JP2011027371A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To overcome degradation of reliability due to water leakage from a divided part, when a water supply pipe of an automatic ice making machine disposed in a refrigerator is configured to be divisionally demountable. <P>SOLUTION: In this refrigerator having the water supply pipe 21 for supplying cold water to an ice making pan in a freezing compartment from a water storage tank 11 in a refrigerating compartment 2, the water supply pipe 21 is divided into a plurality of passage parts, a water supply pipe part 21e as a part positioned in the refrigerating compartment is mountable and demountable to the other water supply pipe part adjacent thereto by expanding and contracting the pipe part without using a tool, and a connection other side section of the water supply pipe part 21e is provided with a rubber packing 30 to prevent water leakage on a connecting section. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly to an automatic ice maker for a refrigerator.

  As a refrigerator equipped with an automatic ice maker, there is an example described in Patent Document 1 as a conventional example in which a part of a water supply pipe constituting a water supply path of the automatic ice maker can be detached from other parts.

  The refrigerator main body has a freezer compartment below the refrigerator compartment inside, and the front opening portions of both compartments are closed by the refrigerator compartment door and the freezer compartment door, respectively. Moreover, the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment are divided by a partition wall.

  An automatic ice making device is installed in the freezer compartment, and is composed of a machine part for automatically removing ice made from the ice tray, an ice storage container for storing ice made from the ice tray, and the like.

  The water supply unit is installed in the refrigerator compartment, and includes a water supply tank into which nearly 2 liters of water enters, a water supply pump for guiding water in the water supply tank to the ice tray, and the like. The water supply pipe part is located in a shape that penetrates the partition wall that separates the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment. The water receiving part receives water from the water supply pump, the pipe guide receives the pipe from the water receiving part, and the ice tray. It consists of a water supply pipe for guiding water, a heater for preventing the water supply pipe from freezing, and a pipe cover.

  The water supply tank and the water receiving part are detachable and have a structure that can be arbitrarily cleaned by the user. Both ends of the water receiving part are not water-tight for easy attachment / detachment.

  In addition, the water supply pipe portion is embedded in the partition wall, and in order to enable maintenance, a pipe cover, which is a part different from the partition wall, is provided above the water supply pipe and covered.

  These automatic ice maker, water supply unit, refrigerator with automatic ice maker equipped with water supply pipe part is a series of known water supply-ice making-water supply-ice making operations The water in the water supply tank disappears or the ice storage container is full of ice It will be repeated automatically until it is detected.

JP 2001-41625 A

  The conventional refrigerator with an automatic ice maker having such a structure has the following problems.

  Since the water supply pipe leads water to the ice tray, one end of the water supply pipe is adjacent to the freezer compartment.If water remains in the water supply pipe after water supply to the ice tray, the water supply pipe freezes and the next When water is supplied, water may accumulate in the water supply pipe, overflow from the gap between the water receiving part and the pipe connection part, and the water may flow out into the refrigerator compartment.

  For this reason, a heater for preventing the water supply pipe from freezing is installed, and if the heater is set to a heat generation amount sufficient to prevent the pipe from freezing, there is no possibility of the water supply pipe freezing.

  However, since the heat generation amount of the heater is set to the minimum necessary from the viewpoint of reducing the power consumption, it is not always possible to prevent the water supply pipe from freezing, and the outflow of water may occur.

  In addition, if the user spills water when installing the water supply tank, water may enter the partition wall through the gap between the pipe cover, which is the lid of the water supply pipe, and the partition wall, and stay around the water supply pipe. . In that case, the temperature of the water supply pipe is lower than usual, making it more difficult to prevent the water supply pipe from being frozen by the heater, and the possibility of water outflow is high.

  Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to eliminate the deterioration of reliability due to water leakage from the water supply path, which is a concern when the water supply path by the water supply pipe of the automatic ice maker is removable, which improves the hygiene and serviceability. There is to do.

  Furthermore, in addition to the main object, another object is to provide a refrigerator that can further improve the hygiene and service provided by the removable structure of the water supply path.

The main object of the present invention is a refrigerator that is detachable from the refrigerator by dividing at least a part of a water supply pipe constituting a water supply path of an automatic ice maker of the refrigerator from other parts,
This is achieved by a refrigerator comprising a sealing member for preventing water leakage at a pipe connecting portion between the one part and the other part of the water supply pipe.

  According to such a refrigerator, it is possible to take out the water supply pipe of the automatic ice maker and give consideration to hygiene, while preventing water leakage from the connection portion of the water supply pipe with the sealing member, thereby preventing the automatic ice maker. And the reliability of the refrigerator incorporating it can be improved.

Another object of the present invention is a refrigerator in which at least a part of a water supply pipe constituting a water supply path of an automatic ice maker of the refrigerator is separated from the other part and removable from the refrigerator.
The water supply pipe divided into a plurality of three or more;
A seal member provided at a pipe connection portion of the plurality of water supply pipes to prevent water leakage at the connection portion;
The expansion / contraction part formed in at least a part of the part of the water supply pipe disposed in the middle part of the water supply path is an expansion / contraction part in the length direction of the water supply pipe,
An elastic body that urges a force to stretch the stretchable part;
A pin for transmitting a force to reduce the expansion and contraction part;
The pipe connection has a rib that contacts the pin and guides the movement of the pin in the expansion / contraction direction, and the shape of the rib is such that the water supply pipe having the expansion / contraction part adjoins the pin and the rib. It is achieved by a refrigerator characterized by having a shape that can be converted into a stretchable movement of a stroke that can be detached from the unit.

  According to such a refrigerator, it is possible to take out the water supply pipe of the automatic ice maker and give consideration to hygiene, while preventing water leakage from the connection portion of the water supply pipe with the sealing member, thereby preventing the automatic ice maker. In addition to improving the reliability of the refrigerator incorporating it, the middle part of the water supply pipe can be shrunk from the adjacent water supply pipe by removing the expansion / contraction part and removed from the refrigerator. Also for removal and reattachment, the expansion / contraction operation of the expansion / contraction part can be easily completed by changing the relative movement of the pin attached to the water supply pipe having the rib and the expansion / contraction part to the expansion / contraction movement.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the reliability of the refrigerator provided with the automatic ice maker can be improved.

It is a front view of the refrigerator with an automatic ice maker by the Example of this invention. It is a front view in the state except the door of the refrigerator of FIG. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the essential part of FIG. 1 as viewed from the side of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the water supply path part of the automatic ice maker shown in FIG. It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view which showed the detail of the water supply pipe in the water supply path middle part shown in FIG.

  An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a refrigerator-freezer will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  1 is an external front view of a refrigerator with an automatic ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of the refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, with the door of the refrigerator compartment removed, and FIG. 3 is an illustration of the refrigerator with an automatic ice maker. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of the refrigerator compartment water supply unit, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of the water supply pipe.

  In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a refrigerator main body arranged in the order of a first freezing room 3, a second freezing room 4, and a vegetable room 5 comprising a refrigerator compartment 2, an ice making room 3a and a quick freezing room 3b from the top. 6 a, 6 b, 7, 8, 9, 10 are door bodies that block the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 2, the first freezer compartment 3, the second freezer compartment 4, and the vegetable compartment 5. The first freezer compartment 3, the second freezer compartment 4, and the vegetable compartment 5 are formed by an ice storage container 13 and drawer containers 14, 15 and 16 attached to the doors 7, 8, 9 and 10.

  The refrigerating chamber 2 is provided with a water storage tank 11 for storing water to be supplied to the automatic ice making machine 12 provided in the ice making chamber 3a. Water stored in the water storage tank 11 is supplied to the ice tray 23 of the automatic ice maker 12 through the water supply pipe 21. Since the water storage tank 11 is placed on the partition wall 24 that forms the bottom surface of the refrigerator compartment 2, the distance from the automatic ice maker 12 disposed in the first freezer compartment 3 can be shortened, thus providing a water supply path. The water supply pipe 21 can be shortened. The ice storage container 13 placed in the first freezer compartment 3 is pulled out together by pulling out the drawer door 7, and the refrigerator user can take out the ice stored in the ice storage container 13.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a cooling chamber 17 is located behind the first freezing chamber 3 and the second freezing chamber 4, and the evaporation constituting a part of the refrigerating cycle is provided in the cooling chamber 17. There are provided a cooler 18, a blower 19 for sending cool air cooled by the evaporator 18, and a defrosting heater 20 for melting frost attached to the evaporator 18.

  The cold air cooled by the evaporator 18 is sent not only to the first freezer compartment 3 and the second freezer compartment 4 but also to the refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment 5 by a blower 19 disposed above the evaporator 18. Each of the storage chambers is forcibly sent to the storage chambers and cooled to a preset room temperature, and the cooled cold air is sent again to the cooling chamber 17 and returned to the lower side of the evaporator 18. When such a circulation of cold air is repeated and a predetermined frost is attached to the evaporator 18, the defrosting heater 20 (glass tube heater) generates heat, and the evaporator 18 and the like are defrosted.

  The cold water in the water storage tank 11 is supplied to the ice tray 23 by a water supply pipe 21 connecting the water storage tank 11 and the automatic ice making machine 12. The amount of water supplied is determined by the driving time of the water supply pump 22 (for example, 5 to 10 seconds), and is, for example, 80 cc to 100 cc. In this embodiment, a gear pump is used for the pump portion 22a.

  This gear pump houses two gears in the gear case, and the liquid feeding principle is that when the fluid entering the gear pump from the suction pipe is disengaged by gear rotation, the fluid is sucked into the tooth groove from the suction pipe side, The fluid that has entered the tooth gap is confined by the gear case, and further, the fluid is carried along the gear case to the discharge pipe side by the rotation of the gear. The fluid carried to the discharge pipe is pushed out one after another by the meshing of the gear, and is supplied to the discharge pipe by the pushed fluid. The gear pump can also rotate in the reverse direction. During the reverse rotation, the discharge pipe serves as a suction pipe, and the suction pipe serves as a discharge pipe.

  As described above, the ice produced in the ice tray 23 is stored in the ice storage container 13 positioned below the ice tray 23. That is, a control unit (not shown) issues instructions for water supply, ice making, deicing, etc. to the automatic ice maker 12, and based on these instructions, the drive unit of the automatic ice maker (not shown) rotates the ice tray 23 in a normal direction. By reversing and twisting the ice tray 23 formed of a flexible material, the ice made in the ice tray 23 is controlled to fall into the ice storage container 13. In other words, it is programmed in advance in software mounted on a control board (not shown) so that the rotation of the water supply pump 22 and the rotation of the ice tray 23 are controlled as described above.

  Next, a water supply pump 22 and a water supply pipe 21 for supplying water in the water storage tank 11 to the ice tray 23 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The downstream end 21 a of the water supply pipe 21 is open to the ice making chamber 3 a, is located on the ice making tray 23, and water supplied from the water storage tank 11 enters the ice making tray 23. Yes. Further, the upstream end 21 b of the water supply pipe 21 is inside the water storage tank 11 and is installed near the bottom surface of the water storage tank 11. A water purification filter is attached to the upstream end 21b of the water supply pipe 21, and the water sent to the ice tray 23 is always configured to be clean water that has passed through the water purification filter.

  The water supply pump 22 plays the role of pumping the water in the water storage tank 11 and supplying a certain amount to the ice tray 23. The pump portion 22 a is provided in a water supply path by a water supply pipe 21 outside the water storage tank 11.

  The water supply path of the present embodiment is constituted by a water supply pipe 21, and the water supply pipe 21 is not formed by a single continuous pipe from the upstream end 21b to the downstream end 21a. A series of water supply paths are configured by connecting these components.

  The water supply pipe 21 is formed integrally with the water storage tank 11 from the upstream end 21 b in the water storage tank 11 to the outside of the water storage tank 11 and connected to the water supply pump 22. The water supply pipe portion 21d, the partition wall 24 that divides the refrigerator compartment 2 and the first freezer compartment 3 is located inside the partition wall 24 from the surface of the partition wall 24 on the refrigerator compartment 2 side to the upstream end portion 21a of the water supply pipe 21. The water supply pipe portion 21f is constituted by a water supply pipe portion 21e from the water supply pipe portion 21d of the water supply pipe 21 to the water supply pipe portion 21f inside the partition wall 24.

  The water supply pipe portion 21 c in the water storage tank 11 has a most upstream portion located near the bottom surface of the water storage tank 11, and the most downstream portion is located outside the water storage tank 11 and can be connected to the water supply pump 22.

  The water supply pipe part 21d in the water supply pump 22 has a pump part 22a in the middle, and the most upstream part is a connection part with the water supply pipe part 21c. Have. Further, the most downstream part is a connection part with the water supply pipe part 21e, and in order to connect without water leakage, for example, a seal member for preventing water leakage at the pipe connection part such as the rubber packing 30 is attached. 21e can be easily connected.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the water supply pipe portion 21c is detachable together with the water storage tank 11, and the most downstream portion of the water supply pipe portion 21c is provided so as to be connectable with the most upstream portion of the water supply pipe portion 21d. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the water supply pipe portion 21c located in the water storage tank 11 extends upward from the most upstream portion 21b, bends at a position lower than the upper surface of the water storage tank 11, and extends backward. The most downstream part is the rearmost end part of the rear extension part.

  On the other hand, the upstream side of the most upstream portion of the water supply pipe portion 21d extends forward, and when the water storage tank 11 is pushed rearward on the partition wall 24, both ends thereof are connected. At this time, the positional relationship between the pump portion 22a of the water supply pump 22 and the pump holder 22b for fixing the pump portion to the refrigerator main body does not change, and the water is supplied to the ice tray 23 by being driven in the same manner as before the water storage tank 11 is attached and detached. Done. Further, the water supply pump 22 is disposed on the back side of the water storage tank 11 as a position not affected by the attachment / detachment of the water storage tank 11.

  In the water supply pipe portion 21f in the partition wall 24, the most upstream portion is a connection portion with the water supply pipe portion 21e, and the water supply pipe portion 21f is connected without leaking. Etc. are attached, and it can be easily connected to the water supply pipe portion 21e. The most upstream part opens in the refrigerator compartment 2 outside the partition wall 24, and when water leaks at this connection part, the leaked water flows to the refrigerator compartment 2 side of the partition wall 24. It has a structure that does not enter the partition wall 24.

  In addition, the most downstream portion is open to the ice making chamber 3 a side and is located on the ice making tray 23, so that water supplied from the water storage tank 11 enters the ice making tray 23. In addition, the heater 25 is attached to the water supply pipe part 21f, and the water supply pipe part 21f can be prevented from freezing.

  The water supply pipe portion 21e from the water supply pipe portion 21d of the water supply pipe 21 to the water supply pipe portion 21f inside the partition wall 24 is formed in a bellows shape in the middle of the water supply pipe portion 21e excluding both end portions, and has a telescopic structure. A spring 29 for applying a force for extending the water supply pipe main body 27 in the axial direction; a pin 31 for restricting the movable direction of the water supply pipe main body 27 and the spring 29 to only the axial direction of the water supply pipe main body 27; It is comprised from the pipe holder 28 for fixing the water supply pipe main body 27, the spring 29, and the pin 31 to a predetermined position.

  The outermost diameter of the tip of the water supply pipe body 27 is made smaller than the inner diameter of the rubber packing 30 so that water can be easily connected to the rubber packing 30 without leaking water, and as the distance from the tip increases. The outer diameter is gradually increased to be larger than the inner diameter of the rubber packing 30. Moreover, the water supply pipe main body 27 has a bellows-like shape in a part thereof, and can be expanded and contracted. An inclined rib 32 and a groove 33 are formed in the pump holder 22b for fixing the pump portion 22a and the water supply pipe portion 21d at predetermined positions by the water supply pump 22, and the spring is moved along with the pin 31 here. It is possible to adjust the amount of expansion / contraction of 29.

  With such a configuration, the pin 31 comes into contact with the inclined surface of the rib 32, and the pin 31 is guided by the inclined surface of the rib 32 to give the pin 31 a movement in the expansion / contraction direction of the water supply pipe body 27. Therefore, the shape of the rib 32 includes a shape for converting the relative movement between the pin 31 and the rib 32 into a stroke expansion / contraction motion that can be detached from the pipe connection portion (each rubber packing 30) adjacent to the water supply pipe portion 21e. Yes.

  A method for attaching and detaching the water supply pipe portion 21e will be described. A recess-shaped knob 34 is provided in front of the pipe holder 28 of the water supply pipe portion 21e, and the operation of the water supply pipe portion 21e in the front-rear direction can be easily performed by inserting a finger into the knob 34. Is possible. When attaching the water supply pipe portion 21e, first, the most downstream side of the water supply pipe body 27 is inserted into the rubber packing 30 provided at the most upstream portion of the water supply pipe portion 21f in the partition wall 24.

  Thereafter, the water supply pipe portion 21e is rotated around the most downstream portion of the inserted water supply pipe main body 27 to move the uppermost stream portion of the water supply pipe main body 27 to a fixed position during normal use shown in FIG. During this rotational movement, the pin 31 is provided on the pump holder 22b and along the inclined rib 32, the rib 32 pushes the pin 31, and the spring 29 and the water supply pipe main body 27 are contracted. Is located at a position lower than the rubber packing 30 on the water supply pump 22 side.

  When the rotation further proceeds to the fixed position, the pin 31 enters the groove 33 provided in the rib 32, the spring 29 and the water supply pipe main body 27 extend, and the uppermost stream portion of the water supply pipe main body 27 is inserted into the rubber packing 30, and the water supply pipe portion 21e is connected. Further, the rib 32 has a symmetrical shape in the front-rear direction of the refrigerator. When the water supply pipe portion 21e is removed, the rib 32 of the water supply pipe main body 27 is attached in the same manner as when it is attached by rotating in the reverse direction. The most upstream part becomes lower than the rubber packing 30 on the water supply pump 22 side and can be removed.

  By taking such a configuration, the water supply pipe portion 21e can expand and contract the water supply pipe main body 27 only by the operation in the front-rear direction, and the user does not need to perform the expansion and contraction operation of the water supply pipe main body 27. It is possible to easily and reliably attach and detach the water supply pipe portion 21e.

  On the side of the ice making chamber 3a of the partition wall 24, there is a hole provided at a position and size at which at least the water supply pipe portion 21f can be taken out, and a pipe cover 26 of a size covering the hole of the partition wall 24 is attached. It has been. The pipe cover 26 is attached by screw or claw fitting and is detachable. Therefore, by removing the pipe cover 26 together with the filling in the partition wall below the water supply pipe portion 21f, the water supply pipe portion 21f can be removed from the partition wall 24, and maintenance can be performed.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  As described above, since the water storage tank 11, the water supply pump 22, the water supply pipe portion 21e, and the water supply pipe portion 21f are all detachable, maintenance such as internal cleaning can be performed, and hygiene is ensured. The automatic ice making device can be used while keeping it. In particular, the water supply pipe portion 21e can be attached and detached only by moving it back and forth, and can be attached and detached very easily without using a tool. For example, the interior can be cleaned every day.

  In addition, when these parts are attached, all the connecting parts can be joined together by parts such as the rubber packing 30 without leaking water. Therefore, when the water supply pipe 21 is frozen, the water in the water storage tank 11 is drained. Even in a situation where water is supplied, it is possible to prevent water from overflowing into the refrigerator compartment 2.

  Furthermore, the water remaining in the water supply pipe 21 can be sucked up by reversely rotating the water supply pump 22 for a certain time (about 10 seconds) after the water supply operation, and water does not remain in the water supply pipe 21. 21 can be prevented from freezing itself, and moreover, overflow of water into the refrigerator compartment 2 can be prevented.

  In addition, the pipe cover 26 for maintenance of the water supply pipe portion 21f inside the partition wall 24 is attached not to the refrigerator compartment 2 side that is the upper side of the partition wall 24 but to the ice making chamber 3a side that is the lower side. Since water can enter the partition wall 24 from the fitting portion of the cover 26 and the water stays around the water supply pipe portion 21f, it is possible to prevent a temperature drop of the water supply pipe portion 21f. It is possible to prevent overflow of water into the refrigerator compartment 2 due to freezing of the pipe 21.

  As described above, the present embodiment provides a highly reliable refrigerator with an automatic ice maker that can perform maintenance to maintain hygiene with an easy operation and that can prevent water overflow due to water supply pipe freezing. Can do.

  As described above, the present invention has industrial applicability in the field of refrigerators with automatic ice makers.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator body 2 Refrigerating room 3 1st freezer room 3a Ice making room 3b Quick freezing room 4 Second freezing room 5 Vegetable room 6a, 6b, 7, 8, 9, 10 Door 11 Water storage tank 12 Automatic ice making machine 13 Ice storage container 14, 15, 16 Drawer 17 Cooling chamber 18 Evaporator 19 Blower 20 Defrosting heater 21 Water supply pipe 21c, 21d, 21e, 21f Water supply pipe portion 22 Water supply pump 22a Pump portion 22b Pump holder 23 Ice tray 24 Partition wall 25 Heater 26 Pipe cover 27 Water supply pipe body 28 Pipe holder 29 Spring 30 Rubber packing 31 Pin 32 Rib 33 Groove

Claims (3)

In a refrigerator that is detachable from the refrigerator by dividing from at least a portion of a water supply pipe constituting a water supply path of an automatic ice maker of the refrigerator,
A refrigerator comprising a sealing member for preventing water leakage at a pipe connecting portion between the part and the other part of the water supply pipe. In claim 1,
The water supply pipe divided into a plurality of three or more;
A seal member provided at a pipe connection portion of the plurality of water supply pipes to prevent water leakage at the connection portion;
The expansion / contraction part formed in at least a part of the part of the water supply pipe disposed in the middle part of the water supply path is an expansion / contraction part in the length direction of the water supply pipe,
An elastic body that urges a force to stretch the stretchable part;
A pin for transmitting a force to reduce the expansion and contraction part;
The pipe connection has a rib that contacts the pin and guides the movement of the pin in the expansion / contraction direction, and the shape of the rib is such that the water supply pipe having the expansion / contraction part adjoins the pin and the rib. A refrigerator characterized by having a shape that can be converted into a telescopic motion of a stroke that can be attached and detached from the section.   3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerator includes a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment disposed below the refrigerator compartment by a partition wall, and the water supply pipe extends from the water storage tank in the refrigerator compartment to the partition wall. The water supply pipe part in the partition wall is divided from the other part of the water supply pipe, and the freezing room side of the partition wall has the A hole with a size and position where the water supply pipe in the partition wall can be taken out is opened, and a cover with a size covering the hole is attached to the partition wall, and the cover can be attached to and detached from the partition wall. The refrigerator characterized by being.

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