KR101554368B1 - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, wherein a crushing structure for crushing ice is fixedly mounted on a refrigerator door, thereby reducing the self-load of the ice bin. Therefore, the user can easily separate the ice bin from the refrigerator door, and the ice bin can be freely moved. The cover member provided in the ice bin prevents the ice from flowing out of the ice bin when the ice bin is separated from the ice bin.

Ice maker, ice bin, auger

Description

Refrigerator {Refrigerator}

The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

Generally, a refrigerator is a household appliance for storing food in a refrigerated or frozen state. A compressor, a condenser and an expansion member constituting a refrigeration cycle are provided in the refrigerator, and an evaporator is provided on the back of the refrigerator body.

In recent years, various types and types of refrigerators have been introduced. For example, a side-by-side type in which a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment are respectively disposed on left and right sides, a bottom freezer type in which a refrigerating compartment is provided on the upper side of a freezing compartment, And the top mount method provided.

In addition, an icemaker assembly is provided inside the refrigerator, and the icemaker assembly may be mounted in the freezer compartment, the freezer compartment, or the freezer compartment door or the refrigerator compartment door. In addition, a product is provided on the door of the freezing compartment door or the refrigerator compartment, in which a dispenser structure capable of taking out ice made in the ice making assembly is provided. Therefore, the user can freely take out the ice without opening the refrigerator door, which is advantageous in preventing cold loss.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator for improving user convenience by improving a conventional refrigerator structure, particularly an ice maker and an ice extraction structure.

In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator which can reduce the load of a storage device itself for storing ice made in an ice maker, thereby enabling easy separation from a refrigerator.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator which prevents ice from escaping through an ice discharge port formed in an ice storage device while the ice storage device is separated from the refrigerator.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator including: a cabinet having a space for storing food; A door for selectively shielding a space for storing the food; An ice maker installed in the door to generate and store ice; And a dispenser provided in the door for taking out the ice stored in the ice making chamber, wherein the ice making room comprises an ice maker, ice storing means for storing the ice produced by the ice maker, And a crushing unit for crushing ice discharged from the ice bin, the ice bin further including a crusher for selectively blocking the ice discharge port and the ice discharge port, And when the ice bin is mounted on the rear surface of the door, the conveying unit and the crushing unit are connected to each other.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator including: a door for selectively shielding a food storage space; An ice maker mounted on a rear surface of the door to generate ice; An ice bin storing an ice produced by the ice maker and having an ice discharge port formed on a surface thereof which contacts the rear surface of the door; A cover member rotatably provided on a surface of the ice bin on which the ice discharge port is formed to selectively shield the ice discharge port; And an ice extraction mechanism for allowing the ice stored in the ice bin to be discharged to the front of the door.

According to the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention, the crushing structure for crushing ice is fixedly mounted on the refrigerator door, thereby reducing the self-load of the ice bin. Therefore, the user can easily separate the ice bin from the refrigerator door, and the ice bin can be freely moved.

In addition, since the ice discharge port formed in the ice bin is formed on the surface intersecting the bottom surface of the ice bin, the ice stored in the ice bin can be prevented from being poured out by gravity.

In addition, since the cover member for selectively shielding the ice discharge port is provided, it is possible to prevent the ice from escaping to the outside through the ice discharge port while the ice bin is separated from the refrigerator door.

Hereinafter, an ice-making assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. Of course, it is also within the scope of the present invention that the icemaker assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention is provided in the refrigerator compartment door.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator provided with an ice-making assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the refrigerator.

1 and 2, a refrigerator 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a cabinet 11 including a refrigerating compartment 112 and a freezing compartment 111, And a freezing compartment door 13 and a freezing compartment door 12 for shielding the access opening of the refrigerating compartment 112 and the freezing compartment 111. Handles 16 are mounted on the front surfaces of the refrigerator compartment door 13 and the freezer compartment door 12, respectively.

In detail, an ice compartment 20 for manufacturing ice and a discharge duct 14 for discharging ice made in the ice making chamber 20 are provided on the rear surface of the freezing chamber door 12 do. A dispenser (15) is provided on the front surface of the freezing chamber door (12) to provide a space for receiving ice discharged through the discharge duct (14).

More specifically, the dispenser 15 includes a dispenser housing 152 which is recessed backward to receive the container, a display portion 151 provided on the upper front portion of the dispenser housing 152, And a button 153 for performing a button operation. A discharge port communicating with the discharge end of the discharge channel 14 is formed on the upper surface of the dispenser housing 152 and the button 153 is provided on the rear side of the discharge port. Accordingly, when the user pushes the container for receiving ice into the dispenser housing 152 and presses the button 153, the ice is discharged through the discharge duct 14.

The ice making chamber 20 includes an ice maker 23 for producing ice and an ice bin 22 provided below the ice maker 23 for storing ice, And an ice maker cover (21) provided on an upper side of the ice maker (23) to guide cold air toward the ice maker (23). A cool air duct 113 is provided at an inner rear surface and an upper surface of the freezing chamber 111 to guide the cool air generated by the evaporator to the ice maker cover 21. That is, the end of the cool air duct 113 is located above the ice maker cover 21. A plurality of grills are formed on the upper surface of the ice maker cover 21 so that the cool air discharged from the cool air duct 113 is concentrated by the ice maker 23.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view schematically showing an ice-making chamber structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a sectional view showing a state in which the ice bin is mounted on the freezing chamber door, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the state in which the ice bin is separated from the freezing chamber door .

3 and 4, the ice making chamber 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an ice maker cover 21, an ice maker 23 provided below the ice maker cover 21, A crushing compartment 24 for crushing ice discharged from the ice bin 22 is fixedly mounted on the freezing chamber door 12 and the ice bin 22 is detachable from the freezing chamber door 12 .

In detail, the ice bin 22 is provided therein with a conveying unit 25 for horizontally conveying the ice. An ice discharge port 221 is formed at one side of the rear of the ice bin 22 and the ice stored in the ice bin 22 is guided to the ice discharge port 221 by the operation of the conveyance unit 25. The conveying unit 25 includes a rotation shaft 252 and an auger 251 provided in a spiral form from one end of the outer circumference of the rotation shaft 252 and a connector 253 provided at the other end of the rotation shaft 252 .

The crushing unit 24 fixedly mounted on the rear surface of the freezing compartment door 12 includes a cover for crushing 241 extending from a rear surface of the freezing chamber door 12, A plurality of crushers 242 provided on the rotating shaft 242 and extending in a direction crossing the rotating shaft 242; A motor 243 provided at one end of the rotating shaft 242 and hidden inside the freezing chamber door 12; a connector 245 provided at the other end of the rotating shaft 242; And a guide for crushing 246 provided at the bottom of the crushing chamber.

An ice discharge port 247 is formed at the bottom of the crushing section 24 and the crushing guide 246 is positioned in the upper right chamber of the ice discharge port 247. The crushing guide 246 is provided so as to be rotatable up and down about one end so that each ice or crushed ice is discharged according to the user's selection. For example, when the crushing guide 246 rotates in a direction approaching the crusher 244, the ice discharged from the ice discharge port 221 of the ice bin 22 is crushed by the crusher 244 . Conversely, when the crushing guide 246 rotates in a direction away from the crusher 244, the ice discharged from the ice discharge port 221 does not come into contact with the crusher 244 but flows into the ice discharge passage 141 And is discharged. Here, the crushing guide 246 is shown extending in a direction crossing the back surface of the freezing chamber door 12, but is not limited thereto. That is, one end of the crushing guide 246 having a predetermined curvature curved downwardly convexly can be provided at the lower end of the side surface of the crushing cover 241. In other words, the rotation center axis of the crushing cover 241 may be formed to be perpendicular to the back surface of the freezing chamber door 12, and may be provided in a form of rotating in the vertical direction.

A damper 142 is provided at the outlet of the ice discharge passage 141 to shield the ice discharge passage 141 when the button 153 is not pressed. When the ice extraction command is input through the display unit 151 or the button 153 is pressed, the ice discharge passage 141 is opened.

The connector 253 connected to the rotating shaft 252 of the feeding unit 25 and the connectors 253 and 245 connected to the rotating shaft 242 of the crushing unit 24 are selectively connected. That is, the ice bin 22 is connected to the ice bin 22 only when the ice bin 22 is mounted on the freezing chamber door 12, and is disconnected when the ice bin 22 is separated from the freezing chamber door 12. 4, when the ice bin 22 is separated from the freezing chamber door 12, the crushing portion 24 remains fixed to the rear surface of the freezing chamber door 12. As shown in FIG. That is, the crushing part 24 forms a part of the freezing compartment door 12.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the ice bin according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a plan view of the ice bin, and FIG. 7 is a rear perspective view of the ice bin.

5 to 7, the ice bin 22 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a front case 222, a rear case 223 coupled to a rear surface of the front case 222, And a window 224 of transparent or semi-transparent type provided on the upper side of the window 222.

In detail, the ice bin 22 is horizontally provided inside the ice bin 22 in the forward and backward directions as described above. The auger 251 extends from the front case 222 to the rear case 223 along the rotation axis 252 and the ice discharge port 221 is formed in a lower region of the rear case 223 . The inner bottom surface of the ice bin 22 has a shape in which the middle part is recessed in the deepest shape so that ice falling into the ice bin 22 flows into the ice bin 22 It can be gathered in the center. The rotary shaft 252 of the conveying unit 25 can be positioned in the upper right room of the lowest point of the inner bottom surface.

The lower end of the ice discharge port 221 formed on the back surface of the ice bin 22 is positioned at a position spaced apart from the lower end portion of the ice bin 22 by a predetermined distance h, do. That is, the ice discharge port 221 is located at a position spaced laterally from the lowest point of the inner bottom surface of the ice bin 22. As such, the lower end of the ice discharge port 221 is located at a position higher than the lower end (or the inner bottom surface) of the ice bin 22, thereby providing the following advantages.

In detail, when the ice discharge port 221 is formed at the lowest point of the inner bottom surface of the ice bin 22, even when the auger 251 is not driven, The ice stored in the ice bin 22 may be discharged from the ice bin 22 due to the inertial force. Accordingly, the lower end of the ice discharge port 221 is located at a position slightly higher than the inner bottom surface of the ice bin 22, thereby preventing such a phenomenon. In addition, since the ice discharge port 221 is formed at a side of the ice bin 22 remote from the center of the ice bin 22, it is possible to prevent the ice from being discharged due to inertia.

On the other hand, when the ice bin 22 is separated from the rear surface of the freezing chamber door 12, ice may be discharged through the ice discharge port 221 and fall on the floor. In order to prevent such a phenomenon, a structure for shielding the ice discharge port 221 is required, and an embodiment is shown below. It should be noted that the shielding structure shown below is only one embodiment, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

8 is a partial perspective view showing an ice discharge port shielding structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

8, the ice discharge port shielding structure according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a cover member 30 for selectively shielding the ice discharge port 221, a stopper 40 for fixing the cover member 30, And a driving mechanism (50) for operating the stopper (40).

In detail, the cover member 30 has a size and shape corresponding to the size and shape of the ice discharge port 221, and is rotatably installed around the cover hinge 31. The cover hinge 31 is formed at a position close to the connector 253 and the cover member 30 rotates clockwise in the figure to shield the ice discharge port 221 and rotate counterclockwise And the ice discharge port 221 is opened. A stopping protrusion 301 protrudes from one side edge of the cover member 30 and a stopper 40 is provided on the backside of the ice bin 22 at a position adjacent to the latching protrusion 301. The stopper (301) is selectively engaged with the stopper (40). The stopper 40 is rotatably provided around a stopper hinge (see FIG. 9). When the cover member 30 rotates counterclockwise around the cover hinge 31, So that the jaws 301 are caught by the stopper 40.

More specifically, when the ice bin 22 is mounted on the freezer compartment door 12, the catching jaw 301 is retained in the stopper 40, and the ice bin 22 is inserted into the freezer compartment door 12, the user manually rotates the stopper 40 to allow the stopping jaw 301 to be detached from the stopper 40. Alternatively, when the ice bin 22 is separated from the freezer compartment door 12, the latching jaws 301 may be automatically released from the stopper 40, Explain it.

On the other hand, the cover hinge 31 is provided with an elastic member such as a torsion spring (not shown) to provide an elastic force to the cover member 30. For example, the restoring force is accumulated in the elastic member until the cover member 30 rotates in the counterclockwise direction until the stopping jaw 301 is caught by the stopper 40. When the latching jaws 301 are detached from the stopper 40, the cover member 30 rotates in the clockwise direction by the restoring force, thereby shielding the ice discharge port 221.

The user may directly rotate the cover member 30 immediately before the ice bin 22 is mounted on the freezer compartment door 12 so that the catching jaws 301 are caught by the stopper 40. In the state where the ice bin 22 is separated from the freezing chamber door 12, the user rotates the stopper 40 to cause the stopping jaw 301 to be detached from the stopper 40, So that it is possible to shield the light source 221.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view showing a state in which the latching jaw of the cover member is caught by the stopper according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a view showing a process in which the latching jaw of the cover member is caught by the stopper.

9, the stopper 40 includes an extension portion 401 extending straight downward, a detent jaw 402 formed at the lower end of the extension portion 401, A lever portion 403 bent and extended from the upper end, and a stopper hinge 41 formed at a certain point on the upper end of the extending portion 401. Here, the stopper hinge 41 may be provided with an elastic member, such as a torsion spring, similar to the cover hinge 31.

In detail, the detent jaw 402 may be formed such that a portion of the detent jaw 402 that is in contact with the latching jaw 301 of the cover member 30 is inclined at an angle. The stopping protrusion 301 of the cover member 30 may protrude from the cover member 30 by a predetermined length and may have an end inclined at an angle and in the same direction as the inclined surface of the stopping stopper 402. When the cover member 30 rotates in a direction in which the ice discharge port 221 is opened, the inclined end of the catching jaw 301 is raised in a state of being in contact with the inclined surface of the detent jaw 402 And finally, the lower end of the latching jaw 301 is caught by the stopping jaws 402.

10, when the cover member 30 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction (1 → 2) in the drawing, the inclined end of the stopping jaw 301 is engaged with the detent jaw 402 of the stopper 40, And moves along the inclined surface of the detent jaws 402 in a state of being in contact with the detent jaws 402. Then, the stopper 40 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction (? To b) about the stopper hinge 41. [ As the stopper 4 rotates, a restoring force is accumulated in the elastic member wound on the stopper hinge 41. [

The inclined end of the stopping jaw 301 is separated from the stopping jaw 402 and the stopper 40 is rotated clockwise again by the restoring force of the elastic member wound on the stopper hinge 41 Ⓒ. Then, the upper end of the detent jaws 402 contacts the lower end of the latching jaws 301 to block the rotation of the cover member 30 in the reverse direction.

In this state, the user may mount the ice bin 22 on the back surface of the freezing chamber door 12. [ Conversely, when the user separates the ice bin 22 into the freezing chamber door 12, the latching jaw 301 is caught by the stopper 40, and when the user presses the lever portion 403 of the stopper 40 Is slightly pushed in the direction of the arrow (right to left in the figure) so that the detent jaws 402 are separated from the latching jaws 301. Then, the cover member 30 is rotated by the restoring force of the elastic member to shield the ice discharge port 221 of the ice bin 22. Reference numeral 50 shown by a dotted line in the drawing is a driving mechanism 50 for operating the lever portion 403, which will be described in more detail below with reference to FIG.

The stopper 40 is rotated only by the operation of separating the ice bin 22 from the freezing chamber door 12 so that the cover member 30 is rotated The ice discharge port 221 may be shielded, and this is defined in an automatic manner. However, in the present embodiment, the engagement protrusion 301 of the cover member 30 is hooked to the stopper 40. However, by applying a different mechanical mechanism, the cover member 30 May be automatically rotated to open the ice discharge port 221. [0050] In addition, it is once again revealed that the structure of the driving mechanism 50 shown below is merely an exemplary structure for implementing the automatic method of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a horizontal sectional view showing a driving mechanism in a state where the ice bin according to the embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a rear surface of a freezer compartment door, and FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the structure of the driving mechanism.

Prior to the description, the three-dimensional structure of the driving mechanism 50 is schematically shown in Fig. 8 and will be described with reference to Fig.

11 and 12, the driving mechanism 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention has a function of pressing the lever portion 403 of the stopper 40 and the function of pushing the ice bin 22 to the freezing chamber door 12 ) From the back surface of the display panel. That is, the operation of separating the ice bin 22 from the stopper 40 can be performed.

The driving mechanism 50 includes a latch 51 which is exposed on a side surface of the ice bin 22 so as to be grasped by a user by hand and a driving unit 51 which is rotatably connected to an end of the latch 51. [ (52).

More specifically, the latch 51 may be bent at least once so that the latch 51 can be grasped by the user and pulled easily. The driving unit 52 is rotatably connected to the opposite end of the gripping end by a connecting shaft 502. The driving unit 52 includes a rotation link 521 extending from the end of the latch 51 and selectively attached to and detached from the rear surface of the freezing chamber door 12, And a push bar 522 extending in a direction intersecting with the link 521. A latching protrusion 522 is formed at an end of the rotation link 521 and the latching protrusion 522 is selectively engaged with the rear surface of the freezing chamber door 12. A rotating shaft 501 is formed at a point of the rotating link 521 spaced apart from the connecting shaft 502 by a predetermined distance. Also, the rotation shaft 501 may be provided with an elastic member including a torsion spring as described above. The push bar 522 is folded so that its end portion is located adjacent to the side of the lever portion 403 of the stopper 40.

13 is a diagram illustrating an operation state of a driving mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the operation of the driving mechanism 50 will be described.

Referring to FIG. 13, when the user pulls the latch 51 provided on both sides of the ice bin 22 forward, the latch 51 moves in the direction of the arrow (downward in the drawing) . Then, the rotation link 521 rotates in the clockwise direction about the rotation axis 501. Accordingly, the push bar 522 also rotates clockwise, so that the end portion of the push bar 522 presses the side surface of the lever portion 403. Then, the lever portion 403 rotates as shown in FIG. Then, the detent jaws 402 of the stopper 40 are detached from the latching jaws 301 of the cover member 30. As a result, the cover member 30 is rotated by the restoring force of the elastic member provided with the cover hinge 31, thereby shielding the ice discharge port 221 of the ice bin 22.

On the other hand, when the user removes the force applied to the latch 51, the drive unit 52 rotates in the reverse direction and returns to the original position. At this time, a restoring force for returning the drive unit 52 to its original position is provided by the elastic member provided on the rotation shaft 501. [ According to this operation, the ice bin 22 is separated from the rear surface of the freezer compartment door 12 by a user's operation of pulling the latch 51, and the function of the cover member 30 A function of shielding the ice discharge port 221 of the ice bin 22 is accomplished at the same time.

1 is a front view of a refrigerator provided with an ice-making assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the refrigerator.

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view schematically showing an ice-making chamber structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a sectional view showing a state in which an ice bin is mounted on a freezing chamber door.

4 is a sectional view showing a state in which the ice bin is separated from the freezer compartment door.

5 is a front perspective view of an ice bin according to an embodiment of the present invention;

6 is a plan view of the ice bin.

7 is a rear perspective view of the ice bin.

8 is a partial perspective view illustrating an ice discharge port shielding structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

9 is an enlarged perspective view showing a state in which the stopper of the cover member is caught by the stopper according to the embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a view showing a process in which the latching jaw of the cover member is caught by the stopper.

11 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a driving mechanism in a state where the ice bin according to the embodiment of the present invention is mounted on the rear surface of the freezer compartment door.

Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating the structure of the drive mechanism.

13 is a diagram illustrating an operation state of a driving mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (17)

A cabinet having a space for food storage; A door for selectively shielding a space for storing the food; An ice maker installed in the door to generate and store ice; And And a dispenser provided on the door for taking out ice stored in the ice making chamber, The ice- Ice maker, An ice bin storing ice produced by the ice maker and including a transfer part for transferring ice, and And a crushing unit for crushing ice discharged from the ice bin, forming a body with the door at a rear surface of the door, An ice discharge port formed on a rear surface of the ice bin; And In order to selectively shield the ice discharge port, a cover member rotatably installed on the back surface of the ice bin is provided, When the ice bin is separated from the rear surface of the door, the cover member shields the ice discharge port, Wherein when the ice bin is mounted on the rear surface of the door, the conveying unit and the crushing unit are connected to each other, and the cover member is rotated in a direction in which the ice discharge port is opened. The method according to claim 1, And an ice discharge passage communicating with the ice discharge port formed on the bottom surface of the crushing section and having an outlet section communicating with the dispenser. delete delete delete The method according to claim 1, Wherein the ice discharge port is formed to be laterally deflected from a center line bisecting the ice bin to the left and right sides. delete delete A door for selectively shielding the food storage space; An ice maker mounted on a rear surface of the door to generate ice; An ice bin storing an ice produced by the ice maker and having an ice discharge port formed on a surface thereof which contacts the rear surface of the door; A cover member rotatably provided on a surface of the ice bin on which the ice discharge port is formed to selectively shield the ice discharge port; And And an ice extraction mechanism for allowing ice stored in the ice bin to be discharged to the front of the door, The cover member The ice discharge port is formed in a size and shape corresponding to the size and shape of the ice discharge port, And a cover hinge is formed on an upper side of the cover member to serve as a rotation center of the cover member. delete 10. The method of claim 9, Further comprising an elastic member provided on the cover hinge and providing a restoring force for rotating the cover member from a position where the ice discharge port is completely opened to a position where the ice discharge port is completely shielded. 10. The method of claim 9, The cover member being provided on the side of the ice bin on which the cover member is installed, Further comprising: a stopper that fixes the cover member in a rotated state to a position where the cover member fully opens the ice discharge port. 13. The method of claim 12, A latch provided on a side surface of the ice bin to selectively detach the ice bin from the rear surface of the door; And a driving unit linked to the latch and rotating according to an operation of the latch to press the stopper. 14. The method of claim 13, The stopper is pivoted by the operation in which the drive unit presses the stopper, Wherein the fixing state of the cover member is released by the rotation of the stopper. 14. The method of claim 13, The ice bin is detached from the door and the fixed state of the cover member is released by the rotation of the drive unit. 14. The method of claim 13, Wherein the latch is rotated by a user's operation to release the connection with the cover member. 10. The method of claim 9, The ice extraction mechanism includes: Ice transfer means provided in the ice bin, Ice crushing means fixed to the rear surface of the door and And an ice discharge passage extending from the rear surface of the door to the front surface to guide the discharge of the ice.

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