KR20090092385A - Controlling method of an ice making assembly for refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

A controlling method of an ice-making assembly for a refrigerator is provided to manufacture the clear ice within an icing chamber keeping the temperature below zero. A controlling method of an ice-making assembly for a refrigerator is as follows. The water is provided to an ice recess formed in a tray(21). A rod descends to the ice recess. The cool air is supplied to an ice making chamber inside in order to cool the rod. A tray heater is driven to keep the tray over the freezing temperature in the icing process to make the clear ice. The tray temperature gradually descends.

Description

Controlling method of an ice making assembly for refrigerator

The present invention relates to a control method of an ice making assembly for a refrigerator for manufacturing transparent ice.

A refrigerator is a home appliance for storing food in a chilled or frozen state.

Recently, various types and types of refrigerators have been introduced, for example, a side by side type in which the refrigerating compartment and the freezer compartment are respectively disposed on the left and right sides, and a bottom freezer type and the refrigerating compartment in which the refrigerating compartment is provided above the freezer compartment, And top mount methods provided.

In addition, recently, many refrigerators to which a home bar structure is applied to draw out food or drink without opening a refrigerator compartment door have been released. The refrigerator is provided with a compressor, a condenser, and an expansion member, which constitute a refrigeration cycle, and an evaporator is provided at the rear of the refrigerator body.

In addition, an ice making assembly is provided inside the refrigerator, and the ice making assembly may be mounted in a freezing compartment or a refrigerating compartment, or may be mounted in a freezing compartment door or a refrigerating compartment door.

In recent years, research on ice making assemblies that generate transparent ice as the consumer's demand for transparent ice generation increases has been actively conducted.

In detail, existing commercial ice makers can produce transparent ice because they can be exposed to image temperatures. That is, since the ice making tray is exposed to the ambient air, the ice generation time is lengthened, so that the air dissolved in the water can escape before the water freezes.

However, in the case of an ice making assembly mounted inside the refrigerator, particularly an ice making assembly mounted inside the freezer compartment or an ice making assembly mounted inside the refrigerating compartment but directly receiving the cold air supplied from the evaporator, the ice making chamber temperature is maintained at sub-zero temperature. Thus, the ice trays are maintained at about the same temperature as the ice compartment temperature, so that the ice making speed is much faster than commercial ice machines.

As a result, since the ice is frozen before the air dissolved in the water is taken out, there was a problem that the production of transparent ice is very difficult.

An object of the present invention is to provide a control method of an ice making assembly for a refrigerator, which is capable of producing transparent ice even in an ice making assembly mounted inside a refrigerator by improving the conventional problems as described above.

In detail, an object of the present invention is to provide a control method of an ice making assembly for a refrigerator that can make transparent ice by controlling the temperature of the tray in multiple stages.

A control method of an ice making assembly for a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, the process of supplying water to the ice groove formed in the tray; A rod descending into the ice groove; Cooling air into the ice making chamber and cooling the rod; And driving the tray heater to maintain the tray above the freezing temperature in the ice making process, wherein the tray temperature is gradually lowered.

By the tray temperature control method of the ice-making assembly for a refrigerator having the above configuration, there is an effect that the production of transparent ice can be made even inside the ice-making chamber maintained at sub-zero temperatures.

That is, by maintaining the tray at the temperature of the image during the ice making process, the ice making speed is slowed down, and ice is formed while spreading in the direction of the inner circumferential surface of the ice groove in the rod. Then, in the process of spreading ice making, air dissolved in water is quickly discharged before being trapped in ice, so that transparent ice is formed.

In addition, according to the number of steps of lowering the temperature of the tray during the ice making process, the size of the ice and the amount of water remaining after the completion of the ice making are controlled, and it is possible to generate ice with high transparency.

1 and 2 are a perspective view showing the structure of the ice making assembly for a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is an external perspective view of an ice making assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the ice making assembly immediately before being iced into the ice bank.

5 is an external perspective view of a tray constituting the ice making assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a cross-sectional view showing a process of forming transparent ice in the ice making assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a flowchart showing a tray temperature control method of an ice making assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a graph showing a tray temperature distribution according to the control method shown in FIG. 7.

Hereinafter, a control method of an ice making assembly for a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, the ice making assembly will be described as an example in which the freezing compartment door is mounted. However, it is noted that the ice making assembly can also be mounted in a freezer compartment or a refrigerator compartment and a refrigerator compartment door.

1 and 2 is an external perspective view showing a structure of an ice making assembly for a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, an ice making assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a rear surface of the door 10, and an ice making chamber 11 in which an ice making assembly 20 is accommodated on a rear surface of the door 10. This depression is formed. In addition, a cold air supply hole 111 into which cold air supplied from an evaporator (not shown) flows into one side surface of the ice making chamber 11, and cold air to return the cold air introduced into the ice making chamber 11 back to the evaporator. The discharge hole 112 is formed.

In detail, an ice making assembly 20 is mounted above the ice making chamber 11, and an ice bank 30 is mounted below the ice making assembly 20 to store ice generated by the ice making assembly 20. . In addition, the ice making assembly 20 is protected by the ice making cover 31. In addition, the ice separated from the ice making assembly 20 by the ice making cover 31 falls safely to the ice bank 30 without being scattered out of the ice making chamber 11.

3 is an external perspective view of an ice making assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an external perspective view showing a state of an ice making assembly immediately before being iced into an ice bank.

3 and 4, in the ice making assembly 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention, a tray 21 in which a plurality of ice grooves 211 are arranged to generate a specific type of ice, and the tray ( 21, a plurality of pins 24 that are movable and rotatably stacked on the upper side 21, a plurality of rods 23 penetrating the pins 24 and inserted into the ice groove 211, and the plurality of pins ( An ice sheet heater 25 provided on the lowermost side of the 24, a support plate 27 for supporting the ice sheet heater 25, the fins 24, and the rods 23 to be formed as a single body, and the tray 21. The water supply unit 26 is provided at one edge of the, and the control box 28 is provided at the other edge of the tray 21.

In detail, a heater (not shown) is mounted on the bottom of the tray 21 so that the tray 21 is maintained at a temperature higher than the freezing temperature. In addition, a support lever 271 extends at a front end of the support plate 27, and a hinge 272 is formed at one edge thereof. When ice making is completed, ice 24 having the same shape as the ice groove 211 is attached to the outer circumferential surface of the rod 23 as shown in FIG. 4.

In addition, the control box 28 is provided with a cam 29 and a drive motor for driving the cam 29. In addition, the hinge 272 is connected to the cam 29, and is raised and rotated in accordance with the rotation operation of the cam 29. Here, the moving heater 25 may be in contact with the rod 23 in the form of a plate, or alternatively, the heater may be embedded in the rod 23. The upper surface of the tray 21 opened by the support plate 27 is shielded. The cold air supplied to the ice making chamber 11 indirectly cools the water supplied to the tray 21 through the rod 23.

Hereinafter, the ice making and the ice making process performed in the ice making assembly 20 will be described.

First, in order for the ice generated by the ice making assembly 20 to form transparent ice, a heater attached to the tray 21 is driven to maintain the tray 21 at the temperature of the image.

In detail, since the conventional ice making apparatus has a structure in which water freezes rapidly by cold air supplied from an evaporator, air dissolved in water cannot be discharged out of the water. That is, since ice is formed with gas dissolved in water, transparent ice cannot be generated.

Therefore, the ice making assembly 20 according to the present invention is characterized in that the tray 21 is maintained above the freezing temperature, so that the air dissolved in the water is discharged to the outside before freezing by slowing down the ice production rate. That is, transparent ice is easily generated by the ice making assembly 20 according to the present invention.

Meanwhile, water is supplied while the rod 23 is inserted into the ice groove 211, and ice is started when water is completed. When ice making starts, cold air is supplied to the ice making chamber 11. The pin 24 is cooled below the freezing temperature by the supplied cold air. The rod 23 is cooled to below freezing temperature through heat conduction with the fins 24. Here, a part of the rod 23 is inserted into the ice groove 211 of the tray 21 is in a state submerged in water. Then, water contacting the outer circumferential surface of the rod 23 is gradually frozen and attached to the outer circumferential surface of the rod 23. Then, freezing is diffused from the outer circumferential surface of the rod 23 to the inner circumferential surface of the ice groove 211.

In addition, when ice making is completed, the cam 29 rotates to allow the rod 23 to be separated from the ice groove 211. That is, the cam 29 rotates to allow the rod 23 to rise, and when the rod 23 rises so that the ice 24 completely leaves the ice groove 211, the cam 29 further increases. Rotation causes the rod 23 to tilt at an angle.

Here, the ice making completion time may be determined according to whether or not the set time has elapsed from the time when ice making is started. That is, it may be determined that ice making is completed when a predetermined time elapses after ice making starts.

Alternatively, when a predetermined time elapses from the start of ice making, the cam 29 is driven to cause the rod 23 to rise by a predetermined height. Here, the predetermined height refers to a height until the ice condensed on the rod 23 is completely separated from the ice groove 211. In addition, when the residual amount remaining in the ice groove 211 in the state in which the rod 23 is raised is less than or less than a predetermined amount, it may be determined that ice making is completed. In addition, the amount of the residual water may be detected by a water level sensor mounted on the tray 21. On the contrary, when the remaining water remaining in the ice groove 211 is more than the set amount, the rod 23 is lowered back to the original position and ice making is continued. The water level sensor will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

On the other hand, when the de-icing is completed through the above-described determination method, the rod 23 is raised. In addition, the hinge 272 rotates while the rod 23 is raised to completely remove the ice attached to the rod 23 from the ice making tray 21. The hinge 272 is rotated by the cam 29. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the rod 23 is rotated at a predetermined angle, and the moving heater 25 is operated in this state.

In detail, when the heating heater 25 operates, the surface of the rod 23 and the ice are separated while the temperature of the rod 23 increases. Then, the separated ice falls to the ice bank 30.

5 is an external perspective view of a tray constituting the ice making assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, a plurality of ice grooves 211 are arranged in the tray 21 constituting the ice making assembly 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention. In addition, a groove 213 having a predetermined depth is formed between the ice groove 211 and the ice groove 211.

In detail, the water is transferred to the adjacent groove 213 through the groove 213. The groove 213 extends from the lower end of the ice groove 211 to a top end of the ice groove 211.

In addition, a guide 212 is formed at one side edge of the tray 211 to guide the supplied water to the ice groove 211. Therefore, the water supplied through the water supply unit 26 is guided to the ice groove 211 by the guide 212. Then, water is sequentially transmitted from the ice groove 211 close to the guide 212, and is filled up to the ice groove 211 farthest from the guide 212.

In addition, the water level sensor 40 is mounted on the side of the ice groove 211 formed on the opposite side of the portion where the guide 212 is formed. In addition, a temperature sensor 50 is mounted at one side of the tray 21 to control the tray 21 to be maintained at a constant temperature. In addition, a tray heater (not shown) may be mounted on the tray 21, and the tray heater may be mounted in a structure embedded in the tray 21 or may be mounted in a structure attached to an outer circumferential surface of the tray 21. have.

6 is a cross-sectional view showing a process of forming transparent ice in the ice making assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, a tray heater 60 is mounted on the tray 21 constituting the ice making assembly 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The ice groove 21 formed in the tray 21 is filled with ice making water, and the rod 23 descends to be immersed in the water filled in the ice groove 21.

In this state, when ice is started, cold air impinges on the plurality of fins 24, and cold air is transferred from the fins 24 to the rod 23 by heat conduction. When the temperature of the rod 23 falls below the freezing temperature, ice is formed around the rod 23. The tray heater 60 is driven to maintain the tray 21 at the temperature of the image. In an exemplary embodiment, the tray 21 may be maintained at an image of 1 ° C. to 2 ° C. In addition, according to Henry's law, the higher the water temperature, the lower the gas solubility. Therefore, when the tray heater 60 is operated, the air dissolved in the water escapes. Then, ice grows from the periphery of the rod 23 toward the tray 21.

Here, since the tray 21 is maintained above the freezing temperature, ice does not adhere to the inner circumferential surface of the tray 21 even when ice making is completed. In addition, even when ice making is completed, a predetermined amount of water remains in the ice groove 211.

7 is a flowchart illustrating a tray temperature control method of an ice making assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 7, the tray temperature control method according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that it is possible to manufacture a high-quality transparent ice by controlling the tray temperature in multiple stages. That is, by gradually lowering the temperature of the tray, the air dissolved in the water is quickly discharged to the outside, increasing the ice making speed, it characterized in that to minimize the amount of residual water after ice making.

First, the ice making mode is first turned on by the user or at the discretion of the refrigerator control unit (S110).

In detail, the self-determination of the refrigerator controller may include automatic deicing if the amount of ice stored in the ice bank 30 is small and is not detected by the ice-covering sensing means.

When the ice making mode starts, water is supplied (S111), and when the set water level is reached in the tray 21, the water is completed (S112). Whether water supply is completed is determined by the water level sensor 40. Cold air is supplied to the ice making chamber 11, and the rod 23 is cooled. As the rod 23 cools, water supplied to the ice groove 211 of the tray 21 starts to freeze.

Meanwhile, the tray temperature is sensed by the tray temperature sensor 50.

In detail, it is determined whether the tray temperature T is lower than the first set temperature T1 (S113), and when the tray temperature T is lower than the first set temperature T1, the tray heater is turned on ( S114). By operating the tray heater to keep the tray 21 above the freezing temperature, the air contained in the water is prevented from freezing with the ice. When the tray temperature T is determined to be equal to or greater than the first set temperature, the tray heater is turned off (S115). Here, the meaning that the tray heater 60 is turned off includes the fact that the heater which has been turned off previously is also kept in the off state.

In addition, it is determined whether the ice making time t has reached the first set time t1 (S116), and when the set time has not been reached, the tray temperature sensing process (S113 or lower) is repeated.

On the other hand, when the ice making time reaches the first set time, it is determined whether the tray temperature T is lower than the second set temperature T2 (S117). Here, the second set temperature T2 is a temperature lower than the first set temperature T1. That is, the tray 21 is maintained at the first set temperature T1 for a predetermined time, and when the ice grows after a certain amount of ice making, the tray 21 is maintained at the second set temperature T2. . By lowering the tray temperature T stepwise in this way, the size of the finished ice can be increased and the transparency can be increased. That is, by lowering the tray temperature (T) step by step, the amount of residual water remaining in the ice groove 211 after the ice making is reduced. Therefore, in order to increase the size of the ice, the step of lowering the tray temperature T may be increased, and conversely, if a smaller size of ice is desired, the temperature decrease step may be reduced.

On the other hand, when the tray temperature T is lower than the second set temperature T2, the tray heater is turned on (S118). On the contrary, when the tray temperature T is equal to or higher than the second set temperature, the tray heater is turned off (S119). This is the same as the higher level control to keep it at the first set temperature. Then, it is determined whether the ice making time t has reached the second set time t2 (S120), so that the ice is performed (S121), or the process of maintaining the tray at the second set temperature (below S117). Will be repeated. When the ice is completed, the ice making mode is turned off (S122).

Here, the tray heater is described as being controlled by a relay that performs an on / off function, but may be controlled by a semiconductor switch such as a triac or a thyristor. That is, the amount of voltage applied to the switch may be increased or decreased according to the temperature of the tray 21. For example, when the temperature of the tray 21 is lower than the set temperature, the voltage applied to the tray heater is increased so that the tray 21 is heated. If the temperature is higher than the set temperature, the voltage applied to the tray heater is decreased. The temperature of (21) can be made to fall.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing a tray temperature distribution according to the control method shown in FIG. 7.

Referring to FIG. 8, the tray heater is intermittently turned on and off so that the tray 21 is maintained at a first set temperature T. Then, the tray 21 is maintained at the first set temperature T for the first set time t1 and then for the second set time t2 at the second set temperature T2.

In detail, while the tray 21 is maintained at the first set time t1 at the first set temperature T, the size of the ice grows, and when the first set time t1 elapses, the second set The tray temperature is lowered to the temperature T so that the amount of residual water after the completion of ice making is reduced. Here, the second set temperature (T2) is also maintained above the freezing temperature.

In the illustrated embodiment, the tray temperature T has been described as being lowered in two stages, but it is not limited thereto. In other words, the more steps, the larger the ice produced and the less the residual water. Therefore, the tray temperature T may be lowered in multiple stages according to a user's selection.

As described above, by lowering the temperature of the tray 21 step by step in the ice making process, it is possible to generate ice with high transparency, and the amount of residual water is reduced. And, by adjusting the number of steps to lower the temperature of the tray 23 as described above, there is also an effect that the size of the ice can be adjusted appropriately.

Claims (11)

Supplying water to the ice groove formed in the tray; A rod descending into the ice groove; Cooling air into the ice making chamber and cooling the rod; And In order to generate the transparent ice, the tray heater is driven to maintain the tray above the freezing temperature during the ice making process, And the tray temperature is decreased in steps. The method of claim 1, The control method of the ice making assembly for a refrigerator, characterized in that the order of the process of supplying water to the ice groove and the process of descending the rod can be switched. The method of claim 1, And the heater is intermittently turned on and off so that the tray is maintained above the freezing temperature. The method of claim 1, The cold air supplied into the ice making chamber indirectly cools the water stored in the ice groove through the rod. The method of claim 1, The tray is maintained above the freezing temperature, the ice generation in the direction of the inner circumferential surface of the ice groove from the outer circumferential surface of the rod characterized in that the control method of the ice-making assembly for a refrigerator. The method of claim 1, The tray is a control method of the ice making assembly for a refrigerator, characterized in that maintained at 0 ° C or more during the ice making process. The method of claim 1, The tray is a control method of the ice making assembly for a refrigerator, characterized in that maintained in the range of 1 ℃ ~ 2 ℃ during the ice making process. The method of claim 1, The tray is maintained for a predetermined time at a temperature of more than the freezing temperature, and when the set time has elapsed is maintained for a different set time at a temperature lower than the certain temperature. The method of claim 8, The tray temperature is a control method of the ice making assembly for a refrigerator, characterized in that at least two steps are lowered at intervals. The method of claim 8, The larger the step of lowering the tray temperature, the size of the ice after the completion of ice making increases, and the amount of the residual water after the completion of ice making decreases. The method of claim 1, The drive of the tray heater, the control method of the ice making assembly for a refrigerator, characterized in that the on / off function is performed by a relay switch or a semiconductor switch to increase or decrease the magnitude of the applied voltage.