KR20040085405A - Ice making apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An ice machine is provided to make ice smoothly separated from ice-making trays. CONSTITUTION: An ice machine has at least one ice-making tray(40) containing water for making ice and a reversal drive part supporting the ice-making tray and reversing the ice-making tray to make the ice-making tray turn to one of an ice-making position and an ice separation position. The ice machine includes an air injection part(90) injecting air to the ice-making tray at the ice separation position of the ice-making tray. The reversal drive part comprises an ice-making conveyor(30) of an endless track shape formed by combining plural ice-making trays and a motor turning the ice-making conveyor.

Description

Ice maker {ICE MAKING APPARATUS}

The present invention relates to an ice making device, and more particularly, to at least one ice tray containing water for ice making, and to support the ice making tray, and the ice making tray can be switched to one of an ice making position and an ice making position. An ice making apparatus having an inverting drive unit for inverting an ice making tray.

In general, an ice maker is installed inside a refrigerator or a vending machine, and is an apparatus for manufacturing ice by receiving water.

The automatic ice making device generally includes an ice making tray disposed in a freezer compartment, an ice making mechanism that twists the ice making tray after a predetermined time and separates the ice in the ice making tray from the ice making tray, and a water supply device for supplying ice making water to the ice making tray. Include.

With such a configuration, the conventional automatic ice maker supplies the ice making water to the ice making tray through the water supply device, and when the predetermined time elapses, the ice making water freezes. Then, the icemaker rotates the ice tray at a predetermined angle. Since the ice tray is fixed at one end, the ice is frozen in the tray while the entire tray is twisted and deformed. The iced ice is dropped and stored in the ice storage tray provided in the refrigerator, thereby performing an automatic ice making process.

However, the conventional ice maker applies a torsional force only to one end of the ice maker, so that a uniform torsional force does not act on the ice maker. Therefore, ice chips remain in the fixed tip portion where the torsional force is not sufficiently applied, or the ice is not separated.

As such, if a certain amount of water is resupplied from the water supply (with a constant amount of water replenished) while the ice is not completely iced and some pieces of ice remain in the ice tray, the water overflows outside the ice tray. There is a problem that the ice making apparatus can be frozen.

In addition, since the ice tray is twisted and iced, the ice tray may be damaged or the ice may be broken.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ice making apparatus in which ice can be smoothly iced from an ice making tray.

1 is a perspective view of an ice making apparatus according to the present invention,

2 is a side view of the ice making apparatus according to the present invention;

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the ice making conveyor configuration of the ice making apparatus according to the present invention,

4A is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 3;

Figure 4b is a state diagram after the air is injected through the air injection nozzle in Figure 4a.

* Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

10a: driven pulley 10b: driven pulley

12: support bracket 20: drive device

30: ice making conveyor 40: ice making tray

42: transfer unit 44: ice making cell

50: heater 60: fixing bracket

70: storage tray 80: water supply pipe

90: air injection unit 100: ice

The object is, according to the present invention, at least one ice tray containing water for ice making, and inverting the ice tray to support the ice tray and inverting the ice tray so that the ice tray can be switched to either of the ice making position and the ice making position. An ice making apparatus having a driving unit, the ice making apparatus comprising an air injection unit for injecting air to the ice making tray at the ice making position of the ice making tray.

Here, the inversion driving unit, the trackless ice-making conveyor formed by coupling the plurality of ice trays with each other; It is preferable to include a motor for rotating the ice making conveyor.

In addition, it is preferable to further include a heater for applying heat to the ice making tray at the ice making position of the ice making tray.

The air injection unit preferably includes a compression unit for compressing air, and a nozzle for injecting air compressed through the compression unit.

In addition, the air injection unit, it is preferable to inject the air toward the opening edge of the ice making cell of the ice making tray at the ice making position of the ice making tray.

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

1 is a perspective view of an ice making apparatus according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a side view of the ice making apparatus of FIG. As shown in these figures, the ice making apparatus according to the present invention includes a pair of pulleys 10a and 10b spaced apart from each other, a driving device 20 for rotating the pulleys 10a and 10b, and a pulley 10a. , 10b) includes an ice making conveyor 30 wound and installed.

The pulleys 10a and 10b receive a power from the drive device 20 and rotate with a driving pulley 10a, and a driven pulley 10b that receives power from the drive pulley 10a and rotates through an ice making conveyor 30. Consists of, the driving pulley (10a) and the driven pulley (10b) are respectively installed on both ends of the support bracket 12 provided between the two can be installed spaced apart from each other through the support bracket 12. .

And, both ends of the support bracket 12 is to be fixed to be installed inside the freezer compartment, etc. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, to support both sides of the support bracket 12 can be fixed The plate-shaped fixing bracket 60 is provided on both sides of the bracket 12 so that the ice making device is installed on the fixing bracket 60.

The ice making conveyor 30 is formed in an orbital shape such that a plurality of ice making trays 40 are coupled to each other to form a closed curve. Each ice tray 40 is provided with a deicing cell 44 concave to accommodate water for ice making, as shown in Figure 3, the ice tray 40 is seated and installed, the power from the drive pulley (10a) The transfer unit 42 is provided to rotate and rotate around the two pulleys 10a and 10b together with the ice making tray 40.

Each ice tray 40 is provided with a pair of ice-making cells 44 side by side, the ice-making cell 44 is made of a rigid body having a predetermined strength so that deformation and damage does not occur.

Meanwhile, the transfer part 42 connects the pair of transfer plates 42a on which the ice tray 40 is seated and the two transfer plates 42a to each other, and at the same time, maintains a constant gap therebetween. It includes. Each transfer plate 42a is provided with hinge protrusions 42c and hinge holes 42d at both ends thereof to be hinged with neighboring transfer plates 42a. In this embodiment, the transfer direction of each transfer plate 42a is provided. The hinge protrusion 42c is provided in the side edge part, and the hinge hole 42d is provided in the edge part opposite to a conveyance direction. Therefore, the hinge protrusion 42c of each transfer plate 42a is provided in the hinge hole 42d of the transfer plate 42a adjacent to the transfer direction side, and the hinge hole 42d of each transfer plate 42a is the transfer direction. It is installed on the hinge protrusion 42c of the transfer plate 42a adjacent to the opposite side to form an ice making conveyor 30.

In addition, the transfer part 42 is provided with a projection protrusion 42e protruding from the transfer plate 42a so that the ice making tray 40 can easily receive power from the drive pulley 10a, and the drive pulley 10a and The driven pulley 10b is provided with a plurality of transfer grooves 10c (see Fig. 2) on the outer circumferential surface at regular intervals so as to be engaged with the transfer protrusion 42e. Therefore, power is transferred from the driving pulley 10a to the ice making tray 40 through the feeding protrusion 42e and the feeding groove 10c, and the ice making tray 40 rotates around the driving pulley 10a and the driven pulley 10b. You can do it. Thus, the ice tray 40 may be switched to an ice making position in which the opening of the ice making tray 40 is disposed upward and an ice making position in which the opening of the ice making tray 40 is disposed downward.

In addition, a lower portion of the ice making apparatus is provided with a storage tray 70 to hold the ice 100 produced by the ice making apparatus, and a water supply pipe 80 so as to supply water to the ice making tray 40 at the upper portion of the ice making apparatus. Is provided.

And, the ice making apparatus according to the present invention, as shown in Figure 2, is provided with a heater 50 for icing the ice (100). The heater 50 is installed on the lower side of the support bracket 12 and generates heat by applying power, and may apply heat to the ice trays 40 at a position where the opening of the ice tray 40 faces downward, that is, at the ice break position. It is supposed to be.

In addition, the ice making apparatus according to the present invention further includes an air injection unit 90 for injecting air toward the opening edge of the ice making cell 44 in which the ice 100 is seated and the opening is directed downward (FIG. 1).

When heat of the heater 50 is applied to the ice making trays 40, ice 100 is generally melted and iced from the ice making cell 44 by its own weight. However, since the space between the ice 100 and the ice making cell 44 is in a vacuum state due to the surface tension of the water, there is also the ice 100 remaining without being iced from the ice making cell 44. The air injection unit 90 is used to finally ice this ice 100 from the ice making cell 44.

The air injection unit 90 includes a compression unit for compressing air, and a nozzle for injecting compressed air through the compression unit. Accordingly, the air injection unit 90 blows compressed air toward the opening edge of the ice making cell 44 at the icing position of the ice making tray 40, thereby making ice 100 seated on the ice making cell 44 iced. Ebbing from the cell 44 can be made (see FIGS. 4A and 4B).

With this configuration, the operation of the ice making apparatus according to the present invention will be described. First, water is supplied to the ice making tray 40 with the opening facing upward through the water supply pipe 80 to fill each ice making cell 44. Since the ice making apparatus is installed inside a freezer compartment of a refrigerator, the cold air is continuously received, and after a predetermined time has elapsed, the water filled in the ice making cell 44 is frozen to form ice 100.

In order to use the frozen ice 100, the ice 100 must be separated from the ice making tray 40. The ice making conveyor 30 is moved by the driving device 20 and two pulleys 10a and 10b. . That is, when power is applied to the driving device 20, the driving pulley 10a rotates while the transfer groove 10c provided on the outer circumferential surface of the driving pulley 10a and the feeding protrusion 42e provided on the ice making tray 40 are engaged with each other. The ice making conveyor 30 is conveyed. When ice making is completed and the ice tray 40 where ice 100 is frozen is located under the heater 50, the heater 50 generates heat and heats the ice making cell 44 of the ice tray 40. . Since the ice 100 frozen in the ice making cell 44 is melted at the contact surface with the ice making cell 44 by the heat transferred from the heater 50, the ice 100 is iced from the ice making cell 44, By falling downward and stored in the storage tray (70). Accordingly, the ice 100 frozen in the ice making cell 44 can be iced without twisting, thereby reducing the occurrence of breakage of the ice tray 40 or the ice 100.

On the other hand, in the contact surface between the ice 100 and the ice making cell 44 here, the ice 100 may be seated without being iced from the ice making cell 44 by the surface tension of water. Thus, the air injection unit 90 injects the compressed air toward the opening edge of the ice making tray 44, the ice making tray 40 in the icing position. Then, the air enters into the space between the ice 100 and the ice making cell 44, and the vacuum by the aggregation of water is removed by the air, and the ice 100 seated on the ice making cell 44 is the ice making cell 44. Is taken from).

On the other hand, the application of the air injection unit 90 according to the present invention is not limited to the ice making device described in the present embodiment, it can be applied to various ice making devices such as an ice making device having a towing mechanism by the torsion.

Meanwhile, in the above-described embodiment, an ice making device having an ice-making conveyor 30 having an endless track has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

As such, the present invention includes an air injection unit for injecting air to the ice making tray at the ice making tray's ice making position, so that ice that has been seated on the ice making tray can be smoothly iced.

As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided an ice making apparatus capable of smoothly moving ice from an ice making tray.

Claims (5)

An ice making apparatus having at least one ice making tray accommodating water and an inverting driving part supporting the ice making tray and inverting the ice making tray so that the ice making tray can be switched to one of an ice making position and an ice making position. And an air injection unit for injecting air to the ice tray at the ice-breaking position of the ice tray. The method of claim 1, The reverse drive unit, An endless track ice-making conveyor formed by coupling a plurality of the ice-making trays to each other; Ice making apparatus comprising a motor for rotating the ice making conveyor. The method of claim 1, Ice making apparatus further comprises a heater for applying heat to the ice making tray at the ice-making position of the ice making tray. The method of claim 1, And the air injection unit comprises a compression unit for compressing air and a nozzle for injecting compressed air through the compression unit. The method of claim 4, wherein And the air injection unit sprays the air toward the opening edge of the ice making cell of the ice making tray at the ice making position of the ice making tray.