KR102580870B1 - Ice Machine for Ice Slurry - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention includes a base (10); a housing assembly 100 rotatably mounted on the base 10; a shaft assembly (200) fixed to the base (10), arranged to be inserted into the housing assembly (100), and forming ice on the outer circumferential surface; A driving assembly 300 that rotates the housing assembly 100; A cooling assembly (400) that circulates refrigerant via the shaft assembly (200); An ice maker for ice slurry including a water supply device (500) that supplies water to the outer peripheral surface of the shaft assembly (200).
The present invention has the advantage of being compact in size because it fixes the shaft assembly through which the refrigerant passes and scrapes off the ice formed on the outer circumferential surface of the shaft as the scraper rotates.

Description

Ice Machine for Ice Slurry}

The present invention relates to an ice maker capable of making ice slurry.

In general, when it comes to aging meat, there are two types of methods: dry aging and wet aging.

Dry aging is a method of naturally maturing meat by exposing it to the air for 2 to 4 weeks in a place where constant temperature, humidity, and ventilation are maintained, such as a low-temperature refrigerator.

Dry aging evaporates moisture from the meat muscles, adding a rich flavor, and natural enzymes break down the muscles, making the meat softer. However, the weight of the meat may decrease by 5% to 20% as moisture escapes, and the weight of the meat may decrease by more than 50% as a result of excessive drying, mold growth, and rancid outer parts cut off due to contact with air. It also has the disadvantage of being more expensive than meat.

Wet aging refers to vacuum-packing meat and maturing it in a refrigerated warehouse. There is no weight loss caused by drying out or handling by mold, so there is no loss in yield and maintenance costs are low, so it is a generally popular method.

However, when maturing in a refrigerated warehouse between 0℃ and 10℃, the temperature variation (approximately ±5℃) is severe, so the meat deteriorates if aged for a long period of time. For example, a refrigerated warehouse set at 0℃ has a temperature range of +5℃ to -5℃. In this case, in the case of beef cattle with a freezing point of -17℃, repeated freezing and thawing do not survive the appropriate maturation period and deteriorate, so the maturation period must be shortened, and the quality of dry-aged beef cannot be obtained.

In addition, because it is difficult to maintain a constant internal temperature due to frequent entry and exit from the refrigerated warehouse, there is a problem in that the texture and flavor are significantly reduced compared to meat aged through dry aging.

To overcome these problems, refrigerated warehouses and other devices with precise temperature deviations have been developed, but their cost is very high or temperature control is not as precise as desired. In order for wet aging to improve texture and flavor as much as dry aging, it needs to be preserved for a certain period of time within an accurate temperature range.

In Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1950406, “Ice-temperature aging method for meat” (announced on May 21, 2019), ingested meat (raw meat) such as pork and beef is treated with gel ice -1 By aging the meat at ice temperature for a predetermined period of time in an environment maintained at ℃, the meat is aged under conditions that do not freeze based on the freezing point of each meat, thereby maintaining the freshness of the meat and improving its texture. It is being disclosed.

A protrusion curved downward on the lid of the maturation tank is used to allow water and gel ice to circulate by means of aeration inside the maturation tank.

In Registered Patent Publication No. 10-2072626, “Salt water chiller system capable of automatically controlling salinity” (announced on March 2, 2020), not only can the salinity and temperature of the brine in the brine tank be automatically adjusted according to preset settings. Disclosed is a salt water chiller system capable of automatically controlling salinity, which can maintain uniform salinity and temperature of salt water in a salt water tank by rotating the rotating part without separate power using the spraying force of salt water.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-1950406 Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2072626 Republic of Korea Registered Utility Model No. 20-0152583

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an ice maker capable of making ice slurry for meat aging.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an ice maker for ice slurry that is miniaturized so that it can be used in stores.

The present invention includes a base (10); a housing assembly 100 rotatably mounted on the base 10; a shaft assembly (200) fixed to the base (10), arranged to be inserted into the housing assembly (100), and forming ice on the outer circumferential surface; A driving assembly 300 that rotates the housing assembly 100; A cooling assembly (400) that circulates refrigerant via the shaft assembly (200); An ice maker for ice slurry including a water supply device (500) that supplies water to the outer peripheral surface of the shaft assembly (200).

The housing assembly 100 includes a cylindrical housing 110 with a space 101 formed therein; It may include a scraper 150 disposed on the inner peripheral surface 111 of the housing 110 and protruding toward the shaft assembly 200.

The scraper 150 includes a first scraper 160 and a second scraper 180 coupled to the inner peripheral surface 111 of the housing 110, and the first scraper 160 is connected to the housing 110. It includes a first scraper fixing part 162 fixed to the inner peripheral surface 111 of and a first scraper part 164 protruding from the first scraper fixing part 162 toward the shaft assembly 200, and the The second scraper 180 includes a second scraper fixing part 182 fixed to the inner peripheral surface 111 of the housing 110, and protrudes from the second scraper fixing part 182 toward the shaft assembly 200. and a second scraper unit 184, and the first scraper unit 164 and the second scraper unit 184 may be disposed at different heights.

The housing 110 includes an upper housing 120 and a lower housing 130, and the shaft assembly 200 includes a shaft 210 having a shaft hollow 211 extending in the vertical direction; An upper flange 220 disposed at the top of the shaft 210 and supporting the upper housing 120; A lower flange 230 disposed at the bottom of the shaft 210 and fixed to the base 10; An upper bearing 240 disposed on the upper flange 220 and reducing friction with the upper housing 120; A lower bearing 250 disposed on the lower flange 230 and reducing friction with the lower housing 130; A shaft pipe 260 is disposed in the shaft hollow 211, is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface 212 of the shaft 210, and through which the cooled refrigerant flows, and the shaft 210 is connected to the housing 110. ) and is fixed to the base 10, and the housing 110 can be rotated horizontally on the upper side of the base 10 with the shaft 210 inserted.

The cooling assembly 400 includes a compressor 410 that compresses the refrigerant, a condensation heat exchanger 420 that condenses the compressed refrigerant, and an expansion valve 430 that expands the refrigerant condensed in the condensation heat exchanger 420. And, it includes the expansion valve 430, and the refrigerant expanded in the expansion valve 430 is supplied to the shaft pipe 260 and evaporated, and the shaft 210 can be cooled by the heat of evaporation of the refrigerant. there is.

First, the present invention has the advantage of being compact in size because it fixes the shaft assembly through which the refrigerant passes and scrapes off the ice formed on the outer circumferential surface of the shaft as the scraper rotates.

Second, the present invention has the advantage of preventing dead zones in which ice is not scratched because the first scraper and the second scraper are arranged at different heights and partially overlap in the upper and lower directions.

1 is a partial front cross-sectional view of an ice maker for ice slurry according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 2.
Figure 3 is a front cross-sectional view of the shaft assembly shown in Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a cooling assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a schematic front cross-sectional view showing a scraper according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 is a plan view of a basket according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 7 is a front cross-sectional view of the basket and ice tank according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 8 is a front view showing the shape of the scraper portion according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 9 is a front view showing the shape of the scraper portion according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 10 is a front view showing the shape of the scraper portion according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

Since the present invention can make various changes and have various embodiments, specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include all changes, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. While describing each drawing, similar reference numerals are used for similar components.

Terms such as first, second, A, B, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, a first component may be named a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be named a first component without departing from the scope of the present invention. The term “and/or” includes any of a plurality of related stated items or a combination of a plurality of related stated items.

When a component is said to be "connected" or "connected" to another component, it is understood that it may be directly connected to or connected to the other component, but that other components may exist in between. It should be. On the other hand, when it is mentioned that a component is “directly connected” or “directly connected” to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.

The terms used in this application are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this application, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but are not intended to indicate the presence of one or more other features. It should be understood that this does not exclude in advance the possibility of the existence or addition of elements, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related technology, and unless explicitly defined in the present application, should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal sense. No.

In this document, “configured to” means “suitable for,” “having the ability to,” or “changed to,” depending on the situation, for example, in terms of hardware or software. ," can be used interchangeably with "made to," "capable of," or "designed to." In some contexts, the expression “a device configured to” may mean that the device is “capable of” working with other devices or components.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. In order to facilitate overall understanding when describing the present invention, the same reference numerals are used for the same components in the drawings, and duplicate descriptions for the same components are omitted.

FIG. 1 is a partial front cross-sectional view of an ice maker for ice slurry according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 2, FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view of the shaft assembly shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is This is a schematic diagram of a cooling assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The ice maker according to this embodiment includes a base 10, a housing assembly 100 rotatably mounted on the base 10, fixed to the base 10, and inserted into the housing assembly 100. A shaft assembly 200 that is arranged to form ice on the outer peripheral surface, a drive assembly 300 that rotates the housing assembly 100, and a cooling assembly 400 that circulates refrigerant through the shaft assembly 200. ) and a water supply device 500 that supplies water to the outer peripheral surface of the shaft assembly 200.

The ice maker according to this embodiment produces ice on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft assembly 200 cooled by the cooling assembly 400, and ice grows on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft assembly 200 as the housing assembly 100 rotates. Cut.

That is, the ice maker according to this embodiment has a structural feature in which the shaft assembly 200 for growing ice is fixed and the housing assembly 100 for cutting ice is rotated.

The housing assembly 100 includes a cylindrical housing 110 with a space 101 formed therein, a scraper disposed on the inner peripheral surface 111 of the housing 110, and protruding toward the shaft assembly 200. Includes (150).

The space 101 is cylindrical, and the housing 110 is cylindrical, elongated in the vertical direction.

The shaft assembly 200 is disposed at the center of the plane of the housing 110.

The housing 110 may be rotated horizontally about the central axis C while being supported on the base 10 and the shaft assembly 200. In this embodiment, the central axis C is disposed at the center of the plane.

To form the space 101, the housing 110 includes an upper housing 120 and a lower housing 130.

The upper housing 120 is formed in a cylindrical shape and forms the upper part of the space 101, with the upper side closed and the lower side open.

The lower housing 130 is formed in a cylindrical shape, forms the lower part of the space 101, and is open at the top.

The upper housing 120 and the lower housing 130 are formed to be thick for insulation, and an insulating material may be disposed therein.

The housing 110 is formed with a radially open outlet 115, and the outlet 115 communicates with the space 101.

The outlet 115 is connected to the lower side of the space 101, and the ice crystals cut by the scraper 150 are moved to the lower side of the space 101 by their own weight, and are discharged to the housing through the outlet 115. (110) Can be discharged outside.

In this embodiment, the outlet 115 is formed in the lower housing 130.

The upper side of the outlet 115 formed in the lower housing 130 is open, and the upper side of the outlet 115 is closed through coupling with the upper housing 120.

And the housing assembly 100 further includes a shutter 170 that opens and closes the outlet 115.

The shutter 170 opens and closes in the vertical direction.

The shutter 170 includes a shutter body 172 and a shutter hinge 174 that rotatably connects the shutter body 172 and the upper housing 120.

In this embodiment, a shutter hinge 174 is disposed on the top of the shutter body 172, and the shutter body 172 rotates in the up and down direction around the shutter hinge 174.

The shutter hinge 174 is disposed on the outer peripheral surface 112 of the shutter body 172 and the upper housing 120, and the shutter body 172 is rotated radially outward and upward to open the outlet 115. do.

The bottom surface 116 of the outlet 115 is formed to be inclined downward.

When the housing 110 is rotated about the central axis C, the ice slurry may be moved radially outward by centrifugal force, and when the outlet 115 is opened, the ice slurry may flow through the outlet 115. It can be moved radially outward, and can be discharged out of the housing 110 along the slope of the outlet 115 by its own weight.

A basket 600 capable of containing the ice slurry discharged from the outlet 115 may be further disposed. In this embodiment, the basket 600 is formed in a ring shape when viewed from the top.

The housing 110 is inserted into the basket 600, and the ice slurry discharged as the housing 110 rotates can be contained in the basket 600.

The basket 600 includes an inner rim 610 in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the housing 110, an outer rim 620 disposed spaced apart from the radial outer side of the inner rim 610, and the inner rim ( 610) and a basket bottom 630 connecting the lower ends of the outer rim 620, and a basket space ( 615) is formed.

The top 611 of the inner rim 610 is disposed lower than the bottom 116. The top 611 of the inner rim 610 forms the same inclination angle as the bottom surface 116, and the top 611 is disposed on an extension of the bottom surface 116.

The top 621 of the outer rim 620 may be positioned higher than the top 611 of the inner rim 610.

The basket bottom 630 is supported on the upper side of the base 10 and remains stationary when the housing 110 is rotated.

The scraper 150 includes a first scraper 160 and a second scraper 180, and the first scraper 160 and the second scraper 180 are disposed at different heights.

The first scraper 160 has a first scraper fixing part 162 fixed to the inner peripheral surface 111 of the housing 110, and protrudes from the first scraper fixing part 162 toward the shaft assembly 200. It includes a first scraper unit 164.

The outer surface of the first scraper fixing part 162 is formed as a curved surface to correspond to the radius of curvature of the inner peripheral surface 111 of the housing 110.

The first scraper portion 164 protrudes from the inner surface of the first scraper fixing portion 162 toward the central axis (C). In this embodiment, the first scraper portion 164 is formed as a flat surface from the front and is arranged in a vertical direction.

The outer end of the first scraper part 164 is coupled to the first scraper fixing part 162, and the inner end is disposed at a predetermined distance from the shaft assembly 200.

In this embodiment, the first scraper portion 164 is disposed at a plurality of locations, and a plurality of first scraper portions 164 are disposed spaced apart from each other at a first interval along the first scraper fixing portion 162.

The first gap is formed shorter than the vertical length of the first scraper part 164.

When it is desired to distinguish a plurality of the first scraper units 164, they are divided into a 1-1 scraper unit 164a, a 1-2 scraper unit 164b, and a 1-3 scraper unit 164c from the top to the bottom. , may be referred to in that order as the 1st to 4th scraper units 164d.

The second scraper 180 includes a second scraper fixing part 182 fixed to the inner peripheral surface 111 of the housing 110, and protrudes from the second scraper fixing part 182 toward the shaft assembly 200. It includes a second scraper unit 184.

The outer surface of the second scraper fixing part 182 is formed as a curved surface to correspond to the radius of curvature of the inner peripheral surface 111 of the housing 110.

The second scraper portion 184 protrudes from the inner surface of the second scraper fixing portion 182 toward the central axis (C). In this embodiment, the second scraper portion 184 is formed as a flat surface from the front and is arranged in a vertical direction.

The outer end of the second scraper part 184 is coupled to the second scraper fixing part 182, and the inner end is disposed at a predetermined distance from the shaft assembly 200.

In this embodiment, the second scraper portion 184 is disposed at a plurality of locations, and a plurality of second scraper portions 184 are disposed spaced apart from each other at a first interval along the second scraper fixing portion 182.

The first gap is formed to be shorter than the vertical length of the second scraper part 184.

When it is desired to distinguish a plurality of the second scraper units 184, they are divided into a 2-1 scraper unit 184a, a 2-2 scraper unit 184b, and a 2-3 scraper unit 184c from the top to the bottom. , may be referred to in that order as the 2nd to 4th scraper units (184d).

The first scraper unit 164 and the second scraper unit 184 are arranged to face each other, and when viewed in plan, the first scraper unit 164 and the second scraper unit 184 are arranged in a line.

In particular, the first scraper unit 164 and the second scraper unit 184 are arranged in a zigzag shape with respect to the vertical direction.

As the first scraper unit 164 and the second scraper unit 184 rotate, ice formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft assembly 200 is scraped off. Here, the first scraper unit 164 and the second scraper unit 184 are arranged to partially overlap in the vertical direction to prevent the formation of a non-contact portion on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft assembly 200.

Specifically, the lower end of the 1-1 scraper unit 164a and the upper end of the 2-1 scraper unit 184a partially overlap, and the lower end of the 2-1 scraper unit 184a and the 1-2 scraper unit The first scraper unit 164 and the second scraper unit 184 are arranged in such a way that (164b) partially overlaps.

The shaft assembly 200 includes a shaft 210 having a shaft hollow 211 long in the vertical direction, and an upper flange 220 disposed on the top of the shaft 210 and supporting the upper housing 120. and a lower flange 230 disposed at the lower end of the shaft 210 and fixed to the base 10, and disposed on the upper flange 220 to reduce friction with the upper housing 120. An upper bearing 240, a lower bearing 250 disposed on the lower flange 230 and reducing friction with the lower housing 130, and disposed on the shaft hollow 211, the shaft 210 ) is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface 212 and includes a shaft pipe 260 through which the cooled refrigerant flows.

The shaft hollow 211 is opened on the upper and lower sides, respectively, and these are referred to as the upper opening surface 211a and the lower opening surface 211b.

An upper hole 121 is formed that penetrates the upper wall 123 of the upper housing 120 in the vertical direction, and the upper side of the shaft hollow 211 communicates with the upper hole 121.

The upper bearing 240 is disposed on the upper side of the upper flange 220, and the upper bearing 240 is in close contact with the upper wall 123. The upper bearing 240 supports the load of the housing 110 and reduces friction when the housing 110 rotates.

A lower hole 132 is formed that penetrates the lower wall 134 of the lower housing 120 in the vertical direction, and the shaft 210 is disposed to penetrate the lower hole 132.

The lower bearing 250 is disposed on the upper side of the lower flange 230, and the lower bearing 250 is in close contact with the bottom surface of the lower wall 134.

The lower bearing 250 supports the load of the housing 110 and reduces friction when the housing 110 rotates.

The shaft pipe 260 is pressed against the inner peripheral surface 212 of the shaft 210, and the shaft 210 is cooled through heat conduction.

The shaft pipe 260 is connected to the cooling assembly 400 to receive refrigerant, evaporate the supplied refrigerant, and cool the shaft 210 through the heat of evaporation of the refrigerant.

The shaft pipe 260 includes an inlet pipe 261 disposed to penetrate the upper opening surface 211a, extends from the lower end of the inlet pipe 261, and is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface 212 of the shaft 210. It includes a heat exchange pipe 262 and an outlet pipe 263 extending from the lower end of the heat exchange pipe 262 and disposed to penetrate the heart opening surface 211b.

A valve or inlet connector 261a for connection to the cooling assembly 400 is disposed at the top of the inlet pipe 261. A valve or outlet connector 263a for connection to the cooling assembly 400 is disposed at the bottom of the outlet pipe 263.

In this embodiment, the heat exchange pipe 262 is formed in a spiral shape, and its outer peripheral surface is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface 212 of the shaft 210.

By forming the heat exchange pipe 262 in a spiral shape, the residence time of the refrigerant inside the shaft 210 can be increased, and through this, more cooling heat can be provided to the shaft 210.

In addition, the spirally formed heat exchange pipe 262 is assembled to the shaft 210 in a state in which it is elastically deformed radially inward, and provides elastic force radially outward after assembly, so that the inner peripheral surface 212 of the shaft 210 It can effectively maintain a state of close contact.

The cooling assembly 400 includes a compressor 410 that compresses the refrigerant, a condensation heat exchanger 420 that condenses the compressed refrigerant, and an expansion valve 430 that expands the refrigerant condensed in the condensation heat exchanger 420. and the expansion valve 430.

It further includes an inlet pipe 431 connecting the expansion valve 430 and the shaft pipe 260, and an outlet pipe 411 connecting the shaft pipe 260 and the compressor 410.

The inlet pipe 431 is connected to the inlet connection portion 261a, and the outlet pipe 411 is connected to the outlet connection port 263a.

In this embodiment, the shaft pipe 260 serves as an evaporative heat exchanger in the cooling cycle. A first temperature sensor 441 is disposed on the inner peripheral surface 212 of the shaft 210, and a second temperature sensor 442 is disposed on the inner peripheral surface 111 of the housing 110. The compressor 410 may be operated according to the measured values of the first temperature sensor 441 and the second temperature sensor 442.

The water supply device 500 supplies water to the space 101 to generate and grow ice crystals on the outer peripheral surface 214 of the shaft 210.

The water supply device 500 includes a water tank 510 disposed on the upper side of the housing 110, a nozzle 520 disposed on the inner peripheral surface 111 of the housing 110, the nozzle 520, and It includes a supply pipe 530 connecting the water tank 510.

The water tank 510 is coupled to the upper side of the housing 110 and rotates together when the housing 110 rotates.

In this embodiment, the water tank 510 has a donut shape with tank hollows 511 formed in the vertical direction. The inlet pipe 431 is connected to the shaft pipe 260 through the tank hollow 511.

The upper opening surface 211a of the shaft hollow 211 is disposed below the tank hollow 511 and communicates with the tank hollow 511.

The tank hollow 511 and the shaft hollow 211 are arranged in a vertical direction.

Since the housing 110 rotates while the shaft 210 is fixed, the refrigerant supplied into the shaft 210 passes through the open tank hollow 511 and the shaft hollow 211 to the shaft 210. It can flow into the internal shaft pipe 260.

The water tank 510 has a reservoir 515 in which water is stored in a donut shape.

The nozzle 520 is disposed inside the housing 110 and sprays water toward the outer peripheral surface 213 of the shaft 210. The water sprayed from the nozzle 520 is discharged in an atomized state, and through this, ice crystals can be quickly formed.

As the housing 110 rotates, the nozzle 520 sprays water while rotating the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 210.

In this embodiment, the nozzle 520 sprays water toward the lower side of the upper flange 220. The nozzle 520 is disposed on the opposite side of the 1-1 scraper part 164a and above the 2-1 scraper part 184a.

Since the water tank 510 is disposed on the upper side of the housing 110 and the nozzle 520 is disposed on the inner upper side of the housing 110, the length of the supply pipe 530 can be minimized, and through this, the supply pipe 530 can be minimized. (530) has a feature that can minimize clogging due to freezing.

The drive assembly 300 rotates the housing 110 and can scrape off ice formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 210 through the scraper 150 inside.

The drive assembly 300 includes a drive motor 310 installed on the base 10, a drive gear 320 coupled to the motor shaft 311 of the drive motor 310 and rotated, and the housing ( A driven gear 330 disposed on the outer peripheral surface of 110, and a power transmission member that surrounds the driving gear 320 and the driven gear 330 and rotates the housing 110 through the driving force of the driving motor 310. Includes (340).

In this embodiment, the power transmission member 340 is a chain. Unlike this embodiment, a belt-pulley structure may be used instead of the driving gear 320, driven gear 330, and chain.

The motor shaft 311 is arranged in a vertical direction, and the driving gear 320, driven gear 330, and chain are arranged in a horizontal direction.

The driven gear 330 is manufactured integrally with the housing 110.

The driven gear 330 is disposed in the middle of the height of the housing 110, and through this, the moment generated in the housing 110 when rotating the housing 110 can be minimized.

A motor bracket 315 may be further disposed to couple and fix the drive motor 310 to the base 10.

Figure 5 is a schematic front cross-sectional view showing a scraper according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

The scraper 150 according to this embodiment elastically supports the first scraper 160, and the first scraper 160 includes a first support assembly 190 that slides toward the shaft 210, and the The second scraper 180 is elastically supported, and the first scraper 160 further includes a second support assembly (not shown) that slides toward the shaft 210.

Since the first support assembly 190 and the second support assembly have the same configuration, only the first support assembly 190 will be described.

The first support assembly 190 includes a first support neck 193 formed to be inserted into a first support groove 113 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the housing 110 in the first scraper fixing part 162, A first support body 194 coupled to the first support neck 193 and moving in the radial direction along the first support groove 113, inserted into the first support groove 113, and the first support body 194 1 It includes a first elastic member 195 that elastically supports the support body 194.

A first support locking member 196 is disposed on the radial inner side of the first support groove 113 and forms mutual locking with the first support body 194 by reducing the cross-sectional area of the first support groove 113. ) may further be included.

The first support neck 193 is formed to extend long in the radial direction, and can be moved in the radial direction by the elastic force of the first elastic member 195.

The radially outer end of the first support neck 193 is coupled with the first scraper fixing part 162, and the radially inner end is coupled with the first support body 194.

The first support groove 113 extends long in the radial direction and guides the moving direction of the first support body 194.

The first elastic member 195 is disposed on the radial outer side of the first support body 194.

The radially inner end of the first elastic member 195 supports the first support body 194, and the radially outer end supports the housing 110.

In this embodiment, the first elastic member 195 is a coiled coil.

A first fixing boss 113a inserted into the center of the first elastic member 195 may be further formed in the first support groove 113, thereby keeping the first elastic member 195 in the correct position. It can be positioned.

A first support fixing part 194a may be further formed bent from an edge of the first support body 194 toward the first fixing boss 113a, and the first support fixing part 194a may be formed at the edge of the first support body 194. It is arranged to surround the radial inner edge of the elastic member 195, and through this, the first elastic member 195 can be prevented from being separated from the first support body 194.

The first scraper part 164 can be brought into close contact with the ice formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 210 through the first support assembly 190.

In particular, even if ice is thickly formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 210, the first elastic member 195 is compressed and the first scraper unit 164 can be moved radially outward. External force applied to (164) can be minimized, and damage and failure resulting from this can be minimized.

The first support assembly 190 is disposed on the upper and lower sides of the housing 110, respectively. When dividing them, the one disposed on the upper side is called the 1-1 support assembly 190a, and the one disposed on the lower side is called the 1-1 support assembly 190a. It is referred to as the 1-2 support assembly (190b).

A second support groove 114 in which the 1-2 support assembly 190b is installed is formed on the lower side of the housing 110.

Since the upper and lower sides of the first scraper 160 are elastically supported by the 1-1 support assembly 190a and the 1-2 support assembly 190b, respectively, the upper and lower outer surfaces of the shaft 210 Even if the ice thickness is different, the first scraper 160 has the feature of being able to adhere uniformly.

Specifically, ice chipped from the upper side may reattach to the outer peripheral surface of the lower shaft 210, and because of this, there may be a difference in the thickness of ice formed on the outer surface of the shaft 210.

The 1-1 support assembly 190a and the 1-2 support assembly 190b can minimize the damage and failure of the first scraper 160 by resolving the ice thickness difference.

Hereinafter, since the remaining configuration is similar to the first embodiment, detailed description will be omitted.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the basket according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 7 is a front cross-sectional view of the basket and the ice tank according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

Unlike the second embodiment, the ice maker according to the present embodiment further includes an ice tank 700 capable of collecting and storing the ice slurry moved to the basket 600.

A collection plate 280 is further disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the housing 110 to collect the ice slurry stored in the basket 600 to one side. The collection plate 280 rotates together with the housing 110. The collection plate 280 is disposed to protrude radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the housing 110, and its lower end is positioned to be inserted into the basket space 615 of the basket 600.

The radial inner end 281 of the collecting plate 280 is disposed on the radial outer side of the inner rim 610, and the radial outer end 282 of the collecting plate 280 is disposed on the outer rim 620. is located radially inside, and the lower end 283 of the collection plate 280 is located above the basket bottom 630.

A collection hole 635 is formed that penetrates the basket bottom 630 of the basket 600 in the vertical direction.

The collection plate 280 rotates on the upper side of the basket bottom 630 and pushes the discharged ice slurry into the collection hole 635.

An ice tank 700 is disposed below the collection hole 635.

The ice tank 700 is disposed inside or below the base 10, and has a base hole 12 penetrating the base 10 in the vertical direction, and the base hole 12 is the collection hole ( 635) is placed below.

The ice tank 700 has an inlet 710 that penetrates the base hole 12 and is inserted into the collection hole 635, and an ice tank body 720 that communicates with the inlet 710 and stores ice slurry. Includes.

An ice door (not shown) that opens and closes the ice tank body 720 is further disposed, and the stored ice slurry can be taken out by opening the ice door.

Since the ice tank 700 is hidden under the base 10, the installation space can be minimized and insulation is easy.

Since the ice slurry discharged out of the housing 110 can be collected by using the rotation of the housing 110, the collection of the ice slurry is easy, and because the ice tank 700 is disposed at the lower part of the basket 600, It has the feature of being able to quickly collect and store the discharged ice slurry.

Hereinafter, since the remaining configuration is similar to the second embodiment, detailed description will be omitted.

Figure 8 is a front view showing the shape of the scraper part according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, Figure 9 is a front view showing the shape of the scraper part according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 10 is the sixth embodiment of the present invention. This is a front view showing the shape of the scraper part according to the embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 8, the first scraper unit 1164 may have a trapezoidal shape with a long radial inner end and a short radial outer end.

Referring to FIG. 9, the first scraper unit 1264 may have a trapezoidal shape with a short radial inner end and a long radial outer end.

Referring to FIG. 10, the first scraper unit 1364 may have a rectangular shape extending from the top to the bottom.

Unlike the above embodiments, the first scraper portion and the second scraper portion may be formed in a spiral shape.

In this way, the first scraper part and the second scraper part can be formed in various shapes.

Hereinafter, since the remaining configuration is similar to the third embodiment, detailed description will be omitted.

In the detailed description of the present invention, specific embodiments have been described, but of course, various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be determined not only by the scope of the patent claims described later, but also by the scope of this patent claim and equivalents.

10: Base 100: Housing Assembly
110: housing 120: upper housing
130: lower housing 150: scraper
160: first scraper 170: shutter
180: 2nd scraper 190: 1st support assembly
200: Shaft assembly 210: Shaft
220: Upper flange 230: Lower flange
240: Upper bearing 250: Lower bearing
260: Shaft piping 300: Drive assembly
310: drive motor 320: drive gear
330: driven gear 400: cooling assembly
500: Water supply device 600: Basket
700: Ice tank

Claims (5)

In an ice maker that can make ice slurry,
base (10);
a housing assembly 100 rotatably mounted on the base 10;
a shaft assembly (200) fixed to the base (10), arranged to be inserted into the housing assembly (100), and forming ice on the outer circumferential surface;
A driving assembly 300 that rotates the housing assembly 100;
A cooling assembly (400) that circulates refrigerant via the shaft assembly (200);
It includes a water supply device 500 that supplies water to the outer peripheral surface of the shaft assembly 200,
The housing assembly 100,
A cylindrical housing 110 with a space 101 formed therein;
It includes a scraper 150 disposed on the inner peripheral surface 111 of the housing 110 and protruding toward the shaft assembly 200,
The scraper 150 includes a first scraper 160 and a second scraper 180 coupled to the inner peripheral surface 111 of the housing 110,
The first scraper 160,
A first scraper fixing part 162 fixed to the inner peripheral surface 111 of the housing 110, and a first scraper part 164 protruding from the first scraper fixing part 162 toward the shaft assembly 200. Including,
The second scraper 180,
A second scraper fixing part 182 fixed to the inner peripheral surface 111 of the housing 110, and a second scraper part 184 protruding from the second scraper fixing part 182 toward the shaft assembly 200. Including,
The first scraper unit 164 and the second scraper unit 184 are arranged at different heights,
The housing 110 includes an upper housing 120 and a lower housing 130,
The shaft assembly 200 is,
A shaft 210 having a long shaft hollow 211 in the vertical direction;
An upper flange 220 disposed at the top of the shaft 210 and supporting the upper housing 120;
A lower flange 230 disposed at the bottom of the shaft 210 and fixed to the base 10;
An upper bearing 240 disposed on the upper flange 220 and reducing friction with the upper housing 120;
A lower bearing 250 disposed on the lower flange 230 and reducing friction with the lower housing 130;
It includes a shaft pipe 260 disposed in the shaft hollow 211, in close contact with the inner peripheral surface 212 of the shaft 210, and through which the cooled refrigerant flows,
The shaft 210 penetrates the housing 110 and is fixed to the base 10, and the housing 110 rotates horizontally on the upper side of the base 10 with the shaft 210 inserted. Ice maker for ice slurry.
delete delete delete In claim 1,
The cooling assembly 400 includes a compressor 410 that compresses the refrigerant, a condensation heat exchanger 420 that condenses the compressed refrigerant, and an expansion valve 430 that expands the refrigerant condensed in the condensation heat exchanger 420. And, including the expansion valve 430,
An ice maker for ice slurry in which the refrigerant expanded in the expansion valve 430 is supplied to the shaft pipe 260 and evaporated, and the shaft 210 is cooled by the heat of evaporation of the refrigerant.

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