KR20050028363A - Ice-bank in the refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

An ice bank of a refrigerator is provided to improve ice carrying force by a helical blade formed inwardly along an inner spiral of an ice carrying element. An ice bank of a refrigerator includes a container(50) mounted at a lower part of an ice maker for receiving ice inside, wherein a top part is opened and an ice outlet is formed at a predetermined portion corresponding to an ice chute. An ice carrying element(51) is rotatively mounted in the container and formed in the spiral shape on the whole. The ice carrying element has an end formed with an axial part(51a) and a helical blade(51b) inwardly fixed along an inner spiral. A crusher(53) is mounted with the axial part of the ice carrying element rotatively, and mounted with at least two or more blades(55,56) for crushing ice carried by the ice carrying element. An ice discharge element(57) is mounted to the ice outlet for controlling an opening degree of the outlet.

Description

Ice-bank in the refrigerator

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly to an ice bank of the refrigerator.

A typical refrigerator is divided into a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment. The refrigerator compartment keeps food and vegetables fresh and long at a temperature of about 3 ° C. to 4 ° C., and the freezer compartment keeps food such as meat and fish frozen at subzero temperatures.

Recently, various functions have been added to the refrigerator for the user to conveniently use, such as storing kimchi. The ice making machine described below is one such additional function.

Hereinafter, a conventional refrigerator ice making apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

1 is a schematic view showing a state in which a conventional ice maker is installed in the refrigerator, Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of the ice maker constituting the ice maker of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a structure of the ice maker and ice bank in the refrigerator of Figure 1 Figure 4 is a side view, Figure 4 is a state diagram showing the process of the ice produced in the ice maker of Figure 3 accommodated in the ice bank.

Referring to FIG. 1, the refrigerator is divided into a freezer compartment and a refrigerating compartment, and a door 1 is installed to open and close the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment. A control panel (not shown) is installed on the outer surface of the door 1 to allow a user to select a predetermined function of the refrigerator.

An ice maker 10 for manufacturing ice and discharging the ice to the lower part is installed in the freezer compartment, and an ice bank 20 is installed at the lower part of the ice maker. In addition, an ice chute 2 is installed in the door 1 to be positioned below the ice bank 20 when the door is closed, and a dispenser (not shown) is connected to the lower part of the ice chute. An apparatus consisting of such an ice maker, an ice bank, an ice chute and a dispenser is hereinafter referred to as an ice maker.

Referring to FIG. 2, the ice maker 10 has an ice making chamber 11 in which ice is generated and a water supply part 12 formed at one side of the ice making chamber 11 to supply water to the ice making chamber. .

The ice-making chamber 11 has a substantially semi-cylindrical shape, and the ice-making chamber 11 is formed so that the partition ribs 11a protrude upward at predetermined intervals so that ice can be separated. In addition, a fastening portion 15 is formed at a rear predetermined portion of the ice making chamber 11 so as to fix the ice maker to the freezing chamber.

One side of the ice making chamber 11 is provided with a motor device (13). The motor device 13 has a built-in motor, the ejector 14 (ejector) is rotatably connected to the drive shaft of the motor.

The ejector 14 is installed such that a rotating shaft crosses the center of the ice making chamber 11, and a plurality of ejector pins 14a are installed at predetermined intervals on the rotating shaft of the ejector. At this time, each of the ejector pin 14a is disposed for each section partitioned by the partition ribs 11a.

A plurality of slide bars 16 extend in the upper end of the front side of the ice making chamber 11 to about the rotation axis of the ejector 14.

In addition, a heater 17 (see FIG. 4) is attached to the bottom surface of the ice making chamber 11. The heater 17 heats the surface of the ice making chamber for a short time to slightly dissolve the ice surface attached to the surface of the ice making chamber so that the ice can be easily separated from the ice making chamber 11.

The ice maker 10 is provided with an ice sensing arm 18 to measure the amount of ice filled in the ice bank 20. The ice detection arm 18 is installed to be movable up and down and is connected to a control unit embedded in the motor device 13. By the action of the ice detection arm 18 and the control unit, the ice bank 20 is filled with a certain amount of ice.

Referring to FIG. 3, the ice bank 20 has an upper surface open to receive falling ice and an ice outlet is formed at a predetermined portion of the lower surface. This ice outlet is formed at a position corresponding to the ice chute 2.

In addition, the ice bank 20 is provided with an ice conveying means 22, a motor device 23, a crusher 30 and an ice discharger (40).

The ice conveying means 22 includes a linear spiral portion 22a having a predetermined portion spirally formed therein, an shaft portion 22b extending from the linear spiral portion to the crusher 30 side to form a rotating shaft, and provided to the crusher side. It consists of a plate-shaped helix part 22c which charges ice.

The ice transfer means 22 is installed to cross the inside of the ice bank 20. The ice transfer means 22 is rotatably coupled to the motor device 23.

Accordingly, when the motor device 23 is rotated, ice is transferred to the crusher 30 as the ice transfer means 22 is rotated.

The crusher 30 is composed of a housing 31, a fixed blade 32 and a movable blade 33.

At this time, the housing 31 is formed in a cylindrical shape with one end open. The fixed blade 32 is fixed in the housing 31 so as to cross the inside of the housing, and the shaft portion 22b of the ice conveying means is inserted into the center of the fixed blade 32, and the shaft portion of the ice conveying means ( At least one movable blade 33 is installed in 22b). This movable blade 33 is arranged between the stationary blades 32.

In addition, the ice discharger 40 is composed of a shutter 41 and a solenoid 42.

That is, an approximately plate-shaped shutter 41 is installed at the ice outlet of the housing 31 so as to open the opening degree of the ice outlet 21 to a predetermined size, and the solenoid 42 is connected to the shutter 41. do. At this time, the shutter 41 and the solenoid 42 are connected by a lever.

An ice chute 2 having a predetermined space is installed below the ice outlet as shown in FIG. 1. The ice chute 2 is formed to communicate the ice bank 20 with the outside. At this time, the dispenser is not shown, but when the ice is not discharged, the device is installed to block the outside air.

Referring to the operation of the icemaker of the conventional refrigerator configured as described above are as follows.

When the ice bank 20 determines that the ice bank 20 lacks ice by the ice detection arm 18, water is supplied to the water supply part 12 of the ice maker 10. This water is filled up to a predetermined level in the ice making chamber 11 and is frozen by cold air in the freezing chamber. At this time, the partition rib 11a of the ice making chamber 11 serves to divide the ice produced in the ice making chamber 11 into a predetermined size.

When the ice is manufactured, the heater 17 of the ice maker is operated for a short time to melt the contact surface of the ice in contact with the surface of the ice making chamber 11. Subsequently, as the ejector pin 14a is rotated by the motor device 13, each ice positioned in the corresponding space is discharged to the outside. This ice is discharged to the ice bank 20 as shown in FIG.

When the ice bank 20 is filled with a predetermined amount of ice by repeating this series of processes, the ice making process of the ice maker 10 is terminated by the control unit. In addition, if it is determined that the ice is insufficient in the ice detection arm 18, the ice making process is performed again, and the ice maker 10 is filled with a predetermined amount of ice.

When the ice is filled in this way, the motor device 23 is rotated so that the ice transfer means 22 transfers the ice to the crusher 30 side. At this time, the plate-shaped helix portion 22c is charged into the crusher while pressing the ice to the crusher 30 side as shown in FIG. As such, the plate-shaped helix portion 22c allows the ice to be easily crushed by the crusher.

At the same time, when the solenoid 42 is operated to open the shutter 41, the ice crushed by the crusher 30 is discharged to the dispenser through the ice shooter 2. Thus, the user can obtain crushed ice.

In addition, when the shutter 41 is opened to a larger opening by the solenoid 42, the ice transferred to the crusher 30 is discharged to the ice shooter 2 before being crushed. Thus, the user can obtain ice cubes.

However, the ice bank of the conventional refrigerator has the following problems.

First, since the plate-shaped helix portion must be separately installed in the ice transfer means, it is difficult to compact the ice bank due to the large volume of the ice transfer means.

Secondly, the ice conveying means has a problem in that the amount of ice charged in the crusher is reduced since the conveyance capacity of the ice rapidly decreases between the plate-shaped helix portion and the linear spiral portion. Therefore, in order to increase the amount of ice charged in the crusher, the driving device must be driven faster.

In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an ice bank having an ice transport means of a compact structure while increasing the amount of ice charged in the crusher.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is installed in the lower portion of the ice maker, the upper portion is open to accommodate the ice therein, the predetermined portion the bank container formed with an ice outlet corresponding to the ice chute; An ice conveying means rotatably installed in the bank container, formed in a helical shape as a whole, and having an axial portion extending at one end thereof and having a helix blade fixed inward along an inner spiral; A crusher in which the shaft portion of the ice conveying means is rotatably inserted and at least two blades are installed to crush the conveyed ice; And, provided in the ice discharge port provides an ice bank of the refrigerator comprising a: ice discharge device for adjusting the opening degree of the ice discharge port.

At this time, the helix blade is formed continuously or discontinuously along the inner helix.

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of an ice bank of a refrigerator according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

5 is a schematic view showing an ice bank of a refrigerator according to the present invention, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the ice conveying means of FIG. 5, and FIG. 8 shows the ice conveying means of FIG. Sectional view cut along line I.

In the icemaker of the refrigerator according to the present invention, the ice maker, the ice shooter and the dispenser are the same as described above in the related art, and a description thereof will be omitted below.

5, 6 and 8, the ice bank is largely composed of a bank container 50, ice conveying means 51, crusher 53 and ice discharge device 57.

The bank container 50 is installed below the ice maker 10 (see FIG. 1). The bank container 50 is open at the top and an ice outlet (not shown) is formed at a predetermined portion so as to correspond to the ice chute 2 (see FIG. 1). Therefore, it is possible to accommodate the ice discharged from the ice maker.

It is understood that such a bank container may be changed into various shapes according to the shape of the seating portion.

The ice transfer means 51 is rotatably installed in the bank container 50 as shown in FIG. 6 and 8, the ice transfer means is formed in a spiral shape as a whole, and the shaft portion 51a extends at one end thereof, and the helix blade 51b is fixed inward along the inner spiral. This helix blade is also spirally formed.

The helix blade 51b is continuously formed along the inner spiral of the ice conveying means 51. Accordingly, the feed force and the long input of the ice transfer means can be improved.

In addition, the helix blade 51b is preferably formed to have a larger width toward the crusher 53 side. This is to improve the ability to load ice into the crusher. The width of the helix blade can be properly adjusted in consideration of the ice transport capacity and the long input.

It is also understood that such a helix blade may be fixed to the ice conveying means by welding, or may be molded integrally with the ice conveying means.

The shaft portion 51a of the ice conveying means is rotatably inserted into the crusher 53, and the other end of the ice conveying means is axially coupled with the driving device 52.

The drive device is installed to be attached to the bank container.

Alternatively, the driving device may be installed to be attached to one side wall of the freezing compartment, so that the driving device may be separated from the ice bank when the ice bank is removed from the freezing compartment.

The driving device 52 performs a function of rotating the ice conveying means, and the crusher performs a function of crushing the ice as the ice conveying means is rotated.

In addition, the crusher 53 includes at least two blades to crush the conveyed ice.

That is, the crusher 53 has a housing 54 forming a predetermined space therein, a fixed blade 55 fixed to the inside of the housing and rotatably inserted into the shaft portion 51a of the ice conveying means; It is composed of a movable blade 56 which is fixed between the shaft portion and disposed between the fixed blade. At least one fixed blade and one movable blade are installed.

An ice discharge device 57 is installed at the ice discharge port of the bank container 50 to adjust the opening degree of the ice discharge port.

The ice discharge device 57 is composed of a shutter (58) installed in the ice discharge port, and a solenoid (59) for opening and closing the shutter to a predetermined opening.

The operation of the first embodiment of the ice bank configured as described above will be described.

When the user presses a predetermined button through the control panel of the door, power is applied to the driving device 52.

As the driving device is rotated, the ice transfer means 51 rotates to transfer ice to the crusher 53. At this time, the helical blade 51b performs a function of transporting and charging ice to the crusher 53 side.

At the same time, when the shutter 58 is opened by the solenoid 59 at a predetermined opening degree, the crusher 53 crushes the transferred ice. At this time, the helical blade 51b serves to prevent the ice from being retracted while the crusher 53 is crushing the ice.

The crushed ice is discharged to the ice chute and dispenser through the ice outlet.

In addition, when the shutter 58 is completely opened, the ice transferred to the crusher 53 side is discharged into the ice chute through the ice outlet before being crushed by the crusher.

Accordingly, the user can selectively take the ice cubes and crushed ice.

Next, a second embodiment of an ice bank according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

7 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the ice conveying means of FIG.

Since the configuration of the second embodiment of the ice bank is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment except for the ice transfer means 61, the description of the same parts will be omitted.

The ice conveying means 61 is formed in a spiral shape as a whole, the shaft portion 61a extends at one end thereof, and the helix blade 61b is fixed inward along the inner spiral.

The helix blade 61b is discontinuously installed at predetermined intervals along the inner spiral. That is, a plurality of helix pieces having the predetermined length are fixed at predetermined intervals to form a helix blade.

 In addition, the helix blade 61 is preferably formed to have a larger width toward the crusher 53 side. This is to improve the ability to charge the ice into the crusher (52). The width of the helix blade can be properly adjusted in consideration of the ice transfer performance and the charging performance.

Since the second embodiment of the ice bank configured as described above is almost similar to that of the first embodiment, the operation thereof will be omitted.

As described above, the ice bank according to the present invention has the following effects.

First, the ice conveying means may improve the conveyance and long input of the ice by the helix blade formed inwardly along the inner spiral. In addition, since the helix blade of the present invention can be replaced with one, there is an effect that the ice bank can be made more compact.

Second, since the ice input means increases the input by the helix blade, even if the ice transfer means is operated at a relatively low speed has the effect of having the same transfer and charging performance.

Third, the helix blade shape is excellent in the effect of breaking the ice stuck in a predetermined portion. Therefore, there is an effect to improve the reliability of the product by discharging the ice of the appropriate size.

1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an ice maker is installed in a conventional refrigerator.

2 is a perspective view showing the structure of an ice maker constituting the ice making device of FIG.

Figure 3 is a schematic view showing an ice bank of the refrigerator of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a state diagram showing a process in which the ice generated in the ice maker of Figure 3 is accommodated in the ice bank.

Figure 5 is a schematic view showing an ice bank of the refrigerator according to the present invention.

6 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the ice conveying means of FIG.

7 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the ice conveying means of FIG.

8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I of the ice transfer means of FIG.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

50: bank container 51, 61: ice transfer means

51a, 61a: shaft portion 51b, 61b: helix blade

52: drive device 53: crusher

54 housing 55 fixed blade

56: movable blade 57: ice discharge device

58: cover 59: solenoid

Claims (5)

A bank container installed at a lower part of the ice maker, the upper part of which is opened to receive ice therein, and the predetermined portion of the bank container having an ice discharge port corresponding to the ice chute; An ice conveying means rotatably installed in the bank container, formed in a helical shape as a whole, and having an axial portion extending at one end thereof and having a helix blade fixed inward along an inner spiral; A crusher in which the shaft portion of the ice conveying means is rotatably inserted and at least two blades are installed to crush the conveyed ice; And, An ice bank of the refrigerator, comprising: an ice discharge device installed at the ice discharge port and adjusting the opening degree of the ice discharge port. The method of claim 1, The helix blade is an ice bank of the refrigerator that is continuously installed along the spirally formed portion of the ice transport means. The method of claim 1, The helix blade is an ice bank of the refrigerator are discontinuously installed at predetermined intervals. The method of claim 2 or 3, The helix blade is an ice bank of the refrigerator which is formed in an increasingly larger width toward the crusher side from the drive device. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The other end of the ice conveying means ice bank of the refrigerator is further installed to drive the ice conveying means.