a section of 35 degrees to 55 degrees. In addition, the ice detection return operation unit 28d includes:
The section for raising the lowered ice detecting arm 3 is formed in a section of 55 degrees to 79 degrees.

On the other hand, the cam surface 29 for the switch pressing lever
A first signal generating cam portion 29a for outputting a signal at -6 to 5 degrees including the ice making position (0 degree);
A second signal generating cam portion 29b for outputting a signal at 42 to 48 degrees including the ice detection position (42 degrees),
Third signal generating cam portion 29 for outputting a signal at 160 degrees to 168 degrees including the ice release position (160 degrees)
c. With this configuration, when the rotation angle of the cam wheel 10 is at the ice making position, the ice detecting position, and the ice releasing position, the pressing portion 41b of the switch pressing lever 41 is rotated in a direction of pressing the pressing portion 41b toward the tact switch 42 side. ing.

The signal generated at the ice making position is referred to as an original position signal, and the first signal generating cam 29
a can generate a signal in the range of -19 degrees to 5 degrees due to its shape. A signal generated at the ice detection position is referred to as an ice detection position signal. Further, a signal generated at the ice-separation position is referred to as an ice-separation signal.
A signal can be generated in the range of 60 degrees to 179.5 degrees.

The ice detecting mechanism 11 determines whether the amount of ice in the ice storage container is
It is a mechanism for identifying whether the ice is full or insufficient, lowers the ice detection arm 3 into the ice storage container,
When the ice falls below the predetermined level, it is determined that ice is insufficient. The ice detecting mechanism 11 is operated by the cam wheel 10 and operates the ice detecting arm 3 to move the ice detecting shaft 31 and the engagement convex portion 31a of the ice detecting shaft 31 to the cam wheel 10.
The coil spring 32 is urged so as to rotate in a direction of pressing against the ice detecting shaft cam surface 28 side. In the driving device 1 of the automatic ice maker according to the present embodiment, when the ice detecting arm 3 rotates by 30 degrees or more, it is determined that the ice is insufficient.

The ice detection shaft 31 is operated by the cam wheel 10 and is rotatable up to 35 degrees. The ice detecting shaft 31 is arranged between the cam wheel 10 and the case half 9b. The ice detecting shaft 31 is, as shown in FIG.
1a, an engagement piece 31b, a spring engagement part 31c, a switch one-piece rotation prevention part 31d, and a thrust slip prevention jetty 31e.
, An arm connecting portion 31f, a case receiving portion 31g, and a guide piece 31h.

A case receiving portion 31g constituted by a convex portion at one end of the ice detecting shaft 31 is rotatably supported by a receiving hole (not shown) formed in the case half 9b. On the other hand, an arm connecting portion 31f formed at the other end of the ice detecting shaft 31 projects outside the case 9 and
The fulcrum of the ice detecting arm 3 is fitted into the arm connecting portion 31f.

The engaging projection 31a formed in the vicinity of the case receiving portion 31g of the ice detecting shaft 31 projects radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the ice detecting shaft 31 and has a shape curved from a middle position. It is rotatable together with the ice detection shaft 31 around the rotation center axis. And, the engagement convex portion 3
Reference numeral 1a denotes a cam follower that comes into contact with the ice detecting shaft cam surface 28 formed on the cam wheel 10.

Similarly, the engaging piece 31b provided near the end of the ice detecting shaft 31 can be brought into contact with the blocking piece of the friction member 8 disposed coaxially with the rotating shaft 25. I have. Further, the spring engagement portion 31c is slightly closer to the end on the case receiving portion 31g side than the axial center of the ice detection shaft 31,
It is provided to engage with the coil spring 32. Therefore, the ice detecting shaft 31 causes the engagement convex portion 31a to move the cam wheel 10 by the return force of the compressed coil spring 32.
(The direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 3).

The switch one-piece rotation preventing portion 31d is provided near the end of the ice detecting shaft 31 on the side of the arm connecting portion 31f, and is a switch pressing lever 41 as a rotating member for turning on / off the tact switch 42. Is prevented from rotating. That is, the switch one-side rotation preventing portion 31d
Is a pressing preventing means for preventing the pressing portion 41b of the switch pressing lever 41 from pressing the tact switch 42.

When the ice detecting shaft 31 rotates so as to lower the ice detecting arm 3, specifically, when the ice detecting shaft 31 rotates more than 30 degrees, The switch press lever 41 contacts the switch press lever 41
Block the rotation of More specifically, when the ice detection shaft 31 is rotated by 30 degrees or more, the switch one-side rotation preventing unit 31d
The pressing portion 41b that enters the rotation range of the pressing portion 41b of the switch pressing lever 41 and is pressed against the tact switch 42 by the biasing force of a switch pressing spring 44 described later.
To return to the switch pressing spring 44 side. This prevents the tact switch 42 from being turned on.

Further, the thrust slippage prevention jetty 31e is provided with a switch one-turn preventing portion 31d in the axial direction of the ice detecting shaft 31.
And the arm connecting portion 31f over the entire circumference. For this reason, the ice detecting shaft 31 is movable only in a predetermined range in the thrust direction.

Further, the guide piece 31h is formed at a position slightly closer to the arm connecting portion 31f side than the center of the ice detecting shaft 31 in the axial direction. The guide piece 31h is attached to the case half 9
Guide groove formed on the back side of the top plate (a) (not shown)
And moves along the guide groove. For this reason, the ice detecting shaft 31 is guided by the guide piece 31h with respect to the case half 9a, and can rotate within a range in which the guide piece 31h can move within the guide groove. The rotation range of the ice detecting shaft 31 is about 35 degrees.

The ice detecting mechanism 11 thus configured transmits the movement of the ice detecting shaft 31 operating along the ice detecting shaft cam surface 28 to the ice detecting arm 3. That is, when the ice detection arm 3 stops its movement due to full ice, the ice detection shaft 31 stops its rotation together with the ice detection arm 3. Ice detection mechanism 11
When the ice detection arm 3 is rotated by a predetermined angle or more due to insufficient ice during the ice detection operation, the switch pressing lever cam surface 29
The operation of the switch pressing lever 41 is restricted. For this reason, when ice is insufficient during the ice detecting operation, the switch pressing lever 41 does not rotate and the tact switch 42 is not pressed.

The coil spring 32 is temporarily stored in a contracted state in a spring box 52 provided in the case half 9b, and one end of the coil spring 32 is hooked on the spring engaging portion 31c of the ice detecting shaft 31 in this state. It is supposed to be.
That is, the spring box 52 has a shape in which the upper part is opened, one side wall is formed by the side wall of the case half 9b, and the other three side walls are erected from the bottom surface of the case half 9b. A slit (not shown) is provided in a side wall of the rear end of the spring box 52 (the center side of the case half 9b), and the spring engaging portion 31c is made to enter the inside of the spring box 52 from this slit, and a coil spring is formed. The ice detection shaft 31 and the coil spring 32 are engaged with each other by further contracting the portion 32 toward the side wall formed by the side wall of the case half 9b.

When the ice detecting shaft 31 is assembled as described above, the rear end portion of the spring engaging portion 31c is pressed by the urging force of the coil spring 32 toward the convex portion (not shown) formed in the slit. Then, the projection comes into contact with the projection. Thereby, the ice detection shaft 31 and the coil spring 32 are temporarily held in the case half 9b. In this state, the cam wheel 10 is loaded, and the cam wheel 10 is placed in the ice detecting state, that is, at the position facing the ice shortage detecting position portion 28c of the ice detecting shaft cam surface 28 of the cam wheel 10. When the cam wheel 10 is assembled such that the cam 31 is located, the cam wheel 10 can be easily assembled without receiving the spring force of the coil spring 32.

As described above, the coil spring 32 constantly urges the ice detecting arm 3 toward the ice detecting position. That is, the ice detecting shaft 31 is in contact with the ice detecting shaft cam surface 28.
The urging force is applied in a direction in which the engaging projections 31a are brought into contact. This force is directed from the center of the cam wheel 10 to the outer periphery, but is incorporated so as not to hinder the mounting of the cam wheel 10. Therefore, the cam wheel 10 does not tilt or float due to the force of the coil spring 32. After the cam wheel 10 is assembled, the case 9a is finally assembled, whereby the guide piece 31h of the ice detecting shaft 31 is introduced into a guide groove (not shown) of the case 9, and the ice detecting shaft 31 is moved within a normal rotation range. 35 to be the limit
It is in a state rotated by degrees. After being assembled in a state of being rotated by 35 degrees at the ice detecting position in this way, it is shipped after being driven by the drive circuit to set the ice making position.

The switch mechanism 12 includes a tact switch 42
And the rotating shaft 25 of the cam wheel 10 in conjunction with the driving of the ice tray 2.
A switch pressing lever as a rotating member that rotates in a direction parallel to the axial direction of FIG. 4 (in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 4) and includes a pressing portion 41 b that presses the tact switch 42 at a position facing the tact switch 42. 41, a switch one-piece rotation preventing portion 31d acting to inhibit rotation of the switch pressing lever 41, and a pressing portion 41 of the switch pressing lever 41.
and a switch pressing spring 44 as an urging member that presses b toward the tact switch 42 side. Then, the pressing portion 41b is pressed against the tact switch 42 with the rotation of the pressing lever 41, and the switch one-side rotation preventing portion 3 is pressed.
When the pressing portion 41b is separated from the tact switch 42 by the prevention of 1d, the contacts of the switch are engaged and disengaged, and the on / off switching is performed.
In addition, the driving device 1 of the automatic ice maker according to the embodiment of the present invention.
Is an inexpensive tact switch 4 which is turned on / off by contacting / separating a contact as a switch.
Since 2 is used, it can be manufactured at low cost.

The switch pressing lever 41 has two side walls integrally formed on the bottom surface of a case half 9b which is one of the two case halves constituting the case 9 accommodating the members of the driving device 5. 53 is rotatably supported in each concave portion 53a provided on the open end side of the case half 9b. That is, each concave portion 53a formed on both side walls 53 is a supporting portion that supports a rotation fulcrum shaft 41d that is a rotation fulcrum of the switch pressing lever 41 as a rotation member.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the switch pressing lever 41 has a shape of "G" when viewed from the side. The upper end portion is provided with a cam contact portion 41a which is a sliding portion which slides on the switch pressing lever cam surface 29 of the cam wheel 10 and serves as a cam follower. Therefore, when the cam wheel 10 rotates, the cam abutment portion 41a slides along the switch pressing lever cam surface 29 to move in the radial direction of the cam wheel 10, and the switch pressing lever 41 rotates the pivot shaft. It rotates around 41d. As a result, the pressing portion 41b operates to press / release the tact switch 42 and switch the tact switch 42 on and off.

At a predetermined position of the switch pressing lever 41, a pressing portion 41b which is urged by the switch pressing spring 44 and presses the tact switch 42 by receiving the urging force is formed. The pressing portion 41b is located in the vicinity of the switch one-side rotation preventing portion 31d provided on the ice detection shaft 31. In a state where the switch one-side rotation preventing portion 31d is in contact with the pressing portion 41b, the switch pressing lever 41 cannot rotate to the tact switch 42 side.

On the other hand, at a position facing the pressing portion 41b,
The button 42a of the tact switch 42 is arranged.
The surface of the pressing portion 41b of the switch pressing lever 41 which is not opposed to the tact switch 42 has a mountain-shaped protrusion 41.
c is provided and enters into one end of the switch pressing spring 44. The other end of the switch pressing spring 44 is inserted into an engagement cylinder 21c provided in the case half 9a, and a shaft (not shown) in the engagement cylinder 21c enters the end.

The central part of the switch pressing lever 41 is a pivot shaft 4 supporting the vertical rotation in FIG.
1d, both ends of the rotation fulcrum shaft 41d enter the respective concave portions 53a, and rotate around the rotation fulcrum shaft 41d. In the present embodiment, the rotation fulcrum shaft 4
Both ends of 1d are provided with concave portions 53a, 53a formed on the upper ends of both side walls 53, 53 formed on the bottom surface of case half 9b.
And the switch mechanism 12 can be configured by a simple operation of putting the case half 9a on the switch body, so that the assembling operation is simple and the manufacturing can be performed at low cost.

The switch pressing lever 41 has a protrusion 4 extending radially outward from the rotation fulcrum shaft 41d.
1e is provided. The protruding portion 41e is loaded in a regulating box composed of the above-mentioned both side walls 53 and connecting walls 53b, 53b connecting between the both side walls 53. Therefore, the switch pressing lever 41 does not tilt one side of the rotation fulcrum shaft 41d from the bottom of the concave portion 53a, and the switch pressing lever 41 operates accurately along the switch pressing lever cam surface 29 without shifting the swing center. It has become.

The switch pressing lever 41 restricts movement in the width direction by contacting both side surfaces of the projecting portion 41e with both side walls 53 formed so as to be orthogonal to the rotation fulcrum shaft 41d. Is done. Therefore, the switch pressing lever 41 is prevented from shifting and falling in the width direction, and the switch lever 41 can reliably operate the button 42a of the tact switch 42. In addition, it is possible to prevent the switch lever 41 from falling down at the time of installation. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a step portion 41 f is provided on each of the surfaces of the protruding member 41 e facing the both side walls 53. The step portions 41f are mounted on the step portions 53f formed on the respective inner walls of the both side walls 53, so that the displacement of the switch pressing lever 41 in the width direction can be more reliably prevented.

The tact switch 42 is fixed to the case half 9 b and is connected to a printed wiring board 51 connected to the rear end of the DC motor 13. This tact switch 4
2 indicates that the switch pressing lever 41 is in a non-operating state, that is, when the cam wheel 10 is at a 0 degree position and the driving is stopped and ice is being produced, when ice is full during the ice detecting operation, or when ice is released. When the operation is completed, the pressing portion 41b of the switch pressing lever 41 which receives the urging force of the switch pressing spring 44
Are arranged so as to be pressed. An original position signal, an ice detection signal, and an ice release signal are generated by the pressing operation of the pressing portion 41b. When the ice tray 2 is at a position other than these, the tact switch 42 is separated from the pressing portion 41b and is turned off.

As described above, the tact switch 42 which is turned on at the ice making position performs the ice detecting operation, and when the ice in the ice storage container is insufficient, the cam wheel 10 moves from the ice making position (0 degree) to the ice removing position (160 degrees). It does not turn on until it rotates to degree). That is, when the cam wheel 10 rotates 5 degrees, the pressing portion 41b of the switch pressing lever 41 is separated from the button 42a of the tact switch 42 by the cam wheel 10 against the urging force of the switch pressing spring 44. Once, the tact switch 42 is turned off.

When the cam wheel 10 rotates 42 degrees, the switch pressing lever 41 is rotated by the urging force of the cam wheel 10 and the switch pressing spring 44. At this time, the switch piece of the ice detection shaft 31 is turned. The rotation preventing portion 31d works to prevent the switch pressing lever 41 from rotating. As a result, when the ice detection shaft 31 is rotated by a predetermined angle (here, 30 degrees) or more in the ice shortage state, the position at which this ice detection signal should be generated, that is, the rotation angle of the cam wheel 10 is 42 degrees. ~
At 48 degrees, the tact switch 42 is not turned on, and no detection signal is output. Therefore, the tact switch 42 does not turn on until the cam wheel 10 reaches the ice-removing position rotated by 160 degrees.

On the other hand, the tact switch 42 performs an ice detecting operation, and when the ice is full in the ice storage container, the cam wheel 10 moves to the ice making position (0).
(Degrees) to the ice detection position (42 degrees). That is, the tact switch 42 is turned off once when the cam wheel 10 rotates 5 degrees as described above, but when the cam wheel 10 rotates 42 degrees, the urging force of the cam wheel 10 and the switch pressing spring 44 again causes the tact switch 42 to turn off. Switch pressing lever 4
1 is to be rotated.

At this time, the ice detecting lever 3 does not descend to a predetermined position in the ice storage container because the ice storage container is full of ice. for that reason,
The ice detection shaft 31 does not rotate by a predetermined angle or more, and the switch one-turn preventing portion 31d of the ice detection shaft 31 does not work. As a result, the switch pressing lever 41 rotates to press the button 42a of the tact switch 42, and the tact switch 42 is turned on.

It should be noted that the driving device of the automatic ice maker of the present embodiment controls the cam wheel 10 to reversely rotate based on the first signal output and the driving time after starting the ice detecting operation. Therefore, when the cam wheel 10 is rotated 42 degrees when the ice is full, the cam wheel 10 is turned 160 degrees when the ice is insufficient.
The control is performed such that the DC motor 13 is stopped at the time when the DC motor 13 is rotated, and then rotated in the reverse direction.

When the DC motor 13 is stopped by the first signal output when the cam wheel 10 is rotated by 42 degrees,
It monitors that the driving time is short, and based on this, the driving of the DC motor 13 is stopped based on the first signal output after the reverse rotation. As a result, the cam wheel 10 stops at the original position (0 degree = ice making position) or a peripheral position thereof.

On the other hand, when the DC motor 13 is stopped at the first signal output when the cam wheel 10 is rotated by 160 degrees, it is monitored that the driving time is long, and based on this, the DC motor 13 is driven. The driving of the DC motor 13 is stopped based on the signal output of the second time. That is, the first signal output is a signal indicating that the cam wheel 10 has been returned to the position of 48 degrees to 42 degrees (determination signal at the time of return), and the signal is output to the position where the second signal becomes 5 degrees as the cam wheel 10. Since the signal indicates that the motor has been returned, the DC motor 13
To stop. As a result, the cam wheel 10 is moved to the original position (0
Stop at or around the ice making position). In addition, the signal output when the cam wheel 10 becomes 48 degrees to 42 degrees in the return stroke is generated in any case regardless of whether the ice is insufficient or sufficient by the friction member 8. ing.

The above-mentioned cam surface 29 for the switch pressing lever is provided with concave portions at three positions. These three recesses are the above-mentioned first, second and third signal generating cam portions 29a, 29b and 29c, and the cam contact portions 41a of the switch pressing lever 41 are fitted into these recessed portions. Switch press lever 4 each time
1 is about to rotate to the tact switch 42 side. During this rotation, the tact switch 42 is turned on unless the switch one-piece rotation preventing portion 31d of the ice detecting shaft 31 does not work.

Next, the operation of the automatic ice maker 1 will be described. The controller (not shown) appropriately executes the basic operation program and the initial setting program, and operates as shown in FIG. Note that a control circuit for controlling and driving the controller to execute the initial setting program and the basic operation program may be shared with that provided in a refrigerator main body (not shown) to which the automatic ice maker 1 is attached. However, it may be dedicated to the automatic ice maker 1.

First, when either the power-on signal or the signal for initialization is input to the controller, an initialization program (initialization operation mode) is started. The initial setting program (initialize) is executed when the operation of the automatic ice maker 1 alone, the operation when the refrigerator is attached to the refrigerator, the initial operation when the refrigerator is moved, and the like are performed. The position is confirmed, and a horizontal position state is set.

That is, when the power is turned on, the DC motor 1
3 is rotated in the CCW direction, that is, the direction in which the cam wheel 10 is returned to the ice making position (origin position = 0 degree). Then, when the tact switch 42 is turned on, the timer is set to 3 seconds. When the operation of the timer is completed while the switch-on state continues, the DC motor 13 is stopped for 1 second.

With this operation, the cam wheel 10 stops at the mechanical lock position (-6 degrees). That is, in the initial setting operation, when the DC motor 13 is rotated in the CCW direction, the switch is first turned on to recognize whether the signal output is the ice detection signal or the original position signal. After signal output, set the timer to 3 seconds. Then, the case where three seconds have elapsed while the switch is on is recognized as the home position signal, and the case where the switch is turned off and the signal output is interrupted before the lapse of three seconds is recognized as the ice detection output. . This ensures that the cam wheel 10 stops at the lock position (-6 degrees).

Next, the DC motor 13 is rotated in the CW direction, that is, the cam wheel 10 is rotated in the ice detecting position and the ice releasing position. Then, when the tact switch 42 is turned off, the timer is set to 0.5 seconds, and when the operation of the timer is completed, the DC motor 13 is stopped for one second.

Thereafter, the DC motor 13 is rotated in the CCW direction. Then, when the tact switch 42 is turned on, the timer is set to 0.5 seconds, and when the operation of the timer is completed, the DC motor 13 is stopped. As a result, the DC motor 13 stops at a position where the cam wheel 10 is near the ice making position (0 degrees = original position) in the initial setting operation. Thus, the operation of the automatic ice maker 1 at the time of executing the initialization program (initialization) is completed.

When the above-mentioned initialization is completed, the processing shifts to a basic operation program for performing a normal operation. This basic operation program is executed, for example, when an AND condition that a certain period of time elapses after the completion of ice making is detected by the thermistor 1a placed under the ice tray 2 when the door is not opened. , A signal indicating the end of standby is input to the controller and executed.

As a result, the controller determines that the ice production has been completed, and detects the amount of ice in the ice storage container. When the basic operation program is started from the initial setting, there is no ice in the ice tray 2. However, since the thermistor 1a senses the temperature in the refrigerator regardless of the presence or absence of the ice, ice production is started. It is set to judge that it has finished.

The controller detects whether or not the ice in the ice storage container is in an insufficient state. If the ice is not full, that is, if the ice is in an insufficient state, the ice tray 2 is inverted to supply ice to the ice storage container. I do. Next, water is supplied by rotating in the reverse direction to the origin position (0 degrees). As a result, the ice tray 2 returns to the horizontal position and ice is made. On the other hand, when it is full ice,
The ice tray 2 returns to the origin (= horizontal position) without being inverted, waits for a predetermined time for ice detection, and returns to the ice making confirmation.

Next, the ice detecting operation will be described in detail. First, when the ice making is completed, the DC motor 13 is rotated in the CW direction. When the tact switch 42 is turned off, the timer is set to 7 seconds. During this time, if the tact switch 42 is turned on after the operation of the timer is completed while the switch-off state is maintained, an ice-separation signal is generated, and the DC motor 13 is stopped for one second. In this case, it means that ice was insufficient in the ice detecting operation and that the ice removing operation was performed based on the lack of ice.

That is, when the ice is insufficient, the ice detecting shaft 31 is also lowered by a predetermined amount when the cam wheel 10 rotates by a predetermined angle (42 to 48 degrees). The one-turn preventing unit 31d operates to prevent the switch pressing lever 41 from pressing the tact switch 42. Therefore, in such a situation, the tact switch 42 is not turned on and no signal is output.

After detecting the lack of ice and stopping the DC motor 13 for one second, the DC motor 13 is rotated in the CCW direction. When the tact switch 42 is turned off, the ice release signal is turned off.
Is turned on, the return decision signal (ice detection signal) is turned on. Further, when the tact switch 42 is turned off, the ice detection signal is turned off. When the tact switch 42 is turned on next, it is determined that the signal is the home position signal, and the timer is set to 0.5 second.

The reason why the timer is set based on the second ON of the tact switch 42 is that the second ON indicates that the cam wheel 10 has returned to the position of 5 degrees. That is, after the de-icing operation, the cam wheel 1
When 0 is rotated to a predetermined position (42 to 48 degrees), the ice detecting shaft 31 is blocked by the blocking piece of the friction member 8 and cannot rotate. The pressing portion 41 b of the pressing lever 41 presses the tact switch 42. Therefore, in such a situation, the tact switch 42 is turned on and the first ON signal is output.

When the operation of the timer is completed 0.5 seconds after the second ON signal, the DC motor 13
To stop. Thus, the cam wheel 10 stops near the original position (0 degree). After this, ice tray 2
And a series of ice detecting operation and de-icing operation is completed.

The tact switch 4 is operated by the ice detecting operation.
When 2 is turned on (in this case, it is turned on at the position of 42 degrees = the amount of ice is full ice), the DC motor 13 is stopped for 1 second based on this switch-on. Then this time D
The C motor 13 is rotated in the CCW direction. Then, when the tact switch 42 is turned off, the ice detection signal is turned off,
Next, when the tact switch 42 is turned on, it is determined that the signal is the home position signal, and the timer is set to 0.5 second.

When the operation of the timer is completed after 0.5 seconds have elapsed, the DC motor 13 is stopped. Thus, the cam wheel 10 stops near the original position (0 degree). Thereafter, since ice is present in the ice tray 2, water is not supplied, and the apparatus enters a standby state. Thus, the ice detecting operation at the time of full ice is completed.

The above-described embodiment is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but is not limited thereto.
Various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the side walls 53 each having the concave portion 53a as a supporting portion that supports the switch pressing lever 41 as a rotating member are provided integrally on the bottom surface of the case 9 in the upper end. The wall 53 may be separate from the case 9. Also, a connecting wall 53b connecting the both side walls 53
Are provided as a part of the rotation range restricting portion of the switch pressing lever 41, but these may not be provided.

Further, in the above embodiment, the rotation shaft 2
5 is provided integrally with the cam wheel 10, but may be provided separately without being provided integrally. At that time, they may be driven by another drive source. Also, instead of making the engaging protrusion 31a of the ice detecting shaft 31 serving as a cam follower and the cam contacting portion 41a of the switch pressing lever 41 contact the inner peripheral surface of the cam wheel 10, the outer peripheral surface or the end surface is not A cam surface may be used to contact the end cam.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the switch pressing lever 4 is provided by the switch pressing spring 44 as an urging member.
Although the first pressing portion 41b is pressed against the tact switch 42, the switch pressing lever 4 is pressed by means other than a spring.
1 or the switch pressing spring 44
And the switch pressing lever 41 may not be constantly biased toward the tact switch 42 side. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the ice detection signal is generated only when the ice is full. However, the signal may not be generated when the ice is full but may be generated when the ice is insufficient.

Further, the driving source may be an AC motor or a condenser motor instead of the DC motor 13. Further, instead of using a motor that requires a certain amount of time control such as the DC motor 13, the rotation angle of the cam wheel 10 may be controlled by the number of steps using a stepping motor. Further, a drive source other than a motor such as a solenoid may be employed. In addition, as the liquid to be iced, drinks such as juices and non-drinks such as test reagents can be used in addition to water. As a means for detecting whether or not the ice in the ice storage container has been formed, a bimetal using a shape memory alloy or the like may be used in addition to the thermistor 1a.

[0086]

As described above, the driving device for an automatic ice maker according to the present invention has a supporting portion for supporting a rotating member for switching on and off a switch. It is composed of a concave portion formed on each open end side. Therefore, the switch mechanism can be made compact, and the turning fulcrum shaft of the turning member for switching on and off of the switch can be easily dropped by simply dropping the turning fulcrum shaft into the concave portions of both side walls arranged on both sides of the turning member. Since the rotation of the rotation member can be supported, the work of assembling the switch mechanism is simplified. As a result, by mechanizing this work, it is possible to greatly reduce the cost of the assembling work.

Further, according to the method of manufacturing a drive device for an automatic ice making machine of the present invention, the two side walls of the two case halves which constitute the case for accommodating the respective members of the drive device are provided. Dropping both ends of a rotation fulcrum shaft of a rotation member for turning on and off a switch for detecting a position of an ice tray into a recess formed at each upper end, and covering the other half of the case half from above. It has become. Therefore, the rotation of the rotating member can be reliably supported by a simple operation, and by mechanizing this operation, the operation of assembling the switch mechanism becomes simpler and lower in cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main part of an automatic ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the automatic ice maker of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a driving device of the automatic ice making machine of FIG. 1, in which one half of a case is removed so that the inside can be observed.

FIG. 4 is a sectional development view showing a connection relationship of rotation transmission means of the drive device of FIG. 3;

5 is a view of the cam wheel of the drive device of FIG. 4 as viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow V in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing an ice detection axis of the drive device of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 shows the switch pressing lever of the drive device of FIG.
It is the bottom view seen from the II direction.

FIG. 8 is a side view of FIG. 7 as viewed in a direction indicated by an arrow VIII.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an operation state of the automatic ice maker of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing a switch mechanism of a conventional automatic ice making device.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing a switch mechanism of a driving apparatus of a conventional automatic ice maker as another example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic ice maker 2 Ice tray 3 Ice detection arm 5 Drive device 9 Case 9a, 9b Case half body 10 Cam wheel 11 Ice detection mechanism 12 Switch mechanism 13 DC motor 28 Cam surface for ice detection shaft 29 Cam surface for switch pressing lever 31 Ice detecting shaft 31d Switch one-piece rotation preventing part (pressing prevention means) 41 Switch pressing lever (rotating member) 41a Cam contact part (sliding part) 41b Pressing part 41d Rotating fulcrum shaft 41e Projecting part 42 Tact switch 44 Switch pressing spring (biasing member) 53 Side wall 53a Recess

Claims (7)

[Claims] When an ice shortage is detected in an ice storage container, the ice tray is inverted to drop the ice into the ice storage container, and then the ice tray is returned to an original position to produce ice. In the driving device for the ice making machine, two rotating members for turning on and off a switch for detecting the position of the ice making tray for accommodating each part of the driving device are provided. The support portion that is disposed in one of the case halves of the divided case, and that supports the rotation fulcrum shaft of the rotation member, is provided on both sides of the rotation fulcrum shaft of the rotation member. A drive device for an automatic ice maker, comprising a concave portion formed on the open end side of one of the case halves. 2. The driving device for an automatic ice maker according to claim 1, wherein the both side walls are formed integrally with a bottom surface of the case. 3. The drive device for an automatic ice making machine according to claim 1, wherein both side walls provided with the support portion are formed so as to be orthogonal to the rotation fulcrum axis. . 4. The rotation member includes a projection extending radially outward from the rotation fulcrum shaft and having both side edges abutting on the both side walls. The drive device for an automatic ice making machine according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the shape portion abuts on the both side walls to prevent falling in a direction orthogonal to the rotation direction. 5. A pressing portion for pressing the switch at a position of the rotating member facing the switch,
An urging member for pressing the pressing portion toward the switch,
Pressing prevention means that operates in conjunction with the driving of the ice tray and pushes the pressing portion back toward the biasing member against the biasing force of the biasing member to prevent the pressing portion from pressing the switch. 5. The driving device for an automatic ice maker according to claim 1, further comprising: turning on and off the switch by pressing and releasing the pressing portion. 6. The rotating member is provided with a sliding portion that slides on a cam surface of a cam wheel that rotates in conjunction with the ice tray, and the sliding portion slides along the cam surface. 6. The drive device for an automatic ice making machine according to claim 1, wherein the switch is turned around the turning fulcrum shaft to switch the switch on and off. 7. When ice shortage in the ice storage container is detected, the ice tray is inverted to drop the ice into the ice storage container, and then the ice tray is returned to the original position to produce ice. In the method for manufacturing a driving device for an automatic ice making machine according to the above, the concave portions respectively formed at the upper ends of two side walls erected on one of two case halves constituting a case for accommodating each member of the driving device. Then, both ends of a rotation fulcrum shaft of a rotation member for turning on and off a switch for detecting the position of the ice tray, which is rotated in conjunction with the driving of the ice tray, drop the case half from above. A method of manufacturing a driving device for an automatic ice maker, wherein