KR20060126156A - Ice-maker for producing spherical-shaped ice of refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

An icing machine of a refrigerator for making ice balls is provided to make either ice balls or semicircular ices balls by adjusting the amount of water supply, to automatically produce/separate the ice balls by operating a heater and easily opening a second part, and to thereby reduce energy consumption by combining a first part with the second part as an icing tray and drawing spherical ices out in opening the icing tray through self-weight. An icing machine of a refrigerator for making ice balls comprises an icing tray(100) combined of a first part(110) and a second part(120) formed semispherical to complete one sphere and supplied with water at an inner hollow portion to produce ice balls; a heater installed at the icing tray; and a driving unit formed with a motor(10) opening/closing the icing tray. The heater is a planar heater to be contacted on the first and second parts of the icing tray. A water supply port(101) is formed at the upper side of the icing tray.

Description

Ice maker for producing spherical-shaped ice of refrigerators

1 is a perspective view showing an ice making tray according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the ice tray and the main part of FIG. 1; FIG.

3 is a cross-sectional view showing an ice making tray according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a perspective view showing an ice making tray according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

100: ice tray 101: water supply

102: temperature sensor 103: spring

104: hinge axis 105: heater

106: sealing member 110: first part

111: flange 120: second part

121: flange

The present invention relates to a refrigerator ice maker, and more particularly, to a refrigerator ice maker that can ice as well as a semicircular ice.

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 maker that automatically performs a series of processes related to ice making without user interaction, and a dispenser that makes ice or water available outside the refrigerator. Various features are being added to make it available.

On the other hand, the ice produced in the conventional ice maker for refrigerators is made of a half moon, because the ice tray of the ice maker is limited in its form.

However, spherical ice is good for the user to see and eat, and there are many suggestions regarding the manufacture of spherical ice.

In the international application PCT / JP2001 / 07599, as shown in FIG. 1, the tray member 21 is mounted in the spherical mold 24 formed of the heat insulating material layers 24a and 24b.

The ice can be taken out by evacuating the upper half 24a of the mold 24.

At this time, the ice is taken out in the state packed with the tray member 21, and after returning the ice to the mold 24 again.

In the spherical ice manufacturing apparatus as described above, there is a tray member 21, the mold 24 is present separately, to separate the ice again after separating the tray member 21 from the mold 24 when the ice is taken out There is a hassle.

In addition, it is understood that there is an inconvenience to be immersed in water or the like for taking out ice.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator ice maker that can make a spherical ice, the automatic ice-making and ice-making process is performed.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention, the hemispherical first part and the second part is combined to form a sphere, the ice making tray is made of ice by receiving water in the hollow portion therein; A heater installed on the ice tray; It provides a refrigerator ice maker including a drive unit comprising a motor for opening and closing the ice tray.

The ice making tray may be formed in a shape in which a plurality of hemispherical recesses forming a space where ice is made by receiving water to the frame are arranged in a line.

The heater may be a heater on the surface that is installed on the surface where the first part and the second part of the ice making tray contact. In addition, a sealing member for sealing the ice tray may be installed on the contact surface of the first part and the second part. In addition, a flange that can be fitted along the circumference of the contact surface of the first part and the second part may be formed.

The drive unit may include a motor and a wire connected to the ice tray, and the motor may further include a guide for preventing the wire from being separated from the motor when the ice tray is opened. In addition, the first part and the second part are connected at one side, the wire is fixed to the second part, the first part is fixed and the second part is hinged. In addition, a spring for applying a force to close the second part may be installed at the connection part between the first part and the second part.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention that can specifically realize the above object will be described.

2 to 3, a refrigerator ice maker according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The hemispherical first part 110 and the second part 120 are combined to form a spherical shape, and an ice making tray 100 is made of ice by supplying water to a hollow portion therein, and the ice making tray 100 of the The heater 105 is installed along the surface where the first part 110 and the second part 120 are in contact with each other, and a driving part that opens and closes the ice making tray 100.

The driving unit includes a motor 10 and a wire 12 coupled to the second part 120 to open and close the second part 120. In addition, it is preferable that the guide 11 is installed to prevent the wire 12 from being separated from the motor 10 in the state in which the second part 120 is opened.

In addition, a water supply unit 101 for supplying water is formed at an upper portion of the ice making tray 100. The water supply unit 101 may be formed at any position of the ice making tray 100, but considering the water supply control and the ice shape, the first part 110 and the second part which are the vertices of the ice making tray 100 are provided. Most preferably, 120 is formed on the incision line to which it is coupled.

In addition, the ice tray 100 is preferably formed of a material such as aluminum, which is fast and heat transfer efficiency.

In addition, a temperature sensor 102 may be installed at one side of the ice making tray 100 to measure the temperature of the ice making tray 100 and the ice to determine whether the ice making is completed.

In addition, a sealing member 106 may be installed at a surface at which the first part 110 and the second part 120 contact each other to seal the inside of the ice making tray. In this case, the sealing member 106 is installed along the circumference of the first part 110 or the second part 120, and both of the first part 110 or the second part 120. It can be installed on all, but it can also be installed on only one side.

In addition, the heater 105 is a surface heater and is installed around the contact surface between the first part 110 and the second part 120, and is installed inside the sealing member 106. On the other hand, a heater may be installed on the rear of the first part 110 and the second part 120. Or it can be understood that the heater can be installed on both the periphery and the rear of the contact surface of the first part 110 and the second part 120.

In addition, the first and second parts 110 and 120 are stably coupled, and flanges 111 and 121 are formed to be fitted along the contact surface to improve the sealing property. On the other hand, the flange is not limited to the above-described shape, as shown in the second embodiment of Figure 4, the radially extending flanges 211, 221 of the first part 110 and the second part 120 (see Fig. 4) May be formed.

In addition, a heater 105 and a sealing member 106 may be installed along the inner surface of the flanges 111 and 121 in contact with each other. As the flanges 111 and 121 are formed, the contact area between the first part 110 and the second part 120 is widened, thereby increasing the sealing property of the sealing member 106. Alternatively, the heater 105 may be installed outside the flanges 111 and 121.

In addition, the first part 110 and the second part 120 are opened and closed left and right, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and in particular, the second part 120 is hinged at one side. The first part 110 and the second part 120 are connected by the hinge shaft 104.

In addition, the hinge shaft 104 is provided with a spring 103 for applying a force to close the second part. Here, the driving unit may be operated to open and close the ice making tray 100, but the driving unit may be operated only when opened, and may be closed by restoring force of the spring when the driving unit is closed. That is, when the ice tray 100 is closed, when the force acting on the wire 12 is removed, the second part 120 is closed by the elastic force of the spring 103. Therefore, when opening the ice tray 100, the motor 10 should apply a force that is at least enough to overcome the restoring force of the spring 103.

In addition, the sealing member 106 is preferably installed to seal the portion where the hinge shaft 104 is installed, it may form a flange.

Looking at the operation of the refrigerator ice maker configured as described above are as follows. First, water is supplied through the water supply unit 101 in a state in which the first part 110 and the second part 120 are coupled to each other. At this time, the water supply may adjust the amount of water by quantitatively measuring the amount of water, it is also possible to adjust the amount of water through the water supply time.

Then, ice is formed by being exposed to cold air in the freezing chamber for a predetermined time, and whether the ice making is completed is determined by the temperature of the ice tray 100 measured by the temperature sensor 102. At this time, in order to make the ice hard, it is judged that the ice making is completed when the temperature is about -9 ° C or lower.

When the ice making is completed, power is applied to the heater 105 to melt a portion of the ice so that the ice may be separated from the ice making tray 100. When the motor 10 is operated to open the second part 120, the ice falls down by its own weight.

Then, when the ice is taken out, while the force used to fix the second part 120 in the open state is removed, the elastic force of the spring 103 is acted to close, and ice making is continued by repeatedly performing the series of processes. .

Referring to FIG. 4, a refrigerator ice maker according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

The basic configuration of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described above.

However, in the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment described above, the first part 210 and the second part 220 are separated, so that the entire second part 220 is moved forward / retracted to open / close. do.

In addition, flanges 211 and 221 extending outwardly are formed on a surface where the first part 210 and the second part 220 are coupled to each other. On the other hand, as described in the first embodiment, it is understood that the flange may have the same shape as the first embodiment.

In addition, a sealing member 206 may be installed along the flanges 211 and 221 to seal the inside of the ice tray, and may be installed on both of the first part 210 or the second part 220, but on one side thereof. Only installation is understandable.

In addition, a heater 205 is installed inside the sealing member 206. It is also understood that the heater 205 may be installed on the rear surface of the first part 210 or the second part 220.

When the ice making tray 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is completed, the first part 210 is fixed, the second part 220 is retracted for a predetermined distance and opened, and after the ice is taken out, the ice tray 200 is advanced again. Is closed.

Therefore, in the second embodiment, a driving unit capable of translating the second part 220 in the front-rear direction is provided.

Referring to FIG. 5, a refrigerator ice maker according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The basic configuration of the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described above.

However, in the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment described above, the first part 310 and the second part 320 are formed with a plurality of hemispherical shapes. That is, a pair of first parts 310 and a second part 320 in which a plurality of hemispherical recesses 302 are arranged in a square frame 301 like an egg plate are combined to form a plurality of spherical spaces. Done.

At this time, since the frame 301 is in close contact, it can be said that the sealing efficiency of the ice making tray 300 is high. However, as shown in FIG. 5, it is preferable that flanges 311 and 321 that can be fitted to the portion where the recess 302 is formed are formed. In addition, since the flanges 311 and 321 serve as a guide for preventing misalignment when the first part 310 and the second part 320 are coupled, the flange 311 and 321 may operate the motor with high accuracy when the ice tray 300 is opened / closed. There is an advantage that is not needed.

In addition, the flanges 311 and 321 are provided with a sealing member 306 and a heater 305 to seal the ice tray 300. In this case, although the sealing member 306 and the heater 305 may be installed in the frame 301, the sealing member 306 and the heater 305 may be installed only in the flanges 311 and 321 to ensure sufficient sealing performance. In addition, since the heater 305 does not require much heat generation and operates to melt only a part of the ice, when installed in the entire frame 301, the amount of heat is increased and it is difficult to control and control the temperature. It is advisable to install only in limited areas.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and as can be seen in the appended claims, modifications can be made by those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains, and such modifications are within the scope of the present invention.

The refrigerator ice maker according to the present invention described above has the following effects.

First, he can make spherical ice, and hemispheric ice can be made by adjusting the water supply.

Second, both ice making and ice are automatically made, and in particular, the heater is operated during ice making, so that the second part can be easily opened and the ice is easily taken out.

Third, since the ice making tray is a method in which the hemispherical first part and the second part are coupled to the left and right, when the ice making tray is opened, the spherical ice is taken out by its own weight, thereby reducing energy consumption for take-out and weaving. In addition, since it is taken out by its own weight, it is possible to operate the heater only a little during the ice, thereby reducing the energy consumption.

Fourth, since it can be implemented in a simple structure, it is possible to reduce the production cost, it is easy to increase the number of trays without requiring a lot of space, it is possible to increase the amount of ice making.

Claims (11)

An ice making tray in which a hemispherical first part and a second part are combined to form a spherical shape, and ice is made by supplying water to a hollow portion thereof; A heater installed on the ice tray; And a driving unit including a motor to open and close the ice tray. The method of claim 1, The heater is a refrigerator ice maker, characterized in that the heater on the surface which is installed on the surface where the first part and the second part of the ice tray is in contact. The method of claim 1, Refrigerator ice maker, characterized in that the water inlet is formed on the upper portion of the ice tray. The method of claim 1, Refrigerator ice maker, characterized in that the sealing member for sealing the ice tray is further installed on the contact surface of the first part and the second part. The method of claim 1, Refrigerator ice maker, characterized in that the flange is formed along the circumference of the contact surface of the first part and the second part. The method of claim 1, And the driving unit comprises a motor and a wire connected to the ice tray. The method of claim 6, The motor is further provided with a guide for preventing the wire from being separated from the motor when the ice tray is opened. The method of claim 6, The first part and the second part is connected from one side, the wire is fixed to the second part, the first part is fixed and the second part is a refrigerator ice maker, characterized in that the hinge behavior. The method of claim 6, Refrigerator ice maker, characterized in that the spring is further provided on the connecting portion of the first part and the second part to apply a force to close the second part. The method of claim 1, The ice maker tray is a refrigerator ice maker characterized in that the plurality of hemispherical recesses are formed in a row arranged in a line to form a space in which ice is made by receiving water in the frame. The method of claim 10, Refrigerator ice makers, characterized in that the flange is formed in the first part and the second part is formed in the hemispherical shape is fitted further.

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