refrigerator

Abstract

This refrigerator comprises: an insulated box having a refrigerating compartment and an ice-making compartment; a first insulated partition that separates the refrigerating compartment and the ice-making compartment, forms at least part of the floor of the refrigerating compartment, and has a storage part that is recessed below the floor; a water supply tank that is stored in the storage part and supplies water for making ice in the ice-making compartment; and an ice maker that is disposed in the ice-making compartment and produces ice from the water supplied from the water supply tank. The ice-making compartment is disposed below the refrigerating compartment, the water supply tank and the ice maker are arranged in non-overlapping relation when viewed from the front, the water supply tank and the ice maker are arranged in at least partially overlapping relation when viewed from above, and the ice maker can be put in and taken out by moving the ice maker back and forth.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator equipped with an ice making compartment for producing and storing ice. [Background technology]

[0002] In conventional automatic ice-making systems used in refrigerators, the water supply tank that supplies water to the ice maker is often placed in the refrigerator compartment set to a refrigeration temperature range (0 to 6°C) in order to achieve both long-term storage of water and prevention of freezing. In this case, a product has been proposed in which the water supply tank is embedded in the floor of the refrigerator compartment in order to ensure the storage capacity of the refrigerator compartment (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In addition, the water tank is placed in front of the refrigerator compartment to make it easier to remove. The ice maker and water tank are placed close to each other to keep the water supply path as short as possible. Furthermore, if the water tank and ice maker are placed side by side in the width direction, the width of the ice making compartment will be large, which will reduce the storage volume of the adjacent storage compartment. For this reason, a configuration has been proposed in which the ice maker is placed behind the water tank. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3102841 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in a configuration in which the ice maker is located behind the water tank, there is a problem in that the ice maker cannot be removed from the ice making compartment in the forward direction, making it difficult for general users to clean it.

[0006] The present disclosure is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a refrigerator in which the ice maker can be easily removed while ensuring the storage volume of the storage compartment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The refrigerator of the present disclosure includes: Cut off A thermal box; A refrigerator compartment formed within the insulated box, an ice-making compartment formed within the insulated box and disposed below the refrigerator compartment, and a freezer compartment formed within the insulated box and disposed adjacent to the ice-making compartment; A first heat insulating partition that separates the refrigerator compartment from the ice making compartment, forms at least a part of the floor surface of the refrigerator compartment, and has a storage section that is recessed below the floor surface; A second heat insulating partition that separates the ice making compartment from the freezing compartment, a third heat insulating partition that separates the refrigerator compartment from the freezing compartment and forms at least a part of the floor surface of the refrigerator compartment, The ice making machine includes a water supply tank that is stored in the storage section and supplies water for making ice in the ice making chamber, and an ice maker that is disposed in the ice making chamber and makes ice from the water supplied from the water supply tank, salary The water tank and the ice maker are arranged in positions where they do not overlap when viewed from the front, and the water supply tank and the ice maker are arranged in positions where they at least partially overlap when viewed from above, The first insulating partition, the second insulating partition, and the third insulating partition are filled with different insulating materials, The ice maker can be inserted or removed by moving it back and forth. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the refrigerator of the present disclosure, the first insulating partition has a storage section for storing the water tank, and the water tank and the ice maker are arranged so that they do not overlap when viewed from the front but partially overlap when viewed from above, thereby making it easy to remove the ice maker while maintaining the storage volume of the storage compartment. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to embodiment 1. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 with the door omitted. [Diagram 3] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the periphery of an ice-making compartment in the refrigerator according to embodiment 1. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a perspective view of a handle and an ice tray of the ice maker according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the ice maker, gear box, and frame of the first embodiment, and is a perspective view showing the ice maker attached to the gear box and mounted within the frame, as viewed from below. [Figure 6]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the ice maker, gear box, and frame of the first embodiment, and is a perspective view from below showing the ice maker removed from the gear box. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic perspective view of an ice maker, a water supply tank, and a water supply pipe according to a first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the water supply pump according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic diagram of an ice maker, a water supply tank, and a water supply pipe according to a first embodiment as viewed from above. [Figure 10] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the ice maker and a first insulating partition according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a water tank and an ice maker according to a first embodiment. [Figure 12] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a refrigeration compartment according to embodiment 1. FIG. [Figure 13] 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the periphery of an ice-making compartment in a refrigerator according to embodiment 2. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same or equivalent parts, and this is common throughout the specification. In addition, the forms of the components shown in the entire specification are merely examples and are not limited to these descriptions. Furthermore, the size relationships of the components in the following drawings may differ from the actual ones.

[0011] Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a front view of refrigerator 1 according to embodiment 1, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the door of refrigerator 1 shown in FIG. 1 is omitted. In principle, the positional relationship between each component member (e.g., vertical relationship, etc.) in the specification is when refrigerator 1 is installed in a usable state. In order to clarify the correspondence between the following drawings including FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a coordinate system is defined as follows. The left-right direction of refrigerator 1 when viewed from the front is defined as the X-axis, the up-down direction of refrigerator 1 is defined as the Y-axis, and the front-rear direction of refrigerator 1 is defined as the Z-axis. Usually, the XY plane and the ZY plane are vertical planes, and the XZ plane is a horizontal plane. In the following description, the X-axis direction is referred to as the "left-right direction" or "width direction", the Y-axis direction is referred to as the "up-down direction" or "height direction", and the Z-axis direction is referred to as the "front-rear direction" or "depth direction".

[0012] (Refrigerator 1 Configuration) 1 and 2, a refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment includes a heat-insulating box 2 having an opening at the front and a storage space 3 formed therein. The heat-insulating box 2 includes an outer box 2a made of a steel plate forming an outer shell, an inner box 2b made of a thin hard resin such as ABS resin arranged inside the outer box 2a, and a heat insulating material 2c such as hard urethane foam (urethane foam) filled between the outer box 2a and the inner box 2b.

[0013] The storage space 3 formed inside the heat-insulating box 2 is divided into a plurality of storage compartments for storing food by a plurality of partition members. The refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment includes a refrigerator compartment 100, a first freezer compartment 200, an ice-making compartment 300, a vegetable compartment 400, and a second freezer compartment 500 as a plurality of storage compartments. The refrigerator compartment 100 is disposed on the top level, and the first freezer compartment 200 and the ice-making compartment 300 are disposed adjacent to each other in the width direction below the refrigerator compartment 100. The vegetable compartment 400 is disposed below the first freezer compartment 200 and the ice-making compartment 300, and the second freezer compartment 500 is disposed below the vegetable compartment 400 and on the bottom level. The first freezer compartment 200 may be a temperature-switchable compartment.

[0014] An opening formed in the front of the refrigerator compartment 100 is provided with left door 11a and right door 11b of a double door type for opening and closing the opening. Also, a second freezer compartment door 12, an ice compartment door 13, a vegetable compartment door 14, and a first freezer compartment door 15 of a drawer type for opening and closing the opening are respectively provided in the openings formed in the front of the first freezer compartment 200, the ice compartment 300, the vegetable compartment 400, and the second freezer compartment 500. Also, an operating unit 10 is provided on the left door 11a of the refrigerator compartment 100, which allows the user to perform operations such as setting the temperature of each storage compartment.

[0015] The refrigerator compartment 100 is set to a refrigeration temperature zone (e.g., about 3°C). The first freezer compartment 200 is set to a first freezing temperature zone (e.g., about -18°C) or a soft freezing temperature zone (e.g., about -7°C). The ice-making compartment 300 is set to a second freezing temperature zone (e.g., about -18°C). The vegetable compartment 400 is set to a refrigeration temperature zone (e.g., about 6°C). The second freezer compartment 500 is set to a third freezing temperature zone (e.g., about -18°C).

[0016] A first insulating partition 30 is installed between the refrigerator compartment 100 and the ice making compartment 300 and the first freezer compartment 200. A first insulating partition 30 and a second insulating partition 31 provided below the first insulating partition 30 are installed between the ice making compartment 300 and the first freezer compartment 200. A fourth insulating partition 32a is installed between the ice making compartment 300 and the first freezer compartment 200 and the vegetable compartment 400. A fifth insulating partition 32b is installed between the vegetable compartment 400 and the second freezer compartment 500.

[0017] The first heat insulating partition 30 separates the refrigerator compartment 100 and the ice making compartment 300, and forms the floor surface 100a of the refrigerator compartment 100. The first heat insulating partition 30 also has a water supply tank storage section 30a, which is a concave storage space that is concave below the floor surface 100a of the refrigerator compartment 100. The water supply tank storage section 30a is covered by the first heat insulating partition 30, and faces the refrigerator compartment 100. The temperature of the water supply tank storage section 30a is maintained, for example, in the refrigerator compartment temperature zone.

[0018] In addition, a cooling mechanism 81 that supplies cold air to each storage compartment and a control device 82 that controls each part of the refrigerator 1 are provided on the rear side of each storage compartment. Also, each storage compartment is provided with an internal temperature sensor (not shown) for detecting the temperature inside the storage compartment. Each internal temperature sensor is, for example, a thermistor, and the measured temperature is transmitted to the control device 82.

[0019] Cooling mechanism 81 includes a refrigerant circuit having a compressor and a cooler, an air passage that propagates the cool air supplied from the refrigerant circuit to each storage compartment, and a damper provided in the air passage. Control device 82 includes a processor such as a CPU, and a memory such as a RAM, a ROM, or a flash memory. Control device 82 controls cooling mechanism 81 based on detection signals from each sensor of refrigerator 1 and setting information input via operation unit 10 to cool each storage compartment.

[0020] (Configuration of ice-making chamber 300) Next, the configuration of the periphery of ice-making chamber 300 of the present embodiment will be described in detail. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the periphery of ice-making chamber 300 in refrigerator 1 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the periphery of ice-making chamber 300 cut along the XY plane and viewed from the front. As shown in Fig. 3, ice-making chamber 300 contains ice maker 20 that makes ice, and ice storage case 21 that stores the ice made by ice maker 20. Ice storage case 21 is located below ice maker 20.

[0021] A water supply tank storage section 30a formed by a first heat insulating partition 30 is disposed to the right of ice maker 20 and above ice storage case 21. A water supply tank 22 is stored in water supply tank storage section 30a. Water supply tank 22 is a tank that stores water to be sent to ice maker 20. A water supply pipe 61 is connected to water supply tank 22. Water supply pipe 61 is disposed penetrating water supply tank storage section 30a, and supplies water from water supply tank 22 to ice maker 20.

[0022] As described above, in this embodiment, since the water supply tank 22 is stored in the first heat-insulating partition 30, the storage volume of the refrigerator compartment 100 can be increased. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the refrigerator compartment case 23 is provided on the floor surface 100a of the refrigerator compartment 100. In this case, if the water supply tank 22 is disposed on the upper surface of the first heat-insulating partition 30, i.e., on the floor surface 100a of the refrigerator compartment 100 and next to the refrigerator compartment case 23, it is necessary to reduce the width dimension of the refrigerator compartment case 23. In contrast, in this embodiment, the storage volume of the refrigerator compartment 100 and the dimensions of the refrigerator compartment case 23 are not affected by the water supply tank 22.

[0023] Also, ice maker 20 is disposed in a position where the front projection surface of ice maker 20 does not overlap with water supply tank 22 and first insulating partition 30 forming water supply tank storage section 30a. That is, ice maker 20 is disposed in a position where it does not overlap with water supply tank 22 and first insulating partition 30 when refrigerator 1 is viewed from the front. With such an arrangement, a user can move ice maker 20 back and forth to take it in and out without contacting water supply tank 22 or first insulating partition 30. This allows a user to easily remove ice maker 20 from ice making chamber 300 and wash it, and ice maker 20 can be kept clean.

[0024] In addition, ice maker 20 and water supply tank 22 are arranged in a position where they partially overlap when refrigerator 1 is viewed from above. This allows the upper space of ice maker 20 to be used as a space for arranging water supply tank 22, and also makes it possible to increase the water storage volume of water supply tank 22. In addition, since the water storage volume of water supply tank 22 can be secured without increasing the width dimension of ice making chamber 300, the storage volume of adjacent first freezer chamber 200 can also be secured. In other words, by arranging ice maker 20 and water supply tank 22 as in this embodiment, the storage volumes of refrigerator chamber 100 and first freezer chamber 200 can be secured, and ice maker 20 can be easily attached and detached.

[0025] Further, the insulating box 2 is formed with an injection port 33 for injecting the insulating material 2c. The first insulating partition 30 has an outer shell part 30b that forms the surface of the first insulating partition 30, and the inside of the outer shell part 30b is filled with the insulating material 2c. The insulating material 2c injected from the injection port 33 of the insulating box 2 is filled between the outer box 2a and the inner box 2b, and flows into the outer shell part 30b from the injection opening 9a of the inner box 2b and the injection opening 9b of the outer shell part 30b provided at the joint part 8a between the first insulating partition 30 and the inner box 2b. As a result, the insulating material 2c is filled in the outer shell part 30b of the first insulating partition 30. As shown in FIG. 3, the injection opening 9a of the inner box 2b and the injection opening 9b of the outer shell part 30b are provided at the same position.

[0026] For example, when rigid urethane foam is used as the heat insulating material 2c, it takes time for the rigid urethane foam to fill the area away from the injection port 33, and during that time the hardness of the rigid urethane foam increases, making it difficult for the rigid urethane foam to flow. Furthermore, rigid urethane foam is difficult to flow in areas where the flow path is narrow or where there are bends. For this reason, it is desirable that the bends of the first heat insulating partition 30 are located close to the injection port 33. For example, it is desirable that the injection port 33 and the bends 66a, 66b, 66c, and 66d of the water supply tank storage section 30a are located close to each other.

[0027] 3, in refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment, injection port 33 and first insulating partition 30 are provided at positions where they overlap in the height direction when refrigerator 1 is viewed from the side. Also, injection port 33 and water supply tank storage section 30a are provided at positions where they overlap in the depth direction when refrigerator 1 is viewed from the side. By arranging injection port 33 in this manner, it is possible to improve the filling of insulating material 2c into water supply tank storage section 30a, which has a complex shape, improve the insulating properties of first insulating partition 30, and increase the strength and productivity of refrigerator 1.

[0028] In addition, the injection port 33 is provided at a position overlapping the injection opening 9a of the inner box 2b and the injection opening 9b of the outer shell 30b of the first insulating partition 30 when the refrigerator 1 is viewed from the side. However, the arrangement of the injection port 33 is not limited to the left side surface of the outer box 2a as shown in FIG. 3, and the injection port 33 can be provided at the front or rear side of the back surface, left side surface, or right side surface of the outer box 2a at a position where the injection port 33 and the first insulating partition 30 overlap in the height direction. For example, the injection port 33 may be provided at a position overlapping the injection opening 9c on the right side surface of the inner box 2b and the injection opening 9d on the right side surface of the outer shell 30b of the first insulating partition 30 as shown in FIG. 3 when the refrigerator 1 is viewed from the side. Alternatively, the injection port 33 may be provided at two or more of the above-mentioned multiple positions.

[0029] Further, the heater 34 is installed in the first heat insulating partition 30 forming the water supply tank storage section 30a. The heater 34 is installed in the bottom 30c of the first heat insulating partition 30 forming the bottom surface of the water supply tank storage section 30a. The water supply tank 22 is placed on the heater 34. The heater 34 is attached to the bottom 30c with aluminum tape or the like. The heater 34 generates heat when the control device 82 energizes the heater 34. As a result, the water supply tank 22 is heated, and the heat transfer from the water supply tank 22 to the ice making compartment 300 or the first freezing compartment 200 can be compensated for by the heat of the heater 34, and the freezing of the water in the water supply tank 22 can be suppressed. As a result, in the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, the insulation thickness of the first heat insulating partition 30 can be made thinner than in the case where the heater 34 is not provided, and the storage volume of the ice making compartment 300 or the first freezing compartment 200 can be expanded.

[0030] The control device 82 may change the power supply rate of the heater 34 according to the temperature setting of any one of the refrigerator compartment 100, the first freezer compartment 200, and the ice-making compartment 300. For example, the control device 82 sets the power supply rate of the heater 34 higher as the set temperature of each storage compartment is lower. This makes it possible to adjust the amount of heat input to the water supply tank 22 according to the surrounding temperature environment.

[0031] The second insulating partition 31 is provided so as to contact the lower surface 30d of the bottom portion 30c of the first insulating partition 30 and the upper surface 32a1 of the fourth insulating partition 32a. The second insulating partition 31 is filled with an insulating material 2d made of a material different from the insulating material 2c. In this way, the ice making chamber 300 and the first freezing chamber 200 are partitioned by the side portion 30e of the first insulating partition 30 and the second insulating partition 31 arranged thereunder. The side portion 30e of the first insulating partition 30 constitutes the right side surface of the water supply tank storage portion 30a in FIG. 3 and is a portion provided between the water supply tank storage portion 30a and the first freezing chamber 200.

[0032] The items stored in ice-making compartment 300 are assumed to be ice particles, and the items stored in first freezer compartment 200 are assumed to be fresh or frozen foods. Therefore, ice-making compartment 300 generally may have a smaller storage volume than first freezer compartment 200, and it is desirable that the widthwise dimension is also narrower. The widthwise dimension of ice-making compartment 300 is determined by the position of second insulating partition 31. For example, if second insulating partition 31 is installed at a distance from water supply tank storage section 30a to separate ice-making compartment 300 from first freezer compartment 200, the width dimension of ice-making compartment 300 will be larger than necessary.

[0033] In this embodiment, the water supply tank storage section 30a of the first insulating partition 30 and the second insulating partition 31 are arranged so as to overlap vertically. In other words, the water supply tank storage section 30a and the second insulating partition 31 are arranged at positions where they overlap when the refrigerator 1 is viewed from above. By arranging the second insulating partition 31 in this manner, the dimension in the width direction of the ice making compartment 300 can be reduced, and the storage area of ​​the first freezer compartment 200 can be expanded.

[0034] (Configuration of ice maker 20) Next, the configuration of ice maker 20 will be described. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of handle 51 and ice tray 50 of ice maker 20 according to embodiment 1. Ice maker 20 automatically performs ice-making operations consisting of the steps of water supply, ice making, and ice release after water is poured into water supply tank 22, until water in water supply tank 22 cannot be discharged, or until ice storage case 21 of ice making chamber 300 is detected as being full of ice.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 4, ice maker 20 includes handle 51 that a user grips when removing ice maker 20 from ice making chamber 300, and ice making tray 50 that separates and stores water supplied from water supply tank 22. Ice making tray 50 is provided with a number of recesses 50a for separating the water. Ice making tray 50 has a shape in which the depth is greater than the width when ice maker 20 is installed in ice making chamber 300.

[0036] Ice tray 50 has a larger depth than width, which increases the amount of water that can be stored at one time while suppressing the width of ice maker 20. This makes it possible to make a lot of ice at once without making ice-making chamber 300 any larger than necessary.

[0037] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing ice maker 20, frame 53, and gear box 54 according to the first embodiment, and is a perspective view of ice maker 20 attached to gear box 54 and attached within frame 53, as viewed from below. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing ice maker 20, frame 53, and gear box 54 according to the first embodiment, and is a perspective view of ice maker 20 removed from gear box 54, as viewed from below. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, ice maker 20 has ice tray 50, handle 51, frame 53, gear box 54, and ice storage detection lever 56.

[0038] Frame 53 forms the outer shell of ice maker 20, and is formed in an L-shape when viewed from the side and in a rectangular frame shape when viewed from above, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. Frame 53 holds ice tray 50 and handle 51, and its top is attached to the ceiling of ice making chamber 300. Gear box 54 is disposed on the rear side of frame 53. Gear box 54 is a device for rotating ice tray 50 to cause ice produced in ice tray 50 to fall into ice storage case 21.

[0039] Ice tray 50 is divided into two rows, left and right, in the depth direction of refrigerator 1 so that multiple pieces of ice can be made at once, with each piece made from about 10 cc of water. In this embodiment, ice tray 50 has 12 recesses 50a in two rows, left and right, and six rows, front and back, so that 12 pieces of ice can be made at once.

[0040] One end of ice tray 50 is provided with a protrusion that is inserted into a through hole formed in the side of handle 51. The other end of ice tray 50 is provided with a recess into which rotation shaft 54a of gear box 54 is fitted. Ice tray 50 is provided inside an area surrounded by handle 51, frame 53, and gear box 54, and both ends are supported by handle 51 and gear box 54. This allows ice tray 50 to rotate around rotation shaft 54a.

[0041] The ice produced in ice tray 50 is released by gear box 54 rotating ice tray 50, and dropped into ice storage case 21. Specifically, when gear box 54 rotates ice tray 50, a stopper receiving portion provided on ice tray 50 gets caught on a stopper portion of frame 53. Gear box 54 then tries to rotate ice tray 50 further, which causes ice tray 50 to twist and release the ice.

[0042] Ice storage detection lever 56 is provided to detect whether ice storage case 21 is full of ice and to determine whether ice can be made continuously. Ice storage detection lever 56 is attached to the side of gear box 54, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. When ice storage detection lever 56 is in the lowered state and comes into contact with ice in ice storage case 21, it detects that ice storage case 21 is full of ice and determines that ice cannot be made.

[0043] Ice maker 20 may further include an ice tray temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the ice in ice tray 50. The ice tray temperature sensor is constituted by, for example, a thermistor, and is covered with a temperature sensor cover and attached in close contact with the bottom surface of ice tray 50. The temperature measured by the ice tray temperature sensor is transmitted to control device 82. Control device 82 controls gear box 54 in accordance with the temperature measured by the ice tray temperature sensor.

[0044] (Configuration of water supply tank 22) Next, the configuration of water supply tank 22 will be described. Fig. 7 is a schematic perspective view of ice maker 20, water supply tank 22, and water supply pipe 61 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 7 is an exploded view showing ice maker 20, water supply tank 22, and water supply pipe 61.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 7, the water supply tank 22 has a box-shaped water storage container 58 with an opening on its top surface, a water supply pump 59 disposed inside the water storage container 58, a filter 60 attached in front of the water supply pump 59, and the water supply tank lid 24.

[0046] 7, the water storage container 58 has four corners when viewed from above. A drain outlet 62 to which a water supply pipe 61 is connected is formed near one of the four corners of the water storage container 58. The remaining three corners are formed with rounded inner peripheries, that is, with a so-called R shape.

[0047] Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of the configuration of water supply pump 59 according to the first embodiment. Water supply pump 59 is provided to send water in water storage container 58 to ice tray 50. As shown in Fig. 8, water supply pump 59 has pump cover 59a provided with water supply port 63, propeller 59b having a magnet therein, and pump case 59c, which are combined together. In water supply pump 59, propeller 59b rotates as a magnet attached to an external pump motor (not shown) rotates.

[0048] The pump case 59c is provided with a drainage pipe 65 extending upward. The drainage pipe 65 is provided so as to extend from the vicinity of the left and right ends of the pump case 59c in a tangential direction to the rotation direction of the propeller 59b.

[0049] The drain pipe 65 extends vertically upward from the pump case 59c, bends at the height of the full water line of the water supply tank 22, and is formed to extend along the wall surface of the water storage container 58. One end of the drain pipe 65 is connected to the drain outlet 62 of the water storage container 58. The drain pipe 65 distributes the water in the water storage container 58 taken in from the water supply port 63 to the drain outlet 62 when the propeller 59b rotates in the forward direction.

[0050] Returning to Fig. 7, water supply pipe 61 is a water supply path for supplying water in water storage container 58 to ice tray 50. Water supply pipe 61 is configured independently of water supply tank 22, and is detachably attached to water supply tank 22. As shown in Fig. 7, water supply pipe 61 has inlet 61a through which water flows in from water storage container 58, outlet 61b through which water flows out to ice tray 50, and path portion 61c connecting inlet 61a and outlet 61b.

[0051] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of ice maker 20, water supply tank 22, and water supply pipe 61 according to the first embodiment when viewed from above. As shown in FIG. 9, outlet 61b of water supply pipe 61 is located rearward of inlet 61a. In other words, path portion 61c of water supply pipe 61 is arranged to extend obliquely rearward from inlet 61a. Also, outlet 61b of water supply pipe 61 is arranged at a position overlapping ice tray 50 when viewed from above. As a result, water passing through water supply pipe 61 is discharged from above ice maker 20 with a velocity component in the longitudinal direction (depth direction of refrigerator 1). By arranging water supply pipe 61 and ice tray 50 in this way, it is possible to prevent quality defects such as water splashing from ice maker 20 and falling into ice storage case 21, causing stored ice to stick together.

[0052] Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of ice maker 20 and first heat insulating partition 30 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 10 shows a state in which ice tray 50 is cut at the center in the width direction by the ZY plane. As shown in Fig. 10, air passage guide section 69 is provided behind gear box 54 of ice maker 20. Air passage guide section 69 is connected to cooling mechanism 81 and is an air passage that sends cold air generated by cooling mechanism 81 to ice tray 50 via frame 53.

[0053] The ceiling surface of the frame 53 has a slope 74 that extends obliquely upward from the back to the front. A temperature sensor 73 is attached to the slope 74. The temperature sensor 73 is, for example, an infrared sensor. The temperature sensor 73 measures the temperature of the four front recesses 50a of the ice tray 50 and transmits the average value to the control device 82. The temperature sensor 73 detects whether water has been supplied to the four front recesses 50a of the ice tray 50, whether ice making has been completed, etc. The temperature sensor 73 is fixed to the frame 53 in an oblique direction with respect to the longitudinal direction of the ice maker 20 so that the infrared detection range includes the four front recesses 50a. The temperature sensor 73 measures the temperature of the four front recesses 50a, which have a slower ice making speed than the rear recesses 50a. As an example, when the temperature of the front four recesses 50a detected by temperature sensor 73 remains below a predetermined temperature (-10°C) for a predetermined period of time (100 minutes) or more, control device 82 receiving the temperature transmitted from temperature sensor 73 determines that ice making in ice making tray 50 is complete and activates gear box 54. Activated gear box 54 rotates ice making tray 50 to release ice from ice making tray 50. The ice released from ice making tray 50 falls into ice storage case 21.

[0054] Although not shown in Figure 10, a hook is provided on the ceiling surface of ice-making chamber 300 formed by first insulated partition 30, and frame 53 is fixed to the ceiling surface of ice-making chamber 300 by attaching a hook provided on the depth-wise side of frame 53 to the hook.

[0055] Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of water supply tank 22 and ice maker 20 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 11 shows water supply tank 22 and ice maker 20 cut along the XY plane at a position before water supply pipe 61. More specifically, the position of the cross section in Fig. 11 is a position passing through the bottom surface of recessed portion 50a in the second row from the front of ice tray 50.

[0056] Water supply pipe 61 penetrates first insulating partition 30 and is provided between ice maker 20 and water supply tank 22. Outlet 61b of water supply pipe 61 is disposed diagonally below and to the left of inlet 61a when refrigerator 1 is viewed from the front.

[0057] As shown in Fig. 9 and Fig. 11, the water supply pipe 61 is arranged so that the water supplied from the outlet 61b hits the slope 50b provided on the center side of the ice tray 50 of the recess 50a arranged on the water supply pipe 61 side, which is the second row from the front among the multiple recesses 50a of the ice tray 50. The landing point of the water supplied from the outlet 61b into the tray is the recess 50a on the water supply pipe 61 side, and the distance of one recess is spaced from the right end of the ice tray 50, so that the water supplied from the outlet 61b is prevented from spilling out of the ice tray 50. In Fig. 11, the first heat-insulating partition 30 is formed by combining the upper surface portion 70 and the lower surface portion 71 to form an outer shell 72, and the internal space is filled with the heat insulating material 2c.

[0058] 11, a step is provided inside the water storage container 58, and a first step 58a having a shallow water depth when water is stored therein and a second step 58b adjacent to the first step 58a and having a deeper water depth than the first step 58a are formed. The second step 58b is formed adjacent to the first step 58a in the left-right direction in the water storage container 58. Note that, as will be described in detail later, the second step 58b is arranged so that the water supply pump 59 is in contact with the wall surface of the water storage container 58 in the front-rear direction. The first step 58a is formed so as to be higher than the water supply port 63 of the water supply pump 59 arranged in the second step 58b.

[0059] The first step 58a is formed so as to incline downward toward the second step 58b, so that the water on the first step 58a flows to the second step 58b. For example, the first step 58a is formed so as to incline downward by about 7° with respect to the horizontal direction.

[0060] First step 58a is formed such that the bottom surface slopes downward from one wall surface of water storage container 58 to the opposing other wall surface. In this case, one wall surface of water storage container 58 is the wall surface that contacts water supply pump 59 arranged in second step 58b.

[0061] The second step portion 58b is formed with a width in the left-right direction taking into consideration the width of the water supply pump 59 so that the water supply pump 59 can be disposed therein. The second step portion 58b is formed such that a part of the bottom surface is inclined upward from one wall surface of the water storage container 58 on which the water supply pump 59 is disposed to the other opposing wall surface. The remaining part of the bottom surface of the second step portion 58b is the portion on which the water supply pump 59 is disposed. In other words, the second step portion 58b is formed such that the bottom surface excluding the portion on which the water supply pump 59 is disposed is inclined upward as it becomes farther away from the water supply pump 59.

[0062] By forming the first step portion 58a and the second step portion 58b in this manner, a continuous surface is formed in the water storage container 58 between the lowest bottom surface of the first step portion 58a and the highest bottom surface of the second step portion 58b.

[0063] In the example shown in FIG. 11, a first step 58a is formed on the left side of the water storage container 58, and a second step 58b is formed on the right side of the first step 58a. The first step 58a is formed sloping downward toward the second step 58b adjacent to the right side. The first step 58a is formed sloping downward from the back side toward the front side. The second step 58b is formed with a part of the bottom surface sloping upward from the wall surface on the back side of the water storage container 58 toward the wall surface on the front side. A continuous surface is formed by the lowest bottom surface on the front side of the first step 58a and the highest bottom surface on the front side of the second step 58b.

[0064] Fig. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of refrigeration compartment 100 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 12 is a top view of refrigeration compartment 100 cut along the XZ plane. Fig. 12 shows floor surface 100a of refrigeration compartment 100, water supply tank lid 24 installed in water supply tank storage section 30a provided on floor surface 100a, and refrigeration compartment case 23 provided on floor surface 100a.

[0065] 12, when the refrigerator 1 is viewed from the front, the water supply tank 22 is arranged so as to overlap the left door 11a of the refrigeration compartment 100 but not the right door 11b. The water supply tank 22 is arranged toward the center of the refrigeration compartment 100 in the width direction.

[0066] As the water supply tank 22 overlaps with the left door 11a but not with the right door 11b when viewed from the front of the refrigerator 1, a user can remove the water supply tank 22 by opening only the left door 11a, facilitating the installation and removal operation for cleaning the water supply tank 22. In addition, as the water supply tank 22 is located toward the center in the width direction of the refrigerator compartment 100, a user standing in front of the refrigerator 1 can install and remove the water supply tank 22 while suppressing the rotation angle when the left door 11a is opened, thereby improving operability.

[0067] In this embodiment, water supply tank 22 is configured to overlap left door 11a of refrigeration compartment 100 but not overlap right door 11b when refrigerator 1 is viewed from the front, but the position of water supply tank 22 is not limited to this. For example, water supply tank 22 may be disposed so as to overlap right door 11b but not left door 11a when refrigerator 1 is viewed from the front. In this case, ice making compartment 300 is provided adjacent to first freezer compartment 200 on the right side.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 12, the injection port 33 for injecting the heat insulating material 2c is provided in the outer box 2a of the heat insulating box body 2 at a position overlapping the first heat insulating partition 30 and the water supply tank 22 when the refrigerator 1 is viewed from the side. This allows the heat insulating material 2c with a high flow rate to be injected into the water supply tank storage section 30a of the first heat insulating partition 30, compared to a case where the injection port 33 is provided at a position not overlapping the water supply tank 22 (for example, the back surface of the outer box 2a). This structure improves the filling property of the heat insulating material 2c in the water supply tank storage section 30a having a bent shape. That is, by arranging the injection port 33 in this way, the heat insulating property of the first heat insulating partition 30 is improved, and the heat insulating performance of the refrigerator 1 can be improved.

[0069] Embodiment 2 Fig. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the periphery of ice-making compartment 300 in refrigerator 1 according to embodiment 2. Fig. 13 is a front view of refrigerator 1 cut along the XY plane. Refrigerator 1 according to embodiment 2 differs from embodiment 1 in the structure of the heat-insulating partitions disposed between refrigerator compartment 100 and ice-making compartment 300, and between refrigerator compartment 100 and first freezer compartment 200. Other configurations of refrigerator 1 according to embodiment 2 are similar to those of embodiment 1.

[0070] The insulating partition formed between the refrigerator compartment 100 and the ice-making compartment 300 is formed by a first insulating partition 30 from one side surface (the left side surface in FIG. 13) of the inner box 2b to the water supply tank storage section 30a. And, a third insulating partition 67 is formed from the side surface of the first insulating partition 30 to the other side surface (the right side surface in FIG. 13) of the inner box 2b. That is, the first insulating partition 30 and the third insulating partition 67 each constitute a part of the floor surface 100a of the refrigerator compartment 100.

[0071] Similar to the first embodiment, refrigerator 1 according to the second embodiment includes second insulating partition 31 below water supply tank housing section 30a, which separates ice making compartment 300 from first freezer compartment 200. The inside of third insulating partition 67 is filled with a material similar to insulating material 2c used in insulated box 2. Meanwhile, the inside of first insulating partition 30 is filled with insulating material 2e made of a material different from insulating material 2c and insulating material 2d of second insulating partition 31.

[0072] In the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment, the third insulating partition 67 and the insulating box 2 are made of a material 2c that has a certain insulating thickness and is often linear, and is made of a material such as urethane foam (rigid urethane foam), which has high insulating performance but is difficult to fill. On the other hand, the insulating material 2e of the first insulating partition 30, which needs to follow the shape of the water tank 22 and has the curved portions 66a, 66b, 66c, and 66d, is made of polystyrene foam, which has high moldability but is slightly inferior in insulating performance to the rigid urethane foam. In addition, since the temperature difference between the ice making compartment 300 and the first freezer compartment 200 is small, polypropylene, which has a low specific gravity and high strength among resins, is used as the insulating material 2d of the second insulating partition 31. In this way, by making the insulating materials of the first to third insulating partitions out of different materials, it is possible to achieve both the insulating performance and productivity of the refrigerator 1. In addition, the present invention is not limited to this, and urethane foam may be used as the insulating material of the first to third insulating partitions by prioritizing the insulating performance.

[0073] The above is a description of the embodiment, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications or combinations are possible within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure. For example, the arrangement of each storage chamber is not limited to the arrangement of the above embodiment, and may be an arrangement other than the above embodiment. Furthermore, the number of storage chambers and the temperature of each storage chamber are not limited to the example of the above embodiment.

[0074] In the above embodiment, the water supply tank housing section 30a is configured to be covered by the first heat insulating partition 30, but this is not limited to this. For example, the water supply tank housing section 30a may be configured to have an open top surface and communicate with the refrigerator compartment 100. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 1 refrigerator, 2 insulated box, 2a outer box, 2b inner box, 2c, 2d, 2e insulation material, 3 storage space, 8a joint, 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 10 operation unit, 11a left door, 11b right door, 12 second freezer door, 13 ice maker door, 14 vegetable door, 15 first freezer door, 20 ice maker, 21 ice storage case, 22 water tank, 23 refrigerator case, 24 water tank cover, 30 first insulation partition, 30a water tank storage section, 30b outer shell, 30c bottom, 30d lower surface, 30e side surface, 31 second insulation partition, 32a fourth insulation partition, 32a1 upper surface, 32b fifth insulation partition, 33 inlet, 34 heater, 50 Ice tray, 50a recess, 50b slope, 51 handle, 53 frame, 54 gearbox, 54a rotating shaft, 56 ice storage detection lever, 58 water storage container, 58a first stage, 58b second stage, 59 water supply pump, 59a pump cover, 59b propeller, 59c pump case, 60 filter, 61 water supply pipe, 61a inlet, 61b outlet, 61c path, 62 drain, 63 water supply port, 65 drain pipe, 66a, 66b, 66c, 66d bend, 67 third heat insulating partition, 69 air passage guide, 70 upper surface, 71 lower surface, 72 outer shell, 73 temperature sensor, 74 slope, 81 cooling mechanism, 82 control device, 100 Refrigerator compartment, 100a floor, 200 first freezer compartment, 300 ice compartment, 400 vegetable compartment, 500 second freezer compartment.

Claims

1. A heat-insulating box body, A refrigeration chamber formed in the insulated box; An ice making chamber formed in the insulated box and disposed under the refrigeration chamber; A freezing chamber formed in the insulating box and disposed adjacent to the ice making chamber; A first heat insulating partition that separates the refrigerator compartment from the ice making compartment, forms at least a part of the floor surface of the refrigerator compartment, and has a storage section that is recessed below the floor surface; A second heat insulating partition that separates the ice making compartment and the freezing compartment; A third insulating partition that separates the refrigeration chamber and the freezer chamber and forms at least a part of the floor surface of the refrigeration chamber; a water supply tank that is accommodated in the accommodation section and that supplies water for making ice in the ice making chamber; an ice maker disposed in the ice making chamber and for making ice from the water supplied from the water supply tank; The water tank and the ice maker are disposed in such a manner that they do not overlap when viewed from the front, The water tank and the ice maker are disposed in a position where they at least partially overlap when viewed from above, The first insulating partition, the second insulating partition, and the third insulating partition are filled with different insulating materials, The ice maker of the refrigerator can be taken in and out by moving it back and forth.

2. A refrigerator as described in claim 1, wherein the second insulating partition is provided below and in contact with the storage section.

3. a water supply pipe for supplying water from the water supply tank to the ice maker; the water supply pipe has an inlet through which the water flows from the water supply tank, an outlet through which the water flows out to the ice maker, and a path portion connecting the inlet and the outlet, The outlet of the water supply pipe is arranged at a position overlapping with the ice maker when viewed from above, The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the path portion of the water supply pipe is disposed so as to extend obliquely rearward when viewed from above.

4. The insulating box body includes an outer box, an inner box, and an insulating material filled between the outer box and the inner box, The insulating box has an injection port for filling the insulating material, The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the injection port is arranged at a position overlapping with the first insulating partition in a height direction when viewed from the side.

5. 5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the injection port is disposed on a side surface of the insulating box on which the ice-making compartment is provided.

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