JPH06249560A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a refrigerator with an automatic ice-making device which produces hygienic, good quality ice while a water receiving container in which a constant volume of water from a water supply tank is stored is maintained in a hygienic condition without growth of mold. CONSTITUTION:An ice making tray 30 and an ice storage container 31 are housed in an ice-making chamber 19 in a freezing compartment 12 of a refrigerator, and a water receiving container 29 with a water supply tank 28 is situated in a water supply chamber 21 in a refrigerating compartment 13. Water is supplied to the ice-making tray 30 from the water receiving container 29 by a pump 32, and after ice is made, the ice-making tray 39 is upside down for dewatering ice. An ultraviolet lamp is provided to generate light rays having a wave length which generates ultraviolet rays and ozone that have sterilizing effects, and the water receiving container 29 is sterilized and prevented from getting moldy by the combination use of ultraviolet rays and ozone.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator equipped with an automatic ice making device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Today, some refrigerators are equipped with an automatic ice making device. The refrigerator is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-2-1951.
As disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 67, etc., a water tank and a water receiver are installed in a refrigerating chamber, an ice tray and an ice storage container are installed in a freezing chamber, and a fixed amount of water stored in the water receiver is pumped. And, the ice tray is supplied to the ice tray through a water supply pipe to cool the ice tray, and the ice tray is stored in the ice storage container by inverting and twisting the ice tray after ice making.

Here, in a general automatic ice making device, when the ice in the ice storage container is consumed and becomes less than a certain amount, it is necessary to automatically start ice making and supply the ice without delay. For that purpose, it is necessary to always store sufficient water in the water receiver so that a constant amount of water can be immediately supplied to the ice tray.

[0004]

However, when water for ice-making is stored in the water receiver, the water etc. near the boundary between the water and the air in the water receiver or the wetted portion of the peripheral flange of the container may cause mold and the like. Occurrence may occur.

As the ice-making water, tap water in which chlorine is dissolved and sterilized is usually used, but when stored for a long time, chlorine is released into the air and the sterilizing effect is lost. It causes the mold to get into a bad situation where mold is likely to occur.

Reflecting the recent gourmet boom and the like, attention has also been paid to the taste of water and ice. Therefore, for example, in a water supply tank set in a water receiver, the plug or the water receiver of the water receiver from the tank is stored. By installing a water purification device with activated carbon in the passage leading to the section and removing chlorine in the water,
It is also made to make tasteless and odorless ice. However, the removal of chlorine content with such a water purifier such as an activated carbon filter is one of the causes of easily causing mold. Furthermore, when the amount of ice in the ice storage container exceeds a certain amount (for example, in a state where ice is not used) for a long time, such as in winter, the ice making operation is not performed and there is no water circulation in the water receiver. Molds are more likely to occur.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points,
By using an ultraviolet lamp that emits light of a certain wavelength (ultraviolet rays) that generates ozone, and by combining the sterilization action based on the strong oxidizing power of ozone, the water receptor etc. is sterilized more effectively, and the generation of mold etc. Is to prevent.

[0008]

The present invention comprises an ice making chamber formed in a freezing chamber and a water supply chamber formed in a refrigerating chamber, and an ice tray and an ice storage container arranged in the ice making chamber, and the water supply. In a refrigerator having a water supply tank arranged in a chamber and a water receiver for storing a fixed amount of water in the tank, and supplying water in the water receiver to the ice tray to automatically make ice, A storage space is defined above the water receiver, and an ultraviolet lamp that emits ultraviolet rays having a wavelength having an ozone generating action is provided in the storage space.

[0009]

[Function] The water receptor is irradiated with ultraviolet rays. In that case, sterilization is sufficiently performed in the portion directly exposed to ultraviolet rays. However, although UV rays do not hit all parts of the water receiver, sterilization by ozone can be expected in such parts that do not hit, so it is possible to completely sterilize the water receiver and other components, and prevent mold. Then, they can be managed cleanly and good quality ice can be provided.

[0010]

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

Reference numeral 1 is a refrigerator. This refrigerator has an outer box 2, an inner box 3, and a heat insulating box body 5 formed of a foamed heat insulating material 4 filled between them, and a door body 6 for opening and closing the opening of the heat insulating box body 5. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and a partition member 14 for partitioning the interior of the refrigerator into a freezer compartment 12 and a refrigerating compartment 13.
Partition plates 17 and 18 for further partitioning the interior of the refrigerating compartment 13 into an ice greenhouse 15 and a vegetable compartment 16, an ice making compartment 19 and a quenching compartment 20 defined in the freezing compartment 12, and an interior of the refrigerating compartment 13. It is composed of a water supply chamber 21 formed, a cooler 22 and a fan 23 installed in a cooling chamber formed behind the freezing chamber 12, and a damper device 24 for adjusting the flow rate of cold air to the refrigerating chamber 13. . In addition, cold air outlets 25, 26, 2 are provided on the back surfaces of the ice making chamber 19, the freezing chamber 12, and the refrigerating chamber 13, respectively.
7 are formed.

The door bodies 6 and 7, and 8 and 9 are double-door type doors whose outer ends are pivotally supported.
1 is a drawer type door.

Further, in this refrigerator, a water supply chamber 21 is provided in an image in the lower corner of the refrigerating chamber 13 and an ice making chamber 19 is provided in an image in the freezing chamber 12, and automatic ice making units arranged in both chambers are provided. The device automatically makes ice. That is, this automatic ice making device has a water supply tank 28 arranged in an upper part of the water supply chamber 21, a water receiver 29 arranged below the water supply tank 28 for measuring a predetermined amount of water, and the water receiver 29. Pump 32 for supplying a fixed amount of water stored in the ice tray 30 described later and a water supply pipe 33 buried in the heat insulating material 4, the ice tray 30 installed in the upper portion of the ice making chamber 19, and the ice tray 3
It is composed of an ice storage container 31 installed below 0 and a drive device 34 for dropping the ice in the ice tray 30 by twisting the ice tray 30 while inverting the ice tray 30 after making the ice.

More specifically, first, the water supply chamber 21 includes a box-shaped container body 35, a cover 36 covering the container body 35, and the container body 3.
5, a door 37 for opening and closing the front opening of the container 5, a partition plate 38 for vertically partitioning the container body 35, a water receiver 29 mounted on the lower side of the partition plate 38, and a water supply mounted on the upper side of the partition plate 38. It is formed by the tank 28. A rib 41 on which the shelf 40 is placed is formed on one side surface of the cover 36.

A packing body 42, a valve body 43, a cap 44, a plug body 47 including a spring 45 and a ring 46 is mounted on the lower surface of the water supply tank 28, and the valve body 43 is a protrusion of a water receiver 29 described later. By being pushed up by 48, the plug 47 is opened and the water in the tank 28 flows out into the water receiver 29.

An opening 39 on the partition plate 38 has its suction port 49 exposed to a water reservoir 50 of a water receiver 29, which will be described later, while a pump 32 having a feed port 51 connected to a water supply pipe 33 is attached. .

Although not shown, when the water supply tank 28 is pushed to a predetermined position in the partition plate 38, O
A water supply tank mounting detection switch (for example, a reed switch) that generates a signal indicating that the tank 28 has been set by N operation is arranged.

A notch 80 is formed in the rear wall of the container body 35 to let the water supply pipe 33 out of the body 35.

A guide 57 for guiding the water tank 28 in and out of the water supply tank 28, a rib 58 for mounting the partition plate 38, and bosses 59, 60 of a water receiver 29, which will be described later, are provided on the upper end of the container body 35. Locking part 6 for locking
Each pair of boss guides 63, 6 integrally including 1, 62
4 and 4 are integrally formed.

The water receiver 29 has a partition plate 66 having a vertically long slit 65 in the center thereof and a partition plate 66 which is partitioned by the partition plate and is located on the plug 47 side of the water supply tank 28.
A water receiving portion 67 for storing water poured from 8 and a water reservoir portion 5 which is also partitioned by a partition plate 66 and is located on the suction port 49 side of the pump 32 to store water pumped by the pump 32.
0, a protrusion 48 that abuts the valve body 43 of the plug body 47 of the water supply tank 28 to open the valve body, the rib 7 that inserts the activated carbon 69 shown in FIG.
1, 72, an engaging portion 74 which is formed on the front edge of the container 29 and engages with the projecting piece 73 on the front edge of the partition plate 38, and is formed on the rear edge of the container 29. , And an engaging portion 76 that engages with the projecting piece 75 provided on the rear portion of the container body 35.

The method of inserting the water supply tank 28 in the water supply chamber 21 is as follows. The tank is inserted from the front opening of the container main body 35, and the guide 57 of the main body is slid so that the plug body 47 has the hole 77 of the partition plate 38. It is carried out by setting at a place that matches with. At this time, when the water receiver 29 is set below the partition plate 38, the protrusion 48 of the container pushes up the valve body 43, so that the valve body 43 opens.

The method of inserting the water receiver 29 is to insert the container from the front opening of the container body 35 and slide the guides 63 and 64 of the body to guide the bosses 59 and 60 of the container 29 to the guide 63. , 64, while engaging the engaging portion 74 with the projecting piece 73 of the partition plate 38, the engaging portion 76.
Is attached by engaging with the projecting piece 75 of the container body 35.

Here, the bosses 59 and 60 of the water receiver 29 are dimensioned so as to be close to the container body 35 at the time of insertion.
Water is not spilled when attaching or detaching.

Even if water is spilled from the container 29, the water supply chamber 21 is isolated from the refrigerating chamber 13 by the container body 35, so that water does not flow out to the refrigerating chamber 13.

As mentioned above, the water receiver 29 is in an environment where water is stored for a long time and is easily wetted by water, so that there is a concern that bacteria and mold may be generated in the water receiver 29. Therefore, paying attention to the fact that conventionally known ultraviolet rays have a bactericidal action and the fact that ozone has a bactericidal effect due to its strong oxidizing power, ultraviolet rays that emit light of a wavelength that generates ultraviolet rays and ozone Use a lamp,
A greater bactericidal effect was obtained by the combined use of ultraviolet rays and ozone.

Therefore, the protrusion 5 is provided at the rear of the partition plate 38.
2 to form the protrusion 52 and the back wall 35 of the container body 35.
An accommodating space 53 for the ultraviolet lamp, which is defined by being surrounded by h, is formed.

An ultraviolet lamp 54 is installed in the storage space 53 and emits an ultraviolet ray having a wavelength of 253.7 nm and a light (ultraviolet ray) having a wavelength of 185 nm.
The light in the nm excites oxygen in the storage space 53 to turn it into ozone.

As shown in FIG. 7, the ultraviolet lamp 54 horizontally faces the water receiver 29, and is screwed to the back wall 35h. 54b is the lamp socket, and 54c is a lead wire for power supply.

Further, 55 is an aluminum reflector installed inside the top surface of the storage space 53 with a little space, and the wavelength of the ultraviolet lamp 54 is 253.7 nm.
Is provided for the purpose of efficiently irradiating the water receiver 29 with the ultraviolet rays and is also used as a shielding member for preventing the resin partition plate 38 on the opposite side of the reflection plate 55 from being adversely affected by the ultraviolet rays. It is being appreciated.

Here, the ultraviolet lamp 54 has a specific coating film formed on the inner surface of the lamp bulb made of quartz glass, and this coating film protects ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 253.7 nm and ozone having a wavelength of 185 nm from each other. The light to be generated is transmitted and emitted.

Therefore, when power is supplied to the ultraviolet lamp 54,
Ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 253.7 nm and light having a wavelength of 185 nm are emitted. Wavelength 2 for irradiating the water receiver 29 with the reflector 55
Since the 53.7 nm ultraviolet ray has a bactericidal effect, it effectively prevents the bacteria and mold from forming on the water receptor 29 which is easily wet with water.

On the other hand, the light having a wavelength of 185 nm excites oxygen in the air (in the storage space 53) to ozone.

The sterilizing effect of ozone is considered to be due to its strong oxidizing power. The reason for this strong oxidizing power is the instability of ozone itself, which is due to oxygen atoms, as shown in the reaction formula below.

O ₃ → O ₂ + O

It is said that this oxygen atom greatly contributes to the bactericidal effect.

Then, in this ozone atmosphere, the water receiver 29
In the water receiver 29, a bactericidal and mildew-proofing effect can be expected to a portion of the shadow that is not directly irradiated with the ultraviolet rays by placing the.

Although it is considered that the excess ozone does not adversely affect the internal resin parts and the human body, it is also appropriate to use an ozone decomposition catalyst together if necessary.

With respect to the water receiver 29, it has been found that silver zeolite in which silver is ion-bonded to the zeolite by utilizing the ion exchange function of the zeolite exerts an antibacterial activity superior to the conventional one. It is noted that the water receiver 29 is made of a resin material mixed with the silver zeolite having the sterilizing and antifungal effect.

That is, when this silver zeolite is kneaded into a resin material such as plastic to form a water receiver 29 integrally formed of this resin, even if bacteria in the air enter the water in the water receiver 29, the antibacterial effect of the silver zeolite is obtained. By the action, the growth and reproduction of bacteria can be effectively prevented, and the water receptor 29 itself can be maintained in a substantially sterile state as a whole, and an unsanitary condition such as mold will not appear, and the food It is possible to provide ice with good hygiene and good quality.

Therefore, the water in the water receiver 29 and the water receiver 29 itself are irradiated with the ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet lamp 54 and the sterilizing action is also added to the water, so that the antibacterial effect on the water receiver 29 is further enhanced. Has become.

When the water supply tank 28 is set and mounted on the water receiver 29 in the container body 35, the water from the tank 28 accumulated in the water receiver 67 in the water receiver 29 is activated carbon. The water is permeated through 69 to be purified and supplied to the water reservoir 50 through the slit 65 so that a constant amount of water can be stored in the water reservoir 50. Then, the water in the water reservoir 50 is pumped up by the pump 32 and supplied into the ice tray 30 through the water supply pipe 33.

By the way, in the ice making chamber 19, an ice tray 30 connected to a drive device 34 via a drive shaft (not shown),
An ice storage container 31 that is provided below and stores the ice produced by the ice tray 30 and a duct cover 80 installed above the ice tray 30 are stored.

Here, after the ice making, the ice tray 30 is rotated around the drive shaft by the drive unit 34 by the drive unit, but a stopper in the direction of rotation is provided on the support shaft (not shown) opposite to the drive unit 34. The ice tray 30 is twisted from a certain rotation angle by this stopper, and the deicing is made favorable.

Before the ice tray 30 rotates, the drive device 34 tilts into the ice storage container 31 and enters the ice storage container 31, and an ice storage detection member 59 for detecting the amount of ice storage in the container 31 is attached to the drive device 34. is there. When the ice storage detecting member 59 detects that the amount of ice in the ice storage container 31 is less than or equal to a predetermined amount, the drive device 34 completely reverses the ice making tray 30 to supply ice.

The ice making operation is performed as follows. After the completion of the water injection into the ice tray 30, ice making is started by cold air. When the ice making is completed, the temperature sensor attached to the lower surface of the ice tray 30 detects the temperature drop state of the ice tray, and the driving device 3
4 to the driving device 34 after the ice detecting operation by the ice storage detecting member 59, the ice removing operation (reversing operation of the ice tray 30) is performed.
Turns the ice tray 30 in reverse and waits for the next ice making operation.

[0046]

As described above, according to the present invention, by providing an ultraviolet lamp which emits ultraviolet rays having a wavelength having an ozone generating action in the vicinity of the water receptor, both the ultraviolet rays and the ozone have a sterilizing action. It is possible to expect a greater sterilization and antifungal effect by synergizing with each other, and it is possible to maintain cleanliness by a simple means such as a water receiver. Therefore, by applying it to a refrigerator with an automatic ice making device, it becomes possible to provide high-quality ice in peace.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a refrigerator.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the refrigerator.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the refrigerator with the door opened.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a water supply chamber.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a water supply chamber.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a water receiver.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view of a water supply chamber.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of built-in parts in a water supply chamber and an ice making chamber.

[Explanation of symbols]

 12 Freezer 13 Refrigerator 19 Ice Making Room 21 Water Supply Room 28 Water Supply Tank 29 Water Receptor 30 Ice Making Dish 31 Ice Storage Container 32 Pump 33 Water Supply Pipe 69 Activated Carbon 70 Case 65 Slit 66 Partition Plate 67 Water Receptor 50 Water Reservoir

Front page continuation (72) Inventor Fujiko Masuda 2-18 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An ice making chamber formed in a freezing chamber and a water supply chamber formed in a refrigerating chamber, an ice tray and an ice storage container arranged in the ice making chamber, and a water supply tank arranged in the water supplying chamber. And a water receiver that stores a fixed amount of water in this tank, and stores the water in the water receiver above the water receiver in a refrigerator that automatically supplies ice to the ice making tray. A refrigerator characterized in that a space is defined, and an ultraviolet lamp that emits ultraviolet rays having a wavelength having an ozone generating action is provided in the storage space.