KR101866843B1 - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first magnet provided on an upper end of a cover portion of an ice bucket and a second magnet provided on an inner ceiling of the ice bucket. The refrigerator includes a first magnet and a second magnet, The ice bucket can be fixed while the cover portion is in close contact with the front wall of the ice making chamber.

Description

Refrigerator {REFRIGERATOR}

The present invention relates to an ice bucket fixing structure of a refrigerator having an ice making chamber and an ice bucket.

Generally, a refrigerator is a household appliance that stores a food freshly, including a refrigerator and a freezer for storing foods, and a cooler for generating cold air using the heat of evaporation of the refrigerant and supplying cool air to the storage room.

The refrigerator also has an ice making room for ice. Particularly, in an BMF (bottom mounted freezer) type refrigerator or an FDR (French door refrigerator) type refrigerator, the ice making room is generally provided at one corner of the refrigerator compartment with the refrigerator compartment.

The ice making chamber is provided with ice cubes separately from the freezing compartment and the freezing compartment, and includes an ice maker for generating ice and an ice bucket for storing the generated ice. The ice bucket is provided to be pulled into and out of the ice making chamber through an opening in the front of the ice making chamber. The ice bucket has a cover portion that hermetically closes the opening to prevent cold air from leaking from the ice making chamber.

On the other hand, the refrigerator may further include a locking device for fixing the ice bucket so that the ice bucket drawn into the ice making room stably closes the opening. Among these locking devices, latch mechanisms are used. One such example is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 7,870,754.

The latch mechanism is intended to restrain movement of the ice bucket drawn into the ice making chamber by using interference between the latch and a plurality of parts of the catch. However, such a latch mechanism does not simply force the cover of the ice bucket close to the ice making chamber, but merely restrains the movement of the ice bucket.

Therefore, the cover portion of the ice bucket can not be brought into close contact with the front wall of the ice making chamber due to manufacturing errors, errors in assembly, or use for a long period of time.

One aspect of the present invention discloses a refrigerator having an ice bucket lock device in which the cover portion of the ice bucket is brought into close contact with the front wall of the ice making chamber, thereby basically preventing cold air leakage.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator comprising: a main body having an inner and an outer surface; an ice making chamber formed inside the main body and having an opening formed at a front side thereof; An ice bucket having a cover portion for sealing the opening to prevent leakage of cold air in the ice making chamber; a first magnet provided at an upper end of the cover portion; and a second magnet disposed magnetically (magnetically, wherein the second magnet is mounted closest to the first magnet so that attraction between the first magnet and the second magnet acts on the second magnet, And an open position in which a repulsive force acts between the first magnet and the second magnet, Button member is provided on the ceiling; And an elastic member for elastically biasing the button member to the closed position.

Here, the first magnet and the second magnet may include at least one N pole and at least one S pole arranged alternately along the moving direction of the button member, respectively.

Here, the N pole of the first magnet at the closed position is arranged to face the S pole of the second magnet, the S pole of the first magnet faces the N pole of the second magnet, The N pole of the first magnet may be arranged so that the S pole of the first magnet faces the S pole of the second magnet, facing the N pole of the second magnet.

Further, the refrigerator may further include the button member, and a lock housing housing the elastic member, and coupled to the ceiling of the in-built housing.

Here, the locking device housing may include a first housing coupled to the ceiling of the inward side, and a second housing coupled to the first housing.

Further, the cover portion may have a first magnet mounting portion on which the first magnet is mounted.

Further, the button member may have a second magnet mounting portion on which the second magnet is mounted.

In addition, the button member may have a pushing projection for urging the ice bucket to separate the ice bucket from the ice making chamber when moving from the closed position to the open position.

Here, the pressure protrusion may have an inclined surface to move the ice bucket in a direction perpendicular to a traveling direction of the button member.

In addition, the first magnet and the second magnet may be arranged to be inclined, respectively.

The first magnet and the second magnet may be permanent magnets.

Further, a sealing member made of a rubber material may be provided on the back surface of the cover portion so as to maintain the airtightness in contact with the ice making chamber.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator comprising: a main body having an internal and an external shape; an ice making chamber formed inside the main body and having an opening formed at a front side thereof; The ice bucket according to claim 1, further comprising: an ice bucket having a cover portion for sealing the opening to prevent leakage of cold air in the ice making chamber; a first magnet provided at an upper end of the cover portion; A closed position in which the first magnet and the second magnet are disposed closest to each other to maximize attractive force between the first magnet and the second magnet and a closed position in which the first magnet and the second magnet are disposed closest to each other, 2 magnet is located farthest from the first magnet and is movable between an open position where attraction between the first magnet and the second magnet is minimized, Button member is provided on the ceiling; And an elastic member for elastically biasing the button member to the closed position.

Here, the first magnet and the second magnet include N poles and S poles arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the button member, respectively, and the first magnet and the second magnet have opposite polarities .

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator comprising: a main body having an inner and an outer surface; an ice making chamber formed inside the main body and having an opening formed at a front thereof; 1. An ice bucket for drawing out ice, comprising: a ice bucket having a cover portion for sealing the opening to prevent leakage of cold air in the ice making chamber; a first magnet provided at an upper end of the cover portion; And a second magnet provided on the ceiling of the in-bed to magnetically interact with the first magnet to lock the ice bucket.

Here, the ice bucket drawn into the ice making chamber may be locked by the magnetic attractive force of the first magnet and the second magnet.

In addition, the refrigerator may further include a locking device housing to which the second magnet is mounted and is coupled to the ceiling of the in-ceiling.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator comprising: a main body having an inner and an outer surface; an ice making chamber formed inside the main body and having an opening formed at a front thereof; An ice bucket for being drawn out, the ice bucket having a cover portion for sealing the opening to prevent leakage of cold air in the ice making chamber; a magnet provided on any one of an upper end of the cover portion and a ceiling on the inner side; And a magnetic material provided on the top of the cover and the other of the inner ceiling to magnetically interact with the magnet.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator comprising: a main body having an inner and an outer surface; an ice making chamber formed inside the main body and having an opening formed at a front thereof; An ice bucket having a cover portion for sealing the opening to prevent leakage of cold air in the ice making chamber; and a rubber material provided on a back surface of the cover portion to contact with a front wall of the ice making chamber to maintain airtightness. A first magnet provided at an upper end of the cover portion; And a second magnet provided on a front wall of the ice making chamber to magnetically interact with the first magnet to lock the ice bucket.

According to the idea of the present invention, since the cover portion of the ice bucket is brought into close contact with the ice making chamber by the magnetic force of the magnet, the cold air leakage in the ice making chamber can be fundamentally prevented and the reliability can be improved.

1 is a view showing an appearance of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a view showing a state in which an ice bucket is mounted in an ice making chamber of the refrigerator of Fig. 1; Fig.
FIG. 3 is a view showing a state in which the ice bucket is separated from the ice making chamber of the refrigerator of FIG. 1;
Figure 4 shows the ice bucket of Figure 1;
Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the ice bucket lock device of the refrigerator of Fig. 1 disassembled; Fig.
FIG. 6 is a plan sectional view showing a state in which the ice bucket of the refrigerator of FIG. 1 is locked. FIG.
Fig. 7 is a plan sectional view showing a state in which the button member is pressed to unlock the ice bucket of the refrigerator of Fig. 1; Fig.
FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the ice bucket of the refrigerator of FIG. 1 is locked; FIG.
Fig. 9 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the button member is pressed to unlock the ice bucket of the refrigerator of Fig. 1; Fig.
10 is a plan sectional view showing a state where the button member of the refrigerator is in the closed position according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 11 is a plan sectional view showing a state in which the button member of the refrigerator of Fig. 10 is in the open position; Fig.
FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view showing a locking device of an ice bucket of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
FIG. 13 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the ice bucket of the refrigerator of FIG. 12 is locked.
FIG. 14 is a side sectional view showing a state in which an ice bucket of a refrigerator is locked in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
15 is a view showing a state where an ice bucket is mounted in an ice making chamber of a refrigerator according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;
16 is a perspective view showing an ice bucket and a locking device of a refrigerator according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.
17 is a view showing an installation structure of the locking device of Fig. 16;
FIG. 18 is a view for explaining a magnet receiving groove provided in the ice bucket and the locking device of FIG. 16, with the magnet being omitted. FIG.
Figure 19 is a partial cross-sectional view of the ice bucket and locking device of Figure 16;
20 is a partial cross-sectional view of the ice bucket and locking device of Fig.
Fig. 21 is a sectional view showing a state in which the ice bucket of Fig. 16 is locked. Fig.
Fig. 22 is a sectional view for explaining an operation of unlocking the ice bucket of Fig. 16; Fig.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail.

1 is a view showing an appearance of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view showing a state where an ice bucket is mounted on an ice making chamber of the refrigerator of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a view showing a state where an ice bucket is separated from an ice making chamber of the refrigerator of FIG. FIG. 4 is a view showing the ice bucket of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the ice bucket of the refrigerator of FIG. FIG. 6 is a horizontal sectional view showing a state in which the ice bucket of the refrigerator of FIG. 1 is locked, and FIG. 7 is a horizontal sectional view showing a state in which the button member is pressed to unlock the ice bucket of the refrigerator of FIG. FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the ice bucket of the refrigerator of FIG. 1 is locked, and FIG. 9 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the button member is pressed to unlock the ice bucket of the refrigerator of FIG.

1 to 5, a refrigerator 1 includes a main body 10, storage rooms 20 and 30 formed inside the main body 10 for storing food, An ice making chamber 40 for generating ice to generate ice and a cool air supplying device for supplying cool air to the storage rooms 20 and 30 and the ice making chamber 40 by generating cold air.

The main body 10 has an inner surface 11 forming an inner storage chamber 20 and an inner cooling chamber 40 and an outer surface 12 joined to the outside of the inner surface 11 and forming the outer surface of the refrigerator 1. [ And a heat insulating material 13 (see FIG. 8) provided between the inner and outer surfaces 11 and 12 to heat the storage chambers 20 and 30 and the ice making chamber 40 from the outside.

The storage rooms 20 and 30 include a refrigerator compartment 20 for refrigerating and storing food and a freezer compartment 30 provided under the refrigerator compartment 20 for refrigerating and storing food. The refrigerating compartment 20 and the freezing compartment 30 can be partitioned by the intermediate partition 19.

The refrigerating chamber 20 can be opened and closed by a pair of doors 21 and 26 rotatably coupled to the main body 10. [ The freezing chamber 30 can be opened and closed by a sliding door 31 slidably coupled to the main body 10.

A door 21 of one of the pair of doors 21 and 26 may be provided with a dispenser 22 for discharging the ice produced in the ice making chamber 40. The user can take the ice of the ice making chamber 40 without opening the doors 21 and 26 through the dispenser 22.

2 and 3, the ice making chamber 40 may be provided at one corner of the upper portion of the refrigerating chamber 20. As shown in FIG. The ice making chamber 40 may include an internal space 41, an ice making chamber front wall 42, an ice making chamber side wall 47, and an ice making chamber bottom wall 48. The inner space 41 of the ice making chamber 40 has an ice making chamber front wall 42, ice making chamber side wall 47, ice making chamber bottom wall 48 and side walls 16 The ceiling 15 of the inner surface 11 of the refrigerating chamber 20 and the rear wall 17 of the inner surface 11 of the refrigerating chamber 20 can be formed.

The ice making chamber front wall 42, the ice making chamber side wall 47, and the ice making chamber bottom wall 48 may be integrally formed. (Not shown) for insulating the ice making chamber 40 may be provided in each of the ice making chamber front wall 42, the ice making chamber side wall 47, and the ice making chamber bottom wall 48. The ice making chamber front wall 42, the ice making chamber side wall 47 and the ice making chamber bottom wall 48 are separately provided from the inner surface 11 of the refrigerating chamber 20 and are connected to the inner surface 11 of the refrigerating chamber 20 .

An opening 43 is formed in the ice making room front wall 42 so that the ice bucket 50 can be drawn into and drawn out from the ice making chamber interior space 41. The opening 43 may be provided in a substantially rectangular shape. Further, auxiliary fastening protrusions 45 for fastening the ice bucket 50 may be provided at the lower end of the ice making chamber front wall 42.

An ice-making tray (not shown) having ice-making cells for storing water and generating ice can be disposed in the inner space 41 of the ice-making chamber 40. The refrigerant pipe is inserted into the ice making chamber 40, and the refrigerant pipe is brought into contact with the ice-making tray (not shown), so that the ice-making tray (not shown)

4, the ice bucket 50 includes a basket portion 60 for storing ice produced in an ice-making tray (not shown), and an ice bucket 50 provided in front of the basket portion 60 And a cover portion (70) for sealing the opening (43) of the ice making chamber (40) when the ice - making chamber (40) is pulled.

The basket portion 60 is provided so as to pass through the opening 43 of the ice making chamber 40 and is opened so as to receive the ice falling from the ice-making tray (not shown). An auger 61 may be provided in the basket portion 60 to transfer the ice stored therein to the front side.

The cover portion 70 is provided at a size larger than the opening 43 of the ice making chamber 40 and is disposed outside the ice making chamber 40 to cover the opening 43 of the ice making chamber 40. A sealing member 72 made of a rubber material may be provided on the back surface 71 of the cover portion 70 to contact the front wall 42 of the ice making chamber 40 to maintain airtightness. The sealing member 72 may be provided in a substantially rectangular shape along the rim of the opening 43.

A lower protrusion 74 capable of fixing the ice bucket 50 by interfering with the latching protrusion 45 of the front wall 42 of the ice making chamber 40 is provided at the lower end of the back surface 71 of the cover portion 70 .

The lower protrusion 74 provided at the lower end of the ice bucket 50 and the locking protrusion 45 provided at the lower end of the ice making chamber 40 serve to fix the lower end of the ice bucket 50, The magnets 77 and 144 serve to fix and close the upper end of the ice bucket 50.

The lower protrusions 74 of the ice bucket 50 and the latching protrusions 45 of the ice making chamber 40 are interfered with each other by slightly raising and lowering the ice bucket 50 at the time of the entry of the ice bucket 50 , The mutual interference can be released by slightly raising the ice bucket 50 at the time of withdrawal of the ice bucket 50.

A first magnet 77 is provided at the upper end 75 of the cover 70 to close the cover 70 to the ice making chamber front wall 42 and to lock the ice bucket 50. The first magnet 77 may be a permanent magnet such as a neodymium magnet, a ferrite magnet, or an Alico magnet.

The first magnet mounting portion 76 may be provided on the upper end 75 of the cover portion 70 to mount the first magnet 77 thereon. The first magnet mounting portion 76 may have a groove shape and the first magnet 77 may be accommodated in the first magnet mounting portion 76 and mounted thereon.

The second magnet 144 may be provided on the ceiling 15 of the inner surface 11 corresponding to the first magnet 77 of the cover portion 70. [ The second magnet 144 may be a permanent magnet like the first magnet 77.

The first magnet 77 and the second magnet 144 can magnetically attract each other. That is, attraction can be applied between the first magnet 77 and the second magnet 144.

6 and 7, the first magnet 77 and the second magnet 144 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction thereof, that is, perpendicular to the moving direction of the button member 140 The first magnet 77 and the second magnet 144 may be arranged so that the different poles face each other.

However, the polarities of the first magnet 77 and the second magnet 144 may be alternately formed in the longitudinal direction. This configuration corresponds to the second embodiment of the present invention, and is shown in Figs. 10 and 11, and the details will be described later.

5, the locking device 100 includes the above-described second magnet 144, a button member 140 mounted with the second magnet 144 and movably provided between the closed position and the open position, An elastic member 150 for elastically biasing the button member 140 to the closed position and a locking device housing 110 for accommodating the button member 140 and the elastic member 150.

The locking device housing 110 includes a first housing 120 coupled to the ceiling 15 of the inner housing 11 and a second housing 130 coupled to the lower portion of the first housing 120. The first housing 120 and the second housing 130 may be provided with screw coupling holes 121 and 131 for mutual coupling and coupling with the ceiling 15 of the inner casing 11, respectively. The screw (S) can be coupled to the screw tightening holes (121, 131).

The second housing 130 is provided with a button member receiving portion 135 in which the button member 140 is movably received, an insertion protrusion 134 for engaging with the ice making chamber front wall 42, An opening 133 for exposing the second magnet mounting portion 143 of the first magnet mounting portion 143 to the outside and a spring supporting portion 132 for supporting one end of the elastic member 150 can be formed. The insertion protrusion 134 can be inserted into the insertion groove 44 of the ice making chamber front wall 42. The insertion protrusion 134 and the insertion groove 44 may serve to adjust the position for the threaded engagement of the lock housing 110.

The button member 140 includes a body portion 142, an operating portion 141 formed at one end of the body portion 142 and exposed to the outside of the locking device housing 110 to be pressed by a user, A second magnet mounting portion 143 formed at the other end of the elastic member 150 to which the second magnet 144 is mounted and a spring supporting portion 145 for supporting the other end of the elastic member 150.

The second magnet mounting portion 143 may have a groove shape and the second magnet 144 may be accommodated in the second magnet mounting portion 143 and mounted.

The button member 140 may be movable between a closed position and an open position. The closed position is a position where the second magnet 144 mounted on the button member 140 is disposed closest to the first magnet 77 mounted on the cover portion 70 of the ice bucket 50 And the open position is a position where the second magnet 144 mounted on the button member 140 is located farthest from the first magnet 77 mounted on the cover portion 70 of the ice bucket 50 (See Figs. 7 and 9). Here, the direction of movement of the button member 140 may be a direction perpendicular to the pulling-out direction of the ice bucket 50.

Therefore, when the button member 140 is in the closed position, the attractive force between the first magnet 77 and the second magnet 140 becomes maximum, and the ice bucket 50 is locked.

Conversely, when the button member 140 is in the open position, attraction between the first magnet 77 and the second magnet 140 is minimized. In this way, the user can manually draw out the ice bucket 50 with a force larger than the magnetic force in a state where the attractive force between the first magnet 77 and the second magnet 140 is minimized.

The elastic member 150 elastically supports the button member 140 such that the button member 140 is positioned in the closed position. Therefore, in order to move the button member 140 to the open position, the user must press the operating portion 141 of the button member 140 with a force greater than the elastic force of the elastic member 150. [ The elastic member 150 may be a compression coil spring.

With this configuration, when the ice bucket 50 is drawn into the ice making chamber 40, the first magnet 77 provided in the cover part 70 of the ice bucket 50 and the second magnet 77 provided in the button member 140 Are magnetically attracted to each other, whereby the ice bucket 50 is locked.

At this time, the cover portion 70 of the ice bucket 50 is brought into close contact with the front wall 42 of the ice making chamber 40 by the magnetic force of the first magnet 77 and the second magnet 144. That is, by the force of pulling the first magnet 77 and the second magnet 144 from each other, the ice bucket 50 is fixed to the ice making chamber 40 while the cover portion 70 is in close contact with the front wall 42 of the ice making chamber 40 .

Therefore, the conventional ice-bucket fixing structure using the latch mechanism may merely restrain the movement of the ice bucket and cause a gap between the cover portion of the ice bucket and the ice making chamber. However, the locking device using the magnetic force of the magnet of the present invention Since the cover portion of the ice bucket is brought into close contact with the ice making chamber, there is an effect that the cold air leakage in the ice making chamber can be fundamentally prevented.

On the other hand, in order to draw out the ice bucket 50 locked by the magnetic force, the button member 140 can be pressed to move the button member 140 to the open position. When the button member 140 moves to the open position, the distance between the first magnet 77 and the second magnet 144 becomes long, so that the magnetic attraction between the first magnet 77 and the second magnet 144 may be weakened have. In this way, the user can easily pull out the ice bucket 50 by pulling the ice bucket 50 in a state where the magnetic attraction is weakened.

Meanwhile, the button member 140 may further include a pushing protrusion 147 provided to allow a user to more easily pull the ice bucket 50. The pressing protrusion 147 can press the ice bucket 50 in the separating direction when the button member 140 moves from the closed position to the open position.

The pushing protrusion 147 pushes the inclined surface 148 to transmit the force in a direction perpendicular to the advancing direction of the button member 140 because the advancing direction of the button member 140 and the pushing and pulling direction of the ice bucket 50 are perpendicular to each other, ).

Meanwhile, the first magnet 77 and the second magnet 144 may be provided in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, respectively. It is preferable that the first magnet 77 and the second magnet 144 are disposed to be spaced apart from each other in order to prevent excessive attraction force from acting on each other to prevent separation of the ice bucket 50. Also, the first magnet 77 and the second magnet 144 may be disposed at an angle to each other.

8, the second magnet 144 is positioned such that its central axis C has a virtual vertical axis V and a predetermined angle of inclination [theta], as shown in FIG. . As described above, since the first magnet 77 and the second magnet 144 are inclined, the working area of the magnets can be increased while minimizing the space occupied by the magnets along the vertical direction.

6 to 9, the operation of locking and unlocking the ice bucket according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

When the ice bucket 50 is drawn through the opening 43 of the ice making chamber 40, the first magnet 77 mounted on the cover portion 70 of the ice bucket 50 and the first magnet 77 mounted on the button member 140 The ice bucket 50 is fixed with the cover portion 70 of the ice bucket 50 being in close contact with the ice making chamber 40 by the magnetic attraction of the second magnet 144. At this time, the button member 140 is in the closed position where the second magnet 144 is located closest to the first magnet 77, and the attraction force of the first magnet 77 and the second magnet 144 is highest to be.

When the ice bucket 50 is to be drawn out from the ice making chamber 40, when the button member 140 is pushed, the button member 140 moves from the closed position to the open position. The second magnet 144 is disposed at the furthest distance from the first magnet 77 and thus the attracting force of the first magnet 77 and the second magnet 144 is the weakest. In this way, in a state in which the attracting force of the first magnet 77 and the second magnet 144 is weak, the user can easily pull out the ice bucket 50 by pulling the ice bucket 50.

At this time, since the pushing protrusion 147 of the button member 140 mechanically presses the ice bucket 50 in the direction in which the ice bucket 50 is pulled out, the ice bucket 50 can be more easily separated.

FIG. 10 is a horizontal sectional view showing a state where the button member of the refrigerator according to the second embodiment of the present invention is in the closed position, FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing the state where the button member of the refrigerator of FIG. to be.

The ice bucket locking structure of the refrigerator according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG. The same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as those in the first embodiment, and description thereof may be omitted.

The first magnet 210 provided on the ice bucket 50 and the second magnet 220 provided on the inner ceiling are arranged such that at least one N pole and at least one S pole are alternately arranged along the longitudinal direction . Here, the longitudinal direction of the first magnet 210 and the second magnet 220 is the same as the direction of movement of the button member 140.

In this embodiment, the first magnet 210 and the second magnet 220 are multi-pole magnetized so as to have two N poles and S poles, respectively. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the N poles and the S poles may be provided one by one, Or more.

10, when the first magnet 210 and the second magnet 220 are in the closed position, the N pole of the first magnet 210 and the S pole of the second magnet 220 are positioned so as to be adjacent to the S pole of the second magnet 220, The S pole of the first magnet 210 may be disposed opposite to the N pole of the second magnet 220. [ Thus, attraction can be applied between the first magnet 210 and the second magnet 220 in the closed position.

11, when the first magnet 210 and the second magnet 220 are in an open position, the N pole of the first magnet 210 is positioned at the opposite side of the N pole of the second magnet 220, The S pole of the first magnet 210 may be disposed opposite to the S pole of the second magnet 220. [

In this open position, a repulsive force acts between the first magnet 210 and the second magnet 220. In this way, since the repulsive force acts between the first magnet 210 and the second magnet 220, the user can easily draw the ice bucket 50 with less force.

Since the first and second magnets 210 and 220 have two N and S poles in this embodiment, the button member 140 is disposed between the first magnet 210 and the second magnet 220, It is possible to move from the open position or the open position to the closed position in the closed position.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view showing a locking device of an ice bucket of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is a side sectional view showing a state where the ice bucket of the refrigerator of FIG. 12 is locked.

Referring to Figs. 12 and 13, a locking device of an ice bucket of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as those of the first embodiment or the second embodiment, and description thereof may be omitted.

The locking device 300 includes a locking device housing 310 formed by coupling the first housing 320 and the second housing 330 and a second magnet 344 mounted on the locking device housing 310 .

The first housing 320 and the second housing 330 may have screw engagement holes 321 and 331, respectively. The second housing 330 may be provided with a second magnet mounting portion 343 on which the second magnet 344 is mounted and an opening 333 through which the second magnet mounting portion 343 is exposed to the outside. The second housing 330 may be provided with an insertion mouth protrusion 334 inserted into the insertion slot 44 of the ice making chamber front wall 42.

The second magnet mounting portion 343 may have a groove shape and the second magnet 344 may be accommodated in the second magnet mounting portion 343 and mounted.

The configuration of the cover portion of the ice bucket including the first magnet is the same as that of the first embodiment or the second embodiment.

That is, the locking device of the refrigerator according to the third embodiment of the present invention is fixed in place of the position of the second magnet 344. When the ice bucket 50 is drawn into the ice making chamber 40, the cover portion 70 of the ice bucket 50 is brought into close contact with the ice making chamber 40 by the magnetic force of the first magnet 77 and the second magnet 343 The ice bucket 50 is fixed.

The ice bucket 50 can be pulled out by pulling the ice bucket 50 with a larger force than the magnetic attraction of the first magnet 77 and the second magnet 343 to draw the ice bucket 50 .

FIG. 14 is a side sectional view showing a state where the ice bucket of the refrigerator according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is locked.

Referring to Fig. 14, the locking structure of the ice bucket according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as those of the third embodiment described above, and a description thereof may be omitted.

In the third embodiment described above, the magnets 77 and 344 are provided on the cover portion 70 of the ice bucket 50 and the lock device 300 of the inner ceiling 15, respectively, so that the ice bucket 50 is fixed by the magnetic force The magnetic member 477 is provided in the cover portion 470 of the ice bucket 50 instead of the magnet according to the fourth embodiment.

The magnetic body means an object capable of responding to the magnetic force of the magnet, and may include, for example, iron, cobalt, nickel, and the like.

The cover portion 470 of the ice bucket 50 may be provided with a separate magnetic body mounting portion 475 on which the magnetic body 477 is mounted. Or a portion of the cover portion 470 of the ice bucket 450 may be made of a magnetic substance.

The other components, such as the sealing member 472 provided on the back surface of the cover portion 470 of the ice bucket 450, are the same as in the third embodiment.

As described above, although the fixing force of the ice bucket 50 can be somewhat weakened by using only one magnet, the locking structure can be implemented with a simple structure. Meanwhile, although not shown, a structure in which a magnet is provided on the cover portion of the ice bucket and a magnetic body is provided on the locking device of the on-ceiling ceiling is also possible and will be included in the spirit of the present invention.

16 is a view illustrating a state where an ice bucket is mounted on an ice making chamber of a refrigerator according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 16, the ice bucket locking structure of the refrigerator according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Description of the same configuration as the other embodiments may be omitted.

A first magnet mounting portion 576 is provided on the upper end 575 of the cover portion 570 of the ice bucket 550 and a first magnet 577 is mounted on the first magnet mounting portion 576. A sealing member 572 may be provided on the back surface 571 of the cover portion 570 of the ice bucket 550 to maintain airtightness with the front wall 542 of the ice making chamber 540.

The second magnet mounting portion 544 is provided on the front wall 542 of the ice making chamber 540. The second magnet mounting portion 544 is mounted with a second magnet 545 capable of magnetically interacting with the first magnet 577.

That is, the ice bucket locking structure of the refrigerator according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention includes a first magnet 577 provided at the upper end 575 of the ice bucket 550 cover part 570, And a second magnet 545 provided in the barrier 542 and magnetically interacting with the first magnet 577.

With this configuration, the locking structure of the ice bucket using the magnetic force according to the present invention can be implemented without a separate locking device provided on the ceiling of the in-ceiling.

16 is a perspective view showing an ice bucket and a locking device of a refrigerator according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 17 is a view showing an installation structure of the locking device of FIG. 16, FIG. 19 is a partial cross-sectional view of the ice bucket and the locking device of FIG. 16, FIG. 20 is another partial cross-sectional view of the ice bucket and the locking device of FIG. 16, Fig. 21 is a sectional view showing the ice bucket of Fig. 16 in a locked state, and Fig. 22 is a sectional view for explaining an operation of unlocking the ice bucket of Fig. In Fig. 18, the magnet is omitted.

The locking structure of the ice bucket according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 16 to 22. Fig. The same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as in the other embodiments, and description thereof may be omitted.

The locking structure of the ice bucket according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention further embodies the locking structure of the ice bucket according to the third embodiment of the present invention described above.

That is, the locking structure of the ice bucket according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention includes a first magnet 640 provided at the upper end of the ice bucket 600 and a second magnet 640 installed at the ceiling 15 of the in- And a second magnet 740 provided in the magnet 700.

The ice bucket 600 is locked by the magnetic attraction of the first magnet 640 and the second magnet 740. The locked ice bucket 600 can be unlocked only by the operation of simply lifting and picking up the ice bucket 600 without additional operation.

16 and 17, the ice bucket 600 includes a basket part 610 for storing ice, and a basket part 610 provided in front of the basket part 610 to allow the ice bucket 600 to be drawn into the ice making chamber 40 And a cover portion 620 for sealing the opening 43 of the ice making chamber 40 when the ice making chamber 40 is opened.

An auger 611 for transferring the ice stored in the basket unit 610 may be provided.

A sealing member 670 made of a rubber material for contacting the front wall 42 of the ice making chamber 40 and maintaining the airtightness may be provided on the rear surface of the cover portion 620. [ A lower protrusion 680 is provided at the bottom of the rear surface of the cover portion 620 to interfere with the locking protrusion 45 of the front wall 42 of the ice making chamber 40 to physically fix the lower end of the ice bucket 600. [ May be provided.

A first magnet 640 is mounted on the upper end of the cover portion 620 of the ice bucket 600. To this end, a first magnet receiving groove 630 (FIG. 18) in which the first magnet 640 is accommodated is provided at an upper end of the cover portion 620 of the ice bucket 600.

The first magnet 640 is accommodated to be fixed to the first magnet receiving groove 630. To this end, the ice bucket 600 may be provided with a first magnet fixing hook 650 and a first magnet elastic hook 660.

The first magnet fixing hook 650 and the first magnet elastic hook 660 support the first magnet 640 so that the first magnet 640 is fixed to the first magnet receiving groove 630.

The first magnet elastic hook 660 is elastically deformed in a slightly widening direction when the first magnet 640 enters the first magnet receiving groove 630 and the first magnet 640 is elastically deformed in the first magnet receiving groove 630, The first magnet 640 is restored to its original position to support the first magnet 640.

On the other hand, the locking device 700 includes a locking device housing 710 and a screw coupling hole 710 provided in the locking device housing 710 for coupling the locking device housing 710 to the ceiling 15 of the in- An insertion protrusion 712 for adjusting the position of the locking device 700 by being inserted into the insertion groove 44 of the front wall 42 of the ice making chamber 40, And a second magnet 740 that interacts.

Here, the magnetic interaction means attracting each other. The polarities of the first magnet 640 and the second magnet 740 and the kind of the magnet are not limited.

The locking device housing 710 is provided with the screw S in the screw engagement hole 711 after the insertion protrusion 712 is adjusted by inserting the insertion protrusion 712 into the insertion groove 44 of the front wall 42 of the ice- It is possible to engage with the ceiling 15 of the inner casing 11. [

The second magnet 740 is received in the second magnet receiving groove 730 (FIG. 18) provided in the lock housing 710. The second magnet 740 is accommodated to be fixed to the second magnet receiving groove 730.

To this end, the lock housing 710 may be provided with a second magnet fixing hook 750 and a second magnet elastic hook 760.

The second magnet fixing hook 750 and the second magnet elastic hook 760 support the second magnet 740 so that the second magnet 740 is fixed to the second magnet receiving groove 730.

The second magnet elastic hook 760 is elastically deformed in a slightly widening direction when the second magnet 740 enters the second magnet receiving groove 730 and the second magnet 740 is elastically deformed in the second magnet receiving groove 730, The second magnet 740 is returned to its original position to support the second magnet 740.

When the ice bucket 600 is pulled into the ice making chamber 40, the locking device housing 710 is provided with at least the ice bucket 600 which can further increase the fixing force of the ice bucket 600 by pressing the ice bucket 600 downward. One pressing rib 770 may be provided. The pressurizing rib 770 may be provided to be protruded downward from the lock housing 710 and be made of an elastic material.

The locking and unlocking operation of the ice bucket 600 according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 21 and 22. Fig.

The locking operation of the ice bucket 600 can be accomplished simply by drawing the ice bucket 600 into the ice making chamber 40. At this time, the ice bucket 600 can be lifted up slightly so that the lower protrusion 680 of the ice bucket 600 cover part 620 does not interfere with the latching protrusion 45 of the ice making chamber 40.

The first magnet 640 on the upper part of the cover part 620 of the ice bucket 600 and the second magnet 740 of the lock device 700 can be moved in the direction of arrow A, The ice bucket 600 can be locked by the magnetic attraction of the ice bucket.

The lower protrusion 680 of the ice bucket 600 is interfered with the latching protrusion 45 of the ice making chamber 40 so that the lower end of the ice bucket 600 can be physically fixed.

The ice bucket 600 is pressed downward by the pressurizing rib 770 of the locking device 700 so that the ice bucket 600 is brought into close contact with the ice making chamber lower wall 48 as a whole, It can be strongly fixed.

As shown in FIG. 22, unlocking the ice bucket 600 can be easily performed simply by pulling out the ice bucket 600. That is, the operation of unlocking the ice bucket 600 and the operation of unloading the ice bucket 600 are not separate from each other. Instead of unlocking the ice bucket 600 and unlocking the ice bucket 600, The bucket 600 can be pulled out.

At this time, the ice bucket 600 is slightly lifted and pulled out so that the lower protrusion 680 of the ice bucket 600 does not interfere with the latching protrusion 45 of the ice making chamber 40, The ice bucket 600 can be taken out at the same time.

Of course, in order to unlock the ice bucket 600, the ice bucket 600 must be drawn out with a greater force than the magnetic attraction of the first magnet 640 and the second magnet 740.

As described above, the ice bucket fixing structure using the conventional latch mechanism simply restrains movement of the ice bucket in one direction. However, the ice bucket fixing structure using the magnetic force of the magnet of the present invention is not limited to the structure of the ice bucket 600 It is possible to fundamentally prevent the cold air leakage in the ice making chamber 40 by restricting the movement in all directions of the front and rear, left and right, and up and down, and tightly attaching the ice bucket 600 to the ice making chamber 40 side.

Further, even when the ice bucket 600 is unlocked and the ice bucket 600 is taken out, in the structure using the conventional latch mechanism or the buttons of the first and second embodiments of the present invention, In the fixing structure using the magnetic force of the magnet according to the present invention, only one operation of lifting up the ice bucket 600 and pulling out the ice bucket 600 is required to be performed The ice bucket 600 can be unlocked and the ice bucket 600 can be taken out.

Although the technical idea of the present invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, the scope of rights of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

1: Refrigerator 10: Body
11: Injury 12: Trauma
13: Insulation 15: Ceiling
15a: locking device mounting portion 16: side wall
17: rear wall 19: intermediate partition
20: a refrigerating compartment 21: a refrigerating compartment first door
22: dispenser 26: refrigerator compartment door 2
30: Freezer 31: Freezer door
40: ice making room 41: inner ice making room
42: ice chamber front wall 43: opening
44: insertion groove 45: latching projection
47: ice making side wall 48: ice making room lower wall
50: ice bucket 60: basket part
61: auger 70: cover part
71: back face of cover part 72: sealing member
74: lower projection 75: upper end of the cover portion
76: first magnet mounting portion 77: first magnet
100: locking device 110: locking device housing
120: first housing 121: screwed hole
130: second housing 131: screw tightening hole
132: spring supporting portion 133: opening
134: insertion protrusion 135: button member accommodating portion
140: Button member 141:
142: Body part 143: Second magnet mounting part
144: second magnet 145: spring support
147: pressing projection 148: inclined surface
150: elastic member 210: first magnet
220: second magnet 300: locking device
310: locking device housing 320: first housing
321: Screw fixing hole 330: Second housing
331: Screw fixing hole 333:
334: insertion protrusion 343: second magnet mounting portion
344: Second magnet 450: Ice bucket
470: Cover portion 476: Magnetic body mounting portion
477: magnetic substance 540: ice making chamber
542: ice making front wall 543: opening
544: second magnet mounting portion 545: second magnet
550: Ice bucket 570: Cover part
571: back surface of cover part 572: sealing member
575: upper end of cover portion 576: first magnet mounting portion
577: first magnet 600: ice bucket
610: basket part 611: auger
620: cover part 630: first magnet receiving groove
640: first magnet 650: first magnet fixing hook
660: first magnet resilient hook 670: sealing member
680: Ice bucket lower projection 700: Locking device
710: Lock housing 711: Screw tightening hole
712: insertion protrusion 730: second magnet receiving groove
740: second magnet 750: second magnet fixing hook
760: second magnet elastic hook 770: pressure rib
C: Center axis of the magnet S: Screw
V: Vertical line θ: Slope of the first magnet and the second magnet

Claims (19)

A body having internal and external contours;
An ice making chamber formed inside the body and having a front wall formed with an opening;
An ice bucket having a cover portion disposed in front of the front wall to seal the opening to prevent leakage of cold air in the ice making chamber, the ice bucket being inserted into and drawn out of the ice making chamber through the opening;
A first magnet provided at an upper end of the cover portion of the ice bucket;
A second magnet provided on the main body to magnetically interact with the first magnet to lock the ice bucket;
A locking device housing coupled to the ceiling of the inboard ceiling; And
A button member movably disposed inside the locking device housing; Lt; / RTI >
The cover portion of the ice bucket can be pulled in the direction of pulling in the ice bucket by the magnetic attraction of the first magnet and the second magnet to be brought into close contact with the front wall of the ice making chamber,
The second magnet is mounted on the button member,
Wherein the button member is movably provided between a closed position in which the second magnet is relatively closer to the first magnet and an open position in which the second magnet is relatively far away from the first magnet,
Wherein the button member has a pressing projection for pressing the ice bucket to separate the ice bucket from the ice making chamber when the ice container is moved from the closed position to the open position,
Wherein the pressure protrusion has an inclined surface to move the ice bucket in a direction perpendicular to a traveling direction of the button member. delete The method according to claim 1,
And an elastic member for elastically biasing the button member to the closed position. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first magnet and the second magnet each include at least one N pole and at least one S pole alternately arranged along the moving direction of the button member. The method according to claim 1,
The N pole of the first magnet is arranged to face the S pole of the second magnet at the closed position and the S pole of the first magnet faces the N pole of the second magnet,
Wherein the N pole of the first magnet is disposed such that the S pole of the first magnet faces the S pole of the second magnet opposite the N pole of the second magnet at the open position. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the cover portion has a first magnet mounting portion on which the first magnet is mounted. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the button member has a second magnet mounting portion on which the second magnet is mounted. delete delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first magnet and the second magnet are disposed at an angle to each other. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first magnet and the second magnet are permanent magnets. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein a sealing member made of a rubber material is provided on a back surface of the cover portion to maintain airtightness in contact with the ice making chamber. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete

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