JP7545838B2 - Automatic ice maker - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to an automatic ice maker in which the water tray is pivoted so that it can tilt relative to the ice making chamber.

Automatic ice makers capable of producing a large amount of ice blocks are preferably used in facilities such as coffee shops and restaurants, and in other kitchens. Some automatic ice makers are equipped with a so-called closed-cell type ice making mechanism that produces ice blocks by injecting ice-making water from a water tray that closes the opening of the ice-making chamber provided in the ice making chamber (ice making section) toward the ice making chamber, and drops and releases the ice blocks produced when the water tray opens the opening of the ice making chamber (see, for example, Patent Document 1). For example, as shown in Figures 12 and 13, this ice making mechanism 15 is composed of an ice making chamber 16 provided with an ice making chamber 16a, a water tray 20 that can open and close the opening of the ice making chamber 16a, an ice making water tank 22 that stores the ice making water supplied to the water tray 20, and the like, and is arranged inside the housing 12. The ice-making chamber 16 is a concave plate-like structure with the ice-making chamber 16a opening downward, and the evaporation pipe 18 that constitutes the refrigeration circuit is arranged in a serpentine manner on its upper surface, with a water tray 20 arranged below. The water tray 20 is integrally provided with an ice-making water tank 22 on the lower side for storing ice-making water, and a pump motor PM is attached to the ice-making water tank 22. That is, the pump motor PM draws in the ice-making water in the ice-making water tank 22 and supplies it to the water tray 20.

The water tray 20 is pivoted at one end (left end in FIG. 12) by the support mechanism 30, and the other end (right end in FIG. 12) is connected to the water tray tilting mechanism 50. The water tray tilting mechanism 50 raises and lowers the other end of the water tray 20, and includes an actuator motor AM that combines an electric motor with a reducer, cam members 26F, 26R that rotate in both directions when driven by the actuator motor AM, and coil springs (tension coil springs) 28F, 28R that connect the cam members 26F, 26R and the water tray 20. When the automatic ice maker starts ice making operation, the actuator motor AM rotates the cam members 26F, 26R in one direction, and the water tray 20 is pulled diagonally upward from the open position away from the ice making chamber 16 via the coil springs 28F, 28R to the closed position, closing the ice making chamber 16 from below. When the deicing operation starts, the actuator motor AM is driven to rotate the cam members 26F, 26R in the other direction, forcibly lowering the water tray 20 diagonally downward to completely open the ice making chamber 16, and the water tray 20 is held in the open position via the coil springs 28F, 28R. As shown in FIG. 12, the water tray 20 is in a horizontal position with its upper surface horizontal in the closed position, and in an inclined position with its upper surface inclined in the open position. That is, the water tray tilting mechanism 50 moves the water tray 20 between the closed position (horizontal position) and the open position (inclined position). Note that the "tilting" of the water tray 20 refers to the movement of the water tray 20 between the horizontal position (closed position) and the inclined position (open position), and includes the movement from the inclined position to the horizontal position. In the following description, the one end of the water tray 20 (the side pivoted by the support mechanism 30) is referred to as the "shaft end," and the other end (the side supported by the water tray tilting mechanism 50) is referred to as the "tilting end."

13, the water tray tilting mechanism 50 is configured to support two locations of the tilting end of the water tray 20, specifically the front and rear portions. That is, the water tray tilting mechanism 50 includes a front cam member (front cam member) 26F and a coil spring (front coil spring) 28F for supporting the front portion of the tilting end of the water tray 20, and a rear cam member (rear cam member) 26R and a coil spring (rear coil spring) 28R for supporting the rear portion of the tilting end of the water tray 20. The front cam member 26F is fixed to the front end of the camshaft 24, which rotates when driven by the actuator motor AM, and the rear cam member 26R is fixed to the rear end of the camshaft 24. Each cam member 26F, 26R extends radially from the camshaft 24 and rotates around the camshaft 24 by driving the actuator motor AM, so that the end fixed to the camshaft 24 is the shaft end, and the end (extended end) away from the camshaft 24 is the rotating end. Front coil spring 28F has hook 29b at its upper end hooked into holding groove 89 formed on the outer circumferential surface of holding portion 85 protruding from the front surface at the rotating end of front cam member 26F, and hook 29b at its lower end hooked into holding groove 89 formed on the outer circumferential surface of holding portion 85 protruding from the front surface at the tilting end of water tray 20, thereby connecting front cam member 26F and water tray 20. In addition, the hook 29b at the upper end of the rear coil spring 28R is hooked into a retaining groove 89 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the retaining portion 85 that protrudes from the front surface at the pivot end of the rear cam member 26R, and the hook 29b at the lower end is hooked into a retaining groove 89 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the retaining portion 85 that protrudes from the rear surface at the tilt end of the water tray 20, thereby connecting the rear cam member 26R and the water tray 20.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-257909

The water tray 20 becomes dirty over time due to impurities contained in the tap water used for making ice, and therefore requires cleaning and other maintenance from time to time. When removing the water tray 20 from the housing 12 for maintenance, it is necessary to either remove the hooks 29b provided at the lower ends of the coil springs 28F, 28R from the water tray 20, or remove the hooks 29b provided at the upper ends of the coil springs 28F, 28R from the cam members 26F, 26R. Generally, the hooks 29b at both ends of the coil springs 28F, 28R are deformed so that they cannot be removed, making this task very time-consuming.

The present invention has been proposed in consideration of the above-mentioned problems inherent in conventional automatic ice makers, and aims to provide an automatic ice maker that allows the water tray to be easily removed.

The present application includes the following technical ideas.
In an automatic ice maker having a housing therein, a concave plate-shaped ice making chamber opening downward, a water tray disposed below the ice making chamber, and a water tray tilting mechanism for tilting the water tray up and down around one end of the water tray as an axis,
The water tray tilting mechanism includes an actuator motor, a cam member that rotates in response to the drive of the actuator motor, and a coil spring whose upper end is held on the rotation end side of the cam member and whose lower end is connected to the tilting end of the water tray,
The cam member comprises a first member extending radially from a center of rotation and a second member holding an upper end of the coil spring, and is configured by separably connecting the first member and the second member.
According to this configuration , the tilting end of the water tray is separated from the housing by releasing the connection between the first and second members of the cam member, so there is no need to deform the upper or lower end of the coil spring. In other words, when removing the water tray, it is easy to separate the tilting end of the water tray from the housing.

In order to overcome the above problems and achieve the intended object, the automatic ice maker according to the invention of claim 1 comprises:
In an automatic ice maker having a housing therein, a concave plate-shaped ice making chamber opening downward, a water tray disposed below the ice making chamber, and a water tray tilting mechanism for tilting the water tray up and down around one end of the water tray as an axis,
The water tray tilting mechanism includes an actuator motor, a cam member that rotates in response to the drive of the actuator motor, and a coil spring whose upper end is held on the rotation end side of the cam member and whose lower end is connected to the tilting end of the water tray,
the cam member includes a first member extending in a radial direction from a rotation center and a second member that holds an upper end of the coil spring, and is configured by separably connecting the first member and the second member;
a groove portion into which the fitting portion provided on the second member is fitted is provided on the first member, and one end side of the groove portion in the longitudinal direction serves as a fitting opening that opens into a side end face of the first member,
The fitting portion is formed in a tapered shape such that the width dimension gradually decreases from the end side to the tip side in the insertion direction into the groove portion, and the groove portion is formed so that the width dimension gradually decreases from the one end side to the other end side in the longitudinal direction in accordance with the shape of the fitting portion.
According to the invention of claim 1 , the tilting end of the water tray is separated from the housing side by releasing the connection between the first and second members of the cam member, so there is no need to deform the upper or lower end of the coil spring. In other words, when removing the water tray, the tilting end of the water tray can be easily separated from the housing side. In addition, when assembling the first and second members, the fitting portion can be easily inserted into the groove. In addition, the mistake of inserting the fitting portion into the groove in the wrong direction can be prevented.

In order to overcome the above problems and achieve the intended object, the automatic ice maker according to the invention of claim 2 comprises:
In an automatic ice maker having a housing therein, a concave plate-shaped ice making chamber opening downward, a water tray disposed below the ice making chamber, and a water tray tilting mechanism for tilting the water tray up and down around one end of the water tray as an axis,
The water tray tilting mechanism includes an actuator motor, a cam member that rotates in response to the drive of the actuator motor, and a coil spring whose upper end is held on the rotation end side of the cam member and whose lower end is connected to the tilting end of the water tray,
the cam member includes a first member extending in a radial direction from a rotation center and a second member that holds an upper end of the coil spring, and is configured by separably connecting the first member and the second member;
a groove portion into which the fitting portion provided on the second member is fitted is provided on the first member, and one end side of the groove portion in the longitudinal direction serves as a fitting opening that opens into a side end face of the first member,
When the fitting portion is fitted into the groove portion, a receiving portion is formed across the fitting portion and the groove portion,
The gist of the invention is that by moving the accommodated portion, which is movably provided on the second member, from the outside to the inside of the accommodating portion with the fitting portion fitted into the groove, the movement of the accommodated portion toward the fitting opening is restricted by the part of the accommodating portion formed by the groove, thereby preventing the fitting portion from coming off the groove, while by moving the accommodated portion from the inside to the outside of the accommodating portion, the restriction on movement of the accommodated portion is released, thereby allowing the fitting portion to move in the removal direction from the groove.
According to the invention of claim 2 , the tilting end of the water tray is separated from the housing side by releasing the connection between the first member and the second member of the cam member, so there is no need to deform the upper or lower end of the coil spring. That is, when removing the water tray, the tilting end of the water tray can be easily separated from the housing side. Also, depending on the position of the accommodated portion provided on the second member, it is possible to switch between a state that prevents the fitting portion from coming off the groove and a state that allows the fitting portion to move in the direction of coming off from the groove. That is, the first and second members can be easily fixed and released.

In the invention according to claim 4,
the accommodated portion is a head portion of a fastening member that is inserted into and fixed to a fixing hole of the second member,
The fitting portion is formed in a tapered shape such that the width dimension gradually decreases toward the insertion direction of the fastening member into the fitting portion, and the groove portion is formed so that the width dimension gradually decreases toward the insertion direction in accordance with the shape of the fitting portion.
According to the invention of claim 4, when a fastening member is inserted and fixed into a fixing hole with the fitting portion fitted into the groove portion, the pressing force (force applied in the direction of insertion of the fastening member) caused by an operator pressing the fastening member into the fitting portion can be reliably received by the groove portion. In other words, it is possible to prevent the fitting portion from coming out of the groove portion as the fastening member is inserted and fixed.

In the invention according to claim 5,
The gist of the present invention is that a locking portion that locks a locked portion provided on the second member is provided at a position different from the groove portion on the first member.
According to the invention of claim 5, in addition to the configuration in which the mating portion of the second member fits into the groove portion of the first member, the connection state of the first member and the second member can be stabilized by providing a configuration in which the mating portion of the second member is engaged with a locking portion provided at a position different from the groove portion in the first member.

In order to overcome the above problems and achieve the intended object, the automatic ice maker according to the invention of claim 3 comprises:
In an automatic ice maker having a housing therein, a concave plate-shaped ice making chamber opening downward, a water tray disposed below the ice making chamber, and a water tray tilting mechanism for tilting the water tray up and down around one end of the water tray as an axis,
The water tray tilting mechanism includes an actuator motor, a cam member that rotates in response to the drive of the actuator motor, and a coil spring whose upper end is held on the rotation end side of the cam member and whose lower end is connected to the tilting end of the water tray,
the cam member includes a first member extending in a radial direction from a rotation center and a second member that holds an upper end of the coil spring, and is configured by separably connecting the first member and the second member;
a groove portion into which the fitting portion provided on the second member is fitted is provided on the first member, and one end side of the groove portion in the longitudinal direction serves as a fitting opening that opens into a side end face of the first member,
The gist of the invention is that the fitting opening is configured to face upward from the horizontal direction when the cam member is in a rotational position that opens the water tray.
According to the invention of claim 3 , the tilting end of the water tray is separated from the housing side by releasing the connection between the first and second members of the cam member, so there is no need to deform the upper or lower end of the coil spring. That is, when removing the water tray, the tilting end of the water tray can be easily separated from the housing side. In addition, when an operator removes the water tray, the load of the water tray does not act as a force in the direction in which the fitting portion is disengaged from the groove portion. Therefore, the operator can safely release the connection between the first and second members.

The present application includes the following technical ideas.
In an automatic ice maker having a housing therein, a concave plate-shaped ice making chamber opening downward, a water tray disposed below the ice making chamber, and a water tray tilting mechanism for tilting the water tray up and down around one end of the water tray as an axis,
The water tray tilting mechanism includes an actuator motor, a cam member that rotates in response to the drive of the actuator motor, and a coil spring whose upper end is held on the rotation end side of the cam member and whose lower end is connected to the tilting end of the water tray,
the cam member includes a first member extending in a radial direction from a rotation center and a second member attached to a rotation end side of the first member, and is configured to hold an upper end of the coil spring between the rotation end side of the first member and the second member;
The first member and the second member are connected to each other by engagement of a locking claw provided on one of the first member and the second member.
According to this configuration , the coil spring can be removed by separating the first member and the second member, so that an operator does not need to deform the upper end of the coil spring when removing the water tray.

The automatic ice maker of the present invention allows the water tray to be easily removed.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automatic ice maker according to a first embodiment, as viewed from the front side. FIG. 1 is a front view of the housing with the front panel removed and the water tray tilted to the open position. Note that the front cam member and the front coil spring are omitted, but the rear cam member and the rear coil spring are visible. 1A is an oblique view of the internal structure of the housing from the left side, FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of area A1 in FIG. 1A, FIG. 1C is an enlarged view of area A2 in FIG. 1A, and FIG. 1D is an overall view of the pivot pin. 1A is an explanatory diagram of the connection relationship between the actuator motor, camshaft, front cam member and rear cam member (viewed from the right side of each member), FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the front cam member, FIG. 1C is an enlarged front view of the main parts of the front cam member in FIG. 1A, and FIG. 1D is an enlarged front view of the main parts of the front coil spring. 1A is an oblique view of the rear cam member viewed from the rear side with its rotating end positioned on the lower side, FIG. 1B is an oblique view of the rear cam member viewed from the front side with its rotating end positioned on the lower side, FIG. 1C is an oblique view of the rear cam member viewed from the front side with the first and second members separated, and FIG. 1D is an oblique view of the rear cam member viewed from the rear side with the first and second members separated. 1A is a front view of the second member holding the rear coil spring, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional rear view of the fitting position of the first member and the second member. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the first member and the second member cut at the point where the bolt is inserted, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing the state in which the bolt is loosened with respect to the mating position of the first member and the second member. 13 shows the fitting position of the first member and the second member as viewed from the base end side in the insertion direction of the fitting portion into the groove portion. 1 shows the mating position of the first member and the second member as viewed from the tip side in the insertion direction of the mating portion into the groove portion. 1A is an exploded oblique view of the first and second members constituting the rear cam member in Example 2 and the rear coil spring, viewed from the rear side; FIG. 1B is an oblique view of the rear cam member and the rear coil spring, viewed from the front (rear) side, with the pivot end side positioned on the upper side. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the mounting structure of the water tray in the third embodiment. 1 shows the internal structure of a conventional automatic ice maker as viewed from the front. The internal structure of a conventional automatic ice maker is shown as seen from the left side.

Next, the automatic ice maker according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, showing a preferred embodiment. For ease of explanation, the same components as those in the automatic ice maker shown in Figures 12 and 13 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations will be omitted. In addition, in the following description, the terms "left," "right," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," and the like used to describe directions and positions are based on the state of the automatic ice maker as seen from the front side (the front side of the front panel).

The automatic ice maker 10 of the first embodiment is housed in a substantially box-shaped housing 12 (see FIG. 1) and includes a so-called closed-cell type ice making mechanism 15 consisting of an ice making chamber 16, a water tray 20, and an ice making water tank 22, a support mechanism 30 for pivotally supporting one end of the water tray 20 (the left end in FIG. 2, hereinafter referred to as the "axis side end"), and a water tray tilting mechanism 50 for supporting the other end of the water tray 20 (the right end in FIG. 2, hereinafter referred to as the "tilting end") and tilting the water tray 20 up and down (see FIG. 2 and FIG. 3(a)). As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 12 is configured such that a front panel 12a constituting the front surface and a top plate 12b constituting the top surface are detachably attached to a frame body 12c (see FIG. 2 and FIG. 3(a)) that forms the skeleton of the housing 12. Two mounting columns 12d (see FIG. 3(a)) to which the components of the ice-making mechanism 15, support mechanism 30, and water tray tilting mechanism 50 are attached are fixed to the top of the frame 12c at the top inside the housing 12 so that they extend left and right and are spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction. The water tray 20 is unitized with the ice-making water tank 22, pump motor PM, etc., and is attached to the mounting columns 12d separately from the ice-making chamber 16.

(Regarding the support mechanism 30)
As shown in Figures 3(a), 3(b) and 3(c), the support mechanism 30 comprises a total of two bearing brackets 32F, 32R, one each fixed to each mounting column 12d, and a total of two water tray support plates 34F, 34R fixed to the left side surface (shaft side end) of the water tray 20 and spaced apart from each other in the front-to-rear direction. Specifically, the front water tray support plate 34F is pivotally supported by the front bearing bracket 32F fixed to the front mounting column 12d (see Figure 3(c)), and the rear water tray support plate 34R is pivotally supported by the rear bearing bracket 32R fixed to the rear mounting column 12d (see Figure 3(b)). That is, the support mechanism 30 has two sets of water tray support plates 34F, 34R and bearing fittings 32F, 32R (hereinafter referred to as ``support sets''), and these two support sets support the front and rear portions of the axial end of the water tray 20.

Here, in the past, pivot pins were inserted into the two support sets individually, and each pivot pin was prevented from falling out by an individual anti-slip pin, making it difficult to assemble or separate the rear support set (the back side of the housing 12) from the front side of the housing 12. In contrast, in the automatic ice maker 10 of Example 1, as shown in Figures 3(b) and 3(c), the water tray support plates 34F, 34R and the bearing fittings 32F, 32R that make up the two support sets are connected by a common pivot pin 36 so that they can move (rotate) relative to each other, and the forward slippage of this pivot pin 36 is restricted by a single anti-slip means 40 (see Figures 2 and 3(c)) that is located in a forward position inside the housing 12. Specifically, one pivot pin 36 is inserted from the front to the rear in a latch-like manner so as to pass through a through hole 38 (only the through hole 38 of the bearing fitting 32R is shown) that penetrates each of the two water tray support plates 34F, 34R and the two bearing fittings 32F, 32R in the front-to-rear direction, thereby connecting each water tray support plate 34F, 34R to each bearing fitting 32F, 32R so that the water tray support plate 34F, 34R can move in the rotational direction about the pivot pin 36. The pivot pin 36 is a thin cylindrical rod as shown in Figure 3(d), and since the tip portion 36a in the insertion direction is tapered, it can be easily inserted into each through hole 38, and since the end portion 36b in the insertion direction has a larger diameter than the other portions, it will not slip out rearward through each through hole 38. In addition, the through holes 38 of each bearing fitting 32F, 32R are provided near the position where the sprinkler pipe P (see Figure 3(b)) is inserted, so when passing the pivot pin 36 through, it is easy to find the through holes 38 by using the insertion position of the sprinkler pipe P relative to each bearing fitting 32F, 32R as a reference.

As shown in FIG. 3(c), a retaining means (water supply valve mounting plate in the first embodiment) 40 for preventing the pivot pin 36 from slipping forward is attached to the front surface of the front bearing metal fitting 32F, and the retaining means 40 clamps the end portion 36b of the pivot pin 36 between the bearing metal fitting 32F and the retaining means 40 to restrict movement. Therefore, when an operator removes the water tray 20 for maintenance, the operator can open the front panel 12a and remove the retaining means 40 located on the front side of the internal space of the housing 12, and one pivot pin 36 can be pulled out from the through hole 38 to the front side, and this alone can release the connection between the bearing metal fittings 32F, 32R and the water tray support plates 34F, 34R in each support group. In other words, the work of separating the shaft side end of the water tray 20 from the housing 12 side in order to remove the water tray 20 can be easily performed from the front side of the housing 12 without opening the top plate 12b.

(Regarding the water tray tilting mechanism 50)
Water tray tilting mechanism 50 provided in automatic ice maker 10 of embodiment 1 will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 2 to 9. When performing ice-making operation, water tray tilting mechanism 50 holds water tray 20 in a closed position that closes the opening of ice-making chamber 16a (see Figures 12 and 13) of ice-making chamber 16, thereby enabling the supply of ice-making water from water tray 20 to ice-making chamber 16a of ice-making chamber 16, which is cooled by evaporator tube 18. When ice-making operation is completed and the operation is switched to de-icing operation in which ice-making chamber 16 is heated by evaporator tube 18, water tray 20 is tilted from the closed position to the open position to open ice-making chamber 16a, and water tray 20 is held in the open position during de-icing operation to enable the release of ice blocks from ice-making chamber 16a of ice-making chamber 16. When the deicing operation is completed and the ice making operation is started, the water tray 20 is tilted from the open position to the closed position to close the ice making chamber 16a. As shown in Figs. 2, 3(a) and 4(a), the water tray tilting mechanism 50 includes an actuator motor AM as a drive source for tilting the water tray 20, a front cam member 51F and a front coil spring 28F (see Fig. 3(a)) for supporting the front portion of the tilting end of the water tray 20, a rear cam member 51R and a rear coil spring 28R (see Fig. 2) for supporting the rear portion of the tilting end of the water tray 20, and a camshaft 24 (see Fig. 4(a)) connecting the front cam member 51F and the rear cam member 51R. Note that Fig. 2 shows a state in which the front cam member 51F and the front coil spring 28F have been removed.

As shown in FIG. 4(a), a rotation support member 23 that rotatably supports the camshaft 24 is attached to the lower surface of each of two mounting columns 12d that are provided at the top inside the housing 12 and spaced apart from each other in the front and rear directions. Each rotation support member 23 is provided so as to hang down from the lower surface of the mounting column 12d, and a cylindrical shaft support portion 23a that opens in the front and rear directions is provided at its lower end. The camshaft 24 is inserted into the two shaft support portions 23a (rotation support members 23) and is rotatably supported at two points that are spaced apart from each other in the front and rear directions. The front end of the camshaft 24 is inserted into a shaft fixing hole 52a that opens into the rear surface of the front cam member 51F, and the camshaft 24 and the front cam member 51F are fixed to each other. The rear end of the camshaft 24 is inserted into a shaft fixing hole 52a that opens into the front surface of the rear cam member 51R, and the camshaft 24 and the rear cam member 51R are fixed to each other.

As shown in FIG. 4(a), a U-shaped mounting base plate 13 that opens downward is fixed to the front surface of the front mounting column 12d, and the actuator motor AM is attached to this mounting base plate 13 with its rotation axis AMa (see FIG. 4(a)) extending rearward. In this state, the rotation axis AMa of the actuator motor AM extends on the same line as the camshaft 24. The rotation axis AMa is inserted into the shaft fixing hole 52b that opens to the front surface of the front cam member 51F, thereby fixing the rotation axis AMa and the front cam member 51F to each other. In other words, the front cam member 51F and the rear cam member 51R are connected by the camshaft 24, and are configured to rotate together in response to the rotation of the rotation axis AMa driven by the actuator motor AM. When opening the water tray 20, the actuator motor AM drives the rotary shaft AMa to rotate to the left as viewed from the front, and when closing the water tray 20, the rotary shaft AMa drives to rotate to the right as viewed from the front. In the following description, the drive in which the rotary shaft AMa of the actuator motor AM rotates to the left (drive to open the water tray 20) is referred to as "forward drive", and the drive in which the rotary shaft AMa rotates to the right (drive to close the water tray 20) is referred to as "reverse drive". In addition, the camshaft 24 and cam members 51F, 51R rotate in the same direction as the rotation of the rotary shaft AMa as the actuator motor AM is driven. For this reason, the rotation (rotation) to the left of the camshaft 24 and cam members 51F, 51R is referred to as "forward rotation" and the rotation (rotation) to the right is referred to as "reverse rotation".

The left side of the center of FIG. 4(a) and FIG. 4(b) show the front cam member 51F in the position when the water tray 20 is raised to the closed position. As shown in these figures, the front cam member 51F is a plate-like synthetic resin member that is long in one direction (the vertical direction in the figure), and the width dimension of one end (the lower end in the figure) in the longitudinal direction is formed to be larger than the width dimension of the other end (the upper end in the figure). As shown in FIG. 4(b), the one end of the front cam member 51F with the larger width dimension has a shaft fixing hole 52b to which the above-mentioned rotating shaft AMa is fixed, which opens on the front side, and the shaft fixing hole 52a to which the front end of the above-mentioned camshaft 24 is fixed is formed so as to open on the rear side. In addition, a holding portion 85 (described later) that holds the upper end of the front coil spring 28F is provided so as to protrude forward on the other end separated from the shaft fixing hole 52a. That is, the front cam member 51F has a rotation center that is the same as the camshaft 24, and is configured to extend radially like an arm, with the extended end holding the upper end of the front coil spring 28F. For convenience, in the following description, the one end that is the rotation center side of the front cam member 51F will be referred to as the "shaft side end," and the other end that is the extended end side that is away from the rotation center will be referred to as the "rotation end."

As shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b), a holding portion 85 that holds the upper end (hook 29b, described later) of the front coil spring 28F is provided at the rotating end of the front cam member 51F in a cylindrical shape that protrudes forward from the front surface of the front cam member 51F. This holding portion 85 has a small diameter at a midpoint in the protruding direction, and the outer circumferential surface of this small diameter portion (hereinafter referred to as the "small diameter portion 86") is recessed in a groove shape to form an annular holding groove portion 89. For convenience, in the following description, the base end side of the small diameter portion 86 in the holding portion 85 will be referred to as the "base portion 87," and the protruding end side of the holding portion 85 in the small diameter portion 86 will be referred to as the "flange 88." In this way, the holding portion 85 has a base portion 87 that protrudes forward from the rotating end of the front cam member 51F, a small diameter portion 86 that is smaller in diameter than the base portion 87 protrudes from the protruding end face of this base portion 87, and a flange 88 that is larger in diameter than the small diameter portion 86 is located at the protruding end of this small diameter portion 86. As a result, a concave holding groove portion 89 is formed in the outer circumferential surface of the holding portion 85 by the outer circumferential surface of the small diameter portion 86 and the opposing surfaces of the base portion 87 and the flange 88.

As shown in Fig. 4(c) and Fig. 4(d), the upper end of the front coil spring 28F is provided with a hook 29b that engages with the holding groove 89 formed in the holding portion 85 of the front cam member 51F. The hook 29b is formed by bending the wire (metal wire) constituting the rear coil spring 28F, which is located on the end side of the spiral winding portion 29a, into a ring shape, and the inner periphery side of the wire forms an opening 29c for passing the holding portion 85 through. More specifically, the hook 29b is an ellipse that is slightly elongated in the vertical direction, and the inner diameter dimension in the horizontal direction is smaller than the inner diameter dimension in the vertical direction. The inner diameter dimension in the horizontal direction of the hook 29b is set to be larger than the outer diameter dimension of the small diameter portion 86 in the holding portion 85 and smaller than the outer diameter dimensions of the base portion 87 and the flange 88. The wire end 29d (see FIG. 4(d)) forming the hook 29b is not fixed to other parts, and the hook 29b can be deformed so that the area of the opening 29c of the hook 29b is enlarged by pulling the end 29d outward of the hook 29b. That is, when the upper end of the rear coil spring 28F is held by the rotating end of the front cam member 51F, the opening 29c of the hook 29b provided at the upper end of the rear coil spring 28F is forcibly enlarged and engaged with the holding groove 89 of the holding portion 85 of the front cam member 51F. After the hook 29b engages with the holding groove 89, if the worker stops pulling the wire end 29d, the opening 29c of the hook 29b shrinks to its original shape, and the base portion 87 and the flange 88 of the holding portion 85 prevent the hook 29b from coming off. The shape of the hook 29b is not limited to an ellipse (ring), and other shapes such as a rectangle or triangle can be used as long as they can be engaged with the retaining groove 89.

The front coil spring 28F has a hook 29b at its lower end similar to that at its upper end, and this hook 29b at the lower end can be held by the holding portion 85 at the front part of the tilting end of the water tray 20 in the same manner as the hook 29b at the upper end described above. Note that the holding portion 85 provided on the water tray 20 has a structure that is basically the same as the holding portion 85 of the front cam member 51F described above (having a pedestal portion 87, a small diameter portion 86 and a flange 88, and forming a holding groove portion 89), so a description of the specific structure will be omitted.

The right side of the center of FIG. 4(a) and FIG. 5(a) and FIG. 5(b) show the rear cam member 51R in the posture (rotation position) when the water tray 20 is raised to the closed position. Note that FIG. 5(a) shows the rear cam member 51R as seen from the rear side, and FIG. 5(b) shows the rear cam member 51R as seen from the front side. As is clear from these drawings, the rear cam member 51R is a plate-shaped synthetic resin member that is elongated in one direction (the vertical direction in the drawing) like the front cam member 51F, and the width dimension of one end in the longitudinal direction (the lower end in the drawing) is formed to be larger than the width dimension of the other end (the upper end in the drawing). The rear cam member 51R has a shaft fixing hole 52a formed so as to penetrate the one end in the longitudinal direction with the larger width dimension from front to rear. The rear end of the camshaft 24 is fixed from the front side to this shaft fixing hole 52a as described above. In addition, a cylindrical holder 85 (described later) that holds the upper end of the rear coil spring 28R is provided so as to protrude rearward at the other longitudinal end of the rear cam member 51R (the side away from the shaft fixing hole 52a). That is, the rear cam member 51R has the same rotation center as the camshaft 24, has an arm-like shape that extends radially, and is configured to hold the upper end of the rear coil spring 28R at its extended end. For convenience in the following description, the one end that is the rotation center side of the rear cam member 51R will be referred to as the "shaft side end" and the other end that is the extended end side that is away from the rotation center will be referred to as the "rotating end".

As shown in Figures 4(a), 5(a) and 5(b), the rear cam member 51R has a holding portion 85 that holds the upper end (hook 29b) of the rear coil spring 28R at the pivot end thereof, and is positioned so as to protrude rearward from the rear surface of the rear cam member 51R. Here, the holding portion 85 of the rear cam member 51R has a small diameter portion 86 at a midpoint in the protruding direction, similar to the holding portion 85 of the front cam member 51F described above, and a base portion 87 is provided on the base end side in the protruding direction, and a flange 88 is provided on the protruding end side, sandwiching the small diameter portion 86, and an annular and concave holding groove portion 89 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the holding portion 85. However, the holding portion 85 provided on the rear cam member 51R is attached to the main body (first member 53 described later) of the rear cam member 51R as a separate body (second member 63 described later), and in this respect it differs from the holding portion 85 of the rear cam member 51F. The rear coil spring 28R is made of the same material as the front coil spring 28F described above (description of the specific structure is omitted).

Here, as shown in FIG. 4(a), the front and rear cam members 51F, 51R hold the coil springs 28F, 28R with the holding portions 85 provided at their rotating ends, and support the tilting end of the water tray 20 through the coil springs 28F, 28R. The front cam member 51F has its rotating end at the highest position when it is in the upright position (position indicated by the symbol x1 in FIG. 4(b)) in which its rotating end is located above the shaft end. Similarly, the rear cam member 51R has its rotating end at the highest position when it is in the upright position (position shown in FIG. 5(b)) in which its rotating end is located above the shaft end. Therefore, when both cam members 51F, 51R are in the upright position, the water tray 20 is pulled up to the highest position, and at this time the water tray 20 is in a horizontal position with its top surface horizontal and in a closed position relative to the ice making chamber 16. That is, the cam members 51F and 51R can hold the water tray 20 in the closed position in the upright position. On the other hand, the front cam member 51F has its rotating end at its lowest position when it is in the tilted position (position indicated by symbol x2 in FIG. 4B) in which its rotating end is located diagonally below the shaft end. Similarly, the rear cam member 51R has its rotating end at its lowest position when it is in the tilted position (position shown in FIG. 2) in which its rotating end is located diagonally below the shaft end. Therefore, when both cam members 51F and 51R are in the tilted position, the water tray 20 is lowered to its lowest position, and at this time the water tray 20 is in an open position relative to the ice making chamber 16 with its upper surface inclined. That is, the cam members 51F and 51R can hold the water tray 20 in the open position in the tilted position.

Both cam members 51F, 51R are configured so that their rotating ends come into contact with the top surface of the water tray 20 when in the upright position (see FIG. 4(a)), and their shaft side ends are formed with cam portions 52c that bulge in the radial direction (see FIG. 4(b) and FIG. 5(b)). Due to the presence of these cam portions 52c, the outer peripheral surfaces of the shaft side ends of the cam members 51F, 51R are not spaced apart from the center of rotation (the position where the shaft fixing hole 52a is formed) at a constant distance, and the cam portions 52c are far away from the shaft fixing hole 52a. When transitioning from ice making operation to de-icing operation, the front cam member 51F rotates in the normal direction from the upright position to the tilted position, so that the outer peripheral surface of the shaft side end of the front cam member 51F (the cam portion 52c portion) presses the water tray 20 downward, forcibly removing the ice formed in the ice making chamber 16 from the top surface of the water tray 20.

Here, the water tray 20 has its tilting end and shaft side end supported by the water tray tilting mechanism 50 and support mechanism 30 inside the housing 12, so when an operator removes the water tray 20 to perform maintenance, the tilting end and shaft side end of the water tray 20 are separated from the housing 12. The shaft side end of the water tray 20 is removed from the housing 12 as described above. On the other hand, when separating the tilting end of the water tray 20 from the housing 12, it is necessary to remove the hook 29b provided at the upper end of the coil springs 28F, 28R from the holding portion 85 of the cam members 51F, 51R, or remove the hook 29b provided at the lower end of the coil springs 28F, 28R from the holding portion 85 of the water tray 20. However, in general, after the hook 29b is engaged with the holding groove 89, the hook 29b is crushed with a tool or the like to narrow the opening 29c, so that when an operator tries to remove the hook 29b from the holding groove 89, the hook 62 is firmly engaged with the holding groove 89 in a crushed state, and the operation of removing the hook 29b is time-consuming. In this case, if the opening 29c of the hook 29b is formed large and the hook 29b is not crushed after being hooked into the holding groove 89, the hook 29b can be easily removed, but this increases the possibility that the flange 88 of the holding portion 85 will not function to prevent the hook 29b from coming off the holding groove 89. The hook 29b may come off the holding groove 89 at a time when the transition from ice-making operation to de-icing operation begins, for example. In this case, the cam members 51F, 51R start rotating in the normal direction from the upright position to the tilted position while the top surface of the water tray 20 in the closed position is frozen with the ice blocks in the ice making chamber 16, so that the distance between the holding portion 85 of the cam members 51F, 51R and the holding portion 85 of the water tray 20 gradually narrows, and the load of the water tray 20 is not applied to the coil springs 28F, 28R. As a result, the hooking of the hook 29b on the holding groove portion 89 becomes weaker, and the possibility of the hook 29b coming off the holding groove portion 89 increases. Since it is necessary to prevent such coming off of the hook 29b, in the first embodiment, a configuration (split structure) is adopted for the cam member (rear cam member 51R) in which the holding portion 85 (second member 63 described later) is separably connected to the main body portion (first member 53 described later), so that it is not necessary to disengage the hook 29b of the coil spring (rear coil spring 28R) from the holding groove portion 89 when removing the water tray 20. Therefore, the division structure of the rear cam member 51R will be explained below with primary reference to Figures 5 to 9.

In the first embodiment, the front portion of the tilting end of the water tray 20 is attached to and detached from the housing 12 by engaging and disengaging the hook 29b of the front coil spring 28F with the retaining portion 85 of the front cam member 51F as in the conventional method, and the rear portion of the tilting end of the water tray 20 is attached to and detached from the housing 12 by dividing the rear cam member 51R into the first member 53 and the second member 63 described below. This is an example in which only one of the cam members (the rear cam member 51R) has a split structure to prevent an increase in the number of parts, and it is of course possible to actually make the front cam member 51F have a split structure. The split structure is adopted for the rear cam member 51R because it is located at the back of the housing 12, making it difficult to disengage the hook 29b from the front of the housing 12. It is possible to disengage the hook 29b at the rear of the housing 12 from the retaining groove 89 by removing the top plate 12b from above the machine, but objects are often placed on the housing 12, and there are also cases where it is not possible to secure space to perform the work from above the housing 12. In light of these factors, there are great benefits to having a split structure for the rear cam member 51R.

As shown in Figures 5(a), 5(b) and 5(c), the rear cam member 51R is formed by combining a second member 63 that holds the upper end of the rear coil spring 28R by a holding portion 85 with the rotation end side (rotation end side of the rear cam member 51R) of a first member 53 that extends radially from the rotation center. When the first member 53 is installed in the housing 12, the surface (rear surface) of the first member 53 shown in Figure 5(b) becomes the front surface 53a facing the front of the machine, and the surface (front surface) of the first member 53 shown in Figure 5(a) becomes the rear surface 53b facing the rear of the machine. Here, as shown in Figures 5(c) and 5(d), a notched groove 54 is provided on the rotation end side of the first member 53, extending from the center in the left-right direction in the upright position (the position shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b)) of the rear cam member 51R to one side end face 53c (see Figure 5(b)) of the first member 53, and a fitting portion 64 provided on the second member 63 is fitted into the groove 54 to fix the first member 53 and the second member 63. That is, one end side in the extension direction (longitudinal direction) of the groove 54 that opens into one side end face 53c (see Figure 5(b)) of the first member 53 functions as an entrance (fitting opening 54a) when fitting the fitting portion 64. As shown in Fig. 5(c) and Fig. 7(a), the groove width of the groove 54 is wider at the rear surface 53b side of the first member 53 than at the center of the front-rear direction (thickness direction) of the first member 53. In the following description, for convenience, the portion (narrow portion) of the groove 54 provided at the center of the thickness direction of the first member 53 is referred to as the "middle groove 55", and the rear surface 53b side of the middle groove 55 is referred to as the "rear groove 57". The rotating end of the first member 53 is recessed from the front surface 53a of the first member 53 toward the rear (reference numeral 60), and the bottom side of this recessed portion is connected to the groove 54 (middle groove 55). That is, the portion of the rotating end of the first member 53 that is forward of the groove 54 is recessed from the front surface 53a toward the rear over a wider range than the groove 54. This recessed portion is a path (hereinafter referred to as the "movement path 60") that allows movement of the operating tool used to tighten and loosen the bolt 67, which will be described later, when releasing the engagement (engagement) of the engagement portion 64 from the groove portion 54.

As shown in Figs. 5(c), 5(d), 7(a) and 7(b), the second member 63 is basically composed of the retaining portion 85, and has a base portion 87, a small diameter portion 86 smaller in diameter than the base portion 87, and a large diameter flange 88 provided at the protruding end of the small diameter portion 86. The retaining portion 85 of the second member 63 is provided so as to protrude rearward on the rear cam member 51R, and the small diameter portion 86 and the flange 88 are located rearward of the base portion 87. The fitting portion 64 is provided so as to protrude forward on the front surface of the retaining portion 85 (the surface opposite to the small diameter portion 86 and the flange 88). That is, the fitting portion 64 is provided on the front surface of the base portion 87 constituting the second member 63 (hereinafter referred to as the "front surface 63a of the second member 63"). The fitting portion 64 is made up of a protruding base 65 and a support base 66 that protrudes forward from the front surface of the protruding base 65, and has a shape that is long in the left-right direction when the rear cam member 51R is in the upright position (the position shown in Figs. 5(a) and 5(b)). The fitting portion 64 is formed so that the support base 66 has a smaller width in the short direction (the up-down direction when the rear cam member 51R is in the upright position) than the protruding base 65. The fitting portion 64 is inserted into the groove portion 54 from the fitting opening 54a in a specific direction (arrow Y1 direction) along the longitudinal direction of the groove portion 54 with its longitudinal direction (left and right direction when the rear cam member 51R is in the upright position) aligned with the longitudinal direction of the groove portion 54, so that the rear surface 53a of the first member 53 and the front surface 63a of the second member 63 face each other, and the fitting portion 64 is fitted into the groove portion 54 (the protruding base 65 is fitted into the rear groove portion 57, and the support base 66 is fitted into the middle groove portion 55) (see FIG. 7(a)). With the fitting portion 64 fitted into the groove portion 54, the rear cam member 51R is firmly fixed to the first member 53 and the second member 63 by tightening a bolt 67 (described later) arranged on the second member 63.

When the first member 53 and the second member 63 are assembled, as shown in Figs. 4(a) and 9, the base 87 is located between the rear surface 53b of the first member 53 and the retaining groove 89 of the second member 63, and the retaining groove 89 is spaced rearward from the rear surface 53b of the first member 53. That is, the base 87 of the retaining portion 85 functions as a spacer to separate the retaining groove 89, with which the hook 29b of the rear coil spring 28R engages, rearward from the rear surface 53b of the first member 53, so that the rear coil spring 28R does not come into contact with the rear surface 53b of the first member 53. Note that even if at least a portion of the base 87 is provided on the first member 53 side, the retaining groove 89 can be similarly positioned rearward from the rear surface 53b of the first member 53.

In this way, the automatic ice maker 10 of the first embodiment is configured by separably connecting the second member 63 to the rotating end of the first member 53 that extends radially from the center of rotation of the rear cam member 51R. That is, by releasing the connection between the first member 53 and the second member 63 of the rear cam member 51R, the tilting end of the water tray 20 is separated from the housing 12 side, so there is no need to deform the hook 29b at the upper end or lower end of the rear coil spring 28R (to enlarge the opening 29c). That is, when removing the water tray 20, the work of separating the tilting end of the water tray 20 from the housing 12 side becomes easy, and the work can be performed from the front side of the housing 12 without opening the top plate 12b.

As shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b), the fitting portion 64 (protruding base 65) is tapered so that the width gradually decreases from the end toward the tip in the insertion direction (arrow Y1 direction) into the groove portion 54. The groove portion 54 (rear groove portion 57) is formed so that the width gradually decreases from the fitting opening 54a toward the back side in accordance with the shape of the fitting portion 64 (protruding base 65). In other words, the width of the fitting portion 64 at the tip side in the insertion direction is smaller than the width of the fitting opening 54a, and the fitting portion 64 can be easily inserted into the groove portion 54 when assembling the first member 53 and the second member 63. Furthermore, when attempting to insert the fitting portion 64 (protruding base 65) into the groove portion 54 (rear groove portion 57) from the wider side, the groove portion 54 narrows in width as it moves from the fitting opening 54a to the rear side, so the fitting portion 64 immediately comes into contact with the groove portion 54 and cannot move any further into the groove portion 54. This prevents the mistake of trying to insert the fitting portion 64 into the groove portion 54 in the wrong direction.

5(c), 7(a) and 7(b), the fitting portion 64 is formed with a bolt fixing hole (fixing hole) 68 into which the threaded portion 67a of the bolt (fastening member) 67 is inserted from the front to the rear, penetrating the fitting portion 64 in the front-rear direction (thickness direction), and the inlet side of the bolt 67 is opened on the front surface of the protruding base 65. A nut 69 (see FIG. 7(a)) is embedded in the fitting portion 64, and the nut 69 is located halfway through the bolt fixing hole 68. That is, the threaded portion 67a of the bolt 67 inserted into the bolt fixing hole 68 is screwed into the nut 69 inside the bolt fixing hole 68. The bolt 67 is held in place by the nut 69 inside the bolt fixing hole 68 with a part of the threaded portion 67a exposed to the outside of the bolt fixing hole 68 (loosened to a certain extent). The bolt fixing hole 68 opens at a position close to the support base 66 on the front surface of the protruding base 65. A receiving portion 70 that determines the tightening limit position of the bolt 67 is formed on the protruding end face (front face) of the support base 66. That is, when the bolt 67 is inserted into the bolt fixing hole 68 and screwed into the nut 69, the head 67b of the bolt 67 abuts against the receiving portion 70 of the support base 66, restricting further screwing. In this way, the bolt 67 (or the head 67b of the bolt 67) is arranged in the second member 63 in a state in which it can move in the tightening and loosening directions.

Here, when the fitting portion 64 is moved in the Y1 direction and fitted into the groove portion 54 as shown in FIG. 5(c), the leading end of the support base 66 (fitting portion 64) in the insertion direction faces the inner surface of the inner side (the other end side away from the fitting opening 54a) of the middle groove portion 55 (groove portion 54) at a distance, and the bolt 67 is inserted between them (see FIG. 7(b)). Then, as the fitting portion 64 is completely fitted into the groove portion 54, a storage portion 73 (see FIG. 7(b)) is formed that spans the fitting portion 64 and the groove portion 54. This storage portion 73 is formed in a concave shape that matches the shape of the seat surface of the head 67b of the bolt 67 by the arc-shaped restricting portion 58 (see FIG. 5(c)) provided on the front edge of the middle groove portion 55 of the first member 53 and the receiving portion 70 (see FIG. 5(c)) of the second member 63. Then, the bolt 67 that remains loose is tightened by operating an operating tool such as a box driver and abutting against the receiving portion 70, whereby a part (a part close to the seat surface) of the head (accommodated portion) 67b of the bolt 67 that was outside the accommodation portion 73 moves inside the accommodation portion 73. Here, the restricting portion 58 that constitutes the accommodation portion 73 is formed to have a width dimension larger than the middle groove portion 55. Therefore, when the head 67b moves from the outside to the inside of the accommodation portion 73, the restricting portion 58 that is a portion of the accommodation portion 73 formed by the groove portion 54 restricts the movement of the head 67b from the back side of the groove portion 54 to the fitting opening 54a side, thereby preventing the fitting portion 64 from coming off the groove portion 54. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7(a), the first member 53 is sandwiched between the head 67b of the bolt 67 and the front surface 63a of the second member 63 with the rear surface 53a of the first member 53 facing the front surface 63a of the second member 63, and the bolt 67 is tightened in this state, so that the first member 53 and the second member 63 can be firmly connected without the second member 63 rattling relative to the first member 53.

As described above, a concave movement path 60 is formed in the front surface 53a of the first member 53 (see Figures 5(c), 7(a) and 7(b)). The movement path 60 extends along the groove 54 from the center of the rotating end of the rear cam member 51R (first member 53) to one side end surface 53c (see Figures 5(b) and 7(b)). This movement path 60 is formed in a forward position of the groove 54 and the regulating portion 58, wider than the groove 54 and the regulating portion 58 (accommodation portion 73), and is formed so as to expose the groove 54 and the regulating portion 58 to the front. Therefore, when using a box driver as an operating tool for tightening or loosening the bolt 67, the tip of the box driver (i.e., the cylindrical portion that engages with the outer peripheral surface of the head 67b of the bolt 67) can be abutted against the opening edge of the storage section 73 inside the travel path 60, allowing the head 67b of the bolt 67 to be tightened all the way.

In addition, by moving the head 67b from the inside to the outside of the storage portion 73 in response to an operation to loosen the bolt 67 in a tightened state, the restriction on movement of the head 67b by the restricting portion 58 is released, thereby allowing the fitting portion 64 to move in the direction of removal from the groove portion 54. Since a movement path 60 that is wider than the groove portion 54 is formed on the front surface 53a of the first member 53, the fitting portion 64 can be moved to the outside of the groove portion 54 while the tip of the box driver is still engaged with the head 67b of the bolt 67.

In this way, when the fitting portion 64 is fitted into the groove portion 54, it is possible to switch between a state in which movement of the fitting portion 64 in the direction of removal from the groove portion 54 is prevented and a state in which such movement is permitted, depending on the position of the head portion 67b (of the bolt 67) provided on the second member 63. In other words, the first member 53 and the second member 63 can be easily fixed and unlocked. In this case, the configuration in which the bolt 67 is tightened from the front of the fitting portion 64 allows the first member 53 and the second member 63 to be easily fixed and unlocked from the front side of the housing 12.

As shown in FIG. 8, the fitting portion 64 (support base 66) is tapered so that the width gradually decreases in the direction of tightening the bolt 67 relative to the fitting portion 64 (i.e., the direction from the front to the rear), and the groove portion 54 (middle groove portion 55) is formed so that the width gradually decreases in the direction of tightening the bolt 67 (the direction from the front to the rear) in accordance with the shape of the fitting portion 64. Therefore, when the bolt 67 is tightened into the bolt fixing hole 68 with the fitting portion 64 fitted into the groove portion 54, the pressing force (the force applied in the direction of tightening the bolt) caused by the operator pressing the bolt 67 against the fitting portion 64 can be reliably received by the groove portion 54 (middle groove portion 55). In other words, the fitting portion 64 can be prevented from coming off the groove portion 54 toward the rear as the bolt 67 is tightened.

As shown in Figures 5(d) and 9, a locking portion 59 that protrudes upward is provided on the rear surface 53b of the first member 53. The locking portion 59 is provided at a position slightly spaced from the groove portion 54 in the first member 53 in a specific direction (the direction in which the fitting portion 64 is inserted into the groove portion 54, the direction of arrow Y1). On the other hand, as shown in Figure 6(a), a recessed locked portion 71 that opens forward and in the specific direction is formed on the front surface 63a of the second member 63 at a position slightly spaced from the fitting portion 64 in the specific direction. In other words, the locking portion 59 is configured to lock the locked portion 71 as the fitting portion 64 is inserted into the groove portion 54 from the fitting opening 54a and fitted into it. In this way, in addition to the configuration in which the mating portion 64 of the second member 63 fits into the groove portion 54 of the first member 53, the connection state of the first member 53 and the second member 63 can be stabilized by providing a configuration in which the locked portion 71 of the second member 63 is locked by a locking portion 59 provided at a position different from the groove portion 54 in the first member 53.

9, the locking portion 59 is formed in an inverted taper shape that increases in width from the rear surface 53b of the first member 53 toward the protruding end. The locked portion 71 is formed to increase in width from the front surface 63a of the second member 63 toward the recessed direction (rear) in accordance with the shape of the locking portion 59. Therefore, the locking portion 59 moves in the specific direction (arrow Y1 direction) to fit into (lock with) the inside of the locked portion 71, preventing the locking portion 59 from coming off the locked portion 71 in the front-rear direction. The tapered shape of the locking portion 59 is a shape in which the width dimension increases in the opposite direction to the tapered shape of the mating portion 64 described above, so the combination of the mating portion 64 (support base 66) and groove portion 54 (middle groove portion 55) and the combination of the locking portion 59 and mated portion 71 can improve durability against forces that tend to pull the first member 53 and the second member 63 apart in the front-to-rear direction.

The operation of removing the water tray 20 from the housing 12 is performed with the water tray 20 tilted to the open position. Here, in the automatic ice maker 10 of the first embodiment, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 2, when the rear cam member 51R is in a tilted position (in a rotational position for opening the water tray 20), the fitting opening 54a in the groove portion 54 is configured to face to the upper left (above the horizontal direction). In other words, when an operator removes the water tray 20, the load of the water tray 20 does not act as a force in the direction in which the fitting portion 64 is disengaged from the groove portion 54, and this prevents a malfunction such as the water tray 20 suddenly coming off during the operation, for example, at the moment the bolt 67 is loosened. Therefore, the operator can safely release the connection between the first member 53 and the second member 63.

(Operation of the water tray tilting mechanism 50 during operation)
In the automatic ice maker 10 of the first embodiment, during ice making operation, the front and rear cam members 51F, 51R of the water tray tilting mechanism 50 are in an upright position, and the water tray 20 is held in a closed position that closes the ice making chamber 16 from below by the elasticity of the coil springs 28F, 28R interposed between the holding portion 85 of the water tray 20 and the holding portion 85 of the cam members 51F, 51R. The ice making operation is performed in this state, and when ice blocks are generated in the ice making chamber 16, the ice making operation ends and the operation shifts to the de-icing operation. When the operation shifts to the de-icing operation, the cam members 51F, 51R start to rotate in the forward direction by the forward drive of the actuator motor AM. At this time, the water tray 20 is pushed down by the cam portion 52c of the cam members 51F, 51R, and the ice formed between the ice blocks in the ice making chamber 16 and the top surface of the water tray 20 is removed. When the water tray 20 is completely detached from the ice blocks in the ice making chamber 16, it falls under its own weight and tilts while being held by the elasticity of the coil springs 28F, 28R between the rotating cam members 51F, 51R. When the cam members 51F, 51R rotate a predetermined angle and change to a tilted position, the forward drive by the actuator motor AM ends, the rotation of the cam members 51F, 51R stops, and the water tray 20 is held in the open position. When the de-icing operation proceeds in this state and all the ice blocks fall from the ice making chamber 16, the actuator motor AM is reverse-driven, and the cam members 51F, 51R in the tilted position rotate in the reverse direction and change to an upright position. As a result, the water tray 20 tilts upward and is held in the closed position, and the ice making operation starts again.

(About the work involved in performing maintenance on the water tray 20)
When the water tray 20 is removed from the housing 12 for maintenance, the water tray 20 is tilted to the open position (inclined posture) (deicing operation state), operation is stopped, and the front panel 12a is removed from the housing 12 to open the front side of the housing 12, and the work for removing the water tray 20 is performed from the front side of the housing 12. When removing the water tray 20, first, the tilting end of the water tray 20 supported by the water tray tilting mechanism 50 is separated from the housing 12, and then the shaft side end of the water tray 20 supported by the support mechanism 30 is separated from the housing 12. The water tray tilting mechanism 50 supports the front part of the tilting end of the water tray 20 by the front cam member 51F and the front coil spring 28F, and supports the rear part of the tilting end of the water tray 20 by the rear cam member 51R and the rear coil spring 28R, so that the work of separating the water tray 20 from the housing 12 is performed starting from the front part.

When separating the front portion of the tilting end of the water tray 20 from the housing 12, generally, the hook 29b provided at the upper end of the coil spring 28F, 28R is disengaged from the retaining portion 85 (retaining groove portion 89) provided on the cam member 51F, 51R. At this time, it is necessary to pull the end 29d (see FIG. 4(d)) of the wire forming the hook 29b outward to forcibly deform the opening 29c so as to enlarge it, and in this state to release the engagement with the retaining groove portion 89, which is very time-consuming. In contrast, in the automatic ice maker 10 of the first embodiment, the rear cam member 51R, which is located in a position where it is difficult to perform work from the front side of the housing 12, is composed of the first member 53 and the second member 63, and the rear part of the tilting end of the water tray 20 can be separated from the housing 12 side by separating the second member 63 having the holding portion 85 that holds the front coil spring 28F from the first member 53 connected to the camshaft 24, so there is no need to deform the hook 29b of the rear coil spring 28R. The front part of the tilting end of the water tray 20 is separated from the housing 12 side by spreading the hook 29b provided on the front coil spring 28F and removing it from the holding groove portion 89. This is because the front cam member 51F and the front coil spring 28F are located on the front side of the housing 12, and the work of spreading the hook 29b is time-consuming but not impossible.

The first member 53 and the second member 63 constituting the rear cam member 51R are in a state where the fitting portion 64 provided on the second member 63 is fitted into the groove portion 54 provided on the first member 53, and the first member 53 is sandwiched between the front surface 63a (base portion 87) of the second member 63 and the head 67b of the bolt 67 by tightening the bolt 67 arranged on the second member 63, thereby fixing the first member 53 and the second member 63 to each other. Therefore, when separating the second member 63 from the first member 53, first loosen the bolt 67 using an operating tool such as a box driver. In this case, the tip portion (cylindrical portion) of the box driver is engaged with the outer surface of the head 67b of the bolt 67 inside the moving path 60, and the bolt 67 is loosened in a state where it is abutted against the opening edge of the storage portion 73. When the bolt 67 is loosened to a certain extent, the head 67b of the bolt 67 changes from a state in which a part of it is located inside the concave accommodation portion 73 (consisting of the restricting portion 58 and the receiving portion 70) that spans the fitting portion 64 and the groove portion 54, to a state in which the entire head 67b is located outside the accommodation portion 73. By the head 67b of the bolt 67 moving outside the accommodation portion 73 in this way, the restriction on the movement of the head 67b by the restricting portion 58, which is a portion of the accommodation portion 73 formed by the groove portion 54 (restriction on the movement of the head 67b toward the fitting opening 54a), is released, and the fitting portion 64 is allowed to move in the direction of disengagement from the groove portion 54. At this time, the movement path 60 formed on the front surface 53a of the first member 53 is wider than the groove 54 and the restricting portion 58 (accommodating portion 73), so even if the tip of the box driver is still engaged with the head 67b of the bolt 67, when the fitting portion 64 is moved toward the fitting opening 54a of the groove 54, the tip of the box driver passes through the movement path 60, and the fitting portion 64 can be removed from the groove 54 (released from the fitting) without any problems. Then, when the fitting portion 64 is removed from the groove 54, the water tray 20, the rear coil spring 28R, and the second member 63 are separated from the first member 53 on the housing 12 side while still connected to each other.

Once the separation work for the tilting end of the water tray 20 from the housing 12 is completed, the next step is to separate the axial end of the water tray 20 from the housing 12. Here, the support mechanism 30 is configured such that the front water tray support plate 34F provided on the water tray 20 is pivoted by a front bearing bracket 32F fixed to the front mounting column 12d of the housing 12, and the rear water tray support plate 34R provided on the water tray 20 is pivoted by a rear bearing bracket 32R fixed to the rear mounting column 12d of the housing 12 (the water tray 20 is pivoted by two support sets), but the support set consisting of the front water tray support plate 34F and bearing bracket 32F and the support set consisting of the rear water tray support plate 34R and bearing bracket 32R are connected at the same time by inserting one pivot pin 36 from the front in a latch-like manner through the through hole 38 of each component, and the pivot pin 36 is prevented from slipping out forward by a fall-out prevention means 40. Therefore, when removing the shaft end of the water tray 20 from the housing 12, the retaining means 40 located on the front side inside the housing 12 is removed to release the retaining mechanism of the pivot pin 36. Then, by pulling the pivot pin 36 out to the front side, the connection between the bearing fittings 32F, 32R and the water tray support plates 34F, 34R is released. This separates the water tray 20 from the housing 12, making it possible to perform maintenance on the water tray 20 outside the housing 12.

(Installation of water tray 20 after maintenance is completed)
When the maintenance of the water tray 20 outside the housing 12 is completed, the water tray 20 is attached to the inside of the housing 12. In this case, first, the shaft end of the water tray 20 is assembled so as to be supported by the support mechanism 30, and then the tilting end of the water tray 20 is assembled so as to be supported by the water tray tilting mechanism 50. When assembling the shaft end of the water tray 20 to the housing 12, the position of the through hole 38 is aligned between the front water tray support plate 34F and the front bearing metal fitting 32F, and the position of the through hole 38 is aligned between the rear water tray support plate 34R and the rear mounting column 12d, and in this state, the pivot pin 36 is inserted from the front side so as to pass through the through holes 38 of each member. At this time, the tip 36a of the pivot pin 36 in the insertion direction is tapered, so that it can easily pass through each through hole 38. In addition, because the end portion 36b of the pivot pin 36 has a larger diameter than the other portions, the pivot pin 36 will not slip out forward through each of the through holes 38. Then, by attaching the retaining means 40 to the front surface of the front bearing metal fitting 32F with the pivot pin 36 inserted through each of the through holes 38, the retaining means 40 will come close to the end portion 36b of the pivot pin 36, preventing the pivot pin 36 from slipping out backward. This results in the shaft side end of the water tray 20 being supported by the support mechanism 30 (attached to the housing 12).

After the work of attaching the shaft end of the water tray 20 to the housing 12 is completed, the next step is to attach the tilting end of the water tray 20 to the housing 12. At the rear (rear) side inside the housing 12, the first member 53 of the rear cam member 51R is positioned in a tilted position. In contrast, the rear coil spring 28R is connected to the tilting end of the water tray 20, and the second member 63 of the rear cam member 51R is connected to the rear coil spring 28R. For this reason, first, the fitting portion 64 of the second member 63 connected to the water tray 20 side is inserted from the fitting opening 54a side into the groove portion 54 of the first member 53 on the housing 12 side to fit it. When fitting the fitting portion 64 into the groove portion 54, the protruding base 65 and support base 66 of the fitting portion 64 are fitted into the rear groove portion 57 and middle groove portion 55 of the groove portion 54, respectively, with the smaller width dimension side as the insertion tip side. When the fitting portion 64 is fitted into the groove portion 54, a concave accommodating portion 73 is formed spanning the fitting portion 64 and the groove portion 54. In this state, the bolt 67 of the second member 63 is then tightened with an operating tool such as a box driver. As a result, the first member 53 is sandwiched between the front surface 63a of the second member 63 and the head portion 67b of the bolt 67, and the first member 53 and the second member 63 are firmly connected, and the rear portion of the tilting end of the water tray 20 is assembled to the housing 12 side. Therefore, next, the front portion of the tilting end of the water tray 20 is assembled to the housing 12 side. At the front side inside the housing 12, the front cam member 51F is positioned in a tilted position. Meanwhile, the rear coil spring 28R is connected to the tilting end of the water tray 20. Therefore, the hook 29b of the front coil spring 28F connected to the water tray 20 side, located on the side opposite the water tray 20, is forcibly spread apart and, in this state, is hooked and engaged with the retaining groove portion 89 of the retaining portion 85 of the front cam member 51F. As a result, both the rear and front portions of the tilting end of the water tray 20 are assembled to the housing 12 side, and the tilting end of the water tray 20 is supported by the water tray tilting mechanism 50. In other words, the water tray 20 is correctly assembled to the housing 12 side, and operation can be resumed.

Next, the automatic ice maker 10 according to Example 2 will be described below with reference to FIG. 10. Note that the configuration that differs from Example 1 will be basically described, and the same configuration as Example 1 will be given the same reference numerals and detailed description will be omitted. The automatic ice maker 10 of Example 2 differs from Example 1 described above in the configuration of the rear cam member 51R, but other configurations are the same as Example 1, so the configuration of the rear cam member 51R will be mainly described.

As shown in Fig. 10(a) and Fig. 10(b), the rear cam member 51R in the second embodiment includes a first member 90 extending in the radial direction from the center of rotation, and a second member 95 attached to the rotation end side of the first member 90, and is configured to hold the upper end (hook 29b) of the rear coil spring 28R between the rotation end side of the first member 90 and the second member 95. A cylindrical attachment portion 91 protruding backward is provided at the rotation end on the rear surface 90b of the first member 90. As shown in Fig. 10(b), a locking hole 92 is formed at the bottom of the attachment portion 91, and this locking hole 92 penetrates the front surface 90a of the first member 90. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 10(a), the second member 95 includes a columnar main body portion 96 extending in the front-rear direction, and a locking piece 97 protruding forward is provided on the front end surface of the main body portion 96. The tip of the locking piece 97 is bifurcated into a pair of elastic pieces that can be elastically deformed. Each elastic piece is arranged back to back with a slight gap between them, and has a locking claw 97a at its tip. In addition, a disk-shaped flange 98 with a larger diameter than the main body 96 is provided at the rear end of the main body 96.

When the second member 95 is attached to the attachment portion 91 of the first member 90 and the hook 29b of the rear coil spring 28R is held between the attachment portion 91 and the second member 95, the body portion 96 of the second member 95 is passed inside the hook 29b and brought closer to the flange 98 side, and in this state, the second member 95 is moved forward (in the direction of arrow Y2) and inserted from the front end side (the locking piece 97 side) into the attachment portion 91 of the first member 90. By doing so, as shown in Figure 10(b), the locking claws 97a of the pair of locking pieces 97 pass through the locking holes 92 and hook onto the edge on the front surface 90a side, and due to the locking of the locking claws 97a, the second member 95 is connected to the attachment portion 91 in such a way that it cannot move in the detaching direction. In this connected state, the protruding end surface (rear end surface) of the attachment portion 91 and the flange 98 of the second member 95 face each other with a gap therebetween, and the hook 29b of the rear coil spring 28R is held in this gap. In this way, the rear cam member 51R of the second embodiment is configured to hold the upper end (hook 29b) of the rear coil spring 28R between the attachment portion 91 of the first member 90 and the second member 95, and the second member 95 can be separated from the attachment portion 91 by releasing the engagement by the engagement claw 97a, thereby allowing the rear coil spring 28R to be removed. Therefore, when the operator removes the water tray 20, there is no need to deform (open) the hook 29b of the rear coil spring 28R.

As shown in FIG. 10(b), when the locking claw 97a is engaged, the locking claw 97a is positioned on the front surface 90a of the first member 90 (the front surface of the rear cam member 51R), so that an operator can release the locked state by operating the locking claw 97a from the front of the machine. In other words, when an operator removes the water tray 20, the connection of the rear cam member 51R to the tilting end of the water tray 20 can be easily released from the front of the housing 12.

As shown in FIG. 10(a), the main body 96 of the second member 95 is polygonal prism-shaped, and the inner surface of the attachment portion 91 is also polygonal to match the outer peripheral surface of the main body 96. Therefore, when the attachment portion 91 and the second member 95 are connected, the rotational movement of the second member 95 inside the attachment portion 91 is restricted, and excessive load is not applied to the attachment portion 91.

Next, the automatic ice maker 10 according to the third embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 11. Note that the configurations that differ from those of the first and second embodiments will be basically described, and the same components as those of the first and second embodiments will be given the same reference numerals and will not be described in detail. The automatic ice maker 10 of the third embodiment differs from the first and second embodiments in the configuration of the support mechanism 30 that pivots the water tray 20 (more specifically, the mounting structure of the bearing fittings 32F, 32R to the mounting column 12d of the housing 12), but the other configurations are the same as those of the first and second embodiments, so the configuration of the support mechanism 30 will be mainly described.

In the automatic ice maker 10 according to the first and second embodiments described above, the front bearing bracket 32F is fixed directly to the front mounting column 12d, and the rear bearing bracket 32R is fixed directly to the rear mounting column 12d. When removing the shaft end of the water tray 20 from the housing 12, the connection between the bearing brackets 32F, 32R and the water tray support plates 34F, 34R by the pivot pin 36 is released. In contrast, in the third embodiment, the shaft end of the water tray 20 can be removed from the housing 12 without releasing the connection between the bearing brackets 32F, 32R and the water tray support plates 34F, 34R.

As shown in Figure 11, the automatic ice maker 10 of the third embodiment is provided with a connecting bracket 100 that connects the front and rear bearing fittings 32F, 32R. A first connecting plate 101 that is fixed to the front surface of the front mounting column 12d and a second connecting plate 102 that is fixed to the front surface of the rear mounting column 12d are erected on the upper surface of the connecting bracket 100. Each connecting plate 101, 102 is formed with a hook portion 103 that is inserted from the front into a slit 106 of each mounting column 12d. In addition, screw holes 105 into which screw members 104 can be screwed are formed at corresponding positions on the front mounting column 12d and the first connecting plate 101. Therefore, the hooks 103 of the first connecting plate 101 and the second connecting plate 102 are inserted from the front into the slits 106 of each mounting column 12d to position them, and then the screw members 104 are tightened into the screw holes 105 to attach the shaft end of the water tray 20 to the housing 12. When removing the shaft end of the water tray 20 from the housing 12, the screw members 104 located at the front of the internal space of the housing 12 are loosened, and the connecting bracket 100 is shifted forward. In other words, the task of separating the shaft end of the water tray 20 from the housing 12 to remove the water tray 20 can be easily performed from the front of the housing 12 without opening the top plate 12b.

[Example of change]
The present application is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and for example, the following configurations can be appropriately adopted.
(1) In Examples 1 and 2, the configuration of the present invention is applied only to the rear cam member out of the front and rear cam members, and the front cam member has the same structure as the conventional one, but the configuration of the present invention applied to the rear cam member in either Example 1 or 2 can also be applied to the front cam member. Also, the configuration of the present invention applied to the rear cam member in either Example 1 or 2 may be applied only to the front cam member, and the rear cam member may have the same structure as the conventional one.
When the configuration of the present invention is adopted for the front cam member, the front cam member is composed of a first member extending in the radial direction from the rotation center and a second member that holds the upper end of the rear coil spring, and the first member and the second member are separably connected. When the configuration of the rear cam member in Example 1 is adopted for the front cam member, it is preferable that the head (received portion) of the fastening member is located on the front side of the fitting portion. When the configuration of the rear cam member in Example 2 is also adopted for the front cam member, it is preferable that the locking claw of the locking piece is located on the front side of the attachment portion.
(2) In Examples 1 and 2, when the rear cam member is configured to separably connect the first member and the second member, a groove portion is provided in the first member into which the protruding mating portion of the second member fits. However, a groove portion may be provided in the second member into which the protruding mating portion of the first member fits.
(3) In the first embodiment, the head of the bolt (accommodated portion) provided on the second member is configured to move from the outside to the inside of the accommodation portion in response to tightening the bolt, and to move from the inside to the outside of the accommodation portion in response to loosening the bolt, but the accommodated portion is not limited to the head of the bolt. For example, a nut that moves along a fixed screw axis of the second member may be adopted as the accommodated portion. In this case, the nut can be configured to move from the outside to the inside of the accommodation portion along the screw axis by rotating the nut forward, and to move from the inside to the outside of the accommodation portion along the screw axis by rotating the nut in the reverse direction. In addition, the accommodated portion may be configured to move from the outside to the inside of the accommodation portion and be fixed, and also to move from the inside to the outside of the accommodation portion, and may be a member whose moving direction is not limited, such as a fixing device connected to the second member by a wire or the like.
(4) In Example 1, a nut is embedded inside the fitting portion and the threaded portion of the bolt inserted into the bolt fixing hole of the fitting portion is configured to screw into the nut. However, a thread groove may be formed on the inner surface of the bolt fixing hole so that the threaded portion of the bolt can screw into the nut.
(5) In Example 1, the regulating portion that regulates the movement of the bolt head toward the fitting opening of the groove portion is formed in a concave shape on the edge of the middle groove portion of the fitting portion, but the regulating portion may be formed in a protruding shape on the edge of the middle groove portion.
(6) In Example 1, the locking portion on the first member is protruding and the locked portion on the second member is concave. However, the locking portion on the first member may be concave and the locked portion on the second member may be protruding.
(7) In Example 2, an engagement hole is provided in the attachment portion of the first member and an engagement claw is provided in the second member, but it is also possible to provide an engagement claw in the attachment portion of the first member and to provide an engagement hole in the second member.

12 Housing, 16 Ice making chamber, 20 Water tray, 50 Water tray tilting mechanism,
52 rear cam member (cam member), 53 first member, 53c one side end surface (side end surface) of the first member,
54 Groove portion, 54a Fitting opening, 58 Restriction portion (a portion of the accommodation portion formed by the groove portion),
59: locking portion, 63: second member, 64: fitting portion, 67: bolt (fastening member),
67b head (accommodated part), 68 bolt fixing hole (fixing hole), 71 locked part,
80 Rear coil spring (coil spring), 90 First member, 95 Second member, 97a Locking claw,
AM Actuator Motor

Claims (5)

An automatic ice maker including, inside a housing (12), a concave plate-shaped ice making chamber (16) that opens downward, a water tray (20) arranged below the ice making chamber (16), and a water tray tilting mechanism (50) that tilts the water tray (20) up and down around one end side of the water tray as an axis,
The water tray tilting mechanism (50) includes an actuator motor (AM), a cam member ( 51R ) that rotates in response to the drive of the actuator motor (AM), and a coil spring (28R) whose upper end is held on the rotation end side of the cam member ( 51R ) and whose lower end is connected to the tilting end of the water tray ( 20 ),
the cam member ( 51R ) includes a first member (53) extending in a radial direction from a rotation center and a second member (63) that holds an upper end of the coil spring ( 28R ), and is configured by separably connecting the first member (53) and the second member (63) ,
a groove portion (54) into which a fitting portion (64) provided on the second member (63) fits is provided on the first member (53), and one end side of the groove portion (54) in the longitudinal direction forms a fitting opening (54a) that opens into a side end face (53c) of the first member (53);
The fitting portion (64) is formed in a tapered shape such that the width dimension gradually decreases from the end side toward the tip side in the insertion direction into the groove portion (54), and the groove portion (54) is formed so that the width dimension gradually decreases from the one end side toward the other end side in the longitudinal direction in accordance with the shape of the fitting portion (64) . An automatic ice maker including, inside a housing (12), a concave plate-shaped ice making chamber (16) that opens downward, a water tray (20) arranged below the ice making chamber (16), and a water tray tilting mechanism (50) that tilts the water tray (20) up and down around one end side of the water tray as an axis,
The water tray tilting mechanism (50) includes an actuator motor (AM), a cam member ( 51R ) that rotates in response to the drive of the actuator motor (AM), and a coil spring (28R) whose upper end is held on the rotation end side of the cam member ( 51R ) and whose lower end is connected to the tilting end of the water tray ( 20 ),
the cam member ( 51R ) includes a first member (53) extending in a radial direction from a rotation center and a second member (63) that holds an upper end of the coil spring ( 28R ), and is configured by separably connecting the first member (53) and the second member (63) ,
a groove portion (54) into which a fitting portion (64) provided on the second member (63) fits is provided on the first member (53), and one end side of the groove portion (54) in the longitudinal direction forms a fitting opening (54a) that opens into a side end face (53c) of the first member (53);
When the fitting portion (64) is fitted into the groove portion (54), a receiving portion (58, 70) is formed spanning the fitting portion (64) and the groove portion (54),
When a accommodated portion (67b) movably provided on the second member (63) is moved from the outside to the inside of the accommodating portion (58, 70) with the fitting portion (64) fitted into the groove portion (54), the movement of the accommodated portion (67b) toward the fitting opening (54a) is restricted by a portion (58) of the accommodating portion (58, 70) formed by the groove portion (54), thereby preventing the fitting portion (64) from coming off the groove portion (54). On the other hand, when the accommodated portion (67b) is moved from the inside to the outside of the accommodating portion (58, 70), the restriction on the movement of the accommodated portion (67b) is released, thereby allowing the movement of the fitting portion (64) in the removal direction from the groove portion (54).
The automatic ice maker is characterized by: An automatic ice maker including, inside a housing (12), a concave plate-shaped ice making chamber (16) that opens downward, a water tray (20) arranged below the ice making chamber (16), and a water tray tilting mechanism (50) that tilts the water tray (20) up and down around one end side of the water tray as an axis,
The water tray tilting mechanism (50) includes an actuator motor (AM), a cam member ( 51R ) that rotates in response to the drive of the actuator motor (AM), and a coil spring (28R) whose upper end is held on the rotation end side of the cam member ( 51R ) and whose lower end is connected to the tilting end of the water tray ( 20 ),
the cam member ( 51R ) includes a first member (53) extending in a radial direction from a rotation center and a second member (63) that holds an upper end of the coil spring ( 28R ), and is configured by separably connecting the first member (53) and the second member (63) ,
a groove portion (54) into which a fitting portion (64) provided on the second member (63) fits is provided on the first member (53), and one end side of the groove portion (54) in the longitudinal direction forms a fitting opening (54a) that opens into a side end face (53c) of the first member (53);
The automatic ice maker is characterized in that, when the cam member (51R) is in a rotation position for opening the water tray (20), the fitting opening (54a) is configured to face upward from the horizontal direction . The accommodated portion (67b) is a head portion of a fastening member (67) that is inserted into and fixed to a fixing hole (68) of the second member (63),
3. The automatic ice maker according to claim 2, wherein the fitting portion (64) is formed in a tapered shape such that its width gradually decreases toward an insertion direction of the fastening member (67) into the fitting portion (64), and the groove portion (54) is formed so that its width gradually decreases toward the insertion direction in accordance with the shape of the fitting portion ( 64 ). The automatic ice maker according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a locking portion (59) that locks a locked portion (71) provided on the second member (63) is provided at a position different from the groove portion (54) in the first member ( 53 ).

Images