KR200163788Y1 - Ice feeding apparatus for refrigerators - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ice transfer device for a refrigerator, and relates to a coupling structure of a rotating shaft of a transfer motor and a bracket, wherein an anti-rotation surface is formed on the outer surface of the motor rotating shaft in order to prevent idle rotation of the bracket and the motor rotating shaft. Axial coupling hole of the bracket to be coupled is formed with a support surface corresponding to the anti-rotation surface. As a result, it is possible to obtain a firm coupling between the bracket and the rotating shaft and the anti-idling effect, and also to simplify the coupling structure of the bracket and the rotating shaft greatly reduced manufacturing costs and facilitate the coupling operation of the bracket.

Description

ICE FEEDING APPARATUS FOR REFRIGERATORS}

The present invention relates to an ice conveying apparatus for a refrigerator, and more particularly, to an ice conveying apparatus for a refrigerator having improved coupling structure of a bracket coupled to a rotating shaft of a conveying motor.

In general, a freezer of a large refrigerator is provided with an automatic ice making device for producing ice by freezing water supplied from the outside, and the ice produced by the ice making device is stored in an ice storage container installed therein. In addition, such a refrigerator is provided with an ice discharge tube communicating with the inside of the door and a device for storing the ice so that the user can take out the ice inside the storage container without opening the door, and inside the freezer compartment, the ice in the storage container is directed toward the discharge tube. A conveying apparatus for conveying is provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ice conveying apparatus of the refrigerator includes a spiral shaft 2, a spiral blade 3, and an ice crusher 4 installed inside the storage container 1 in which ice is stored. The motor 5 for driving these is provided. At this time, the spiral shaft (2), the spiral blade (3), and the ice crusher (4) are arranged in series in the inside of the storage container (1), they are together when the spiral shaft (2) is rotated by the drive of the motor (5) It is rotated to allow the transfer of ice and grinding.

In addition, the motor 2 for rotating the spiral shaft 2 is fixed to the inside of the freezer compartment adjacent to the rear of the storage container 1, the spiral shaft (2) inside the storage container 1 and the rotating shaft of the motor ( 5a) is connected to each other so as to be separated and coupled to each other to enable the separation of the reservoir 1. That is, at one end of the spiral shaft 2, the cylindrical shaft member 6 which allows the spiral shaft 2 to be rotatably supported by the storage cylinder 1 and enables the connection with the motor rotary shaft 5a. Is provided, a bracket (7) is provided on the rotating shaft (5a) of the motor (5) to penetrate the rear surface of the reservoir (1) and fitted to the inner surface of the rotating member (6).

At this time, the bracket (7), as shown in Figure 2, the plate-shaped support portion (7a) having a shaft coupling hole (7c) coupled to the rotary shaft (5a) of the motor (5) in the center, both ends of the support portion (7a) It consists of two locking portions (7b) bent vertically toward the inner surface of the rotating member 6, the locking portion (7b) is caught by the jaw (6a) of the inner surface of the rotating member 6 to rotate the rotating member (6) It is supposed to. In addition, the shaft coupling hole 7c of the support portion 7a is provided with a fastening member 8 for coupling the bracket 7 and the rotary shaft 5a, which is fitted to the outer surface of the support portion 7a. It is bent in a 'c' shape to form a hole 8a through which the rotating shaft 5a penetrates on two facing surfaces, and a nut 8b fastened to the male screw portion 5b of the rotating shaft 5a on one side thereof. It is provided so that it may be integrated. Therefore, when the fastening member 8 is coupled to the rotary shaft 5a while the fastening member 8 is fitted to the outer surface of the shaft coupling hole 7c of the bracket 7a, the nut 8b on one side of the fastening member 8 is externally screwed. Since the fastening member 5 is fastened to the bracket 5, and the fastening member 8 surrounds the outer surface of the support part 7a, idling of the rotation shaft 5a can be prevented.

However, although the coupling structure of the bracket 7 and the rotating shaft 5a of the conventional ice transfer apparatus configured as described above can obtain a firm bondability and an anti-idling effect, the fastening member having a 'c' shape that is difficult to manufacture for the coupling thereof is difficult. Because of the use of (8), there was a problem that the manufacturing cost of the conveying apparatus is increased.

In addition, when the bracket 7 and the rotating shaft 5a are coupled, the coupling member 8 is first coupled to the bracket 7 in a state of being fitted into the bracket 7, so that the shaft coupling hole 7c and the coupling member 8 of the bracket 7 are engaged. There is a problem that the coupling operation is complicated and difficult, such as the need to fit the rotary shaft (5a) after exactly matching the holes (8a).

The present invention is to solve such a problem, the object of the present invention is to improve the structure of the rotating shaft of the motor and the bracket coupled thereto, by greatly simplifying the coupling structure of the bracket, while maintaining a firm bondability and anti-idling effect, manufacturing cost It is to provide an ice conveying device for the refrigerator can be reduced and the coupling operation of the bracket is easy.

1 is a view showing the configuration of a conventional ice conveying apparatus.

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the shaft coupling portion of the conventional ice transfer apparatus.

3 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator freezer to which the ice transporting apparatus according to the present invention is applied.

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the shaft coupling portion of the ice conveying apparatus according to the present invention.

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing a coupling structure of the rotating shaft and the bracket of the motor according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

10: main body, 11: freezer, 12: door,

13: evaporator, 15: first ice maker 16: second ice maker,

17: reservoir, 22: discharge tube, 23: storage space,

24: switch, 30: ice feeder, 31: spiral shaft,

32: spiral wings, 34: grinder, 35: motor,

37: rotating shaft, 38: rotating member, 39: bracket,

40: shaft coupling hole, 41: anti-rotation surface, 42: support surface.

Ice transport apparatus for a refrigerator according to the present invention for achieving the above object, a spiral shaft inside the ice reservoir, a motor for rotating the spiral shaft, a rotating member coupled to one end of the spiral shaft to rotatably support the spiral shaft And a bracket having one side coupled to the rotating member and the other side coupled to the rotating shaft of the motor to transfer the rotational force of the motor to the rotating member, and the shaft coupling hole provided at the bracket for coupling with the rotating shaft. In the ice conveying apparatus, at least one anti-rotation surface is formed on the outer surface of the rotary shaft to prevent the idle rotation of the rotary shaft, and a support surface corresponding to the anti-rotation surface is formed on the inner surface of the shaft coupling hole of the bracket The coupling portion of the rotating shaft and the shaft coupling hole is provided with fixing means for fixing them It is characterized by.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 3, the refrigerator having the ice transporting apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a freezing compartment 11 which is formed vertically long in the main body 10 and whose front surface is opened, and the front surface of the freezing chamber 11. The door 12 is installed to open and close it. At this time, the door 12 is hinged to one side of the main body 10 to rotate and open and close. And the back wall of the main body 10 is provided with the evaporator 13 which produces cold air, and the compressor 14 is installed in the lower back of the main body 10. FIG.

In the freezer compartment 11, a first ice maker 15 and a second ice maker 16 are provided at upper and lower parts of the freezer compartment 11, and an ice reservoir for storing the manufactured ice is provided at the lower part of the ice makers 15 and 16. 17,18). At this time, each ice maker 15, 16 is connected to the water supply pipe 19 so that water from an external water supply source can be supplied. In addition, the freezer compartment 11 is provided with a shelf 20 and a plurality of storage boxes 21 for storing frozen food.

In addition, the door 12 is provided with a discharge tube 22 which communicates with the inside of the freezer compartment 11 to guide the discharge of ice so that the ice inside the ice reservoir 17 can be taken out without opening the door 12. Inside the freezing chamber 11 is provided with an ice transfer device 30 for transferring the ice of the ice reservoir 17 toward the discharge tube (22). At this time, the front of the door 12 is formed with an ice storage space 23 recessed inward to facilitate receiving the ice discharged to the discharge pipe 22, the outlet of the discharge pipe 22 is formed in the storage space (23) A switch 24 for operating the transfer device 30 inside the freezing chamber 11 and a guide member 25 for preventing the scattering of the discharged ice are provided.

The ice conveying apparatus 30 in the freezer compartment 11 is installed on the coil-shaped spiral shaft 31, the spiral blade 32, and the outlet side of the storage cylinder 17 rotatably installed in the storage cylinder 17. And an ice crusher 34 for pulverizing the discharged ice finely. The conveying device 30 also includes a motor 35 installed at the rear of the reservoir 17 so as to rotate them.

In this case, the spiral shaft 31, the spiral blade 32, and the ice crusher 34 are arranged in series on the same axis, and are configured to rotate together when the spiral shaft 31 is rotated by the driving of the motor 35. . In addition, the outer surface of the spiral wing 32 is provided with a cylindrical guide cylinder 33 surrounding the outer surface of the spiral wing 32 to enable pressurized ice to be transferred. A plurality of cutters 34a are provided inside the grinder 34, and the outlet 34b of the grinder 34 is positioned above the discharge tube 22 so that the crushed ice is supplied to the discharge tube 22.

The motor 35 installed behind the ice reservoir 17 is supported in a state of being housed in a separate housing 36 surrounding the outer surface, and the rotating shaft 37 of the motor 35 is formed of the housing 36 and the reservoir 17. It penetrates rearward and is connected to the spiral shaft 31 inside the reservoir 17. At this time, the connecting portion of the rotating shaft 37 and the spiral shaft 31 of the motor 35 is connected to each other so as to be separated and coupled to enable the separation of the reservoir 17. To this end, the spiral shaft 31 inside the reservoir 17 is provided with a cylindrical rotating member 38 for supporting the spiral shaft 31 so as to be rotatable and connecting with the motor rotation shaft 37. In addition, the rotating shaft 37 of the motor 35 is provided with a bracket 39 that penetrates the rear surface of the reservoir 17 and is fitted to the inner surface of the rotating member 38.

Referring to FIG. 4, the bracket 39 has a plate-shaped support portion 39a having a shaft coupling hole 40 to which a rotation shaft 37 of the motor 35 is coupled to a central portion thereof, and a rotating member at both ends of the support portion 39a. It consists of two locking parts 39b bent vertically toward the inner surface of 38. That is, the bracket 39 is bent in a 'c' shape as a whole, when the bracket 39 is coupled to the rotating member 38, the engaging portion 39b of both sides is in close contact with the inner surface of the rotating member 38 Then, the jaw 38a protruding from the inner surface of the rotating member 38 is caught by the locking portion 39b, so that the rotating member 38 can be rotated. This makes it possible to transfer large torque while being easy to separate and combine with each other.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the external thread 37a for fixing the bracket 39 is formed on the outer surface of the rotation shaft 37 of the motor 35 coupled to the bracket 39. After the shaft coupling hole 40 of the bracket 39 is fitted to the male screw portion 37a, the nut 43 is fastened to fix the bracket 39.

On the other hand, the ice conveying apparatus 30 according to the present invention is not only a rigid coupling of the bracket 39 and the rotating shaft 37, but also a male screw 37a to prevent the idling of the bracket 39 when the rotating shaft 37 is rotated ) Is formed on the outer surface of the rotating shaft 37 is formed in the anti-rotation surface 41 is formed in a plane, the support surface 42 corresponding to the anti-rotation surface 41 is formed in the shaft coupling hole (40). At this time, the anti-rotation surface 41 is formed on both sides of the external thread (37a) to enable a large rotational force transmission, the support surface 42 corresponding to this is also formed to form a plane facing each other on the inner surface of the axial coupling hole (40). .

The following describes the operation of the ice transport apparatus according to the present invention configured as described above.

The ice frozen in the first ice maker 15 in the upper part of the freezer compartment 11 is dropped and stored in the ice storage container 17 located at the lower part thereof. In this state, when the user presses the switch 24 installed in the front storage space 23 of the door 12, the outlet of the discharge pipe 22 is opened and the motor 35 for driving the ice feeder 30 rotates. Do it. At this time, the rotational force of the motor 35 is transmitted to the spiral shaft 31 inside the reservoir 17 through the bracket 39 and the rotating member 38, and the rotational force transmitted to the spiral shaft 31 is connected to the spiral blade in series. And 32 to ice crusher 34 to rotate them together. Therefore, the pieces of ice in the ice reservoir 17 are pushed by the spiral shaft 31 of the coil shape and moved toward the spiral blade 32 inside the supply container 33, and the spiral blade 32 breaks the ice into the crusher 34. To the side. The ice entering the grinder 34 is pulverized finely by the rotation of the cutter 34a and then discharged into the storage space 23 through the discharge pipe 22.

On the other hand, during this series of operations, the rotating shaft 37 of the motor 35 is transmitted not only ice transfer, but also a large rotational force required for pressing and crushing, the present invention is a bracket 39 for transmitting the rotational force By providing the anti-rotation surface 41 and the support surface 42 for preventing the idling in the engaging portion of the rotary shaft 37, even if a large torque (torque) is applied to the rotary shaft 37, the power transmission is made accurately.

As described above in detail, the ice transport apparatus of the refrigerator according to the present invention is provided with a rotation preventing surface and a support surface processed in a plane on the portion where the motor rotation shaft and the bracket are coupled, while achieving a firm bondability and an idling prevention effect, Compared with the conventional 'c' shaped fastening member to prevent idling of the rotating shaft, the coupling structure of the bracket and the rotating shaft is greatly simplified, thereby reducing manufacturing costs and facilitating the coupling operation of the bracket.

Claims (2)

A spiral shaft inside an ice reservoir, a motor for rotating the spiral shaft, a rotating member coupled to one end of the spiral shaft to rotatably support the spiral shaft, and one side of the rotating member to transmit the rotational force of the motor to the rotating member. In the ice transfer apparatus for a refrigerator comprising a bracket coupled to the other side is coupled to the rotary shaft of the motor, the shaft coupling hole provided in the bracket for coupling with the rotary shaft, One or more anti-rotation surfaces are formed on the outer surface of the rotary shaft to prevent the idle rotation of the rotary shaft, the support surface corresponding to the anti-rotation surface is formed on the inner surface of the shaft coupling hole of the bracket, the rotary shaft and the The coupling unit of the axial coupling hole ice transfer device for a refrigerator, characterized in that the fixing means for fixing them is provided. The method of claim 1, The fixing means is an ice conveying apparatus for a refrigerator, characterized in that it comprises a male screw formed on the outer surface of the rotating shaft, and a nut fastened to the male screw.