KR20060125457A - Ice maker and deicing method thereof, and refrigerator and ice making method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An icing machine, an ice separating method thereof, a refrigerator, and an icing method thereof are provided to simplify the structure of the icing machine, to produce a large amount of ice in a short time, to reduce the energy consumption in separating the ice, and to effectively prevent water dropping in separating ice from the icing machine by minimizing the amount of melted ice. An icing machine(100) comprises an icing tray(110b) receiving water to make ice; and an ice separating unit adding energy to a border between ice and the icing tray to facilitate discharge of the ice by rotation of the icing tray. The ice separating unit has a heater(150a) melting at least a part of the border between ice and the icing tray by adding high energy to the border for a short time to prevent water from being dropped in rotating the icing tray due to excessively melted ice.

Description

Ice maker and deicing method, and refrigerator and ice making method {Ice maker and deicing method

1 is a perspective view showing a general ice making apparatus;

2 is a schematic view showing an operation of the ice making apparatus of FIG. 1;

3 is a schematic view showing a part of a refrigerator according to the present invention;

4 is a perspective view showing an example in which the ice making tray has one ice making chamber in the ice making apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which an ice making apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention has two ice making chambers side by side;

6 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which a rotating shaft is provided on one side of the ice making tray in the ice making apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

7 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which the heater is formed to surround one surface of the ice making tray in the ice making apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

8 is a schematic view showing an example in which a heat source includes a light source or a magnetron in the ice making apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

9 are schematic views sequentially showing an example of an ice making method of the ice making apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

10A and 10B are flowcharts showing other examples of the ice making method of the ice making apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

11A is a perspective view showing an example of an ice making apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

11B is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the ice tray of FIG. 11A is cut in the width direction;

FIG. 12A is a cross-sectional view illustrating when the thermal expansion material of FIG. 11A is expanded; FIG.

FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view illustrating the expansion of the thermal expansion material of FIG. 11B; FIG.

13A and 13B are cross-sectional views showing modifications of the ice making apparatus of FIG. 11B;

14 is a schematic view showing another example of an ice making apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention; And

15A and 15B are schematic views illustrating still another example of an ice making apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

100, 200: ice maker 110, 210: ice maker tray

150, 250: heat source 230: thermal expansion material

270, 280: ejector 300: ice bank

The present invention relates to an ice making device, a refrigerator, and a method of freezing and ice making thereof, which are simple in structure and capable of separating ice from an ice making tray with a small amount of energy.

A typical refrigerator is divided into a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment, and the refrigerator compartment is maintained at a temperature of about 3 to 4 ° C. so that food and vegetables can be kept fresh and long, and the freezer compartment has a temperature below zero to keep meat and food frozen. Is maintained.

Recently, the refrigerator has an ice making device that automatically performs a series of processes related to ice making without user's manipulation, and makes a convenient ice, and a dispenser which makes ice or water available outside the refrigerator. Various functions are being added to the refrigerator to make it easier to use. 1 and 2 illustrate an example of an ice maker for a refrigerator, which will be described below in more detail with reference to these drawings.

The general ice making apparatus 10 includes an ice making tray 11 forming an ice making chamber in which ice is generated, a water supply unit 12 formed at one side of the ice making tray 11, and supplying water to the ice making chamber, and the ice making tray. A heater 17 mounted on the lower surface of the 11, an ejector 14 for extracting the ice generated from the ice making tray 11 to the outside, and a driving device 13 for driving the ejector 14. And an ice bank 20 for receiving and storing the ice generated by the ice making tray 11, and a full ice detection device 15 for detecting the amount of ice filled in the ice bank 20. .

The water supply unit 12 is connected to a water supply source (not shown) outside the refrigerator, and supplies water into the ice tray 11 when the ice making is required. The ice tray 11 has a substantially semi-cylindrical cross section and has partition plates for separating the ice tray into a plurality of unit chambers so that several ices of a predetermined size can be generated in the ice tray 110. .

The heater 17 is mounted on the lower surface of the ice making tray 11 as shown in FIG. 2, and the ice is separated from the ice making tray 11 by heating the ice making tray 11 to melt the ice. Let it be.

The ejector 14 includes a rotating shaft installed to cross the center of the ice making tray 11 and a plurality of ejector pins 14a protruding vertically from the rotating shaft. Each ejector pin 14a is installed in a one-to-one correspondence in each unit chamber partitioned by the partition plates, so that the ice in each unit chamber is released from the ice making tray 11 as the ejector pin 14a rotates. Discharged.

On the side where the ice is taken out from the ice making tray 11, the slide 16 is inclined downward to the vicinity of the rotating shaft of the ejector 14. Accordingly, the ice discharged from the ice making tray 11 is stored in the ice bank 20 disposed under the ice making device 10 after sliding on the slide 16.

The ice detection device 15 checks the amount of ice filled in the ice bank 20 while moving in the vertical direction by the driving device 13. If the ice bank 20 is filled with ice, the ice detection device 15 may not be sufficiently lowered, thereby detecting whether the ice bank 20 is full.

The above-mentioned general refrigerator ice maker requires a heater, an ejector, and a drive device for the ejector to separate the ice from the ice tray. In addition, in order to detect whether or not the ice bank is full, a full ice detection device and a driving device therefor are required. Therefore, there is a problem that many components are complicated and the production cost increases.

In addition, in a typical refrigerator ice maker, the ice detection device should rotate to detect whether the ice bank is full. Therefore, a large space for the rotation of the ice detection device should be secured next to the ice tray. Therefore, the size of the ice making tray was inevitably designed to be relatively small, thereby making it impossible to produce a large amount of ice in a short time.

In addition, a general refrigerator ice maker should sufficiently heat the ice tray using the heater before the ice in the ice tray is used to spread the ice in the ice tray. This is because the ice can be separated from the ice tray without damaging the ejector and drive. Therefore, the heater must be heated for a long time, whereby a large amount of energy is consumed. In addition, since the ice melts excessively, water is also splashed together when the ice is discharged by the ejector. Water splashed out of the ice making tray is introduced into the ice bank and binds the ice in the ice bank. Thereby, there is a problem that it is difficult to automatically discharge the ice in the ice bank to the dispenser of the refrigerator.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and its object is to simplify the structure of the ice making apparatus.

Another object of the present invention is to improve the structure of the ice making apparatus so that a large amount of ice can be produced in a short time.

Another object of the present invention is to reduce the energy consumption of the ice making apparatus for ice-making.

Still another object of the present invention is to minimize the amount of sea ice required for ice removal to effectively prevent falling water from the ice making apparatus during ice removal.

In one aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, a rotatable ice making tray that receives water to make ice; And it provides an ice making device comprising an ice making device for applying the energy to the boundary between the ice and the ice making tray to help the discharge of ice by the rotation of the ice making tray.

The ice-making apparatus applies high energy to the boundary between the ice and the ice-making tray in a short time to prevent the ice from being excessively melted and the water falls during the rotation of the ice tray. It may comprise at least some melting heat source.

Here, the energy supply time of the heat source is limited to until the ice is forcibly separated by its own weight when the ice tray is rotated by a predetermined angle, or the force by the weight of the ice of the ice and the ice tray is It may be limited to until the binding force is exceeded, or until the ice is forcibly separated by its own weight even if the interface between the ice and the ice making tray is not completely melted.

The heat source comprises a light source for irradiating light to at least one of the ice and the ice tray, or comprises a magnetron for irradiating microwaves to at least one of the ice and the ice tray, or the ice making It may include a heater disposed to be in physical contact with the tray or a predetermined distance apart.

The icemaker may include a pressurizing device that pushes the ice and separates the ice from the ice tray. In this case, the ice maker includes: a thermal expansion material mounted to the ice tray; And a heat source for supplying thermal energy to the thermal expansion material to push the ice off from the ice making tray while the thermal expansion material expands.

The thermal expansion material may be installed to limit expansion in a direction other than the direction in which the ice is pushed out. For example, the ice making tray may include a groove formed at the bottom, and the thermal expansion material may be inserted into the groove. As another example, the ice making tray may include a slot penetrating the bottom, and the thermal expansion material may be inserted into the slot.

In another embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, a cooling chamber; An ice making tray disposed in the cooling chamber and receiving water to make ice; A drive device for rotating the ice tray to discharge the ice; A heat source supplying high thermal energy in a short time to said boundary to obtain the minimum amount of thawing required for the separation using ice of self-weight; And it provides a refrigerator comprising an ice bank for receiving and storing the ice discharged from the ice making tray.

Here, the supply time of the energy of the heat source may be limited until the fall of the falling ice during the rotation of the ice tray due to excessive thawing.

In another aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, the step of supplying high thermal energy in a short time to the boundary of the ice and ice tray; And it provides a deicing method of the ice making device comprising the step of rotating the ice tray.

The heat energy supply time may be limited until a minimum amount of thawing required for separation using ice weight may be obtained, or until a fall of water occurs during rotation of the ice tray due to excessive thawing.

In another aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, the step of supplying cold air to the cooling chamber; Supplying water to an ice tray in the cooling chamber; Cooling the ice tray to freeze the water; Rotating the ice tray; Supplying high thermal energy in a short time to the boundary between the ice and the ice making tray so as to obtain the minimum amount of thawing required for the separation using the own weight of ice; And it provides a refrigerator ice making method comprising the step of rotating the ice tray to its original position.

In this case, the supply time of the thermal energy may be limited until the fall of the falling ice during the rotation of the ice tray by excessive thawing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention in which the above object can be specifically realized are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In describing the embodiments, the same names and symbols are used for the same components, and additional description thereof will be omitted below.

3 schematically shows a refrigerator according to the invention. The refrigerator according to the present invention has at least one cooling chamber, for example, a refrigerating chamber 1 and a freezing chamber 2. The cooling chambers comprise an evaporator 4, a compressor 3, and a cooling fan 5 for supplying cool air around the evaporator 4 to the cooling chambers. The cooling chambers may be cooled by one evaporator 4 and one cooling fan 5 or may be independently cooled by a plurality of evaporators and cooling fans. The freezing chamber 2 is provided with ice making apparatuses 100 and 200 according to the present invention for making ice, and under the ice making apparatuses 100 and 200, the ice produced by the ice making apparatuses 100 and 200 is received. The ice bank 300 to store is arrange | positioned.

In the ice making apparatus 100 or 200 according to the present invention, an ice making tray is rotatable unlike a general ice making apparatus. Thus, the self-weight of the ice can be used at the time of ice, thereby reducing the energy required to separate the ice from the ice tray. Ice making apparatus (110, 200) according to the present invention is provided with an ice making device to help the discharge of ice by the rotation of the ice tray. The ice-making device independently or in combination applies heat or kinetic energy to the boundary between the ice and the ice making tray, effectively assisting the discharge of ice during rotation of the ice making tray.

4 to 8 show views relating to ice making apparatuses according to a first embodiment of the present invention in which the ice making apparatus is configured to apply thermal energy to the boundary between the ice and the ice making tray, and FIGS. 9A to 13B There is shown a diagram in which icemakers according to a second embodiment of the invention are configured such that the icemaker applies kinetic energy to the boundary between the ice and the ice tray. Hereinafter, with reference to these drawings will be described in more detail for each embodiment of the ice making apparatus according to the present invention.

An ice making chamber that receives water to produce ice has, for example, a semi-cylindrical shape with an open top. As shown in FIG. 4, one of the ice making chambers may be provided in one ice tray 110a, or two may be arranged in parallel in one ice tray 110b as shown in FIG. 5. Of course, a plurality of the ice making chambers may be provided in the ice making tray, or may have a shape other than a semi-cylindrical shape.

In the ice making apparatus 100 according to the present invention, there are no components, such as a conventional ice cream detecting apparatus, which requires a large radius of rotation. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the ice trays 110a, 110b (hereinafter referred to as 110) of the ice making apparatus 100 according to the present invention can make the width much larger than that of the conventional ice making chambers. They can be placed side by side, thus producing a large amount of ice at once.

The ice making chamber is divided into a plurality of unit chambers by a plurality of partition plates protruding from the inner circumferential surface of the ice making tray 110, and thus the ice making tray 110 may make several pieces of ice at once. The partition plates are elongated along, for example, the rotation direction of the ice tray 110 so that the ice can be smoothly discharged when the ice tray 110 is rotated.

Conventional ice trays required slides to guide the ice discharged by the ejector to an ice bank disposed below the ice maker. However, the ice making apparatus 100 according to the present invention rotates the ice making tray 110 to discharge the ice in the ice making tray 110 to the ice bank 300. Therefore, since the components corresponding to the conventional slides may not be provided in the ice tray 110, the structure of the ice tray 110 is simple.

One side of the ice tray 110 is provided with a water supply unit 120 for supplying water to the ice making chamber. The water supply unit 120 is connected to an external water supply source, and supplies a predetermined amount of water to the ice making chamber when ice making is required in a state where ice in the ice making tray 110 is iced.

For example, the ice tray 110 may be installed to rotate about an axis 131 disposed at the center thereof, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, or at one side thereof as shown in FIG. 6. It may be installed to rotate about the axis (131a) disposed. When the shaft 131a of the ice making tray 110 is disposed at one side of the ice making tray 110, the rotation radius of the ice making tray 110 is increased.

In order to rotate the ice tray 110, a driving device 130 is provided at one side of the ice tray 110. The driving device 130 includes a motor (not shown) connected to a driving shaft (not shown) substantially coaxial with the shaft 131, and the ice making tray 110 is connected to the driving shaft. The driving device 130 may be configured to rotate the ice tray 110 in a forward direction and a reverse direction, or continuously rotate in one direction.

In order to prevent the wires connecting the driving device 130 and the components that may be mounted on the ice making tray 110 by twisting the ice tray 110, the motor of the driving device 130 is positive. It is desirable to be able to reverse. Meanwhile, the driving device 130 may include a step motor configured to rotate the ice making tray 110 in a forward or reverse direction by a predetermined angle, for example, 180 ° or 90 °.

The ice tray 110 may be detachably connected to the driving device 130. Then, ice trays having various shapes and ice making capacities can be selectively mounted and used. Therefore, not only the user's taste can be satisfied, but also the amount of one-time ice making can be adjusted appropriately.

The ice making apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention supplies heat energy to the boundary between the ice and the ice making tray 110 in order to help the ice. To this end, the ice making apparatus 100 may be provided with heaters 150a and 150b (hereinafter collectively referred to as 150). The heater 150 may be mounted to be in physical contact with the ice making tray 110 or may be disposed away from the ice making tray 110 by a predetermined distance. For reference, FIGS. 4 to 6 illustrate an example in which the heater 150a is disposed to cross the bottom surface of the ice making tray 110.

As shown in FIG. 7, the heater 150b may be disposed to surround one surface, for example, a bottom surface of the ice making tray 110. In this case, the heater 150b may be made of a conductive polymer, a plate heater with positive thermal coefficient, an aluminum thin film, and other heat transfer materials. Although not shown, the heater 150 may be embedded in the ice tray 110 or may be provided on an inner surface of the ice tray 110. Furthermore, at least a part of the ice making tray 110 may be configured to perform a role of the heater by being made of a heat generating resistor when electricity is applied.

As another example, the ice making apparatus 100 may include a heat source, which is different from the heater, which is disposed away from the ice making tray 110 as shown in FIG. 8. Examples of the heat source include a light source 150c for irradiating light to at least one of the ice and the ice making tray 110 or a magnetron 150d for irradiating microwaves to at least one of the ice and the ice making tray. Can be done.

As described above, a heat source such as a heater, a light source, or a magnetron applies at least one of the ice and the ice making tray 110 or a boundary thereof to the at least one portion of the ice and the ice making tray 110. Melt it slightly. Accordingly, when the ice tray 110 is rotated, the ice is separated from the ice tray 110 by its own weight even when the boundary surface is not thawed.

Therefore, according to the present invention, since the ice can be performed even if a small amount of energy is input than the conventional ice making device, the energy consumption can be reduced. Of course, since the amount of thawing is small, less water is generated during ice-taking, thereby effectively preventing water from falling from the ice making tray 110 to the ice bank 300 during ice-taking.

On the other hand, when the heat source is arranged to heat the ice tray 110, the ice tray 110 is gradually heated to melt the interface with the ice. However, the portion adjacent to the heat source of the interface melts quickly and much, while the portion away from the heat source melts late and less. Therefore, even if the ice making tray 110 is inverted and iced using the own weight of the ice, it is difficult to completely prevent the occurrence of excessive excessive sea ice on the interface.

Therefore, in order to effectively prevent the ice melts excessively and the water falls during the rotation of the ice tray 110, a method and time for supplying the thermal energy supplied to the interface between the ice and the ice tray 110, etc. It would be desirable to control appropriately.

To this end, the present invention proposes to apply high energy to the boundary between the ice tray 110 and the ice in a short time. For example, when a high voltage is instantaneously applied to the heater 150 for heating the ice making tray 110, the heater 150 instantly generates a high temperature and thus the ice making tray 110 is also instantaneously heated. At least partly melts the interface between the ice and the ice tray. At this time, if the ice tray 110 is already rotated or rotated, the ice is separated from the ice tray 110 by its own weight before the boundary surface is locally thawed excessively. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent water from falling during the rotation of the ice tray 110 by excessive thawing of ice.

When high heat energy is applied to the interface between the ice and the ice making tray 110 in a short time, the ice may be removed from the ice making tray 110 with the minimum amount of thawing required for the ice using its own weight as described above. Can be separated. However, if the supply time of the thermal energy is not properly limited, the ice making tray 110 may be heated more than necessary even after the ice is discharged, resulting in excessive consumption of power and heat loss.

Therefore, it is preferable that the supply time of the thermal energy is limited to until the force by the weight of the ice exceeds the binding force of the ice making tray. In other words, even if the interface between the ice and the ice making tray 110 is not completely melted, the supply time of the thermal energy is limited until the ice is forcibly separated by its own weight.

To this end, it may be controlled to supply the thermal energy during the optimal heat energy supply time obtained experimentally, or the supply time of the heat energy may be controlled by detecting a change in weight of the ice making tray 110. As such, when the time of applying high thermal energy to the boundary between the ice and the ice making tray 110 in a short time is controlled, the minimum amount of thawing required for separation by the self-weight of the ice is obtained. It is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of falling water during the rotation of the tray 110. Of course, heat loss and waste of power can also be prevented.

On the other hand, the ice making apparatus 100 according to the present invention detects whether the ice bank 300 is full while the ice tray 110 rotates. More specifically, when the ice tray 110 rotates smoothly without disturbing the ice in the ice bank 300, the ice bank 300 is not in an iced state, but is made of ice in the ice bank 300 by ice in the ice bank 300. If the 110 does not rotate, the ice bank 300 detects that it is full.

To this end, for example, a magnet may be installed in the rotatable ice making tray 110, and a hall sensor may be installed in another fixed part so as to correspond to the magnet. Then, as the ice tray 110 rotates, the relative position between the hall sensor and the magnet changes, and accordingly, the ice bank 300 can be determined whether or not the ice bank 300 is full based on the strength of the voltage output from the hall sensor. Will be.

Specifically, for example, when the ice bank 300 is full of ice, the ice making tray 110 may not rotate in the forward direction for return or to return to the original position after the removal. Then, the ice tray 110 stops rotating, and thus, since the magnetic force of the magnet does not act on the hall sensor, the ice bank 300 may detect the full ice based on the voltage output from the hall sensor. It will be possible.

Meanwhile, whether or not the ice making is completed may be checked through an ice making time or a temperature of the ice making tray 110. For example, when a predetermined time elapses after water supply, it is determined that ice making is completed, or a temperature measured by a temperature sensor (not shown) mounted on the ice making tray 110 is below a predetermined temperature, for example, about -9 ° C. If it is below, it is possible to determine whether ice making is completed by determining that ice making is completed.

9 illustrates an example of an ice making method of the ice making apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above, and specific application examples are well illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B. Hereinafter, the ice making method will be described with reference to these drawings.

If ice making is required, the ice making apparatus 100 is turned on and the ice making operation is started. When the ice making operation is started, as shown in FIG. 9, the water supply unit 120 supplies water to the ice making chamber of the ice making tray 110. When the supply of water is completed, the water in the ice making tray 110 is exposed to cold air in the cooling chamber for more than a predetermined time and is frozen. (S 102) When the temperature of the ice making tray 110 is lowered to a predetermined temperature or less (S 103), and after a predetermined time after the water supply, it is determined that ice making is completed and the process for ice-making is started.

To drive the ice, the driving device 130 rotates the ice tray 110 in the forward direction. 9 illustrates an example in which the ice tray 110 is rotated 180 °, but the ice tray 110 may be rotated at an angle of less than or more. In other words, the ice tray 110 may be rotated to a position where ice in the ice tray 110 can be separated from the ice tray 110 by itself.

After the ice making is completed, the high voltage is applied to the heater 150 for a short time as described above before, during, or after the ice making tray 110 rotates. (S 105) Then, the ice in the ice tray 110 is stored in the ice bank 300 away from the ice tray 110 by its own weight without excessive thawing as shown in FIG. 9. When the ice is completed, the ice tray 110 is rotated in the reverse direction to return to the original position. (S 106)

When the ice tray 110 returns, it is determined whether the ice bank 300 is in an iced state. (S 107) If the ice bank 300 is not full ice, the ice tray 110 is returned to its original position, the water supply is again supplied to the ice tray 110, and the ice bank 300 is repeatedly performed as described above. De-icing continues until) is full of ice.

It is determined whether the ice making apparatus 100 is turned off while the ice bank 300 is in full ice. (S 108) If the ice making apparatus 100 is turned off, all the ice making operations are completed, but if the ice making apparatus 100 is not turned off and the ice making request continues, the ice making apparatus 100 waits for a predetermined time. (S 109) After waiting for a predetermined time, the ice tray 110 is rotated again to detect whether the ice is full (S 107), and the above processes are performed according to the result.

On the other hand, in the above it has been described an example of determining whether the ice bank 300 is full when the rotation for the return of the ice tray after ice. However, it is not limited thereto. As another example, whether or not the ice bank 300 is full will be determined when the ice tray 110 rotates for ice. In this case, when the ice making tray 110 detects the full ice, the ice making tray 110 may rotate in the reverse direction to return to the original position and wait for a predetermined time.

Meanwhile, the ice making apparatus 100 may be controlled as shown in FIG. 10B. Hereinafter, only different points from those described with reference to FIG. 10A will be described.

When de-icing is completed (S 203), power is applied to the heater 150. (S 204) After the predetermined time has elapsed, the ice tray is rotated, but instead of being rotated 180 ° at a time, only 90 ° is first rotated. (S 205) This is because the ice tray 110 is semi-cylindrical, and thus the bottom of the ice is rounded, so that the ice may slide on the ice tray by its own weight if the ice tray is rotated by only 90 °. In addition, when the ice tray 110 is inverted by rotating 180 ° at a time, since the separation of ice may be poor due to the surface tension between the ice and the bottom surface of the ice tray 110, first rotate only 90 °. This is to allow the ice to separate quickly when the ice is inverted by 180 °.

The ice tray is then rotated 180 ° to drain the ice. (S207) On the other hand, it is not necessary to stop for a long time after rotating to 90 degrees. This is because the rotational speed of the ice making tray 110 is changed by stopping the ice making tray 110 once, thereby giving an inertial force to the ice and thereby allowing the ice to slide out of the ice making tray 110. . Meanwhile, an example in which all three heater operating steps S 204, S 206, and S 208 are performed is illustrated in the drawings, but is not limited thereto. After the ice is separated, the same process as described with reference to FIG. 10A is performed.

On the other hand, in the ice making apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the ice-making apparatus helps to ice the ice by pushing the ice and applying kinetic energy. 12A to 15B are views related to the second embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the ice making apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to these drawings. The ice making apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment is implemented with various examples. Hereinafter, the examples of the ice making apparatus 200 will be described with reference to components different from the ice making apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment.

11A-13B illustrate examples using thermal expansion materials. For reference, FIGS. 11A and 12A show the semi-cylindrical ice tray 210 cut along the length direction, and FIGS. 11B and 12B show the semi-cylindrical ice tray 210 cut along the width direction. Shows.

The thermal expansion material refers to a material that increases in volume when heat is applied. Examples of the thermal expansion material include a material having a large coefficient of thermal expansion, for example, a silicone-based material used as a sealant or an adhesive. Synthetic resins. However, in addition to the silicone-based synthetic resin, other series of synthetic resins or materials having a large coefficient of thermal expansion may be used.

The thermal expansion material 230 receives heat from a heat source, for example, a heater 250, and expands to push the ice off from the ice making tray 210. To this end, the thermal expansion material 230 may be provided on an inner surface of the ice tray 210, for example. The thermal expansion material 230 is preferably installed with a limited expansion direction so that the expansion force of the thermal expansion material 230 can be effectively used to discharge the ice.

In other words, when the thermal expansion material 230 is simply attached to the inner surface of the ice making tray 210, since the thermal expansion material 230 expands in all directions, there is less expansion displacement toward the ice. . Then, no sufficient force can be obtained to push the ice out. Therefore, the thermal expansion material 230 is preferably installed so that expansion in a direction other than the direction in which the ice is pushed is limited so as to obtain sufficient force to push the ice.

For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 11A and 11B, a slot 220 penetrating a bottom is provided in the ice making tray 210, and the thermal expansion material 230 is inserted into the slot 220. The thermal expansion material 230 is limited to expansion in the width direction. Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the thermal expansion material 230 expands in the vertical direction when heat is received from the heater 250. Thus, the ice can be pushed out with greater force. However, when the heater 250 is installed to be in close contact with the bottom surface of the thermal expansion material 230, the thermal expansion material 230 is also limited to expand downward, so that the ice expands upwardly in contact with the ice. It can be pushed out more effectively from the ice making tray 210.

As another example, as shown in FIG. 13A, a groove 240 may be provided at the bottom of the ice making tray 210, and the thermal expansion material 230 may be mounted in the groove 240. Then, since the thermal expansion material 230 is limited in expansion in the width direction and downward, it is possible to push the ice with a large force while expanding upward. In this case, a heat source for supplying thermal energy to the thermal expansion material 230, that is, the heater 250, is provided under the ice tray 210, and the thermal expansion material 230 is disposed on the ice tray 210. Through the heat energy of the heater 250 is supplied.

When the ice is separated by applying kinetic energy to the ice and the ice making tray 210 using the thermal expansion material 230, the ice making tray 210 may not be heated. Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 11A to 12B, the heater 250 may be installed to directly heat the thermal expansion material 230. In this case, thermal insulation between the thermal expansion material 230 and the ice making tray 210 may be insulated so that the heat of the heater 250 may be intensively supplied only to the thermal expansion material 230. Member 260 may be interposed.

Meanwhile, in order to prevent the ice from melting more than necessary by the heat of the thermal expansion material 230 and the ice tray 210 while the heater 250 is operating, the heat source, that is, the heater 250 is described above. As can be controlled to dissipate high thermal energy instantaneously for a short time. Since the related content has already been described, it will be omitted below.

In addition to a heat source that heats the thermal expansion material 230 so that the thermal expansion material 230 imparts kinetic energy to the boundary between the ice and the ice making tray 210, the thermal expansion material 230 may be provided at the boundary to effectively help the ice. A heat source that supplies direct thermal energy may be provided together. The two heat sources may be controlled substantially together or independently, and one heat source may be installed and controlled to perform both of the above roles. Of course, both of these heat sources or one heat source performing both roles may be controlled by the method of controlling the heat sources according to the present invention described above.

The ice making apparatus 200 described above may be iced and iced through a process substantially the same as the process described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 10B. The only difference is that the heat source is used only to heat the thermal expansion material 230 or to thaw both the thermal expansion material 230 and the boundary between the ice and the ice tray 210.

When the heat source is used only to heat the thermal expansion material 230, the ice is caused by the force of the thermal expansion material 230 to push the ice and the weight of the ice generated when the ice tray 210 rotates. It can be separated from the ice tray 210. In addition, when the heat source is used to thaw not only the thermal expansion material 230 but also the boundary, it is possible to effectively separate the ice from the inverted ice tray 210 with only a small amount of thawing amount. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the water from falling in the rotated ice tray 210 in advance.

On the other hand, Figure 14b shows an example in which the ice device can discharge the ice while rotating with a conventional ejector. The ice tray 210 is rotatable, and the ejector 270 is rotatable independently of the ice tray 210. The ejector 270 includes a rotatable shaft 271 and a plurality of pins 275 protruding from the shaft 275.

When the ejector 270 rotates while the ice tray 210 is rotated, the ice is separated from the ice tray 210 by the weight of the self and the force of the ejector 270. Alternatively, the ejector 270 may push the ice out of the ice tray 210 while rotating together with the ice tray 210. In this case, the rotation speed of the ejector 270 may be controlled faster than the rotation speed of the ice making tray 210.

As described above, the ice may be effectively discharged from the inverted ice tray 210 by the energy applied to the boundary by the ejector 270 and the weight of the ice. In addition, a heat source for supplying heat energy to the boundary, for example, a heater 250 may be further provided to promote the discharge of the ice. In this case, in order to minimize the amount of thawing and to prevent water from falling from the ice making tray 210, the heater 250 may be controlled by the method of controlling the heat source according to the present invention as described above.

On the other hand, when the heater 250 is provided, the ice making tray 210 may not rotate. In this case, the heater 250 is controlled to dissipate high thermal energy for a short time as described above so as to obtain only the minimum amount of thawing required during the ebbing by the ejector 270. Then, even though there is no significant difference in physical structure from the conventional ice making apparatus, it is possible to prevent excessive thawing and falling water from the ice making tray 210 by the difference in the control method.

15A and 15B show an example in which the ejector 280 is fixed. The ice tray 210 is rotatable, while the ejector 280 is fixed to the water supply unit 120, for example. Therefore, when the ice tray 210 rotates for ice as shown in FIG. 15B, since the fixed ejector 280 prevents the ice from rotating, the ice is forcibly removed from the ice tray 210. Discharged. In this example, by placing the ejector 280 in the proper position, the ice can be effectively separated using the energy of the ice as well as the energy applied to the ice by the ejector 280. . Of course, a heat source may be provided to more effectively discharge the ice, which is controlled by the control method described above.

Although several embodiments have been described above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in many other forms without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

Accordingly, the described embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and all embodiments within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents are included within the scope of the present invention.

As described above, according to the present invention, the structure of the ice making tray and the structure required for full ice detection are very simple. Therefore, it is easy to manufacture and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

In addition, since the width of the ice tray can be designed to be much larger than that of the related art, the capacity of one ice maker can be increased. Thus, a large amount of ice can be produced in a short time.

Furthermore, since at least one of thermal energy and kinetic energy is supplied to the boundary between the ice and the ice making tray, and in addition to using the self-weight of the ice, it can be carried out with less energy than before.

Furthermore, by supplying a large amount of energy to the boundary between the ice and the ice tray for a short time, it is possible to obtain the minimum amount of thawing required for the ice breaking, thereby preventing excessive thawing and falling water during the ice tray rotation.

Claims (19)

A rotatable ice making tray which receives water to make ice; And And an ice-making device that applies energy to the boundary between the ice and the ice-making tray to help discharge of the ice by the rotation of the ice-making tray. The method of claim 1, The moving device, In order to prevent the ice from being excessively melted and the water falls during the rotation of the ice tray, a heat source for dissolving at least part of the interface between the ice and the ice tray by applying high energy to the boundary of the ice and the ice tray for a short time. Ice making device. The method of claim 2, The energy supply time of the heat source is limited to until the force due to the weight of the ice exceeds the binding force between the ice and the ice making tray. The method of claim 2, The energy supply time of the heat source is limited to until the ice is forcibly separated by its own weight even if the interface between the ice and the ice tray is not completely melted. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The heat source is an ice making device comprising a light source for irradiating light to at least one of the ice and the ice tray. The method according to claim 1 or 2, And the heat source comprises a magnetron for irradiating microwaves to at least one of the ice and the ice making tray. The method of claim 2, The heat source, the ice making device comprises a heater disposed to be in physical contact with the ice tray or a predetermined distance apart. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The ice making device comprises a pressurizing device for pushing the ice to separate from the ice tray. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The moving device, A thermal expansion material mounted to the ice tray; And And a heat source for supplying thermal energy to the thermal expansion material such that the thermal expansion material expands and pushes the ice away from the ice making tray. The method of claim 9, And the thermal expansion material is installed with limited expansion in a direction other than the direction of pushing the ice. The method of claim 9, And the ice making tray comprises a groove formed at the bottom, and the thermal expansion material is inserted into the groove. The method of claim 9, And the ice tray comprises a slot penetrating the bottom, wherein the thermal expansion material is inserted into the slot. Cooling chamber; An ice making tray disposed in the cooling chamber and receiving water to make ice; A drive device for rotating the ice tray to discharge the ice; A heat source for supplying high thermal energy in a short time to the boundary to obtain the minimum amount of thawing required for the separation using the own weight of ice; And And an ice bank configured to receive and store the ice discharged from the ice making tray. The method of claim 13, The supply time of the energy of the heat source is a refrigerator, characterized in that until the fall of the falling water during the rotation of the ice tray due to excessive thawing. Supplying high thermal energy in a short time to the boundary between the ice and the ice making tray; And Roving method of the ice making device comprising the step of rotating the ice tray. The method of claim 15, And the heat energy supply time is limited to a minimum amount of thawing required for separation using ice weight of the ice. The method of claim 15, The heat energy supply time is The ice-breaking method of the ice-making apparatus, characterized in that the excessive ice until it is limited to the occurrence of falling water during the rotation of the ice tray. Supplying cold air to the cooling chamber; Supplying water to an ice tray in the cooling chamber; Cooling the ice tray to freeze the water; Rotating the ice tray; Supplying high thermal energy for a short time to the boundary between the ice and the ice making tray so as to obtain a minimum amount of thawing required for the separation using the own weight of ice; And And rotating the ice tray to its original position. The method of claim 18, Supply time of the heat energy, The ice making method of the refrigerator, characterized in that the limited until the falling of the water when the ice tray is rotated by excessive thawing.

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