KR20170068135A - Evaporator for ice making - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is an evaporator for ice making.
The evaporator for ice making according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an evaporator tube through which a refrigerant flows; A cold water generating member at least partially contacting the evaporating pipe and having a cooling passage formed by the heat transfer with the refrigerant while flowing water; And a lid member covering the open upper portion of the cooling channel and surrounding at least a part of the evaporation pipe and the cold water generating member; . ≪ / RTI >

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to an evaporator for ice making,

The present invention relates to an evaporator for ice making to make ice and cold water.

In the evaporator for ice making, refrigerant flows to cool water by heat transfer between the refrigerant and water to make ice.

As described above, the evaporator for ice making can make cold water as well as make ice by cooling water.

However, in the conventional evaporator for ice making, the heat transfer from the outside to water or the refrigerant can not be minimized, so that the cooling performance is not improved.

The present invention is realized by recognizing at least any one of the above-mentioned conventional needs or problems.

One aspect of the present invention is to improve the cooling performance of the evaporator for ice making.

Another aspect of the object of the present invention is to make the water produced in the evaporator for ice-making be cooled or generated relatively quickly.

Another aspect of the object of the present invention is to allow at least a part of the cold water producing member, which is in contact with the evaporating tube and the evaporating tube through which the refrigerant flows, to be cooled while the water flows, to be wrapped by the lid member.

An evaporator for ice making according to an embodiment for realizing at least one of the above problems may include the following features.

An evaporator for ice making according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: an evaporator tube through which refrigerant flows; A cold water generating member having at least a part of the refrigerant contacting with the evaporating pipe and having a cooling flow path through which water flows and is cooled by heat transfer with the refrigerant; And a cover member covering the open upper portion of the cooling channel and surrounding at least a part of the evaporation pipe and the cold water generating member; . ≪ / RTI >

In this case, the cold water producing member can contact the upper part of the evaporation pipe.

In addition, the cold water generating member may be positioned above the evaporation pipe.

The lid member includes an upper lid covering an upper portion of the cold water producing member; And a lower cover connected to the upper cover to enclose at least a part of the evaporation pipe and the cold water producing member together with the upper cover; . ≪ / RTI >

The upper lid may be provided with a tube insertion portion into which a cold water supply pipe for supplying water to the cooling channel is inserted.

The lower cover may be formed with a through hole through which the immersion member connected to the evaporation pipe passes.

Further, the through hole may be provided with a sealing member that seals between the immersion member and the through-hole.

A seating groove on which the sealing member is seated may be formed in a portion of the lower lid around the passage hole.

Further, the sealing member can be fixed to the seating groove by the fixing member.

In addition, a fitting groove into which the fixing member is fitted may be formed in a portion of the lower lid around the seating groove.

In addition, the evaporation pipe may be connected to an immersion member at least partially immersed in the water contained in the tray member and generating ice by cooling by heat transfer with the refrigerant.

The refrigerant may flow into the immersion member.

A heater for heating the evaporation pipe so that the ice generated in the immersion member is separated from the immersion member; As shown in FIG.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, at least a part of the cold water generating member which is in contact with the evaporating pipe through which the refrigerant flows and the evaporator tube is cooled while the water flows can be wrapped by the lid member.

Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the cooling performance of the evaporator for ice-making can be improved.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the water generated in the evaporator for ice-making can be cooled or ice can be generated relatively quickly.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, foreign substances can be prevented from flowing into the evaporation pipe and the cold water generating member from the outside, and from entering the evaporating pipe and the cold water tank through the cold water generating unit.

1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an evaporator for ice making according to the present invention.
2 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of an evaporator for ice making according to the present invention.
3 is a view showing that an embodiment of the evaporator for ice making according to the present invention is installed in the icemaker main body.
4 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken along a line I-I 'in Fig.
5 to 8 are enlarged sectional views showing the operation of an embodiment of the evaporator for ice making according to the present invention.

In order to facilitate understanding of the features of the present invention, an evaporator for ice making according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

The embodiments described below will be described on the basis of embodiments best suited to understand the technical characteristics of the present invention and the technical features of the present invention are not limited by the embodiments described, It is to be understood that the invention can be practiced with embodiments. Therefore, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. In order to facilitate an understanding of the embodiments described below, in the reference numerals shown in the accompanying drawings, among the constituent elements which perform the same function in the respective embodiments, the related constituent elements are indicated by the same or an extension line number.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an evaporator for ice making according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. FIG.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an evaporator for ice making according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of an evaporator for ice making according to the present invention.

3 is a view showing that an embodiment of the evaporator for ice making according to the present invention is installed in the icemaker main body, and Fig. 4 is a sectional perspective view taken along a line I-I 'in Fig.

5 to 8 are enlarged sectional views showing the operation of an embodiment of the evaporator for ice making according to the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the evaporator for ice making according to the present invention may include an evaporation pipe 200, a cold water generating member 300, and a lid member 400.

The refrigerant may flow into the evaporation pipe 200.

In the evaporation pipe 200, for example, cold refrigerant below the freezing point can flow. Thereby, heat is transferred from the water flowing in the cooling channel 310, which will be described later, formed in the cold water generating member 300 to the cold refrigerant flowing in the evaporation pipe 200, so that the water flowing in the cooling channel 310 is cooled And can become cold water.

6, when the immersion member 210 connected to the evaporation pipe 200 is immersed in the water contained in the tray member T as shown in FIG. 6, the evaporation pipe 200 is cooled, for example, When the refrigerant flows, the heat transfer from the water contained in the tray member T to the cold refrigerant can be made. Thereby, the water around the immersion member 210 is cooled, and ice (I) can be generated in the immersion member 210 as shown in FIGS.

On the other hand, a hot refrigerant having a freezing point, for example, can also flow into the evaporation pipe 200. Thereby, heat transfer can be performed from the hot refrigerant flowing through the evaporation pipe 200 to the ice (I) generated in the immersion member 210. Then, the portion of the ice (I) in contact with the immersion member (210) melts and the ice (I) can be separated from the immersion member (210).

However, in order to separate the ice (I) generated in the immersion member 210 from the immersion member 210, the evaporation tube 200 may be heated by the heater 500 as described later.

The immersion member 210 may be connected to the evaporation tube 200 as described above and illustrated in FIGS.

3 to 8, a tray member T may be pivotally mounted on an ice maker main body BD in which an embodiment of the evaporator 100 for ice making according to the present invention is installed.

The tray member T can be pivoted between the ice-making position as shown in Figs. 5 to 7 and the ice-making position as shown in Fig.

Water can be contained in the tray member T at the ice-making position of the tray member T. 5, water is supplied to the tray member T from an ice-making water supply pipe TPI connected to a water supply source (not shown) by a connection pipe (not shown) The tray member T is filled with water as shown in FIG.

The water supply source to which the ice making water supply pipe (TPI) is connected is not particularly limited, and it is possible to supply water such as a storage tank (not shown) provided in a water treatment apparatus (not shown) such as a water purifier or a water filter Anything that is well-known is possible if it exists.

When the tray member T is filled with water, at least a part of the immersion member 210 of the evaporation pipe 200 is immersed in the water contained in the tray member T as shown in FIGS. In this state, when the cold refrigerant below the freezing point flows into the evaporation pipe 200, heat is transferred from the water contained in the tray member T to the cold refrigerant flowing through the evaporation pipe 200. Then, as described above, the water around the immersion member 210 is cooled, and ice (I) is generated in the immersion member 210.

The immersion member 210 may be connected to the evaporation pipe 200 as shown in FIG. Thereby, a plurality of ice (I) can be simultaneously generated in the immersion member 210. However, the number of the immersion members 210 connected to the evaporation pipe 200 is not particularly limited and may be one or any number.

The immersion member 210 may be connected to the lower portion of the evaporation pipe 200 as shown in FIG. However, the portion of the evaporation tube 200 to which the immersion member 210 is connected is not particularly limited and may be connected to any part of the evaporation tube 200.

On the other hand, the refrigerant can also flow into the immersion member 210. To this end, the immersion member 210 may be provided with a refrigerant passage (not shown) communicating with a refrigerant passage (not shown) formed in the evaporation tube 200.

In this case, ice (I) may be generated in the immersion member 210 by causing soft transfer to cool refrigerant flowing below the freezing point, for example, flowing through the immersion member 210 from the water contained in the tray member T.

In addition, heat transfer is performed from the hot refrigerant flowing in the immersion member 210 to the ice (I) generated in the immersion member 210 from the hot refrigerant at a freezing point or more, for example, so that the ice I generated in the immersion member 210 is transferred to the immersion member 210 ). ≪ / RTI >

In this case, however, the ice (I) generated in the immersion member 210 may be separated from the immersion member 210 by heating the evaporation pipe 200 by the heater 500 as described above.

The cold water generating member 300 may be at least partially in contact with the evaporation pipe 200.

The cold water generating member 300 is cooled by the heat transfer from the cold water generating member 300 to the cold refrigerant flowing in the evaporating pipe 200 when the cold refrigerant below the freezing point flows into the evaporating pipe 200, .

The cold water generating member 300 may contact the upper part of the evaporation pipe 200, for example. However, the part of the evaporation pipe 200 to which the cold water generating member 300 is contacted is not particularly limited, and can contact any part of the evaporation pipe 200.

Further, the cold water generating member 300 may be positioned above the evaporation pipe 200. However, the position of the cold water generating member 300 with respect to the evaporation pipe 200 is not particularly limited, and any position is possible as long as the evaporation pipe 200 is at least partially in contact with the evaporation pipe 200.

The cooling water channel 310 may be formed in the cold water generating member 300. The cross section of the cold water generating member 300 may be substantially in the shape of an letter "M" such that the coolant passage 310 is formed by contacting the upper portion of the evaporation pipe 200 as described above.

However, the shape and configuration of the cold water generating member 300 are not particularly limited, and any shape and configuration can be employed as long as the cooling channel 310 can be formed at least partially in contact with the evaporation pipe 200 .

The cooling passage 310 is connected to the evaporator 200 through the evaporator 200 and the evaporator 200. The evaporator 200 is connected to the cooling passage 310 through the evaporator 200, So that the cold water can be cooled.

The lid member 400 covers the open top of the cooling channel 310 and can cover at least a part of the evaporation pipe 200 and the cold water generating member 300.

Since the open upper portion of the cooling passage 310 is covered by the lid member 400 and at least a part of the cold water generating portion 300 is enclosed by the lid member 400, the refrigerant flowing through the evaporating tube 200 The heat transfer from the outside to the water flowing through the cooling channel 310 can be minimized when the water flowing through the cooling channel 310 is cooled.

Therefore, the cooling performance of water flowing in the cooling channel 310 by the coolant refrigerant flowing below the freezing point, for example, flowing through the evaporation pipe 200 can be improved. Thereby, the water flowing in the cooling passage 310 can be cooled relatively quickly to a predetermined desired temperature.

Further, since the evaporator 200 is also covered by the lid member 400, the heat transfer to the refrigerant flowing from the outside through the evaporator 200 can be minimized. Thereby, the heat transfer to the coolant refrigerant flowing from the outside to the evaporating tube 200, for example, below the freezing point can be minimized. The temperature rise of the cold refrigerant flowing through the evaporation pipe 200 due to heat transfer from the outside can be minimized.

Since the temperature rise of the cold refrigerant flowing through the evaporation pipe 200 is minimized, the cooling performance of the water flowing through the cooling channel 310 by the cold refrigerant flowing through the evaporation pipe 200 can be improved . And, the water flowing in the cooling channel 310 can be cooled relatively quickly to a predetermined desired temperature.

Also, the cooling performance of water around the immersion member 210 by the cold refrigerant flowing through the evaporation pipe 200 can be improved. In addition, ice (I) can be generated relatively quickly in the immersion member 210.

In addition, the foreign substances may not flow into the evaporation pipe 200 and the cold water generating member 300, and the foreign substances of the evaporation pipe 200 and the cold water generating member 300 may be different from each other, And the like, so that the sanitary property can be improved.

The lid member 400 may include an upper lid 410 and a lower lid 420.

The upper cover 410 may cover the upper portion of the cold water generating member 300. The shape and configuration of the upper lid 410 are not particularly limited, and any shape and configuration are possible as long as the upper lid 410 has a configuration and a configuration capable of covering the upper portion of the cold water generating member 300.

The upper cover 410 may have a tube insertion portion 411 formed therein. The cold water supply pipe TPW may be inserted into the pipe insertion portion 411 of the upper lid 410 as shown in FIG. The cold water supply pipe TPW may be connected to a water supply source (not shown), for example, a cold water tank (not shown) in which cold water is stored.

The cold water tank may be formed in the ice maker main body BD provided with an embodiment of the evaporator 100 for ice making according to the present invention. The cold water tank may be formed in the ice maker main body BD such that the cold water tank is located below the evaporator 100 for ice making according to an embodiment of the present invention and the upper portion thereof is opened.

The water stored in the cold water tank is supplied to the cooling channel 310 of the cold water generating member 300 through the cold water supply pipe TPW and the water is supplied to the cooling channel 310 of the cold water generating member 300 The refrigerant can be cooled by the heat transfer with the cold refrigerant flowing through the evaporation pipe 200 to become cold water.

The cold water thus produced can be dropped from the cooling channel 310 into the cold water tank, and can be introduced into the cold water tank through the opened upper portion of the cold water tank and stored. The water stored in the cold water tank may be cooled to a predetermined required temperature while circulating between the cooling water channel 310 of the cold water generating member 300 and the cold water tank.

However, the water supply source to which the cold water supply pipe TPW inserted into the pipe insertion portion 411 of the upper cover 410 is connected is not particularly limited and may be connected to the cold water supply pipe TPW, If so, any water source is possible.

The lower cover 420 may be connected to the upper cover 410. In addition, at least a part of the evaporation pipe 200 and the cold water generating member 300 may be wrapped together with the upper cover 410. The shape and configuration of the lower cover 420 are not particularly limited and may be any shape and configuration as long as it can cover at least a part of the evaporation pipe 200 and the cold water generating member 300 together with the upper cover 410 It is possible.

A through hole 421 may be formed in the lower cover 420. The above-described immersion member 210 connected to the evaporation pipe 200 can pass through the through-hole 421 of the lower cover 420. Therefore, the number of the through holes 421 may be a number corresponding to the number of the immersion members 210. The number of through holes 421 formed in the lower cover 420 is not particularly limited and may be any number as long as it corresponds to the number of the immersion members 210 connected to the evaporation pipe 200.

The through hole 421 may be provided with a sealing member 422. The sealing member 422 can seal between the immersion member 210 and the through hole 421. [

Even if the water flows into the lower cover 420 due to overflowing of the water flowing in the cooling channel 310 of the cold water generating member 300, it is possible to pass through the immersion member 210 and the through hole 421 And may not fall into the immersion member 210, the tray member T, or the cold water tank.

Unwanted ice (I) may be generated in the immersion member (210), or water contained in the tray member (T) or water stored in the cold water tank may not be contaminated.

The sealing member 422 may be an O-ring. However, the sealing member 422 is not particularly limited, and any well-known sealing member can be used as long as it can seal the immersion member 210 and the through-hole 421.

A seating groove 423 may be formed in a portion of the lower cover 420 around the passage hole 421. The above-described sealing member 422 can be seated in the seating groove 423 to seal the immersion member 210 and the through-hole 421. Thereby, the sealing member 422 can be easily provided in the through-hole 421 so as to seal between the immersion member 210 and the through-hole 421.

The seating groove 423 may have a shape corresponding to the sealing member 422, for example, a ring shape if the sealing member 422 is an O-ring as described above. However, the shape of the seating groove 423 is not particularly limited, and any shape can be used as long as the shape corresponds to the sealing member 422.

The sealing member 422 that is seated in the seating groove 423 can be fixed to the seating groove 423 by the fixing member 424. [ Thereby, the sealing member 422 can be prevented from being detached from the seating groove 423 and the sealing member 422 can be prevented from being damaged.

The fixing member 424 may have a shape corresponding to the sealing member 422, for example, a ring shape if the sealing member 422 is an O-ring as described above. However, the shape of the fixing member 424 is not particularly limited, and any shape can be used as long as the shape corresponds to the sealing member 422. [

A fitting groove 425 may be formed in a portion of the lower cover 420 around the seating groove 423. In the fitting groove 425, the above-described fixing member 424 is fitted and the sealing member 422 can be fixed. The fitting groove 425 may have a shape corresponding to the fixing member 424, for example, a ring shape. However, the shape of the fitting groove 425 is not particularly limited, and any shape can be used as long as it is a shape corresponding to the fixing member 424.

One embodiment of the evaporator 100 for ice making according to the present invention may further include a heater 500. The heater 500 can heat the evaporation tube 200 so that the ice I generated in the immersion member 210 is separated from the immersion member 210. [

To this end, the heater 500 may at least partially contact the evaporation tube 200. For example, the heater 500 may be in a "U" shape to correspond to the "U" shape evaporation pipe 200. Further, the heater 500 can be heated when electricity is applied.

However, the shape and configuration of the heater 500 are not particularly limited, and the shape and configuration of the heater 500 may be such that the ice (I) generated in the immersion member 210 is separated from the immersion member 210 Any shape and configuration is possible.

In addition, one embodiment of the evaporator 100 for ice making according to the present invention may further include a support member 600. The support member 600 can support the evaporator 200 or the evaporator 200 and the heater 500 installed on the ice maker main body BD.

For example, the evaporator 200 or the evaporator 200 and the heater 500 are U-shaped, and the support member 600 can be fixed to the ice maker body BD by bolts or the like. The support member 600 may support the curved portion of the U-shaped evaporation pipe 200 or the evaporation pipe 200 and the heater 500.

In this case, the straight portion of the evaporator 200 or the evaporator 200 and the heater 500 may be supported by a part of the ice maker main body BD.

The shape and configuration of the support member 600 are not particularly limited and may be any shape and configuration capable of supporting the evaporator 200 or the evaporator 200 and the heater 500 to be installed on the ice- And the like.

One embodiment of the evaporator 100 for ice making according to the present invention may further include an auxiliary supporting member 700. The auxiliary support member 700 can support the evaporator 200 or the evaporator 200 and the heater 500 installed in the ice maker main body BD together with the support member 600 described above.

For example, the auxiliary support member 700 may be formed as a separate member from the evaporator 200 or a portion of the evaporator 200 and a part of the ice maker body BD supporting the linear portion of the heater 500 as described above, The evaporation pipe 200 or the evaporation pipe 200 and other portions of the linear portion of the heater 500 can be supported.

The shape and configuration of the auxiliary supporting member 700 are not particularly limited and the evaporating tube 200 or the evaporator 200 and the heater 500 may be supported on the ice maker main body BD together with the supporting member 600 It can be any shape and configuration.

As described above, when the evaporator for ice making according to the present invention is used, at least a part of the cold water generating member, which is in contact with the evaporating pipe through which the refrigerant flows and the evaporating pipe is cooled while water flows, It is possible to cool the water in the evaporator for ice making or to produce ice relatively quickly and to prevent the inflow of foreign substances from the outside to the evaporation pipe and the cold water producing member, It is possible to prevent the foreign matter from flowing into the cold water tank or the like, thereby improving the hygiene.

The above-described embodiments of the evaporator for ice-making are not limited to the above-described embodiments, but all or some of the embodiments may be selectively combined so that various modifications may be made to the embodiments .

100: Evaporator for ice making 200: Evaporator
210: immersion member 300: cold water generating member
310: cooling channel 400: cover member
410: upper cover 411: tube insertion portion
420: lower cover 421: through hole
422: sealing member 423:
424: fixing member 425: fitting groove
500: heater 600: support member
700: Auxiliary support member TPW: Water supply pipe for cold water
TPI: Deicing water supply pipe T: Tray member
BD: Ice-maker main body

Claims (13)

An evaporator tube through which refrigerant flows;
A cold water generating member at least partially contacting the evaporating pipe and having a cooling passage formed by the heat transfer with the refrigerant while flowing water; And
A lid member covering the open top of the cooling channel and surrounding at least a part of the evaporation pipe and the cold water producing member;
And an evaporator. The evaporator according to claim 1, wherein the cold water producing member is in contact with an upper portion of the evaporating tube. 3. The evaporator according to claim 2, wherein the cold water generating member is positioned above the evaporator. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the lid member
An upper cover covering an upper portion of the cold water producing member; And
A lower cover connected to the upper cover to enclose at least a part of the evaporation pipe and the cold water producing member together with the upper cover;
And an evaporator. The evaporator for ice making according to claim 4, wherein the upper lid is provided with a tube insertion portion into which a water supply pipe for cold water for supplying water to the cooling channel is inserted. The evaporator for ice making according to claim 4, wherein a through-hole through which the immersion member connected to the evaporation pipe passes is formed in the lower cover. 7. The evaporator according to claim 6, wherein the through hole is provided with a sealing member which seals between the immersion member and the through hole. 8. The evaporator of claim 7, wherein a seating groove on which the sealing member is seated is formed in a portion of the lower cover around the through-hole. 9. The evaporator according to claim 8, wherein the sealing member is fixed to the seating groove by a fixing member. 10. The evaporator of claim 9, wherein a fitting groove into which the fixing member is fitted is formed in a portion of the lower lid around the seating groove. The evaporator according to claim 1, wherein the evaporation tube is connected to an immersion member at least partially immersed in water contained in the tray member and generating ice by cooling by heat transfer with the refrigerant. 12. The evaporator according to claim 11, wherein the refrigerant flows to the immersion member. 12. The ice maker according to claim 11, further comprising: a heater for heating the evaporation pipe so that ice generated in the immersion member is separated from the immersion member; Further comprising: an evaporator for deicing the ice.

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