JP7558568B2 - Fluid Supply Device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a liquid supply device that is placed inside a refrigerator and supplies liquid from a liquid storage tank to an ice tray.

There are known refrigerators that have a water supply device that pumps up water in a water storage tank and supplies it to an ice tray via a water supply pipe. Among such refrigerators, there has been a proposal to position the inlet of the incoming water supply pipe relative to the liquid storage tank and the outlet of the outgoing water supply pipe relative to the ice tray, and to absorb misalignment of the incoming and outgoing water supply pipes with a connecting pipe (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1, positioning allows water to be reliably supplied from the liquid storage tank to the water supply pipe, and water to be reliably supplied from the water supply pipe to the ice tray.

JP 2011-52933 A

However, in the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to individually connect the inlet water supply pipe, pump, connecting pipe, and outlet water supply pipe, and to attach each component to a specified position inside the refrigerator while positioning the inlet of the inlet water supply pipe and the outlet of the outlet water supply pipe. For this reason, it is not easy to install the water supply device inside the refrigerator, and the work requires a lot of time.

The object of the present invention is to solve the above problems by providing a liquid supply device that is installed in a refrigerator and supplies liquid from a liquid storage tank to an ice tray, and that can be easily installed in a refrigerator with a short amount of work time and can reliably position the inlet and outlet of the flow path.

The liquid supply device of the present invention comprises:
A liquid supply device that is arranged in a refrigerator having a liquid storage tank and supplies liquid in the liquid storage tank to an ice tray,
a housing having a flow path and a pump for causing a liquid to flow therein, the housing having a liquid inlet port serving as an inlet of the flow path and a liquid outlet port serving as an outlet of the flow path;
The housing includes:
an inlet housing having an inlet positioning and fixing part for positioning and fixing the liquid inlet with respect to a connection position with the liquid storage tank;
an outlet housing having an outlet positioning and fixing part for positioning and fixing the outlet port with respect to a liquid supply position to the ice tray;
a buffer housing that connects the inlet housing and the outlet housing and absorbs any misalignment between the inlet housing and the outlet housing;
The present invention is characterized by having the following.

According to the present invention, the liquid supply device can be installed in a refrigerator simply by installing an integrated housing in which the flow path and pump are arranged. In particular, the inlet port can be positioned relative to the storage tank by the inlet positioning and fixing part of the inlet housing, the outlet port can be positioned relative to the ice tray by the outlet positioning and fixing part of the outlet housing, and the buffer housing can absorb any misalignment in the relative positions of the inlet and outlet housings. This ensures that the inlet and outlet ports can be positioned reliably.

As described above, the present invention provides a liquid supply device that can be easily installed in a refrigerator with a short amount of work time and that can reliably position the liquid inlet and outlet.

In addition, in the liquid supply device of the present invention,
The shock absorbing housing is characterized in that it has a bellows structure that is not deformed by its own weight when all components are attached, but is deformable when a load larger than its own weight is applied.

According to the present invention, the bellows structure has a strength that does not deform under its own weight when all components are attached, so it can be easily attached to a specified location in the refrigerator as an integrated housing. At the same time, even if the entry housing and the exit housing are individually positioned and a relative positional misalignment occurs, the bellows structure can deform and absorb the misalignment. In other words, the liquid supply device can be easily attached to a specified location in the refrigerator, and the relative positional misalignment of the entry housing and the exit housing can be appropriately absorbed.

In addition, in the liquid supply device of the present invention,
the outlet-side positioning and fixing portion is positioned relative to the outlet-side end portion of the flow path that serves as the liquid outlet, and is composed of a truncated cone-shaped outlet-side insertion portion whose outer diameter decreases toward its tip,
The outlet insertion portion is positioned relative to the liquid supply position, and is inserted into a recess having a tapered inner surface corresponding to the outer shape of the outlet insertion portion, thereby positioning the outlet port relative to the liquid supply position.

According to the present invention, by inserting the truncated cone-shaped outlet insertion part provided on the outlet housing into a recess having a tapered inner surface corresponding to the outlet insertion part, the outlet port can be easily and reliably positioned in the front-back, left-right, and up-down directions relative to the liquid supply position, guided by the tapered surface.

In addition, the liquid supply device of the present invention is
the entry-side positioning and fixing portion has an entry-side insertion portion having a tapered outer surface whose width narrows toward its tip,
The inlet insertion portion is provided on a shelf board, its position is determined relative to the connection position, and it is inserted into a tapered guide groove having a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the inlet insertion portion, thereby positioning the liquid inlet in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions relative to the connection position.

According to the present invention, the inlet housing has an inlet insertion section tapered in the width direction, which is inserted into a tapered guide groove in the shelf plate, and is guided by the tapered surface to determine positioning in the width direction, and the tapered surfaces come into contact with each other to determine positioning in the depth direction. This allows the inlet housing to be easily and reliably positioned in the front-rear and left-right directions, and ultimately allows positioning of the inlet port relative to the connection position with the liquid storage tank.

In addition, the liquid supply device of the present invention is
The entry-side positioning and fixing portion has a clamping portion that clamps the shelf board from above and below,
The clamping portion clamps the shelf board from above and below, thereby determining the vertical position of the liquid inlet port relative to the connection position.

According to the present invention, the shelf plate is clamped from above and below with the clamping portion provided on the inlet housing, so that the liquid inlet port can be easily and reliably positioned in the vertical direction.

As described above, the present invention provides a liquid supply device that is installed in a refrigerator and supplies liquid from a liquid storage tank to an ice tray, and that can be easily installed in a refrigerator with a short amount of work time and can reliably position the inlet and outlet of the flow path.

1 is a side view showing a schematic diagram of a refrigerator including a liquid supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the layout of the interior of a liquid supply device according to one embodiment of the present invention, which connects a liquid storage tank and an ice tray, as viewed from the left front side. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the layout of the interior of a liquid supply device according to one embodiment of the present invention, which connects a liquid storage tank and an ice tray, as viewed from the left rear side. 1 is a perspective view showing an arrangement of a liquid supply device, a liquid supply panel, and an ice tray according to one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing the outer shape of a liquid supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a perspective view showing a liquid supply device according to one embodiment of the present invention, particularly showing the vicinity of a liquid outlet of the outlet housing. FIG. FIG. 5B is a side cross-sectional view showing section AA of FIG. 5A. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing an outlet housing and surrounding members of a liquid supply device according to one embodiment of the present invention. 6B is an enlarged side cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the outlet-side positioning and fixing portion in FIG. 6A, illustrating the state immediately before the outlet-side insertion portion of the outlet-side housing is fitted into the recess of the liquid supply panel. FIG. 6C is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the outlet-side insertion portion of the outlet-side housing has moved downward from the state in FIG. 6B and fitted into a recess in the liquid supply panel. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the liquid storage tank, the vegetable container, the liquid supply panel, and the ice tray with the liquid supply device removed. 13 is a diagram showing a state immediately before a connection portion of the liquid storage tank is connected to a liquid inlet of an inlet housing of the liquid supply device. FIG. 8B is an enlarged perspective view showing the periphery of the liquid inlet of the inlet housing of FIG. 8A. 1 is a perspective view showing the periphery of an inlet side positioning and fixing portion of a liquid supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an area corresponding to an inlet-side insertion portion of the shelf board. 11 is a plan sectional view showing section BB of FIG. 10. 12 is a side cross-sectional view showing section CC of FIG. 11. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing section DD of FIG. 10. FIG. 13B is an enlarged side cross-sectional view showing the concave-convex fitting structure of FIG. 13A. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing section EE of FIG. 10. FIG. 14B is an enlarged side cross-sectional view showing the concave-convex fitting structure of FIG. 14A. 1 is a perspective view showing the outer shape of a liquid supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 15B is an enlarged perspective view of a region of the buffer housing of FIG. 15A.

Hereinafter, an embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the writing implement described below is intended to embody the technical concept of the present invention, and unless otherwise specified, the present invention is not limited to the following.
In each drawing, components having the same function may be denoted by the same reference numerals. The size and positional relationship of components shown in each drawing may be exaggerated for clarity of explanation. In this specification, the refrigerator is placed on a horizontal floor surface, and the door side is the front side and the opposite side is the rear side. The directions of up, down, front, back, left and right are indicated by arrows in the drawings.

(Liquid supply device according to one embodiment of the present invention)
FIG. 1 is a side view showing a refrigerator 100 including a liquid supply device 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The outer shape of a refrigerator body 102 of the refrigerator 100 is shown by a dashed line. FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views showing the layout of a liquid supply device 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention, which connects a liquid storage tank 50 and an ice tray 64, in the refrigerator, where FIG. 2A is a view from the left front side and FIG. 2B is a view from the left rear side. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the layout of the liquid supply device 2, the liquid supply panel 60 and the ice tray 64 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the rear surface of the housing 4 of the liquid supply device 2 is removed so that the inside can be seen. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the outer shape of the liquid supply device 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the refrigerator 100 shown in FIG. 1, the vegetable container 70 is disposed at approximately the center in the height direction of the refrigerator body 102, and the liquid storage tank 50 is placed on the shelf board 40 disposed above the vegetable container 70. The liquid supply panel 60 is disposed below the vegetable container 70, and the ice tray 64 is disposed below the liquid supply panel 60. The ice tray 64 is attached to the rotating shaft of the drive unit 66. The ice tray 64 can be rotated by the rotation of the rotating shaft of the drive unit 66 between an ice making position where the opening surface of the ice tray 64 faces upward and a drop position where the opening surface faces downward. At the drop position, the ice produced drops from the ice tray 64 into an ice container disposed below. The shelf board 40, the liquid supply panel 60, and the drive unit 66 are fixed to the refrigerator body 102.

The liquid supply device 2 is disposed at the rear of the refrigerator body 102, and supplies liquid (e.g., drinking water) in the liquid storage tank 50 disposed at the upper side to the ice tray 64 disposed at the lower side. The liquid supply device 2 includes a housing 4, and inside the housing 4, a pipe 10 constituting a flow path and a pump 12 for moving the liquid in the flow path are disposed (see FIG. 3). The housing 4 is formed with a liquid inlet P which is an inlet of the flow path and a liquid outlet Q which is an outlet of the flow path (see FIG. 4). As described later, the connection part 52 of the liquid storage tank 50 is inserted into the liquid inlet P (see FIG. 8B). The liquid outlet Q is disposed at a liquid supply position below the recess 62 of the liquid supply panel 60 and above the opening surface of the ice tray 64 in the ice making position.

The liquid supply device 2 is attached to the upper shelf 40 and the lower liquid supply panel 60. The housing 4 is formed with an entry-side positioning and fixing part R, which is mainly composed of an entry-side insertion part 30 and an entry-side guide part 32. The housing 4 is attached to the shelf 40 by the entry-side positioning and fixing part R. The liquid supply device 2 can position the liquid inlet P relative to the connection part 52 of the liquid storage tank 50 and fix the housing 4 to the shelf 40 by the entry-side positioning and fixing part R formed on the housing 4 and the corresponding part (such as the tapered guide groove 42 described later) provided on the shelf 40.

Furthermore, the housing 4 is formed with an outlet side positioning and fixing part S, which is mainly composed of the outlet side insertion part 20. The housing 4 is attached to the liquid supply panel 60 by the outlet side positioning and fixing part S. The liquid supply device 2 can position the liquid outlet Q relative to the liquid supply position to the ice tray 64 and fix the housing 4 to the liquid supply panel 60 by using the outlet side positioning and fixing part S formed on the housing 4 and a corresponding part (a recess 62 described later) provided on the liquid supply panel 60.

The housing 4 comprises an inlet housing 4A having an inlet positioning fixing part R for positioning, an outlet housing 4C having an outlet positioning fixing part S, and a buffer housing 4B that connects the inlet housing 4A and the outlet housing 4C and absorbs any misalignment in their relative positions. The inlet housing 4A is fixed in the correct position by the inlet positioning fixing part R, and the outlet housing 4C is fixed in the correct position by the outlet positioning fixing part S. In such cases, slight misalignment may occur between the inlet housing 4A and the outlet housing 4C. For this reason, the buffer housing 4B connects the inlet housing 4A and the outlet housing 4C and has the function of absorbing any slight misalignment in their relative positions.

The inlet housing 4A, the buffer housing 4B, and the outlet housing 4C are integrally molded from an elastic resin material. The inlet housing 4A, the buffer housing 4B, and the outlet housing 4C can be molded from the same resin material, or from different resin materials using two-color molding or the like. For example, only the buffer housing 4B can be molded from a softer material with greater elasticity.

When the pump 12 is driven by the liquid supply device 2 configured as described above, the liquid in the liquid storage tank 50 is sucked in from the liquid inlet P, flows downward through the piping 10, and reaches the liquid outlet Q located at the liquid supply position below the liquid supply panel 60. The liquid flows down from the liquid outlet Q and is supplied to the ice tray 64 located at the ice making position.

(Output side positioning fixing part)
FIG. 5A is a perspective view showing the vicinity of the outlet port Q of the outlet housing 4C of the liquid supply device 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5B is a side cross-sectional view showing the section A-A of FIG. 5A. FIG. 6A is a side cross-sectional view showing the outlet housing 4C of the liquid supply device 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention and its surrounding members. FIG. 6B is a side cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of the vicinity of the outlet positioning fixing portion S of FIG. 6A, and shows a state immediately before the outlet insertion portion 20 of the outlet housing 4C is fitted into the recess 62 of the liquid supply panel 60. FIG. 6C is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the outlet insertion portion 20 of the outlet housing 4C has moved downward from the state of FIG. 6B and has been fitted into the recess 62 of the liquid supply panel 60.

In this embodiment, the fixing member 24 is attached so as to cover the main body 4C1 of the outlet housing 4C in which the piping 10 is arranged. The fixing surface 24A at the lower end of the fixing member 24 can hold the piping 10 protruding a predetermined length from the opening at the lower end of the fixing member 24. A truncated cone-shaped outlet insertion section 20 with an outer diameter that decreases toward the tip is formed in the lower area of the fixing member 24. In other words, the piping 10 is fixed in a state where it protrudes a predetermined length from an opening provided on the lower surface of the outlet insertion section 20, which is the surface at the tip of the truncated cone.

As a result, the outlet end of the flow path, which becomes the outlet port Q, and the outlet insertion part 20, which constitutes the outlet positioning and fixing part S, are positioned relative to each other. To prevent the liquid flowing through the pipe 10 from freezing, it is preferable to cover the area surrounding the pipe 10 in the outlet housing 4C with a heat insulating material. In addition, an elastic, flat seal member 22 is attached to the underside of the outlet insertion part 20. The seal member 22 has an opening in the center of its planar shape through which the pipe 10 passes.

The liquid supply panel 60 is disposed above the ice tray 64 and is fixed to the refrigerator body 102. A recess 62 is formed in the liquid supply panel 60 directly above the ice tray. In this embodiment, the recess 62 constitutes an area corresponding to the outlet side positioning and fixing portion S. The position of the recess 62 is determined with respect to the liquid supply position to the ice tray 64, and the recess 62 has a tapered inner surface corresponding to the outer shape of the outlet side insertion portion 20 on a truncated cone. In other words, the recess 62 has a tapered inner surface whose inner diameter narrows as it progresses toward the bottom surface. The recess 62 has a bottom surface, and an opening 62A is formed in the bottom surface.

As shown in Figures 6B and 6C, when the truncated cone-shaped outlet insertion part 20 is inserted into the recess 62, the piping 10 protruding from the outlet insertion part 20 passes through the opening 62A provided on the bottom surface of the recess 62. When the outlet insertion part 20 is further pushed into the recess 62, the seal member 22 attached to the underside of the outlet insertion part 20 abuts against the bottom surface of the recess 62. As described below, at the position where the inlet housing 4A is fixed to the shelf plate 40, the outlet insertion part 20 is further pushed into the bottom surface side of the recess 62, and the seal member 22 is fixed in a slightly compressed and deformed state. As a result, the tip of the piping 10, which becomes the liquid outlet Q, is positioned in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions relative to the liquid supply position to the ice tray 64.

As described above, since the flat sealing member 22 is disposed on the underside of the delivery-side insertion portion 20, when the delivery-side insertion portion 20 is inserted into the recess 62, no insertion resistance occurs compared to when the sealing member is wrapped around the side of the delivery-side insertion portion 20. Therefore, the delivery-side insertion portion 20 does not get caught midway through the recess 62 and become stuck. In addition, since the flat sealing member 22 abuts against the bottom surface of the recess 62, which is a flat surface, and is slightly compressed to seal, the position in the insertion direction is defined, and a stable sealing function is obtained.

As described above, the position of the outlet insertion part 20 of the liquid supply device 2 is determined with respect to the liquid supply position, and the outlet Q is positioned with respect to the liquid supply position S by inserting it into the recess 62 having a tapered inner surface that corresponds to the external shape of the truncated cone-shaped outlet insertion part 20. By inserting the outlet insertion part 20 into the recess 62, it is guided by the tapered surface, and the outlet Q can be easily and reliably positioned in the front-back, left-right, and up-down directions with respect to the liquid supply position S.

(Entry side positioning and fixing part)
Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the liquid storage tank 50, the vegetable container 70, the liquid supply panel 60, and the ice tray 64 with the liquid supply device 2 removed. Fig. 8A is a view showing a state immediately before the connection part 52 of the liquid storage tank 50 is connected to the liquid inlet P of the inlet housing 4A of the liquid supply device 2. Fig. 8B is a perspective view showing an enlarged view of the periphery of the liquid inlet P of the inlet housing 4A in Fig. 8A.

As shown in FIG. 7, the shelf 40 on which the liquid storage tank 50 is placed is fixed to the refrigerator body 102, and a tapered guide groove 42 for attaching the inlet housing 4A of the liquid supply device 2 is formed behind the liquid storage tank 50. As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the connection part 52 of the liquid storage tank 50 needs to be connected to the liquid inlet P provided in the inlet housing 4A. For this reason, it is necessary to position the liquid inlet P relative to the connection position with the liquid storage tank 50 and fix the inlet housing 4A to the shelf 40.

A tank guide 38B that guides the outer surface of the storage tank 50 is provided on the inlet housing 4A side so that the connection part 52 of the storage tank 50 can be easily connected to the inlet port P when the storage tank 50 is pushed backward. In addition, a tank engagement part 38A that engages with the storage tank 50 is provided on the inlet housing 4A side so that the connection part 52 of the storage tank 50 can be kept connected to the inlet port P.

<Front/rear/left/right positioning and fixing mechanism>
Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the periphery of the entry-side positioning and fixing portion R of the liquid supply device 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing an area corresponding to the entry-side insertion portion 30 of the shelf board 40. Fig. 11 is a plan sectional view showing the section B-B of Fig. 10.

As shown in FIG. 4, an inlet-side insertion section 30 having a tapered outer surface that narrows toward the tip is formed at a position corresponding to the upper surface of the shelf board 40 in the height direction of the inlet-side housing A. In this embodiment, the inlet-side insertion section 30 constitutes a part of the inlet-side positioning and fixing section R.

On the other hand, a tapered guide groove 42 is formed on the shelf 40 side, whose position is determined with respect to the connection position with the liquid storage tank 50 and whose shape corresponds to the outer shape of the inlet insertion part 30. In this embodiment, the tapered guide groove 42 forms an area corresponding to the inlet positioning fixing part R.

When the inlet/outlet housing A of the liquid supply device 2 is attached to the shelf plate 40, the inlet insertion part 30 can be inserted into the tapered guide groove 42 formed in the shelf plate 40, allowing the positioning of the liquid inlet P in the front-rear and left-right directions relative to the connection position with the liquid storage tank 50.

In other words, by inserting the inlet insertion section 30, which is tapered in the width direction and provided on the inlet housing 4A, into the tapered guide groove 42 provided on the shelf board 40, it is guided by the tapered surface to be positioned in the width direction, and the tapered surfaces come into contact with each other to be positioned in the depth direction. This allows the liquid supply device 2 to easily and reliably position the inlet housing 4A in the front-rear and left-right directions, and ultimately to position the inlet port P in the front-rear and left-right directions relative to the connection position with the liquid storage tank 50.

<Upper and lower positioning mechanism>
12 is a side cross-sectional view showing the cross section C-C of FIG. 11. As shown in FIG. 4, the entry-side guide portion 32 is formed at a position corresponding to the lower surface of the shelf plate 40 in the height direction of the entry-side housing A, and the shelf plate 40 is arranged in the space between the entry-side guide portion 32 and the upper surface on which the entry-side insertion portion 30 is formed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 12, a sandwiching portion T that sandwiches the shelf plate 40 from above and below is formed by the entry-side guide portion 32 and the upper surface on which the entry-side insertion portion 30 is formed. In this embodiment, the sandwiching portion T constitutes a part of the entry-side positioning and fixing portion R, and the sandwiched shelf plate 40 constitutes an area corresponding to the entry-side positioning and fixing portion R. The shelf plate 40 has a cross-sectional shape that bulges in an arc, and the entry-side housing A is firmly fixed to the shelf plate 40 by the entry-side guide portion 32 being slightly elastically deformed.

As described above, the entry-side positioning and fixing part R has a clamping part T that clamps the shelf board 40 from above and below, and the entry-side housing 4A is positioned in the vertical direction and fixed to the shelf board 40 by the clamping part T clamping the shelf board 40 from above and below. This allows the liquid supply device 2 to easily and reliably position the entry-side housing 4A in the vertical direction, and ultimately to position the entry-side housing 4A in the vertical direction relative to the connection position of the liquid inlet P with the liquid storage tank 50.

<Fixing mechanism>
Fig. 13A is a side cross-sectional view showing section D-D in Fig. 10. Fig. 13B is a side cross-sectional view showing an enlargement of concave-convex interlocking structures 32A, 44 in Fig. 13A. Fig. 14A is a side cross-sectional view showing section E-E in Fig. 10. Fig. 14B is a side cross-sectional view showing an enlargement of concave-convex interlocking structures 34, 46 in Fig. 14A.

As shown in FIG. 13B, the groove 32A formed in the inlet guide 32 of the inlet/outlet housing 4A fits into the protrusion 44 formed on the shelf 40 to form the recessed/projected fitting structure 32A, 44. This ensures that the position of the inlet/outlet housing 4A in the front-to-rear direction is maintained.

As shown in FIG. 14B, the uneven portion 34 formed on the entry/exit housing 4A fits with the uneven portion 46 formed on the shelf 40 to form the uneven fitting structure 34, 46. This allows the entry/exit housing 4A to be pressed down by the shelf 40 and prevented from being lifted upward. Also, the convex portion 36 formed outside the uneven portion 34 of the entry housing 4A fits with the groove portion 48 formed on the shelf 40. Because the fitting direction of the uneven portion 34 formed on the entry housing 4A and the fitting direction of the convex portions of the convex portions 36 on both sides are opposite, the shelf 40 can be embraced and fixed.

This fixing mechanism ensures that the position of the inlet housing 4A is maintained reliably even if force is applied to the inlet housing 4A when attaching or removing the connection part 52 of the storage tank 50 to the inlet port P of the inlet housing 4A.

(Buffer housing)
Fig. 15A is a perspective view showing the outer shape of the liquid supply device 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 15B is a perspective view showing an enlarged area of the buffer housing 4B in Fig. 15A. In this embodiment, the buffer housing 4B connecting the inlet housing 4A and the outlet housing 4C has a bellows structure. The bellows structure has a strength that does not deform due to its own weight when all components such as the piping 10, the pump 12, and the electrical system components related to the pump 12 are attached. Therefore, the integrated housing 4 can be easily attached to a predetermined location in the refrigerator 100.

On the other hand, the bellows is designed to deform when a load greater than its own weight is applied. As a result, even if the entry housing 4A and the exit housing 4B are individually positioned and a misalignment occurs between them, the bellows structure can deform and absorb the misalignment. This bellows structure makes it easy to install the liquid supply device 2 in a specified location within the refrigerator 100, and can appropriately absorb any misalignment between the entry housing 4A and the exit housing 4C.

(General)
With the above-described structure, liquid supplying device 2 can be easily and quickly installed in refrigerator 100 by simply attaching integrated housing 4 to upper shelf board 40 and lower liquid supplying panel 60 and connecting a connector of wiring of a motor that drives pump 12 to a connector on the refrigerator body 102 side. In particular, when a tapered surface is employed, positioning can be easily completed in a short time.

However, the inlet positioning and fixing part R and the outlet positioning and fixing part S of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiment. Any other inlet positioning and fixing mechanism can be used as long as it can fix the inlet housing 4A in a state where the inlet port P is positioned relative to the connection position with the liquid storage tank 50. Similarly, any other outlet positioning and fixing mechanism can be used as long as it can fix the outlet housing 4C in a state where the outlet port Q is positioned relative to the liquid supply position to the ice tray 64.

The buffer housing 4B is not limited to having a bellows structure. For example, the buffer housing 4B may be made of a softer material that is more elastic than the inlet housing 4A and the outlet housing 4C, or any other buffer mechanism may be used.

As described above, the liquid supply device 2 of the present invention is arranged in a refrigerator 100 having a liquid storage tank 50, and supplies the liquid in the liquid storage tank 50 to an ice tray 64. The liquid supply device 2 has a flow path 10 and a pump 12 for moving the liquid inside the liquid storage tank 50, and includes a housing 4 having a liquid inlet P that is the inlet of the flow path 10 and a liquid outlet Q that is the outlet of the flow path 10. The housing 4 includes an entry housing 4A having an entry positioning and fixing part R for positioning and fixing the liquid inlet P relative to the connection position with the liquid storage tank 50, an outlet housing 4C having an outlet positioning and fixing part S for positioning and fixing the liquid outlet Q relative to the liquid supply position to the ice tray 64, and a buffer housing 4B that connects the entry housing 4A and the outlet housing 4C and absorbs any misalignment in their relative positions.

The liquid supply device 2 can be installed in the refrigerator 100 simply by installing the integrated housing 4 in which the flow path 10 and pump 12 are arranged. At the same time, the inlet port P can be positioned relative to the storage tank 50 by the inlet positioning fixing part R, and the outlet port Q can be positioned relative to the ice tray 64 by the outlet positioning fixing part S, and the buffer housing 4B can absorb any misalignment in the relative positions of the inlet housing 4A and the outlet housing 4C. This makes it possible to provide a liquid supply device 2 that can be easily installed in the refrigerator 100 with a short work time, and that can reliably position the inlet port P and the outlet port Q.

Although the embodiments and modes of implementation of the present invention have been described, the disclosed contents may vary in the details of the configuration, and the combination and order of elements in the embodiments and modes of implementation may be changed without departing from the scope and concept of the claimed invention.

2 Water supply device 4 Housing 4A Inlet housing 4B Buffer housing 4C Outlet housing 4C1 Main body 10 Pipe (flow path)
12 Pump 20 Outlet insertion portion 22 Seal member 24 Fixing member 24A Holding surface 30 Inlet insertion portion 32 Inlet guide portion 32A Groove portion 34 Uneven portion 36 Convex portion 38A Tank engagement portion 38B Tank guide 40 Shelf plate 42 Tapered guide groove 44 Projection portion 46 Uneven portion 48 Groove portion 50 Liquid storage tank 52 Connection portion 60 Liquid supply panel 62 Recess 62A Opening 64 Ice tray 66 Driving portion 70 Vegetable container 100 Refrigerator 102 Refrigerator body P Inlet port Q Outlet port R Inlet positioning and fixing portion S Outlet positioning and fixing portion T Clamping portion

Claims (5)

A liquid supply device that is arranged in a refrigerator having a liquid storage tank and supplies liquid in the liquid storage tank to an ice tray,
a housing having a flow path and a pump for causing a liquid to flow therein, the housing having a liquid inlet port serving as an inlet of the flow path and a liquid outlet port serving as an outlet of the flow path;
The housing includes:
an inlet housing having an inlet positioning and fixing part for positioning and fixing the liquid inlet with respect to a connection position with the liquid storage tank;
an outlet housing having an outlet positioning and fixing part for positioning and fixing the outlet port with respect to a liquid supply position to the ice tray;
a buffer housing that connects the inlet housing and the outlet housing and absorbs any misalignment between the inlet housing and the outlet housing;
A liquid supply device comprising: The liquid supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that the buffer housing has a bellows structure that does not deform under its own weight when all components are attached, but can deform when a load greater than the own weight is applied. the outlet-side positioning and fixing portion is positioned relative to the outlet-side end portion of the flow path that serves as the liquid outlet, and is composed of a truncated cone-shaped outlet-side insertion portion whose outer diameter decreases toward its tip,
The liquid supply device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the position of the outlet insertion portion is determined relative to the liquid supply position, and the outlet port is positioned relative to the liquid supply position by being inserted into a recess having a tapered inner surface corresponding to the outer shape of the outlet insertion portion. the entry-side positioning and fixing portion has an entry-side insertion portion having a tapered outer surface whose width narrows toward its tip,
A liquid supply device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the inlet insertion portion is provided on a shelf board, its position is determined relative to the connection position, and it is inserted into a tapered guide groove having a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the inlet insertion portion, thereby positioning the liquid inlet in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions relative to the connection position. The entry-side positioning and fixing portion has a clamping portion that clamps the shelf board from above and below,
5. The liquid supply device according to claim 4, wherein the clamping portion clamps the shelf plate from above and below, thereby determining the vertical position of the liquid inlet port relative to the connection position.

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