KR20100054813A - Refrigerator with ice dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A refrigerator with an ice dispenser is provided to efficiently use an internal space of a home bar where the ice dispenser is located. CONSTITUTION: A refrigerator comprises: a basket which is installed in the inner side of a refrigerator door(10); a home bar door(30) which opens and closes the basket with installing on the door; an ice dispenser which is located on the top of the basket; an ice storage which stores ice which is provided to the ice dispenser; and a switch device which switches the operation of the ice dispenser to be on/off and includes a lever which is installed on the top end part of the basket and control part. The ice dispenser runs only while pressing the lever.

Description

Refrigerator with ice dispenser {REFRIGERATOR WITH ICE DISPENSER}

The present invention relates to a refrigerator having an ice dispenser, and more particularly, to a refrigerator in which an ice dispenser is installed in a door of the refrigerator, so that ice can be taken out from the outside of the door.

A refrigerator is a kind of home appliance used to keep food and the like freshly stored in a refrigerated or frozen state. A general refrigerator generates cold air by using a vapor compression cooling cycle using a refrigerant, and sends the same to an internal space, that is, a refrigerator compartment and a refrigerator compartment to perform a refrigeration and freezing function.

Therefore, it was necessary to minimize the energy consumed in operating the cooling cycle as described above, various methods have been proposed for this purpose. One approach is to increase the efficiency of the cooling cycle itself. To this end, techniques have been developed to increase the performance of compressors, condensers, etc. that make up the cooling cycle and to reduce other losses.

Another approach is to minimize the cold air consumed during use. A typical type is a so-called home bar, which forms a space for storing drinks or frequently withdrawn items in a door for opening and closing a refrigerator or freezer of a refrigerator, and a small door for opening and closing the space. Is installed so that the user can withdraw the drink or goods without opening the entire door of the refrigerator. Through this, not only the loss of cold air can be minimized, but also the usability can be improved, and thus it is popular in the market.

The groove bar may be installed on only one side of the refrigerating chamber or the freezing chamber, or may be installed on both sides. The home bar installed on the freezer compartment side may be simply used as a space for storing goods, but may also be utilized as a space for taking out ice in conjunction with an ice maker installed in the freezer compartment.

An example of a home bar 20 capable of withdrawing ice is shown in FIG. 1. Looking at the above example, it can be seen that the home bar door 30 is installed outside the freezer compartment door 10, and when the home bar door 30 is opened, a basket 40 is installed inside. The upper portion of the basket 40 is exposed to the ice bin 50 forming a part of the ice maker (shown in Figure 1 the withdrawal of the ice bin 50 is shown) the user opens the home bar door 30 By pulling out the ice bin 50 by hand, it is possible to pull out the ice stored therein. Through this, ice can be taken out without opening the entire freezer compartment door 10 so as to reduce cold air consumption.

However, in the case of the example shown in Figure 1, to open the home bar door to pull out the ice storage box with a hand to draw the ice there is a problem that the unnecessary operation. In particular, most of the extracted ice is put in water or other beverages, and according to the above example, the ice must be taken out by hand, which is not good for hygiene. Of course, ice tongs can be used, but this adds to the inconvenience.

On the other hand, in the above example, since the ice storage occupies a large part of the inner space of the home bar, there is a problem of decreasing the space efficiency. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the upper part of the home bar has to be left empty in case the ice bin is drawn out, and thus there is a problem in that an article such as a bottle having a high height cannot be stored.

Technical challenge

The present invention has been made to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art as described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator having an ice dispenser that can improve the ease of use of the ice dispenser located in the home bar.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator having an ice dispenser that can more efficiently use the internal space of the home bar where the ice dispenser is located.

Technical solution

According to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the above technical problem, the basket is installed inside the door of the refrigerator; A home bar door installed at the door to open and close the basket; An ice dispenser located above the basket; An ice storage unit storing ice supplied to the ice dispenser; And it provides a refrigerator having an ice dispenser comprising a switch means for turning on and off the operation of the ice dispenser.

That is, in the above aspect, the cold air inside the refrigerator is introduced into the home bar where the ice dispenser is located, and a home bar door is installed at the front side to seal the basket, and the home bar where the ice dispenser is located is also provided. The goods can be stored. In addition, by operating the switch means, the ice can be automatically discharged from the ice dispenser located at the top.

Here, the switch means includes a lever installed in the upper end of the basket and control means for controlling the operation of the ice dispenser in conjunction with the movement of the lever, the ice dispenser is operated only while pressing the lever, the ice is drawn out You can do that. For example, pressing the lever with a cup or the like allows the ice to be drawn out to increase the convenience of operation.

On the other hand, the switch means includes an operation button installed on the outside of the door, the ice dispenser may be operated only while the operation button is pressed to allow the ice to be drawn out. In this case, the user can press the operation button provided on the outside of the door so that the ice is drawn out, which is advantageous to simplify the configuration of the device.

The basket may be supplied with cold air in various ways. For example, the basket may be formed with a through groove through which cold air may communicate, such that cold air circulating in the freezer compartment may be introduced through the through groove.

One end of the home bar door may be fixed to the door by a hinge so as to open and close the basket while rotating the hinge. In addition, the home bar door may be configured to open and close the basket while sliding in a direction parallel to the door surface inside the door.

The ice dispenser may employ any type of electric drive, for example, an inlet through which ice from the ice reservoir is introduced; A conveying member rotatably installed at a lower portion of the inlet and having a plurality of blades extending radially in a spiral shape; And positioned in the lower portion of the transfer member, the ice dispenser of the form including a discharge port communicating with the basket can be used.

Here, the ice conveyed from the inlet to the conveying member side is conveyed to the outlet side by the rotation of the conveying member and then drawn out to the basket side through the outlet.

Preferably, the shutter covering the outlet, which is opened when the ice conveyed by the conveying member is pressed; And elastic means for imparting elastic force to maintain the closed state of the shutter.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing a conventional refrigerator having a home bar on a freezer compartment side.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a home bar door is closed in the first embodiment of the refrigerator having an ice dispenser according to the present invention.

3 is a perspective view illustrating an open state of a home bar door in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2.

4 is a front view schematically showing an ice dispenser of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2.

5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 showing a second embodiment of a refrigerator having an ice dispenser according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a refrigerator having an ice dispenser according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of an ice dispenser according to the present invention. For convenience of description, only the freezer compartment door 10 is illustrated, and other components constituting the refrigerator are provided in a conventional refrigerator. Since those used may be used, a detailed description of each component will be omitted.

FIG. 2 illustrates a state in which the home bar door 30 is closed in the first embodiment, and the home bar 20 is installed in the freezer compartment door 10. The upper part of the home bar door 30 is provided with a handle 32 as opening and closing means for opening and closing the home bar door 30.

In addition, an operation panel 100 spaced apart from the home bar 20 is positioned above the home bar 20, and an operating state of the refrigerator (for example, a set temperature) is located at the center of the operation panel 100. And a display device 102 for displaying various functions). In addition, a plurality of operation buttons 104 in the form of push buttons for operating the refrigerator are positioned around the display device 102.

3 is a perspective view illustrating an open state of the home bar door 30 in the first embodiment. The home bar door 30 has a lower end coupled to the door 10 side by a hinge, thereby opening the inside of the home bar 20 while rotating around the hinge (not shown). A basket 40 is formed inside the groove bar 20 to form a space for storing an article, and a through groove (not shown) is formed on a wall surface of the basket 40. The through groove is formed to communicate with the inside of the freezing compartment, so that cold air circulating in the freezing compartment can be introduced into the basket 40.

Accordingly, the basket 40 may serve as a space for freezing and storing the article, and the space provided by the basket 40 may be usefully used as a space for storing the article that is frequently withdrawn. In addition, two link mechanisms are provided on both side surfaces of the home bar door 30 so that the home bar door 30 can be stably supported in an open state. For this reason, the home bar door 30 may also serve as a shelf for temporarily placing an article in a fully open state as shown in FIG. 3.

In FIG. 2, the home bar door 30 is hinged, but is not necessarily limited thereto. The home bar door 30 slides upward and downward in the door 10 to open and close the home bar. It may also be used in the form of.

On the other hand, the dispenser lever 110 is installed on the upper end of the basket 40. The dispenser lever 110 is installed to be inclined to protrude outward through the upper end of the basket 40. The dispenser lever 110 operates while being rotated by a user pressing with a cup or the like, and specific components of the dispenser lever may utilize those of a conventionally known type, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted. Here, in order to prevent slipping when the dispenser lever 110 is pressed by a cup, a slipper part 120 made of synthetic resin rubber is installed at the tip of the dispenser lever 110.

When the dispenser lever 110 is pressed by the user, the switch means installed inside the door 10 to be adjacent to the dispenser lever 110 operates the ice dispenser installed inside the door 10.

4, the ice dispenser will be described in more detail.

The ice storage unit 150 is located on the rear surface of the door 10 where the operation panel 100 is located. The ice storage unit 150 serves to store the ice generated by the ice maker located in the freezer compartment, and the inlet 152 serves as a passage through which the stored ice moves under the ice storage unit 150. Is formed. The inlet 152 is located on the upper right side (see FIG. 4) of the conveying member 160 forcibly conveying the ice, and the ice conveyed by the conveying member 160 is discharged to the lower portion of the conveying member 160. The outlet 170 to be located.

One end portion of the shutter 180 which blocks the outlet 170 is hingedly mounted to the outlet 170. That is, the shutter 180 opens and closes the outlet 170 while rotating around the hinge 182. A coil spring is installed at the hinge 182 to the coil spring in a state where no external force is applied. As a result, the shutter 180 keeps the outlet 170 closed.

The conveying member 160 includes four vanes 162 extending radially outward about the axis of rotation 164, the cross-sectional shape of the vanes 162 being helical. In addition, although not shown, the rotation shaft 164 is connected to the electric motor which is a driving means so that the transfer member 160 may be rotated by the electric motor. The drive of the electric motor is controlled by the switch means described above. In other words, when the dispenser lever 110 is pressed by a cup, power is supplied to the electric motor by a switch means that is electrically or mechanically interlocked with this movement, so that the transfer member 160 rotates counterclockwise. do.

As a result, the ice which is in contact with the vane 162 of the conveying member 160 among the ice positioned near the inlet 152 is conveyed to the left in the state sandwiched between the vanes 162 to be positioned above the shutter 180. In addition, due to the continuous rotation of the conveying member 160, the vane 162 presses the ice located above the shutter 180 downward. As a result, while the shutter 180 rotates in the clockwise direction, the discharge port 170 is opened, and the ice falls to the basket 40.

Therefore, the user can take out the ice only by pushing the dispenser lever with the cup in the hand while holding the cup with one hand, thereby increasing the convenience of use. In addition, since most of the space of the basket 40 can be used, the utilization of the internal space of the basket 40 can be increased.

Here, although the conveying member having a spiral vane is used as the ice dispenser, the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto, and an ice dispenser of a type in which the shutter is mechanically or electrically opened and closed by using a link mechanism connected to the dispenser lever is used. You may. In addition, an embodiment using an ice dispenser in the form of connecting the electric motor to the hinge shaft of the shutter and allowing the shutter to be opened by the electric motor while the lever is pressed to allow the ice to fall may be considered.

5, there is shown a second embodiment of a refrigerator with an ice dispenser according to the present invention.

The second embodiment basically has the same configuration as the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 except that the dispenser lever as a means for operating the ice dispenser is omitted. Therefore, in the description of the second embodiment, only differences from the first embodiment will be described, and descriptions of overlapping components will be omitted.

In FIG. 5, the upper portion of the basket 40 communicates with the outlet 170 of the ice dispenser, and there is no dispenser lever. However, one of the operation buttons 104 provided in the operation panel 100 is assigned as a button for operating the transfer member 160 of the ice dispenser. That is, when the user presses the operation button 104, the transfer member 160 rotates to discharge the ice, so that the ice can be taken out by placing a cup on the lower portion of the discharge port 170 and pressing the operation button. It can be.

Therefore, in the second embodiment, since the available space of the basket 40 is enlarged, the space efficiency can be increased.

In FIG. 5, an operation button in the form of a push button is used as a means for manipulating the conveying member 160. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various types of switches commonly used may be used. For example, it is also possible to integrate a button for operating the conveying member into the display device by using the display device 102 in the form of a touch panel in the operation panel.

In the above, specific embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described. However, the present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, and therefore, the above-described embodiments should not be limited by the contents of the detailed description, and further described above. Even if embodiments are not listed one by one in the description, they should be construed broadly within the spirit and scope defined in the appended claims. It is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

As described above, the home bar door of the home bar where the ice dispenser is located keeps the home bar completely sealed, which can also serve as a storage room for storing goods, but does not pull out the ice storage box, but rather disengages the dispenser lever. The ice can be taken out just by pressing, increasing the ease of use.

In addition, it is possible to further increase the utilization of the inner space of the home bar by using the operation button as a means for taking out the ice.

Claims (7)

A basket installed inside the door of the refrigerator; A home bar door installed at the door to open and close the basket; An ice dispenser located above the basket; An ice storage unit storing ice supplied to the ice dispenser; And A refrigerator having an ice dispenser comprising switch means for turning on and off the operation of the ice dispenser. The method of claim 1, The switch means A lever installed at an upper end of the basket and And control means for controlling the operation of the ice dispenser in conjunction with movement of the lever, A refrigerator having an ice dispenser, characterized in that the ice dispenser operates only while pressing the lever to draw out ice. The method of claim 1, The switch means It includes a control button installed on the outside of the door, A refrigerator having an ice dispenser, characterized in that the ice dispenser operates only while the operation button is pressed to extract the ice. The method of claim 1, Refrigerator having an ice dispenser, characterized in that the basket is formed with through holes through which cold air can communicate. The method of claim 1, One end of the home bar door is a refrigerator having an ice dispenser, characterized in that the hinge is fixed to the door. The method of claim 1, The ice dispenser An inlet through which ice from the ice bin is introduced; A conveying member rotatably installed at a lower portion of the inlet and having a plurality of blades extending radially in a spiral shape; And A refrigerator having an ice dispenser, the outlet being positioned below the transfer member and communicating with the basket. The method of claim 6, A shutter covering the outlet and opened when the ice conveyed by the conveying member is pressed; And Refrigerator having an ice dispenser, characterized in that it further comprises an elastic means for imparting an elastic force to keep the shutter closed.

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