KR20050047282A - Ice making apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to an ice maker capable of reducing displacement of the ice sensing arm to reduce an installation space of the ice maker and preventing damage and breakage of the ice sensing assembly.

To this end, the present invention is an ice making case 110 is installed in the freezer compartment door 51 of the refrigerator; A drive cam 120 installed in the ejector 115 for discharging the ice produced in the ice making chamber 111 to the ice bank 53; A driven assembly coupled to the driving cam 120 and installed to be restored to its original position when the force applied by the driving cam 120 is released; And, interlocked with the driven assembly, the ice sensing device 110 is rotated in the lower side of the ice making case 110 to detect the ice, rotated in a predetermined direction when the external force is applied, and the ice-covering device is installed elastically to restore to the original position when the external force is released It provides an ice maker comprising:

Description

Ice maker

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to an ice maker which reduces the displacement of the ice sensing arm to reduce the installation space of the ice maker, and prevents the ice sensing arm from being damaged or broken.

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 maker will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

1 is a schematic view showing a state in which an ice maker is installed in a conventional refrigerator, FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a structure of an ice maker constituting the ice maker of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a process in which ice generated in the ice maker is discharged to an ice bank. It is a state diagram showing.

1 is a schematic view showing a state in which an ice maker is installed in a conventional refrigerator, FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a structure of an ice maker constituting the ice maker of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a process in which ice generated in the ice maker is discharged to an ice bank. It is a state diagram showing.

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. An ice maker is installed in the freezer compartment, and a control panel (not shown) is installed on an outer surface of the door 1 to allow a user to select a predetermined function of the refrigerator.

The ice maker includes a ice maker 10 for producing ice, an ice bank 20 for accommodating the produced ice, an ice chute 2 for discharging the ice of the ice bank to the outside, and a dispenser. .

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 plurality of slide bars 16 are inclinedly extended to the front upper end of the ice making chamber 11.

The motor device 13 is installed at one side of the ice making chamber 11. The motor device 13 has a built-in motor, the ejector 14 (ejector) is rotatably connected to the rotating shaft of the motor.

The ejector 14 is installed so that the rotation axis crosses the center of the ice making chamber 11, and a plurality of ejector pins 14a are spaced apart at predetermined intervals so that the rotation axis of the ejector is substantially perpendicular to the rotation axis. At this time, each of the ejector pin 14a is disposed for each section partitioned by the partition ribs 11a.

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 is installed to be movable up and down and is connected to a control unit built 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.

The ice bank 20 is installed below the ice maker. The ice bank 20 has an upper surface open to receive the discharged ice. An ice discharge port (not shown) is formed in a predetermined portion of the lower surface of the ice bank. This ice outlet is formed at a position corresponding to the ice chute 2. An ice transfer means (not shown) and an ice crusher (not shown) are installed in the ice bank to transfer ice.

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 with the outside and the ice bank 20. At this time, the dispenser is provided with a device that blocks the outside air when the ice is not discharged.

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 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 ice bank 20.

At this time, the ice detection arm 18 is moved up and down as shown in Figure 3 as the ejector 14 is rotated to detect how much ice is filled in the ice bank.

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.

However, the conventional ice maker has the following problems.

First, since the rotatable trajectory R is largely formed as shown in FIG. 3, an installation space corresponding to the rotatable trajectory of the roving sensing arm is additionally required.

Second, since the space of the refrigerator is very small, the capacity of the ice maker may be reduced when the ice maker is installed in the door. Therefore, the degree of freedom of installation of the ice maker is limited.

In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an ice maker that can reduce the displacement of the ice sensing arm to reduce the installation space of the ice maker, and prevent damage and breakage of the ice sensing assembly.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is installed in the freezer door of the refrigerator, the ice making case is formed with an ice making chamber to accommodate water; A drive cam installed in the ejector to discharge the ice produced in the ice making chamber to an ice bank; A driven assembly coupled to the driving cam and installed to be restored to its original position when the force applied by the driving cam is released; And, interlocked with the driven assembly, rotated on the lower side of the ice making case detects the ice, and rotates in a predetermined direction when the external force is applied, and the ice-covering device is installed elastically to be restored to its original position when the external force is released: It provides an ice maker configured.

The ice sensing device is rotatably coupled to one end of the driven assembly, the other end of which is located on the lower side of the lower surface of the ice making case, and one end of the ice sensing arm in the direction in which external force acts. And an elastic member installed to rotate, and a sensor unit installed at a predetermined portion of the ice sensing arm.

At this time, the elastic member is preferably elastically installed so that the ice-sensing arm is rotated a predetermined angle in the front / rear side of the ice bank in the extraction direction.

In addition, the ice sheet sensing arm is bent at a substantially right angle and the other end side is preferably inclined toward the rear side of the ice making case.

The driven assembly is installed near the drive cam, and is rotated by the drive cam only in a predetermined rotation section of the drive cam and the lever means is installed to be restored to its original position when the restraining force of the drive cam is released, and the link with the lever means And a driven cam installed to rotate at a predetermined angle as the lever rotates, and a driven gear which is fastened to be interlocked with the driven cam and coupled to the rotating shaft of the ice detection device.

In this case, the lever means is configured to include a lever having one end disposed on the drive cam, the other end is fastened to a predetermined portion of the driven cam, and a lever rotating shaft installed in the center of the lever.

Preferably, the lever rotation shaft is further provided with an elastic member to apply a restoring force to the lever.

The elastic member of the lever rotating shaft is preferably installed to have a greater rigidity than the elastic member of the ice sensing arm.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which an ice maker according to the present invention is installed in a refrigerator will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6.

4 is a perspective view showing an example of an ice maker according to the present invention installed on a freezer door, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an ice maker constituting the ice maker of FIG. 2, and FIG. 6 is an internal configuration and an ice bank of the ice maker of FIG. 3. Is a configuration diagram showing the installation structure in detail.

Referring to FIG. 4, the ice maker is installed in the freezer compartment door 51. That is, an ice bank 53 is installed at the lower portion of the ice maker 100 so as to be pulled out, an ice chute 54 is installed at a lower portion of the ice bank, and a dispenser (not shown) at the lower portion of the ice chute 54. ) Is connected.

The ice making case 110 of the ice maker 100 is installed at a predetermined portion of the freezing compartment door 51.

A driving device 114 is installed at one side of the ice making case 110 as illustrated in FIG. 5, and an ejector 115 is connected to a rotation shaft of the driving device 114. In addition, components are installed near the driving unit 114 to detect how much ice is filled in the ice bank 53.

An ice making chamber 111 is formed in the ice making case 110, a water supply part 113 is formed in one side of the ice making chamber 111, and a partition rib 112 is formed in the ice making chamber 111 so as to partition the size of ice. ) Is formed to protrude, and a slide bar 117 is installed at one upper end of the ice making chamber. In addition, an ejector 115 is installed to cross the ice making chamber 111, and a plurality of ejector pins 116 are installed in the ejector 115.

A structure of detecting ice in such an ice maker will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 6.

The structure of detecting ice in the ice maker 100 includes a driving cam 120, a driven assembly, an ice-covering device, and a sensor unit 143.

The drive cam 120 is installed on the rotating shaft of the ejector 115. The drive cam 120 is formed so that a predetermined portion of the outer edge protrudes outward. In addition, the drive cam 120 is provided with a sensor unit. The sensor unit includes a magnet 121 installed at a predetermined portion of the driving cam 120 and a hall sensor 122 installed at a position corresponding to the magnet. The hall sensor 122 is electrically connected to the control unit of the driving unit 114 (see FIG. 5).

The driven assembly is installed to interlock with the drive cam 120. At this time, the driven assembly is elastically installed to be restored to its original position when the force applied by the drive cam 120 is released.

The ice sensor is installed to be linked to the driven assembly. At this time, the ice sensor is installed to detect the ice as it is rotated on the lower side of the lower surface of the ice making case (110). In addition, when the external force is applied, it is rotated in a predetermined direction and is elastically installed to restore to the original position when the external force is released.

In addition, a sensor unit 143 is installed in the ice sensor to detect the ice. The sensor unit 143 is electrically connected to the control unit of the drive unit 114.

In such an ice maker 100, the driven assembly is composed of a lever means 131, a driven cam 135 and a driven gear 138.

The lever means 131 is installed near the drive cam 120. The lever means 131 is rotated by the protruding portion of the drive cam 120 only in a predetermined rotation section of the drive cam 120, and is elastically installed so as to be restored to its original position when the restraining force of the drive cam 120 is released. do.

The lever means 131 is configured to include a lever 132 and the lever rotation shaft 133.

One end of the lever 132 corresponds to the driving cam 120 and the other end is fastened to a predetermined portion of the driven cam 135. The lever 132 is formed to be thin and long as a whole. The lever rotation shaft 133 is installed at approximately the center of the lever 132. This lever rotates when the drive cam is pressed and returns to its original position when the pressure is released.

At this time, it is preferable that the elastic member 134 is further installed on the lever rotation shaft 133 to apply a restoring force to the lever 132. This is to better return the lever to its original position.

The elastic member 134 is installed to wind around the lever rotation shaft 133 several times. In addition, one end thereof is fixed to the lever 132 and the other end thereof is fixed to the ice making case 110. Accordingly, the elastic member 134 is able to apply a restoring force to the lever 132. In addition, the other end of the lever 132 has a long groove 132a is formed along the longitudinal direction of the lever 132.

The driven cam 135 is interlocked with the lever means 131 and installed to rotate a predetermined angle as the lever 132 is rotated. At this time, the driven cam 135 has a sliding protrusion 136 is formed to fit in the long groove 132a of the lever 132. Therefore, each time the lever 132 is rotated by a predetermined angle, the driven projection 136 of the driven cam is slid along the long groove 132a to rotate the driven cam by a predetermined angle.

The driven gear 138 is coupled to the driven cam 135 and coupled to the rotating shaft of the ice detection device.

The teeth are formed on the outer circumferential surfaces of the driven cam 135 and the driven gear 138 as described above. These teeth are formed on the entire outer circumferential surface. Of course, it is also understood that the tooth can be formed only in a predetermined portion of the outer circumferential surface.

The ice sensing device includes a ice sensing arm 141, an elastic member 142, and a sensor unit 143.

The ice sensing arm 141 is fastened so that one end thereof is rotatable to the driven assembly, and the other end thereof is positioned below the bottom surface of the ice making case 110. The elastic member 142 is installed at one end of the ice sensing arm 141. The elastic member 142 is installed such that the ice-sensing arm 141 rotates a predetermined angle in a direction in which an external force is applied. In addition, the sensor unit 143 is installed on a predetermined portion of the ice-covering arm 141.

In this case, it is preferable that the elastic member 142 is elastically installed so that the ice sensing arm 141 is rotated by a predetermined angle in the front / rear side of the withdrawal direction of the ice bank 53. This is because even when the upper end of the ice bank 53 is caught by the ice detection arm 141 when the ice bank 53 is drawn out and inserted, the fastening portion of the ice detection arm 141 or the ice detection arm 141 is damaged. Or to prevent breakage.

The elastic member 142 is installed to be wound around the rotating shaft of the driven gear 137 several times. One end thereof is fixed to the driven gear 137, and the other end thereof is fixed to one end of the ice sensing arm 141. Accordingly, the elastic member 142 is able to apply a restoring force to the ice detection arm 141.

The elastic member 134 of the lever is preferably formed to have a greater rigidity than the elastic member 142 of the above-described ice sensing arm. This is to prevent the lever 132 or the driven cam 136 from moving when the ice detection arm 141 is rotated by an external force acting on the ice detection arm 141.

In addition, the ice sensing arm 141 is bent approximately vertically. It is preferable that the other end of the ice detection arm 141 is inclined toward the rear side of the ice making case 110.

In this case, the ice sensor arm 141 is more preferably installed so that the rotational trajectory of the bent portion (141a) is formed near the outer surface of the ice making case (110). This is to minimize the space required for the ice sensing arm 141 to rotate.

It is also understood that the ice-covering device may be manufactured by constructing the ice-covering arm 141 made of an elastic material without separately installing the elastic member 142.

In addition, the sensor unit 143 includes a magnet 144 installed at one end of the ice-covering arm 141, and a hall sensor 145 (hall sensor) installed at a position corresponding to the magnet. The magnet 144 and the hall sensor 145 are installed to correspond to each other at the initial position of the ice-covering arm 141.

The operation of the ice maker of the refrigerator configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 7A to 8B.

7A and 7B are operation state diagrams illustrating a state in which ice is discharged from the ice maker.

When ice is manufactured in the ice making chamber 111, a heater (not shown) installed on the outer surface of the ice making chamber 111 is operated to slightly melt the surface of the frozen ice.

Subsequently, as the drive unit 114 is rotated, the ejector is rotated as shown in FIG. 7A. As the ejector is rotated, the ejector pin 116 is rotated to discharge the ice of the ice making chamber 111 to the ice bank 53.

At this time, the drive cam 120 is rotated without applying any force to the lever 132. Accordingly, the ice sensing arm 114 is also not rotated to maintain the initial position.

When the driving cam 120 is further rotated, the protruding portion of the driving cam 120 presses one end of the lever 132 as shown in FIG. 7B. At this time, the lever 132 is rotated a predetermined angle in the counterclockwise direction.

Subsequently, the sliding protrusion 136 of the driven cam 135 slides along the long groove 132a of the lever 132, and the driven cam 135 rotates by a predetermined angle. At this time, the teeth of the driven cam 135 is rotated in engagement with the teeth of the driven gear 138 to rotate the driven gear 138 by a predetermined angle.

As the driven gear 138 is rotated as described above, the ice detection arm 141 rotates toward the lower surface of the ice making case 110. At this time, the other end of the ice sensing arm is substantially parallel to the lower surface of the ice making case.

When the driving cam 120 is further rotated and the restraining force of the driving cam is released, the lever 132 is restored to its original position by the restoring force of the elastic member 142. At this time, the drive cam, the lever, the driven cam, the driven gear and the ice detection arm is restored to its original shape while moving in reverse as described above.

In this case, since the ice sensing arm 141 has a rotation rule only at the lower portion of the ice making case 110, the rotation rule of the ice detection arm 141 is considerably reduced as compared with the related art.

On the other hand, in the structure in which the elastic member is not installed in the lever rotation shaft, although not shown, when the restraint of the driving cam is released, the ice sensing arm is rotated downward. At this time, the lever is restored to its original shape.

When the ice detection arm 141 is restored to its original position, when the magnet 144 returns to the position corresponding to the hall sensor 145, the controller determines that ice is not iced in the ice bank 53. Continue the process. On the other hand, when the magnet 144 returns to a position that does not correspond to the hall sensor 145, the controller determines that the ice bank 53 is full of ice and ends the ice making process.

Next, the action of the ice detection arm 141 when inserting and withdrawing the ice bank 53 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B.

FIG. 8A is an operational state diagram showing the operation of the ice sensor when inserting the ice bank installed in the lower part of the ice maker, and FIG. 8B is an operational state diagram showing the operation of the ice sensor in drawing the ice bank installed in the lower part of the ice maker.

When the ice bank 53 is inserted into the door 51, the upper end of the ice bank 53 presses the other end of the ice sensing arm 141. The pressure sensing ice arm 141 is gradually rotated to the rear side of the ice making case 110 in the initial position as shown in Figure 8a.

At this time, the elastic member 142 installed at one end of the ice sensing arm 141 is gradually tensioned as the ice bank 53 is inserted. At this time, since the elastic member 134 of the lever rotation shaft has greater rigidity than the elastic member 142 of the ice sensing arm, the lever 132, the driven cam 135, the driven gear 137, and the like are not rotated. .

When the ice bank 53 is almost inserted, the ice sensing arm 141 is restored to its initial position (dashed line in FIG. 8A) by the restoring force of the elastic member 142.

On the other hand, in the structure in which the elastic member is not installed in the lever rotation shaft, when an external force is applied to the ice sensing arm, the lever 132, the driven cam 135 and the driven gear 137 as the ice sensing arm is rotated ) Is rotated. In addition, when the external force is released to the ice sensing arm, the lever or the like is restored to its original shape as the ice sensing arm is rotated in the opposite direction.

Next, when the ice bank 53 is withdrawn from the door 51, the upper end of the ice bank 53 presses the other end of the ice detection arm 141. The pressure sensing ice arm 141 is gradually rotated toward the front side of the ice making case in the initial position as shown in Figure 8b. At this time, the elastic member 142 installed at one end of the ice sensing arm 141 is gradually contracted as the ice bank 53 is drawn out. At this time, the lever 132, the driven cam 135 and the driven gear 137 is not rotated.

When the ice bank 53 is almost drawn out, the ice sensing arm 141 is restored to the initial position by the restoring force of the elastic member 142.

As such, the ice sensing arm can be elastically rotated when the ice bank is inserted and withdrawn.

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

First, the ice detection arm has a rotational trajectory only in the space between the ice bank and the lower surface of the ice making case during the ice detection. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a separate installation space for the rotational trajectory of the ice sensing arm.

Secondly, since the bent portion of the ice sensing arm has a rotational path near the outer surface of the ice bank, the installation space can be further reduced.

Third, since the ice sensing arm is elastically rotated even when the ice bank is inserted and withdrawn, there is no need to maintain a separate gap between the ice making case and the ice bank.

Fourth, since the ice sensing arm is rotated separately from the driving cam and the driven cam when the ice bank is inserted and withdrawn, there is an effect of further preventing the connection portion of the ice sensing arm from being damaged.

1 is a schematic 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 state diagram showing the process of the ice generated in the ice maker discharged to the ice bank.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the ice making apparatus according to the present invention installed on the freezer compartment door.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating an ice maker constituting the ice maker of FIG. 2. FIG.

6 is a configuration diagram showing in detail the internal structure of the ice maker of Figure 3 and the installation structure of the ice bank.

Figure 7a, 7b is an operating state diagram showing a state in which ice is discharged from the ice maker.

8A is an operation state diagram showing the operation of the ice-covering device when inserting the ice bank installed in the lower part of the ice maker.

Fig. 8B is an operational state diagram showing the operation of the ice detection device when withdrawing the ice bank installed in the lower part of the ice maker.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

51: Door 53: Ice Bank

54: ice suit 100: ice maker

110: ice making case 111: ice making room

112: compartment rib 113: water supply

114: driving device 115: ejector

116: ejector pin 120: drive cam

121,144 Magnet 122,145 Hall sensor

131 lever means 132 lever

132a: long groove 133: lever rotation shaft

134,142: elastic member 135: driven cam

136: sliding projection 137: driven gear

141: arm sensing ice 141a: bent portion

143: sensor

Claims (14)

An ice making case installed in the freezer door of the refrigerator and having an ice making chamber configured to receive water; A drive cam installed in the ejector to discharge the ice produced in the ice making chamber to an ice bank; A driven assembly coupled to the driving cam and installed to be restored to its original position when the force applied by the driving cam is released; And, Included in the driven assembly, the ice sensor detects the ice while being rotated in the lower side of the ice making case, and rotates in a predetermined direction when the external force is applied and is elastically installed to restore to its original position when the external force is released. Ice maker. The method of claim 1, The ice-covering device is: An ice-sensing arm whose one end is rotatably fastened to the driven assembly and the other end thereof is located below the bottom surface of the ice making case; An elastic member installed at one end of the ice detection arm to rotate the ice detection arm in a direction in which an external force is applied; And, And a sensor unit installed at a predetermined portion of the ice sensing arm. The method of claim 2, The elastic member is an ice maker is elastically installed so that the ice-sensing arm is rotated a predetermined angle to the front / rear side of the ice bank in the extraction direction. The method of claim 3, The ice-making sensor arm is bent at approximately a right angle and the other end side is inclined toward the rear side of the ice making case. The method of claim 4, wherein The ice sensor arm is installed so that the rotational trajectory of the bent portion is formed near the outer surface of the ice making case. The method of claim 2, The sensor unit: A magnet installed at one end of the ice sensing arm; And, Ice maker consisting of a Hall sensor installed in a position corresponding to the magnet. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The driven assembly is: A lever means installed near the drive cam, the lever means being rotated by the drive cam only in a predetermined rotation section of the drive cam and installed to be restored to its original position when the restraining force of the drive cam is released; A driven cam fastened in association with the lever means and installed to rotate a predetermined angle as the lever is rotated; And, An ice maker comprising: a driven gear coupled to the driven cam and coupled to a rotating shaft of the ice sensing device. The method of claim 7, wherein The lever means is: A lever disposed at one end of the driving cam and coupled to a predetermined portion of the driven cam; And, And a lever rotating shaft installed at the center of the lever. The method of claim 8, And the lever is slidably fastened to a predetermined portion of the driven cam. The method of claim 9, The other end of the lever is formed with a long groove along the longitudinal direction of the lever, The driven cam is an ice making machine is provided with a sliding projection to be fitted into the long groove of the lever. The method of claim 8, The icemaker is provided with an elastic member on the lever axis of rotation to apply a restoring force to the lever. The method of claim 11, The icemaker of the lever rotating shaft is formed to have a greater rigidity than the elastic member of the ice sensing arm. The method of claim 12, And the lever is slidably fastened to a predetermined portion of the driven cam. The method of claim 13, The other end of the lever is formed with a long groove along the longitudinal direction of the lever, The driven cam is an ice making machine is provided with a sliding projection to be fitted into the long groove of the lever.