KR101326702B1 - Water purifier having ice maker - Google Patents

Abstract

The ice purifier includes an ice generator, an ice reservoir, an ice discharger, and an auxiliary reservoir. The ice producing unit generates ice. The ice storage unit is disposed below the ice generator, and receives and stores the ice generated by the ice generator. The ice discharge part is disposed at one end of the ice storage part, and discharges the ice of the ice storage part to the outside as required by the user. The auxiliary storage unit is disposed under the ice storage unit with an interface formed therebetween to store cold water in which the ice of the ice storage unit is melted, and to the outside when the water level of the stored cold water including a water level sensor reaches a predetermined level. The cold water is discharged to the outside through a connected discharge pipe.

Description

Ice Water Purifier {WATER PURIFIER HAVING ICE MAKER}

The present invention relates to an ice water purifier, and more particularly, to an ice water purifier capable of constantly maintaining the temperature of the ice storage unit at a low temperature capable of maintaining the state of ice, and easily supplying ice and cold water at a time. .

Recently, the use of water purifiers providing cold water and hot water is increasing in homes and offices. In particular, in addition to cold water or hot water, the use of ice water purifiers that can supply additional ice making is increasing. In general, the ice purifier is configured to store the ice generated by the ice generating module in the ice storage unit, and discharged to the outside according to the user's needs. However, when ice is stored in the ice storage for a long time, it is difficult to keep the temperature of the ice storage constant at a low temperature that can maintain the state of the ice, so the ice in the ice storage can be frozen and melted. have. In this process, a problem arises that the melted ice freezes again, irregularly deforming the shape of the ice or making it difficult to discharge the ice from the ice storage.
(Literature information on the prior art)
Publication No. 10-2010-0084832 (2010.07.28.)
Utility Model Registration No. 20-0427743 (September 29, 2006)
Publication No. 10-2011-0060323 (2011.06.08.)

In addition, since the ice outlet of the ice water purifier is spaced apart from the outlet of the cold water or purified water, when the user uses cold water or purified water containing ice, there is an inconvenience of acquiring ice separately from the acquisition of cold water or purified water.

Therefore, the technical problem of the present invention has been conceived in this regard, the object of the present invention is to maintain a constant temperature of the ice storage unit at a low temperature that can maintain the state of the ice, ice that can supply ice and cold water at the same time To provide a water purifier.

Ice purifier according to an embodiment for realizing the object of the present invention described above ice generating unit for generating ice;
An ice storage unit disposed below the ice producing unit and storing and receiving the ice generated by the ice generating unit, wherein the ice storage unit has a cylindrical shape;
An ice discharge part disposed at one end of the ice storage part and discharging the ice to the outside according to a user's needs;
It has a semi-cylindrical boundary surface corresponding to the shape of the ice storage portion to surround the lower portion of the ice storage portion, a plurality of openings are formed at regular intervals at the lowest position of the interface, the ice storage portion introduced through the plurality of openings Cold water is melted ice is stored, including at least two water level sensor having a limit sensor for preventing the cold water flow back to the ice storage unit through the discharge pipe connected to the outside under the control based on the water level information of the water level sensor An auxiliary storage unit for discharging the cold water to the outside;
A cold water container adjacent to the ice storage part and spaced apart from the ice storage part and the auxiliary storage part, in which cold water or purified water is stored; And
It is connected to the cold water container, and includes a cold water discharge portion in contact with the guide portion of the ice discharge portion for guiding the ice discharged from the ice storage in the direction of the cold water discharge portion.

In one embodiment, the water level sensor may include a low water level sensor for opening the discharge pipe only at a predetermined level or more, by confirming that the water level of the cold water of the auxiliary storage unit more than a certain level, when the ice generating unit performs the ice generation operation. Can be.

In one embodiment, the water level sensor may include a full water level sensor to open the discharge pipe and operate the ice generator to discharge the cold water of the auxiliary storage if the level of the cold water is full water level.

In an embodiment, the storage unit may further include a temporary storage unit disposed between the auxiliary storage unit and the ice generator to temporarily store cold water discharged from the auxiliary storage unit.

In one embodiment, when the ice generator is operated to generate ice, cold water stored in the temporary storage may be delivered to the ice generator.

In one embodiment, it is disposed in the lower portion of the ice generating unit, and further comprises a cold water container for storing cold water or purified water, and a cold water discharge unit for discharging the cold water or purified water to the outside according to the user's needs And, the end of the cold water discharge portion is disposed to be adjacent to the end of the ice discharge portion may be supplied with cold water or purified water at the same time.

In one embodiment, the ice discharge portion includes a guide portion extending inclined, the guide portion may guide the ice discharged from the ice storage in the direction of the cold water discharge portion.

In one embodiment, the cold water discharge portion comprises a cold water discharge pipe, the end of the cold water discharge pipe may contact the outer surface of the guide portion of the ice discharge portion.

According to the present invention, since the auxiliary storage unit is discharged when the water level of the cold water reaches a certain level by including a water level sensor therein, it is possible to reduce the heat loss and power loss caused by the frequent opening of the discharge pipe, cold water to the ice storage unit Stored adjacent to improve the freezing effect of the ice reservoir.

In addition, since the cold water discharged through the discharge pipe is transferred to the ice generating unit and reused in the generation of ice, it is possible to reduce the energy used in the ice generation by using cold water at a low temperature, and to save wasted water.

In addition, since the ice generator is operated at the same time as the cold water supply from the discharge pipe to generate ice, it is possible to directly use cold water at low temperature to generate ice, thereby improving energy efficiency and agility of the system.

In addition, since the cold water discharge unit and the ice discharge unit are disposed to be adjacent, the user's convenience may be increased by receiving cold water and ice at once.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing the interior of the ice water purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an auxiliary storage unit and an ice discharge unit of the ice purifier of FIG. 1.
3 is a side view illustrating an auxiliary storage unit of the ice water purifier of FIG. 1.
4 is a front view illustrating an ice discharge part of the ice purifier of FIG. 1.
5 is an exploded side view illustrating an ice reservoir, an auxiliary reservoir, and an ice discharger of the ice purifier of FIG. 1.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. Like reference numerals are used for like elements in describing each drawing. The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In the present application, the term "comprises" or "comprising ", etc. is intended to specify that there is a stated feature, figure, step, operation, component, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the contextual meaning of the related art and are to be interpreted as either ideal or overly formal in the sense of the present application Do not.

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

1 is a cross-sectional view showing the interior of the ice water purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the ice purifier 1 according to the present embodiment includes a main body 10, an ice generating unit 20, an ice guide unit 30, a cold water container 40, an ice storage unit 50, and an auxiliary unit. The storage unit 60 is included.

The main body 10 forms an accommodation space therein, and the ice generator 20, the ice guide unit 30, the cold water container 40, and the ice storage unit 50 are disposed in the internal storage space. And the auxiliary storage unit 60.

The ice generator 20 is disposed above the storage space inside the main body 10 and receives iced filtered cold water from the outside to generate ice. For example, the ice generator 20 generates ice by spraying cold water, and when the ice generation is completed, the ice generator 20 heats the heat conductive part attached to the upper surface to separate the ice from the ice generator 20.

The ice guide unit 30 guides the ice separated from the ice generator 20 to the cold water container 40 or the ice storage unit 50. The ice guide unit 30 is disposed to be inclined obliquely under the ice generating unit 20 to guide the ice. Meanwhile, in the state shown in FIG. 1, the ice guide unit 30 guides the ice to the ice storage unit 50, but when the ice guide unit 30 rotates in a counterclockwise direction about a predetermined axis, the ice guides the ice. The guide part 30 may guide the ice to the cold water container 40. The ice guided to the ice storage unit 50 is directly provided to the user, and the ice guided to the cold water container 40 is used to keep the temperature of cold water or purified water inside the cold water container low.

The cold water container 40 is disposed below the ice guide unit 30 and receives and stores purified water or cold water, which is not illustrated but filtered to allow drinking through the filter unit. On the other hand, the cold water container 40 is provided with a temperature control unit (not shown) for adjusting the temperature of the cold water or purified water inside, but is supplied with the ice according to the arrangement position of the ice guide unit 30 of the temperature control Can increase efficiency. In addition, in the present embodiment, the cold water container 40 has been described as storing cold water or purified water, but can be distinguished into a cold water container for storing only cold water, a purified water container for storing only purified water, and a hot water container for providing hot water is the main body ( 10) Of course, it may be provided separately inside.

The ice storage unit 50 is disposed at the lower portion of the ice gave unit 30 to be adjacent to the cold water container 40. The ice storage unit 50 stores the ice guided by the ice guide unit 30. On the other hand, the ice storage unit 50 is preferably formed of a material that can be spaced apart from the cold water container 40 and minimize the heat transfer so that the ice inside does not melt.

When the ice storage unit 50 is cylindrically disposed, the auxiliary storage unit 60 is disposed in a semi-cylindrical shape corresponding to the shape of the lower portion of the ice storage unit 50 to surround the ice storage unit 50. Cold water generated by melting ice stored in the ice storage unit 50 is stored.

Specifically, a plurality of ice is stored inside the ice storage unit 50, even if the ice storage unit 50 is formed of a material capable of minimizing heat transfer to the outside, from the adjacent cold water reservoir 40 When the heat is transferred, the hot water tank (not shown) is provided, due to the heat transferred from the hot water tank, the cold water reservoir, the heat generated to operate the hot water tank and various components, etc. the interior of the ice storage unit 50 It is not easy to maintain a constant temperature. Therefore, the ice inside the ice storage unit 50 may be repeatedly melted and frozen in some cases, and the cold water in which the ice is melted is moved to the auxiliary storage unit 60. In this case, an opening 63 is formed in the boundary surface 62 of the ice storage unit 50 and the auxiliary storage unit 60 so that the ice inside the ice storage unit 50 melts through the opening 63. Cold water may flow into the auxiliary storage 60. On the other hand, the opening 63 is formed to a minimum enough to flow the cold water melted in consideration of the heat insulation in the ice storage unit 50, the location where the curvature of the ice storage unit 50 is the largest That is, it is preferable to be disposed at the lowest position.

As such, when the ice inside the ice storage unit 50 melts, the auxiliary storage unit 50 is formed to flow directly into the auxiliary storage unit 50, and the ice in the auxiliary storage unit 50 is formed. The melted water wraps the ice reservoir 50 and lowers the temperature, and the opening 63 is disposed at the position where the curvature of the ice reservoir 50 is greatest, that is, the lowest position. This is the smallest, it is possible to maintain a constant state of the ice in the ice storage unit 50, it is possible to easily maintain the discharge of ice.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an auxiliary storage unit and an ice discharge unit of the ice purifier of FIG. 1. 3 is a side view illustrating an auxiliary storage unit of the ice water purifier of FIG. 1.

2 and 3, the auxiliary storage unit 60 includes a water level sensor 65 and a discharge pipe 69.

The water level sensor 65 includes a limit sensor 66, a low water level sensor 67, and a full water level sensor 68, and transfers the water level information measured by the water level sensor 65 to a central controller (not shown) if necessary. do. The water level sensor 65 is formed to protrude to the outer surface of the main body 10, as shown, may transmit the water level information to the central control unit.

The discharge pipe 69 is connected to the lower surface of the auxiliary storage unit 60, and provides the cold water stored in the auxiliary storage unit 60 to the outside. In this case, the cold water provided from the auxiliary storage unit 60 may be provided to the ice generator 20 through a separate pipe (not shown). In the present embodiment, the ice generator 20 directly receives the filtered cold water (or purified water) to generate ice, or receives the cold water provided from the auxiliary storage 60 to generate ice, or the two types. Can be supplied with cold water at the same time to generate ice.

Specifically, the central control unit (not shown) controls the opening and closing of the discharge pipe 69 based on the water level information transmitted from the water level sensor 65, and the auxiliary storage unit 60 when the discharge pipe 69 is opened. ) Is transferred to the ice generator 20, in which case the ice generator 20 is operated at the same time to generate ice using the cold water of the auxiliary storage unit 60. On the other hand, if the amount of cold water delivered from the ice generator 20 is insufficient, it can be further controlled to supply a separate filtered cold water (or purified water) to the ice generator 20.

For example, when the high water level sensor 68 of the water level sensor 65 indicates that the cold water level of the auxiliary storage unit 60 is the full water level, the central control unit opens the discharge pipe 69 to open the auxiliary storage unit ( The cold water of 60 is transferred to the ice generator 20. In this case, the cold water of the auxiliary storage unit 60 is delivered and at the same time the ice generator 20 is operated to generate ice, and if the cold water for ice generation is insufficient, separate filtered cold water (or purified water) may be used. It is additionally supplied to the ice generator 20.

In contrast, when the ice generating unit 20 performs the ice generation operation, the central control unit has a cold water level of the auxiliary storage unit 60 from the low water level sensor 67 of the water level sensor 65 is higher than a predetermined level. If it is confirmed that, the discharge pipe 69 is opened to deliver the cold water of the auxiliary storage unit 60 to the ice generator 20. Thus, the ice generator 20 may receive cold water from the auxiliary storage 60 to generate ice, thereby saving cold water used for ice production.

On the other hand, when the water level is measured by the limit sensor 66 of the water level sensor 65, the central control unit immediately opens the discharge pipe 69, or transmits an error of the internal system of the ice water purifier 1 to the outside. Through such safety measures, cold water of the auxiliary storage unit 60 is prevented from flowing back to the ice storage unit 50.

In the present embodiment has been described an example in which the cold water of the secondary storage unit 60 is delivered directly to the ice generating unit 20 to generate the ice, the ice water purifier 1 is the secondary storage unit 60 and the Further comprising a temporary storage unit (not shown) disposed between the ice generating unit 20, after temporarily storing the cold water provided from the auxiliary storage unit 60 in the temporary storage unit, the ice generating unit ( Simultaneously with operation 20), the cold water stored in the temporary storage unit may be transferred to the ice generator 20 to be used for ice generation.

In this way, by using cold water formed by melting ice at a lower temperature than cold water (or purified water) filtered directly from raw water, the energy used to generate the ice can be reduced, and waste of water can be reduced by recycling the cold water at low temperature. Can be reduced.

4 is a front view illustrating an ice discharge part of the ice purifier of FIG. 1.

2 and 4, the ice purifier 1 further includes an ice discharge unit 70 and a cold water discharge unit 80.

The ice discharge unit 70 is disposed at one end of the ice storage unit 50, and includes an opening and closing unit 71 and a guide unit 72.

The opening and closing part 71 seals the ice storage part 50 at one end of the ice storage part 50, opens the ice storage part 50 by an external signal, and opens the ice storage part 50. ) Ice to the outside.

The guide portion 72 extends from the opening and closing portion 71 to guide the ice until the ice is provided to the user, and extends toward the cold water discharge portion 80. Specifically, the guide portion 72 is a bottom surface 73, the first guide surface 74 and the second guide surface 75, respectively, extending in a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface from both corners of the bottom surface, And an ice discharge portion 76. The bottom surface 73 is formed obliquely at a predetermined angle to prevent vertical fall of the ice, and a guide protrusion line (not shown) is formed on the bottom surface 73 to guide the discharge direction of the ice. The first and second guide surfaces 74, 75 prevent ice from being ejected from both sides during discharge.

As such, the ice provided through the opening / closing portion 71 is guided through the bottom surface 73 of the guide portion 72 and the first and second guide surfaces 74 and 75 so as to discharge the ice 76. ) Is delivered to the user. In this case, the ice discharge unit 76 is formed to be disposed toward the cold water discharge unit 80 to be described later as possible, so that the ice and cold water or purified water can be provided to the user at the same time.

The cold water discharge unit 80 is connected to the cold water container 40, and discharges cold water or purified water to the outside. In this embodiment, the cold water discharge unit 80 includes a cold water discharge unit 81, the purified water discharge unit 82 and the cold water discharge pipe 85, the cold water container and the purified water container of the cold water container 40, respectively The cold water outlet and the purified water outlet are described, but it is obvious that the division of the cold water tank and the cold water or purified water outlet may be variously modified.

The cold water discharge portion 81 and the purified water discharge portion 82 are disposed adjacent to each other, the cold water discharge pipe 85 is connected to the cold water discharge portion 81, the first portion of the ice discharge portion 72 1 Contact the outer surface of the guide surface 74. In addition, the outlet of the cold water discharge pipe 85 is disposed to face the same direction as the outlet of the ice discharge portion 76 of the ice discharge portion 72. Thus, the cold water discharged to the cold water discharge pipe 85 may be provided to the user at the same time as the ice discharged to the ice discharge unit 76, the user may be conveniently provided with ice and cold water.

In general, since the cold water and the ice is often provided at the same time, rather than receiving the purified water and the ice at the same time, in the present embodiment, the purified water discharge unit 82 is connected to a separate purified water discharge pipe and the ice discharge unit 72 Although not disposed adjacent to), it is possible to modify according to the embodiment.

5 is an exploded side view illustrating an ice reservoir, an auxiliary reservoir, and an ice discharger of the ice purifier of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 5, the ice storage unit 50 includes an ice supply screw 51, and the ice storage unit 50 is formed by the ice supply screw 51 to the upper space 52 and the lower space ( 53). In general, ice is provided to the ice storage unit 50 through the upper space 52, and cold water in which the ice inside the ice storage unit 50 is melted may be stored in the lower space 53. However, the cold water of the lower space 53 flows into the auxiliary storage part 60 by the opening 63 formed at the interface 62 between the lower space 53 and the auxiliary storage part 60. . As shown in the drawing, a plurality of openings 63 are formed at regular intervals on the boundary surface 62 so that cold water does not collect in the lower space 53.

Meanwhile, when the ice supply screw 51 discharges the ice through the ice outlet 70, the ice supply screw 51 rotates in one direction and pushes the ice stored in the ice storage unit 50 toward the opening and closing portion 71.

According to the present invention, since the auxiliary storage unit is discharged when the water level of the cold water reaches a certain level by including a water level sensor therein, it is possible to reduce the heat loss and power loss caused by the frequent opening of the discharge pipe, cold water to the ice storage unit Stored adjacent to improve the freezing effect of the ice reservoir.

In addition, since the cold water discharged through the discharge pipe is transferred to the ice generating unit and reused in the generation of ice, it is possible to reduce the energy used in the ice generation by using cold water at a low temperature, and to save wasted water.

In addition, since the ice generator is operated at the same time as the cold water supply from the discharge pipe to generate ice, it is possible to directly use cold water at low temperature to generate ice, thereby improving energy efficiency and agility of the system.

In addition, since the cold water discharge unit and the ice discharge unit are disposed to be adjacent, the user's convenience may be increased by receiving cold water and ice at once.

The ice supply apparatus according to the present invention has industrial applicability that can be used for ice water purifiers used for home and business.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. You will understand.

1: ice water purifier 10: body
20: ice generator 30: ice guide
40: cold water container 50: ice storage unit
60: auxiliary storage 70: ice discharge
80: cold water discharge part

Claims (8)

An ice producing part for generating ice;
An ice storage unit disposed below the ice producing unit and storing and receiving the ice generated by the ice generating unit, wherein the ice storage unit has a cylindrical shape;
An ice discharge part disposed at one end of the ice storage part and discharging the ice to the outside according to a user's needs;
It has a semi-cylindrical boundary surface corresponding to the shape of the ice storage portion to surround the lower portion of the ice storage portion, a plurality of openings are formed at regular intervals at the lowest position of the interface, the ice storage portion introduced through the plurality of openings Cold water is melted ice is stored, including at least two water level sensor having a limit sensor for preventing the cold water flow back to the ice storage unit through the discharge pipe connected to the outside under the control based on the water level information of the water level sensor An auxiliary storage unit for discharging the cold water to the outside;
A cold water container adjacent to the ice storage part and spaced apart from the ice storage part and the auxiliary storage part, in which cold water or purified water is stored; And
And a cold water discharge part connected to the cold water container and contacting a guide part of the ice discharge part that guides the ice discharged from the ice storage part toward the cold water discharge part. The method of claim 1,
The water level sensor is an ice water purifier comprising a low water level sensor for opening the discharge pipe only at a predetermined level or more, by confirming that the water level of the cold water of the auxiliary storage unit is above a certain level when the ice generating unit performs the ice generation operation. The ice water purifier of claim 2, wherein the water level sensor comprises a full water level sensor that opens the discharge pipe and operates the ice generator to discharge cold water of the auxiliary storage unit when the cold water level is a full water level. The ice water purifier of claim 2, further comprising a temporary storage unit disposed between the auxiliary storage unit and the ice generator to temporarily store cold water discharged from the auxiliary storage unit. The ice water purifier of claim 4, wherein when the ice generator is operated to generate ice, the cold water stored in the temporary storage unit is transferred to the ice generator. delete delete delete

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