KR101179732B1 - Ice making device and refrigerator having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ice making device for producing ice and a refrigerator having such an ice making device.

The refrigerator having an ice making device according to the present invention includes an ice making groove provided at an upper side to hold water and an ice making tray provided at a lower side of the ice making groove to allow cold air to flow therethrough. Since the cold air can be supplied evenly from one side to the other side of the ice making tray, there is an effect that the ice making can be completed in a faster time.

Description

ICE MAKING DEVICE AND REFRIGERATOR HAVING THE SAME}

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a refrigerator to which an ice maker according to the present invention is applied.

2 is a cross-sectional view of the ice making apparatus according to the present invention.

3 is a cross-sectional view showing a case in which the ice making apparatus according to the present invention performs the ice.

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the ice making tray applied to the refrigerator according to the present invention.

5 is an exploded perspective view of an ice making tray according to another embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a view visually showing the cold air flow rate in the ice making apparatus when there is no cold air flow path in the lower part of the ice making tray.

FIG. 7 is a view visually showing a cool air flow rate in an ice making device when a cold air flow path exists in a lower part of the ice making tray.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

10: body 11: freezer

12: Compressor 13: Evaporator

15: cooling fan 16: guide duct

17: water supply pipe 18: nozzle

30: ice maker 31: ice tray

31a: Ice making groove 31b: Cold flow path

31c: Ice maker 31d: Cold air guide

31e: inlet 31f: outlet

31g: heat exchange fin 31h: vortex induction fin

32: moving motor 33: ice detection lever

34: Cold Guide 40: Ice Supply.

The present invention relates to an ice maker and a refrigerator having the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to an ice maker and a refrigerator having such an ice maker, in which water contained in the ice maker tray is completely iced to enable ice making in a shorter time.

In general, a refrigerator includes a refrigeration cycle components therein, and is a device for refrigerating or freezing a storage stored in the cold generated through the refrigeration cycle components, and making ice in the freezer of such a refrigerator. An apparatus and an ice supply apparatus for supplying the ice produced by the ice making apparatus to the outside are included.

The ice making machine receives ice from an external water supply and holds an ice tray to hold water to be iced, and an ice motor that rotates the ice tray to invert the top and bottom so that ice frozen in the ice tray can fall to the lower ice supply device. In the conventional refrigerator, transparent ice may be manufactured by spraying cold air in a horizontal direction on the lower side of the ice making tray to gradually cool the water contained in the ice making tray from the lower side, as disclosed in US Patent Publication No. 6,351,955. There is a refrigerator made.

However, since the cold air has a high density and sinks downward, the cold air gradually sinks downward in the process of moving in the horizontal direction even when sprayed in the horizontal direction. Therefore, one side of the ice tray is adjacent to the place where the cold air is injected, a large amount of cold air is supplied to make the ice smoothly, while only a small amount of cold air on the other side of the ice tray is far away from the cold air injection is supplied, Since it is not made smoothly, there is a problem that it takes a lot of time until ice making is completed on the other side of the ice making tray.

The present invention is to solve such a problem, an object of the present invention is an ice making apparatus and a refrigerator equipped with such an ice making apparatus that can be made to be iced in a faster time by supplying cold air evenly from one side to the other side to the ice making tray To provide.

The ice making apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object is provided with an ice making groove provided on the lower side of the ice making groove so as to flow through the ice making groove and the cold ice is opened to the upper side to hold water. It is done.

In addition, the ice tray is rotatably installed and rotated, and the upper and lower sides are inverted so that ice iced in the ice making groove can be iced, and is selectively connected to the cold air flow path only when the ice making groove is disposed upward. It is characterized in that the cold air guide tube for allowing the cold air to be supplied to the cold air flow path is further provided.

The ice tray may include an ice making unit provided with a plurality of ice making grooves and a lower side of the ice making unit so as to be spaced apart by a predetermined distance so that the cold air flow path is formed between the ice making unit and the cold air guide tube at one side thereof. The connection is characterized in that it comprises a cold air guide portion is provided with each of the inlet port for transmitting the cold air and the outlet for discharging the cold air on the other side.

In addition, the cold air guide tube is formed of an elastically deformable material is characterized in that the tip is projected into the cold air flow path through the inlet when the ice making groove is disposed upward.

In addition, the front end of the cold air guide pipe connected to the cold air flow path is characterized in that it is formed in a zigzag shape to be more easily elastically deformed.

The ice making tray may include a plurality of heat exchange fins protruding from the lower surface of the ice making unit into the cold air passage to increase heat exchange efficiency between the ice making unit and the cold air.

The ice making tray may include a plurality of vortex induction pins protruding from the lower surface of the ice making unit and extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the cold air flows, thereby causing vortices to occur in the upper portion of the cold air flow path. .

In addition, the present invention provides a main body having a freezing compartment therein, an evaporator disposed at the rear side of the freezing compartment, a guide duct disposed at the front side of the evaporator, and allowing cold air to be distributed to upper and lower portions of the freezing compartment, and to be iced. A refrigerator having an ice making device including an ice making tray for holding water, wherein the ice making tray includes an ice making groove provided to be opened upward to contain water and a cold air flow path provided below the ice making groove to allow cold air to flow therethrough. It is characterized by that.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, a refrigerator to which an ice maker according to the present invention is applied, forms a exterior and is opened to the front side to store food and the like therein and forms a freezer compartment 11, and a main body 10. A hinge coupled to one side and provided with a door 20 for opening and closing the freezer compartment 11, the compressor 10, the condenser (not shown), the evaporator 13, to generate cold air in the main body 10, Refrigeration cycle components such as expansion valves (not shown) are installed to cool the inside of the freezer compartment 11 with cold water generated through these refrigeration cycle components. In this embodiment, the compressor 12 is disposed below the main body 10, and the evaporator 13 is disposed behind the freezing chamber 11.

In the rear side of the freezing chamber 11, the cooling chamber 14 in which the evaporator 13 is installed, and the cooling chamber 14 are extended vertically in the front side of the cooling chamber 14, and the cold air generated in the evaporator 13 is moved upward and downward of the freezing chamber 11. The guide duct 16 is provided to distribute the supplied evenly, and the cooling chamber 14 generates a suction force and a blowing force on the upper side of the evaporator 13, so that the cool air generated in the evaporator 13 through the guide duct 16. The cooling fan 15 which allows circulation to the freezer compartment 11 is arrange | positioned.

In addition, the refrigerator according to the present invention is provided with an ice making device 30 for manufacturing ice on the upper part of the freezer compartment 11, and the ice is stored in the lower part of the ice making device 30 to store the manufactured ice if necessary. The ice supply device 40 for discharging is disposed, the door 20 is in communication with the inside of the freezer compartment 11 so that the user can take out the ice produced in the ice making device 30 without opening the door 20 Discharge guide tube 21 for guiding the discharge of the ice is provided, the front of the door 20, the ice discharge portion 22 recessed inward so as to easily receive the ice discharged through the discharge guide tube 21 Is prepared.

The ice supply device 40 is installed in the ice storage container 41 and the ice storage container 41 for receiving and storing the ice dropped from the upper ice making device 30 and opened upward, and rotates the ice discharge guide tube 21. It includes an ice conveying device 42 for moving to the side, the ice conveying device is formed in a spiral shape and rotates, the transfer blade (42a) for transferring the ice to the discharge guide tube 21 side, and generating a rotational force of the feed wing (42a) It includes a feed motor (42b) for rotating.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ice making device 30 includes an ice making tray 31 containing water to be frozen and ice iced in the ice making tray 31 being separated from the ice making tray 31. Operation of the ice making device 30 by sensing the amount of ice contained in the ice motor 32 and the ice storage container 41 by rotating the ice tray 31 to invert the top and bottom of the ice tray 31 so as to fall. And an ice-sensing lever 33 for turning on and off. At this time, the water supply pipe 17 for transmitting the water from the external water supply source to the ice making tray 31 is disposed above the ice making device 30.

In addition, in the ice making apparatus 30 according to the present invention, cold water flows through the lower part of the ice making tray 31 so that the water contained in the ice making tray 31 is completely cooled and the ice making can be completed within a faster time. The cold air flow path 31b is formed.

In order to form the cold air flow path 31b, the ice making tray 31 includes an ice making unit 31c having a plurality of ice making grooves 31a formed to open upward to contain water to be iced, so as to form rows and columns. A cold air guide 31d is provided to cover the lower surface of the ice making unit 31c with a predetermined distance apart so that the cold air passage 31b can be formed between the ice making unit 31c. At this time, one side of the cold air guide portion (31d) is provided with an inlet (31e) for allowing cold air to be supplied to the cold air flow path (31b) and the cold air flow path (31b) on the other side of the cold air guide portion (31d) A discharge port 31f is provided for allowing the cold air that has passed through to be discharged from the cold air flow passage 31b.

Therefore, the cold air introduced through the inlet port 31e provided on one side of the cold air guide unit 31d is guided horizontally by the cold air flow path 31b to the other side of the cold air guide unit 31d in which the outlet port 31f is provided. Since it can be discharged from the cold air flow path 31b through the discharge port 31f only after reaching, the cold air is supplied evenly from one side of the ice making unit 31c to the other side, so that the ice making unit 31c is cooled more evenly and the overall ice making is faster. Can be completed in time.

6 illustrates a cold air flow rate in the ice making apparatus 30 when the cold air flow passage 31b does not exist, and FIG. 7 illustrates an ice making apparatus when the cold air flow passage 31b exists below the ice making tray 31. The cold air flow rate at 30 is shown.

6 and 7, when the cold air flow path (31b) does not exist, the flow rate of the cold air is rapidly reduced in the process of going from the lower one side of the ice making tray 31 to the other side, while the cold air flow path ( If 31b) is present, the flow rate of cold air is maintained above a certain level. Therefore, when the cold air flow path 31b is formed below the ice making tray 31, a sufficient amount of cold air can be supplied to the other side of the ice making tray 31, so that ice making can be completed in a faster time.

In order to allow cold air to be supplied to the cold air passage 31b as described above, a cold air guide tube 34 is provided in the inlet 31e to receive cold air from the guide duct 16 and to supply the cold air passage 31b. In the present embodiment, the cold air guide tube 34 is selectively connected to the inlet 31e only when the ice making tray 31 is disposed so that the ice making groove 31a faces upward. It is possible to supply cold air to 31b).

To this end, the cold air guide pipe 34 is formed of an elastically deformable material such as rubber, and is installed such that a portion of the tip thereof is inserted into the cold air flow path 31b through the inlet 31e. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, when the ice making tray 31 rotates by the ice moving motor 32 and the up and down sides are reversed, the cold air guide tube 34 is elastically deformed and elastically restored and the inlet 31e is moved. When the cold air supply to the cold air flow path (31b) is stopped and the ice is completed and the ice making tray (31) returns to its original position for the ice making, the cold air guide pipe (34) is elastically deformed and elastically restored again to the inlet ( 31e) is inserted into the cold air flow path 31b to resume the supply of cold air. In the present embodiment, the tip of the cold air guide pipe 34 protruding into the cold air flow path 31b is more easily elastically deformed and elastically restored, and is formed in a zigzag shape so as to be separated from the inlet 31e or inserted into the inlet 31e. It is.

In addition, in order to allow the cold air to flow through the cold air flow path 31b at a predetermined speed or more, the guide duct 16 is formed to gradually decrease the cross-sectional area of the inner flow path so that the flow rate of the cold air passing therethrough can be increased. A nozzle 18 is formed, and the cold air guide pipe 34 is connected to the tip of the nozzle 18.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the lower surface of the ice making unit 31c protrudes downward as shown in FIG. 4 in order to more efficiently make ice by cold air passing through the cold air passage 31b. As a result, a plurality of heat exchange fins 31g are provided to allow heat exchange with cold.

In the present embodiment, a plurality of heat exchange fins 31g are formed on the lower surface of the ice making unit 31c, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In another embodiment of the present invention, cold air is provided on the lower surface of the ice making unit 31c. It is also possible to form a vortex guide pin 31h that extends above the flow path 31b to cause vortices to occur at the top of the cold air flow path 31b. The vortex induction pin 31h extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the cold air travels, and a part of the cold air moving along the cold air flow path 31b is caught by the vortex induction pin 31h and the cold air flow path 31b. Since the vortex flow in the upper portion of the), the ice making unit 31c can exchange heat with cold more efficiently.

As described in detail above, in the ice making apparatus applied to the refrigerator according to the present invention, a cold air flow path is formed at the lower portion of the ice making tray so that the cold air can be supplied evenly from one side of the ice making tray to the other side, so that ice making can be performed within a shorter time. This has the effect of being able to complete.

Claims (15)

It includes an ice making groove provided to the upper side to hold water and an ice making tray provided on the lower side of the ice making groove so that cold air flows through, The ice making tray covers the ice making unit provided with a plurality of ice making grooves and the lower side of the ice making unit is spaced apart by a predetermined distance so that the cold air flow path is formed between the ice making unit and the cold air guide pipe is connected to one side thereof. It includes a cold air guide portion provided with an inlet through which cold air is delivered and an outlet through which cold air is discharged on the other side thereof. The ice making tray is connected to an ice motor that generates a rotational force and rotates so that the ice tray is inverted up and down. The cold air guide pipe is protruded into the cold air flow path through the inlet port only when the ice making groove is disposed upward, and is selectively connected to the cold air flow path so that cold air can be supplied to the cold air flow path. Refrigerator. delete delete The method of claim 1, The cold air guide tube is a refrigerator characterized in that it is formed of an elastically deformable material. The method of claim 4, wherein An ice making apparatus, characterized in that the front end of the cold air guide pipe connected to the cold air flow path is formed in a zigzag shape so as to be elastically deformed more easily. The method of claim 1, The ice making tray is provided with a plurality of heat exchange fins protruding from the lower surface of the ice making unit into the cold air flow path to increase the heat exchange efficiency between the ice making unit and the cold air. The method of claim 1, And a plurality of vortex induction pins protruding from the lower surface of the ice making unit and extending in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which cold air flows to allow vortices to occur in the upper portion of the cold air flow path. A main body provided with a freezing compartment therein, an evaporator disposed at the rear side of the freezing compartment, a guide duct disposed at the front side of the evaporator to distribute cold air to upper and lower portions of the freezing compartment, and an ice making tray containing water to be iced. In the refrigerator with an ice making device including, The ice tray includes an ice making unit provided with a plurality of ice making grooves open to the upper side to hold water, and a cold air flow flowing through cold air between the ice making unit by covering the lower side of the ice making unit at a predetermined distance from the ice making unit. To be formed but the cold air guide pipe is connected to one side of the cold air is delivered to the inlet and the other side comprises a cold air guide portion is provided with a discharge port for the discharge of cold air, respectively, The ice making tray is connected to an ice motor that generates a rotational force and rotates so that the ice tray is inverted up and down. The cold air guide pipe is protruded into the cold air flow path through the inlet port only when the ice making groove is disposed upward, and is selectively connected to the cold air flow path so that cold air can be supplied to the cold air flow path. Refrigerator. delete delete 9. The method of claim 8, The cold air guide tube is a refrigerator characterized in that it is formed of an elastically deformable material. The method of claim 11, wherein The front end of the cold air guide pipe protruding into the cold air flow path is characterized in that the refrigerator is formed in a zigzag shape so that it can be elastically deformed more easily. 9. The method of claim 8, And a plurality of heat exchange fins protruding from the lower surface of the ice making unit into the cold air passage to increase heat exchange efficiency between the ice making unit and the cold air. 9. The method of claim 8, The ice making tray has a plurality of vortex induction pins protruding into the cold air flow passage from the lower surface of the ice making unit and having a width in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the cold air flows, so that vortices are generated in the upper portion of the cold air flow passage. Featured refrigerator. The method of claim 11, wherein And a cold air guide tube connected to a tip of a nozzle extending from the guide duct to the inlet side and having a cross-sectional area of which an inner flow passage gradually decreases to increase a flow rate of cold air therethrough.

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