KR101910964B1 - Ice manufacturing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An icemaker according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an upper plate 100 and a lower plate 101. A refrigerant supply unit 110 is formed in the upper plate 100 and the lower plate 101 of the ice maker. The refrigerant supply unit 110 is provided with a refrigerant supply passage 111 through which refrigerant is supplied along the longitudinal direction and a plurality of refrigerant tubes 112 connected to the refrigerant supply passage 111 are connected to the refrigerant supply passage And a plurality of ice-making connection pipes 115 connected to the upper part area 126 of the plurality of refrigerant pipes 112. The ice- The upper end of the finger unit 120 is connected to the ice making connection pipe 115 of the coolant supply unit 110.

Description

[0001] ICE MANUFACTURING APPARATUS [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an ice maker, and more particularly, to an ice maker configured to manufacture ice having a predetermined shape.

Ice-making is to make ice by cooling water. Ice-making can be performed by an ice-making system using mainly refrigerant. The ice-making system is installed in various devices such as a refrigerator and a water purifier. That is, a water treatment device may be installed in a water purifier, an ionizer, and a refrigerator, and an ice maker may be included in the water treatment device to freeze ice.

The ice maker includes a spray type in which water is sprayed to form ice, a water type in which ice is formed in a state in which water is flowing, and a sink type in which ice is formed in the finger in a state in which the finger of the evaporator is immersed.

The ice making system may use a heat exchanger having a plurality of fingers formed on the upper side of the water supply case. The fingers of the heat exchanger are configured to be cooled by the refrigerant, so that the ice can gradually grow in the fingers.

After the ice is sufficiently grown in the fingers, the refrigerant cycle is reversed to allow hot coolant to be fed into the heat exchanger. As a result, the ice can be separated from the fingers and used as an ice-making case.

The fingers to which the ice is to be grown can be variously arranged in a pair of or circular in the finger body in which the coolant flows, and the coolant flowing from the finger body flows and is connected to the finger body so as to cool.

The predominantly known fingers and finger bodies are configured to allow refrigerant to flow in series. In other words, for example, when the main body of refrigerant lines are provided in pairs, the fingers are connected to the refrigerant line at intervals along each of the pair of refrigerant lines of the finger body.

In the conventional method of supplying the refrigerant to the fingers, the flow line of the refrigerant to the fingers is ineffectively configured, the thermal energy is dropped, the connection relation between the fingers and the refrigerant line is not stable, and the refrigerant is supplied to the finger The configuration and manufacturing of the finger main body are somewhat complicated.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerant line for fingers is efficiently configured to have a high heat transfer efficiency, a strong connection relationship between fingers and a refrigerant line, ≪ / RTI >

An ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an upper plate and a lower plate, and a coolant supply passage through which coolant is supplied along the longitudinal direction of the upper plate and the lower plate is provided on one side, A refrigerant supply unit provided with an ice-making connector of the evaporator; A plurality of finger units configured to be coupled to an upper end portion of the refrigerant supply unit by being connected to the ice-making connection pipe; And a plurality of upper and lower ducts arranged so as to divide respective internal spaces of the ice-making connector and the finger unit along the up-and-down direction from the upper plate, wherein a part of the upper and lower channels are spaced apart from the bottom of the finger unit, And a partition wall unit interconnecting the plurality of upper and lower ducts, wherein the refrigerant supply unit further includes a refrigerant recovery passage connected to the refrigerant supply passage.

Wherein the partitioning unit further comprises a plurality of refrigerant tubes connected to the refrigerant supply passage, the refrigerant supply unit including an upper portion of the ice-making connection tube divided into a partial region and a top portion region, The plurality of refrigerant tubes may be disposed in correspondence with each other, and the plurality of refrigerant tubes may be connected to a plurality of the refrigerant tubes through the plurality of refrigerant tubes.

The refrigerant supply passage of the refrigerant supply unit has a diameter smaller than that of the refrigerant recovery passage, a capillary tube is connected to the refrigerant supply passage, and an accumulator may be connected to the refrigerant recovery passage.

A copper tube for increasing heat transfer efficiency may be attached to the inner wall of the finger unit.

The upper plate coupling portion of the refrigerant supply unit may be provided with an upper plate coupling groove into which the upper end of the partition unit is inserted.

The refrigerant supply unit may further include a refrigerant return passage connected to the refrigerant return passage, the refrigerant return passage being disposed in parallel with the refrigerant return passage.

The refrigerant distributor may be formed in a bead shape protruding from the upper plate so as to form a flow path on the inner side.

The upper plate of the refrigerant supply unit is provided with a heater unit for separating the ice from the finger unit. The upper plate, the lower plate, and the heater unit may be fixed to each other while being wrapped around the molding.

Wherein the refrigerant supply passage and the refrigerant return passage are formed in a half-flow path having a semicircular cross section on the upper plate and the lower plate, the refrigerant branch is located on the upper plate, And the upper plate and the lower plate are correspondingly formed on the lower plate, and the upper plate and the lower plate may be manufactured by press working with a mold having a shape corresponding to the refrigerant supply passage, the refrigerant return passage, the refrigerant branch, and the refrigerant connection tube .
Further, in the ice making device of the present invention,
And is composed of an upper plate and a lower plate,
A refrigerant supply passage provided on one side of the upper plate and the lower plate to supply refrigerant along a longitudinal direction thereof, the refrigerant supply passage having a smaller diameter than the following refrigerant return passage;
A plurality of refrigerant branch tubes connected to the refrigerant supply passage at a front end portion thereof and a rear end portion thereof disposed obliquely to the ice-making connection tubes of the lower plate;
A refrigerant recovery passage connected to the plurality of finger units in parallel to guide the movement of the refrigerant along the longitudinal direction of the upper plate and the lower plate;
A refrigerant return passage arranged along the longitudinal direction of the upper plate and the lower plate so as to communicate with the refrigerant recovery passage and guiding the discharge of the refrigerant;
A refrigerant supply unit including an ice-making connector connected to the refrigerant tube;
A plurality of finger units to which an upper end portion is inserted and coupled to the ice-making connection pipe, and a copper pipe is attached to the inside so that the refrigerant flows along the up-and-down direction to make ice on the outer wall portion;
A plurality of upper and lower ducts arranged so as to divide respective internal spaces of the ice-making connector and the finger unit along the up-and-down direction from the upper plate, a part of the upper and lower ducts being spaced apart from the bottom of the finger unit, And a partition wall unit interconnecting the plurality of upper and lower ducts ≪ / RTI &
The upper end of the partition unit is coupled to the upper plate coupling groove provided on the upper plate.

According to an embodiment of the present invention as described above, the refrigerant line for the fingers is efficiently constructed, and the heat transfer efficiency is high, the connection relation between the fingers and the refrigerant line is strong, and the configuration of the refrigerant line for the fingers Production is simple.

1 is a perspective view of an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the upper plate and the lower plate of Fig. 1. Fig.
3 is a perspective view in which the partition unit and the finger unit are arranged on the lower plate of FIG.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the heater unit shown in Fig. 1. Fig.
Fig. 5 is a perspective view in the other direction of Fig. 4. Fig.

Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of specific embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The differences in the embodiments are to be understood as mutually exclusive matters, and the specific shapes, structures, and characteristics described in connection with one embodiment may be embodied in other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention .

It is to be understood that the position or arrangement of the individual components in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may be varied and that like reference numerals may be used to indicate like or similar features throughout the various aspects, The form may be exaggerated for ease of explanation.

The direction and position of the drawing are described assuming an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system. The top, bottom, right and left coincide with the XY coordinate plane system, and the front, rear, left and right coincide with the YZ coordinate plane system. In the drawings of the embodiments, each unit, module, section, and member, in which the lower elements are not described, is assumed to include conventional sub-elements for having respective assigned functions, and is not limited to the sub- . It is to be understood that the components shown and described are generally included in the embodiments.

The terms used shall be understood to have the traditional meaning of Chinese characters, national language, or English, except those specifically defined, or to have attributes consistent with the terms used in the field. It is to be understood that "comprising, comprising, or having" means having more than one of the other components, "fixed and constrained" And can be moved by the user.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the upper and lower plates of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a partition plate unit and a finger unit. The main components of the ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to these drawings.

1 to 3, an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a top plate 100 and a bottom plate 101 as main components. The refrigerant lines of the refrigerant supply unit 110 are located in the upper plate 100 and the lower plate 101 of the ice maker. The refrigerant supply unit 110 is provided with a refrigerant supply passage 111 through which refrigerant is supplied along the longitudinal direction and a plurality of refrigerant tubes 112 connected to the refrigerant supply passage 111 are connected to the refrigerant supply passage And a plurality of ice-making connection pipes 115 connected to the upper part area 126 of the plurality of refrigerant pipes 112. The ice- The upper end of the finger unit 120 is connected to the ice making connection pipe 115 of the coolant supply unit 110.

The upper end of the finger unit 120 is inserted and coupled to the ice-making connector pipe 115. The finger unit 120 is configured to allow the refrigerant to flow along the up and down direction and to perform ice-making on the outer wall portion. The finger unit 120 is connected to the ice making connection pipe 115 of the refrigerant supply unit 110 constituted by the upper plate 100 and the lower plate 101 and receives refrigerant for ice making, Ice can be generated.

A partition unit 125 is disposed in the finger unit 120. The partition wall unit 125 is disposed to divide the interior space of the ice-making connector pipe 115 and the finger unit 120 along the vertical direction from the upper plate 100. [ The partition wall unit 125 is provided with a plurality of upper and lower pipes in the ice-making connection pipe 115 and the finger unit 120.

The partition unit 125 is partly spaced apart from the bottom of the finger unit 120 to interconnect the plurality of upper and lower ducts at the lower end of the finger unit 120. The partition wall unit 125 also divides the upper portion of the ice-making connector pipe 115 into a partial region 126 and a tip region 127. The plurality of upper and lower ducts are semicircular passages connected respectively to the partial region 126 and the lower region 127.

As described above, the partition unit 125 is coupled to the bottom surface of the upper plate 100 and passes through the ice-making connection pipe 115 to the lower end of the finger unit 120 to form a plurality of upper and lower passages divided in the vertical direction , The refrigerant can flow into the divided partial area 126 of the ice-making connector pipe 115 and flow down along one of the upper and lower passages, and then flows upward along the opposite upper and lower passages at the lower end of the finger unit 120 And can be recovered to the refrigerant return passage 130 to be described later.

The refrigerant supply unit 110 is spaced apart from the refrigerant supply passage 111 and is arranged along the arrangement direction of the finger units 120. The refrigerant supply unit 110 is disposed in the upper side tip region 127 of each of the plurality of ice connection tubes 115, And a refrigerant return passage (130) connected to the refrigerant return passage (130). The coolant supply passage 111 and the coolant return passage 130 may be formed in parallel with the upper plate 100 and the lower plate 101.

The refrigerant supply unit 110 is formed by forming half channels each having a semicircular cross section on the upper plate 100 and the lower plate 101. The refrigerant branch pipe 112 is located on the upper plate 100, The tube is located in the lower plate 101 in correspondence with the branching tube. The upper plate 100 and the lower plate 101 having the shapes as described above are pressed by a mold having a shape corresponding to the refrigerant supply passage 111, the refrigerant return passage 130, the refrigerant branch pipe 112, .

The ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention efficiently configures the refrigerant lines for the finger units 120 by the upper plate 100 and the lower plate 101 so that the heat transfer efficiency is high, And the refrigerant line connected to the finger unit 120 is formed by the assembly of the upper plate 100 and the lower plate 101. Therefore, This is simple.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the detailed configuration and operation of the main components of the ice maker according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. The detailed structure and operation structure described below are only examples of the present invention.

The coolant supply passage 111 of the coolant supply unit 110 has a diameter smaller than that of the coolant return passage 130. A capillary tube 10 is connected to the refrigerant supply passage 111 and an accumulator 20 is connected to the refrigerant recovery passage 130. The refrigerant supplied from the capillary tube 10 flows into the refrigerant supply passage 111 and flows into the finger unit 120 through the refrigerant tube 112. The refrigerant condensed from the outside is lowered in pressure due to an increase in flow rate in the capillary tube 10, and is supplied to the refrigerant supply passage 111, so that ice can be generated in the finger unit 120.

The refrigerant is introduced into the finger unit 120 through the partial area 126 of the ice-making connection pipe 115 in the lower plate 101 and is returned to the finger unit 120 via both upper and lower passages of the partition unit 125 of the finger unit 120 Flows into the tip region 127 of the ice-making connector tube 115 and flows into the refrigerant return passage 130 in the upper plate 100.

The refrigerant tube 112 of the upper plate 100 is connected to one of the upper regions 126 of the ice making connection pipe 115 and the refrigerant returning passage 130 is connected to the other side And is connected to the punching area 127. The refrigerant return passage 130 is connected to the refrigerant return passage 130 of the lower plate 101 connected to the refrigerant return passage 135 to be described later. The refrigerant return passage 130 of the upper plate 100 and the refrigerant return passage 130 of the lower plate 101 are vertically disposed and connected to the refrigerant return passage 130 of the upper plate 100 through the refrigerant return passage 130 may overlap and be connected.

The refrigerant can flow into the accumulator 20 connected to the refrigerant return passage 135 via the refrigerant return passage 135 of the upper plate 100 and the lower plate 101. The refrigerant is pressurized and condensed in the refrigerant line after the accumulator 20 and then supplied to the refrigerant supply passage 111 through the capillary tube 10.

A copper tube 140 for increasing heat transfer efficiency may be attached to the inner wall of the finger unit 120. The copper pipe 140 is formed to increase the heat transfer efficiency of the finger unit 120 and the coolant. The copper pipe 140 may be manufactured to fit the diameter of the finger unit 120 and inserted into the finger unit 120. A brazing method may be used for attaching the copper tube 140.

The top plate 100 of the refrigerant supply unit 110 may be provided with an upper plate coupling groove 128 into which the upper end of the partition unit 125 is inserted and coupled. The upper plate engaging groove 128 may be formed as a press at the time of manufacturing the upper plate 100 because the plate-shaped partition wall unit 125 formed as long as the finger unit 120 can be press-fitted.

The refrigerant supply unit 110 may further include a refrigerant return passage 135 which is connected to the refrigerant return passage 130 and is disposed in parallel with the refrigerant return passage 130 and is spaced apart from the refrigerant return passage 130. [ The refrigerant return passage 135 may be formed as a pair when the upper plate 100 and the lower plate 101 are overlapped to form a circular channel. Only the refrigerant return passage 135 of the upper plate 100 may be connected to the accumulator 20 and the refrigerant return passage 135 of the lower plate 101 may extend together along the refrigerant return passage 135 of the upper plate 100, But the present invention is not limited thereto.

The refrigerant branch pipe 112 may be formed in a bead shape protruding from the upper plate 100 so as to form a flow path on the inside thereof. That is, the bead shape is convex and elongated when viewed from above the upper plate 100. The front end portion of the refrigerant tube 112 is connected to the refrigerant supply passage 111 and the rear end portion of the refrigerant tube 112 is connected to one side region 126 of the ice making connection tube 115 of the lower plate 101 . That is, the upper part area 126 of the ice-making connector pipe 115 divided by the partition unit 125. [

FIG. 4 is a perspective view in which the heater unit is disposed in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view in another direction in FIG.

4 and 5, a heater unit 150 for separating ice from the finger unit 120 is disposed on the upper plate 100 of the refrigerant supply unit 110. This heater unit 150 is for separating the generated ice from the finger unit 120 by heat when the ice making is completed in the finger units 120. [ The heater unit 150 may be disposed in the outer region of the refrigerant supply passage 111 and the refrigerant return passage 135. The heater unit 150 may be formed in a letter U-shaped linear shape and disposed on the upper plate 100.

The heater unit 150 can be fixed in position by the brackets 155 to which the lower portions of the upper and lower plates 100 and 101 are coupled to each other when the upper plate 100 and the lower plate 101 are molded, They may be placed on the upper plate 100 by being buried in a molding material. Although the molding material is not shown, it is a plastic that covers the entirety of the upper plate 100 and the lower plate 101.

That is, the upper plate 100, the lower plate 101, and the heater unit 150 can be fixed in position while being wrapped around the moldings. The heater unit 150 may be in the form of a panel that can be disposed in a flat area of the upper plate 100 and the lower plate 101 in a state in which the upper plate 100 and the lower plate 101 are molded and flattened.

The refrigerant tubes 112 are connected in parallel to the refrigerant supply passage 111 and the refrigerant tubes 112 and the finger units 120 are connected in parallel to each other, The finger units 120 are connected in parallel to the refrigerant return passage 130 and the refrigerant return passage 130 and the refrigerant return passage 135 are connected in series. Accordingly, the refrigerant is supplied to the finger units 120 in parallel in the refrigerant supply passage 111, and the refrigerant of the finger units 120 is recovered in parallel to the refrigerant recovery passage 130.

As described above, the ice maker according to the embodiment of the present invention is described as being connected to the refrigerant supply passage 111 and the refrigerant return passage 130 in parallel, but the scope of the present invention is limited to this. It does not. The finger units 120 are connected to the refrigerant supply passages 111 and the refrigerant supply passages 111 in accordance with the arrangement of the refrigerant supply passages 111 and the refrigerant return passages 130 of the upper plate 100 and the lower plate 101, May be connected in series with respect to the recovery passage (130).

The series connection of the finger units 120 is performed such that the ice making connection pipe 115 of the lower plate 101 is formed below the refrigerant supply passage 111 along the refrigerant supply passage 111, And the refrigerant return passage 130 is directly connected to the rear end. At this time, the finger units 120 are positioned directly below the refrigerant supply passage 111. At this time, the refrigerant sequentially passes through the finger units 120 arranged along the refrigerant supply passage 111 according to the flow direction. The partition wall unit 125 may be disposed such that the coolant flows through the partition wall.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Deletion, addition or the like of the present invention may be variously modified and changed within the scope of the present invention.

10: capillary 20: accumulator
100: top plate 101: bottom plate
110: Refrigerant supply unit 111: Refrigerant supply passage
112: Refrigerant distributor 115: Ice-making connector
120: finger unit 125: partition wall unit
126: partial area 127:
128: coupling groove portion 130: refrigerant return passage
135: Refrigerant return passage 140: Copper pipe
150: heater unit 155: bracket

Claims (5)

And is composed of an upper plate and a lower plate,
A refrigerant supply passage provided on one side of the upper plate and the lower plate to supply refrigerant along a longitudinal direction thereof, the refrigerant supply passage having a smaller diameter than the following refrigerant return passage;
A plurality of refrigerant branch tubes connected to the refrigerant supply passage at a front end portion thereof and a rear end portion thereof disposed obliquely to the ice-making connection tubes of the lower plate;
A refrigerant recovery passage connected to the plurality of finger units in parallel to guide the movement of the refrigerant along the longitudinal direction of the upper plate and the lower plate;
A refrigerant return passage arranged along the longitudinal direction of the upper plate and the lower plate so as to communicate with the refrigerant recovery passage and guiding the discharge of the refrigerant;
A refrigerant supply unit including an ice-making connector connected to the refrigerant tube;
A plurality of finger units to which an upper end portion is inserted and coupled to the ice-making connection pipe, and a copper pipe is attached to the inside so that the refrigerant flows along the up-and-down direction to make ice on the outer wall portion;
A plurality of upper and lower ducts arranged so as to divide respective internal spaces of the ice-making connector and the finger unit along the up-and-down direction from the upper plate, a part of the upper and lower ducts being spaced apart from the bottom of the finger unit, And a partition wall unit interconnecting the plurality of upper and lower ducts ≪ / RTI &
And the upper end of the partition unit is coupled to the upper plate engagement groove portion provided on the upper plate. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the partitioning unit further comprises a plurality of refrigerant tubes connected to the refrigerant supply passage, the refrigerant supply unit including an upper portion of the ice-making connection tube divided into a partial region and a top portion region, Wherein a plurality of refrigerant tubes are arranged corresponding to each other, and a plurality of the refrigerant tubes are connected to a plurality of the refrigerant tubes through the plurality of refrigerant tubes. 3. The method of claim 2,
A capillary tube is connected to the refrigerant supply passage of the refrigerant supply unit, and an accumulator is connected to the refrigerant recovery passage. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the refrigerant return passage is disposed in parallel with the refrigerant return passage. 3. The method of claim 2,
A heater unit for separating the ice cubes formed on the finger unit is disposed on the upper plate of the refrigerant supply unit,
Wherein the upper plate, the lower plate, and the heater unit are fixed to each other while being wrapped around the molding.

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