KR20100032473A - A refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A refrigerator is provided to enable a user to steadily use a dispenser by preventing the dispenser supply button from being detached from a part where it is hinge-connected. CONSTITUTION: A refrigerator comprises the following: a main body(100) storing food in the low temperature; a door(120) selectively closing the main body while being connected to the front side of the main body to rotate; and a dispenser(200) installed to the front side of the door. The dispenser includes a housing, a button, an insertion unit, and a support bracket. The housing includes a concave unit caved in to the inside of the door. The button includes a pushing unit with one end connected to the housing to rotate, and a connection unit. The insertion unit is formed on the housing. The support bracket is extended from the rear side of the housing.

Description

Refrigerator {A refrigerator}

The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

In general, a refrigerator is a device for low temperature storage of food, and is configured to freeze or refrigerate food according to the type of food to be stored.

The inside of the refrigerator is cooled by continuously supplied cold air, and the cold air is continuously generated by the heat exchange action of the refrigerant by a refrigeration cycle undergoing a process of compression-condensation-expansion-evaporation. The cold air supplied to the inside of the refrigerator is evenly transferred to the inside of the refrigerator by convection, so that food in the refrigerator can be stored at a desired temperature.

The refrigerator main body has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with an open front surface, and includes a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber inside the main body. The front surface of the main body includes a refrigerator compartment door and a freezer compartment door for selectively shielding the opening.

In addition, the storage space inside the refrigerator is provided with a plurality of drawers, shelves and storage boxes for storing various foods in an optimal state. In addition, a plurality of baskets are provided on the rear surface of the refrigerating compartment door or the freezing compartment door. The storage space inside the refrigerator is partitioned by the shelves, storage boxes, and baskets such that suitable foods can be stored.

Recently, refrigerators have been introduced in which a dispenser is provided on the front of the door so that a user may receive purified water or ice without opening the door.

In general, the dispenser is formed by recessing a predetermined depth into the door. In detail, the recessed portion of the dispenser is formed by a housing inserted into the front of the door, and the housing is equipped with a button used for receiving water or ice.

The button is generally provided in such a way that the user presses in the front using a cup or a container.

Particularly, in the case where one end of the button is hinged to the housing and the button is pressed to operate the take-out switch provided at the rear of the housing, the product cost is low and the user can intuitively know how to use. It is widely used because of its convenience.

1 is a view showing the rear of the dispenser of the refrigerator according to the prior art as described above.

Referring to FIG. 1, a water or ice supply button 920 provided to a dispenser is coupled to a housing 910 forming a depression of the dispenser.

One end of the supply button 920 is hinged to the front surface of the housing 910, and rotated by a predetermined angle about the hinge coupler.

The supply button 920 has a pressing portion 921 which is formed in a plate shape so that the user can press using a cup or a container, and extends rearward from the rear surface of the pressing portion 921 to the housing 910. A connection 922 penetrating through the perforated insert 930 is included. In addition, the rear end portion of the connecting portion 922 is provided in the direction intersecting the extending direction of the connecting portion 922, the locking portion 923 is interfered with the front movement by the housing 910 is provided.

In detail, the pressing portion 921 is formed to a size such that the insertion portion 930 is not exposed to the outside, and is provided in a size large enough to be easily pressed by a user using a cup or the like. In addition, the connection part 922 is formed such that the locking part 923 is in close contact with the rear surface of the housing 910 in the state that the pressing part 921 is not pressed. That is, the pressing part 921 is not spaced apart from the housing 910 by a predetermined interval or more.

Meanwhile, the housing 910 is perforated with an insertion part 930 through which the connection part 922 passes. In detail, the insertion part 930 is formed to correspond to the shape of the locking part 923, the passage part 931 through which the locking part 923 passes, and the connection part (below) of the passage part 931. The interference part 933 is formed to correspond to the width of 922 and interferes with the movement of the locking part 923.

The supply button 920 is fitted from the front of the housing 910 to the rear so that the engaging portion 923 passes through the passage 931. In addition, the supply button 920 is moved downward, it is coupled to a hinge (not shown) provided in front of the housing 910. Therefore, when the supply button 920 is pressed backward and rotated forward by a predetermined angle, the locking part 923 is caught by the interference part 933, so that the movement of the supply button 920 is limited.

In addition, a take-off switch (not shown) for supplying water or ice is provided at the rear of the engaging portion 923. When the user presses the supply button 920, the take-out switch (not shown) is operated to provide the housing ( Water or ice may be obtained in front of 910.

However, the above conventional technologies have the following problems.

Since the supply button 920 is coupled to the hinge portion (not shown) from the upper side to the lower side, when the user presses the supply button 920 to receive water or ice, the supply button ( 920 may be pushed upward and removed from the hinge portion (not shown). That is, since there is no means for limiting the upward movement of the supply button 920 after the supply button 920 is coupled, the supply button 920 is upward when a force is applied upward to the supply button 920. Can be pushed away.

Therefore, if the user applies excessive force, the supply button 920 is removed at a predetermined position, so that the user cannot use the dispenser with confidence.

Therefore, when the user's satisfaction is lowered and the above problem is repeated, the user's image is damaged.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator that can be reliably coupled to the dispenser supply button so that the user can be trusted.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of giving a high-quality product image by eliminating the trouble of the dispenser supply button.

In the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, the food is stored at low temperature; A door rotatably provided on a front surface of the main body to selectively shield a food storage space; And a dispenser mounted on the front of the door and provided with water or ice, wherein the dispenser includes: a housing defining a depression recessed into the door; A button having one end portion rotatably coupled to the housing, and a connection portion extending rearward from the bottom of the pressing part to turn on an operation switch for taking out water or ice; An insertion part formed in the housing so as to pass through the connection part; A support bracket extends from the rear of the housing to prevent the button from being separated from the housing through interference with the connection portion.

According to the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention as described above, since the dispenser supply button is not removed from the hinge-coupled portion, the user can stably use the dispenser, thereby increasing the satisfaction of the product.

In addition, since the dispenser operates stably without trouble, the image of the product is enhanced.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, in order to explain the spirit of the present invention, a three door bottom freeze type refrigerator will be described as an embodiment. However, the idea of the present invention is not limited to the three-door bottom freeze type refrigerator shown, and a top mount type in which a freezer compartment is located above and a side by side type in which a refrigerating compartment and a freezer compartment are provided left and right. Note that it is applicable to all refrigerators.

Referring to FIG. 2, the refrigerator 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 100, a door 120 rotatably coupled to a front surface of the main body 100, and a front of the main body 100. It is composed of a freezer compartment drawer 130 provided to be withdrawable.

A storage space for storing food is formed in the main body 100, and the storage space is divided into upper and lower portions to form a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment, respectively. The food is stored in a refrigerator compartment or a freezer compartment according to storage conditions. In addition, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment is properly maintained by controlling the flow rate of the cold air supplied to the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment.

Meanwhile, the refrigerating chamber formed in the main body 100 is selectively shielded by the door 120. The freezer compartment is provided below the refrigerating compartment, and the freezer compartment is provided with a freezer compartment drawer 130 capable of drawing out front and rear. In detail, the freezer compartment drawer 130 is composed of a freezer box accommodated inside the freezer compartment and a freezer compartment door coupled to the front surface of the freezer compartment. Then, the user can take out the freezer compartment door to store food.

The front of the door 120 is provided with a dispenser 200 for supplying water or ice. The dispenser 200 is to receive the purified water or ice ice from the outside of the main body 100 from the outside, a part of which is recessed and mounted inside the door 120.

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the dispenser of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the dispenser 120 is provided to be recessed inwardly in front of the door 120.

In detail, the dispenser 200 includes a housing 300 inserted into the front of the door 120 to form a space recessed inward of the door 120 and an operation state of the dispenser 200. It includes an operation unit 220, an ice chute 210 for guiding the movement of ice, a water supply port 260 to which water is supplied, a water supply button 500 and an ice supply button 240.

The housing 300 forms the exterior of the dispenser 200, and one side of the housing 300 is provided with a plate provided with the operation unit 220, and the other side has a recessed portion formed in the rear thereof to accommodate a cup or a container, etc. 230. ) Is provided.

The ice chute 210 is provided at an upper portion of the depression 230. The ice chute 210 may be provided to be mounted on an upper surface of the housing 300, and may be connected to an ice making device (not shown) provided on the rear surface of the door 120 so that the ice may discharge the ice outlet 211. It can be discharged through.

The ice chute 210 is protected by a chute cover 212 mounted at the front. In detail, a water supply button 500 is provided at the center of the chute cover 212. The rear side of the water supply button 500 is provided with a water supply device (not shown) for the user to sense the pressing operation of the water supply button 500 to supply water to the water supply port 260. In addition, cover plates 570 are mounted on left and right sides of the chute cover 212 so that the water supply device (not shown) and the chute cover 212 are not exposed to the outside.

In addition, the water supply port 260 is formed on the front side of the central side of the housing 300 forming the depression 230, the end of the water supply port 260 is formed to face downward. More specifically, the distance between the water supply port 260 and the water supply button 500 is provided to be smaller than the diameter of commonly used household cups and the like. When the user presses the water supply button 500 by a cup or a container as described above, water discharged from the water supply unit 260 enters into the cup or container.

On the other hand, the ice supply button 240 is located in the central portion of the rear of the depression 230. The ice supply button 240 may be provided to be located below the water supply button 500 when the user sees from the front.

The ice supply button 240 is operated by the user presses a cup or a container, etc., which will be described later.

On the other hand, the dispenser tray 250 is provided on the bottom surface of the depression 230. The dispenser tray 250 supports the container to receive the residual water generated when the purified water or ice is supplied, as well as to receive the water or the ice while the container is placed thereon, and corresponds to the shape of the housing 300. It is formed to be.

And, the operation unit 220 is provided on the side of the depression formed by the housing 300, the operation unit 220 is a display device for displaying the operating state of the refrigerator (1) and the dispenser (200) 222 and a plurality of operation buttons 224 are included.

By the above configuration, water or ice can be supplied without opening the door 120, thereby improving user convenience.

4 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the ice supply button of FIG.

Referring to FIG. 4, the ice supply button 240 includes a pressing part 241 formed in a plate shape so that a user may press using a cup or a container, and a lower rear surface of the pressing part 241. The rotating shaft 249, the connecting portion 245 extending rearward from the back of the pressing portion 241 and penetrating the insertion portion 330 formed in the housing 300, and the ice supply button 240 are upward. Support ribs 246 to prevent the removal of the portion, the engaging portion 248 to form the rear end of the connection portion 245 (On) and the ice supply button 240 is automatically Torsion spring 249 for returning to its original state is included.

In detail, the pressing portion 241 is formed to a size such that the inserting portion 330 is not exposed to the outside, and is provided in a size large enough to be easily pressed by a user using a cup or the like. In addition, the connection part 245 extends rearward from the back surface of the pressing part 241 and passes through the housing 300. The connection part 245 may be provided in pairs so that the ice supply button 240 can be stably supported.

In addition, a support rib 246 is provided between the connecting portions 245 to prevent the ice supply button 240 from being removed upward. In detail, the support rib 246 is provided to extend from the pressing portion 241 to the locking portion 248, and at least an upper end of the support rib 246 is provided to be inclined upward toward the front.

In addition, a pair of shaft supports 242 protrudes rearward from the lower end of the pressing part 241, and the rotation shaft 249 is provided between opposite surfaces of the shaft supports 242. The rotating shaft 249 is coupled to the shaft engaging portion 326 to be described later to allow the ice supply button 240 to be rotated. Here, the rotation shaft 249 is formed near the rear end of the shaft support portion 242 so as not to interfere with the shaft locking portion 326 to be described later when the ice supply button 240 is rotated.

The torsion spring 249 is fitted to the rotation shaft 243 so that one side of the torsion spring 249 is supported by the pressing part 241, and the other side of the torsion spring 249 is supported by a spring supporter 327 which will be described later.

On the other hand, the housing 300 is perforated with the insertion portion 330 through which the connection portion 245 passes. In detail, the inner circumferential surface of the inserting portion 330 is formed to correspond to the shape of the locking portion 248, and the passage portion 331 through which the locking portion 248 passes, and the lower portion of the passage portion 331, It is formed to correspond to the width of the connecting portion 245 is provided between the interference portion 333 to interfere with the movement of the locking portion 331, the passage portion 331 and the interference portion 333 is the connection portion ( A support hook 332 is included to limit upward movement of 245.

The support hook 332 is formed to protrude downwardly from both sides of the insertion portion 330, the spacing between the support hook 332 is formed smaller than the width of the connecting portion 245. Accordingly, when the ice supply button 240 is moved from the upper side to the lower side in the state where the catching part 248 passes the passing part 331, the connecting part 245 elastically deforms the support hook 332. It moves while letting go. In addition, since the support hook 332 is returned to its original state after the connection part 245 is located between the interference parts 333, the ice connection part 245 interferes with the hook 332. Removal of the supply button 240 is prevented.

On the other hand, the lower side of the insertion portion 330, the shaft engaging portion 326 to which the rotary shaft 243 is coupled is formed to protrude from the housing 300. The shaft engaging portion 326 is provided in a pair close to the shaft support portion 242 in order to stably support the rotating shaft 243, the ice supply button 240 to prevent the rocking to the left and right The interval between the shaft engaging portions 326 is formed to correspond to the interval between the shaft support portions 242. In addition, the shaft engaging portion 326 is protruded to be bent upward from the housing 300, the upper end is recessed so that the rotary shaft 243 is fitted. The upper end of the shaft engaging portion 326 may be formed in a hook shape so that the rotary shaft 243 is not easily escaped after being coupled.

The lower end of the shaft engaging portion 326 is connected by a spring support 327. The spring support 327 is provided in a plate shape to ensure that the torsion spring 249 is stably supported. In addition, a member for fixing one side of the torsion spring 249 may be formed on the upper surface of the spring support 327 so that the torsion spring 249 does not swing left and right.

Hereinafter, a process in which the ice supply button 240 is coupled to the housing 300 will be described.

The ice supply button 240 is fitted from the front of the housing 300 to the rear so that the locking portion 248 passes through the passage 331. In addition, the ice supply button 240 is moved downward so that the rotary shaft 243 is fitted to the shaft engaging portion 326. At this time, the connecting portion 245 is moved while elastically deforming the support hook 332. When the rotating shaft 243 is coupled to the shaft engaging portion 326, the connection portion 243 passes through the interference portion 333, and the locking portion 248 is located behind the interference portion 333. do. Therefore, when the ice supply button 240 is pressed backward and rotated forward by a predetermined angle, the locking portion 248 is caught by the interference portion 333, so the movement of the ice supply button 240 is limited. do.

5 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the rear of the dispenser in a state where the ice supply button of FIG. 3 is engaged.

Referring to FIG. 5, a support bracket 400 is provided at the rear of the insertion part 330 to limit upward movement of the ice supply button 240. In addition, a bracket coupling part 340 to which the support bracket 400 is coupled is protruded from an upper side of the insertion part 330.

In detail, the support bracket 400 includes a bolt hole 410 for bolting to the bracket coupling part 340, and extends directly above the ice supply button 240 to remove the ice supply button 240. The removal prevention part 402 which prevents is contained. The stripping prevention part 402 is formed such that a lower end thereof is located at least in front of the locking part 248, that is, on the locking part 248 or the connection part 245.

In addition, the bracket coupling part 340 protrudes to both sides of the support bracket 400 so that the support bracket 400 does not swing left and right, and is in close contact with both sides of the support bracket 400. That is, the support bracket 400 is bolted between two protrusions of the bracket coupling part 340.

In addition, the distance between the detachment prevention part 402 and the ice supply button 240 is shorter than the distance between the support hook 332 and the connection part 245. In addition, the inclination of the support ribs 246 is such that the distance between the support ribs 246 and the detachment preventing part 402 is increased even when the ice supply button 240 is rotated. Is kept shorter than the distance between That is, the support rib 246 is formed so as to maintain a distance from the support bracket 400 in a state before and after the ice supply button 240 is pressed.

Therefore, even if the ice supply button 240 is moved upward, the anti-separation unit 402 comes in contact with the support hook 332.

In addition, the removal prevention unit 402 also has a function of limiting the forward rotation angle of the ice supply button 340. In detail, since the lower end of the anti-separation unit 402 extends to the upper side of the connection unit 245 or the locking unit 248, when the ice supply button 340 rotates forward, the anti-separation unit 402 ) Is interfered with. Thus, the ice feed button 340 is no longer rotated forward.

A take-off switch (not shown) for supplying ice to the rear of the locking portion 248 is provided within a rotation radius of the ice supply button 240 so that when the user presses the ice supply button 240, the take-off switch (Not shown) may be operated to take out ice from the front of the housing 300.

Hereinafter, the operation of the support bracket 400 having the configuration as described above will be described.

When the user presses the ice supply button 240, the ice supply button 240 is rotated about the rotation shaft 243 provided at the lower end, so that the ice supply button 240 receives the upwardly inclined upward force. Therefore, when the user applies a strong force, the rotating shaft 243 is separated from the shaft engaging portion 326, and the ice supply button 240 may be removed from the housing 300. In this case, the ice supply button 240 may not be removed because the movement is limited by the support hook 332 provided to the insertion part 330.

However, since the support hook 332 is provided to have elasticity enough to move the connection portion 245 smoothly, when the user presses the ice supply button 240 with a strong force, the support hook 332 is provided. ) May be damaged or deformed.

In this case, since the support bracket 400 extends to the upper portion of the connection part 245 to limit the upward movement of the connection part 245, the ice supply button 240 is removed from the housing 300. The ice supply button 240 is not removed even if a force is applied.

In addition, since the connection part 245 is first contacted with the support bracket 400 even when the connector 245 is moved upward, damage to the support hook 332 may be prevented.

6 is a view showing the operation of the ice supply button of FIG.

Referring to FIG. 6, the ice supply button 240 is not normally rotated with respect to the front surface of the housing 300 because the connection part 245 interferes with the support hook 332 or the support bracket 400. The state is provided to be maintained. In this state, no force is applied to the torsion spring 242. In addition, since the support bracket 400 is provided above the connection part 245 to limit the upward movement of the ice supply button 240, the rotation shaft 243 is stably coupled to the shaft locking part 326. It is.

On the other hand, when the user presses the pressing part 241 by using a cup or a container, the ice supply button 240 is rotated a predetermined angle to the rear about the rotating shaft (243). The rear rotation angle of the ice supply button 240 may be limited by a stop member (not shown) formed in the housing 300. When the pressing part 241 rotates, the torsion spring 242 is compressed by a predetermined angle to have a restoring force. When the user removes the force that pressed the ice supply button 240, the ice supply button 240 returns to its original state. However, when the user gives a strong force to the ice supply button 242, the ice supply button 240 may receive a force in the rear inclined direction. That is, the rotary shaft 243 is forced to be removed from the shaft engaging portion 326. However, since the support ribs 246 are formed to interfere with the support bracket 240 with a predetermined inclination, the rotary shaft 243 is not detached from the shaft engaging portion 326 even when the force is applied as described above. Do not. That is, the ice supply button 240 is not removed from the housing 300.

The configuration of the dispenser button and the housing having the above configuration is not limited to the ice supply button 240 and the housing 300, but is applied to the dispenser of the configuration in which the button is rotated about a predetermined rotation axis. This is possible, and such a change can be said to be easy for a person skilled in the art.

By the above configuration, the user can use the dispenser 200 in a stable manner, thereby increasing satisfaction with the product.

In addition, the dispenser 200 is operated stably without trouble, the image of the product becomes more luxurious.

The scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the embodiments may be changed, added, or deleted within the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

1 is a view showing the rear of the dispenser of the refrigerator according to the prior art as described above.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the dispenser of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention.

4 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the ice supply button of FIG.

Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the rear of the dispenser in the state that the ice supply button of Figure 3 is coupled.

6 is a view showing the operation of the ice supply button of FIG.

Claims (6)

Body that food is stored at low temperature; A door rotatably provided on a front surface of the main body to selectively shield a food storage space; And A dispenser mounted on the front of the door and provided with water or ice, In the dispenser, A housing forming a depression recessed inwardly of the door; A button having one end portion rotatably coupled to the housing, and a connection portion extending rearward from the bottom of the pressing part to turn on an operation switch for taking out water or ice; An insertion part formed in the housing so as to pass through the connection part; And a support bracket extending from the rear of the housing to prevent the button from being separated from the housing through interference with the connection portion. The method of claim 1, In the connecting portion, And a support rib formed to limit separation by interference with the support bracket when the button is pressed. The method of claim 2, At least an upper end of the support rib is inclined upwardly toward the front. The method of claim 3, wherein And the support ribs are inclined such that a distance from the support bracket is maintained within a specific range before and after the button is pressed. The method of claim 1, And a support hook extending from the inner circumferential surface of the insert portion in a direction crossing the connection portion to limit upward movement of the button. The method of claim 1, The support bracket, characterized in that extending to the upper side of the connecting portion to limit the forward rotation angle of the button.

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