JP2008057897A - Ice making device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ice making device capable of preventing icing on an ice tray and a scraping-out portion. <P>SOLUTION: In this ice making device 1, a water supply port 221 is formed at a side part of the ice tray 21. A scraping-out member 23 comprises a rotating shaft 231 rotated and driven around an axis by a driving unit 3, and the scraping-out portion 232 projecting to a side part from the rotating shaft 231 for scraping out ice from each of ice making grooves 215 of the ice tray 21. The driving unit 3 supplies water to the ice tray 21 after the scraping-out portion 232 is raised near the water supply port 221, and moved to a side opposite to a side of the water supply port 221 through the rotating shaft 231. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ice making device of a type that produces ice in an ice tray and scrapes out the ice formed in the ice tray from the ice tray with a scraping member.

In the ice making device, a configuration has been proposed in which the scraping member having a scraping portion formed so as to protrude laterally from the rotating shaft is rotated to scrape ice from the ice tray (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2005-300095 A

  In such an ice making device, a water supply port is generally arranged on the side of the ice tray, and the scraping member is placed in a state where the scraping portion is located below the water supply port until the ice making in the ice tray is finished. In many cases, a configuration for waiting is adopted. Also, it is often the case that water is supplied from the water supply port to the ice tray at the timing when the scraping unit stops below the water supply port or just before that, and the ice making and ice scraping are continuously performed alternately. . However, when such a configuration is adopted, when the water is supplied, water is applied to the scraping portion, and when the water freezes, the ice tray and the scraping portion are frozen, and the ice scraping operation cannot be performed. Is likely to occur.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an ice making device capable of preventing ice formation between an ice tray and a scraping portion.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the present invention, an ice making tray, a scraping member for scraping ice from the ice making tray, and a side of the ice making tray are disposed on the ice making tray. An ice making device having a water supply port for supplying water to a tray and a drive control unit for controlling the water supply from the water supply port and driving the raking member, wherein the ice tray includes a plurality of ice making recesses, The member includes a rotation shaft that is driven to rotate around an axis by the drive control unit, and a plurality of scraping units that project sideways from the rotation shaft and scrape ice from each of the ice making recesses, and the drive control unit Is characterized in that water is supplied from the water supply port to the ice tray after the scraping part has moved up near the water supply port.

  In the ice making device of the present invention, the water supplied from the water supply port does not reach the scraping unit because the water is supplied from the water supply port to the ice tray after the raking unit rises in the vicinity of the water supply port. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the scraped portion from icing with the ice tray due to the water applied to the scraped portion.

  In the present invention, the drive control unit moves to the side opposite to the side where the water supply port is located across the rotation shaft after the scraping unit has been raised near the water supply port, and then to the ice tray. It is preferable to supply water. If comprised in this way, it can prevent reliably that the water supplied from the water supply port covers a scraping part.

  In the present invention, the drive control unit is in a state where the scraping unit is located on the opposite side to the side where the water supply port is located across the rotation shaft, until the ice making in the ice tray is finished. It is preferable to stop the scraping member. With this configuration, if the scraping portion is pushed down when the operation check is performed during the stop period of the scraping member, the scraping member rotates in the same direction as the scraping operation, so that the operation check can be easily performed. .

  In the ice making device of the present invention, the water supplied from the water supply port does not reach the scraping unit because the water is supplied from the water supply port to the ice tray after the raking unit rises in the vicinity of the water supply port. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the scraped portion from icing with the ice tray due to the water applied to the scraped portion. Therefore, when performing the scraping operation, it is possible to reliably prevent a situation in which the scraping portion does not rotate due to ice adhesion between the scraping portion and the ice tray.

  Hereinafter, an ice making device to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

[overall structure]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ice making device to which the present invention is applied. 2A, 2B, and 2C are perspective views of a scraping member, an ice tray, and a guide member used in the ice making device shown in FIG. 3A, 3B and 3C are front views of the ice making device shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the front side, a cross-sectional view showing a state where the scraping member of the ice making device is at the origin position, and the scraping member being the origin point. It is sectional drawing which shows the state rotated from the position.

  1, FIG. 2 (A), (B), (C) and FIG. 3 (A), (B), (C), the ice making device 1 of this embodiment continuously supplies ice in a refrigerator or a freezer. And an apparatus for automatically discharging the produced ice to the lower ice storage unit 1a, an ice making unit 2 for producing ice, and a drive unit 3 for controlling the ice scraping operation ( Drive control unit). From the drive unit 3, a substantially L-shaped ice detecting lever 60 extends toward the lower ice storage portion 1a. The ice making unit 2 includes an ice making tray 21, a water supply portion 22 for supplying water to the ice making tray 21 at the side (rear side) of the ice making tray 21, and a scraping member 23 for scraping out the ice produced in the ice making tray 21. And a guide member 24 that guides the ice scraped by the scraping member 23 to the ice storage unit 1 a located below the ice tray 21, and an end plate 25 that constitutes the right side surface of the ice tray 21.

  The ice tray 21 is made of aluminum and is subjected to surface treatment such as coating or anodizing. A plurality of ice making grooves 215 (ice making recesses) are partitioned and formed on the upper surface of the ice making tray 21 by the partition plate 218, and the water supplied from the water supply unit 22 is stored in each of the plurality of ice making grooves 215. There it freezes. On the bottom surface of the ice tray 21, a heater 26 for heating the bottom surface of the ice tray 21 when the ice is discharged from the ice tray 21 is disposed. The heater 26 is connected to the ice tray 21 by a method such as caulking. It is integrated. Two rubber-made terminal portions 262 project from the heater 26 on the left side surface portion of the ice tray 21, and terminals 261 project from the front end surfaces of the two terminal portions 262. In the ice tray 21, a test temperature portion 219 with which a thermostat for monitoring the temperature of the ice tray 21 contacts is formed in a region sandwiched between the two terminal portions 262 by a thermostat described later.

  The water supply unit 22 is arranged on the opposite side (rear side) to the ice discharge tray 21 from which ice is discharged (front side), and includes a water supply port 221 that opens at the rear wall of the ice tray 21. . Water is supplied to the water supply unit 22 from a hose 228, and a water supply valve 220 is provided at a midway position of the hose as schematically shown in FIG.

  The scraping member 23 includes a rotation shaft 231 extending in the left-right direction at a position above the ice tray 21 and a plurality of scraping portions 232 protruding in a nail shape from the rotation shaft 231 in the same direction. There is a one-to-one correspondence with the ice making groove 215. The right end of the rotating shaft 231 is rotatably supported by a notch 211 formed at the edge of the right side 217 of the ice tray 21 and can be rotated by a shaft hole 251 formed in the end plate 25. It is supported. In addition, the rotation shaft 231 has a flange portion 239 formed on the right end thereof in contact with the inner surface of the end plate 25, and movement of the rotation shaft 231 to the right is restricted. On the other hand, the other end of the rotating shaft 231 is a D-cut portion 230 and is connected to a rotating cam body 55 (cam body) disposed in the drive unit 3 as shown in FIG. ing.

  Here, the position of the scraping portion 232 shown in FIG. 3B is the origin position, and at this origin position, the scraping portion 232 is on the opposite side to the side where the water supply port 221 is disposed across the rotation shaft 231. It is in a state of leaning toward. From this state, while the rotating shaft 231 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow A and shifts to the posture shown in FIG. 3C, the scraping unit 232 causes the ice in the ice making groove 215 to float from the ice making tray 21. The ice floating from the ice tray 21 by the scraping portion 232 slides on the top surface of the scraping portion 232 and the guide member 24 and falls from the front side of the ice tray 21 to the ice storage portion 1a. In addition, there is a possibility that the ice that has floated from the ice tray 21 does not fall into the ice storage part 1a only when the scraping part 232 is shifted from the state shown in FIG. 3 (B) to the state shown in FIG. 3 (C). Until the scraping portion 232 returns to the origin position shown in FIG. 3 (B), the ice floating from the ice tray 21 completely falls to the ice storage portion 1a.

[Schematic configuration of drive unit and its basic operation]
4 and 5 are explanatory views showing a schematic configuration of a drive unit of the ice making device shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing the operation of the ice making device shown in FIG.

  Although details will be described later with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8A and the like, the drive unit 3 of the ice making device 1 according to the present embodiment monitors the temperature of the ice tray 21 as shown in FIG. 4A. The thermostat 91, the motor 5 for driving the rotating shaft 231, the main switch 72 that opens and closes in conjunction with the rotating operation of the rotating cam body 55 shown in FIG. 3A, and the rotating operation of the rotating cam body 55. A water supply switch 73 for controlling the water supply valve 220, an ice detecting switch 71 for monitoring whether the ice storage unit 1a is short of ice or full (ice full), and a fuse 1g. Further, as will be described later, the ice making device 1 also includes a transmission mechanism that transmits the rotation output of the motor 5 to the rotating cam body 55, a torque limiter that is inserted in the middle of the transmission mechanism, and the like.

  Hereinafter, the basic operation of the ice making device 1 will be described with reference to the chart shown in FIG. First, after water is supplied from the water supply port 221 to the ice tray 21, ice making in the ice tray 21 is started. Meanwhile, power supply to the motor 5 and the heater 26 is stopped, and the scraping portion 232 is stopped at the origin position inclined to the side opposite to the water supply port 221 as shown in FIG. In this state, as shown in FIG. 4A, the main switch 72 is in the first state, and the thermostat 91 and the water supply switch 73 are in the off state. Further, the ice detection switch 71 is in an ice shortage state (first state).

  Then, at the time T0, when the thermostat 91 is turned on as shown in FIG. 4B in the monitoring result of the ice tray 21 by the thermostat 91, as shown in FIG. 5 and energization of the heater 26 are started. As a result, the rotating cam body 55 rotates, and accordingly, the scraping member 23 starts rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 3B and the heater 26 starts heating the ice tray 21. .

  Next, at time T1, the main switch 72 switches to the second state as shown in FIG. However, even when the main switch 72 is switched to the second state, energization to the motor 5 and energization to the heater 26 are continued. For this reason, the scraping member 23 is driven by the motor 5, and the tip of the scraping portion 232 comes into contact with the upper surface of the ice produced in the ice tray 21. However, at this time, the temperature of the ice tray 21 is low, and the ice adhering power in the ice tray 21 is large. For this reason, the rotation of the scraping member 23 is blocked by the ice in the ice tray 21, and stops while the tip of the scraping portion 232 is in contact with the top surface of the ice in the ice tray 21. Here, since a torque limiter is inserted in the middle of the power transmission path from the motor 5 to the scraping member 23, the motor 5 continues to rotate while the rotation of the scraping member 23 is stopped, The torque limited by the limiter 8 continues to act on the ice.

  When the ice is peeled off from the ice tray 21 by the heating of the heater 26, the scraping member 23 connected to the rotating cam body 55 starts to rotate in the direction of scraping out the ice and proceeds to the ice detecting operation. At time T2, first, the tip of the ice detecting lever 60 moves upward from the ice storage chamber 1a. As a result, the ice detecting switch 71 once switches from the first state to the second state as shown in FIG. Before and after this, the discharge of ice begins, and after all the ice made has fallen into the ice storage chamber 1a, the tip of the ice detecting lever 60 descends again toward the ice storage chamber 1a at time T3. To do. At that time, if the ice storage chamber 1a is in a state of insufficient ice, the tip of the ice detecting lever 60 can move downward, so that the ice detecting switch 71 is in the second state as shown in FIG. The state returns to the first state.

  Next, at the time T4, when the temperature of the ice tray 21 exceeds a predetermined temperature in the monitoring result for the ice tray 21 by the thermostat 91, the thermostat 91 is turned off as shown in FIG. The energization to the heater 26 is stopped. However, energization of the motor 5 is continued.

  Next, at time T5, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the water supply switch 73 is turned on, the water supply valve 220 is opened, and water is supplied to the ice tray 21 through the water supply port 221. . At that time, since the resistance value of the heater 26 is low, the heater 26 is used as a part of the wiring when the water supply valve 220 is energized. At this time, the scraping portion 232 has already passed through the vicinity of the water supply port 221 completely and is inclined toward the side opposite to the side where the water supply port 221 is disposed.

  Next, at time T6, as shown in FIG. 5C, when the water supply switch 73 is turned off, the water supply valve 220 is closed, and water supply to the ice tray 21 through the water supply port 221 is completed. . Next, at time T <b> 7, power supply to the motor 5 is stopped, and the scraping portion 232 stops at the origin position inclined to the side opposite to the water supply port 221. In the meantime, the main switch 72 returns to the first state as shown in FIG. In the ice tray 21, ice making is performed again, and the above operation is repeated thereafter.

  When the tip of the ice detecting lever 60 moves upward from the ice storage chamber 1a at time T2, when the ice storage chamber 1a is lowered toward the ice storage chamber 1a at time T3, the ice storage chamber 1a becomes full. If there is, the tip portion of the ice detecting lever 60 cannot move downward, so that the ice detecting switch 71 remains in the second state as shown in FIG. However, since the energization of the heater 26 and the motor 5 is continued even in this state, the operation until returning to the origin is performed. However, in the subsequent operation, if the ice storage chamber 1a is in a full ice state, the ice detection switch 71 remains in the second state as shown in FIG. Even if the thermostat 91 is turned on because the temperature becomes equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature, the heater 26 and the motor 6 are not energized. Therefore, energization of the heater 26 and the motor 6 is started when the ice in the ice storage chamber 1a is reduced and the ice detecting switch 71 returns from the second state to the first state.

  As described above, in the ice making device 1 of this embodiment, ice can be continuously manufactured and the manufactured ice can be automatically discharged to the lower ice storage unit 1a. In addition, the ice storage unit 1a detects the amount of ice, and when the ice storage unit 1a is full, the discharge of ice to the ice storage unit 1a is stopped, so that the ice does not overflow from the ice storage unit 1a.

  Further, in this embodiment, the drive unit 3 is configured such that the scraping portion 232 passes near the water supply port 221, and further, the scraping portion 232 passes directly above the rotating shaft 31 and the side where the water supply port 221 is disposed. Water is supplied from the water supply port 221 to the ice tray 21 at the time of tilting to the opposite side. For this reason, it is possible to avoid a situation in which water is applied to the scraping portion 232 during water supply, and the ice tray 21 and the scraping portion 232 are frozen by the water being frozen.

  In addition, since the origin position of the scraping portion 232 is set on the side opposite to the side where the water supply port 221 is disposed across the rotation shaft 231, the scraping portion 232 stopped at the origin position is around There is no water supply unit 22. Therefore, when the scraping member 232 is manually pressed from above and rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow A to check the operation of the scraping member 23, the water supply unit 22 does not get in the way, so that the operation can be easily checked. There is also an effect that can be done.

  Further, since the origin position of the scraping portion 232 is set on the side opposite to the side where the water supply port 221 is disposed across the rotation shaft 231, if the scraping portion 232 is pushed down, the scraping member 23 performs the scraping operation. Since it rotates in the same direction (direction shown by the arrow A), the operation can be easily confirmed. That is, for example, when the origin position of the scraping portion 232 is set to the position shown in FIG. 3C, the scraping member 23 is scraped by inserting a finger between the scraping portions 232 in order to rotate the scraping member 23 in the direction indicated by the arrow A. Although it is necessary to pick up the part 232, according to this form, it does not need to perform this troublesome operation | movement.

[Detailed configuration of drive unit]
(Structure of case body and manufacturing method of ice making device)
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of an inner case used for the drive unit and members disposed in the inner case in the ice making device of the present embodiment. FIG. 8A is a side view of the rotating cam body shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the drive unit 3 includes a case body 4, and the main switch including the motor 5 and the leaf switch described with reference to FIG. 72, a water supply switch 73 including a leaf switch, an ice detecting switch 71 including a leaf switch, and the like are disposed. In this embodiment, the case body 4 includes a rectangular bowl-shaped inner case 41, a ground plane 42 (first partition wall), and a rectangular bowl-shaped outer case 43, and the inner case 41 is sandwiched between the left and right sides. The case body 4 is formed by overlapping the edges of the outer case 43 with each other. In this state, a first space 46 is defined between the inner case 41 and the ground plane 42, while a second space 47 is defined between the outer case 43 and the ground plane 42. The first space 46 and the second space 47 are each used for arranging the following mechanisms and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a thermostat 91 is fixed to the bottom of the inner case 41 in the first space 46 between the inner case 41 and the ground plane 42. Further, in the ice making device 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2B, in the ice making tray 21, the rubber terminal portion 262 (coupling engaging portion) of the heater 26 projects toward the drive unit 3. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, in the case body 4 of the drive unit 3, the concave portion 411 that opens toward the outer surface side of the inner case 41 is located at both sides of the thermostat 91 at the bottom of the inner case 41. (Engaged portion for connection) is formed, and a through hole 412 is formed in the back of the recess 411. In addition, a connection terminal 92 is disposed at the bottom of the inner case 41 so as to be exposed in the through hole 412. Therefore, after assembling the drive unit 3 and the ice making unit 2, when the terminal portion 262 protruding from the ice tray 21 is fitted into the recess 411 of the inner case 41, the ice making unit 2 and the drive unit 3 are connected. At the same time, the terminal 261 of the heater 26 is electrically connected to the connection terminal 92 at the fitting portion between the terminal portion 262 and the recess 411. Further, on the outer surface side of the bottom portion of the inner case 41, a ground member 45 is disposed at a position where it can contact the ice tray 21. In the inner case 41, the location where the ground member 45 is disposed and the ice tray 21. Is fixed with a metal grounding screw or the like, the ice tray 21 can be grounded. In this state, the thermostat 91 abuts on the test temperature portion 219 of the ice tray 21, so that the temperature of the ice tray 21 can be monitored. Furthermore, when the drive unit 3 and the ice making unit 2 are fastened, the D-cut portion 230 of the rotating shaft 231 fits into the D-shaped hole of the rotating cam body 55 disposed inside the case body 4. And the ice making unit 2 are also mechanically connected.

  Thus, in the ice making device 1 of the present embodiment, when the ice making unit 2 and the drive unit 3 are joined, the only members that need to be electrically connected are the terminal 261 and the connection terminal 92 of the heater 26, When the drive unit 3 and the ice making unit 2 are fastened, the terminal portion 262 (coupling engaging portion) protruding from the ice tray 21 is fitted into the recess 411 (connecting engaged portion) of the inner case 41. Only the drive unit 3 and the ice making unit 2 can be connected to each other, and the terminal 261 and the connection terminal 92 of the heater 26 are automatically connected. Further, when the ice making unit 2 and the drive unit 3 are joined, the members that need to be mechanically connected are only the rotating shaft 231 and the rotating cam body 55, and the drive unit 3 and the ice making unit 2 are fastened. At this time, the D-cut portion 230 of the rotary shaft 231 is automatically fitted into the connecting hole 557 having an D-shaped cross section at the entrance portion of the rotary cam body 55.

  Therefore, the ice making device 1 can be assembled only by assembling the ice making unit 2 and the drive unit 3 and then connecting the ice making unit 2 and the drive unit 3 separately. Therefore, the assembly process can be simplified compared with the case where the members constituting the drive unit are divided into several times and assembled sequentially with respect to the ice making unit 2.

  In addition, after the ice making unit 2 and the drive unit 3 are manufactured separately, the units 2 and 3 are connected to each other in order to complete the drive unit by attaching each member to the ice making plate 21, and then the ice making plate Unlike the method of attaching the heater to the ice making unit 2, the amount of dust and dirt adhering to the ice making tray 21 constituting the ice making unit 2 can be reduced, so that the hygienic quality of the ice making device 1 can be improved. Play.

  Furthermore, after the drive unit 3 and the ice tray 21 are connected, it is difficult to integrate the ice tray 21 and the heater 26 by caulking or insert molding. Alternatively, it is possible to employ a manufacturing method in which the ice making tray 21 and the heater 26 are integrated by insert molding, the ice making unit 2 is assembled, and then the ice making unit 2 is connected to the drive unit 3.

  Further, in the ice making device 1 of the present embodiment, the ground member 45 is disposed on the outer surface side of the inner case 41 at a position where it can contact the ice tray 21, and the ground member 45 is disposed in the inner case 41. By fixing the portion and the ice tray 21 with a conductive metal screw, the grounding process of the ice making device 1 can be easily performed.

(Drive mechanism for rotating shaft)
As shown in FIG. 3A, in the first space 46 formed between the inner case 41 and the ground plane 42, a rotating cam body 55 is disposed at the bottom of the inner case 41. The upper end side of the projection protrudes into a second space 47 formed between the ground plane 42 and the outer case 43 through a through hole 421 formed in the ground plane 42.

  Further, in the first space 46 formed between the inner case 41 and the base plate 42, as shown in FIG. 7, the motor 5 is disposed at the side of the rotary cam body 55 at the bottom of the inner case 41. ing. Here, the motor 5 is, for example, an AC synchronous motor. In addition, a transmission mechanism 50 for transmitting the rotation of the motor 5 to the rotation shaft 231 of the ice making unit 2 is formed in the first space 46. The transmission mechanism 50 includes a rotor pinion 51 rotatably supported on a fixed shaft of the motor 5, a torque limiter 8 including a large-diameter external gear 502 (input unit) that meshes with the rotor pinion 51, torque, A toothless gear 503 constituting an output portion of the limiter 8, a gear body 52 including a large-diameter external gear 504 driven by the toothless gear 503, and a small-diameter external gear (not shown) of the gear body 52. And a rotating cam body 55 having a large-diameter external gear 54 that meshes with a small-diameter external gear 507 of the gear body 53. ing. The front end portion of the fixed shaft of the motor 5 is supported by the ground plate 42, and the support shaft that rotatably supports the torque limiter 8, the gear body 52, and the gear body 53 is supported by the end plate 5 a and the ground plate 42. ing. The rotating cam body 55 is rotatably supported by the bottom portion of the inner case 41 and the main plate 42.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the rotating cam body 55 includes a cylindrical portion 551 that extends downward from the external gear 54. The cylindrical portion 551 is formed with a connecting hole 557 having an D-shaped cross section at the inlet portion. The D-cut portion 230 of the rotating shaft 231 is fitted into the connecting hole 557, whereby the rotating cam body 55 rotates. Is transmitted to the rotating shaft 231.

(Detailed configuration of torque limiter)
9A and 9B are a plan view and an exploded perspective view, respectively, of a torque limiter included in an ice making device to which the present invention is applied.

  In the ice making device 1 of this embodiment, when the scraping unit 232 formed on the rotation shaft 231 of the ice making unit 2 scrapes the ice formed on the ice tray 21, immediately after the heating by the heater 26 is started, the ice from the ice tray 21 is started. May not be separated. In this state, when the rotating shaft 231 is rotated and the ice in the ice tray 21 is scraped by the scraping portion 232, the scraping portion 232 is loaded by the stuck ice, and the motor 5 is applied to the rotating shaft 231. An excessive load is applied to the transmission mechanism 50 that transmits the rotational force, and the gears constituting the transmission mechanism 50 may be damaged. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, a torque limiter 8 described below is configured on the front side of the transmission mechanism 50.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9A and 9B, the torque limiter 8 includes a resin gear body 80 (first member) and a resin cup-shaped sliding member 84 (second member). ), And a coil spring 85 (annular biasing member). The gear body 80 includes a large-diameter disc portion 81 on which an external gear 502 is formed. On the upper surface of the large-diameter disc portion 81, a small-diameter cylindrical portion 82 stands at its center position, A large-diameter cylindrical portion 83 is formed so as to surround the small-diameter cylindrical portion 82. In the gear body 80, a shaft hole 811 is formed so as to penetrate the large-diameter disk portion 81 and the small-diameter cylindrical portion 82, and the shaft hole 811 is interposed between the end plate 5 a of the motor 5 and the ground plate 42. A spindle (not shown) supported at both ends is fitted. For this reason, the gear body 80 can be rotated around the support shaft following the rotor pinion 51.

  The sliding member 84 has a cup shape that opens toward the gear body 80. In the sliding member 84, a cylindrical body 845 extends at a right angle from the outer peripheral edge of the upper bottom portion 847 (bottom plate portion). . Therefore, the cylindrical body 845 of the sliding member 84 covers the large diameter cylindrical portion 83 (circumferential surface) of the gear body 80 in a state where the sliding member 84 is covered on the gear body 80. The upper bottom portion 847 of the sliding member 84 has a multistage shape in which a large diameter portion 841, a medium diameter portion 842, and a small diameter portion 843 are formed in this order, and a toothless gear 503 is provided on the side surface of the medium diameter portion 842. Is formed. Further, a hole into which the small diameter cylindrical portion 82 of the gear body 80 is fitted is formed inside the large diameter portion 841 and the medium diameter portion 842, and a support shaft that penetrates the small diameter cylindrical portion 82 is formed in the small diameter portion 843. A fitting shaft hole 840 is formed. For this reason, the sliding member 84 can also rotate around a spindle. At that time, the sliding member 84 is supported by the small diameter cylindrical portion 82.

  Here, the inner diameter dimension of the cylindrical body portion 845 of the sliding member 84 is set slightly larger than the outer diameter dimension of the large diameter cylindrical portion 83 of the gear body 80, and a predetermined clearance is set. The cylindrical body 845 of the sliding member 84 is formed with three notches 84a extending in the axial direction from the tip edge at equal angular intervals, and the cylindrical body 845 is formed by these notches 84a. It is divided into three tongue-like elastic plate portions 846 that are separated in the circumferential direction. Therefore, the cylindrical body portion 845 (elastic plate portion 846) is covered with the sliding member 84 so that the cylindrical body portion 845 surrounds the large-diameter disk portion 81 of the gear body 80. When the coil spring 85 is attached around, the elastic plate portion 846 is elastically deformed inward and comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter disc portion 81. Therefore, when the gear body 80 rotates, if a large load is not applied to the sliding member 84, the sliding member 84 rotates together with the gear body 80. On the other hand, even when the gear body 80 rotates, if a large load is applied to the sliding member 84, slip occurs between the elastic plate portion 846 and the large-diameter cylindrical portion 83, and the gear body. The rotation of 80 is not transmitted to the sliding member 84.

  Here, the coil spring 85 is attached only to the lower end portion of the cylindrical body portion 845 (the distal end portion of the elastic plate portion 846). The notch 84a extends to the base position of the large diameter portion 841 at the upper bottom portion 847 of the sliding member 84, and the upper bottom portion 847 is also divided into three by the notch 84a to form the base of the elastic plate portion 846. is doing. Therefore, in the sliding member 84, the elastic plate portion 846 has a shape bent at a right angle from the upper bottom portion 847, and has a long dimension. Therefore, the elastic plate portion 846 has high rigidity in the circumferential direction, but has low rigidity in the radial direction.

  As described above, in the ice making device 1 of the present embodiment, the torque limiter 8 is configured at the first stage of the transmission mechanism 50 (on the side close to the drive source in the transmission mechanism 50), and therefore the torque applied to the torque limiter 8 is small.

  Further, in the torque limiter 8, the sliding member 84 is formed with a notch 84a from the cylindrical body portion 845 to the upper bottom portion 847, and the elastic plate portion 846 has a long dimension, and thus has high rigidity in the circumferential direction. However, the rigidity in the radial direction is low. For this reason, when the coil spring 85 is mounted around the cylindrical body portion 845, the elastic plate portion 846 is easily bent. Therefore, the rigidity of the elastic plate portion 846 does not greatly affect the friction torque, and the friction torque is generally defined only by the urging force of the coil spring 85. Therefore, when the resin gear body 80 and the resin cup-shaped sliding member 84 have dimensional variations, or when the rigidity of the elastic plate portion 846 changes over time or due to environmental temperature. However, the friction torque does not fluctuate. In particular, in this embodiment, since the heater 26 is also used while being used in a refrigerator or a freezer, the resin elastic plate portion 846 is likely to change in rigidity. However, even in such a case, the torque limiter is used. 8 operates reliably.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, since only the distal end side of the elastic plate portion 846 is pressed toward the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 83 by the coil spring 85, the elastic plate portion 846 is also easily deformed in that respect. Moreover, since the torque limiter 8 has a simple configuration, the influence of component accuracy is small. In addition, since the coil spring 85 having a small spring constant is used and a configuration in which the coil spring 85 is elastically deformed greatly can be adopted, the coil spring 85 operates reliably even if the component accuracy of the sliding member 84 is low. Furthermore, with the coil spring 85, a stable urging force can be obtained, so that a stable friction torque can be obtained.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, a structure is provided in which the large diameter portion 841, the medium diameter portion 842, and the small diameter portion 843 are stacked in this order on the upper bottom portion 847 of the sliding member 84, and the large diameter portion 841 and the medium diameter portion 842 are arranged. On the inner side, a hole into which the small diameter cylindrical portion 82 of the gear body 80 is fitted is formed. The small diameter portion 843 is formed with a shaft hole 840 into which a support shaft that penetrates the small diameter cylindrical portion 82 is fitted. For this reason, the sliding member 84 and the gear body 80 are supported by a common support shaft, and the sliding member 84 rotates while being supported by the small-diameter cylindrical portion 82 of the gear body 80. Therefore, the sliding member 84 and the gear body 80 are rotated while reliably maintaining the coaxial state.

(Configuration of ice detection mechanism)
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a base plate used for the drive unit and members disposed on the side facing the outer case in the base plate in the ice making device of the present embodiment.

  In this embodiment, the first space 46 between the inner case 41 and the main plate 42 and the second space 47 between the main plate 42 and the outer case 43 shown in FIG. The ice detecting mechanism 6 is configured to detect the ice amount in the ice storage section 1a via the ice detecting lever 60 shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the ice detection mechanism 6 is generally composed of a lever drive mechanism 65 configured using a first space 46 between the inner case 41 and the main plate 42, as shown in FIG. As shown, a lever position detecting mechanism 75 configured using a second space 47 between the ground plane 42 and the outer case 43 and a second space between the ground plane 42 and the outer case 43 are utilized. The ice detection switch 71 is configured to be turned on and off by the lever position detection mechanism 75.

  First, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8A, the lever driving mechanism 65 includes a cam portion 552 formed around a cylindrical portion 551 formed on the lower end side of the rotating cam body 55, and a cam portion 552. A first driving lever 61 that drives the ice detecting lever 60 by following the cam surface, a torsion coil spring 66 that biases the first driving lever 61, and a second that holds the end of the ice detecting lever 60. And a drive lever 62.

  The first drive lever 61 includes a claw portion 611 that contacts the cam portion 552, a cylindrical support shaft 612 that extends in the axial direction, and a transmission portion 614 that is located on the opposite side of the support shaft 612 from the claw portion 611. A U-shaped notch 613 is formed in the transmission portion 614. For this reason, when the rotating cam body 55 is rotated by the rotation of the motor 5 and the cam portion 552 is rotated, the claw portion 611 is pushed by the cam portion 552, and the first drive lever 61 resists the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 66. Then, it rotates by a predetermined angle range around the support shaft 612 in the direction indicated by the arrow C1 in FIG. Further, when the small diameter portion of the cam surface comes into contact with the claw portion 611, the first drive lever 61 rotates backward in the direction indicated by the arrow C2 around the support shaft 612 by the urging force of the torsion coil spring 66. Return to position.

  The second drive lever 62 includes a cylindrical part 621 provided with a slit 621 a that holds the end of the ice detecting lever 60, a transmission protrusion 623 that protrudes from the side surface of the cylindrical part 621, and a substantially opposite side of the transmission protrusion 623. And a small protrusion 622 protruding from the side surface of the cylindrical portion 621, and a pin 623 a protruding from the lower surface of the transmission protrusion 623 fits into a U-shaped notch 613 formed in the first drive lever 61. Yes. Therefore, when the first drive lever 61 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow C1, the second drive lever 62 rotates around the cylindrical portion 621 in the direction indicated by the arrow D1, while the first drive lever 61 is rotated. When rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow C2, the second drive lever 62 rotates about the cylindrical portion 621 in the direction indicated by the arrow D2. Therefore, the ice detecting lever 60 can be driven. The base plate 42 is formed with a stopper 629a that prevents the protrusion 623 of the second drive lever 62 from rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow D2 by a predetermined amount or more and a stopper 629b that prevents the protrusion 623 from rotating in the direction D1. ing.

  A leaf spring 63 is disposed at a side position of the cylindrical portion 621. When the ice detecting lever 60 is lifted up manually, the protrusion 622 of the second drive lever 62 gets over the protrusion 63a of the leaf spring 63. The ice detecting lever 60 is maintained in the raised state. As a result, the ice making device 1 is in a state similar to the full ice state, so that the operation of the ice making device 1 is stopped.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the second drive lever 62 is located in the second space 47 between the ground plate 42 and the outer case 43 with the upper half of the cylindrical portion 621 passing through the ground plate 42. The lever position detection mechanism 75 includes a protrusion 625 (engagement portion) formed on the outer peripheral surface of the upper end portion of the cylindrical portion 621 (rotating shaft) in the second drive lever 62 (drive member), and a cylindrical portion on the base plate 42. A driven ring 751 (driven member) mounted around the upper end of 621, and a pressing lever 753 (transmission member) whose posture is switched by a protrusion 752 protruding from the outer peripheral surface (cam surface) of the driven ring 751. ing. The pressing lever 753 includes a cylindrical portion 753a that fits into a protrusion formed on the base plate 42, a connecting portion 753b that extends from the cylindrical portion 753a, and a first protrusion that protrudes from the distal end portion of the connecting portion 753b toward the driven ring 751. A portion 753c and a second protrusion 753d protruding from the tip of the connecting portion 753b to the opposite side of the first protrusion 753c are provided.

  In the lever position detection mechanism 75, a notch 755 (concave portion) extending in the circumferential direction is formed on the back surface side of the protrusion 752 of the driven ring 751 and on the inner peripheral side of the hole through which the cylindrical portion 621 passes. The protrusion 625 formed on the cylindrical portion 621 of the second drive lever 62 is located inside the notch 755 with a certain play with respect to the circumferential ends 755a and 755b of the notch 755. . For this reason, a transmission portion is formed between the second drive lever 62 and the driven ring 751 so as to transmit the movement of the second drive lever 62 to the driven ring 751 at a position separated in the circumferential direction by a predetermined dimension. ing.

  In the lever position detecting mechanism 75 configured as described above, when the second drive lever 62 rotates in the direction of the arrow D1 (when the ice detecting lever 60 is raised), the movement is caused by the protrusion 625 notching 755. This is transmitted by coming into contact with the end portion 755b located on the side indicated by the arrow D1 in the circumferential direction, and the driven ring 751 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow D1 in conjunction with the second drive lever 62. Accordingly, the first protrusion 753c of the pressing lever 753 is a protrusion from the state in which the peripheral surface (the lower part of the driven member) where the protrusion 752 is not formed is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the driven ring 751. Since the state transitions to a state in which it is in contact with the inclined surface 752d of 752, and is in a state immediately before contact with the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion 752 (the high portion of the driven member), the pressing lever 753 has an arrow E1 centered on the cylindrical portion 753a. The second protrusion 753d causes the ice detection switch 71 to perform an on / off operation.

  In the present embodiment, the ice detection switch 71 is a leaf switch, and includes three leaf contact pieces 711, 712, and 713. Of the three leaf contact pieces 711, 712, 713, the two leaf contact pieces 712, 713 are in a fixed state, while the leaf contact piece 711 comes into contact with the pressing lever 753 and is displaced. ing. More specifically, when the second protrusion 753d of the pressing lever 753 is not in contact with the leaf contact piece 711, the leaf contact piece 711 is connected to the leaf contact piece 712 with respect to the leaf contact piece 711. Extends to the opposite side and abuts against an end 713a facing the leaf contact piece 711, and the leaf contact piece 711 and the leaf contact piece 713 are in contact with each other. On the other hand, when the leaf contact piece 711 is pressed by the second protrusion 753d of the pressing lever 753, the leaf contact piece 711 is deformed to the leaf contact piece 712 side and is separated from the end 713a of the leaf contact piece 713. The contact piece 712 comes into contact.

  In the ice detecting mechanism 6 configured as described above, the leaf contact piece 711 is in contact with the end portion 713a of the leaf contact piece 713 until the motor 5 starts rotating. When the ice amount of the ice storage unit 1a is detected, the rotating cam body 55 is rotated by the motor 5, and when the first drive lever 61 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow C1 by the rotation, the second drive lever 62 is rotated. Rotates around the cylindrical portion 621 in the direction indicated by the arrow D1. As a result, the ice detecting lever 60 rotates as shown by an arrow F1 in FIGS. 3A and 3B, and the tip thereof rises. At this time, the second drive lever 62 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow D1, and the driven ring 751 also rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow D1, so that the protrusion 752 of the driven ring 751 is the first of the pressing lever 753. It will be in the state where it sunk under the protrusion 753c. Therefore, as a result of the pressing lever 753 rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow E1, the leaf contact piece 711 comes into contact with the leaf contact piece 712. Further, in a state where the pressing lever 753 rides on the protrusion 752 of the driven ring 751, the leaf contact pieces 711 and 712 are in a stable contact state.

  Further, when the rotating cam body 55 is rotated by the rotation of the motor 5, the first drive lever 61 rotates in the reverse direction in the direction indicated by the arrow C2, and the second drive lever 62 is indicated by the arrow D2 around the cylindrical portion 621. Try to rotate in the direction. As a result, the ice detecting lever 60 rotates as shown by an arrow F2 in FIGS. 3A and 3B, and the tip end portion of the ice detecting lever 60 tends to descend.

  At that time, if the ice storage unit 1a is short of ice, the ice detecting lever 60 is allowed to descend, so that the second drive lever 62 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow D2, and the projection 625 is cut out 755. The driven ring 751 can be rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow D2. Therefore, at the timing when the first protrusion 753c of the pressing lever 753 contacts the inclined surface 752a of the protrusion 752 of the driven ring 751, the boundary between whether the ice storage part 1a is in an insufficient state or full of ice. If set, the ice amount of the ice storage unit 1a can be detected by the on / off operation of the ice detecting switch 71.

  However, in this embodiment, the driven ring 751 is driven with play with respect to the second drive lever 62, so that the second drive lever 62 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow D1 and then reverses in the direction indicated by the arrow D2. Even so, the protrusion 625 only moves inside the notch 755 and the driven ring 751 does not follow. Instead, since the leaf contact piece 711 applies an urging force to the pressing lever 753 to return from the elastically deformed state, when the second drive lever 62 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow D2, the pressing lever 753 presses the slope 752a formed on the protrusion 752 of the driven ring 751 to displace the driven ring 751 in the direction indicated by the arrow D2. Therefore, the driven ring 751 is displaced before the driven ring 751 is driven by the second drive lever 62. Therefore, the leaf contact piece 711 can instantaneously return from the elastically deformed state even before the driven ring 751 is driven by the second drive lever 62. The leaf contact piece 711 returns to the state in contact with the end portion 713a of the leaf contact piece 713. Therefore, even when the operation is transmitted to the ice detecting switch 71 via the cam mechanism, the ice detecting switch 71 does not clearly indicate the state in which the leaf contact pieces 711, 712, and 713 are in contact with each other or the state in which they are separated from each other. Since an unstable region does not occur, no electrical failure occurs.

  Note that when the ice storage unit 1a is full of ice, the ice detecting lever 60 is prevented from descending by the ice, so that the second drive lever 62 is prevented from rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow D2, and the leaf contact piece. 711 remains in contact with the leaf contact piece 712. Since the first driving lever 61 is prevented from rotating in the direction of the arrow C2 after the descending of the ice detecting lever 60 is prevented by the ice, the claw portion 611 of the first driving lever 61 is a rotating cam. The cam portion 552 of the body 55 is not driven in the C2 direction, and the ice detecting lever 60 does not descend from the position restricted by ice even when the rotating cam body 55 rotates.

(Configuration of main switch 72)
FIG. 8B is an explanatory diagram of three leaf contact pieces constituting the main switch. In the present embodiment, the main switch 72 is configured using the second space 47 between the ground plane 42 and the outer case 43 shown in FIG. The upper half of the rotating cam body 55 protruding from the space 46 to the second space 47 through the through hole 421 of the main plate 42 is used. That is, the rotating cam body 55 has a large-diameter portion 553, a medium-diameter portion 554 having a smaller diameter than the large-diameter portion 553, and a first cam portion 558 having a smaller diameter than the medium-diameter portion 554, upward from the external gear 54. The second cam portion 559 having a diameter smaller than that of the first cam portion 558 and the small diameter portion 555 having a diameter smaller than that of the second cam portion 559 are formed in this order. , Located on the second space 47 side. The side surfaces of the first cam portion 558 and the second cam portion 559 are both cam surfaces including step portions 558b and 559b whose diameters change rapidly in the circumferential direction. In this cam surface, the step portion 558b The diameter increases in the direction indicated by arrow B starting from 559b. Further, in the first cam portion 558 and the second cam portion 559, the positions of the step portions 558b and 559b are shifted in the circumferential direction, and the step portion 559b is rearward of the step portion 558b in the direction indicated by the arrow B. Is located. The middle diameter portion 554 is formed with a protrusion 556 for operating a leaf contact piece of a water supply switch 73 described later.

  In the base plate 42, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, three leaf contact pieces 721, 722, and 723 constituting the main switch 72 (leaf switch) are directed toward the rotating cam body 55. It extends. In the three leaf contact pieces 721, 722, and 723, the leaf contact piece 723 is disposed at a position closest to the central axis of the rotating cam body 55, the leaf contact piece 722 is disposed on the outer side, and the leaf contact piece on the outer side. A piece 721 is arranged. The tip end portion 723 c of the leaf contact piece 723 is in elastic contact with the side surface of the second cam portion 559. Further, in the initial state, the tip end portion 722c of the leaf contact piece 722 is in a state of being lowered to the lower side of the stepped portion 559b, and is in contact with the leaf contact piece 723 with elasticity. On the other hand, the tip end portion 721c of the leaf contact piece 721 is in contact with the side surface of the first cam portion 558 with elasticity.

  Here, the leaf contact piece 723 extends linearly from the proximal end side, then bends at a right angle upward, and then extends horizontally again, and the lower end edge of the distal end portion 723c is the first cam. The upper surface of the portion 558 can slide.

  On the other hand, the leaf contact pieces 721 and 222 extend linearly at the same height position as the proximal end side of the leaf contact piece 723, and then the distal end portions 721c and 722c have a width upward. It has an enlarged shape, and the upper end edges of the front end portions 721c and 722c are at the same height as the upper end edge of the front end portion 723c of the leaf contact piece 723. Further, when comparing the leaf contact pieces 721 and 222, the tip edge of the leaf contact piece 721 protrudes slightly toward the tip side than the tip edge of the leaf contact piece 722. When the rotary cam body 55 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow B, the tip end portions 721c and 722c move along the side surfaces of the first cam portion 558 and the tip end portions 721c and 722c Lower end edges of the portions 721c and 722c slide on the upper surface of the medium diameter portion 554.

  In the main switch 72 configured as described above, in the initial state, the leaf contact piece 723 is located on the higher side of the step portion 558b, while the leaf contact piece 722 is located on the lower side of the step portion 559b. Therefore, it is in contact with the leaf contact piece 723. From this state, when the rotating cam body 55 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow B, the tip end portion 723c of the leaf contact piece 723 falls to the lower side of the stepped portion 558b, and the leaf contact piece 722 and the leaf contact piece 723 are separated. Further, immediately before the tip 723c of the leaf contact piece 723 falls to the lower side of the stepped portion 558b, the tip end portion 721c of the leaf contact piece 721 falls to the lower side of the stepped portion 559b, so that the leaf contact piece 721 becomes the leaf contact piece 722. Connected to. Then, when the rotating cam body 55 further rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow B, the leaf contact pieces 721, 722, 723 return to the initial state after the state where the leaf contact pieces 721, 722, 723 are positioned higher on the stepped portions 559b, 558b.

(Configuration of water supply switch 73)
In this embodiment, the water supply switch 73 (leaf switch) shown in FIG. 10 is configured using the second space 47 between the main plate 42 and the outer case 43 shown in FIG. In configuring the switch 73, similarly to the main switch 72, the upper half of the rotating cam body 55 protruding from the first space 46 to the second space 47 through the through hole 421 of the base plate 42 is used. In other words, the protrusion 556 is formed on the side surface of the medium diameter portion 554, while the two leaf contact pieces 731 and 732 extend toward the medium diameter portion 554 of the rotating cam body 55.

  In the water supply switch 73 configured as described above, in the initial state, the leaf contact piece 731 is separated from the leaf contact piece 732 and is in an off state. From this state, when the rotating cam body 55 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow B and the leaf contact piece 731 is pressed toward the leaf contact piece 732 by the protrusion 556, the leaf contact piece 731 and the leaf contact piece 732 are brought together. When the rotary cam body 55 is further rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow B and the leaf contact piece 731 returns to the original position, the leaf contact piece 731 is separated from the leaf contact piece 732 and turned off. Return to state.

  In this embodiment, a water supply amount adjustment mechanism 79 that adjusts the on / off timing of the water supply switch 73 is configured on the main plate 42. The water supply amount adjusting mechanism 79 includes an arcuate input lever 790 (operation member) for adjusting the position of the leaf contact piece 732, and the input lever 790 is fitted with a support shaft protruding from the main plate 42. A cylindrical portion 791, a claw portion 792 that contacts the distal end portion of the leaf contact piece 732 on the distal end side, and an operation portion 793 that protrudes outside the case body 4 on the opposite side of the cylindrical portion 791 from the claw portion 792. If the operation part 793 is moved along the edge of the main plate 42, the input lever 790 rotates around the cylindrical part 791, and the position of the claw part 792 changes as indicated by arrows G1 and G2. Accordingly, when the input lever 790 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow G1, the tip side of the leaf contact piece 732 bends away from the leaf contact piece 731. Therefore, the timing at which the water supply switch 73 switches from OFF to ON is delayed. The timing to switch from to off is accelerated. Therefore, since the water supply time from the water supply part 22 demonstrated with reference to FIG. 1 to the ice tray 21 becomes short, the amount of water supply to the ice tray 21 reduces, and small ice can be manufactured by that much. On the other hand, when the input lever 790 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow G2, the tip side of the leaf contact piece 732 bends in a direction approaching the leaf contact piece 731. Therefore, the timing at which the water supply switch 73 is switched from OFF to ON is set. On the other hand, since the timing of switching from on to off is delayed, the amount of water supplied from the water supply unit 22 to the ice tray 21 can be increased, so that the amount of water supplied to the ice tray 21 can be increased and large ice can be produced. Can do.

  Here, the input lever 790 is configured so that the vicinity of the operation portion 793 of the input lever 790 is fitted in the U-shaped groove 795a of the support plate 795, and the support plate 795 is slid along the edge of the main plate 42. ing. In addition, the support plate 795 has protrusions 795b formed on the inner surface, while the plate portion 420 that stands up along the edge of the base plate 42 has a plurality of grooves 420a with which the protrusions 795b engage. The protrusion 795b and the groove 420a constitute a click mechanism 79a. Therefore, when the input lever 790 is operated, the support plate 795 slides along the edge of the base plate 42, and the protrusion 795b of the support plate 795 gets over between the grooves 420a of the plate portion 420, so that a click feeling is obtained. In addition, the input lever 790 is held at a predetermined position by the engagement between the protrusion 795b and the groove 420a.

  According to such a water supply amount adjusting mechanism 79, the distance between the leaf contact pieces 731 and 732 can be adjusted only by deforming the tip side of the leaf contact piece 732 and changing only the position thereof, and the water supply switch 73 is turned on.・ The timing to turn off can be adjusted. Therefore, when adjusting the amount of water supplied to the ice tray 21 (ice size), unlike the case where a micro switch is used as the water supply switch 73, it can be easily adjusted from the outside. Furthermore, since both the water supply switch 73 and the water supply amount adjusting mechanism 79 are mounted on the main plate 42, the assembly is easy and the assembly can be performed with high positional accuracy. Further, as will be described later, since both of the leaf contact pieces 731 and 732 are held by the contact piece holding portion 48 formed on the base plate 42, assembly is easy.

  Here, as the water supply amount adjusting mechanism 79, a configuration in which both the leaf contact pieces 731 and 732 or the leaf contact piece 731 driven by the rotating cam body 55 is deformed can be adopted. However, in this embodiment, the leaf contact piece 732 that is in a fixed state is deformed by the input lever 790, and therefore the timing of driving the leaf contact piece 731 by the rotating cam body 55 does not change. The switch 73 operates reliably.

(Operation of drive unit)
With reference to FIG. 11, the operation of the drive unit will be briefly described in relation to the overall operation described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the drive unit.

  First, in the initial state, the positions of the rotary cam body 55, the first drive lever 61, the second drive lever 62, the pressing lever 753, the leaf contact piece 723, and the leaf contact piece 731 are as shown in FIG. It is. In this state, the position of the ice detecting lever 60 is at the lowest position. Further, the scraping portion 232 in the scraping member 23 is a position that forms an angle of about 20 ° with respect to the horizontal direction.

  From this state, when the thermostat 91 is turned on at time T0 shown in FIG. 6, the energization of the motor 5 and the energization of the heater 26 are started, and the rotating cam body 55 rotates. Start rotation in direction A.

  Then, at time T1 shown in FIG. 6, as shown in FIG. 11B, the leaf contact piece 721 falls from the step 558b immediately after the scraped portion 232 forms an angle of about 10 ° with respect to the horizontal direction. The main switch 72 is switched from the first state to the second state.

  Next, at time T2 shown in FIG. 6, the rotation of the rotating cam body 55 is transmitted to the ice detecting lever 60 through the first drive lever 61 and the second drive lever 62, and the arrow in FIG. As indicated by F1, the ice detecting lever 60 is raised.

  Next, at time T3 shown in FIG. 6, the rotation of the rotary cam body 55 is transmitted to the ice detecting lever 60 via the first drive lever 61 and the second drive lever 62, and is shown in FIG. 11 (D). Thus, if the ice storage chamber 1a is in a state of insufficient ice, the ice detecting lever 60 is lowered as indicated by the arrow F2.

  Next, at time T5 shown in FIG. 6, the rotation of the rotating cam body 55 is transmitted to the leaf contact piece 731 and water is supplied to the ice tray 21 during the sections shown in FIGS. 11 (E) and 11 (F). At the same time, the rotating cam body 55, the first drive lever 61, the second drive lever 62, the pressing lever 753, the leaf contact piece 723, the leaf contact piece 731 and the like return to their original positions.

[Leaf contact arrangement structure]
FIG. 12 is an explanatory view of the outer case used in the ice making device of the present embodiment as viewed from the outer surface side. In this embodiment, strip-shaped leaf contact pieces 711, 712, 721, 722, 723, 731, and 732 obtained by processing a metal plate into a predetermined shape are used to configure the ice detection switch 71, the main switch 72, and the water supply switch 73. However, the base end side of these leaf contact pieces is a strip shape in which the sides facing each other in the width direction are parallel like the leaf contact pieces 721, 722, and 723 shown in FIG. And the leaf contact pieces have the same width dimension on the base end side. Therefore, in this embodiment, the leaf contact pieces 711, 712, 721, 722, 723, 731, and 732 are all utilized by using the flat V-shaped contact piece holding portion 48 formed in a base shape on the base plate 42. A holding structure is adopted. More specifically, a plurality of holding grooves 48 a are formed in the contact piece holding portion 48 with the same depth and the same shape, and the base ends of the leaf contact pieces 711, 712, 721, 722, 723, 731, and 732 are formed. Both sides are fitted and fixed in the holding groove 48a. In this embodiment, since the plurality of holding grooves 48a have the same depth, the leaf contact pieces 711, 712, 721, 722, 723, 731, and 732 are all at the same height position on the base plate 42. Retained.

  Here, the distal end portions 721c and 722c of the leaf contact pieces 721 and 722 and the distal end portion 723c of the leaf contact piece 723 are in contact with the side surfaces of the cam portions 558 and 559 having different height positions from the base plate 42 in the rotating cam body 55. In this embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 8B, the leaf contact piece 723 extends linearly from the proximal end side, then bends upward at a right angle, and then, The leaf contact pieces 721 and 222 extend horizontally again, and the proximal end sides of the leaf contact pieces 721 and 222 extend linearly at the same height position as the proximal end side of the leaf contact piece 723, and then the distal end portions 721c and 722c face upward. It has a shape with an expanded width. For this reason, even when the proximal ends of the leaf contact pieces 721, 722, 723 are held at the same height position on the main plate 42, the distal ends 721c, 722c, 723c of the leaf contact pieces 721, 722, 723 are rotated. The cam body 55 can be suitably brought into contact with the side surfaces of the cam portions 558 and 559 having different height positions from the base plate 42.

  In the present embodiment, the circuit board 70 disposed so as to face the ground plane 42 is disposed on the base end side of the leaf contact pieces 711, 712, 721, 722, 723, 731, and 732. Here, the circuit board 70 is soldered with terminal portions 711e, 712e, 721e, 722e, 723e, 731e, and 732e that stand on the proximal end side of the leaf contact pieces 711, 712, 721, 722, 723, 731, and 732. This is a PWB (Printed Wiring Board) with a land that has high rigidity. Furthermore, an outer case 43 shown in FIG. 12 is covered on the base plate 42, and a rib 432 that matches the outer shape of the contact piece holding portion 48 is formed on the inner bottom surface of the outer case 43. Therefore, in a state where the case body 4 is configured by overlapping the inner case 41, the ground plane 42, and the outer case 43, the base end side of the leaf contact pieces 711, 712, 721, 722, 723, 731, 732 is formed by the circuit board 70. It is pressed in the width direction and pressed toward the main plate 42.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the leaf contact pieces 711, 712, 721, 722, 723, 731, and 732 are mounted on the main plate 42, the base ends of the leaf contact pieces 711, 712, 721, 722, 723, 731, and 732 are mounted. The leaf contact pieces 711, 712, 721, 722, 723, 731, and 732 can be mounted on the base plate 42 with high positional accuracy so as to face a predetermined direction at a predetermined height position simply by fitting the holding groove 48 a on the side. Excellent workability. Further, after the leaf contact pieces 711, 712, 721, 722, 723, 731 and 732 are mounted on the main plate 42, there is no need to adjust the position.

  Further, since the leaf contact pieces 711, 712, 721, 722, 723, 731 and 732 are pressed by the ribs 432 of the outer case 43 through the circuit board 70, the displacement of the leaf contact pieces from the initial position, No dropout from the holding groove 48a occurs. In addition, unlike the flexible wiring board, the circuit board 70 has high rigidity, so that the leaf contact pieces 711, 712, 721, 722, 723, 731, and 732 can be securely fixed.

  Furthermore, since the circuit board 70 is a single-sided board and no wiring pattern is formed on the lower surface, the insulation against the leaf contact pieces 711, 712, 721, 722, 723, 731, and 732 can be reliably ensured.

  Furthermore, if the leaf contact pieces 711, 712, 721, 722, 723, 731, and 732 are directly pressed by the outer case 43, no metal can be used as the outer case 43, and the outer case 43 Although material restrictions on the outer case 43 are increased such as high rigidity and electric resistance are required, the leaf contact pieces 711, 712, 721, 722, 723, 731 through the circuit board 70 as in the present embodiment. If the structure which presses 732 is employ | adopted, the material restrictions with respect to the outer case 43 can be eased.

[Condensation countermeasures inside case body 4]
In the ice making device 1 of the present embodiment, the ice tray 21 is cooled for ice making and heated for scraping out ice, and accordingly, when a sudden temperature change occurs inside the case body 4, Condensation occurs. Further, when the door is opened and closed in the refrigerator or freezer in which the ice making device 1 is disposed, a temperature change occurs and dew condensation occurs. Therefore, in the ice making device 1 of the present embodiment, countermeasures for dew condensation described below are taken.

  First, in the ice making device 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, the motor 5, the transmission mechanism 50, and the lever are disposed in the first space 46 constituted by the inner case 41 and the ground plate 42. A drive mechanism 65, a thermostat 91, and the like are arranged, and in the second space 47 constituted by the outer case 43 and the base plate 42, an upper half portion of the rotating cam body 55 (cam surface with respect to the leaf switch), an ice detection switch 71, a main switch 72, a water supply switch 73, a circuit board 70, and the like. Further, although the through hole 421 is formed in the base plate 42, the rotation cam body 55 is fitted in the through hole 421, so that the gap due to the through hole 421 is closed. The base plate 42 is formed with slits 425, and the slits 425 are fitted with flat plate-like terminals 5 b (power supply members) extending from the upper surface of the motor 5 toward the outer case 43. For this reason, the first space 46 and the second space 47 are substantially completely partitioned by the main plate 42. Accordingly, even when the ice making tray 21 (ice making unit 2) is brought into contact with the first space 46 side (inner case 41 side), no rapid temperature change occurs in the second space 47, so dew condensation occurs. Does not occur.

  Further, in the bottom plate portion of the outer case 43 shown in FIG. 12, ribs 431 (second partition walls) are formed at a height slightly lower than the outer wall 435 thereof. Therefore, when the main plate 42 and the outer case 43 are overlapped, the inside of the second space 47 is further divided into two spaces (a first small space 471 and a second small space 472). The space 471 is isolated from the surroundings by the rib 431 and the outer wall 435. Further, the rib 431 includes an opposing portion 431 a that faces the outer wall 435 of the outer case 43 and surrounds the first small space 471 twice.

  Here, the upper half portion of the rotating cam body 55, the ice detecting switch 71, the main switch 72, the water supply switch 73, the circuit board 70, and the like are disposed in the first small space 471, and the operation portion 793 of the input lever 790 is provided. The input lever 790 that needs to be pulled out to the outside is positioned on the second small space 472 side. In addition, when the ice tray 21 is brought into contact with the inner case 41, the ice tray 21 is located on the second small space 472 side of the second space 47, and the first small space 471 is The second small space 472 is away from the ice tray 21 (heater 26). Therefore, even in the second space 47, it is possible to reliably prevent condensation in the first small space 471 in which the ice detection switch 71, the main switch 72, the water supply switch 73, the circuit board 70, and the like are arranged. .

  As described above, in this embodiment, since the above-described double dew condensation countermeasure is taken in the space 471 in which the ice detection switch 71, the main switch 72, the water supply switch 73, and the circuit board 70 are arranged, the temperature is externally applied. Even if a change occurs, no condensation occurs in the first small space 471. Therefore, even when an inexpensive leaf switch is used as the ice detection switch 71, the main switch 72, and the water supply switch 73, malfunction due to freezing occurs. Does not occur.

1 is a perspective view of an ice making device to which the present invention is applied. (A), (B), (C) is a perspective view of a scraping member, an ice tray, and a guide member used in the ice making device shown in FIG. (A), (B), (C) are respectively a front view of the ice making device shown in FIG. 1, a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the scraping member of the ice making device is at the origin position, and a state in which the scraping member is rotated from the origin position. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the drive unit of the ice making apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the drive unit of the ice making apparatus shown in FIG. It is a timing chart figure which shows operation | movement of the ice making apparatus shown in FIG. In the ice making device shown in FIG. 1, it is explanatory drawing of the inner case used for the drive unit, and the member arrange | positioned in this inner case. (A), (B) is the side view of the rotating cam body used for the ice making apparatus shown in FIG. 1, respectively, and explanatory drawing of the three leaf contact pieces which comprise a main switch. (A), (B) is the top view and exploded perspective view of the torque limiter which the ice making apparatus to which this invention is applied, respectively. In the ice making device shown in FIG. 1, it is explanatory drawing of the base plate used for the drive unit, and the member arrange | positioned in this ground plate on the side facing an outer case. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of the drive unit comprised in the ice making apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which looked at the outer case used for the ice making apparatus shown in FIG. 1 from the outer surface side.

Explanation of symbols

1 Ice making device 2 Ice making unit 3 Drive unit (drive control unit)
21 Ice tray 22 Water supply part 23 Scraping member 215 Ice making groove (concave part for ice making)
221 Water supply port 231 Rotating shaft 232 Scraping part

Claims (3)

An ice tray, a scraping member disposed above the ice tray, for scraping ice from the ice tray, a water supply port disposed on the side of the ice tray for supplying water to the ice tray, and the scraper In an ice making device having a drive control unit for driving a member and controlling water supply from the water supply port,
The ice tray includes a plurality of ice making recesses,
The scraping member includes a rotating shaft that is driven to rotate about an axis by the drive control unit, and a plurality of scraping units that project sideways from the rotating shaft and scrape out ice from each of the ice making recesses,
The drive control unit is configured to cause water supply from the water supply port to the ice tray to be performed after the scraping unit has risen near the water supply port.   2. The drive control unit according to claim 1, wherein after the scraping unit has moved up near the water supply port, the drive control unit moves to the side opposite to the side where the water supply port is located across the rotation shaft, and then to the ice tray. An ice making device characterized in that it supplies water.   The drive control unit according to claim 2, wherein the scraping unit is positioned on a side opposite to the side where the water supply port is positioned across the rotation shaft until the ice making in the ice tray is completed. An ice making device, wherein the scraping member is stopped.

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