KR20000028307A - Apparatus and method for controlling ice discharge from refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A controlling apparatus for discharging ice of a refrigerator and a method thereof are provided to damp the mechanical noise occurred when operating a control system and to reduce unnecessary electricity consumption by controlling the operation of a control system according to the selection of the kinds of the discharged ices from an ice discharge device enabling the selective discharge of ices by smashed ice or cubic ice by using a motor. CONSTITUTION: A controlling method for discharging ice comprises the steps of: lighting on an indication lamp for a smashed ice if a smashed ice is selected by the operation of an ice selection button; discharging smashed ices by outputting a motor control signal for the discharge of the smashed ice until an ice discharge button is converted to an off state if the ice discharge button is selected to be an on state; driving a motor for the operation of a control system until the control system is opened fully by lighting on an ice cube lamp if a cubic ice is selected; repeatedly confirming the operation state of the smashed ice selection button for the confirmation of the change of the selection of the discharged ice if the fully opened state of the control system is sensed; discharging ice if the smashed ice is not selected; and lighting on the indication lamp for the smashed ice if the selection is changed to the smashed ice and discharging ice after driving the motor for the operation of the control system until a complete closure of the control plate is sensed.

Description

Refrigeration ice control device and method

The present invention relates to an ice discharge control apparatus and method of a refrigerator equipped with an automatic ice maker, and in particular, the operation of the control panel according to the selection of the discharge ice type in the ice discharge device which can selectively discharge ice and ice cubes. The present invention relates to an ice discharge control device and a method of controlling a refrigerator to significantly reduce mechanical noise caused by operation of a control panel and to reduce unnecessary power consumption.

Generally, a freezer of a refrigerator is provided with manual or automatic ice makers. A double automatic ice maker supplies water to an ice maker installed in the freezer compartment, and when ice is detected, the ice maker rotates the ice tray downward by driving the ice maker motor. It is to control repeatedly a series of ice making operation which ices and accumulates the ice made in the ice box installed under it, and performs ice making operation again.

In addition, a so-called ice dispenser capable of extracting accumulated ice without opening a refrigerator door has been developed in order to facilitate user convenience and prevent leakage of cold air when the accumulated ice is taken out, and among the ice dispenser, The addition of the ability to crush and disintegrate ice has also been developed to provide when needed ice that is much smaller in volume than frozen ice.

One embodiment of a conventional apparatus in which the ice grinding function is added to provide ice ice is shown in FIG. 1.

The ice box 10 is installed at the lower part of the ice making plate to store ice cubes which are iced after the ice making is completed in the ice making plate, and the ice cube 10 is disposed at the outlet of the ice box 10 installed at the front side of the refrigerator. As a grinding device for grinding, a rotary blade 12 and a fixed blade 14 are installed, and a cover 16 thereof is installed. The accumulated ice is formed inside the ice box 10 on the cover 16 side. Coil-shaped ice guider 20 for transporting to discharge port 18 is provided, while driving part 22 for operation of the grinding device and drive of ice guider 20 is provided at the rear of the ice box 10. It is installed.

In addition, the discharge port 18 formed in the cover 16 is provided with a control panel 24 that can adjust the size of the opening and closing area of the discharge port, the control panel 24 is a solenoid installed on the drive unit 22 side Control bar 28 is rotated in accordance with the operation of 26 to control the rotation of the control panel 24.

Such a device is usually configured to throw ice ice and to ice cube according to the operation as required. When the user selects ice cube, the solenoid 26 is operated to control the bar 28. By rotating the control panel 24 was opened accordingly to increase the discharge area of the discharge port 18 was to be supplied to the outside through the discharge port 18 before the ice is crushed.

Here, the solenoid 26 for controlling the opening and closing of the control panel 24 is formed so that the electromagnet is formed by the power supply and the plunger opens and closes the control panel 24 through the control bar 28 in response to the attraction of the electromagnet.

However, when power is supplied to the solenoid and the plunger is operated, there is a problem in that the operation sound of the single tapping is very large and the user is instantly surprised.

In addition, in order to maintain the angular ice selection state in which the control panel is opened by the operation of the solenoid, it is necessary to continuously supply electricity to the solenoid. In this case, continuous disconnection of the solenoid coil may cause defects such as coil breakage. In addition, there is a big problem in power consumption because the power must be continuously supplied to maintain the contacts in this state.

The present invention is invented to improve the above problems, the electric motor and the motor instead of the power transmission method for transmitting the power according to the operation of the solenoid installed on the rear of the refrigerator to the control panel installed on the front of the refrigerator through the control bar An object of the present invention is to provide an ice discharge control device and a method of controlling the refrigerator to control the opening and closing of the control panel installed in the ice discharge port directly by using a cam installed on the output shaft of the.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional ice dispensing apparatus,

2 is a block diagram according to the present invention,

3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a control panel operating mechanism according to the present invention;

4 is a flow chart for explaining the ice discharge control method according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawing

10-Icebox, 12-Spinning Blade,

14-fixed blade, 16-cover,

18-outlet, 20-ice guider,

24-control panel, 28-control bar,

30-microcomputer, 32-switch detection circuit,

34-Ice select button, 36-Ice dispense button,

38-control panel closing switch, 40-control panel full switch,

44-motor for control panel operation, 48-ice / ice display,

52-motor for ice transport and grinding, 60-cam,

64-spring.

Ice discharge control apparatus of the refrigerator according to the present invention for realizing the above object is provided with an ice selection button and the ice discharge button and the control signal for displaying the type of the selected ice according to the operation state of the button and the discharge of ice A microcomputer outputting a motor control signal for controlling, a icebreaking ice / angular ice display unit for displaying the type of ice selected according to the ice type display control signal, and ice accumulated in the ice box according to the motor control signal to the discharge port side. In the refrigerator of the ice discharge control device having a motor for transferring and the control panel for opening and closing the ice outlet according to the control panel opening and closing control signal of the microcomputer, the reduction gear which is driven in accordance with the control panel opening and closing control signal on one side of the control panel The motor is provided, the outer peripheral surface of the output shaft of the motor to the control panel The cam is formed in an elliptical shape that can be opened and closed to open and close the control panel, and one end of the control panel is characterized in that a spring is installed to act as a tension force in a direction in which the control panel is opened.

In addition, the ice discharge control method of the refrigerator according to the present invention for realizing the above object if the ice ice is selected by the operation of the ice selection button during normal operation of the refrigerator lighting the ice ice indicator, then the ice discharge button Outputting a motor control signal for discharging ice ice until the ice dispensing button is switched to the off state, and discharging iced ice, wherein the ice cube is selected based on the selection of the ice selection button. In the case of lighting the ice indicator, driving the motor for operating the control panel until the control panel is in full bloom, and when the full control of the control panel is detected during the execution of the motor operation for the control panel operation, to check whether the selection of the discharged ice type is changed. After confirming the operation state of the ice ice selection button once again, if it is determined that ice ice is not selected, If the selection condition is changed to ice ice at the step of performing the ice discharging step and the operation state checking operation of the ice ice selection button, the ice control lamp is turned on and the motor for operating the control panel is operated until a complete closing of the control panel is detected. After the drive is made to include the step of performing the ice casting step.

2 is a block diagram according to the present invention.

The microcomputer 30 is connected to the ice selection button 34, the ice discharge button 36, the control panel closing switch 38 and the control panel full switch 40 through the switch sensing circuit (32).

The switch sensing circuit 32 is a circuit unit that detects an operation state of switches connected to the input terminal and converts the signal into a signal that can be recognized by the microcomputer 30.

The ice selection button 34 is a type of ice to be taken out, that is, ice that is frozen after being frozen in an ice maker and frozen ice accumulated in the iced state, and ice cubes that are to be crushed as needed. The button is used to select a type, and the ice discharge button 36 is a button for generating a control signal for discharging the selected ice to the outside through the ice discharge port.

The control panel closing switch 38 and the full control panel switch 40 are the switches that can detect the closed state and the full state of the control panel 24 to output the detected signals to the microcomputer 30 accordingly.

On the other hand, the ice transfer and crushing motor driving circuit 50, the ice transfer and crushing motor 52, the display driving circuit 46 and the ice ice / ice display unit 48 is commonly used, ice transfer and grinding When the motor 52 is driven, the ice guider 20 rotates to transfer the ice in the ice box 10 toward the discharge port 18, and rotates the rotary blade 12 installed inside the cover 16. The icebreaking ice / angular ice display unit 48 displays the type of ice selected according to the ice type display control signal output from the microcomputer 30 according to the operation state of the ice selection button 34. It may be composed of a display device such as an LED or LCD.

The control panel operation motor drive circuit 42 is a circuit for supplying power required for driving the control panel operation motor 44 according to the control panel operation control signal output from the microcomputer 30. The control panel operation motor 44 generates power required to open and close the control panel 24. The motor 44 is installed adjacent to the control panel 24, and is provided with a reduction gear and the motor ( An output shaft of 44 is provided with a cam 60, the outer circumferential surface of which is formed in an elliptical shape, being interviewed by the control panel 24 to open and close the control panel 24 when rotating.

One end of the control panel 24 is always provided with a spring 64, the tension force acts in the direction in which the control panel 24 is open. This is because the cam 60 is operated in response to the driving of the motor 44, and the control panel 24 is in full bloom, and since the power supply applied to the motor 44 is stopped thereafter, It is to keep the state in full bloom, and to prevent the flow due to ice discharge even in the state in which the control panel 24 is closed. In addition, two protrusions 24a and 24b protrude upward from the other end of the control panel 24 at different angles, and the control panel closing switch 38 is formed at one end of the cover 16 corresponding thereto. And control panel 10,000 switches 40 are installed side by side at regular intervals.

When the control panel 24 is closed as shown in the solid line, the protrusion 24a of the control panel 24 is directed upward so that the control panel closing switch 38 is turned on while the protrusion ( 24b) is formed to be separated from the control panel full switch 40 so as to face to the side, unlike the projection 24a of the control panel 24 when the control panel 24 is opened as shown in the dotted line. While facing to the side to be separated from the control panel closing switch 38, the protrusion (24b) is made to be able to operate the control panel million switch 40 in the on state to face upward.

On the other hand, the inside of the cover 16 is provided with a rotary blade 12 and a fixed blade 14, the rotary blade 12 is installed on the same axis as the ice guider 20 is rotated together and fixed blade ( 14) is firmly fixed to the inside of the cover 16, the rotary blade 12 and the fixed blade 14 is usually installed so that a plurality of intersecting and interlocking with each other at a predetermined interval.

The operation of the ice discharge control device of the refrigerator according to the present invention having the structure as described above will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control panel 24 is installed in the cover 16 and used to increase or decrease the discharge area of the discharge port 18.

This keeps a state in which icebreaking ice can be thrown out by maintaining the state as shown by the solid line, and when the ice cubes are selected, the open area is greatly increased as shown by the dotted line. This ensures that the ice cubes that have been transported into the cover 16 do not fall through the discharge port 18 and remain inside the cover 16 when the icebreaking ice is selected to be discharged. When rotated while crossing the) is made to be crushed finely by the compression of the rotary blade 12 and the fixed blade (14). In this way, the ice ice finely crushed is discharged to the outside while falling downward through the discharge port 18.

In contrast, when ice cubes are selected, the control panel 24 is rotated about the central axis 62 as shown by the dotted line to increase the discharge area of the discharge port 18.

That is, when the ice cube is selected by the operation of the ice selection button 34, the microcomputer 30 detects it through the switch sensing circuit 32 and outputs a control panel opening control signal to output a control panel motor driving circuit ( The motor 44 is driven through 42.

When the motor 44 is driven, the rotation thereof is decelerated at a predetermined rotational speed (for example, about 60 rpm) by a reduction gear provided therein, and then the cam 60 is rotated. In this case, the cam 60 has a long shaft. The front end surface of the contact surface is in contact with the outwardly curved portion of the control panel 24, the contact with the inwardly curved portion by the rotation according to the driving of the motor 44 is separated or contacted with the tension force of the spring 64 acts on the control panel 24 The control panel 24 is pivoted to the position shown by the dotted line about the central axis 62.

At this time, the protrusion 24a is separated from the control panel closing switch 38 so that the control panel closing switch 38 is turned off while the protrusion 24b is pressed by the control panel full switch 40 and the control panel full switch 40 is turned on. By switching to the microcomputer 30 informs the full bloom of the control panel 24.

Accordingly, the microcomputer 30 transmits a control signal to the motor driving circuit 42 for operating the control panel to cut off the power supplied to the motor 44, thereby stopping the driving of the motor 44.

Thus, even if the power supply to the motor 44 is cut off after the full control of the control panel 24, the control panel 24 is still in full bloom by the tension force of the spring (64).

As described above, when the control panel 24 is in full bloom as described above, the opening area of the discharge port 18 is widened so that the ice cube can fall downward.

When the ice-ice ice discharge mode is selected again, the microcomputer 30 supplies power to the motor 44 to rotate the cam 60. Accordingly, the long axis of the cam 60 in the longitudinal direction of the control panel 24 is rotated. The control panel 24 is pivoted inwardly about the central axis 62 while being rotated in contact with the outwardly curved portion, and the control panel 24 is pivoted to the position shown by the solid line.

At this time, the protrusion 24a is pressed by the control panel closing switch 38, and the control panel closing switch 38 is turned on, while the protrusion 24b is separated from the control panel full switch 40, and the control panel full switch 40 is turned off. By switching to the microcomputer 30 to inform the closing of the control panel 24.

Accordingly, the microcomputer 30 transmits a control signal to the motor driving circuit 42 for operating the control panel to cut off the power supplied to the motor 44, thereby stopping the driving of the motor 44.

In this way, even if the power supplied to the motor 44 is cut off after the control panel 24 is completely closed, the tension force of the spring 64 is applied in the state in which the control panel 24 is in contact with the major axis end surface of the cam 60. Therefore, the closed state is kept firm.

When the control panel 24 is closed by the above operation, the opening area of the discharge port 18 is narrowed as described above, so that the ice cubes are not discharged downward but remain in the cover 16, and thus, as described above, As described above, after the ice is broken by the compression action with the fixed blade 14 by the rotation of the rotary blade 12, the falling blade is discharged to the outside.

As described above, the opening and closing of the control panel 24 is controlled by the rotational operation of the cam 60 coupled to its output shaft by the driving of the motor 44, and the operation noise of the motor 44 and the cam 60 is small. In addition, even when the cam 60 and the control panel 24 are in contact with and separated from each other, the contact noise is reduced by smoothly contacting the cam 60 according to the curvature of the cam 60, so that the overall operating noise due to the opening and closing of the control panel 24 is lower than that of the conventional solenoid operation. It becomes significantly smaller.

4 is a flow chart for explaining the ice discharge control method according to the present invention.

While operating in the normal operation mode of the refrigerator, the operation state of the ice type selection button 34 is sensed to determine the type of the selected ice.

It is judged that the ice-ice ice discharge mode is selected during the initial state or normal operation. If it is determined that the ice-ice ice discharge mode is selected, the microcomputer 30 outputs a control signal to the display driver circuit 46 to determine the ice-ice ice / Each ice display unit 48 is operated to light the ice ice indicator.

Subsequently, when the ice ejection button 36 is selected to be in an on state, the ice 52 is discharged by continuously driving the motor 52 until the ice ejection button 36 is turned off.

On the other hand, when the ice cube discharge mode is selected based on the selection of the ice selection button 36, the control signal is output to the display driver circuit 46 to operate the icebreaking ice / ice cube display unit 48 to display the ice cube indicator. It turns on, and drives the motor 44 for operating a control panel until the control panel 24 is in full bloom.

When the control panel full switch 40 is connected to the ON state during the operation of the control panel operation motor 44, and the full control of the control panel 24 is detected, the ice is selected again to confirm whether the selection of the discharged ice type is changed. If it is determined that the ice ice is not selected after checking the operation state of the button 34, the ice cube is discharged by performing the same ice discharge step as the ice discharge step. At this time, since the control panel 24 is in full bloom, ice cubes are discharged.

If the selection condition is changed to ice ice at the step of checking the operation state of the ice ice selection button, the ice control lamp is turned on by the method as described above, and the motor for operating the control panel until the control panel 24 is completely closed. After driving 44, the ice dispensing step is performed.

As described above, the present invention enables the control of the control panel 24 after the control panel 24 is completely closed or in full bloom while being able to discharge the ice of the selected size by appropriately adjusting the opening and closing of the control panel 24 according to the type of the selected ice. Even if the power supply for driving the current state is continued, it is possible to prevent deterioration of components and to reduce power consumption, and to significantly reduce the mechanical operation noise caused by the operation of the control panel 24.

Claims (3)

It is provided with an ice selection button and an ice dispensing button, and according to the operation state of the button, a control signal indicating the type of ice selected and a motor control signal for controlling the discharge of ice are output to the microcomputer and the ice type display control signal. Ice ice / angular ice display to indicate the type of ice selected, a motor for transferring the ice accumulated in the ice box to the discharge port according to the motor control signal, and the ice discharge port according to the control panel opening and closing control signal of the microcomputer. In the ice discharge control device of the refrigerator having a control panel for opening and closing, On one side of the control panel is provided with a motor having a reduction gear which is driven in accordance with the control panel opening and closing control signal of the microcomputer, the outer shaft of the motor is formed in an elliptical shape of the shape of the outer circumferential surface to be interviewed to the control panel to open and close the control panel To install, one side of the control panel ice discharge control device, characterized in that the spring is installed so that the tension force acts in the direction in which the control panel is opened. The control panel closing switch 38 of claim 1, wherein the protrusions 24a and 24b protrude from one end of the control panel 24, and the control panel closing switch 38 is connected to one end of the cover 16 corresponding to the protrusions 24a and 24b. ) And the control panel 10,000 switch 40 is installed to maintain the different connection state in the closed and full state of the control panel 24 to detect the control panel closed state and the control panel in full bloom, characterized in that the ice discharge control of the refrigerator Device. If ice ice is selected by the operation of the ice selection button during normal operation of the refrigerator, turning on the ice ice light indicator, and then, if the ice discharge button is selected to be on, the ice ice will be frozen until the ice discharge button is turned off. Outputting the motor control signal for dispensing and discharging iced ice; if ice is selected according to the selection of the ice selection button, the ice cube is turned on to operate the control panel operating motor until the control panel is in full bloom. If the full control of the control panel is detected during the operation of driving the motor for driving the control panel, the operation of the ice-ice selection button is once again checked to confirm whether the selection of the discharged ice type is changed. If it is determined that the step of the ice discharge step, the step of checking the operation state of the ice ice selection button If the selection condition is changed to ice ice, the ice in the refrigerator comprises turning on the ice ice indicator and driving the control panel motor until the control panel is completely closed, and then performing the ice dispensing step. Discharge Control Method.