KR20170126164A - Ice maker for refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ice maker for a refrigerator. More specifically, according to an embodiment of the present invention, an ice maker for a refrigerator may comprise: an ice making unit supplied with water to make ice; an ice storage unit in which the ice made in the ice making unit is transferred to be stored; a detection unit capable of measuring the amount of the ice filled in the ice storage unit; and an accommodating unit accommodating the ice making unit and the ice storage unit therein. The ice storage unit comprises: a bucket in which the ice is contained; and a support unit supporting the bucket to be moved. The detection unit is configured to detect relative movement of the bucket with respect to the accommodating unit.

Description

[0001] ICE MAKER FOR REFRIGERATOR [0002]

The present invention relates to an ice maker for a refrigerator and a refrigerator including the same.

A refrigerator is a device for preventing food from being decayed and deteriorated by storing food at a low temperature, and the food can be stored in a refrigerator or in a refrigerator at a high temperature. The refrigerator compartment can be generally divided into a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment, and the refrigerator includes a heat exchanger that supplies cold air to the compartment.

The cool air supplied to the inside of the refrigerator is generated by the refrigerant heat exchange action in the heat exchanger. In other words, the cold air is generated by repetition of the cycle of compression-condensation-expansion-evaporation in the heat exchanger, and is supplied to the inside of the refrigerator. The supplied cold air is uniformly transferred to the inside of the refrigerator by the convection so that the food inside the refrigerator can be stored at a desired temperature.

Such a cycle is installed on one side of the refrigerator separately from the storage space such as a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment for storing food in the refrigerator. For example, the compression and condensation processes can be performed by a compressor and a condenser disposed in a machine room formed under the rear of the refrigerator. Also, in the evaporation process, the evaporation of the refrigerant allows the refrigerant to absorb the heat of the surrounding air and cool the surrounding air.

Meanwhile, generally, the refrigerator body is in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped having a front opening, and a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment may be provided inside the refrigerator body. In addition, a refrigerator compartment door and a freezer compartment door may be provided on the front surface of the main body for selectively shielding the opening, and a plurality of drawers, a shelf and a storage compartment Box or the like may be provided.

Conventionally, a top mount type refrigerator in which a freezing compartment is located on the upper side and a refrigerating compartment is located on the lower side has been the mainstream. In recent years, however, a bottom freeze type refrigerator Is also being released. Here, in the case of the bottom freeze type refrigerator, a frequently used refrigerator room is located on the upper side, and a relatively less used freezer room is located on the lower side, so that the user can conveniently use the refrigerator room. However, since the bottom freeze-type refrigerator has the freezing chamber located on the lower side, it is inconvenient for the user to bend the waist to open the freezing chamber door and take out the ice to take out the ice.

In order to solve this problem, a refrigerator has been recently provided with a dispenser for taking out ice from the refrigerator compartment door located above the bottom freeze type refrigerator. In this case, an ice maker for generating ice may be provided in the refrigerator compartment door or the refrigerating compartment. The ice maker may include a ice tray having an ice tray for generating ice, and an ice bucket for storing and storing the generated ice.

On the other hand, when ice cubes of a predetermined size or more are stored in the ice storage of the ice maker (i.e., when the ice cubes are completely ice-covered), it is necessary to detect ice cubes in order to prevent ice from being further de-iced.

Embodiments of the present invention are intended to provide an ice maker in which ice can be prevented from being further de-iced when the ice in the ice storage bin is full.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ice maker comprising: An ice storage part for storing ice stored in the ice making part; A sensing unit capable of measuring an amount of ice filled in the ice storage unit; And an accommodating portion for accommodating the ice-making portion and the ice-storing portion, wherein the ice-storing portion includes a bucket for containing the ice delivered from the ice-making portion; And a support for movably supporting the bucket, wherein the sensing unit senses the relative movement of the bucket relative to the accommodating unit.

Also, the sensing unit may be provided with an ice maker for a refrigerator including a magnetic sensor.

Further, the sensing unit may include a target portion provided on the bucket; And a recognizing unit provided in the accommodating unit, wherein the recognizing unit may be provided with a refrigerator-freezing device for sensing a relative movement of the target unit with respect to the recognizing unit.

The target portion may be provided at a central portion of the bottom surface of the bucket, and the recognizing portion may be provided to correspond to the target portion.

Also, an ice maker for a refrigerator may be provided between the bucket and the support unit, wherein the ice maker is provided with an elastic member for supporting the bucket.

Also, the bucket may include a bucket guide, and the support portion may be provided with a guide for guiding upward and downward movement of the bucket guide.

The bucket is provided with a first elastic member guide for guiding the elastic member at one side of the elastic member and a second elastic member guide for guiding the elastic member at the other side of the elastic member, A freezing device may be provided.

The bucket is provided with an elongated groove extending upwardly and downwardly. The ice reservoir further includes a transmitting member arranged to pass the ice through the elongated groove, A freezing device may be provided.

Also, there is provided an ice maker comprising: An ice storage part for storing ice stored in the ice making part; A sensing unit capable of measuring an amount of ice filled in the ice storage unit; And an accommodating portion for accommodating the ice-making portion and the ice-storing portion, wherein the ice-storing portion comprises: a bucket containing the ice; And a support portion movably supporting the bucket, wherein the sensing portion includes a target portion provided on the bucket; And a recognition unit provided in the accommodation unit.

In addition, the recognition unit may include a magnetic sensor for sensing a relative movement of the target unit with respect to the recognition unit.

Also, an ice maker for a refrigerator may be provided between the bucket and the support unit, wherein the ice maker is provided with an elastic member for supporting the bucket.

The bucket may include a bucket guide, and the support may be provided with a support guide for guiding up / down movement of the bucket guide.

The bucket is provided with a first elastic member guide for guiding the elastic member at one side of the elastic member and a second elastic member guide for guiding the elastic member at the other side of the elastic member, A freezing device may be provided.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the ice from being further de-iced when the ice in the ice storage room is full.

In addition, it is possible to prevent a malfunction due to moisture when detecting full ice.

1 is a front view of a refrigerator provided with an ice maker for a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a side view of an ice maker for a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the ice maker for the refrigerator of FIG. 2. FIG.
4 is a bottom perspective view of the bucket provided in the ice maker for the refrigerator of FIG.
5 shows the manner in which the ice maker for a refrigerator is controlled.

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

In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being 'delivered' or 'delivered' to another element, it should be understood that other elements may be present in between, although the element may be directly delivered or supplied.

In the following description, 'full ice' is not limited to the case where ice is completely filled in the ice storage unit 200. Accordingly, 'full ice' in this specification includes a case where the ice storage unit 200 is filled with a predetermined amount of ice or more so that no additional ice is required.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Hereinafter, an ice maker for a refrigerator and a refrigerator including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator provided with an ice maker for a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the ice maker for a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of a bucket provided in the ice maker for the refrigerator of FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a view illustrating the manner in which the ice maker for a refrigerator is controlled.

1 to 5, a refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a refrigerator room 10 and an ice maker 30 for a refrigerator.

The refrigerator 1 may include a cooling unit (not shown) to supply cooling air to the refrigerator compartment 10. This cooling section may, for example, comprise an evaporator, a compressor and a condenser. The high-temperature refrigerant gas, which has been heat-exchanged with the surrounding air through the evaporator, is compressed and sent to the compressor. The refrigerant compressed through the compressor is liquefied while discharging condensation heat to the outside through the condenser. The liquefied refrigerant passing through the condenser is sent to the evaporator. The liquefied refrigerant sent to the evaporator is vaporized by heat exchange with ambient air and absorbs the surrounding heat. The liquefied refrigerant of the evaporator receives heat from the surrounding air and all or part of the liquefied refrigerant of the evaporator is converted into a gaseous refrigerant. Thereafter, the gaseous refrigerant is separated from the refrigerant in the liquid state and flows into the compressor again. In the evaporator, the refrigerant absorbs the heat of the air outside the evaporator. Through this heat transfer, the evaporator cools the air in the refrigerator. The air cooled in the evaporator is transferred to the inside of the refrigerator compartment (10) to cool the inside of the refrigerator compartment (10).

The ice making device 30 for a refrigerator may include a ice making part 100, an ice storing part 200, a receiving part 300, a sensing part 400 and a control part 500. The ice-making unit 100, the ice-storing unit 200, and the sensing unit 400 may be installed in the receiving unit 300. In addition, the ice-making unit 100 may be provided at an upper portion, and the ice-storing unit 200 may be provided at a lower portion of the ice- Hereinafter, a specific configuration of the ice-making unit 100 will be described.

The ice-making unit 100 may include an ice tray 110, a cooling unit 120, a heating unit 130, and a water supply unit (not shown).

The ice tray 110 receives water from the water supply unit. The water in the ice tray 110 is cooled by the cooling unit 120 to become ice. The ice tray 110 includes a partition 111 for separating ice and ice, an ice cell 112 separated by a partition 111, an ice tray 113 for discharging ice out of the ice tray 110, And a guide member 114 for guiding the guide member 113. The partition 111 and the ice cell 112 may have various shapes depending on the shape of the ice to be manufactured and the number thereof may be variously adjusted. The moving unit 113 may be configured to rotate by a driving device such as a motor. The ice tray 110 may include a heat conducting member such as a metal. This heat conduction member improves the heat exchange rate between the cooling part 120 and water. The heat conduction member may be provided outside the ice tray 110 and may be formed in a shape corresponding to the ice tray 110, but is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, although the ice of the ice tray 110 is shown to be discharged by the ice accumulating member 113 in the embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the ice of the ice tray 110 may be discharged by rotation and distortion of the ice tray 110.

The cooling unit 120 can cool the ice tray 110 and freeze the water in the ice tray 110. [ The cooling unit 120 may include a duct 121 provided below the ice tray 110. The duct 121 can receive air cooled from the cooling unit. This cool air can flow through the inlet portion 122 of the duct 121 and cool the ice tray 110 and escape to the outlet portion 123. The cold air that has escaped to the outlet 123 may flow to the ice storage 200.

In the meantime, although the cooling unit 120 includes a duct for supplying cold air in the present embodiment and the accompanying drawings, it is not limited thereto. For example, the cooling unit 120 may comprise a pipe through which the refrigerant flows, and the cooling unit 120 may receive the cooling medium from the condenser of the cooling unit and be arranged to contact the ice tray 110.

The heating unit 130 is configured to heat the ice tray 110. Due to the heating of the heating unit 130, a portion of the ice which is in contact with the ice tray 110 can be melted. Thus, the ice can be more easily detached from the ice tray 110. [ The heating unit 130 may have a long strip shape. Further, the heating unit 130 may be disposed around the ice tray 110. [ For example, the heating section 130 may be arranged to contact the ice tray 110 at the bottom of the ice tray 110. The heating unit 130 may include a pipe through which the fruit flows, but is not limited thereto. For example, the heating unit 130 may be a wire that generates heat through electrical energy.

The ice storage 200 may include a bucket 210, a support 220, and an ice outlet 230.

The bucket 210 receives ice generated in the ice tray 110. Further, the bucket 210 can receive cold air from the cooling unit. Such a bucket 210 may be, for example, a container with the top and the front open. In addition, an elastic member 213 may be provided between the bucket 210 and a support 220 described later. The bucket 210 can be supported by the elastic member 213 so as to be movable up and down. For example, the elastic member 213 may support the lower portion of the bucket 210, and four elastic members 213 may be provided. In addition, the bucket 210 may be provided with an elongated groove 212 extending upward and downward. The transmitting member 231 to be described later can penetrate the bucket 210 through the elongated groove 212.

The support portion 220 movably supports the bucket 210. The support part 220 is configured to be detachable from the receiving part 300 while the bucket 210 is supported. The support portion 220 may be, for example, a case for accommodating the bucket 210. The bucket 210 can be moved up and down while being supported by the support 220. [

The bucket 210 and the support 220 may be provided with guides for guiding upward and downward movement of the bucket 210. For example, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the bucket 210 may be provided with a first elastic member guide 214, and the support 220 may be provided with a second elastic member guide 215. The first elastic member guide 214 may guide the elastic member 213 from one side and the second elastic member guide 215 may guide the elastic member 213 from the other side. For example, the first elastic member guide 214 may be disposed on the inner side of the elastic member 213, and the second elastic member guide 215 may be disposed on the outer side of the elastic member 213. The first and second elastic member guides 214 and 215 guide the movement of the elastic member 213 and guide the movement of the bucket 210 up and down.

7 and 8, the bucket 210 is provided with a bucket guide 211 and the support portion 220 is provided with a support guide 221 corresponding to the bucket guide 211 . The bucket guide 211 and the support portion guide 221 help the bucket 210 to move up and down. The bucket guide 211 may be a protrusion protruding from the side surface of the bucket 210 and the support guide 221 may be a groove extending up and down on the side of the support 220. However, But is not limited thereto.

The ice outflow unit 230 can discharge the ice stored in the ice storage unit 200 to the outside. The ice outlet portion 230 may include a transmitting member 231 and a driving device 232. The transfer member 231 is provided in the reservoir 210, and can discharge the ice of the reservoir 210 to the outside. The transmitting member 231 may be, for example, a rotating member including a central shaft and a wing, but is not limited thereto. The driving device 232 is connected to the transmitting member 231 to drive it. This driving device 232 may be disposed adjacent to the other side wall of the ice maker 30. [ When the transmitting member 231 is rotated by the driving device 232, the ice between the transmitting member 231 can move toward the outlet of the ice maker 30 for the refrigerator. The driving device 232 may include, for example, an electric motor or the like, but is not limited thereto.

The receiving portion 300 may be configured to surround the ice making portion 100, the ice storing portion 200, and the sensing portion 400. The receiving portion 300 may include a heat insulating material. The receiving portion 300 may be connected to the inner wall of the refrigerator compartment 10. The receiving unit 300 may include a sensing unit 400 described later.

The sensing unit 400 is configured to sense relative position information (movement, etc.) of the bucket 210 with respect to the accommodating unit 300. For example, the sensing unit 400 may include a target unit 410 and a recognition unit 420. The target portion 410 may be provided in the bucket 210 and the recognition portion 420 may be provided in the receiving portion 300.

The recognition unit 420 may be a sensor for sensing the relative position information of the target unit 410. For example, if the bucket 210 having the target portion 410 is pushed down due to the weight of the ice, the recognition unit 420 detects that the distance between the target portion 410 and the target 410 is changed, Can be detected.

In addition, the target portion 410 and the recognition portion 420 may be provided at positions corresponding to each other. For example, when the target portion 410 is provided at the center of the bottom surface of the bucket 210, the recognition portion 420 may be provided at the bottom center portion of the receiving portion 300 so as to face the target portion 410 have.

In addition, the target portion 410 and the recognition portion 420 may be spaced apart from each other without being in direct contact with each other. The target portion 410 and the recognition portion 420 are separated from each other because the bucket 210 having the target portion 410 can be separated from the accommodation portion 300 having the recognition portion 420. [ . Since the target portion 410 and the recognition portion 420 are separated from each other without directly contacting the target portion 410 and the recognition portion 420 when the detached bucket 210 is coupled to the receiving portion 300 again, The sensing unit 400 can be normally operated without an electrical connection between the sensing units 400 and 420. In other words, the bucket 210 can be easily separated or coupled from the receptacle 300 without electrical connection or disconnection between the target portion 410 and the recognition portion 420. Meanwhile, the target portion 410 may be a magnetic material, and the recognition portion 420 may be a magnetic sensor capable of sensing the movement of the magnetic material, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The control unit 500 may receive information on the movement and / or position of the bucket 210 from the sensing unit 400. The control unit 500 determines whether additional ice making is required from the sensing unit 400. [ For example, when it is determined that the distance between the target portion 410 and the recognition portion 420 is less than a predetermined range, it is determined that the ice in the bucket 210 is sufficient. In addition, the control unit 500 can control the ice making in the ice making unit 100. [ When the controller 500 determines that additional ice-making is unnecessary, the controller 500 prevents further ice making from being performed in the ice-making unit 100. The controller 500 may be implemented by a computing device including a microprocessor.

Hereinafter, the operation and effect of the icemaker 30 for a refrigerator having the above-described structure will be described. When water flows into the ice tray 110 of the ice-making unit 100 from the outside, the water in the ice tray 110 is frozen by the cooling unit 120 with ice. The ice of the ice making unit 100 is transferred to the bucket 210 of the ice storage unit 200. At this time, the ice removing member 113 and the heating unit 130 can be driven. For example, the heating unit 130 may heat the ice tray 110 prior to ice making. The portion of the ice that is in contact with the ice tray 110 can be melted due to the heating of the heating unit 130. Thereafter, the ice removing member 113 is driven to discharge the ice of the ice tray 110 to the bucket 210.

When the bucket 210 is not filled with ice, the bucket 210 is supported by the elastic member 213 without being pressed downward. However, the ice produced in the ice-making unit 100 is filled in the bucket 210, and the ice-making weight in the bucket 210 causes the bucket 210 to move downward. At this time, the elastic member 213 is pressed due to the weight of the ice. The sensing unit 400 may sense that the bucket 210 has moved downward.

Ice making in the ice making part 100 is repeatedly performed, and ice is gradually filled in the bucket 210. The more the ice is filled in the bucket 210, the more the elastic member 213 is pressed and the bucket 210 is moved further downward. When the ice in the bucket 210 becomes full, the bucket 210 moves further downward, and the sensing unit 400 senses the movement of the bucket 210. In other words, the sensing unit 400 senses that the bucket 210 has moved downward by a predetermined distance or less, and transmits the detection result to the control unit 500. If the controller 500 determines that the bucket 210 has moved downward by a predetermined distance or less, the controller 500 determines that the ice in the bucket 210 is ice cold. The control unit 500 controls the ice making unit 100 so as to prevent further ice making in the ice making unit 100 when the ice in the bucket 210 is determined to be ice.

While the present invention has been described in connection with certain exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments thereof except as defined in the appended claims. . Skilled artisans may implement a pattern of features that are not described in a combinatorial and / or permutational manner with the disclosed embodiments, but this is not to depart from the scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be readily made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

1: refrigerator 10: refrigerator high
20: cooling section 21: evaporator
22: compressor 23: condenser
30: Ice-maker for refrigerator 100: Ice-
110: ice tray 111: partition
112: Ice cell 113:
114: unloading member guide 120: cooling unit
121: duct 122: inlet
123: outlet part 130: heating part
150: partition wall 151: first partition wall
152: second partition wall 160: rib
200: Ice storage part 210: Ice storage room
211: bucket guide 212: elongated groove
213: elastic member 214: first elastic member guide
215: second elastic member guide 220: support
221: Support part guide 300:
400: sensing part 410: target part
420: recognition unit 500: control unit

Claims (13)

A freezing portion to which water is supplied to be freezed;
An ice storage part for storing ice stored in the ice making part;
A sensing unit capable of measuring an amount of ice filled in the ice storage unit; And
And an accommodating portion for accommodating the ice-making portion and the ice-storing portion,
The ice storage unit may include:
A bucket for containing the ice delivered from the ice tray; And
And a support for movably supporting the bucket,
Wherein the sensing unit senses a relative movement of the bucket with respect to the accommodating portion. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sensing unit includes a magnetic sensor. The method according to claim 1,
The sensing unit
A target portion provided on the bucket; And
And a recognizing section provided in the accommodating section,
Wherein the recognition unit senses a relative movement of the target unit with respect to the recognition unit. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the target portion is provided at a central portion of the bottom surface of the bucket,
And the recognizing unit is provided so as to correspond to the target portion. The method according to claim 1,
And an elastic member for supporting the bucket is provided between the bucket and the support portion. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the bucket includes a bucket guide,
Wherein the support portion is provided with a support portion guide for guiding upward and downward movement of the bucket guide. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the bucket is provided with a first elastic member guide for guiding the elastic member at one side of the elastic member,
Wherein the supporting portion is provided with a second elastic member guide for guiding the elastic member at the other side of the elastic member. 6. The method of claim 5,
The bucket is provided with an elongated groove extending upwardly and downwardly,
The ice storage unit may include:
Further comprising a transmission member which discharges the ice in the bucket by rotation and is arranged to pass through the elongated groove. A freezing portion to which water is supplied to be freezed;
An ice storage part for storing ice stored in the ice making part;
A sensing unit capable of measuring an amount of ice filled in the ice storage unit; And
And an accommodating portion for accommodating the ice-making portion and the ice-storing portion,
The ice storage unit may include:
A bucket containing the ice; And a support for movably supporting the bucket,
The sensing unit
A target portion provided on the bucket; And
And a recognizing section provided in the accommodating section. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the recognizing unit includes a magnetic sensor for sensing a relative movement of the target unit with respect to the recognizing unit. 10. The method of claim 9,
And an elastic member for supporting the bucket is provided between the bucket and the support portion. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the bucket includes a bucket guide,
Wherein the support portion is provided with a support portion guide for guiding upward and downward movement of the bucket guide. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the bucket is provided with a first elastic member guide for guiding the elastic member at one side of the elastic member,
Wherein the supporting portion is provided with a second elastic member guide for guiding the elastic member at the other side of the elastic member.

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