KR200339301Y1 - Drain unit of ice maker - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a drain unit of an ice maker, and an ice-making unit that freezes ice-making water by a cooling system to generate ice and a predetermined amount of ice-making water stored therein, and a water tank for supplying ice-making water to the ice-making unit and the water supply. An ice maker including a first water level sensor installed in the tank to detect an amount of ice making water stored in the water supply tank, the ice making machine comprising: a drain tank for storing the ice making water discharged from the water supply tank and a drain installed inside the drain tank. The second water level sensor for detecting the amount of ice making water stored in the tank and the bottom line of the water supply tank is installed in communication with the drain tank, the drain line and the drain tank for draining the ice ice according to the opening and closing of the drain valve Installed on one side of the outer drain line for discharging the ice making water and the operation of the ice making unit is stopped And a control unit for draining the ice making water in the drain tank.

Description

Drain Unit of Ice Maker {DRAIN UNIT OF ICE MAKER}

The present invention relates to a drain unit of an ice maker, and relates to an ice maker which drains water remaining in the ice maker when the use of the ice maker is stopped.

In general, an ice maker generates ice from a water supply tank by an ice making apparatus provided with a cooling system, and includes a case, a door part, an ice making unit, a cooling system, and a water supply tank.

The case has an opening at one side, and is opened and closed by a door part. An ice making unit for forming ice by freezing ice water and an ice storage for storing ice formed in the ice making unit is provided inside the case, and is connected to the ice making unit. And a cooling system including a compressor and a condenser is installed. In addition, a case is provided with a water supply pipe for supplying the ice-making water to the ice-making unit to connect the water supply tank and the ice-making unit in which a predetermined amount of ice-making water is stored.

With this configuration, the ice making unit receives the ice making water from the water supply tank through the water supply pipe and ices the ice making water by the cooling system, and the generated ice is stored in the ice storage inside the case to store the door part as needed. It can be opened and used out.

However, such a conventional ice maker cannot drain the water stored in the water supply tank when the operation of the ice maker is stopped, which causes a problem that mold and a large amount of bacteria are generated when the water stored in the water supply tank is left for a long time, thereby causing an unpleasant odor.

In addition, since the inside of the ice maker is left in an unsanitary state, there is a problem that bacteria are included in the ice generated when reused.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a drain unit of an ice maker which drains the water of the water supply tank when the operation of the ice maker is stopped as it is devised to solve the above problems.

1 is a view showing the drain unit of the ice maker according to the present invention,

2 is a view showing a water level sensor applied to the present invention.

Brief description of the main symbols in the drawing

10: body 11: diaphragm

13: First Natural Drainage Hall 15: Guidelines

17: first forced drainage hole 20: operation unit

30; Supply tank 31: external water supply pipe

33: supply pipe 35: first water level sensor

37: second forced drainage hole 38: second natural drainage hall

39: natural drain line 40: drain unit

41: drain tank 43: forced drain line

45: drain valve 47: second water level sensor

48: drain pump 48a: power supply

49: external drain line 49a: external drain valve

60: control unit

The present invention for achieving the above object is a deicing unit for freezing ice by the cooling system to generate ice and a predetermined amount of deicing water is stored therein and the water supply tank and the water supply tank to supply the deicing water to the ice making unit An ice maker including a first water level sensor for detecting the amount of ice making water stored in the water supply tank, the drain tank for storing the ice making water discharged from the water supply tank and the drain tank is installed in the drain tank A second water level sensor for detecting the amount of ice making water stored in the bottom of the water supply tank and installed in communication with the drain tank, the drain line for draining the ice making water according to the opening and closing of the drain valve and one side of the drain tank Installed in the outer drain line for discharging the ice making to the outside and the operation of the ice making unit is stopped at the same time Provides the ice maker of the drain unit, characterized in that the drain to the control of a first group of ice water drain tank.

Preferably, the drain tank is further provided with a drain pump that is selectively operable to forcibly drain the ice making water.

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

1 is a view showing the drain unit of the ice maker according to the present invention, as shown in the figure, the ice maker is installed inside the main body 10 and the main body 10 to form a predetermined space, such as a compressor and an evaporator, etc. It is connected to the cooling system consisting of the ice making unit (not shown) for generating ice and the operation unit 20 is installed on the outside of the main body 10 to turn on / off the operation of the ice making unit, and to supply the ice making water to the ice making unit The water supply tank 30, the drain unit 40 which drains the ice-making water of the water supply tank 30, and the control part 60 which controls the drain of ice-making water are comprised.

Here, the diaphragm 11 is horizontally installed inside the main body 10, and a first natural drainage hole 13 and a first forced drainage hole 17 are formed at one side of the diaphragm 11, and drainage holes are provided. An ice making unit is provided on the upper side of 13 and 15, and a drain unit 40 is provided on the lower side. A guide line 15 is installed below the first natural drainage hole 13 to drain the ice making water falling to the diaphragm 11 downward.

The operation unit 20 has an ON / OFF button 23 and is configured to select whether to operate the ice making unit by its operation. When the ON / OFF button 23 of the operation unit 20 is OFF, the control unit will be described later. Is sent to 60.

The water supply tank 30 receives the ice making water from the outside and supplies the ice making water to the ice making unit, and an external water supply pipe 31 is provided on one side to supply the ice making water to the ice making unit, and on the other side, a supply pipe for supplying the ice making water to the ice making unit ( 33) is installed, the first water level sensor 35 is installed inside.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first water level sensor 35 includes a reed switch 53 for forming a contact by a magnetic force inside the shaft 51 serving as a central axis. Float 57 formed of a material floating in water so as to rise by buoyancy is formed in the insertion hole 55 to be fitted to the shaft 51, the float 57 is fitted inside the float 57 The magnet 59 is installed to move along with the shanghai to form a contact of the reed switch 53, the magnetic force is generated.

Accordingly, the water level of the ice-making water according to the contact formation of the reed switch 53 built in the shaft 51 by moving the magnet 59 installed therein by the float 57 moving in accordance with the amount of ice-making water Can be detected.

In addition, a second natural drainage hole 38 protruding to a predetermined height inside the water supply tank 30 is formed, and a second forced drainage hole 37 is formed in the bottom surface of the water supply tank 30.

The second natural drainage hole 38 is provided with a natural drain line 39 facing the drain tank 41 to be described later at a predetermined interval from the first natural drainage hole 13 so that the water supply tank ( If the ice-making water supplied to 30 is supplied in a predetermined amount or more, it becomes a passage for draining the excess ice-making water to the drain tank 41.

That is, when the amount of the ice-making water supplied is increased and the level of the ice-making water supplied is higher than the second natural drainage hole 38 protruding to a predetermined height, it overflows to the second natural drainage hole 38 and the natural drain line Drain to the drain tank 41 through the first natural drainage hole 13 of the 39 and the diaphragm 11.

The second forced drainage hole 37 passes through the first forced drainage hole 17 of the diaphragm 11 and is provided with a forced drain line 43 to communicate with a drain tank 41 to be described later, and a forced drain line 43 is provided. The drain valve 45 is installed on the c), and the ice making water in the water supply tank 30 is drained to the drain tank 41 by opening or closing the drain valve 45.

The drain valve 45 is always closed by employing a solenoid valve that is opened and closed by using the suction force of the electromagnet, and is installed to open when the ON / OFF button 23 of the operation unit 20 is operated to stop the operation of the ice making unit.

The drain unit 40 is installed in the drain tank 41 and the drain tank 41 having a space for storing the ice-making water drained by the natural drain line 39 and the forced drain line 43 described above. And a second water level sensor 47 for detecting the level of the ice making water stored in the drain tank 41 and an external drain line 49 installed at one side of the drain tank 41 to drain the stored ice making water to the outside. do.

At this time, if the installation space of the ice making machine is insufficient and the external drain line 49 is installed higher than the drain tank 41 in which the ice making water is stored, the external drain line 49 is drained to the drain tank 41 to temporarily store the ice making water stored therein. It is preferable that a drain pump 48 is additionally provided to discharge the ice maker body 10 to the outside of the ice maker main body 10.

The control unit 60 receives the water level of the first water level sensor 35 when the operation unit 20 is OFF, opens the drain valve 43 for a predetermined time, and receives the water level from the second water level sensor 47. It is configured to transmit an operation signal to the drain pump 48.

Hereinafter, by this configuration, the operation and effect through the ice maker according to the present invention.

First, when a user stops the operation of the ice making unit by operating the operation unit 20, the control unit 60 detects this and transmits the water level of the ice making water remaining in the water supply tank 30 from the first water level sensor 35. Take and calculate the amount of ice-making water.

Next, the drain valve 45 installed on the forced drain line 43 drains the ice making water remaining in the supply tank 30 connected to the ice making unit to the drain tank 41. At this time, the drain valve 45 is adjusted for the opening time by the amount of ice-making water calculated by the control unit 60.

Ice making water is drained to the drain unit 40 is drained to the outside of the main body 10 through the outer drain line (49).

Here, when the installation space of the ice maker is insufficient and the external drain line 49 is installed higher than the drain unit 40, the drain valve 45 of the forced drain line 43 is blocked and the second water level sensor 47 The water level of the ice-making water drained by the drain tank 41 is sensed and transmitted to the controller 60.

The control unit 60 receiving the ice level from the second water level sensor 47 calculates the amount of ice making water drained to the drain tank 41 to drain the ice making water to the outside of the main body 10. The operation signal is transmitted to the drain pump 48 further installed on the line 49 to discharge the ice making water present in the drain tank 41 to the outside of the main body 10.

Accordingly, when the ice making unit stops working, all of the ice making water remaining in the supply tank 30 may be discharged to the outside.

As described above, according to the present invention, when the operation of the ice-making unit that generates ice in the ice maker stops, the ice-making water remaining in the ice maker is discharged to the outside of the ice maker. It is effective to prevent.

In addition, there is an effect that the inside of the ice maker is kept clean.

Claims (2)

The ice making unit freezes the ice making water by the cooling system and a predetermined amount of ice making water is stored therein, and a water supply tank for supplying ice making water to the ice making unit and ice making water installed in the water supply tank. In the ice maker including a first water level sensor for detecting the amount of, A drain tank for storing the ice making water discharged from the water supply tank; A second water level sensor installed inside the drain tank to detect an amount of ice making water stored in the drain tank; A drain line installed at a bottom of the water supply tank so as to communicate with the drain tank and draining ice-making water according to opening and closing of the drain valve; An external drain line installed at one side of the drain tank to discharge ice-making water to the outside; And And a control unit configured to drain the ice making water of the drain tank at the same time as the operation of the ice making unit is stopped. The method of claim 1, The drain tank is a drain unit of the ice maker, characterized in that the drain pump is selectively installed when forcibly draining the ice-making water.