KR101153582B1 - Device for protecting tap pollution of dispenser device for protecting tap pollution of dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a water tap contamination prevention device of a dispenser. According to the present invention, when the water tap is not used, the water tap is hidden so as not to be exposed to the air, or the water tap is hidden under cold conditions, thereby preventing the water tap from being contaminated and contaminated with the bacteria in the air.

Dispenser, Faucet, Cap, Pollution

Description

Dispenser water tap contamination prevention device {DEVICE FOR PROTECTING TAP POLLUTION OF DISPENSER}

The present invention relates to a water tap contamination prevention device of a water dispenser capable of preventing contamination of the water tap of a water dispenser provided in a refrigerator or a water purifier with exposure to room temperature or air.

In general, a refrigerator is one of the necessities of life as a device that keeps food fresh or freezes for a certain period of time by lowering the temperature in the refrigerator as the refrigerant is repeatedly compressed, condensed, expanded and evaporated.

Recently introduced large-sized refrigerators have a dispenser capable of taking out ice or water therein without opening the door of the refrigerator. Since the dispenser can take out water or ice inside without opening the door, the dispenser can not only prevent cold air from leaking to the outside but also provide user convenience.

Conventional dispensers are provided with a housing in which the front of the freezer door is recessed and recessed so that a cup can be placed on the front surface of the freezer compartment. A guide funnel protrudes downward from the upper wall of the housing to guide the extraction of ice. (guide funnel) is installed. In addition, a faucet is installed around the guide funnel, that is, at the front or rear side of the guide funnel so as to be connected to a water tank stored in the refrigerator compartment to extract cold water or hot water. The faucet is usually installed so that the discharging end is exposed to the air so that the consumer can easily grasp the position thereof.

However, in the conventional dispenser as described above, as the water tap is exposed to various pollutants in the air, it may be infected by suspended bacteria in the air, which is undesirable in terms of hygiene.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a water tap contamination prevention device of a dispenser which can prevent the water tap from being infected by bacteria by not being exposed to air when the water tap is not used.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, a faucet installed to move relative to the dispenser body to supply cold water or hot water; A water tap receiving space formed in the dispenser body to receive the water tap; A cap hinged to the dispenser body to selectively open and close the water tap receiving space; And a faucet driving unit which operates in a direction in which the faucet is drawn out from the faucet receiving space when the cap is opened in conjunction with the cap, while the faucet is operated in a direction in which the faucet enters the faucet receiving space when the cap is closed. Includes, the faucet drive unit, judging unit for determining whether to operate the faucet; And an operation unit which draws out the water tap to a predetermined position or returns to the original position according to the determination of the determination unit.

Here, the water tap receiving space may be formed to communicate with the cold water storage space or the ice storage space. For example, the dispenser body may be formed with an ice outlet through which ice is taken out of the ice storage space, and an end of the water faucet may be installed inside the ice outlet.

The cap may have a hinge end rotatably coupled to the dispenser body, and a free end may be formed to selectively open and close the water faucet receiving space while the opposite side of the hinge end rotates about the hinge end. have.

The cap may be rotated in a direction away from the faucet receiving space by pushing the free end thereof so that the rotating guide portion is bent or protruded at the free end of the cap, or the contact surface of the faucet receiving space where the cap is in contact with the cap. It may be formed to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the hinge end of the cap.

The determination unit may include: a first determination unit determining whether water is selected; A second determining unit determining whether the cap is open; And a third determination unit determining whether the cup is located at the take-out position after the predetermined amount of water has been taken out.
And, the operation unit, a forward and reverse rotation motor; A pinion installed on the dispenser body and operated by the rotary motor; And a rack formed on the faucet to engage the pinion.

In the water tap contamination prevention device of the dispenser according to the present invention, when the water tap is not used, the water tap is hidden so that the water tap is not exposed to the air or the water tap is hidden under cold conditions so that the water tap is infected with bacteria in the air. Pollution can be prevented beforehand.

Hereinafter, a water tap contamination prevention device of the dispenser according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to an embodiment of the refrigerator shown in the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a refrigerator equipped with a dispenser of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cap removed from the dispenser according to FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line “I-I” of FIG. 1. 4 is a schematic view showing a determination unit in the dispenser according to FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an operation unit for operating the water tap in the dispenser according to FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 according to the present invention has a dispenser 100 on the front surface of the door 2 that allows water or ice to be taken out without opening or closing the door 2. It is provided. In addition, the side of the dispenser 100 is provided with a display unit 3 for displaying an operating state of the refrigerator 1 and an operation unit 4 for allowing a user to selectively operate the state of the refrigerator or the dispenser 100. .

As shown in FIG. 2, the dispenser 100 includes a dispenser main body 110 in which an inner space is formed concave toward the rear side, that is, the inner side so that a cup containing water or ice can be placed therein, and the main body 110. Cap 120 for opening and closing the ice outlet 111 provided on the upper surface of the cap 120, and is selectively concealed by the cap 120 is drawn out when the water is drawn out to discharge the water (water tab) (130) .

The main body 110 is formed on the upper surface of the inner space is formed with an ice outlet 111 communicating with an ice maker (not shown), the water tap 130 in the middle of the ice outlet 111 in the vertical direction It is penetrated and installed to move.

2 and 3, the cap 120 is formed flat to have a width enough to cover the ice outlet 111, the upper surface of the cap 120 is the ice outlet 111 Sealing member 121 may be formed to seal the. And the rear end of the cap 120 is rotatably coupled to the rear wall surface or the upper wall surface of the main body 110 is formed a hinge portion 122 to form a hinge end, the front side of the cap 120 is free In the end, when the user pushes the cup, the rotation guide 123 is bent or protruded downward so that the cap 120 may naturally rotate downward. The rotation guide 123 is formed so that its lower end slightly protrudes toward the front side, even if the cup is pushed to the rear side to naturally rotate downward.

Here, the cap 120 may be utilized as a button switch. That is, the dispenser main body 110 may be provided with a separate button switch, but instead of the button switch, the cap 120 may rotate and serve as a button switch to command the extraction of water or ice.

The water tap 130 is provided inside the ice outlet 111, that is, inside the cap 120. The water faucet 130 is preferably provided so that the end thereof has a length that is not exposed to the outside from the ice outlet 111.

However, when the water faucet 130 is concealed by the ice outlet 111 and is not visible from the outside, when the user tries to drink water, the insertion position of the cup cannot be accurately measured. It may be desirable to allow to be withdrawn. In this case, the water tap 130 may be connected to the water tap driving unit 140 provided in the dispenser body 110. The faucet drive unit 140 is a determination unit 141 for determining whether to operate the water faucet 130, and withdraw the water tap to a predetermined position or return to the original position according to the determination of the determination unit 141 It consists of an operating unit (145).

The determination unit 141 includes a first determination unit 142 determining whether water is selected as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a second determination unit 143 determining whether the cap 120 is opened, and The third determination unit 144 may be configured to determine whether the cup is located at the take-out position within a predetermined time after the water is taken out.

The first determination unit 142 is for controlling the water tap 130 to be drawn out only when the user selects water. If the water tap 130 is drawn out when the ice is drawn out, an obstacle to the ice extraction is prevented. Can be generated.

The second determination unit 143 is for controlling the water tap 130 to be drawn out only when the cap 120 is opened, whereas the water tap 130 is not drawn out when the cap 120 is closed. If the faucet 130 is drawn out while the cap 120 is not opened, the faucet 130 or the cap 120 may collide with each other and be contaminated or broken.

The third determination unit 144 is to determine whether the user additionally withdraws water after selecting and taking out water. If the water tap 130 repeats the withdrawal and withdrawal every time water is selected, The loss can occur. Therefore, after the water tap 130 is drawn out, it is intended to prevent unnecessary operation by giving a waiting time to wait for a predetermined time and then drawing it in. Of course, when the waiting time is increased, the water tap 130 may be contaminated, so it may be desirable to limit the time.

As shown in FIG. 4, the operation unit 145 is configured to engage with the pinion 147 and the pinion 147 operated by the rotary motor 146 which rotates forward and reverse, and the rotary motor 146. It may be made of a rack 148 installed on the water tap 130. However, the operation unit is sufficient if the device capable of moving the water tap in the longitudinal direction, such as the actuator in addition to the pinion and rack as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, an elastic member (not shown) is further provided between the cap 120 and the dispenser body 110 so that the cap 120 is automatically closed by the elastic member when the water tap 130 is drawn out. May be

Water tap contamination prevention device of the dispenser according to the present invention as described above has the following effects.

That is, when the user does not use the dispenser 100, the water tap 130 of the dispenser 100 maintains the state drawn into the ice outlet 111. In this case, the cap 120 maintains the state in which the ice outlet 111 is closed, thereby blocking the water tap 130 hidden inside the ice outlet 111 from being in contact with the air. To prevent contamination of airborne bacteria and the like.

Next, when the user selects water in the adjusting unit 4 as shown in FIG. 6A, the first determining unit 142 recognizes that water is selected. Then, the second determination unit 143 determines whether the cap 120 is open, and if the cap 120 is closed, the cap 120 is opened using the first operation unit 146. And as shown in Figure 6 (b), by sending a command to the second operation unit 147 to the water tap 130 is drawn out. And a separate control unit to take out the cold water or hot water stored in the refrigerator of the refrigerator through the water tap 130. Then, the third determination unit 144 determines whether or not the water is additionally extracted after the user selects and extracts water. For example, when the reselection is not input to the third determination unit 144 for a predetermined time or when no more water can be taken out by the automatic control system according to the temperature of the water, the second operation unit 147 is instructed. While lowering the water tap 130 is drawn in, and then close the cap 120 by using the first operation unit 146 while additional water withdrawal is selected or if the water tap 130 is drawn out Maintain the water extraction process.

Next, when the user completes the water extraction, the third determination unit 144 determines whether additional water extraction is necessary, and if it is not determined, the second operation unit 147 is operated as described above. After the water tap 130 is introduced as in c), the cap 120 is closed to prevent the water tap 130 from being contaminated.

Another embodiment of the water tap contamination prevention device of the dispenser according to the present invention is as follows.

That is, in the above-described embodiment, the rotation guide part is formed at the front end of the cap, but in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the outlet end of the ice outlet 211 moves toward the front side by a predetermined inclination angle α. Since the cap 220 is inclined downward, the front end of the cap 220 is inclined downward about the hinge portion 222 to contact the ice outlet 211, thereby forming a separate rotation guide part at the front end of the cap 220. It can be opened while rotating downward when the cap 220 is pushed without. When the cap 220 is opened, the water faucet 230 is drawn out by the driving unit 240, and when the water is drawn out, the water tap 230 is retracted and the cap 220 can be closed at the same time.

Another embodiment of the water tap contamination prevention device of the dispenser according to the present invention is as follows.

That is, in the above embodiments, the cap is opened and closed while rotating, but the present embodiment is to open and close the cap while sliding in the front and rear directions. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a guide (not shown) is provided around the ice outlet 311 of the dispenser main body 310, and the cap 320 is inserted in the guide to slide forward and backward to the ice. It may be configured to open and close the outlet 311. When the cap 320 is opened, the water faucet 330 is drawn out by the driving unit 240, and when the water is drawn out, the water tap 330 can be retracted and at the same time the cap 320 can be closed.

Here, the cap may be installed to be opened and closed manually as shown in FIG. 8, but in some cases, the cap may be configured to be automatically opened and closed using a motor and a rack and pinion connected to the control unit.

In the case of FIGS. 7 and 8, other configurations and effects are similar to those of the above-described embodiment, and thus detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. However, in the embodiment of FIG. 8, since the cap 320 may not function as a button switch, a separate button switch 350 may be further required. Of course, in the case of FIG. 7 or FIG. 2, a separate button switch may be further needed.

On the other hand, although the ice outlet may be used as a water tap accommodating space as described above, the water tap accommodating space may be formed anywhere in the dispenser body. In this case, a separate cap may be needed in addition to the cap that controls the extraction of the ice. In this case, a separate flow path for guiding the cold air of the refrigerator to the faucet accommodation space should be further provided.

In this way, when the faucet is not used, the faucet is hidden so that the faucet is not exposed to the air or the faucet is concealed under cold conditions, thereby preventing the faucet from infecting the bacteria.

The water tap contamination prevention device of the dispenser according to the present invention can be similarly applied to not only the refrigerator but also a water purifier.

1 is a perspective view showing an example of a refrigerator equipped with a dispenser of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the cap removed from the dispenser according to Figure 1,

3 is a sectional view taken along the line "I-I" of FIG.

4 is a schematic view showing a determination unit in the dispenser according to FIG. 1;

5 is a schematic view showing an operation unit for operating the water tap in the dispenser according to FIG. 1;

6 is a schematic view showing step by step an operating state of the dispenser according to FIG. 1;

7 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of a cap in the dispenser according to FIG.

8 is a sectional view showing another example of a cap in the dispenser according to FIG. 1;

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

100: dispenser 110: dispenser body

111: ice outlet 120: cap

121: sealing member 122: hinge portion

123: rotation guide 130: water tap

140: water tap drive unit

Claims (8)

A water tap installed to move relative to the dispenser body to supply cold water or hot water; A water tap receiving space formed in the dispenser body to receive the water tap; A cap supported by the elastic member and hinged to the dispenser body to selectively open and close the water tap receiving space; And A faucet drive unit which is operated in a direction in which the faucet is pulled out of the faucet accommodation space when the cap is opened in conjunction with the cap, while the faucet is operated in a direction in which the faucet enters the faucet accommodation space when the cap is closed; Including, The faucet drive unit, A determination unit that determines whether to operate the water tap; And And an operation unit for drawing out the faucet out of the faucet accommodation space or returning the faucet to the interior of the faucet accommodation space according to the determination of the determination unit. delete The method of claim 1, The dispenser main body is formed with an ice outlet, the faucet contamination prevention device of the dispenser is installed so that the end is hidden inside the ice outlet upon return. The method of claim 1, The cap is formed with a hinge end rotatably coupled to the dispenser body, the free end is formed to selectively open and close the water faucet receiving space while the other side of the hinge end rotates around the hinge end, The free end of the water tap contamination prevention device of the dispenser is formed so that the rotating guide is bent or protruded so as to rotate in a direction away from the water tap receiving space when the free end is pushed. delete 5. The method of claim 4, The apparatus for preventing contamination of the water tap of the dispenser, wherein the contact surface of the water tap receiving space in which the cap is in contact is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the hinge end of the cap. The method of claim 1, The determination unit, A first determining unit determining whether water is selected; A second determining unit determining whether the cap is open; And And a third judging unit which determines whether the cup is located at the dispensing position after the predetermined amount of water has been withdrawn. The method according to claim 1 or 7, The operation unit, Forward and reverse rotation motor; A pinion installed on the dispenser body and operated by the rotary motor; And And a rack formed on the faucet so as to engage with the pinion.

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