KR20050041252A - Method and apparatus for rapid ice making - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for rapidly producing ice in a refrigerator or water purifier.

The present invention provides an ice making method for producing ice in a refrigerator or a water purifier.

Watering to occupy a portion of its volume in each ice pocket of the ice tray; Supplying cold air to the ice pocket of the ice making container to freeze water in the ice pocket; Supplying water again on the frozen ice; and supplying cold air to the water on the frozen ice to overlap and freeze the water again; including water in multiple stages and overlapping water from the bottom to the top in the ice pocket. Provided are an ice making method and an ice making device for the same.

According to the present invention, it is possible to rapidly ice the ice, can be easily separated from the ice making container to increase the ice making efficiency, and to provide a simple structure to reduce the production cost.

Description

Rapid deicing method and apparatus {METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RAPID ICE MAKING}

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for producing ice in a refrigerator or a water purifier. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of producing ice in a refrigerator or water purifier. The present invention relates to a rapid ice making method and apparatus that can achieve cost reduction.

The ice maker 110 according to the related art may be mounted on the refrigerator 100 as shown in FIG. 1, and is provided to various products requiring water making such as a water purifier. The general configuration thereof will be described below.

Hereinafter, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a conventional ice maker 110 will be described using a structure provided in the refrigerator 100. The conventional ice maker 110 has a water supply pipe 120 connected to an external water supply source on the main body 112 side of the refrigerator 100, and the water supply pipe 120 is connected to a valve 124 inside the refrigerator 100. do. The valve 124 controls the water supply directed toward the dispenser 127 and the ice maker 110. Therefore, an external water supply pipe 130 for supplying water to the ice maker 110 is connected to the valve 124.

The external water supply pipe 130 is usually installed at the rear end of the refrigerator 100 and is connected to the internal water supply pipe 135 installed inside the refrigerator 100. The internal water supply pipe 135 supplies water to the ice maker 110 installed in the freezing compartment. The ice maker 110 includes an ice maker 142 for ice making water and a motor 144 for rotating the ice maker 142, and stores ice iced in the ice maker 142 at a lower side thereof. The ice container 146 is provided. And, on one side of the motor 144 is provided with an ice detection lever 148 for measuring the amount of ice stored in the ice container 146.

Operation of the refrigerator ice maker according to the prior art having such a configuration is as follows.

When water is supplied to the ice making container 142 through the internal water supply pipe 135, the ice making container 142 may be iced after a predetermined time due to cold wind. When the ice is made in this way, the ice detection lever 148 is operated to measure the amount of ice stored in the ice container 146. And, if the stored amount is measured below a certain level, the motor 144 is driven to rotate the ice making container 142.

When the ice tray 142 rotates as described above, one side of the ice tray comes into contact with a stopper (not shown) installed adjacent to the ice tray 142. In this state, the rotation of the ice tray 142 is performed. Substantially twisting the ice making container 142, the ice stuck in the interior of the ice making container can be separated from the ice making container. Therefore, the ice is separated from the ice making container 142 by the rotation of the ice making container and stored in the ice storage container 146 below.

In this way, the ice-making ice container 142 is returned to its original position, and water is supplied again by the internal water supply pipe 135.

In the process of ice making in this manner, the ice making method according to the prior art goes through the steps as shown in FIG. That is, the water is supplied to the plurality of ice pockets 142a in the ice making container 142, and then the cooling cold air is supplied from the outside of the ice making container 142, and the water in the ice pocket 142a is frozen by the cold air. Go through the steps.

This freezing method is made of a low thermal conductivity PP material to be twisted while the ice making container 142 is rotated to separate the ice, in each ice pocket (142a) from the upper surface layer of the water contained therein Freezing begins to occur, and the ice freezing nucleus proceeds to the inside of the ice pocket 142a.

This is because the cooling cold air supplied from the outside of the ice making container 142 first freezes the upper surface of the water in the cooling pocket 142a, and the ice through the ice layer 142 made of the PP material having low thermal conductivity and ice. It is a structure in which cold air is supplied to the water in the pocket 142a to freeze.

In this way, when ice is formed from water to ice, the ice expands its volume relative to the water, and the volume expansion of the ice is performed from the upper outer side to the lower inner side of the ice pocket 142a, thereby making the ice tray 142 in the meantime. Pressurizes the inner surface of the ice pocket 142a) to give stress, and greatly increases the clamping force between the ice attached to the ice making container 142.

In addition, according to the conventional ice making container 142 and its freezing method, it took about 50 to 60 minutes to freeze all the ice in the ice pocket 142a. Therefore, this method can be said to be a low ice making efficiency that represents the amount of ice that can be produced per hour.

In addition, the conventional ice maker 110 as described above allows one side to come into contact with a stopper (not shown) while rotating it using the motor 144 to separate and remove ice from the ice maker 142. Since it is to separate the ice from the ice pocket (142a) by twisting the container 142, in order to easily twist the ice container 142 in this way, an expensive motor 144 with a high torque should be used, and the ice container Gears of the reducer (not shown) connecting the 142 to the motor shaft (not shown) should also have a complicated structure in which a plurality of gears are arranged.

Therefore, such a conventional ice making method and the ice maker 110 used therein have had many problems to be improved.

The present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, the object of the present invention is that it is possible to rapidly ice ice, can be easily separated from the ice making container to increase the ice making efficiency, the small and simple motor to rotate the ice making container The present invention provides a rapid ice making method and apparatus that can reduce the production cost by being able to manufacture the structure.

The present invention to achieve the above object,

In the ice making method for producing ice in the refrigerator or water purifier,

Watering to occupy a portion of its volume in each ice pocket of the ice tray;

Supplying cold air to the ice pocket of the ice making container to freeze water in the ice pocket;

Supplying water again on the frozen ice; and

Supplying cold air to the water on the frozen ice to superimpose the water again and again; including rapid freezing of water in multiple stages by overlapping ice from the bottom in the ice pocket to grow freezing nuclei. By providing a method.

And the present invention is the ice making apparatus which freezes water in an ice pocket in the inside of a refrigerator or a water purifier,

An ice making container forming a plurality of ice pockets therein to freeze water;

A motor which is connected to the rotating shaft of the ice making container and rotates forward and reverse;

Distributing means for filling a uniform amount of water from the water supply pipe in the upper side of the ice making container to provide a rapid ice making apparatus comprising a multi-stage overlapping ice in the ice pocket By.

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

The rapid deicing method according to the present invention produces ice in a refrigerator or a water purifier, and multiplies water from the bottom of the ice pocket to the top of the ice pocket to grow ice cores.

To this end, the present invention has a step of supplying water to occupy a part of its contents in each ice pocket 10a of the ice making container 10, as shown in FIG.

In this water supply step, each ice pocket 10a is supplied with water w1 up to 1/2 or less of its contents, preferably 1/3 or less, more preferably 1/4 or less. Water is primarily filled.

In this case, when the ice pocket 10a is divided into three ices or frozen into four ices, 1/3 or 1/4 of the corresponding volume is filled.

And, supplying cold air to the ice pocket (10a) of the ice making container 10 includes the step of freezing the water in the ice pocket (10a). This step allows rapid cooling by making the ice making container 10 made of aluminum having excellent thermal conductivity. That is, since the amount of water filled in the ice pocket 10a is small, rapid cooling is possible, and freezing nuclei are also formed from the upper surface and side surfaces of the ice pocket 10a and rapidly freeze into ice c1.

Then, the step of supplying water (w2) again on the frozen ice (c1) as described above.

This step may again supply water (w2) on the frozen ice (c1), but may fill the ice pocket (10a) full, or preferably as much as 1/3 of the content of the ice pocket (10a) More preferably, it fills as much as 1/4.

Here too, when the ice pocket 10a is divided into three ices or frozen into four ices, 1/3 or 1/4 of the corresponding volume is filled.

Then, by supplying cold air to the water (w2) on the frozen ice (c1) as described above, and overlapping the water (w2) with the ice (c2) again.

In this step as well, the ice making container 10 is made of aluminum having excellent thermal conductivity, and since the cold air is transferred from the upper cold wind of the water (w2) and the lower ice (c1) layer, rapid cooling is possible. In addition, the water (w2) filled in the ice pocket (10a) is all made to be filled in the same amount, because the amount of water is small, rapid cooling is possible, the freezing nucleus is also the upper surface and the side and the bottom of the ice pocket (10a) It is formed from cotton and freezes rapidly.

As described above, in the case where the ice pocket 10a is divided into two ices, water w2 can be divided into two ices inside the ice pocket 10a to freeze. On the other hand, when the ice of the ice pocket 10a is divided into three times to freeze or divided into four times to freeze, the contents 1/3 or 1/4 of the ice pocket 10a is filled every time, By repeating the operation of freezing (w3) with ice (c3), overlapping freezing is possible.

In this way, when the ice pocket 10a of the ice making container 10 is divided into multiple stages to supply water and freeze, a small amount of freezing nucleus grows from the lower portion of the ice pocket 10a to the upper portion and expands in volume. The inner surface of the ice pocket 10a of the ice making container 10 is not pressed and stress is not applied, and the fastening force between the ice making container 10 and the ice cubes c1, c2 and c3 is not greatly increased.

On the other hand, when the water (w1) (w2) (w3) is supplied in a small amount to the ice pocket (10a) of the ice making container (10) in multiple stages and frozen, each ice pocket 10a of the ice making container (10) ), An ice making apparatus 20 for uniformly supplying water every time is required.

The present invention has an ice making device 20 as shown in FIG. 5 for this purpose.

The ice making apparatus 20 according to the present invention has a plurality of ice pockets 10a therein and an ice making container 10 for freezing water, and the ice making container 10 is connected to its rotating shaft 25a and fixed, A motor 25 for rotating in reverse is provided. Therefore, the rotation of the ice making container 10 is achieved by the operation of the motor 25, and the ice making container 10 can be reversed in the normal state.

And, at the upper side of the ice making container 10 includes a distribution means 30 to ensure that the water from the water supply pipe 135 is filled in a uniform amount in each ice pocket (10a).

As shown in FIG. 6, the dispensing means 30 has an ice tray on a center plane of which a plurality of ice pockets 10a are arranged side by side in the center of the upper surface of the ice tray 10, that is, on both sides thereof. It is formed in the longitudinal direction of (10). The distribution means 30 includes a pair of long opposing sidewalls 36a and 36b protruding from the central plane of the ice pocket 10a of the ice making machine 10 at a predetermined distance from each other, and the sidewalls 36a. End walls 38a and 38b that block both ends of 36b, each of the side walls 36a and 36b for supplying water to ice pockets 10a located on both sides thereof. 36b form concave openings 38.

In addition, the dispensing openings 38 have a cross-section having a ∪- or ∨-shape, and as shown in FIG. 6B, the lower end point P of each of the dispensing ports 38 is formed of the ice making container 10. It has a structure that lowers from the front to the rear. Accordingly, such distribution ports 38 are end walls 38b that are rearward from the end wall 38a, which is a front point where water is provided from the internal water supply pipe 135 into the ice making container 10. As the size of the flow path increases, the lower point P of the flow path becomes lower.

That is, the distribution means 30 is gradually lowered from the front side to the rear side when water is supplied from the front side of the end wall 38a to the rear side of the end wall 38b as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 6B. In consideration of the water level w, the lower end point P of the distribution port 38 is formed from the front side toward the lower side.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6A, the distribution ports 38 are formed in the ice pocket 10a at the foremost side of the ice making container 10 at the rear side of the ice pocket 10a, and then All of the ice pockets 10a of the distribution holes 38 are formed to be biased toward the front side of the ice pockets 10a.

As shown in FIG. 6B, when the water falls from the internal water supply pipe 135 to the ice making container 10, each ice pocket moves while the water moves from the front side to the rear side of the distribution means 30. Since the water falls to 10a, the water drop time variation in each ice pocket 10a through the distribution port 38 in consideration of the time required for the water to move in the distribution means 30 as described above. To minimize.

That is, the distribution holes 38 are lower in the lower point P toward the rear from the front point, which is the position at which water is provided from the front side of the distribution means 30, that is, the internal water supply pipe 135. It is configured to compensate for the amount of water that can not fall to the ice pocket (10a) of the rear side while moving from the front point to the rear point so that it can fall faster.

In this case, the amount of water outflow through the respective distribution ports 38 is designed in advance so that they are all the same in consideration of the flow rate of the water provided from the internal water supply pipe 135.

Due to this structure, the ice pocket 10a of the ice making container 10 can be filled with the same amount of water, and the water can be filled and frozen in multiple stages using the distribution means 30.

The ice making container 10 is formed of aluminum having a higher thermal conductivity than PP, and the ice making container 10 is formed on the lower surface of the ice making container 10 in order to ice, that is, separate the ice ice in the ice pocket 10a. It further comprises a heating means 50 as shown.

The heating means 50 is made of a hot wire 52 film, etc., and is formed integrally with the film layer 54 of the hot wire 52 that generates heat by the AC power source 56, the ice-making container ( The size is determined to fit the lower surface of 10) and is integrally formed. The heating wire 50 of the heating means 50 draws out a part of the power supply 56 provided to the motor 25, connects it with an electric wire, and supplies the power supply 56 at a preset timing. Then, the heating wire 52 is rapidly heated to approximately 70 ° C., which melts the ice in the ice pocket 10a through the bottom surface of the ice making container 10 made of aluminum so as to quickly separate from the ice making container 10. do.

In addition, the heating means 50 may have a structure in which the heating wire 52 is coated on the lower surface of the ice making container 10 instead of the heating wire 52 and the film layer 54, and the power source 56 is supplied. In this case, in consideration of this during the manufacture of the ice making container 10 can be easily produced by coating integrally with an insulating resin.

When the ice making apparatus 20 of the present invention configured as described above is intended to be iced using the same, the contents of 1/2, 1/3, or 1/4 of the ice pocket 10a inside the ice making container 10 The water corresponding to the enemy is selected and supplied through the internal water supply pipe 135. The water supplied to the front side of the distribution means 30 through the internal water supply pipe 135 is distributed to contain the same amount to the ice pocket 10a disposed on both sides of the distribution means 30 through the distribution holes 38, respectively. And then primary cooling takes place.

In this case, since the ice making container 10 is made of aluminum produced by thin die casting or pressing as described above, and cools a small amount of water, the freezing nucleus is formed on the lower side of the ice pocket 10a during the freezing process. Since it is formed and gradually frozen in the upward direction, the ice fastening force is weaker than in the prior art. In this way, if the first freezing is made, the second water supply is made, and after the second water supply is made, the second water freezing is performed, and the third water supply and the third water freezing are sequentially made in multiple stages.

In such a case, a small amount of water and rapid freezing are performed, so that even if the freezing is performed in multiple stages, the time required for the entire freezing corresponds to less than about 30 minutes, and thus the freezing efficiency is very high.

When the ice is completed in the ice making container 10 as described above, the ice making container 10 is inverted by the operation of the motor 25, and the heating means 50 is operated to heat the heating wire 52 with the input of the power supply 56. ) Is generated, which rapidly heats the ice through the bottom of the aluminum ice container 10 and quickly ices it in the ice pocket 10a to store the ice at the lower side of the ice ice container 10. It is dropped in a container and stored.

In this case, the present invention can reduce the structure of the motor 25 and the reducer as compared with the conventional one. That is, since the present invention maintains a state in which ice is iced from the ice making container 10 by the heating means 50, it is not necessary to twist the ice making container 10 as in the prior art, so that a large torque It is also possible with a normal small motor 25 that does not require a torque. In addition, since the reducer of a complicated structure is not necessary, the structure of the motor 25 and the reducer related to the rotation of the ice making container 10 may be improved, thereby greatly reducing the manufacturing cost.

The present invention may further include an impact generating means for more easily separating the ice from the ice pocket of the ice making container when the ice making container is heated to ice the ice as described above. For example, the protrusion protruding from the casing of the motor is formed on one side, and the tip of the protrusion is in contact with one side of the ice making vessel during the rotation of the ice making container, and then passes over the protrusion, thereby impacting the rotation of the ice making container. To make it easier for ice to fall from the ice pocket.

Such an additional structure is not limited to the above-described protrusion structure, and may include all of the various means capable of impacting the ice making container during rotation of the ice making container, and this structural improvement is easily applied to those skilled in the art. You can do it.

As described above, according to the present invention, a small amount of water is added to the inside of the ice making container 10 made of a thin aluminum die casting or a press, and the ice is rapidly frozen, and the ice is rapidly iced by repeatedly freezing the ice in multiple stages. It is possible to produce a large amount of ice in a short time, greatly improving the ice making efficiency.

In addition, since the bottom surface of the ice making container 10 is coated with a hot wire film or a heating wire 52 to rapidly heat the ice making container 10, the ice is easily separated from the ice making container 10 in an iced state. It can be collected, and accordingly it is possible to produce a motor 25 for rotating the ice making container 10 in a compact and simple structure to achieve a reduction in production cost.

1 is a block diagram showing a refrigerator and an ice maker according to the prior art;

2 is an operation explanatory diagram showing the operation of the ice making container of the refrigerator ice maker according to the prior art;

3 is an explanatory view showing an ice making method according to the prior art in order;

4 is an explanatory view showing the rapid ice making method according to the present invention in order;

5 is an external perspective view showing an ice making device implementing the rapid ice making method according to the present invention;

6 is a detailed view of the ice making apparatus shown in FIG.

         a) a plan view of the ice tray,

         b) is a side cross-sectional view of the ice making vessel.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10 ... ice tray 10a ... ice pocket

20 .... Ice maker 25 ... Motor

25a ... rotating shaft 30 .... dispensing means

36a, 36b ... sidewall 38 ...

38a, 38b ... end wall 50 .... heating means

52 .... Heating 56 .... Power

100 .... refrigerator 110 ... ice maker

112 .... Main Unit 127 .... Dispenser

130 .... External water line 135 .... Internal water line

142 .... Ice tray 144 .... Motor

146 .... Ice container 148 .... Ice lever

P .... lower point W .... water level

Claims (9)

In the ice making method for producing ice in the refrigerator 100 or inside the water purifier, Watering each ice pocket 10a of the ice making container 10 to occupy a part of its contents; Supplying cold air to the ice pocket 10a of the ice making container 10 to freeze water in the ice pocket 10a; Supplying water again on the frozen ice; and Supplying cold air to the water on the frozen ice to overlap the water again and again; including water in multiple stages by overlapping and freezing water from the bottom in the ice pocket 10a to grow freezing nuclei. Rapid ice making method. 2. The rapid ice making method according to claim 1, wherein in the water supply step, water (w1) is supplied to each ice pocket (10a) at a maximum of 1/2 or less of its contents. The method of claim 1, wherein the water (w2) filled in the ice pocket (10a) is all filled in the same amount. In the ice making apparatus for freezing water in the ice pocket (10a) inside the refrigerator 100 or the water purifier, An ice making container 10 which freezes water by forming a plurality of ice pockets 10a therein; A motor 25 connected to the rotating shaft 25a of the ice making container 10 to forward and reverse rotation; and, Multi-stage in the ice pocket 10a, including; distribution means 30 for filling the ice pocket 10a with a uniform amount of water from the water supply pipe 135 at the upper side of the ice making container 10. Rapid ice making apparatus characterized by forming an overlapping ice. The ice making container (10) of claim 4, wherein the distributing means (30) is formed on a center plane formed by lining a plurality of ice pockets (10a) in the center of the upper surface of the ice making container (10), that is, on both sides thereof. And a pair of long opposed sidewalls 36a and 36b protruding from the central plane of the ice pocket 10a of the ice making container 10 at a predetermined distance from the center plane, and the sidewalls 36a. End walls 38a and 38b that block both ends of the 36b, and the sidewalls 36a and 36b respectively supply water to the ice pockets 10a located on both sides thereof. Rapid ice making apparatus characterized in that the (36b) is formed in the concave formed distribution holes (38). The lower end point (P) of the distribution port (38) is formed lower toward the rear side of the end wall (38b) from the front side of the end wall (38a), wherein each of the distribution ports (38) The ice pocket 10a at the most front side of the ice making container 10 is formed to be biased toward the rear side of the ice pocket 10a, and for all subsequent ice pockets 10a, Rapid ice making apparatus characterized in that the dispensing openings (38) are formed in the front side. The ice making container 10 is formed of aluminum having a higher thermal conductivity than PP, and is heated on a lower surface of the ice making container 10 in order to ice the ice iced in the ice pocket 10a. Rapid ice making apparatus, characterized in that it further comprises a means (50). According to claim 7, wherein the heating means 50 is made of a heating wire 52 and the film layer 54 or the like, or coating the heating wire 52 on the lower surface of the ice making container 10, the power source 56 Rapid ice making apparatus characterized in that the structure to supply. The method of claim 4, wherein when the ice making container 10 is heated to ice the ice, the impact generating means for more easily separating the ice from the ice pocket 10a of the ice making container 10 is provided. Rapid ice making apparatus comprising a.