KR20080062189A - Device for ice making & controlling method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An ice maker and a control method thereof are provided to sense the full level of ice in an ice bank reliably by determining the same according to the change of current flowing through a sensing rod when the rod contacts ice. An ice maker includes an ice bank for storing ice(5), a driving part(116) mounted at a side of an ice tray for providing torque thereto, and a sensing rod(132) having an end coupled with the driving part to rotate and is flexible to be bent by the contact with the ice during the rotation, wherein the voltage of the sensing rod changes when the sensing rod is curved. The sensing rod has at least two electrodes(136a,136b) to be applied with a current, wherein the full level of the ice in the ice bank is recognized by the change of the voltage in the sensing rod.

Description

Ice making device and control method {Device for ice making & Controlling method for the same}

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

2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1;

3 is a cross-sectional view showing the inside of the controller when the ice detection lever of the conventional ice making device is located at the lowest point;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the inside of the ice-sensing lever and the control unit when the ice bank of the conventional ice making apparatus is in full ice.

5 is a cross-sectional view showing an ice making device and an ice bank according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the ice sensor of FIG. 5; FIG.

7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where the ice-covering device of FIG. 6 is bent against ice;

8 is a perspective view of the ice making apparatus of FIG. 5;

9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the ice-covering device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the ice-covering device of FIG. 9 is bent against ice; And,

11 is a flowchart showing a preferred embodiment of the control method of the ice making apparatus of the present invention.

* Explanation of Signs of Major Parts of Drawings

5: ice 110: ice maker

112: ice tray 114: ejector

116: drive unit 120: ice bank

130: ice detection device 132: detection rod

232: sensing rod 232a: absence

232b: member 234: insulating member

The present invention relates to an ice making device, and more particularly, to an ice making device for more reliable operation of the ice detection device for measuring the amount of ice in the ice bank.

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.

An example of a conventional refrigerator ice maker will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 as follows.

The ice maker 10 is roughly divided into an ice tray 11 in which ice is generated by receiving water, and an ice bank 20 in which ice generated by the ice maker is taken out and stored.

The ice maker 10 includes an ice making tray 11 in which ice is generated and a water supply part 12 formed at one side of the ice making tray 11 to supply water to the ice making chamber.

The ice tray 11 is formed in a substantially semi-cylindrical shape, and ribs (not shown) are formed at predetermined intervals so as to generate ice of a predetermined size in the ice tray 11.

In addition, an ejector 14 is provided at one side of the ice making tray 11 to eject the ice generated by the ice making tray 11 to the outside, and the ejector pin 14a protrudes vertically from the ejector. Is formed. Therefore, the ice is pushed up by the ejector pin 14a to rotate, and the ice is taken out from the ice making tray 11 to the ice bank 20.

In addition, the slide 16 is inclined downward to the vicinity of the rotation axis of the ejector 14 at an upper end of the front side in which the ice is taken out from the ice making tray 11.

In addition, the ice maker 10 is provided with an ice sensor detecting an amount of ice filled in the ice bank 20.

3 to 4 are diagrams illustrating an operation process of the ice detection device and an operation of a controller of the ice detection device at that time.

The ice sensor detects whether the ice bank 20 is full by sensing the rotation of the ice detection lever 15 and the ice detection lever 15 that are introduced into the ice bank 20 by rotation. The control unit 30 is made.

The controller 30 is generally provided inside the control box 13 provided at one side of the ice making tray.

The ice detection lever 15 is configured such that the rigid member is rotated by a rotational force by a component such as a drive unit 38 installed inside the ice maker.

In addition, the control unit 30 is composed of an arm lever 32 that rotates a predetermined section in accordance with the rotation of the ice detection lever 15.

And, the end of the arm lever 32 is provided with a magnet 34 is moved in accordance with the rotation of the arm lever 32, the Hall sensor 36 that can detect the magnetic force of the magnet 34 is It is provided to be fixed to the control unit 30. At this time, the hall sensor 36 is provided so as to correspond to the position of the magnet 34 when the ice detection lever 15 is rotated to the lowest point.

The ice detection lever 15 is normally located in a state where it is rotated to the lowest point as shown in FIG. 3, and then rises to avoid interference with the iced ice when the ejector 14 rotates to start ice ice. . Then, when the ice is finished ice is rotated in the downward direction again.

At this time, if the ice bank 20 is filled with the ice (5), as shown in Figure 4, the ice detection lever 15 is in contact with the ice (5) before falling to the lowest point no longer descends I can't.

Accordingly, the arm lever 32 also cannot return to the initial position, and the hall sensor 36 does not detect the magnetic force of the magnet 34, so that the controller 30 recognizes this state as the full state. .

However, the conventional ice making apparatus as described above has the following problems.

First, when the ice detection lever is pinched with ice, the motion of the ice detection lever is limited even when the ice bank is not full ice, and thus the ice detection lever may be regarded as a full ice state.

Second, in order to drive the ice detection device, various components such as a driving unit providing a rotational force, an ice lever and an arm lever that rotates according to the rotation of the ice detection lever, and a gear connecting the ice detection lever and the arm lever. Since there is a need for complicated mechanisms, manufacturing and repair are difficult, and manufacturing costs are increased.

Third, since the ice detection device has a direction of detecting ice ice only when it rotates in one direction, there is a problem in that the ice may sometimes be malfunctioned without recognizing the ice.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an ice making apparatus that can perform a more reliable detection of the ice.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an ice maker for freezing ice; An ice bank for storing ice iced in the ice maker; A driving unit provided at one side of the ice maker and providing a rotational force; A sensing rod having one end coupled to the driving unit and having at least two electrodes, the sensing rod having a flexibility of bending when contacted with ice during rotation, and causing a change in voltage when the current flows when bending; And a controller for applying a current to the electrodes of the sensing rod and recognizing the ice as a change in the voltage flowing in the sensing rod.

In addition, the driving unit may be capable of forward and reverse rotation.

In addition, a change in cross section occurs when the sensing rod is bent, which may cause a change in voltage.

Alternatively, the two electrodes of the sensing rod are normally short-circuited, but when bent, they may be in contact with each other to conduct electricity, thereby causing a change in voltage.

In addition, the drive unit preferably rotates within a predetermined angle.

The drive unit may include a motor.

In addition, the ice maker and the ice bank is preferably provided in the refrigerator.

On the other hand, the present invention is an ice making step of freezing ice; An ice making step of determining whether the ice bank is full of ice as a change in the voltage flowing through the sensing rod; If the ice bank is not ice, the ice step of ice the ice of the ice maker to the ice bank; If the ice bank is full of ice, a waiting step for the user to take out the ice: provides a control method of the ice making device comprising a.

Then, after the user takes out the ice in the waiting step, it is preferable to return to the ice plate step.

In addition, it is preferable to return to the ice making step after the ice removing step.

Accordingly, according to the present invention, an ice making apparatus having a more reliable and simpler structure of the ice detection device is provided.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of an ice making apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Prior to describing the present invention, the present embodiment is described by taking an ice making device applied to a refrigerator as an example, but is not necessarily limited thereto, and may be applied to an ice making device instead of a refrigerator. It can be applied.

5 is a view showing a preferred embodiment of the ice making apparatus according to the present invention.

The ice making apparatus 110 according to the present invention includes an ice making tray 112 that forms a space containing water to freeze ice, and an ejector means such as an ejector 114 that can take out ice from the ice making tray 112. And an ice bank 120 for storing the ice taken out by the take-out means, and an ice-covering device 130 for detecting whether the ice bank 120 is full of ice.

In addition, the ice sensor 130 is a driving unit 116 for providing a rotational force, the sensing rod 132 rotated by the driving unit 116, and the sensing rod 132 when the sensing rod 132 is rotated The control unit (not shown) determines whether or not the ice is flowing as a change in the voltage flowing through the.

The driving unit 116 may include a motor (not shown) as a means for providing a rotational force. In addition, the driving unit 116 is preferably provided to enable the forward rotation and the reverse rotation, which is made of a motor capable of bidirectional rotation may be implemented a function of bidirectional rotation, the motor and the one-way rotation only The bidirectional rotation may be implemented by a turning mechanism (not shown) capable of converting the rotational force transmitted to the sensing rod in both directions.

In addition, the driving unit 116 is preferably provided to rotate the sensing rod 132 within a predetermined angle range. In addition, a motor (not shown) capable of rotating within a predetermined angle range may be applied, and the motor itself continues to rotate in one direction, but the sensing rod 132 may rotate the motor so that it can only rotate within a predetermined angle range. An angle limiting mechanism (not shown) for converting may be provided.

Here, the predetermined angle is preferably 180 ° from the point that the sensing rod 132 toward the upper portion to the point facing directly below, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

6 to 7 are views showing a sensing rod according to a preferred embodiment of the ice making apparatus of the present invention.

In addition, the sensing rod 132 is rotated by one end is coupled to the drive unit 116, the other end has a length enough to go down to the height of the ice inside the ice bank 120, the ice bank 120 It is preferably made of a length enough to contact the ice when the ice is in the ice.

Here, the ice level of the ice bank 120 refers to the height of ice accumulation when the ice bank is filled with ice.

In addition, the sensing rod 132 is made of a conductive material through which a current can flow, and has at least two electrodes 136a and 136b so that a current flows, and the sensor rod 132 bends within an elastic limit of the material when contacted with ice. It is preferred to have a flexibility of.

In addition, when the sensing rod 132 is bent, it is preferable that a voltage change of a current flowing in the sensing rod 132 may occur.

In addition, the controller is preferably installed inside the ice making device, and applies a current to the sensing rod 132, and detects a change in current flowing through the sensing rod 132 to recognize whether or not it is full.

Here, the two electrodes of the sensing rod 132 is always connected so that the current is always flowing. If the ice bank 120 is not in a full state, the sensing rod 132 does not touch ice even if the sensing rod 132 is rotated. Since the rod 132 is not deformed, no change occurs in the current flowing through the sensing rod 132, so that the controller determines that the ice bank 120 is not full of ice.

If the ice bank 120 is in a full ice state, the sensing rod 132 rotates and comes into contact with ice, thereby bending the sensing rod 132 and elastically deforming as shown in FIG. 7. . At this time, the shape or area of the cross section of the sensing rod 132 is also changed, and these changes cause a change in the noise and the like voltage of the current flowing through the sensing rod 132.

On the other hand, the control unit is always applying a current to the sensing rod 132, the sensing rod 132 detects a change in voltage, such as noise generated by bending, and recognizes this as the ice detection signal to determine the ice detection. do.

In addition, when the amount of ice in the ice bank 120 is reduced to be lower than the full height of the ice, the sensing rod 132 is returned to its initial state and the sensing rod 132 is returned to its initial state. The current flowing through) also returns to the initial state, and the control unit judges this state as the ice free state.

In addition, the sensing rod 132 as described above may be made to be provided over the width of the ice bank 120, as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, the sensing rod of the ice making apparatus of the present invention may be made as described above, it may be made of another configuration as follows.

Hereinafter, another embodiment of the ice making apparatus of the present invention will be described.

Prior to the description, other components of the present invention that are not described are the same as the above-described embodiment, and description thereof will be omitted. In addition, in the following description, only the sensing rod and the control part which are different from the above-mentioned embodiment are demonstrated.

9 to 10 are views showing a sensing rod according to another embodiment of the ice making apparatus of the present invention.

The sensing rod is rotated by one end coupled to the driving unit 216 as in the above-described embodiment, and the other end has a length that is lowered to the height of the ice inside the ice bank 120 during the rotation, the ice bank 120 It is preferably made of a length enough to contact the ice when the ice is in the ice.

In addition, the sensing rod 232 is made of a conductive material through which a current can flow, and has at least two electrodes 236a and 236b electrically connected to the controller (not shown) to allow current to flow and to come into contact with ice. When the material is preferably made to have a degree of flexibility in the elastic limit of the material.

In addition, the sensing rod 232 is composed of at least two rod-shaped members 232a and 232b, and each of the members 232a and 232b is connected to a controller to receive a current.

In addition, an end of the sensing rod 232 is formed such that the two members 232a and 232b are electrically shorted by the insulating members 232a and 232b. Of course, the insulating members 232a and 232b are not necessarily provided if the sensing rods 232 can be kept spaced apart from each other when they are not in contact with ice.

At this time, the sensing rods 232 are electrically shorted when they are not bent, but the ice bank 120 is in a full state, and when the sensing rods 232 are bent, they are in contact with each other and electrically energized. It is desirable to be spaced apart to achieve.

Therefore, when the ice bank 120 is not in a full ice state, since the sensing rod 232 does not touch the ice even if it rotates, the two members 232a and 232b are kept short-circuited with each other. No current flows through 232, and the controller recognizes the state as not full ice.

On the other hand, when the ice bank 120 is in a full ice state, while the sensing rod 232 rotates and touches the ice 5 in the ice bank 120, the two members 232a and 232b come into contact with each other so that current flows. Thus, a change in voltage occurs, and the controller detects such a change in voltage and recognizes it as a full state.

In addition, when the ice level of the ice bank 120 is reduced and the ice state is released, the sensing rod 232 is elastically deformed again to restore its original state, so that the two members 232a and 232b are separated from each other so that electricity does not pass. The control unit recognizes the state as not a full ice.

In the following, a preferred embodiment of the control method of the ice making apparatus according to the present invention will be described.

11 is a view showing a preferred embodiment of the control method of the ice making apparatus of the present invention.

First, an ice making step S1 is performed. The ice making step S1 is a step of freezing ice in the ice making device 110. In general, the ice maker 110 contains water for freezing the ice, and generally generates ice by cooling the periphery of the ice maker 110 below zero. However, in the present invention, the ice making step S1 is not limited to the above-described method, and ice may be frozen by other methods.

When ice making is completed in the ice making step S1, the ice making step S2 is performed. The ice making step (S2) is a step of determining whether the ice in the ice bank 120 is full, in the present invention to determine whether the ice bank 120 is full of ice as a change in the voltage flowing through the sensing rod 132. do.

That is, when the sensing rod 132 rotates, if the voltage change of the current flowing in the sensing rod 132 occurs, the sensing rod 132 is bent in contact with the ice, and the ice bank 120 is full of ice. If it is in the state and no change in voltage occurs, it is determined that the ice bank 120 is not in a full state.

If it is determined in the ice making step S2 that the ice bank 120 is not full ice, an ice step S3 for transferring the ice of the ice making device 110 to the ice bank 120 is performed.

The ice-making step S3 may be performed using the ejector 114 provided in the ice making device 110, but the ejector 114 may not be provided according to the structure of the ice making device 110. It is also possible to move the ice through the method, the present invention is not limited by the structure and provision of the ejector 114.

In addition, after the ice-making step S3 is completed, it is preferable to return to the ice-making step S1 to freeze ice in the ice making device 110.

On the other hand, if the ice bank 120 is determined to be full ice in the ice making step (S2), a waiting step (S4) is performed waiting for the user to take out the ice.

Even if the ice bank 120 is in an iced state, when the user takes out the ice, a change in the amount of ice in the ice bank 120 occurs, and the control unit detects that the user takes out the ice and then ices the ice. The bank 120 returns to the ice making step S2 of determining whether the bank 120 is full.

That is, when it is determined in the ice making step S2 that the ice bank 120 is not full ice, the ice breaking step S3 is performed, and when the ice bank 120 is determined to be full ice until the user takes out ice again. The waiting step S4 is performed.

Therefore, according to the ice making device and the control method of the present invention, since the sensing rod for sensing whether the ice bank is full of ice is provided with flexibility, it is curved in contact with the ice in any direction, so that the ice is perceived and the direction of the ice is detected. Without this, more reliable ice detection is possible.

In addition, since the sensing rod that senses the ice has the flexibility to bend, it is easy to escape from the jammed situation even if it is caught in the ice.

In addition, since the ice bank's ice detection is not recognized as the position of the sensing rod, it is measured by the change in the voltage flowing in the sensing rod. As a result, the number of parts is reduced, making it easier to manufacture, manufacturing costs are also lower, and maintenance and repair are also simplified.

As described above, according to the ice making apparatus and control method thereof of the present invention, the following effects are obtained.

First, since the sensing rod that detects whether the ice bank is full of ice is provided with flexibility, when it comes in contact with the ice in any direction, the sensing rod is bent, so that the ice is recognized. do.

Second, since the sensing rod for sensing the ice has the flexibility to bend, it is easy to get out of the stuck situation even if it is caught in the ice.

Third, the ice bank's ice detection is not recognized as the position of the sensing rod but is measured by the change in the voltage flowing in the sensing rod. As a result, the number of parts is reduced, making it easier to manufacture, manufacturing costs are also lower, and maintenance and repair are also simplified.

Claims (10)

Ice makers to freeze ice; An ice bank for storing ice iced in the ice maker; A driving unit provided at one side of the ice maker and providing a rotational force; A sensing rod having one end coupled to the driving unit and having at least two electrodes, the sensing rod having a flexibility of bending when contacted with ice during rotation, and causing a change in voltage when the current flows when bending; And a control unit configured to apply a current to the electrodes of the sensing rod and to recognize the full ice as a change in the voltage flowing in the sensing rod. The method of claim 1, The drive unit ice making apparatus characterized in that the forward rotation and reverse rotation is possible. The method of claim 1, When the sensing rod is bent, a change in cross section occurs, thereby causing a change in voltage. The method of claim 1, The two electrodes of the sensing rod are short-circuited during normal operation, and when bent, the electrodes are in contact with each other to conduct electricity, thereby causing a change in voltage. The method according to claim 1 or 2, And the driving unit rotates within a predetermined angle. The method of claim 5, Ice making apparatus, characterized in that the drive unit comprises a motor. According to any one of claims 1 to 4, The ice maker and the ice bank is an ice maker, characterized in that provided in the refrigerator. Ice making step of freezing ice; An ice making step of determining whether the ice bank is full of ice as a change in the voltage flowing through the sensing rod; If the ice bank is not ice, the ice step of ice the ice of the ice maker to the ice bank; If the ice bank is full ice, waiting for the user to take out the ice waiting step: control method of the ice making device comprising a. The method of claim 8, After the user takes out the ice in the waiting step ice making apparatus characterized in that the return to the ice plate step. The method of claim 8, The ice making apparatus after the step of returning to the ice making step.

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