KR101696846B1 - Refrigerator and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a manufacturing method thereof. Specifically, according to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a food processing apparatus comprising: a body having a food storage space; A case located in the storage space and including an ice-making space; And an ice tray which can receive water for icing and is provided in the case, the case including: a first exterior frame and a second exterior frame that form an appearance of the case; A built-in frame provided between the first external frame and the second external frame; And an L-shaped heat insulating frame provided to fill a space between the built-in frame and the first external frame, and a method of manufacturing the same.

Description

REFRIGERATOR AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001]

The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a manufacturing method thereof.

A refrigerator is a device intended for low-temperature storage of food, and can be configured to refrigerate or store food according to the type of food to be stored.

The inside of the refrigerator is cooled by the continuously supplied cool air, and the cool air is continuously generated by the heat exchange function of the refrigerant by the refrigeration cycle through the process of compression-condensation-expansion-evaporation. The cold air supplied to the inside of the refrigerator is uniformly transferred to the inside of the refrigerator by the convection so that the food inside the refrigerator can be stored at a desired temperature.

Generally, the refrigerator body is in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped having an open front, and a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment may be provided inside the refrigerator body. In addition, a refrigerator compartment door and a freezer compartment door may be provided on the front surface of the main body for selectively shielding the opening, and a plurality of drawers, a shelf and a storage compartment for storing various foods in an optimal state may be provided in the storage space inside the refrigerator. Box or the like may be provided.

Conventionally, a top mount type refrigerator in which a freezing compartment is located on the upper side and a refrigerating compartment is located on the lower side has been the mainstream. In recent years, however, a bottom freeze type refrigerator Is also being released. Here, in the case of the bottom freeze type refrigerator, a frequently used refrigerator room is located on the upper side, and a relatively less used freezer room is located on the lower side, so that the user can conveniently use the refrigerator room. However, since the bottom freeze-type refrigerator has the freezing chamber located on the lower side, it is inconvenient for the user to bend the waist to open the freezing chamber door and take out the ice to take out the ice.

In order to solve this problem, a refrigerator has been recently provided with a dispenser for taking out ice from the refrigerator compartment door located above the bottom freeze type refrigerator. In this case, an ice maker for generating ice may be provided in the refrigerator compartment door or the refrigerating compartment.

The ice maker includes an ice-making assembly having an ice tray for generating ice, an ice bucket for storing the generated ice, and a transfer assembly for transferring the ice stored in the ice bucket to the dispenser .

Meanwhile, the conventional ice maker includes a heat insulating structure to prevent the temperature of the inside of the ice maker from rising due to heat exchange with the outside. An example of a conventional icemaker including such a heat insulating structure is shown in Fig.

7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of a refrigerator in which a conventional ice maker is installed.

Referring to FIG. 7, the ice maker 20 of the conventional refrigerator 2 includes a heat insulating member 22 formed along the periphery thereof. The heat insulating member 22 may be a member formed by foaming a urethane foam, for example, and it is possible to prevent the cold temperature inside the ice maker 20 from being raised by heat exchange with the outside.

Generally, a heat insulating structure 24 of the refrigerator 2 itself is formed between the inner surface of the refrigerator 2 and the cabinet. In this case, the portion of the ice-making device 20, which contacts the inner wall surface of the refrigerator 2, The member 22a overlaps with the heat insulating structure 24 of the refrigerator 2 itself.

Accordingly, a dead space is formed inside the refrigerator 2, which results in a problem that the content of the refrigerator becomes narrow.

In addition, there is a problem that the number of parts is excessive due to an excessive heat insulating structure, resulting in high material cost and low productivity.

In addition, the case of the ice maker is assembled as a combined structure, which results in a problem that sealing of the combined portion is not achieved effectively.

Embodiments of the present invention are intended to provide a refrigerator which can reduce the dead space of a refrigerator to secure a wide room, a material cost is low, a productivity is high, and sealing can be effectively performed, and a manufacturing method thereof.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a food processing apparatus comprising: a body having a food storage space; A case located in the storage space and including an ice-making space; And an ice tray which can receive water for icing and is provided in the case, the case including: a first exterior frame and a second exterior frame that form an appearance of the case; A built-in frame provided between the first external frame and the second external frame; And an L-shaped heat insulating frame provided to fill a space between the built-in frame and the first external frame.

An ice bucket provided below the ice tray and capable of receiving ice falling from the ice tray; And a discharging portion through which the ice stored in the ice bucket is discharged. The discharging portion is connected to the first end of the case, and the second end of the case is formed with a cool air supply port through which cool air is supplied from the cooling portion , And a refrigerator may be provided.

Further, a refrigerator may be provided, further comprising a transfer assembly for transferring ice toward the discharge portion.

Further, a refrigerator in which a heater is installed at the first end of the case may be provided.

Further, the case may be provided so as to be in close contact with the body of the refrigerator, and a sealing member may be provided at an edge of the first external frame and the edge of the second external frame in contact with the body of the refrigerator .

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a refrigerator, comprising the steps of: preparing a first exterior frame that forms a part of the exterior of a case including a cooling space of an icemaker of the refrigerator; Installing a heater at one end of the first external frame; Installing an adiabatic frame having an L-shaped cross section in the first external frame; Installing a built-in frame on the heat insulating frame; Tightening a second external frame that forms the rest of the appearance of the case on the first external frame; And installing a sealing member at an edge of the corner of the first external frame and the second external frame that is in contact with the body of the refrigerator when the case is installed in the refrigerator, .

In addition, after the step of installing the built-in frame, an ice-making assembly including an ice tray in which water can be received, an ice bucket capable of receiving ice falling from the ice tray, And assembling the transfer assembly for transferring the ice toward the discharge portion.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the content of the refrigerator can be ensured to be wide, the material cost in manufacturing the refrigerator is low, the productivity is high, and the sealing of the ice maker can be effectively performed.

1 is a view illustrating a refrigerator including an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a side cross-sectional view of the ice making device of Fig.
3 is an exploded perspective view showing a case of the ice maker shown in Fig.
Fig. 4 is a view showing a layout of a sealing member provided in the ice making device of Fig. 1;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of a refrigerator in which the ice maker shown in FIG. 1 is installed.
6 is a flow chart for explaining the method for manufacturing the ice making device of Fig.
7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of a refrigerator in which a conventional ice maker is installed.

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

In the following description of the present invention, detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

1 is a cross-sectional side view of the ice maker shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a case of the ice maker shown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a refrigerator including an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a view showing a layout of a sealing member provided in the ice making device of Fig. 1. Fig.

1 to 4, a refrigerator 1 in which an ice maker 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed includes a body 12 forming an outer appearance, a food storage A refrigerator compartment door 14 provided on both side edges of the front surface of the main body 12 for selectively shielding the refrigerating compartment R by rotational motion, a barrier 14 for partitioning the space into an upper refrigerating chamber R and a lower freezing chamber F, (13), and a freezing chamber door (15) for shielding a front opening of the freezing chamber (F).

The ice maker 10 may be provided at a different position in the refrigerating compartment R or in the refrigerating compartment R. In this case, It may be installed at another position such as the door 13.

The ice maker 10 may be installed in close contact with the inner wall surface of the refrigerator 1. [

The ice making apparatus 10 may include a case 100, a cooling unit (not shown), an ice making assembly 200, an ice bucket 320, a transfer assembly 400, and a discharge unit 500.

A cooling space 105 in which ice can be generated is formed inside the case 100. The ice making assembly 200 is disposed on the upper side inside the cooling space 105 and the ice bucket 320 is disposed on the ice making assembly 200, respectively.

A discharge unit 500 is provided at a first end of the case 100 and a cold air supply port for supplying cold air from the cooling unit may be formed at a second end opposite to the discharge unit 500.

The case 100 includes a first external frame 110 and a second external frame 120 that form an external appearance and a built-in frame (not shown) provided between the first external frame 110 and the second external frame 120 130 and an adiabatic frame 140 provided to fill a space between the first external frame 110 and the internal frame 130.

The first external frame 110 includes at least one wall among the walls constituting the case 100 and includes a fastening portion 112 for fastening with the discharge portion 500. The fastening part 112 may be formed as a frame forming a communication hole through which ice is passed when the ice is delivered to the discharge part 500.

A heater 150 may be provided to the coupling part 112. When dew is formed on the coupling part 112 side, the heater 150 may be used to evaporate and remove the dew.

Specifically, when the user opens or closes the ice bucket 320 for a reason such as using a large amount of ice at once or confirming the abnormality of the ice maker 10, warm air flows into the ice maker 10, Dew can be generated by meeting with the cold air inside the device 10. [ Generally, the dew is generated at a connection portion between the icemaker assembly 200 and the discharge portion 500, and the heater 150 can evaporate the generated dew.

On the other hand, the heat insulating frame 140 may be provided inside the first external frame 110. The heat insulating frame 140 may be made of a material having excellent heat insulating performance such as a urethane foam or the like and may be manufactured by foaming and solidifying a raw material in a mold.

When the ice maker 10 is installed inside the main body 12 of the refrigerator 1, the heat insulating frame 140 may be formed in the shape of an L- 1 to insulate the opposite side of the inner wall surface of the inner wall surface.

A built-in frame 130 is provided on the inside of the heat insulating frame 140 and the built-in frame 130 can be fastened to the first external frame 110 through a screw connection as an example. However, this is merely an example, and various methods can be applied as a method of fastening the built-in frame 130 and the first external frame 110.

Thus, the inner frame 130 is fastened to the first outer frame 110 and is firmly fixed thereto, thereby fixing the heat insulating frame 140 closely to the first outer frame 110. The heat insulating frame 140 May be disposed and fixed between the built-in frame 130 and the first external frame 110.

The second outer frame 120 can be fastened to the inner frame 130 and the first outer frame 110 and the space between the second outer frame 120 and the inner frame 130 is used as the cooling space 105 Can be provided. Accordingly, the ice making assembly 200, the ice bucket 320, and the transfer assembly 400 can be disposed in the cooling space between the second external frame 120 and the internal frame 130.

When the case 100 is installed in close contact with the main body 12 of the refrigerator 1, the main body 12 of the refrigerator 1 among the corners of the first external frame 110 and the second external frame 120, A sealing member 160 may be provided at an edge which is in contact with the sealing member 160. The sealing member 160 may be made of an elastic material such as rubber or the like so that the sealing member 160 is pressed by the pressure when the case 100 is in close contact with the main body 12, The gap can be completely sealed.

The cooling unit has a function of generating cold air and supplying the generated cold air to the ice tray 210. The cooling unit may include a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator, etc. constituting a cooling cycle, And air is exchanged to generate cold air. The cool air can be supplied to the ice tray 210 through a discharge duct 310 and a cool air guide unit 220 connected to a cool air supply port of the case 100 by a blower or the like.

The icemaker assembly 200 includes an ice tray 210 in which water can be received, a cooler guide unit 220 for guiding the flow of cool air so that the cool air supplied from the cooler moves along the bottom surface of the ice tray 210, And a rotation unit 230 for rotating the ice tray 210 to drop the ice generated in the ice tray 210.

The ice tray 210 receives water from a water supply pipe (not shown) and provides a space where water is cooled by ice. A plurality of molding spaces are formed on the upper surface of the ice tray 210 so that water can be received. The molding space may have various shapes depending on the shape of the ice to be manufactured, and the quantity of the molding space may be variously adjusted.

The ice tray 210 may be made of a metal having a high thermal conductivity, and may be made of aluminum, for example. The higher the thermal conductivity of the ice tray 210, the better the heat exchange rate between the water and the cold air. Thus, the ice tray 210 can have a heat exchanger ) Can play a role. Although not shown, a cooling rib or the like may be provided on the bottom surface of the ice tray 210 to increase the contact area with the cold air.

The cooling air guide unit 220 has a function of guiding the cool air supplied from the cooling unit to the lower side of the ice tray 210 and can be connected to the discharge duct 310 which is a passage through which the cool air is supplied from the cooling unit. have. The cool air guide unit 220 includes cool air guide members 221 and 222 connected to at least one surface of the discharge duct 310 and includes a first cool air guide member 221 extending from the upper surface of the discharge duct 310, And a second cool air guide member 222 extending from the lower surface of the discharge duct 310. [

The first cooling air guide member 221 may be connected between the upper surface of the discharge duct 310 and the bracket 211 on which the ice tray 210 is mounted. The second cooling air guide member 222 may extend from the lower surface of the discharge duct 310 and be spaced apart from the bottom surface of the ice tray 210 by a predetermined distance, A cool air movement flow passage 225 through which cool air can move may be formed between the upper surface of the first chamber 222 and the upper surface of the second chamber 222.

The cool air guided by the cool air guide members 221 and 222 can move toward the bottom surface of the ice tray 210 and the cool air exchanges heat with the ice tray 210, .

The ice produced in this manner can be dropped by the swinging part 230 into the ice bucket 320 disposed below the ice tray 210. The upper surface of the ice tray 210 can be rotated toward the lower ice tray 320 by the rotation of the rotary shaft 231. When the ice tray 210 is rotated over a specific angle, (Not shown), and the ice contained in the ice tray 210 may fall into the ice bucket 320 due to such twisting.

A plurality of ejectors (not shown) are provided along the longitudinal direction of the rotary shaft 231 so that only the ice can be taken out of the ice tray 210 due to the rotation of the ejector 210 without rotating the ice tray 210 .

The transfer assembly 400 may include an auger 410 and an auger motor 420 for transferring ice toward the discharge portion 500. The auger 410 may be a pivoting member having a blade having a screw or spiral shape and is rotated by an auger motor 420. The auger 410 is accommodated in the ice bucket 320 and the ice accumulated in the ice bucket 320 is inserted between the wings of the auger 410 and is transported toward the discharger 500 when the auger 410 rotates. . The auger motor 420 can be received in the auger motor housing 430.

The discharging unit 500 may be connected to a dispenser (not shown) provided in the refrigerator door 13, and ice delivered by the transporting assembly 400 may be supplied to the user through the dispenser . Although not shown, the discharge unit 500 may be provided with a cutting member capable of cutting ice to a predetermined size.

The function and effect of the ice making device 10 of the refrigerator 1 having the above-described configuration will be described.

The ice maker 10 according to the present embodiment can supply cool air generated by the compressor, the condenser, the expansion valve, and the evaporator to the cooling space 105 via the discharge duct 310, The water contained in the ice tray 210 disposed in the space 105 can be frozen. At this time, the cool air guide unit 220 is connected to the discharge duct 310 so that the cool air discharged from the discharge duct 310 can be moved along the cool air guide unit 220.

The cool air flows between the first guide member 221 and the second guide member 222 and then flows into the cool air flow path 220 formed between the bottom surface of the ice tray 210 and the second guide member 222. [ (Not shown). The cold air moves along the bottom surface of the ice tray 210 and exchanges heat with the bottom surface of the ice tray 210, thereby cooling the water contained in the ice tray 210 with ice. The ice produced in the ice tray 210 falls downward due to the rotation of the rotary shaft 231 and can be accumulated in the ice bucket 320 disposed below the ice tray 210.

Meanwhile, it is necessary to insulate the cool air transferred to the inside of the cooling space 105 from heat exchange with the outside air of the ice maker 10 in the process of supplying ice to the ice maker 10 to generate ice. A heat insulating frame (140) is provided in the case (100) for heat insulation between the cooling space (105) and the outside.

The ice making device 10 is installed in close contact with the corner portion of the main body 12 so that the two surfaces of the ice making device 10 are covered with the heat insulating member, Insulation is provided even if a separate heat insulating member is not provided. This will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of a refrigerator in which the ice maker shown in FIG. 1 is installed.

5, a heat insulating member 16 is provided inside the wall of the main body 12 of the refrigerator 1, and the icemaker 10 is installed in close contact with a corner portion of the main body 12. As shown in FIG. At this time, the left side surface and the upper side surface of the ice making device 10 are insulated by the heat insulating member 16 of the refrigerator 1 on the basis of FIG. 5, so that a separate heat insulating member is unnecessary, Since the heat insulating frame 140 is provided on the right side and the lower side, which are opposite sides of the surface to be heat-treated, heat insulation from the outside can be achieved.

Here, it can be said that the heat insulating frame 140 is formed in an L-shape in cross section, and it can be said that the heat insulating frame 140 has two surfaces (right side and lower side in Fig. 5) As used herein. At this time, the predetermined angle may be, for example, 90 degrees, but the spirit of the present invention is not limited thereto.

In addition, the discharge unit 500 provided at the first end of the ice maker 10 may be provided with a member for heat insulation, and the cold air supply port at the second end may be a passage for supplying cool air from the cooling unit And can be in close contact with a functioning cool air duct (not shown).

According to the ice making device 10 of the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment as described above, the contents of the refrigerator 1 can be secured widely, the material cost of the refrigerator 1 is low, , The sealing of the ice maker 10 can be effectively performed.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing the ice making device 10 of the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

6 is a flow chart for explaining the method for manufacturing the ice making device of Fig.

Referring to FIG. 6, an ice maker 10 includes a plurality of assemblies such as an ice maker assembly 200, an ice bucket 320, and a transfer assembly 400. In addition, the ice maker 10 has a structure in which such assemblies are installed inside the case 100.

In order to manufacture the ice maker 10 having such a structure, the ice maker 200, the ice bucket 320, and the transfer assembly 400 are manufactured according to a known technique.

In order to manufacture the case 100 that houses the assembled assemblies, a first external frame 110 forming part of the external appearance of the case 100 is prepared (S1). Then, the heater 150 is installed in the fastening part 112 formed at one end of the prepared first external frame 110 (S2). At this time, the heater 150 may be installed along the periphery of the communication hole through which the ice formed in the coupling part 112 is conveyed.

In addition, a heat insulating frame 140 having an L-shaped cross section is installed inside the first external frame 110 (S3). In addition, the built-in frame 130 is installed in the installed heat insulating frame 140 so that the heat insulating frame 140 is disposed between the built-in frame 130 and the first external frame 110 (S4).

At this time, the built-in frame 130 may be fastened to the first external frame 110 by means of a bolt connection or the like, and may be installed so that the heat insulating frame 140 is closely attached to the first external frame 110.

Thereafter, the pre-manufactured ice making assembly 200, the ice bucket 320, and the transfer assembly 400 are assembled (S5), and the second external frame 120 is fastened to the first external frame 110 (S6). At this time, the assembled assemblies are accommodated in the space between the inner frame 130 and the second outer frame 120.

When the case 100 of the first external frame 110 and the second external frame 120 is installed in the refrigerator 1, a sealing member is installed at an edge of the refrigerator 1 in contact with the main body 12 (S7). The ice maker 10 thus manufactured can be installed in close contact with the corner of the main body 12 of the refrigerator 1. [

While the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be embodied in the widest possible scope according to the basic idea disclosed in the present specification. . Skilled artisans may implement a pattern of features that are not described in a combinatorial and / or permutational manner with the disclosed embodiments, but this is not to depart from the scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be readily made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

1: Refrigerator 10: Deicing device
100: Case 105: Cooling space
110: first external frame 120: second external frame
130: built-in frame 140:
150: heater 160: sealing member
200: Deicing assembly 210: Ice tray
220: guide part 221: first guide member
222: second guide member 230:
310: Discharge duct 320: Ice bucket
400: transfer assembly 410: auger
420: Auger motor 500: Discharge part

Claims (7)

A body having a food storage space;
A cooler for generating cool air by exchanging heat between the coolant and the air;
A case located in the storage space and including an ice-making space; And
An ice tray which can receive water for ice making and is provided in the case;
And a cool air guide portion for guiding the flow of the cool air so that the cool air supplied from the cooler moves along the bottom surface of the ice tray,
The case includes a first external frame and a second external frame which form an appearance of the case, a built-in frame provided between the first external frame and the second external frame, Shaped heat insulating frame provided so as to fill a space between the heat insulating frame and the heat insulating frame,
The cool air guide portion
And a second cooling air guide member extending from a lower surface of the discharge duct so as to be spaced apart from the bottom surface of the ice tray by a predetermined distance, And a cool air flow path through which the cool air can move is formed between the bottom surface and the upper surface of the second cool air guide member,
Refrigerator. A body having a food storage space;
A cooler for generating cool air by exchanging heat between the coolant and the air;
A case located in the storage space and including an ice-making space; And
An ice tray which can receive water for ice making and is provided in the case;
And a cool air guide portion for guiding the flow of the cool air so that the cool air supplied from the cooler moves along the bottom surface of the ice tray,
The case includes a first external frame and a second external frame which form an appearance of the case, a built-in frame provided between the first external frame and the second external frame, Shaped heat insulating frame provided so as to fill a space between the heat insulating frame and the heat insulating frame,
An ice bucket provided below the ice tray and capable of receiving ice falling from the ice tray; And
And a discharging portion through which ice contained in the ice bucket is discharged,
The discharge portion is connected to the first end of the case,
And a cold air supply port through which cool air is supplied from the cooling unit is formed at the second end of the case,
Refrigerator. 3. The method of claim 2,
The cool air guide portion
And a second cooling air guide member extending from a lower surface of the discharge duct so as to be spaced apart from the bottom surface of the ice tray by a predetermined distance, And a cool air flow path through which the cool air can move is formed between the bottom surface and the upper surface of the second cool air guide member,
Refrigerator. 3. The method of claim 2,
A transfer assembly for transferring the ice toward the discharge unit; And
Further comprising a heater installed at the first end of the case,
Refrigerator. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the case is installed in close contact with the main body of the refrigerator,
Wherein a sealing member is provided at an edge of the corner of the first external frame and the second external frame that is in contact with the body of the refrigerator,
Refrigerator. Preparing a first external frame that forms a part of the appearance of a case including a cooling space of the icemaker of the refrigerator;
Installing a heater at one end of the first external frame;
Installing an adiabatic frame having an L-shaped cross section in the first external frame;
Installing a built-in frame on the heat insulating frame;
Assembling an ice-making assembly into the case, the ice-making assembly including an ice tray in which water can be received;
Tightening a second external frame that forms the rest of the appearance of the case on the first external frame; And
And installing a sealing member at an edge of the corner of the first external frame and the second external frame that is in contact with the body of the refrigerator when the case is installed in the refrigerator,
Wherein the assembling of the ice-
A first cool air guide member extending to an upper surface of a discharge duct to which cold air is supplied and a second cool air guide member extending from a lower surface of the discharge duct so as to be separated from the bottom surface of the ice tray by a predetermined distance, And a cool air flow passage through which cool air can move is formed between the upper surface of the first cool air guide member and the upper surface of the second cool air guide member.
A method of manufacturing a refrigerator. The method according to claim 6,
After assembling the ice-making assembly, an ice bucket capable of receiving ice dropped from the ice tray, a discharge unit discharging ice contained in the ice bucket, and a transfer assembly for transferring ice toward the discharge unit are assembled Further comprising:
A method of manufacturing a refrigerator.

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