JPH0886547A - Automatic ice machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] The present invention is intended to prevent a large load torque from being applied to the dish motor. [Structure] When it is detected that the door is opened during ice removal, the dish motor is de-energized (step S11), and step S
After 12, the timer is set (step S13).
That is, the time count for the predetermined time is started. When this timer counts up (step S1
4) Energize the dish motor (step S15). In other words, when the door is opened, the dish motor is held in a disconnected state until a predetermined time elapses from that time. After that, the dish motor is again energized and started.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic ice making device which stops an ice removing operation when a door is opened.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, refrigerators provided with an automatic ice making device are provided. This automatic ice making device is configured as follows. That is, when water is supplied to the ice tray by the water supply mechanism, and the completion of ice making is detected based on the temperature sensor attached to the ice tray detecting a predetermined temperature (for example, -19 ° C), the ice tray is driven by the dish motor. The operation of rotating and twisting to remove the ice from the ice tray, dropping it into the ice storage container, reversing the ice tray and returning it to its original position is automatically repeated.

The twisting operation of the above ice tray will be described with reference to FIG. At the time of ice removal, the ice tray 51 is first rotated in the direction of arrow A when a tray motor (not shown) provided in the machine body 52 is energized and driven. When the ice tray 1 is rotated downward and the locking piece portion 51a of the ice tray 51 comes into contact with the stopper 53, the ice tray 1 is twisted by the rotation from here, and the ice in the ice tray 51 is released and falls. At this time, a reversing switch (not shown) in the machine body 52 is turned off, the plate motor is energized so as to rotate in the reverse direction, and when the ice tray 51 returns to a horizontal state, this is detected by a position sensor (not shown) and the plate motor is cut off. .

By the way, a door is provided in the ice making chamber in which the ice making tray 51 is provided. Conventionally, when this door is opened at the time of ice removal, as can be seen from the flow chart shown in FIG. The dish motor is cut off to stop the ice removing operation. That is, in general, when the door is opened, the ice storage container is subsequently pulled out, and thus the released ice may fall in a place without the ice storage container. In order to prevent this, the ice removing operation is stopped when the door is opened during ice removing.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional structure, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7, as soon as the door is closed, the dish motor is energized to start the ice removing operation. A problem occurs. That is,
When the ice tray 51 is twisted by the rotation of the dish motor, the elastic restoring force of the ice tray 51 acts on the dish motor as a large reaction force in the counter arrow A direction. In this state, when the dish motor is de-energized, the reaction force acts on the dish motor, and the rotating shaft of the dish motor gradually returns in the direction of the arrow A. In this state, when the door is closed and the dish motor is energized, a torque due to the elastic restoring force of the ice tray 51 is applied to the dish motor in addition to the normal starting torque, and the load of the dish motor increases and the motor is increased. Occasionally, ice removal malfunctions occurred due to locking and poor startup. To prevent this, a dish motor with a large starting torque must be used, which causes a problem of high cost. Further, the opening and closing of the door may be repeated within a short time, and in this case, there is a problem that the dish motor is electrically disconnected and turned on within a short time to shorten the motor life.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to prevent a large load torque from being applied to the dish motor, prevent motor lock, and prevent ice removal operation failure due to startup failure. It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic ice making device capable of extending the life of the motor.

[0007]

A first means is an ice making chamber opened and closed by a door, an ice making tray provided in the ice making chamber, and the ice making tray by rotating and twisting the ice making tray. A dish motor for defrosting the ice inside, a door opening / closing detection means for detecting the opening / closing of the door, and a control means for drivingly controlling the dish motor to perform deicing control are provided. When the opening of the door is detected at that time, the dish motor is cut off at the time of the detection, the cutoff state is maintained for a predetermined time, and the dish motor is energized after the predetermined time elapses. However, it is characterized (the invention of claim 1).

A second means is an ice making chamber opened and closed by a door, an ice making tray provided in the ice making chamber, and the ice making tray is rotated and twisted to deform the ice in the ice making tray. And a door opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of the door, and a control means for driving and controlling the dish motor to perform ice-free control. The control means opens the door at the time of ice-freezing. Is detected, the dish motor is cut off at the time of detection, and then this cutoff state is maintained for a predetermined time after the door is closed, and the dish motor is energized after the predetermined time elapses. It is characterized by the fact that it has become (the invention of claim 2).

[0009]

In the first means, when the opening of the door is detected at the time of ice-freezing, the dish motor is cut off at the time of detection, the cut-off state is maintained for a predetermined time, and after the predetermined time elapses, Since the dish motor is energized, the overload state does not occur when the dish motor is restarted. That is, even if the elastic restoring force due to the twisting deformation of the ice tray acts on the dish motor when the dish motor is turned off, the rotation axis of the dish motor gradually returns to the elastic state when the dish motor is left unattended. Resilience is reduced. However, in this first means, since the dish motor is kept in a disconnected state for a predetermined time, the elastic restoring force of the ice tray is sufficiently reduced, and the dish motor is energized after the elapse of the predetermined time. At this time, a large load torque is not applied to this dish motor. Also, during this predetermined time, the dish motor is not energized even if the door is closed,
The dish motor is not frequently turned on and off in a short time.

In the second means, when the opening of the door is detected at the time of ice-freezing, the dish motor is cut off at the time of the detection, and then this cutoff state is maintained for a predetermined time after the door is closed. Since the dish motor is held and the dish motor is energized after the lapse of this predetermined time, it is possible to obtain the same operation as described above. Since the ice tray is held until a predetermined time has passed since it was closed, it is possible to more sufficiently reduce the elastic restoring force of the ice tray.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. First, in FIG.
A freezer compartment 2, an ice making compartment 3, a refrigerating compartment 4 and the like are formed inside the refrigerator main body 1, and cold air cooled by a cooler (not shown) is supplied to each of these compartments by a fan (not shown).
3 and 4 are supplied. The chambers 2, 3 and 4 are opened and closed by doors 7, 8 and 9, respectively.

An automatic ice making device 10 according to the present invention is provided in the ice making chamber 3, which will be described in detail below. Reference numeral 11 denotes a rectangular box-shaped machine body disposed in the front part in the upper part of the ice making chamber 3, and has an L-shaped support member 12 protruding rearwardly provided at one end part of the rear surface as shown in FIG. ing. A drive mechanism including a dish motor 13 (see FIGS. 2 and 4) and a gear mechanism (not shown) is provided inside the machine body 11. The drive mechanism reduces the rotation of the dish motor 13 by the gear mechanism. It is configured to be transmitted to the output shaft 14.

Reference numeral 15 is a plastic ice tray, for example,
It has a thin rectangular container shape with an open top surface, and the inside is divided into a plurality of small chambers. The ice tray 15 rotates about the output shaft 14 and the support shaft 16 with respect to the support member 12 through a support shaft 16 having a front center portion on the output shaft 14 and a rear center portion on the output shaft 14. It is supported so that it can be turned upside down by the output shaft 14.

A locking piece 1 is provided at one end of the rear portion of the ice tray 15.
When the ice tray 15 is rotated in the reversing direction, the locking piece portion 15a abuts the stopper 12a formed on the support member 12 so that the ice tray 15 is provided on the other end side of the ice tray 15. The rotation of the ice tray 15 is restricted so that the ice tray 15 is twisted and deformed. A temperature sensor 17 is attached to the ice tray 15.

Further, in FIG. 2, reference numeral 18 denotes an ice storage container that is stored below the ice tray 15 so that it can be put in and taken out of the ice making chamber 3, and reference numeral 19 denotes an ice storage detection lever that is rotatably supported by the machine body 11. 20 is a water supply device, which is a refrigerator compartment 4
The water in the water supply tank 21 housed inside is supplied to the ice tray 15 by the water supply pump 22 via the water supply pipe 23.

On the other hand, FIG. 4 shows the electrical construction of the automatic ice making device 7. In the figure, reference numeral 24 is a control circuit which is a control means constituted by including a microcomputer for controlling each process relating to ice making, which will be described later, and this control circuit 24 includes opening and closing of the door 8 of the ice making chamber 3. A door switch 25 as a door opening / closing detecting means for detecting the
The signals from the position sensor 26 for detecting the horizontal position of the No. 5, the ice storage detection switch 27 interlocking with the ice storage detection lever 19, and the temperature sensor 17 are input.

Then, the control circuit 24 is responsive to the input in accordance with the program stored in advance, and the dish motor 1 is operated.
3 is controlled by a drive circuit 28, and the water supply pump 24 is controlled by a drive circuit 29. The drive circuit 28 is provided with a normally closed reversing switch 30 for switching the rotation direction of the dish motor 13. The reversing switch 30 is opened when the ice tray 15 is twisted and deformed and then rotated to a predetermined angle position, and is returned to the initial state (closed state) when the dish motor 13 is cut off.

Next, regarding the operation of the above configuration, the control circuit 2
4 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step S1, the water supply pump 22 is driven for a certain period of time to supply water to the ice tray 15. Then, in step S2, it is determined whether or not the water supply is completed by comparing the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 17 with the water supply completion temperature (−9.5 ° C.). That is, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 17 is lower than the water supply completion temperature, it is determined that water has not been supplied (for example, water is not supplied to the ice tray 15 because there is no water in the water supply tank 21), and water supply is performed. The abnormality is notified and the operation is stopped (step S3). On the other hand, when it is high, it is determined that the water supply is completed, and the process proceeds to step S4. Since the cool air is supplied from the cooler and the fan into the ice making chamber 3, the water in the ice making tray 15 is made into ice.

In step S4, it is determined whether ice making is completed. That is, the detected temperature of the temperature sensor 17 is compared with the ice making completion temperature (-12.0 ° C.), and when the detected temperature becomes equal to or lower than the ice making completion temperature, it is determined that the ice making is completed, and the next ice release after step S5. The operation is performed.

In step S5, the dish motor 13 is energized and rotated via the drive circuit 28. In this case, the reversing switch 30 is closed and the dish motor 13 rotates in the forward direction (direction of arrow A in FIG. 3). Then, as shown in step S6, it is determined whether or not the door 8 of the ice making chamber 3 is opened by the door switch 25. If it is not opened, as shown in step S7, it is determined whether or not a timer by software described later is set. If it is not set, the process proceeds to step S8 and the ice tray 15 is returned to the horizontal position. Determine whether or not.

That is, assuming that the door 8 remains unopened, the plate motor 13 continues to rotate, whereby the ice tray 15 is rotated in the same direction and turned upside down, and the locking pieces of the ice tray 15 are locked. The portion 15a is the stopper 1 of the support member 12.
When the ice tray 15 is brought into contact with the ice tray 2 and twisted, the ice in the ice tray 15 is released and dropped into the ice storage container 18. At this time, the reverse position detection switch 30 is opened and the dish motor 13 is rotated in the reverse direction, whereby the ice tray 15 is returned to the horizontal state. When this return to the horizontal state is detected in step S8, the process proceeds to step S9 and the dish motor 13 is cut off. After that, in step S10, it is determined by the ice storage detection switch 27 whether or not the ice stored in the ice storage container 31 is full, and if it is determined that the ice is not full, the process returns to step S1 and is full. If it is judged, it waits as it is.

When it is detected that the door 8 is opened after the dish motor 13 is energized in step S5 (so-called ice removal), the process proceeds to step S11, and the dish motor 13 is disconnected. Then, in step S12, it is determined whether or not the timer by the software of the control circuit 24 is set. If not set, the process proceeds to step S13 and this timer is set. That is, the time count for the predetermined time is started. After this, the process returns to step S6, and if the door 8 is still open, the process of step S11 and step S12 is repeated and the process proceeds to step S6.

When it is detected that the door 8 is closed, the process proceeds to step S7, it is determined whether or not the timer is set, and if it is set, the step S7 is performed.
In step S14, it is determined whether or not the timer has counted up (whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed). If it does not count up, the process returns to step S6. If it counts up, the process moves to step S15. , Energize the dish motor 13. In other words, when the door 8 is opened, the dish motor 13 is held in a disconnected state until a predetermined time elapses from that time. After that, the dish motor 13 is again energized and activated.

As described above, according to this embodiment, when the opening of the door 8 is detected at the time of ice removal, the dish motor 13 is cut off at the time of the detection, and this cutoff state is maintained for a predetermined time.
Since the dish motor 13 is energized after the elapse of this predetermined time, the dish motor 13 is not overloaded when it is restarted. That is, when the plate motor 13 is cut off, the ice tray 1
Even if the elastic restoring force due to the twisting deformation of No. 5 acts on the dish motor 13, if it is left as it is, the output shaft 14 which is the rotating shaft of the dish motor 13 gradually returns, and the elastic restoring force decreases. . However, according to the present embodiment, the dish motor 1
3 is maintained for a predetermined time, the elastic restoring force of the ice tray 15 is sufficiently reduced. When the tray motor 13 is energized after the predetermined time, the tray motor 13
Therefore, a large load torque is not applied to the motor, the motor lock can be prevented, and the ice removing operation failure due to the startup failure can be prevented. Also, during this predetermined time, the dish motor 13 is not energized even if the door 8 is closed, so the dish motor 13
Is not frequently interrupted in a short time, and the life of the motor can be extended.

Next, FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the following points. That is, when ice making is completed and the process goes to step G5, the dish motor 13 is energized and rotated. In this case, the reversing switch 30 is closed and the dish motor 13 rotates in the forward direction (direction of arrow A in FIG. 3). And step G6
As shown in, the door switch 25 determines whether or not the door 8 of the ice making chamber 3 has been opened. If not open,
As shown in step G7, it is determined whether or not the timer start preparation signal is set. If it is not set, the process proceeds to step G8 and it is determined whether or not the timer is set. If it has not been set, the process proceeds to step G9, and it is determined whether or not the ice tray 15 has returned to the horizontal position, as described above. When the return of the horizontal state is detected in this step G9, the process goes to step G10, the dish motor 13 is cut off, and the process goes to step G11 similar to step S10.

If it is detected in step G6 that the door 8 has been opened after the dish motor 13 is energized in step G5 (so-called ice-freezing), step G12 is performed.
, The dish motor 13 is turned off, and step G1
3, the timer start preparation signal is set, and the process returns to step G6. When the door 8 is closed, this step G6
According to “N” of No., the process proceeds to step G7. In this step G7, it is judged that the timer start preparation signal is set, and the routine goes to step G14. In this step G14, the timer is set and the timer start preparation signal is cleared. Then, in the next step G8, the timer set is judged, so step G
The process proceeds to step 15, and it is determined whether or not the timer counts up (whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed). If the timer does not count up, the process returns to step G6. If the count up occurs, the process moves to step G16. Energize the dish motor 13. In other words, when the door 8 is opened, the dish motor 13 is cut off at that time, and the dish motor 13 is kept cut off until a predetermined time elapses after the door 8 is closed. After that, the dish motor 13 is again energized and activated.

According to the second embodiment, when the opening of the door 8 is detected at the time of ice removal, the dish motor 13 is cut off at the time of the detection, and then the door 8 is closed in this cutoff state. Since the plate motor 13 is held for a predetermined time after that, and the plate motor 13 is energized after the lapse of the predetermined time, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of the first embodiment. Since the state is maintained until a predetermined time elapses after the door 8 is closed after the power is cut off, the ice tray 15
It is possible to more sufficiently reduce the elastic restoring force of the.

[0028]

As is apparent from the above description, the present invention can obtain the following effects. According to the invention of claim 1, when the opening of the door is detected at the time of ice-freezing, the dish motor is cut off at the time of the detection, the cutoff state is maintained for a predetermined time, and after the predetermined time elapses, the dish is opened. Since the motor is energized, the dish motor will not be overloaded when restarted, motor lock can be prevented, and ice removal operation failure due to startup failure can be prevented. Further, during this predetermined time, since the dish motor is not energized even if the door is closed, the dish motor is not frequently turned on and off in a short time, and the life of the motor can be extended. .

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the opening of the door is detected at the time of ice-freezing, the dish motor is cut off at the time of the detection, and then this cutoff state is predetermined after the door is closed. Since the dish motor is held for a certain period of time and the dish motor is energized after the lapse of this predetermined time, the same operation as described above can be obtained. Since the ice tray is held for a predetermined time after it is closed, the elastic restoring force of the ice tray can be more sufficiently reduced, and the load torque when the dish motor is restarted can be further reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of control contents showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2] Vertical side view of the upper part of the refrigerator

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an automatic ice making device portion.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of control contents showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an automatic ice making device portion showing a conventional example.

[Fig. 7] Flow chart of control contents

[Explanation of symbols]

1 is a refrigerator main body, 3 is an ice making chamber, 8 is a door, 10 is an automatic ice making device, 11 is a machine body, 13 is a plate motor, 15 is an ice making plate, 1
7 is a temperature sensor, 24 is a control circuit (control means), and 25 is a door switch (door opening / closing detection means).

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An ice making chamber opened and closed by a door, an ice making plate provided in the ice making chamber, and a plate motor for rotating the ice making plate to twist and deform the ice making plate to release the ice in the ice making plate. A door opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of the door, and a control means for driving and controlling the plate motor to perform ice-free control. The control means detects opening of the door during ice-freezing. The automatic ice-making device is characterized in that the dish motor is sometimes cut off at the time of detection, the state of being cut off is maintained for a predetermined time, and the dish motor is energized after the predetermined time has elapsed. 2. An ice making chamber opened and closed by a door, an ice making plate provided in the ice making chamber, and a plate motor for rotating and twisting the ice making plate to remove ice in the ice making plate. A door opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of the door, and a control means for driving and controlling the plate motor to perform ice-free control. The control means detects opening of the door during ice-freezing. Sometimes, the dish motor is cut off at the time of the detection, and then this cutoff state is maintained for a predetermined time after the door is closed, and the dish motor is energized after the lapse of the predetermined time. An automatic ice making device.