KR20110045385A - Ice maker for refrigerator and refrigerator having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An icing device of refrigerator, having the function for preventing water overflowing due to eternal force, and a refrigerator having the same are provided to prevent the water overflowing to outside from the inside of an ice tray due by installing a cover for blocking the top opening of the ice tray. CONSTITUTION: An icing device of refrigerator comprises an ice tray(151) and a cover. A plurality of cells is installed inside the ice tray. The cover blocks the top opening of the ice tray. The ice outlet is installed at the end part of an ice discharging port along the longitudinal direction of the cover. An ejector is arranged on the upper side of the ice tray. The ejector separates ice from the cell.

Description

ICE MAKER FOR REFRIGERATOR AND REFRIGERATOR HAVING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to an ice maker of the refrigerator and a refrigerator having the same, and more particularly, to an ice maker of the refrigerator and a refrigerator having the same so that water overflow due to an external force can be prevented.

As is well known, a refrigerator is a device that allows food to be stored freshly by refrigeration or freezing. The refrigerator includes a refrigerator main body in which a plurality of cooling chambers are formed, doors for opening and closing each cooling chamber, and a refrigeration cycle apparatus for providing cold air to the cooling chamber.

The refrigeration cycle apparatus is usually a vapor compression refrigeration comprising a compressor for compressing a refrigerant, a condenser in which the refrigerant is radiated and condensed; It can be configured as a cycle device.

The refrigerator may be provided with an ice maker to make ice. In addition, the refrigerator may be provided with a dispenser to draw water or ice without opening the door.

The ice making device may be disposed in the freezing compartment. In addition, the ice making apparatus may be provided in the door to utilize the internal space.

The ice making apparatus may include an ice tray provided with a plurality of cells to make ice of a predetermined shape therein, and an ejector for separating ice formed in the ice tray.

The ejector may include a shaft disposed along a length direction of the ice tray and a plurality of ejector pins protruding radially from the shaft to correspond to the cell. An ice bank may be provided below the ice maker to accommodate the ice falling apart from the ice maker.

However, in such a conventional refrigerator, when the ice maker is installed in the door, when the door is opened or closed while the ice tray is supplied with water, the water of the ice tray may overflow to the outside of the ice tray. If the water overflows, it may flow into the lower ice bank and the ice stored in the ice bank may stick to each other.

In the conventional refrigerator, since the ejector is disposed above the ice tray in the longitudinal direction of the ice tray, the ice iced down to the side of the ice tray by the ejector to fall on the ice tray may fall. In order to store and store the ice, the ice bank must be arranged to protrude to the side of the ice tray. Due to this, the size of the width direction of the ice making apparatus increases.

In particular, when the ice maker and the ice bank are installed in the freezer door, the ice maker and / or the ice bank protrudes toward the rear side of the door, that is, the freezer compartment, which causes interference with food when storing food in the interior space (freezer), which makes food storage difficult. Can be done.

In addition, when the ice-making chamber is formed in the refrigerating chamber door and the ice-making apparatus and the ice bank are accommodated in the ice-making chamber, the thickness of the ice-making chamber may be increased, thereby reducing the internal space of the refrigerator.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an ice making apparatus for a refrigerator capable of suppressing the overflow of water to the outside of the ice tray and a refrigerator having the same.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide an ice maker of a refrigerator capable of reducing the installation width of the ice maker and a refrigerator having the same.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an ice maker of a refrigerator capable of preventing water overflow of the ice tray and reducing the installation width of the ice maker, and a refrigerator having the same.

The present invention, in order to achieve the above object, an ice tray having a plurality of cells therein; And a cover blocking an upper opening of the ice tray.

Here, one side end in the longitudinal direction of the cover may be provided with an ice outlet for discharging the ice.

Is disposed on the upper side of the ice tray, it may be configured to further include an ejector for separating the ice formed in the cell.

It may further include an ejector driver for providing a driving force to the ejector.

It may be configured to further include a control unit for controlling the ejector driver.

The ejector, the shaft; A plate protruding on one side of the shaft; It may be configured to include; a plurality of fingers protruding opposite to the plate on the other side of the shaft.

The control unit may be configured to control the ejector driver so that the finger rotates forward and backward via the cell.

The ejector, the shaft; It may be configured to include; a plurality of fingers protruding on both sides of the shaft.

The controller may be configured to control the ejector driver to rotate the shaft in one direction.

It may further comprise a transfer unit for transferring the ice separated by the ejector in the longitudinal direction of the ice tray.

The transfer unit, the transfer screw; It can be configured to include; pusher to move along the transfer screw.

The cover may have a semicircular cross section.

The screw may be composed of a pair.

The cover may be configured such that the ice discharge side protrudes more than the ice tray.

It may further include an ice bank for receiving ice falling from the lower side of the cover.

The transfer unit may further include a transfer screw driver for providing a driving force to the transfer screw.

On the other hand, according to another field of the present invention, a refrigerator body formed with a cooling chamber; A door for opening and closing the cooling chamber; And an ice making device.

Here, the ice making device may be configured to be provided in the door.

The refrigerator body may include a freezing compartment and a refrigerating compartment, and the ice making device may be provided in a refrigerating compartment door that opens and closes the refrigerating compartment.

As described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention, by providing a cover to block the upper opening of the ice tray, it is possible to prevent the water inside the ice tray flows out of the ice tray by the external force. . In particular, when the ice tray is installed in the door, it is possible to effectively prevent the overflow of the ice tray due to the opening and closing of the door.

In addition, by having an ejector disposed above the ice tray and a transfer unit for transferring the ice separated by the ejector in the axial direction of the ejector, it is necessary to arrange the ice bank protruding in the width direction below the ice tray. Therefore, the installation width of the ice tray and the ice bank can be significantly reduced.

Thereby, when the ice tray and the ice bank are installed in the freezing chamber door, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of interference between the ice bank and the food when storing the food inside the freezer compartment. In addition, when the ice-making chamber is formed in the refrigerating chamber door and the ice tray and the ice bank are installed therein, the thickness (width) of the ice-making chamber can be significantly reduced, so that the space in the refrigerator compartment can be widely utilized.

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

1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the ice making apparatus of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a perspective view of the ice tray with the control box of Figure 2 removed, Figure 4 3 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 2, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of the ice making apparatus of FIG. 3, and FIGS. 7 and 8 are ice discharge processes of the ice making apparatus of FIG. 6. 9 is a control block diagram of the ice making apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIG. 10 is a modification of the ejector of FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator includes a refrigerator main body 110 having cooling chambers 120 and 130, doors 125 and 135 for opening and closing the cooling chambers 120 and 130, and the refrigerator main body 110 or the door. It may be configured to include an ice making device 150 installed in (125,135). Here, the cooling chambers 120 and 130 are generic terms for the refrigerating chamber 120 and the freezing chamber 130, and the refrigerator main body 110 may include any one of the refrigerating chamber 120 and the freezing chamber 130. have. Hereinafter, a case in which the refrigerator main body 110 is provided with a refrigerating chamber 120 and a freezing chamber 130 and the ice making device 150 is provided in the refrigerating chamber door 125 will be described.

The refrigerating chamber 120 may be provided in an upper region of the refrigerator main body 110. A refrigerator compartment door 125 may be provided on the front surface of the refrigerator main body 110 to open and close the refrigerator compartment 120. The refrigerating chamber door 125 may be configured in plural. The refrigerating chamber door 125 may be rotatably coupled to the refrigerator main body 110. The refrigerating chamber door 125 may be provided with a dispenser 127 so that water or ice can be extracted without opening the refrigerating chamber door 125.

The freezer compartment 130 may be formed in the lower region of the refrigerator body 110. The freezing chamber 130 may be provided with a freezing chamber door 135 to open and close the freezing chamber 130. The freezer compartment door 135 may be configured to slide forward and backward of the refrigerator body 110.

The refrigerator body 110 may include a refrigeration cycle (not shown) to cool the freezing compartment 130 and / or the refrigerating compartment 120. The refrigeration cycle may include a compressor for compressing the refrigerant, a condenser for dissipating the refrigerant, an expansion device for depressurizing and expanding the refrigerant, and an evaporator for absorbing and evaporating latent heat of the refrigerant.

Meanwhile, an ice making chamber 140 may be formed in the refrigerating chamber door 125. The ice making room 140 may be configured to be opened and closed. An opening may be formed at the rear end of the ice making chamber 140. An ice making chamber door 145 may be provided at a rear end of the ice making chamber 140 to open and close the opening of the ice making chamber 140. The ice-making chamber door 145 may be rotatably coupled. The refrigerator main body 110 may be provided with a side wall cold air duct 128 to provide the cold air generated in the freezing chamber 130 to the ice making chamber 140. The side wall cold air duct 128 may be configured in plural. One of the side wall cold air ducts 128 may be a cold air supply passage in that cold air of the freezing chamber 130 is moved to the ice making chamber 140, and another cold air passing through the ice making chamber 140 may be used. The return to the freezing chamber 130 may be referred to as a cold air return flow path.

An ice maker 150 of the refrigerator may be provided inside the ice maker 140. The ice maker 150 includes an ice tray 151 having a plurality of cells 152 having an upper side opened therein; And a cover 161 for blocking an upper (upper) opening of the ice tray 151. As a result, when the refrigerating chamber door 125 is opened and closed, water inside the ice tray 151 may be effectively prevented from overflowing to the outside. One side of the ice tray 151 may be provided with a control box 171. An ice bank 181 may be provided in the ice making chamber 140 to store and store the ice 156 that is made from the ice making device 150 and falls.

The ice tray 151 may be provided with a plurality of cells 152 separated from each other by the partition wall 153 and opened at an upper side thereof. The ice tray 151 may be formed of a metal member. As a result, the heat or cold air can be transferred quickly, thereby making it possible to quickly make ice and ice. Here, the ice means that the ice 156 made inside the cell 152 is separated from the inner wall of the cell 152. The cell 152 may have a semicircular cross section.

The ice tray 151 may be provided with a heating unit 154 to heat the ice tray 151. The heating unit 154 may be configured of an electric heater 154 operated by electricity.

An ejector 191 may be provided at an upper side of the ice tray 151 to separate the ice 156 formed in the ice tray 151. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the ejector 191 includes a shaft 193, a plate 194 protruding to one side of the shaft 193, and the plate 1 from the shaft 193. It may be configured with a plurality of fingers (195) protruding opposite to the 194. The shaft 193 may be disposed along a length direction of the ice tray 151. The ice tray 151 may be formed with a shaft support 155 to rotatably support the shaft 193. The shaft support part 155 may be configured to partially support the shaft 193 to be rotatably supported.

The finger 195 may be configured to protrude radially from an outer surface of the shaft 193 to correspond to each cell 152 of the ice tray 151. The finger 195 rotates about the shaft 193 via the inside of each cell 152 to press the ice 156 inside the cell 152 to separate from the cell 152. . Each finger 195 may be formed at a predetermined distance d from each other so that the partition wall 153 of the corresponding cell 152 may be inserted.

The plate 194 may be configured to support the ice 156 separated from the cell 152 by the fingers 195. The plate 194 may be formed in an elongated plate shape.

As shown in FIG. 10, the ejector 191 includes a shaft 203 and a plurality of fingers 205 protruding to a predetermined length on both sides of the shaft 203 to be coplanar. Can be configured. The shaft 203 is disposed along the lengthwise direction above the ice tray 151, and each finger 205 may be inserted into the corresponding cell 152 to be rotatable. The fingers 205 may be spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance d so that the partition wall 153 of the cell 152 may be inserted therebetween when the fingers 205 rotate. As a result, the ejector 191 may be configured to be rotated by 180 degrees in any one direction without the need for forward and reverse rotation.

The ejector 191 may further include an ejector driver 211 that rotationally drives the shaft 193. The ejector driver 211 may be provided inside the control box 171. As shown in FIG. 5, the ejector driver 211 may transmit, for example, a shaft driving motor 213 for generating power and a rotational force of the shaft driving motor 213 to the shaft 193. It may be configured with a power transmission means (215).

The power transmission means 215 may be configured to include a plurality of gears (216, 217) rotated in engagement with each other. Here, the power transmission means may be configured to include a belt and pulley in addition to the plurality of gears, or may be configured to transmit power including a chain and a chain sprocket wheel. The shaft driving motor 213 may be configured to enable forward and reverse rotation so as to forward and reverse rotation of the ejector 191.

Here, as shown in Figure 10, when the ejector 201 is configured with the fingers 205 protruding to both sides, the shaft drive motor 213 for driving the shaft 203 is rotated forward, reverse It can be configured as a motor that can rotate in any one direction without having to.

Meanwhile, a cover 161 may be provided around the ejector 191 to block the upper opening of the ice tray 151. The cover 161 may be formed in a semicircular shape in which the cross section is opened downward. As a result, the ejector 191 may be rotatably accommodated and a compact configuration is possible because it does not occupy unnecessary internal space. Here, the cover 161 and the ice tray 151 is a locking and releasing means that maintains a combined state when the ice tray 151 and the cover 161 are coupled, and releases the coupled state if necessary (not shown). C) may be further provided.

The upper surface of the ice tray 151 may be provided with a jaw 157 to be disposed on the outside of the cover 161. As a result, it is possible to more effectively prevent water from flowing out of the ice tray 151.

An ice outlet 163 may be formed at one end along the longitudinal direction of the cover 161 to allow the ice 156 to be discharged. Here, the cover 161 may be configured to have a longer length so that the ice outlet 163 side more protrudes in the longitudinal direction than the ice tray 151. Correspondingly, an ice bank 181 may be provided below the ice tray 151 to accommodate and store the falling ice 156. The ice bank 181 may be installed to protrude more toward the ice discharge side than the ice tray 151.

Here, the ice bank 181 may be configured to have the same width as the ice tray 151 directly below the ice tray 151. As a result, the installation width of the ice tray 151 and the ice bank 181 can be significantly reduced.

An upper portion of the ice bank 181 may further include an ice guide 185 disposed to block an end region of the cover 161 to guide the falling ice 156 into the ice bank 181. Can be. The ice guide 185 may be integrally formed with the ice bank 181.

The ice tray 151 may be provided with a water supply unit 165 to supply water. The water supply part 165 may be provided in the cover 161. The water supply unit 165 may be configured of a pipe.

On the other hand, the upper side of the ejector 191 may be provided with a transport unit 220 to transport the ice 156 separated by the ejector 191. The transfer unit 220 may be configured to transfer the ice 156 in the axial direction of the ejector 191.

As shown in FIG. 4, the transfer unit 220 may include a transfer screw 221 and a pusher 225 coupled to the transfer screw 221 to move.

The transfer screw 221 may be composed of a plurality. One end of the transfer screw 221 may be inserted into the control box 171, as shown in FIG. The transfer screw 221 may be rotatably supported by the control box 171. Here, the other end of the transfer screw 221 may be configured to be rotatably supported by the cover 161.

The pusher 225 may be formed in a plate shape. The pusher 225 may be formed in a semicircular plate shape. The pusher 225 may include a female screw portion 227 to be screwed to the male screw portion 223 of the transfer screw 221. The pusher 225 may include a body 226 and a pair of female screw parts 227 spaced apart from each other in an upper region of the body 226. Here, the body 226 may be formed in a plate shape. The body 226 may be formed in a semicircular shape. The body 226 may be installed such that a straight portion side faces downward, and the female screw portions 227 are spaced apart from each other in an upper region of the circumferential surface.

Correspondingly, the cover 161 may be provided with a conveying screw accommodating portion 167 to accommodate the conveying screw 221. The conveying screw accommodating part 167 may be formed to protrude outward and extend in the longitudinal direction. The conveying screw receiving portion 167 may be provided with a conveying screw support 168 to support the conveying screw 221 to rotate.

The transfer unit 220 may further include a transfer screw driver 230 for driving the transfer screw 221. The transfer screw driver 230 is, for example, a transfer screw driving motor 231 for generating a driving force, a power transmission means for transmitting the driving force of the transfer screw driving motor 231 to each of the transfer screw 221. It can be configured to have. The power transmission means 235 may include a plurality of gears 236 and 237. Here, the power transmission means may be configured to include a belt and a pulley in place of a plurality of gears, or may be configured to enable power transmission including a chain and a chain sprocket wheel.

As shown in FIG. 9, the present ice maker 150 may include a controller 250 provided with a control program. As shown in FIG. 5, the controller 250 may be implemented as a PCB (pcb). The controller 250 may be disposed inside the control box 181. A mode selector 251 may be connected to the controller 250 to select an operation mode such as an ice making mode. The control unit 250 may be controlably connected to the shaft driving motor 213, the electric heater 154, and the transfer screw driving motor 231 to control the ice making and the ice making process when the ice making mode is selected.

In this configuration, when the ice making mode is selected by the mode selection unit 251, water is supplied to the ice tray 151 through the water supply unit 165. The controller 250 causes power to be applied to the electric heater 154 when a predetermined time (time for ice 156 to be formed inside the ice tray 151) elapses after water supply.

When power is applied to the electric heater 154, the interface of the ice 156 in contact with the wall of the cell 152 of the ice tray 151 is melted. The controller 250 controls the shaft driving motor 213 when the temperature of the surface of the ice 156 inside the cells 152 reaches the temperature at which the surface of the ice 156 melts or when the temperature of the ice 156 has elapsed. Allow the ejector 191 to rotate.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the ejector 191 is rotated, each finger 195 enters the inside of the cell 152 and rotates while pressing the ice 156 made in the inside of the cell 152. . As a result, the ice 156 inside each cell 152 is separated from the inner wall of the cell 152. The separated ice 156 is rotated while being guided by the corresponding cell 152, the inner surface of the cover 161, and the plate 194 of the ejector 191. More specifically, the ice 156 separated from the cell 152 is supported by the finger 195 in the rear with respect to the direction of rotation, the front is located by the plate 194, the outside is blocked by the cover 161 Therefore, it may be prevented from entering the corresponding cell 152 again.

When the ejector 191 rotates 180 degrees, as shown in FIG. 8, each ice 156 is positioned above the ejector 191, that is, the finger 195 and the plate 194, rotated 180 degrees. Done.

When the ejector 191 rotates 180 degrees, the controller 250 controls the transfer screw drive motor 231 to allow the transfer screw 221 to rotate.

When the transfer screw 221 starts to rotate, the pusher 225 is moved above the ejector 191 along the moving screw. As a result, the ice 156 placed on the upper side of the ejector 191 is pushed by the pusher 225 and moved to the ice discharge port 163 to fall down the ice tray 151. The ice 156 moved and dropped by the pusher 225 is stored in the ice bank 181.

The control unit 250 controls the transfer screw driving motor 231 when the pusher 225 is moved to the end of the ice tray 151 so that the transfer screw 221 rotates in the opposite direction. When the transfer screw 221 rotates in the opposite direction, the pusher 225 is moved to the initial position along the transfer screw 221.

When the pusher 225 is moved to the initial position, the controller 250 controls the shaft driving motor 213 so that the shaft 193 rotates in the opposite direction. Here, as shown in FIG. 10, when the ejector 201 is configured to have the fingers 205 protruding to both sides, the shaft driving motor 213 is configured to rotate in one direction, and thus, the control unit 250. ) Causes the shaft drive motor 213 to wait for the next signal.

In the above-described and illustrated embodiments, the case in which the ice making device is provided in the refrigerating chamber door of the bottom freezer refrigerator is described as an example, but the ice making device is included in the freezing door of the side by side refrigerator. It may be configured to be provided. In addition, the ice making apparatus may be configured to be disposed inside the freezing compartment.

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 features thereof, so the embodiments described above should not be limited by the details of the detailed description.

Further, even when the embodiments not listed in the detailed description have been described, it should be interpreted broadly within the scope of the technical idea 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.

1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention,

2 is a perspective view of the ice making apparatus of FIG.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the ice tray with the control box of Figure 2 removed,

4 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 3;

5 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 2;

6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of the ice making apparatus of FIG. 3;

7 and 8 are views for explaining the ice discharge process of the ice making device of Figure 6,

9 is a control block diagram of the ice making apparatus of FIG.

10 is a modification of the ejector of FIG. 4.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

110: refrigerator body 120: refrigerator

125: refrigerator door 130: freezer

135: freezer door 140: ice making room

145: ice maker door 150: ice maker

151: ice tray 152: cell

153: bulkhead 154: electric heater

157: jaw 161: cover

163: ice outlet 167: lead screw receiving portion

171: control box 181: ice bank

185: Ice Guide 191: Ejector

193: shaft 194: plate

195 Finger 213 Shaft Drive Motor

220: transfer unit 221: transfer screw

225: pusher 231: transfer screw drive motor

250: control unit 251: mode selection unit

Claims (19)

An ice tray having a plurality of cells therein; And And a cover for blocking an upper opening of the ice tray. The method of claim 1, One side end of the cover along the longitudinal direction of the ice making apparatus of the refrigerator characterized in that the ice outlet for discharging ice is provided. The method of claim 1, And an ejector disposed above the ice tray and separating the ice formed in the cell. The method of claim 3, And an ejector driver for providing a driving force to the ejector. The method of claim 4, wherein The icemaker of the refrigerator further comprises a control unit for controlling the ejector driver. The method of claim 5, The ejector, the shaft; A plate protruding on one side of the shaft; Refrigerator deicing device comprising a; a plurality of fingers protruding opposite to the plate on the other side of the shaft. The method of claim 6, And the control unit controls the shaft driving unit such that the finger rotates forward and backward via the cell. The method of claim 5, The ejector, the shaft; And a plurality of fingers protruding from both sides of the shaft. The method of claim 8, The control unit controls the shaft driving unit so that the shaft is rotated in one direction. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 9, And a transfer unit for transferring the ice separated by the ejector in the longitudinal direction of the ice tray. The method of claim 10, The transfer unit, the transfer screw; And a pusher moving along the transfer screw. The method of claim 10, The cover is an ice making apparatus of the refrigerator, characterized in that the cross-section is semi-circular. The method of claim 10, The icemaker of the refrigerator, characterized in that the screw is a pair. The method of claim 10, The cover is an ice making apparatus of the refrigerator, characterized in that the ice discharge side protrudes more than the ice tray. The method of claim 14, And an ice bank for accommodating the ice falling from the lower side of the cover. The method of claim 10, The conveying unit is an ice making apparatus of the refrigerator further comprising a conveying screw drive unit for providing a driving force to the conveying screw. A refrigerator body in which a cooling chamber is formed; A door for opening and closing the cooling chamber; And Refrigerator comprising an ice making device of claim 1. The method of claim 17, The ice maker is provided in the door. The method of claim 17, The refrigerator main body includes a freezer compartment and a refrigerating compartment, and the ice maker is provided in a refrigerating chamber door that opens and closes the refrigerating compartment.

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