KR20080036696A - Refrigerator and ice discharging apparatus therein and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An ice discharging apparatus, a refrigerator having the same, and a method for controlling the same are provided to reduce a noise, the manufacturing cost, and power consumption by removing an expensive solenoid. A case(310) has a space for containing ice and has an ice outlet(312) at one side. A motor(321) is installed outside or inside the case. A first shaft(331) and a second shaft(332) are rotated by driving of the motor. A rotation controller connects the motor with the first shaft and the second shaft, and selectively rotates the first shaft and the second shaft in accordance with a rotary direction of the motor. An ice processing element(350) is installed at the ice outlet and selectively discharges ice cube and ice pieces by selective rotation of the first shaft and the second shaft.

Description

REFRIGERATOR AND ICE DISCHARGING APPARATUS THEREIN AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF}

1 illustrates a conventional ice extraction apparatus.

2 is a perspective view showing an ice extraction apparatus according to the present invention.

3 is a plan view showing an ice extraction apparatus according to the present invention.

4 and 5 are views showing the operation of the ice extraction apparatus according to the present invention shown in FIG.

6 is a plan view showing an ice extraction apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

7 and 8 are views showing the operation of the ice extraction apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a view showing an example of the power transmission control means of the ice extraction apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a view showing a refrigerator having an ice extraction apparatus according to the present invention.

11 is a view showing a flow chart related to the control method of the ice extraction apparatus applied to the ice extraction apparatus according to all embodiments of the present invention.

<Description of Main Symbols Used in Drawings>

310: case 320: driving device

321: motor 322: drive gear

331: first axis 332: second axis

340: one-way clutch 341: first clutch

342: second clutch 350: ice processing means

351: fixed blade 352: grinding blade

353: guide blade 354: opening and closing member

354b: elastic member 360: friction disk

361 drive disk 362 driven disk

The present invention relates to an ice extracting device, a refrigerator having the same, and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to an ice extracting device having a new configuration and to reduce noise by solenoids and to reduce manufacturing costs. It relates to a refrigerator and a control method of such an ice extraction device.

In general, a refrigerator is a device for long-term preservation of food and the like in a low temperature state by supplying a cold atmosphere or a cold air by a refrigeration cycle device composed of a compressor and a heat exchanger in a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment provided therein.

Such a refrigerator not only functions to keep food at a low temperature, but also to make ice using cold air at a temperature much lower than the freezing point of water supplied to the freezer, and to extract the ice as it is or to crush it into pieces of ice. It has a function to do it.

The ice extracting function is an ice maker and an ice extracting device which are installed to expose the inside of the refrigerator, in particular, the cold air of the freezer compartment. The ice maker manufactures ice using the cold air of the freezer compartment, and the ice extracting apparatus is manufactured by the ice maker. It is a device that enables the selective extraction of ice or flake ice.

1 illustrates a conventional ice extraction apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional ice extracting apparatus may include a case 10 in which ice supplied from an ice maker (not shown) is accommodated, and the ice contained in the case 10 may be discharged in ice cubes or broken into pieces of ice. The ice crushing apparatus 20 for discharging, the motor 30 driving the ice crushing apparatus 20, the drive shaft 31, and the drive shaft 31 are formed on the ice in the case 10, the ice grinding And a conveying member 32 for conveying to the apparatus 20. The transfer member 32 has a shape in which a wing having an area of a predetermined size is helically formed around the drive shaft 31.

An upper end of the case 10 is provided with an inlet opening 11 formed to be opened to inject ice from an ice maker (not shown), and a discharge hole for discharging the ice to the outside of the case 10 at the lower end of the case 10. 12) is provided.

The ice crushing device 20 is fixed to the fixed blade 21 is installed on the drive shaft 31, and installed on the drive shaft 31 rotates with the rotation of the drive shaft 31 and the fixed blade ( And a rotary blade 22 for crushing the ice in interaction with 21).

One side of the discharge port 12, the shutter 23 for opening and closing the discharge port 12 is installed to be rotatable, the operation member 24 is installed to protrude toward the rear of the case 10 in combination with the shutter 23 Is provided.

The actuating member 24 is provided with a bent portion at one side and the rear end protruding toward the rear of the case 10 of the actuating member 24 is moved up and down by the operation of the solenoid 25 to the actuating member ( 24 is operated and the shutter 23 performs the opening and closing operation by the operation of the operating member 24.

That is, when the rear end of the operating member 24 is operated to move up and down by the solenoid 25, the front end portion projecting toward the discharge port 12 side of the operating member 24 due to the bent portion of the operating member 24 The shutter 23 is rotated by a predetermined angle, and the shutter 23 performs the opening and closing operation as the front end of the operating member 24 rotates.

When the shutter 23 is opened, the ice stored and transported in the case 10 is discharged as it is, or the rotating blade 22 is rotated and discharged by being pushed by a portion in which the blade is not formed, and ice cubes are discharged. When the 23 is closed, the ice is not discharged to the discharge port 12 as it is, but the portion where the blade of the rotating blade 22 is rotated rotates the ice to be placed on the fixed blade 21 so that the crushed ice is discharged. .

However, the conventional ice extracting device as described above increases the manufacturing cost by using expensive solenoids for the conversion of ice cubes and flake ice, and the user may experience the 'squeak' noise of the solenoid and the noise generated during the opening and closing of the shutter. There is a problem that causes the discomfort and deteriorates the reliability of the product.

In addition, since a separate power supply is required to operate the solenoid, there is a problem that the power consumption increases and the structure becomes complicated by a separate wire connection.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to configure a new drive system for taking out the ice does not employ a solenoid to reduce noise, reduce manufacturing costs and reduce power consumption to improve product reliability It is to provide an ice extraction apparatus for improving, a refrigerator having the same, and a control method of such an ice extraction apparatus.

Ice extraction apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object is provided with a space for accommodating the ice is formed on one side of the ice discharge port; A motor provided inside or outside the case; A first shaft and a second shaft rotating by driving of the motor; Rotation control means for connecting the motor to the first and second shafts and selectively rotating the first and second shafts according to the rotational direction of the motor; And ice processing means provided in the discharge port and configured to selectively take out ice and flake ice by selective rotation of the first and second shafts according to the rotation of the motor.

In addition, the rotation control means, the first clutch is rotated in connection with the motor and rotates the first shaft only in one direction, and the second clutch to rotate in engagement with the second clutch and rotate the second axis only in one direction. It is characterized by including.

In addition, the rotation control means, the drive gear is connected to the motor driven, and rotates in engagement with the drive gear and rotates the first axis in the reverse direction only when the motor is rotated forward and does not rotate the second axis And a first clutch, and a second clutch that rotates in engagement with the drive gear and rotates the second shaft only in the forward direction when the motor rotates in the reverse direction.

In addition, the ice processing means, at least one stationary blade is installed between the first axis and the second axis and the ice is placed thereon, and is installed on the first axis is fixed by the rotation of the first axis At least one grinding blade for crushing the ice on the blade, characterized in that it comprises a guide blade installed on the second shaft for discharging the ice on the fixed blade to the outside by the rotation of the second shaft.

In addition, the fixed blade is characterized in that it comprises a bent portion is formed to be bent downward so that the space in which the ice is placed.

On the other hand, the ice extraction device according to another embodiment of the present invention, the case is provided with a space for accommodating the ice and the ice discharge port is formed on one side; A motor provided inside or outside the case; A first shaft and a second shaft rotating together by the rotation of the motor; Rotation control means for connecting the motor with the first and second shafts and for transmitting the rotational force of the motor to the first and second shafts, respectively; An ice processing apparatus installed on the first shaft and discharging ice cubes or flake ice according to the rotation of the first shaft; An opening and closing member connected to the second shaft to open and close the discharge port and discharge ice cubes or flake ice; And a power transmission control means installed on the second shaft to attenuate the rotational force of the second shaft to be transmitted to the opening and closing member.

In addition, the rotation control means, the driving gear connected to the motor and connected to the first shaft, the one direction to rotate in engagement with the drive gear and connected to the second shaft to rotate the second shaft only in one direction It characterized in that it comprises a clutch.

The rotation control means may include a drive gear connected to the motor and connected to the first shaft, and a driven gear that rotates in engagement with the drive gear and is connected to the second shaft.

In addition, the ice processing plant, the fixed blade is provided on the discharge port and fixed to the first shaft, and the fixed blade is installed on the first shaft to rotate with the first shaft by the drive of the motor It characterized in that it comprises a grinding blade for grinding the ice in interaction with.

In addition, it is characterized in that it further comprises an elastic member to give an elastic force to the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing member to return to its original state by the elastic restoring force after the operation of the opening and closing member is stopped.

The second shaft may include a driving shaft driven by the motor and a driven shaft driven by receiving power from the driving shaft, and the power transmission control means is installed between the driving shaft and the driven shaft to rotate the rotational force of the driving shaft. It characterized in that it comprises a friction disk to attenuate and transfer to the driven shaft.

The friction disk may include a driving disk connected to the driving shaft to form a locking surface and a friction surface, and a driven disk meshing with the driving disk and connected to the driven shaft to form an engagement surface and an opposing friction surface. It is characterized in that the friction between the power transmission and the friction surface is in contact with the friction surface is performed by the rotation of the motor is engaged with the engaging surface is characterized in that it is repeatedly performed.

On the other hand, the refrigerator according to the present invention includes a main body having a freezing compartment therein; A door to open and close the freezer compartment; An ice maker installed in one of the freezing compartment and the door to manufacture ice; A case having a space for storing ice and having an ice discharge port formed at one side thereof, a motor provided inside or outside the case, first and second shafts rotated by driving of the motor, and the motor Rotation control means for connecting the first and second shafts to selectively rotate the first and second shafts according to the rotational direction of the motor, and the first and second shafts provided in the discharge port. An ice extraction device comprising an ice processing means for selectively extracting angular ice and flake ice by selective rotation of the shaft and the second shaft; And a dispenser for discharging ice taken out from the ice dispensing device to the outside of the door.

On the other hand, the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention, the body is provided with a freezing compartment therein; A door to open and close the freezer compartment; An ice maker installed in one of the freezing compartment and the door to manufacture ice; A case having a space for storing ice and having an ice discharge port formed at one side thereof, a motor provided inside or outside the case, first and second shafts rotating together by the rotation of the motor, and the motor And rotation adjusting means for connecting the first shaft and the second shaft and transmitting the rotational force of the motor to the first shaft and the second shaft, respectively, and being installed on the first shaft, according to the rotation of the first shaft. Or an ice processing apparatus for discharging flake ice, an opening / closing member connected to the second shaft and driven by the motor to open and close the discharge port and discharge ice cubes or flake ice, and installed on the second shaft. Ice extraction device comprising a power transmission control means for attenuating the rotational force of the second shaft to be transmitted to the opening and closing member; And a dispenser for discharging ice taken out from the ice dispensing device to the outside of the door.

On the other hand, the control method of the ice extraction apparatus according to the present invention, ice mode selection step; Determining whether there is an ice extraction request; Controlling the direction of rotation of the motor in accordance with the selected ice mode when there is an ice extraction request, so that ice according to the desired mode is taken out.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of an ice extracting device, a refrigerator having the same, and a control method of the ice extracting device according to the present invention will be described.

2 is a perspective view showing an ice extraction apparatus according to the present invention, Figure 3 is a plan view showing an ice extraction apparatus according to the present invention, Figures 4 and 5 of the ice extraction apparatus according to the invention shown in FIG. The figure which shows about operation | movement.

6 is a plane view of an ice extraction apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, Figures 7 and 8 are views showing the operation of the ice extraction apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 9 Is a view showing an example of the power transmission control means of the ice extraction apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

On the other hand, Figure 10 is a view showing a refrigerator having an ice extraction apparatus according to the present invention, Figure 11 is a flow chart related to the control method of the ice extraction apparatus applied to the ice extraction apparatus according to all embodiments of the present invention. It is a figure shown about.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ice extracting apparatus 300 according to the present invention includes a case 310 in which ice is stored, a conveying means 333 for transferring the ice contained in the case 310, and the transferred ice. The ice processing means 350 for discharging or grinding and discharging the same, the first shaft 331 and the second shaft 332 for operating the transfer means 333 and the ice processing means 350, and the It includes a drive device (not shown) for driving one axis 331 and the second axis 332.

The case 310 has an opening at an upper end thereof, and an inlet 311 is formed to inject ice from an ice maker (not shown). An ice processing means 350 is installed at a front side of the case 310, and a case 310 is provided. The discharge port 312 is formed at the lower end of the ice processing means 350 is installed so that the ice is discharged.

The conveying means 333 is configured such that a blade having a radius of a predetermined length is formed in a spiral shape on the first shaft 331 and the second shaft 332, and the ice is pushed to the ice processing means 350 by rotation. do.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ice processing means 350 is fixedly installed on the first shaft 331 and the second shaft 332, and the first shaft 331 and the second shaft 332 are fixed to each other. A plurality of fixed blades 351 are connected to each other. The plurality of fixed blades 351 have a blade formed at an upper side thereof and bent downward to have a shape of approximately 'V'. The plurality of fixed blades 351 are installed at a narrow enough interval so that the ice conveyed by the conveying means 333 does not escape to the discharge port 312 so that the ice conveyed to the bent portion of the fixed blade 351 is To be placed.

The ice processing means 350 includes a plurality of grinding blades 352 installed on the first shaft 331 and rotating together with the first shaft 331. The grinding blade 352 is rotated together with the first shaft 331 to crush the ice placed on the bent portion of the fixed blade 351 to discharge the crushed ice. That is, the plurality of grinding blades 352 are provided to rotate through each gap between the plurality of fixed blades 351, and the plurality of grinding blades 352 also have a narrow enough gap so that ice cannot escape. Installed on the fixed blade 351 by the rotation of the grinding blade 352 is to be crushed. The crushed ice is discharged in the form of flake ice under the fixed blade (351).

Meanwhile, the ice processing means 350 may include a plurality of guide blades 353 installed on the second shaft 332 and rotating together with the second shaft 332. The guide blade 353 rotates together with the second shaft 332 to push up the ice placed on the bent portion of the fixed blade 351 upwards, rotates while supporting the ice, and discharges the ice as it is. The plurality of guide blades 353 are also installed at a narrow enough interval so that ice does not escape and are installed to rotate at intervals between the plurality of fixed blades 351. The ice guided by the guide blades 353 is discharged in the state of ice cubes under the guide blades 353.

A driving device of the ice extraction device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The drive device 320 shown in FIG. 3 is connected to the motor 321 and the motor shaft 321a of the motor 312 to rotate to selectively drive the first shaft 331 and the second shaft 332. It comprises a control means.

The rotation control means includes a drive gear 322 which is connected to the motor shaft 321a and rotates, a first clutch 341 and a second clutch 342 driven in engagement with the drive gear 322, The first clutch 341 is connected to the first shaft 331 to rotate the first shaft 331, and the second clutch 342 is connected to the second shaft 332 to the second shaft 332. Rotate).

The first clutch 341 and the second clutch 342 are one-way clutches, and rotate the shaft connected to the first clutch 341 or the second clutch 342 only in one direction and the opposite direction. Do not rotate. That is, the first clutch 341 and the second clutch 342 rotate the shaft while rotating in the opposite direction without idling by idling in one direction.

In FIG. 3, the driving gear 322 connected to the motor 321 rotates to drive the first clutch 341 and the second clutch 342 meshed with the driving gear 322. Directly connecting any one of the first clutch 341 and the second clutch 342 to the motor 321 and to engage the other of the first clutch 341 and the second clutch 342 without a drive gear It is also possible to operate the first clutch 341 and the second clutch 342.

In addition, in FIG. 3, the second shaft 332 is driven by the second clutch 332 without the driven gear 343 or the configuration of driving the driven shaft 343 without directly connecting the second shaft 332 to the second clutch 342. It is also possible to drive by connecting directly to 342.

The operation of the ice extraction apparatus according to the present invention shown in Figs. 2 and 3 will be described with reference to Figs. Figure 4 shows the operation in the ice cube mode, Figure 5 shows the operation in the ice cube mode, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the motor 321 rotates in the counterclockwise direction (CCW), the drive gear 322 also rotates in the counterclockwise direction, and the first clutch 341 and the second clutch 342 are rotated clockwise ( CW).

The first clutch 341 rotates in a clockwise direction, rotates the first shaft 331 in a clockwise direction, and when the conveying means 331 transfers the ice so that the ice is placed on the fixed blade 351, the grinding blade 352 is rotated. The ice placed on the fixed blade 351 is pulverized while being rotated by the first shaft 331 to discharge crushed ice.

At this time, the second clutch 342 is idling and the second shaft 332 does not rotate.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 5, when the motor 321 rotates clockwise (CW), the old synchronous word 322 also rotates clockwise and rotates in engagement with the first clutch 341. The clutch 342 rotates in a counterclockwise direction and the driven gear 343 rotating in engagement with the second clutch 342 rotates in a clockwise direction to rotate the second shaft 332 in a clockwise direction.

As the second shaft 332 rotates clockwise, the conveying means rotates so that the ice is placed on the fixed blade 351, and the ice placed on the fixed blade 351 is rotated clockwise by the second shaft 332. The guide blade 353 pushes the ice and discharges the ice as it is.

Reference numerals 331a and 332a denote bearings for supporting the first shaft 331 and the second shaft 332 so as to be rotatable, respectively.

On the other hand, with reference to Figure 11 will be described with respect to the control method of the ice extraction apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in Figs.

Although not shown in the drawings illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5, the motor 321 is driven in connection with a controller (not shown) for controlling the same. That is, the controller controls the rotational direction of the motor according to the respective control method for the icy ice mode and the crushed ice mode as the ejection mode of ice so that the ice according to each mode is taken out according to the user's selection.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, when an ice mode is selected by the user (S10), the controller determines whether the selected mode is a icy or sculpted ice mode (S20, S30).

If the controller determines that the ice is in the ice mode, it is determined whether a user takes out ice (S21). The ice extraction request of the user is made by operating the ice ejection lever of the dispenser or pressing a button.

If there is a user's ice extraction request, the control unit rotates the motor in the forward direction (S22). Here, the forward direction may be clockwise or counterclockwise, and to indicate that the motor rotates in opposite directions in the angular and crushed ice modes. If there is no ice extraction request, of course, the motor is stopped (S23).

When the motor rotates in the forward direction, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the first shaft 331 is stopped and the second shaft 332 is rotated to discharge ice cubes by the guide blades 353.

As shown in FIG. 10, the controller determines whether the mode has been changed by the user (S24). If there is a mode change, it is fed back to the ice mode determination step of S20 and S30.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 11, if it is determined in step S20 that the ice is not in the ice mode, the controller determines whether the ice mode selected by the user is the flake ice mode (S30).

If it is not in the flake ice mode, the feedback is fed back to the step S10, and if it is determined that the flake ice mode, the control unit determines whether there is an ice extraction request from the user (S31). Here, the ice ejection request means that the lever or button of the dispenser is operated as in the case of step S21.

If there is an ice extraction request from the user, the control unit rotates the motor in the reverse direction (the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the motor in the ice mode) (S32). If there is no ice extraction request, of course, the motor is stopped (S33).

When the motor rotates in the reverse direction, as shown in FIG. 4, the second shaft 332 is stopped and the first shaft 331 is rotated to crush the ice by the grinding blade 352 to discharge the crushed ice.

The controller determines whether the mode has been changed by the user (S34). If there is a mode change, it is fed back to the ice mode determination step of S20 and S30.

On the other hand, it will be described with respect to the ice extraction apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.

As shown in Figure 6 ice extracting apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, the case is housed with the ice 310, the conveying means 333 for transporting the ice contained in the case 310, Open and close the ice processing means 350 for discharging or pulverizing the transported ice as it is, the first shaft 331 for operating the transfer means 333 and the ice processing means 350, and the discharge port 312 And a second shaft 332 for operating the opening and closing member 354, and a driving device (not shown) for driving the first shaft 331 and the second shaft 332.

The case 310 has an opening at an upper end thereof, and an inlet 311 is formed to introduce ice from an ice maker (not shown). An ice processing step 350 is installed at a front side of the case 310. The discharge port 312 is formed at the lower end of the portion 310, the ice processing means 350 is installed so that the ice is discharged.

The conveying means 333 is configured such that a blade having a radius of a predetermined length is formed in a spiral shape on the first shaft 331 and pushes the ice toward the ice processing means 350 while rotating.

In addition, the ice extracting apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 6 includes an opening and closing member 354 for opening and closing the discharge port 312, the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing member 354 The two shafts 332 are driven. That is, the front end of the second shaft 332 serves as the rotation shaft 354a of the opening and closing member 354 or the front end of the second shaft 332 is coupled to the rotation shaft 354a, which is provided separately, to the second shaft 332. As the pivot rotates, the pivot shaft 354a rotates to open and close the opening and closing member 354.

In addition, when the opening and closing member 354 is opened by applying an elastic force to the rotation of the opening and closing member 354 on the rotation shaft 354a, an elastic restoring force acts in a direction to close the opening and closing member 354, or the opening and closing member 354. Is closed, the elastic member 354b is installed so that the elastic restoring force acts in the direction in which the opening / closing member 354 is opened.

On the other hand, if the rotational force of the second shaft 332 is continuously transmitted to the opening and closing member 354 causes the breakage of the opening and closing member 354, the rotational force of the second shaft 332 to the opening and closing member 354 A power transmission control means for attenuating and transmitting is installed on the second shaft 332. In the embodiment shown in Figure 6 is shown with respect to the friction disk 360 as an example of the power transmission control means. A detailed configuration of the friction disk 360 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 9.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 6, the driving apparatus of the ice extraction apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention is connected to the motor 321 and the motor 321 to form a first shaft 331 and a second shaft ( And a rotation control means for driving 332, the rotation control means being connected to the motor shaft 321a of the motor 321 and also connected to the first shaft 331, and the drive gear ( And a one-way clutch 340 engaged with the second shaft 332 to rotate in engagement with the 322.

The one-way clutch 340 is a clutch that rotates the second shaft 332 only in one direction and idling only in the opposite direction.

In addition, it is also possible to configure the second shaft to rotate in both directions using a driven gear instead of the one-way clutch as described above. In other words, when using a one-way clutch or driven gear, the basic principle of extracting ice cubes or carving ice by rotating the motor in the forward direction or the reverse direction is the same.

On the other hand, the ice processing means 350 is a plurality of fixed blades 351 is installed and fixed on the first shaft 331, and the first shaft (331) is rotatably installed on the first shaft ( 331 rotates together with the fixed blade 351 is made of a grinding blade 352 to crush the ice or to let the ice out as it is made. The plurality of stationary blades 351 and the plurality of grinding blades 352 are installed to be narrow enough so that the respective gaps do not pass through ice, as in the case of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 to 5.

Reference numeral 331a denotes a bearing for supporting the first shaft and the second shaft to be rotatable.

Hereinafter, the operation of the ice extraction apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7, 8, and 9.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the motor 321 rotates clockwise (CW), the drive gear 322 and the first shaft 331 also rotate clockwise, and the conveying means 333 rotates the ice. The means 350 are conveyed to the installed side.

The grinding blade 352, which rotates together with the rotation of the first shaft 331, pulverizes the transferred ice and discharges the ice in pieces. At this time, the one-way clutch 340 which rotates in engagement with the driving gear 322 does not rotate the second shaft 332 by idling, and the opening / closing member 354 maintains the closed state. In this case, by providing the elastic member 354b on the rotation shaft 354a, it is preferable to provide a supporting force to maintain the closing member 354 in a closed state.

If the driven gear is used instead of the one-way clutch 340, the second shaft 332 rotates in the counterclockwise direction and rotates the opening / closing member 354 connected to the second shaft 332 so that a part of the discharge port 312 is provided. To prevent the ice from being discharged as it is and to be discharged into flake ice. At this time, the rotational force of the second shaft 332 is continuously generated even after the opening and closing member 354 is closed. The means for damping the rotational force is the friction disk 360. The friction disk will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

FIG. 7 relates to the operation in the flake ice mode, and FIG. 8 relates to the angular ice mode. As shown in FIG. 8, when the motor 321 rotates in the counterclockwise direction (CCW), the driving gear 322 and the first shaft 331 rotate in the counterclockwise direction, and the one-way clutch 340 is clockwise. Rotate The one-way clutch 340 rotates the second shaft 332 and the rotation shaft 354b clockwise to open the opening / closing member 354 by rotating it.

At this time, when the rotational force of the second shaft 332 is transmitted to the rotation shaft 354b as it is, the one-way clutch 340 or the motor 321 may be damaged by the opening / closing member 354 rotating only by a predetermined angle. A friction disk 360 is provided to allow the rotational force of 332 to be attenuated and transmitted to the rotation shaft 354b.

As shown in FIG. 9, the friction disk 360 includes a drive shaft 332a connected to the second shaft 332 with the one-way clutch 340 and a driven shaft 332b connected to the opening / closing member 354. A driving disc 361 is provided to be divided and connected to the driving shaft 332a and the driving disk 361 and the driven disk 362 is connected to the driven shaft 332b.

Concave-convex shapes are formed on each of the contact surfaces of the drive disk 361 and the driven disk 362, and the locking surface 361a and the friction surface 361b are formed on the contact surface of the drive disk 361 with the driven disk 362. Is formed, and the driven disk 362 is provided with an engaging surface 362a engaging with the engaging surface 361a and an opposing friction surface 362b contacting the friction surface 361b.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 9A, when the driving shaft 332a and the driving disk 361 rotate clockwise, the engaging surface 361a of the driving disk 361 and the engaging surface 362a of the driven disk 362 are rotated. ) Is engaged with each other to transfer power and when the power exceeds the elastic force of the elastic member 354b, the opening and closing member 354 is opened while the rotation shaft 354a rotates. At this time, the elastic member 354b generates a force to restore the opening and closing member 354 to its original state by the elastic restoring force.

At this time, when the opening and closing member 354 is rotated and the rotation is restricted, as shown in FIG. 9B, the engaging surface 361a of the driving disk 361 is engaged with the engaging surface 362a of the driven disk 362. Sliding with respect to the friction surface (361b) of the drive disk 361 and the opposing friction surface (362b) of the driven disk (362) in contact with each other to cause friction, thereby converting the rotational force of the motor to friction force. This frictional force is approximately balanced with the elastic restoring force of the elastic member 354b so that the opening and closing member 354 is kept in an open state. That is, while the drive shaft 332a of the second shaft 332 continues to rotate, but the driven shaft 332b of the second shaft 332 substantially stops rotating, while the motor 321 rotates counterclockwise. The opening and closing member 354 maintains an open state. The same applies if the driven gear is used instead of the one-way clutch.

The power transmission control of the friction disk 360 can be appropriately adjusted by adjusting the contact area between the engaging surface 361a and the engaging surface 362a and the friction surface 361b and the opposing friction surface 362b.

Therefore, as described above, the opening and closing member 354 is opened and the first shaft 331 rotates in the counterclockwise direction, so that the crushing blade 352 pushes ice toward the blade not formed to discharge ice cubes.

On the other hand, with reference to Figure 11 will be described with respect to the control method of the ice extraction apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention shown in Figs.

Although not shown in the drawings illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the motor 321 is driven in connection with a controller (not shown) for controlling the same. That is, the controller controls the rotational direction of the motor according to the respective control method for the icy ice mode and the crushed ice mode as the ejection mode of ice so that the ice according to each mode is taken out according to the user's selection.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, when an ice mode is selected by the user (S10), the controller determines whether the selected mode is a icy or sculpted ice mode (S20, S30).

If the controller determines that the ice is in the ice mode, it is determined whether a user takes out ice (S21). The ice extraction request of the user is made by operating the ice ejection lever of the dispenser or pressing a button.

If there is a user's ice extraction request, the control unit rotates the motor in the forward direction (S22). Here, the forward direction may be clockwise or counterclockwise, and to indicate that the motor rotates in opposite directions in the angular and crushed ice modes. If there is no ice extraction request, of course, the motor is stopped (S23).

When the motor rotates in the forward direction, as shown in FIG. 8, the first shaft 331 is rotated to transfer ice, and the portion of the grinding blade 352 in which the blade is not formed is pushed to discharge ice cubes as it is. In this case, the second shaft 332 receives the rotational force of the motor and is attenuated by the friction disk 360 to be transmitted to the opening / closing member 354 to maintain the open state of the opening / closing member 354 to discharge ice cubes. .

As shown in FIG. 11, the controller determines whether there is a mode change by the user while taking out ice according to the user's take out request (S24). If there is a mode change, it is fed back to the ice mode determination step of S20 and S30.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 11, if it is determined in step S20 that the ice is not in the ice mode, the controller determines whether the ice mode selected by the user is the flake ice mode (S30).

If it is not in the flake ice mode, the feedback is fed back to the step S10, and if it is determined that the flake ice mode, the control unit determines whether there is an ice extraction request from the user (S31). Here, the ice ejection request means to operate a lever or a button of the dispenser.

If there is an ice extraction request from the user, the control unit rotates the motor in the reverse direction (the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the motor in the ice mode) (S32). If there is no ice extraction request, of course, the motor is stopped (S33).

When the motor rotates in the reverse direction, as shown in FIG. 7, the first shaft 331 is rotated to rotate ice so that the blade-shaped portion of the grinding blade 352 is opposed to the blade-shaped portion of the fixed blade 351. The crushed and crushed ice is discharged in the form of crushed ice.

At this time, the second shaft 332 is not rotated by the idling of the one-way clutch 340, and the opening and closing member 354 is closed by the elastic member 354b. Alternatively, if the driven gear is used instead of the one-way clutch, the second shaft 332 rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the motor, so that the rotational force attenuated by the friction disk 360 is transmitted to the opening and closing member 354 to open and close the member 354. ) To stay closed.

The controller determines whether the mode has been changed by the user (S34). If there is a mode change, it is fed back to the ice mode determination step of S20 and S30.

The ice extracting apparatus according to the present invention described above is applied to all devices that presuppose ice extraction, such as refrigerators, vending machines, water purifiers, and the like. The present invention particularly shows an example in which the ice extraction device according to the present invention is applied to a refrigerator as such an example.

As shown in FIG. 10, the refrigerator according to the present invention includes a main body 100, a freezing compartment 101 provided in the main body 100, and a door 110 that opens and closes the freezing compartment 101. .

The inside of the freezing chamber 101 or the inner surface side of the door 110 is provided with a device for manufacturing ice to be discharged as ice cubes or flake ice, as shown in Figure 10 and the ice maker 200 for producing ice, and It is installed on the lower side of the ice maker 200, the ice extraction apparatus 300 for receiving and transporting the ice from the ice maker 200 and processing the ice if necessary, and the lower side of the ice extraction apparatus 300 is provided to the user's request If there is a dispenser 201 for supplying the ice taken out from the ice extraction device 300 is provided. The ice extraction apparatus 300 includes the ice extraction apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 8.

The ice extracting device and the method of controlling the refrigerator and the ice extracting device according to the present invention having the above-mentioned characteristics reduce noise in operation by configuring an ice extracting device by a new driving method that does not employ a solenoid. Eliminating expensive solenoids reduces manufacturing costs and reduces power consumption, improving the reliability of the product.

Claims (15)

A case having a space for storing ice and having an ice discharge port formed at one side thereof; A motor provided inside or outside the case; A first shaft and a second shaft rotating by driving of the motor; Rotation control means for connecting the motor to the first and second shafts and selectively rotating the first and second shafts according to the rotational direction of the motor; And And an ice processing means provided in the discharge port and configured to selectively take out ice and flake ice by selective rotation of the first and second shafts according to the rotation of the motor. According to claim 1, The rotation control means, A first clutch connected to the motor and rotating to rotate the first shaft only in one direction; And a second clutch engaged with the second clutch and rotating the second shaft only in one direction. According to claim 1, The rotation control means, A drive gear connected to the motor and driven; A first clutch that rotates in engagement with the drive gear and rotates the first shaft only in the reverse direction when the motor rotates forward, and does not rotate the second shaft; And a second clutch that rotates in engagement with the drive gear and rotates the second shaft only in the forward direction when the motor rotates in the reverse direction, and does not rotate the first shaft. According to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the ice processing means, At least one fixed blade installed between the first shaft and the second shaft and having ice thereon; At least one grinding blade installed on the first shaft and grinding the ice on the fixed blade by the rotation of the first shaft; And a guide blade installed on the second shaft and discharging the ice on the fixed blade to the outside by the rotation of the second shaft. The method of claim 4, wherein The fixed blade is taken out ice, characterized in that it comprises a bent portion is formed to be bent downward so that the space in which the ice is placed. A case having a space for storing ice and having an ice discharge port formed at one side thereof; A motor provided inside or outside the case; A first shaft and a second shaft rotating together by the rotation of the motor; Rotation control means for connecting the motor with the first and second shafts and for transmitting the rotational force of the motor to the first and second shafts, respectively; An ice processing apparatus installed on the first shaft and discharging ice cubes or flake ice according to the rotation of the first shaft; An opening and closing member connected to the second shaft to open and close the discharge port and discharge ice cubes or flake ice; And And a power transmission control means installed on the second shaft to attenuate the rotational force of the second shaft to be transmitted to the opening and closing member. According to claim 6, The rotation control means, A driving gear connected to the motor and connected to the first shaft; And a one-way clutch engaged with the drive gear and connected to the second shaft to rotate the second shaft only in one direction. According to claim 6, The rotation control means, A driving gear connected to the motor and connected to the first shaft; And a driven gear rotating in engagement with the drive gear and connected to the second shaft. The method of claim 6, wherein A fixed blade provided at the discharge port and installed to be fixed to the first shaft; And a crushing blade installed on the first shaft to rotate together with the first shaft by driving the motor and to crush the ice in interaction with the fixed blade. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 9, And an elastic member for applying an elastic force to the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing member to return to the original state by the elastic restoring force after the operation of the opening and closing member is stopped. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 9, The second shaft includes a drive shaft driven by the motor and a driven shaft driven by receiving power from the drive shaft, And the power transmission control means includes a friction disk installed between the drive shaft and the driven shaft to attenuate the rotational force of the drive shaft and transmit the friction disk to the driven shaft. The method of claim 11, wherein the friction disk, A driving disk connected to the drive shaft to form a engaging surface and a friction surface; and a driven disk meshed with the driving disk and connected to the driven shaft to form an engaging surface and an opposing friction surface. Ice extraction device, characterized in that by the rotation of the motor by the engaging surface is engaged with the engaging surface and the friction caused by the contact friction surface is in contact with the friction surface is repeatedly performed. A body having a freezing compartment therein; A door to open and close the freezer compartment; An ice maker installed in one of the freezing compartment and the door to manufacture ice; A case having a space for storing ice and having an ice discharge port formed at one side thereof, a motor provided inside or outside the case, first and second shafts rotated by driving of the motor, and the motor Rotation control means for connecting the first and second shafts to selectively rotate the first and second shafts according to the rotational direction of the motor, and the first and second shafts provided in the discharge port. An ice extraction device comprising an ice processing means for selectively extracting angular ice and flake ice by selective rotation of the shaft and the second shaft; And And a dispenser for discharging the ice taken out from the ice takeout device to the outside of the door. A body having a freezing compartment therein; A door to open and close the freezer compartment; An ice maker installed in one of the freezing compartment and the door to manufacture ice; A case having a space for storing ice and having an ice discharge port formed at one side thereof, a motor provided inside or outside the case, first and second shafts rotating together by the rotation of the motor, and the motor And rotation adjusting means for connecting the first shaft and the second shaft and transmitting the rotational force of the motor to the first shaft and the second shaft, respectively, and being installed on the first shaft, according to the rotation of the first shaft. Or an ice processing apparatus for discharging flake ice, an opening / closing member connected to the second shaft and driven by the motor to open and close the discharge port and discharge ice cubes or flake ice, Ice extraction device comprising a power transmission control means for attenuating the rotational force of the second shaft to be transmitted to the opening and closing member; And And a dispenser for discharging the ice taken out from the ice takeout device to the outside of the door. Ice mode selection step; Determining whether there is an ice extraction request; And controlling the direction of rotation of the motor in accordance with the selected ice mode when there is an ice extraction request.

Images