TWI452249B - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

refrigerator

The present invention relates to a refrigerator for loading an automatic ice making device and a water supply device for an automatic ice making device.

In the water supply device of the automatic ice making device mounted in the conventional refrigerator, for example, the water supply tank and the automatic ice making device are disposed in the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment which are partitioned by the partition wall. The water supply pump is composed of the following members, and the pump unit is configured to be rotationally driven by the movable impeller portion disposed on the bottom surface portion of the water supply tank by magnetic attraction; and the motor portion is disposed opposite to the water supply pump. The outside of the water tank is driven by the magnetic suction force to drive the impeller portion. The water supply path from the water supply tank by the water supply pump is disposed on the inner side of the water supply tank.

The ice tray is disposed in the freezer compartment, and the ice making water fed through the water supply pipe is supplied through the opening of the heat insulating partition. The deicing mechanism is disposed on the ice making tray, and when the ice making is completed, the ice making tray is reversely rotated by the deicing mechanism, and the ice tray is twisted and de-iced. The ice storage box is disposed below the ice making tray to store the fallen ice.

The water supply tank is composed of a transparent vertical container-shaped groove and a groove cover that closes the upper opening, and the movable impeller portion that is rotated by the magnetic attraction of the motor portion is disposed in the groove cover, and is integrally formed to form the driven impeller portion. The water supply pipe through which the extracted ice water is circulated. The ice making water discharged from the water supply line is supplied to the ice making tray via the water supply pipe.

In this configuration, the required ice making water is supplied to the ice tray by rotating the motor portion for a predetermined period of time, and when the ice is finished, the ice generated by the ice tray is dropped to the lower portion by the deicing operation, and stored in the ice. Ice storage box. Then, the same operation as described above is repeated, and the ice making operation is automatically performed (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

[Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent No. 3541147

However, the configuration of the conventional water supply device as described above has the following drawbacks.

(1) First, the water supply pipe from the water supply tank to the ice tray is fixed, and the structure is not premised on cleaning.

(2) Further, since the water supply path is provided in the tank cover, it is difficult to clean the cleaning tool by a cleaning tool such as a general brush in the case of cleaning, and the dirt in the water supply path cannot be thoroughly cleaned.

(3) In addition, in the conventional water supply device, the water supply path is long and the cleaning performance is difficult.

The present invention has been developed in order to solve the problems as described above, and provides a refrigerator including a water supply device for an automatic ice making device shown below.

(1) It is possible to clean all water supply paths (water supply path from the water supply tank to the ice tray).

(2) The water supply tank or water supply path can be easily disassembled.

(3) The cleaning operation can be performed more simply by shortening the water supply path.

In the refrigerator of the present invention, the water supply device is installed in the refrigerating chamber, and an automatic ice making device is provided in the ice making chamber formed below the refrigerating chamber via the heat insulating partition, and the water supply device includes the following components:

(1) a water supply tank for storing water;

(2) The water supply pump unit is provided in the water supply tank, and has a water supply pump unit and a water supply pipe which is a passage for the ice making water discharged from the water supply pump unit;

(3) the driving unit is disposed outside the water supply tank and drives the moving impeller portion of the water supply pump unit in a non-contact manner;

(4) The water supply pipeline is disposed in the water supply tank and connected to the water supply pipe, and is disposed such that the discharge port faces the through hole formed in the heat insulation partition;

(5) The water receiving department receives water from the water supply line;

(6) The discharge pipe is disposed at the front end of the water receiving portion, and the discharge port of the water receiving portion faces the automatic ice making device;

(7) a pipe gasket for sealing the water receiving portion and the discharge pipe; and

(8) The electric component holding member holds the driving portion and holds the water receiving portion in which the discharge pipe is fitted via the pipe gasket; the water supply groove slides in the front-rear direction of the refrigerating chamber, and is detachably attached to the refrigerating chamber, and The water discharge portion in which the discharge pipe is fitted via the pipe gasket is detachably held by the electric component holding member.

All of the components except the driving portion of the refrigerator-based water supply device of the present invention are detachable, and those components are removed and cleaned, thereby eliminating the user's unsafe feeling on the sanitary surface.

First embodiment

The refrigerator of this embodiment includes the water supply device for the automatic ice making device shown below.

(1) It is possible to clean all water supply paths (water supply path from the water supply tank to the ice tray).

(2) The water supply tank or water supply path can be easily disassembled.

(3) The cleaning operation can be performed more simply by shortening the water supply path.

Before explaining the water supply device of the subject matter, first, a configuration example of the refrigerator will be described.

1 and 2 are views showing a first embodiment. Fig. 1 is a front view of the refrigerator 100, and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator 100. The configuration of the refrigerator 100 will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 .

As shown in Fig. 1, the refrigerator 100 has a plurality of chambers, and forms a refrigerating chamber sequentially from the top, and is disposed in the left and right ice making compartments, switching compartments, freezing compartments, and vegetable compartments. The rotary refrigerator door (left) 10a and the refrigerating compartment door (right) 10b (so-called left and right two-door doors) are detachably attached to the front opening of the refrigerator compartment. The width of the refrigerating compartment door (left) 10a is shorter than that of the refrigerating compartment door (right) 10b. The width of the left and right sides of the refrigerating compartment door (left) 10a is made substantially equal to the width of the left and right of the ice making compartment door 20 to be described later. In this case, the width of the left and right of the refrigerating compartment door (right) 10b is substantially equal to the width of the left and right of the switching chamber door 30 to be described later.

The pull-out type ice making compartment door 20 opens and closes freely to cover the front opening of the ice making compartment. The holder 20b on which the ice storage box 20a is placed is fixed to the pull-out type ice making compartment door 20 (see Fig. 2).

The pull-out switching chamber door 30 opens and closes freely to cover the front opening portion of the switching chamber. The inside of the pull-out type switching chamber door 30 serves as a storage chamber having an upper opening.

The pull-out type freezer compartment door 40 is opened and closed to cover the front opening of the freezer compartment.

The pull-out vegetable compartment door 50 opens and closes freely to cover the front opening of the vegetable compartment.

As shown in Fig. 2, the refrigerator 100 is formed by filling a heat insulating material between an outer case made of a steel plate and a resin inner case, and includes a box-shaped body 101 having an opening having one face (front) opening. (heat insulation box). The inside of the body 101 is partitioned into a plurality of chambers by the heat insulating partition walls shown below.

The refrigerator compartment is separated from the ice making compartment and the switching compartment by a first heat insulating partition wall 80a having heat insulating properties. In the first heat insulating partition 80a, a through hole 80a-5 (see FIG. 4) of the discharge pipe 94 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) of the water supply device 60 to be described later is disposed. Water from the water supply tank 61 (see Fig. 6) is supplied from the discharge pipe 94 to the automatic ice making device 70.

The ice making compartment, the switching compartment, and the freezing compartment are separated by a second heat insulating partition 80ba having heat insulation properties.

The freezer compartment and the vegetable compartment are separated by a third heat insulating partition 80c having heat insulation properties.

The inside of the refrigerating compartment is provided with a plurality of racks, and is arranged to accommodate foods in multiple stages. The ice making tray and the deicing mechanism constituting the automatic ice making device 70 are disposed at an upper portion of the ice making chamber. The water supply device 60, which will be described later, supplies water to the ice tray through the through hole 80a-5 (see FIG. 4, the water supply opening) that is opened in the first heat insulating partition 80a. When the deicing mechanism detects that the water stored in the ice tray is frozen, the ice is deflected downward by rotating the ice tray upside down, so that the ice falls downward and is stored in the ice. Ice storage box 20a.

The water supply device 60 (details will be described later) is provided in the lower portion of the refrigerating compartment. Further, an automatic ice making device 70 that supplies water from the water supply device 60 to the ice making chamber and performs ice making is provided. This embodiment is characterized by the configuration of the water supply device 60. As will be described later in detail, the user can pull out the water supply tank 61 (see FIG. 6) constituting the water supply device 60 to the outside, and can clean. Moreover, the water receiving portion 92 and the discharge pipe 94 (refer to Figs. 8 and 9) which are further forward than the water supply tank 61 can be easily removed and cleaned.

Since the other configuration is the same as that of a general refrigerator, the summary will be briefly described. The cold air is generated by a refrigeration cycle using a compressor (for example, a reciprocating compressor) that compresses the refrigerant, and the storage chambers of the cold air cooler are reused. The compressor is disposed in a machine room (outside of the body 101) near the bottom of the refrigerator 100. The high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor is cooled in the condenser to become a high-pressure liquid refrigerant, which is then depressurized by a pressure reducing device to become a low-pressure two-state refrigerant. The low-pressure two-state refrigerant is returned to the compressor by cooling the respective storage chambers of the refrigerator 100 with an evaporator (cooler) to become a low-pressure gaseous refrigerant. Repeat this loop.

In the refrigerator 100, for example, a cooler chamber including at least a cooler and a fan is disposed on the back surface of the freezing compartment. The fan is used to feed the cold air generated by the cooler to each storage compartment. The temperature of each storage compartment is controlled to a set temperature by controlling the amount of airflow of the cold air by means of a windshield.

3 to 7 are views showing a first embodiment, and Fig. 3 is a partial transverse cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the water supply device 60 of the refrigerating compartment viewed from above, and Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of Fig. 3, and 5 Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the water supply tank 61 in a state of being pulled out from the refrigerating compartment, and Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the first heat insulating partition 80a.

Fig. 3 only shows the left side portion of the refrigerating compartment in which the water supply device 60 is disposed. The water supply device 60 is opposed to the article storage bag 10a-1 of the refrigerator compartment door (left) 10a, and is provided near the left end of the refrigerator compartment.

The details of the water supply device 60 will be described later, and the water supply pump unit 62 and the water supply pump unit 64 that is the water supply pipe 63 that is the passage for the ice making water discharged from the water supply pump unit 62, and the water supply line 61b that connects the water supply pipe 63 (see the The water receiving portion 92 and the like which are faced by the discharge port of Fig. 4 are provided in the water supply tank main body 61a. The water receiving portion 92 is provided at an intermediate position in the depth direction of the refrigerating chamber. Therefore, when the water receiving portion 92 is removed for cleaning, the user's hand is easily reached.

The configuration in the vicinity of the water supply device 60 of the refrigerating compartment will be described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5 . The water supply device 60 includes at least the elements shown below.

(1) The water supply tank 61 storing the water; (2) the water supply pump unit 64 is provided in the water supply tank 61, and has a water supply pump unit 62 and a water supply pipe which is a passage for the ice making water discharged from the water supply pump unit 62. (3) The motor unit 96 (drive unit) is provided outside the water supply tank 61, and drives the moving impeller part 62a of the water supply pump unit 62 in a non-contact manner (see Fig. 6); (4) Water supply The pipe 61b is provided in the water supply tank 61, and is connected to the water supply pipe 63, and is provided such that the discharge port faces the through hole 80a-5 formed in the first heat insulating partition 80a (an example of the heat insulating partition); 5) The water receiving portion 92 receives water from the water supply line 61b (see Figs. 8 and 9); (6) the groove washer 91 seals the water supply line 61b and the water receiving portion 92 (refer to 8 and 9); (7) The discharge pipe 94 is provided at the front end of the water receiving portion 92, and the front end (discharge port) faces the automatic ice making device 70 (refer to Figs. 8 and 9); The tube gasket 93 seals the water receiving portion 92 and the discharge tube 94 (see FIGS. 8 and 9); and (9) the electric element holding member 97 (separator) holds the motor portion 96 (drive portion) ) and a heater for preventing freezing (not shown, The outer circumference of the discharge pipe 94 is placed, and the like, and the water receiving portion 92 to which the discharge pipe 94 is fitted via the pipe gasket 93 is held.

The water supply tank 61 is provided with a vertical vertical container-shaped water supply tank main body 61a made of PS (polystyrene resin) and a tank cover 61c detachably fitted to close the opening of the upper surface of the water supply tank main body 61a. In the groove cover 61c, the gasket 65 is attached to the outer peripheral portion, and the opening of the water supply tank body 61a can be tightly closed by the gasket 65.

The water supply tank main body 61a of the water supply tank 61 has a convex shape 61a-1 that protrudes downward on the bottom surface portion on the inner side (the right side in Fig. 6) of the refrigerating compartment 61, and the electric component holding member 97 (separator) and The concave portion 97a (see FIG. 7 and the concave portion) corresponding to the convex shape 61a-1 is provided at the storage position of the water supply tank 61.

As shown in Fig. 6, the water supply tank 61 is connected to the bottom surface portion 61a-3 by the convex shape 61a-1 and the inclined surface 61a-2 having a small gradient on the front side of the convex shape 61a-1. The leg portion 61d is integrally formed on the front side of the bottom surface portion 61a-3, and the leg portion 61d and the convex shape 61a-1 have substantially the same height in the accommodated state and the pulled-out state, and the water supply groove 61 is formed in a parallel state.

The inclined surface 97c which is gradually raised along the slope of the inclined surface 61a-2 of the water supply tank 61 is provided on the front side of the concave portion 97a of the electric component holding member 97 (separator), and on the front side of the inclined surface 97c The inclined surface 97d which is lowered forward with a gentler slope is connected to the flat portion 97e of the electric component holding member 97 (separator). This flat portion 97e is configured to have the same height as the concave portion 97a. The portion where the portion where the inclined surface 97c that has risen in the past and the inclined surface 97d that has descended forward has protruded upward is the convex portion 97b.

Further, the water supply pump unit 64 is fixed to the inner side of the bottom surface portion of the water supply tank 61 (portion of the convex shape 61a-1). This water supply pump unit 64 is composed of a water supply pump unit 62 and a water supply pipe 63 (silicone) which is a passage for the ice making water discharged from the water supply pump unit 62.

The moving impeller portion 62a to which the disk-shaped magnet is fixed is housed in the water supply pump unit 62, and is disposed outside the moving impeller portion 62a so as to face the moving impeller portion 62a. The motor portion 96 (driving portion) is rotationally driven by magnetic attraction. The suction port 62b is provided on the front surface of the water supply pump unit 62 (on the left side in Fig. 6). The water sucked into the water supply tank 61 from the suction port 62b is discharged to the water supply line 61b provided in the water supply tank 61.

The water supply line 61b is formed integrally with the water supply tank main body 61a, has an opening on the upper and lower sides, and is connected to the water supply pipe 63 at the upper portion, and allows the water supplied from the water supply pipe 63 to flow to the lower opening. The opening of the lower portion of the water supply line 61b is disposed to face the upper opening of the water receiving portion 92.

Further, the water supply line 61b may be configured as an element different from the water supply tank body 61a. In the case where the water supply line 61b is integrally formed with the water supply tank main body 61a, since the shape of the water supply tank main body 61a is complicated, the molding die also has a complicated structure. However, if the water supply line 61b is constituted by an element different from the water supply tank main body 61a, the molding die having the water supply tank main body 61a can have a relatively simple structure.

The motor unit 96 (drive unit) has a rotation shaft (not shown) disposed in the horizontal direction via the partition plate (electric element holding member 97), and a rotation unit (not shown) is disposed in the water supply tank 61. The moving impeller portion 62a of the water supply pump portion 62 faces each other. The magnet plate is fixed to the rotating portion, and the moving impeller portion 62a of the water supply pump portion 62 is rotationally driven by the magnetic suction force via the partition plate (electric element holding member 97) and the wall surface of the water supply tank 61.

Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 are views showing a first embodiment, Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion C of Fig. 4, and Fig. 9 is an exploded view of a member for water receiving from water supplied from a water supply line 61b.

The water supply tank body 61a is in a state where the water supply tank 61 is installed at a normal position. The lower opening of the water supply line 61b is placed on the upper surface of the water receiving portion 92 via the groove gasket 91. The groove gasket 91 suppresses water leakage from the water supply line 61b into the refrigerator compartment.

The water receiving portion 92 has a funnel shape in which the upper surface is opened, and is connected to a cylindrical discharge pipe 94 formed of aluminum at the lower portion. The tube gasket 93 is attached to the joint portion of the water receiving portion 92 and the discharge tube 94, and tightly closes the water receiving portion 92 and the discharge tube 94 to prevent water leakage.

Since the front end of the discharge pipe 94 faces the ice making chamber, the cold air of the ice making chamber flows from the discharge pipe 94 to the water supply tank 61. Therefore, although not shown, a heater is provided around the motor element holding member 97 covering the outer circumference of the discharge pipe 94 to suppress the occurrence of freezing inside the discharge pipe 94.

Further, the tube gasket 93 provided at the connection portion between the water receiving portion 92 and the discharge pipe 94 suppresses leakage of cold air from the discharge pipe 94 to the ice making chamber flowing toward the water supply tank 61 side to the refrigerating chamber.

The cold air of the ice making compartment flowing from the discharge pipe 94 to the water supply tank 61 side is less likely to invade into the water supply tank 61. Since the water is often retained in the vicinity of the water supply pump portion 62, the cold air in the ice making chamber is blocked here. Further, a groove cover 61c detachably fitted to an opening that closes the upper surface of the water supply tank main body 61a is attached, and the gasket 65 is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the groove cover 61c because the opening of the water supply tank body 61a is tightly closed by the gasket 65 unit.

The handle 92a is provided in the water receiving portion 92, and is configured to be detachable from the front side, for example, when the water receiving portion 92 is cleaned.

Next, explain the water supply action. When the motor unit 96 is driven in the automatic ice making operation, the rotational driving of the moving impeller portion 62a of the water supply pump unit 62 is performed. Then, the ice making water that has been taken into the water supply tank 61 from the suction port 62b of the water supply pump unit 62 flows through the water supply pipe 61b through the water supply pipe 63, and is supplied from the water receiving unit 92 to the ice tray through the discharge pipe 94. Ice making water.

The motor unit 96 is driven for a predetermined period of time to supply custom ice water to the ice tray. Then, when ice is detected in the ice making chamber, the deicing operation is performed by the deicing mechanism, and the water of the ice making tray falls and stored in the ice storage box 20a (see Fig. 2). Thereafter, the above-described water supply operation is performed.

Next, a case where the cleaning operation (cleaning operation) of the water supply device 60 is performed will be described. When the water supply tank 61 is cleaned, the water supply tank 61 is taken out from the refrigerator compartment by the handle 61e. At this time, in the state shown in Fig. 6, the water supply tank 61 is taken out in a state in which the groove gasket 91 is attached. In the cleaning operation, the tank cover 61c can be removed, and the water supply pump unit 64 (the water supply pump unit 62 and the water supply pipe 63) can be removed and then cleaned.

Further, when the discharge pipe 94 is cleaned, the handle 92a of the water portion 92 is picked up and lifted upward, whereby the discharge pipe 94 and the water receiving portion 92 can be simultaneously removed from the refrigeration chamber (the water receiving portion 92 and the discharge portion 92) Tube 94 is secured by tube gasket 93). Therefore, the discharge pipe 94 and the water receiving portion 92 can be easily cleaned.

At the time of attachment, the handle 92a of the water receiving portion 92 is brought into a predetermined position (the insertion portion of the discharge pipe 94 of the electric component holding member 97), and is inserted and positioned in the first heat insulating partition 80a. The predetermined position (through hole 80a-5).

As described above, since it is possible to easily remove all the water supply paths (from the water supply tank 61 to the discharge pipe 94), it is possible to clean all the water supply paths and maintain the hygienicity of the water supply device 60.

10a. . . Refrigerator door (left)

10a-1. . . Item storage bag

10b. . . Refrigerator door (right)

20. . . Ice making door

20a. . . Ice storage box

20b. . . frame

30. . . Switching room door

40. . . Freezer door

50. . . Vegetable room door

60. . . Water supply unit

61. . . Water supply tank

61a. . . Sink body

61a-1. . . Convex shape

61a-2. . . Inclined surface

61a-3. . . Bottom part

61b. . . Water supply line

61c. . . Slot cover

61d. . . Foot

61e. . . handle

62. . . Water supply pump department

62a. . . Moving impeller

62b. . . suction point

63. . . Water supply pipe

64. . . Water pump unit

65. . . washer

70. . . Automatic ice making device

80a. . . First insulation partition

80a-5. . . Through hole

80b. . . 2nd insulation partition

80c. . . 3rd insulation partition

91. . . Groove washer

92. . . Water receiving department

92a. . . handle

93. . . Pipe washer

94. . . Drain pipe

96. . . Motor department

97. . . Electric component holding member

97a. . . Concave section

97b. . . Convex section

97c. . . Inclined surface

97d. . . Inclined surface

97e. . . Plane department

100. . . refrigerator

101. . . Ontology

Fig. 1 is a view showing a first embodiment, and is a front view of the refrigerator 100.

Fig. 2 is a view showing a first embodiment, and is a longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator 100.

Fig. 3 is a view showing a first embodiment, and is a partial transverse cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the water supply device 60 of the refrigerating compartment as seen from above.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the water supply tank 61 in a state of being pulled out from the refrigerator compartment, showing the first embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a view showing the first embodiment, and is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the first heat insulating partition 80a.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion C of Fig. 4.

Fig. 9 is a view showing the first embodiment, and is an exploded view of the water-receiving member that receives water from the water supply line 61b.

A-A. . . section

61. . . Water supply tank

61a. . . Sink body

61b. . . Water supply line

61c. . . Slot cover

62. . . Water supply pump department

63. . . Water supply pipe

64. . . Water pump unit

70. . . Automatic ice making device

80a. . . First insulation partition

80a-5. . . Through hole

96. . . Motor department

97. . . Electric component holding member

101. . . Ontology

Claims (5)

A refrigerator in which a water supply device is installed in a refrigerating chamber, and an automatic ice making device is provided in an ice making chamber formed below the refrigerating chamber via an insulating partition wall, characterized in that the water supply device comprises the following components: (1) a water supply tank for storing water; (2) a water supply pump unit provided inside the bottom surface portion of the water supply tank, and having a water supply pump unit and a water supply passage for the ice making water discharged from the water supply pump unit (3) a driving unit disposed outside the water supply tank and driving the moving impeller portion of the water supply pump unit in a non-contact manner; (4) a water supply line disposed in the water supply tank and located in the water supply pump The front portion has an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the upper portion and the lower portion respectively form an upper opening portion and a lower opening portion, the water supply pipe extending forward from the water supply pump portion and connecting the upper opening portion, the lower opening a portion facing the through hole formed in the heat insulating partition, and the water supplied from the water supply pipe flows from the upper opening portion to the lower opening portion; (5) the water receiving portion receives the lower portion from the water supply pipe Water in the opening; (6) groove pad And sealing the water supply pipe and the water receiving portion; (7) the discharge pipe is disposed at a front end of the water receiving portion, receives the water discharged from the water receiving portion, and is discharged by the discharge port of the discharge pipe, and the The discharge port faces the automatic ice making device; (8) a tube gasket for sealing the water receiving portion and the discharge tube; and (9) an electric component holding member for holding the driving portion and holding the water receiving portion to which the discharge tube is fitted via the tube gasket The water supply tank slides in the front-rear direction of the refrigerating compartment, and is detachably attached to the refrigerating compartment, and the lower opening of the water supply conduit passes through the trough in a state where the water supply tank is attached to the refrigerating compartment The gasket is placed on the upper surface of the water receiving portion, and the water supply tank and the water receiving portion to which the discharge pipe is fitted via the tube gasket are detachably held by the electric component holding member. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the water receiving portion is disposed at an intermediate position in a depth direction of the refrigerator. A refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the water supply line of the water supply tank is installed as a different component in the water supply tank. A refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the water supply line of the water supply tank is installed as a different component in the water supply tank. A refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a handle is attached to the water receiving portion.