KR20180135396A - Ice maker - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is an ice maker, comprising: an ice and cold water storage unit storing ice and cold water; an ice and cold water generating unit generating ice and cold water and supplying the ice and cold water to the ice and cold water storage unit; and a flow path converting valve connected to the ice and cold water storage unit and flowing the cold water supplied from the ice and cold water storage unit to the ice and cold water generating unit or a cold water extracting pipe, wherein the flow path converting valve is formed with a vacuum generation preventing portion preventing vacuum generation in the ice and cold water generating unit if the ice and cold water generating unit is driven when the cold water is extracted to the cold water extracting pipe.

Description

Ice maker {Ice maker}

The present invention relates to an ice maker.

An ice maker is an ice maker.

Types of ice makers include immersion, injection, and water-based ice makers. The submerged ice maker refers to an ice maker in which the immersion member connected to the evaporator through which the refrigerant flows is immersed in the water contained in the water receiver, thereby causing ice to be generated. The spray type ice maker is connected to an evaporator through which refrigerant flows, and the ice is generated in the ice producing unit by spraying water on the ice making plate on which the ice producing unit is formed. The water-jet type ice maker is connected to an evaporator through which refrigerant flows, and allows water to flow through an ice-maker having an ice-maker, thereby generating ice in the ice-maker.

In addition, ice is generated in the inner circumferential surface of the flow space by allowing the refrigerant to flow around the flow space in which the water flows, and the screw member is rotated in the flow space to separate and transport the ice from the inner circumferential surface of the flow space. There is an auger type ice maker which discharges to the outside.

On the other hand, the auger type ice maker may employ a structure in which cold water and ice are generated and stored in a storage tank. In this ice maker, a channel switching valve for flowing cold water stored in the storage tank to the outside or flowing into a space for generating ice Respectively.

However, during the process of generating ice, the screw member rotates the ice for a predetermined time in the direction of the discharge port and compresses the ice for a certain period of time. Due to the pressure difference between the space for discharging the ice and the water- There occurs a phenomenon in which a vacuum is applied. In this case, when the cold water of the storage tank is extracted, the flow path switching valve does not normally operate and the cold water can not be shut off.

Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1696860

There is provided an ice-maker provided with a channel switching valve through which the channel switching can be performed stably.

The ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an ice and cold water storage unit for storing ice and cold water, an ice and cold water generating unit for generating ice and cold water to supply the ice and cold water to the ice and cold water storage unit, And a flow path switching valve connected to the ice and cold water storage unit for allowing the cold water supplied from the ice and cold water storage unit to flow to the ice and cold water generating unit or the cold water extraction pipe, When the ice and cold water generating unit is driven, a vacuum generation preventing unit for preventing the generation of vacuum in the ice and cold water generating unit may be formed.

The flow path switching valve includes a cold water inlet, a connection outlet for flowing cold water to supply cold water to the ice and cold water generating unit, and a cold water outlet for discharging cold water to flow the cold water to the cold water extracting tube, And an opening / closing unit installed at an upper end of the housing and having an opening / closing member for allowing cold water to selectively flow into the connecting outlet or the cold water outlet, wherein the vacuum generation preventing unit is formed on at least one of the housing or the opening / closing member As shown in Fig.

The housing may include a first housing having the cold water inlet and the cold water outlet and an inner space, and a second housing coupled to an upper end of the first housing and having the connection outlet.

The first housing is provided with a cold water inflow passage portion for connecting the cold water inflow opening and the inner space, and a cold water discharge passage portion for connecting the cold water outflow opening and the inner space. The first housing includes a part of the cold water discharge passage portion And an extension portion formed to be extended to protrude into the inner space.

The second housing is provided with a cold water flow pipe communicating with the connection outlet and through which the cold water flows, and the vacuum generation preventing part may include an air vent groove formed at an end of the cold water flow pipe part.

The opening and closing unit includes a frame coupled to an upper end of the housing and a case fixed to the frame and having a cylindrical nose portion. The elevating member is moved up and down by interaction with the nose portion through the nose portion. And an opening / closing member installed at an end of the lifting member to selectively open / close the connection outlet and the cold water outlet.

And an elastic member connected to the elevating member to provide a restoring force to the elevating member.

The ice and cold water generating unit includes an apparatus main body having an inlet passing portion and a discharge passing portion, an inlet and an outlet connected to the inlet passing portion and the outlet passing portion, and a flow space connected to the inlet and the outlet, A cooling part for allowing the refrigerant to flow into at least a part of the circumference of the flow part to flow into the flow space through the inlet to cool the flowing water to become ice or cold water, And a separation conveying unit for conveying the separated water from the space to the outlet.

The separation transfer part may include a screw member rotatably installed in the flow space.

The vacuum generation prevention unit may prevent the generation of vacuum in the flow space when the screw member is driven when cold water is extracted into the cold extraction pipe.

There is an advantageous effect that the channel switching can be stably performed during the ice-making process.

1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an ice maker according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an ice and cold water storage unit included in the ice maker according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an ice and cold water generating unit provided in the ice maker according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an ice and cold water generating unit included in the ice maker according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a perspective view showing a flow path switching valve provided in the icemaker according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
6 is an exploded perspective view showing a flow path switching valve provided in the icemaker according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A 'in FIG.
8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B 'in FIG.
9 is a sectional view showing that a supply guide member is connected to a supply storage pipe of an ice maker according to the first embodiment of the present invention and a foreign matter removing unit is connected to a supply guide member by a connection assisting member.
10 is a perspective view showing a supply guide member, a connection assisting member, and a foreign matter removing member of the icemaker according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments of the present invention can be modified into various other forms, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. Further, the embodiments of the present invention are provided to more fully explain the present invention to those skilled in the art. The shape and size of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity.

2 is an exploded perspective view showing an ice and cold water storage unit provided in the ice maker according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the ice and cold water storage unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an ice and cold water generating unit included in the ice maker according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an ice and cold water generating unit included in the ice maker according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 4, an ice maker 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes an ice and cold water storage unit 200, an ice and cold water generation unit 300, a flow path switching valve 400, As shown in FIG.

The ice and cold water storage unit (200) is connected to the ice and cold water generation unit (300). The ice and cold water storage unit 200 receives and stores ice and cold water generated from the ice and cold water generating unit 300 and supplies cold water stored in the ice and cold water generating unit 300.

Meanwhile, the ice and cold water storage unit 200 may include a pump 210 for supplying cold water to the ice and cold water generating unit 300 or the take-out cock (not shown). As an example, the pump 210 may be connected to the ice and cold water storage unit 200 via the flow path switching valve 400. That is, the cold water extracted from the ice and cold water storage unit 200 through the pump 210 can be supplied to the ice and cold water storage unit 200 or the take-out coke through the flow path switching valve 400.

The pump 210 may be connected to a supply connection port 222 connected to the water storage space SW formed in the storage tank 220 via a connection pipe 222a.

When the pump 210 is driven, the cold water stored in the ice and cold water storage unit 200 is supplied to the channel switching valve 400. The ice water and the cold water storage unit 200 pass through the channel switching valve 400, (Not shown) or the ice and cold water generating unit 300. The ice-

On the other hand, even when the pump 210 is not driven, the cold water stored in the ice and cold water storage unit 200 can be supplied to the ice and cold water generation unit 200 by the height difference.

The storage tank 220 may have a box shape with an open top. As an example, an ice storage space SI in which ice (I) is stored and a water storage space SW in which water is stored are formed in the storage tank 220. The ice storage space (SI) and the water storage space (SW) can be partitioned by the partitioning member (224).

On the other hand, water in a water supply source (not shown) such as water or a filtration part of a water treatment apparatus such as a water purifier including a water filter for filtering water is supplied to the water storage space (not shown) through a supply pipe SW) and stored. However, the configuration in which the water of the water supply source is supplied to the water storage space SW of the storage tank 220 is not particularly limited, and any well-known configuration is possible.

In addition, the storage tank 220 may be rotatably installed with the transfer member 230 so as to be disposed in the ice storage space SI. The conveying member 230 may be connected to a conveying motor 240 installed on the outer surface of the storage tank 220 and rotated by the conveying motor 240. In addition, the storage tank 220 is provided with an ice discharge port 250. For example, when the conveying member 230 is rotated by the rotation of the conveying motor 240, the ice I stored in the ice storage space SI of the storage tank 220 is discharged to the ice discharge port 250 of the storage tank 220 And finally supplied to the user.

The storage tank 220 may further include a supply storage pipe 260. One side of the supply storage pipe 260 may be connected to the ice and cold water generating unit 300 directly or indirectly. The supply storage pipe 260 is provided to allow the ice I discharged from the ice and cold water generating unit 300 to be supplied to the ice storage space SI or the cold water discharged from the ice and cold water generating unit 300, (SW).

For this purpose, the storage tank 220 may be provided with a mounting portion 226 to allow the supply storage pipe 260 to pass therethrough. One end of the supply storage pipe 260 may be positioned in the water storage space SW through an installation portion 226 formed in the water storage space SW of the storage tank 220. [

A supply hole 262 through which ice (I) or cold water is discharged may be formed at one end of the supply storage pipe 260 toward the ice storage space SI of the storage tank 220.

The ice and cold water generating unit 300 generates and supplies ice and cold water to the ice and cold water storage unit 200. As an example, the ice and cold water generating unit 300 includes a device body 310, a flow portion 320, a cooling portion 330, and a detachment transfer portion 340, as shown in more detail in Figures 3 and 4 Lt; / RTI >

The apparatus main body 310 has an internal space and the apparatus main body 310 may have an inlet passage portion 310a and a discharge passage portion 310b. Meanwhile, an inflow port 321a, which will be described later, provided in the moving unit 320 can pass through the inflow passage 310a. Also, a discharge port 322a, which will be described later, provided in the flow portion 320 can pass through the discharge passage portion 310b.

For example, the inlet 321a of the flow portion 320 can directly pass through the inlet portion 310a. The discharge extension member 324 is connected to the discharge port 322a of the flow portion 320 and the discharge port 322a of the flow portion 320 passes through the discharge passage portion 310b, And can indirectly pass through the discharge passage portion 310b.

The apparatus main body 310 includes an upper main body 312 formed with a part of the inflow passing part 310a and a discharge passing part 310b, The lower body 314 may be formed of a metal. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the apparatus main body 310 may be integrally formed.

The moving unit 320 includes an inlet 321a and an outlet 322a which are connected to the inlet passage 310a and the outlet passage 310b as described above. Also, a flow space SC connected to the inlet 321a and the outlet 322a is formed in the flow portion 320. [

As an example, the flow section 320 may be configured to include an inlet member 321, an outlet member 322, a flow member 323, and an outlet extension member 324.

The inflow member 321 is coupled to one end of the flow member 323 and the inflow port 321a may be provided in the inflow member 321. [ As an example, the inlet port 321a may be connected to the flow path switching valve 400 through the connecting member 104. [ In addition, the inflow member 321 may further include a drain 321b, and an opening / closing valve (not shown) may be connected to the drain 321b. That is, when the opening and closing valve of the drain 321b is opened, the water contained in the flow space SC can be drained to the outside through the drain 321b.

Further, one side of the screw member 341 of the separation / transfer unit 340, which will be described later, may be rotatably installed on the inflow member 321. To this end, the inflow member 321 may be provided with a bearing (not shown) or the like.

The discharge member 322 may be connected to the flow member 323. The discharge member 322 may be provided with the discharge port 322a. The discharge member 322 may be rotatably provided on the other side of the screw member 341 of the separating transfer unit 340. For this purpose, the discharge member 322 may also be provided with a bearing (not shown) or the like.

The discharge member 322 may be formed with a helical connection portion 322b that connects the flow space SC and the discharge port 322a as shown in FIG.

An inflow member 321 is connected to one end of the flow member 323 and a discharge member 322 is connected to the other end of the flow member 323. On the other hand, a flow space SC may be formed in the flow member 323. As an example, the flow member 323 may be cylindrical.

The screw member 341 of the separating transfer portion 340 is rotatably disposed in the flow space SC of the flow member 323.

The discharge extension member 324 may be connected to the discharge port 322a. The supply storage tube 260 provided in the storage tank 220 is connected to the discharge passage portion 310b of the apparatus body 310 so that the discharge extension member 324 is connected to the supply storage tube 260, Lt; / RTI >

Ice or cold water discharged from the discharge port 322a can be supplied to the storage tank 220 through the discharge extension member 324 and the supply storage pipe 260. [

The cooling unit 330 functions to allow the refrigerant to flow to at least a part of the periphery of the flow unit 320 and flow into the flow space SC through the inlet port 321a to cool the flowing water to be ice or cold water do. That is, the water flowing in the flow space SC of the moving part 320 may be cooled by the refrigerant to become ice (I) or cold water.

For example, the cooling section 330 may be configured to include a refrigerant space forming member 332 and a sealing lid member 334.

The refrigerant space forming member 332 may be disposed to surround at least a portion of the fluid portion 320, for example, the remaining portion except the both ends of the fluid portion 320. The refrigerant flow space SR through which the refrigerant flows can be formed between the refrigerant space forming member 322 and the fluid unit 300, for example, the fluid member 323.

Therefore, the heat exchange path between the refrigerant and the water flowing in the flow space SC can be minimized. That is, the refrigerant can perform heat exchange with water flowing in the flow space SC only through the flow member 323 of the flow portion 320.

Therefore, the cooling efficiency of the refrigerant in the water flowing in the flow space SC of the flow portion 320 can be improved, thereby improving the cooling performance.

The coolant space forming member 332 may be connected to the coolant inlet port 333a and the coolant outlet port 333b. The refrigerant space forming member 332 may be formed with an inlet connection hole 332a through which the refrigerant inlet port 333a is connected and an outlet connection hole 333b through which the refrigerant outlet port 333b is connected. The refrigerant may flow into the refrigerant flow space SR through the refrigerant inlet port 333a, flow through the refrigerant flow space SR, and then flow out through the refrigerant outlet port 333b.

The sealing lid member 334 serves to seal both ends of the refrigerant flow space SR. That is to say, the sealing lid member 334 is provided at both ends of the refrigerant space forming member 332 so as to seal the open portions of both ends of the refrigerant flow space SR formed between the refrigerant space forming member 332 and the flow member 323, As shown in FIG. As an example, the sealing lid member 334 may be ring-shaped. However, the shape of the sealing lid member 334 is not particularly limited.

The separating transfer unit 340 transfers the ice I generated in the flow space SC of the moving unit 320 from one side of the flow space SC to the other side and transfers the ice I to the discharging port 322a of the moving unit 320 .

The separating transfer part 340 may include a screw member 341. The screw member 341 may be rotatably provided in the flow space SC of the fluid portion 320. [

As described above, one side of the screw member 341 is inserted into the inflow member 321 of the fluid portion 320 to be rotatable, and the other side of the screw member 341 is connected to the discharge member 322 of the fluid portion 320 And can be rotated. The other side of the screw member 341 passing through the discharge member 322 of the flow portion 320 can be connected to a separation feed motor (not shown) by a gear (not shown) and a chain (not shown) have. Then, the screw member 341 can be driven, that is, rotated, by the separating feed motor.

The screw member 341 may be formed with a helical separating transfer blade 341a. A helical flow passage can be formed in the flow space SC of the flow portion 320 by the spiral-shaped separation feed edge 341a.

In this configuration, when the screw member 341 is rotated by the separating feed motor, ice (I) generated on the inner peripheral surface of the flow space SC can be separated by the separating feed edge 341a of the screw member 341 have. The ice I separated from the inner circumferential surface of the flow space SC of the flow portion 320 is separated by the separation conveying blade 341a of the screw member 341 through the spiral flow passage of the flow space SC, To the discharge port 322a of the discharge port 320.

The ice I transferred to the discharge port 322a of the flow portion 320 is discharged from the discharge port 322a and flows to the storage tank 220 through the discharge extension member 324 and the supply storage pipe 260, Can be supplied.

The flow path switching valve 400 is connected to the ice and cold water storage unit 200 so that the cold water supplied from the ice and cold water storage unit 200 flows into the ice and cold water generation unit 300 or the cold water extraction pipe 102 Role.

The flow path switching valve 400 will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a flow path switching valve provided in the ice maker according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a flow path switching valve provided in the ice maker according to the first embodiment of the present invention, 7 is a sectional view taken along line A-A 'in FIG. 5, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line B-B' in FIG.

5 to 8, the flow path switching valve 400 may include a housing 410 and an opening / closing unit 450 as an example.

The housing 410 has an inner space, and may include a first housing 420 and a second housing 430 as an example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the housing 410 may be integrally formed.

The first housing 420 is provided with a cold water inlet 421 through which cold water flows from the ice and cold water storage unit 200 and a cold water outlet 422 through which cold water flows to flow into the cold water extracting pipe 102 . Further, the first housing 420 has an inner space.

The first housing 420 is provided with a cold water inflow channel portion 423 for connecting the cold water inflow port 421 and the inner space and a cold water discharge channel portion 424 for connecting the cold water outflow port 422 to the inner space . That is, the cold water introduced into the cold water inlet 421 flows into the cold water inflow passage 423 and then flows into the inner space of the first housing 420. Thereafter, the flow of the cold water can be selectively changed by the opening / closing unit 450. At this time, when the cold water is to be taken out by the take-out coke (not shown) for the user's drinking, the cold water flows through the cold water discharge passage portion 424 from the inner space and then the cold water flows out through the cold water outlet 422.

In addition, the first housing 420 may have a cylindrical portion 425. A sealing member 440 composed of an O-ring may be provided on the outer side of the cylindrical portion 425. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the cold water flowing into the inner space of the first housing 420 from leaking to the outside through the clearance of the first and second housings 420 and 420.

Further, the first housing 420 may be provided with a first engaging portion 426 for engaging with the second housing 430. For example, the engaging portions 426 may be formed to have four columns. However, the number of coupling portions 426 may be variously changed.

Meanwhile, the first housing 420 may include an extension portion 427 which forms a part of the cold water discharge passage portion 424 and extends to protrude into the inner space. Closing of the cold water discharge passage portion 424 may be performed by bringing the opening / closing member 460 into close contact with the upper surface of the extended portion 427, which will be described later.

The second housing 430 is coupled to the upper end of the first housing 420. Meanwhile, the second housing 430 may have an internal space and may have a connection outlet 431 through which cold water flows to supply the cold water to the ice and cold water generating unit 300.

Further, the second housing 430 may be provided with a cold water flow pipe portion 432 communicating with the connection outlet 431 and flowing cold water. The cold water flow tube portion 432 has a cylindrical shape and can be extended to the inner space of the second housing 430.

The second housing 430 may include a second coupling portion 433 corresponding to the first coupling portion 426 of the first housing 420. The first and second housings 420 and 430 may be fixedly coupled to the first and second coupling portions 426 and 433 by screws.

The opening and closing unit 450 is installed at the upper end of the housing 410 and serves to selectively flow the cold water to the connection outlet 431 or the cold water outlet 422.

For example, the opening and closing unit 450 may include a frame 452, a case 454, an elevating member 456, an elastic member 458, and an opening and closing member 460.

The frame 452 is coupled to the upper end of the housing 410. As an example, the frame 452 may be fixedly attached to the housing 410 by screws coupled to the first and second engaging portions 426, 433. For this purpose, a screw engagement hole 452a may be formed in the frame 452. In addition, the frame 452 may be formed to have a "C" shape as an example.

Meanwhile, the case 454 is fixed to the frame 452, and may have a cylindrical shape having an inner space as an example. A coil mounting hole 454a having a cylindrical shape may be formed in the case 454. The coil mounting hole 454a may be provided with a cylindrical coil section 455.

The case 454 may be provided with a column portion 454b disposed above the coil mounting hole 454a and on which the elevating member 456 is installed.

On the other hand, the elevating member 456 is disposed so as to pass through the coil portion 455 and can be raised and lowered by interaction with the coil portion 455. For example, the elevating member 456 may be made of a permanent magnet so that the elevating member 456 can be lifted and lowered by an electromagnetic interaction with the coil portion 455.

One end of the elastic member 458 is connected to the column portion 454b and the other end is connected to the elevating member 456. [ The elevating member 456 can be restored to its original position by the elastic member 458 when the power source supplied to the coil part 455 is shut off after the elevating member 456 is moved by electromagnetic interaction . For example, the elastic member 458 may be a coil spring.

When the power is supplied to the coil part 455, the elevating member 456 ascends so that the opening and closing member 460 is in close contact with the lower end of the cold water flow pipe part 432 and the cold water flows into the cold water discharge channel part 424, And flows out to the cold water outlet 422.

Thereafter, when the power supply to the coil part 455 is interrupted, the lift member 456 is lowered by the restoring force of the elastic member 458, so that the opening and closing member 460 can be brought into close contact with the upper surface of the extension part 427.

However, the present invention is not limited thereto. When the power is not supplied to the coil part 455, the opening and closing member 460 may be spaced apart from the cold water flow tube part 423 and the extension part 427, Or may be disposed to be in close contact with the lower end portion.

That is, the initial position of the opening / closing member 460 due to the restoring force of the elastic member 458 may be variously changed.

The opening and closing member 460 may be made of a flexible material and installed at an end of the elevating member 456 to selectively open and close the connection outlet 431 and the cold water outlet 422. The opening and closing member 460 is brought into close contact with any one of the cold water flow pipe portion 423 and the extending portion 427 to selectively open the connection outlet 431 and the cold water outlet 422 Open and close. On the other hand, the sealing member 460 may have a cylindrical shape as an example.

On the other hand, when the ice and cold water generating unit 300 is driven when the cold water is extracted into the cold water extracting pipe 102, the passage switching valve 400 is provided with a vacuum The occurrence preventing portion 470 is formed.

The vacuum generation prevention part 470 may be an air vent groove formed in at least one of the housing 410 and the opening and closing member 460.

For example, in the present embodiment, a description will be given of an example in which the vacuum generation preventing portion 470 is formed in the housing 410. [

The vacuum generation preventing portion 470 made of an air vent groove may be formed at the end of the cold water flow pipe portion 432.

This will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 above.

First, the generation of vacuum in the ice and cold water generating unit 300 will be described. First, a vacuum generation phenomenon in the ice and cold water generating unit 300 will be described when the vacuum generation preventing portion 470 is not formed in the cold water flow pipe portion 432. [

Closing member 460 closes the cold water flow pipe portion 432 when cold water is taken out by the take-out cock (not shown) for drinking the cold water of the user. Accordingly, the cold water flowing into the flow path switching valve 400 flows out through the cold water outlet 422, and no fluid flows out through the connecting outlet 431. At this time, when the screw member 341 of the ice and cold water generating unit 300 is rotated, the fluid (ice, air, etc.) in the flow space SC of the ice and cold water generating unit 300 is transferred to the ice and cold water generating unit 300 to the other side of the flow space SC. However, since the connection outlet 431 of the flow path switching valve 400 is closed by the opening and closing member 460, the supply of the fluid (cold water, air, etc.) to the ice and the cold water generating unit 300 is not performed .

Thus, a vacuum can be generated at one side of the flow space SC of the ice and cold water generating unit 300.

When the vacuum is generated at one side of the flow space SC of the ice and cold water generating unit 300 and the cold water flow pipe portion 432 is then opened through the opening and closing member 460, There arises a problem in that it can not be separated from the cold water flow pipe portion 432.

However, since the passage switching valve 400 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is provided with the vacuum generation prevention part 470, it is possible to generate the vacuum in the flow space SC. In other words, since the cold water flow pipe portion 432 is provided with the vacuum generation preventing portion 470 made of the air vent groove, a small amount of fluid can always be maintained to be supplied to the ice and cold water generating unit 300. Accordingly, even if the screw member 341 is rotated while the open / close member 460 closes the cold water flow tube portion 432 so that cold water is taken out by the take-out cock (not shown) for drinking cold water by the user, (Cold water or air) can be supplied to the flow space SC of the ice and cold water generating unit 300 through the vacuum generation preventing part 470. [ As a result, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of vacuum in the ice and cold water generating unit 300, that is, in the flow space SC, and to prevent malfunction of the flow path switching valve 400.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the vacuum generation preventing portion 470 may be formed in the cold water flow pipe portion 432, (Not shown).

Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the vacuum generation preventing portion 470 including two air vent grooves is formed in the cold water flow pipe portion 432 is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of the air vent grooves may vary Changeable.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 9, a supply guide member 270 as shown in FIG. 10 may be connected to the supply storage tube 260. The supply guide member 270 may be connected to the supply storage tube 260 by inserting one end of the supply storage tube 260 into the supply guide member 270 as shown in FIG. However, the configuration in which the supply guide member 270 is connected to the supply storage tube 260 is not particularly limited, and any well-known configuration is possible.

The supply guide member 270 may be configured such that the ice or cold water discharged from the supply hole 262 formed in the supply storage pipe 260 is supplied to the ice storage space SI or the water storage space SW of the storage tank 220, You can guide.

An ice guide hole 271 communicating with the supply hole 262 of the supply storage pipe 260 may be formed in the supply guide member 270 toward the ice storage space SI of the storage tank 220 . The lower end of the ice guide hole 271 of the supply guide member 270 may be located higher than the supply hole 262 of the supply storage pipe 260. 10, an extension guide portion 272 extending from the lower end of the ice guide hole 271 to the ice storage space SI of the storage tank 220 may be formed in the supply guide member 270 have.

Thereby, the ice (I) transferred to the supply hole 262 through the supply storage pipe 260 can be discharged from the supply hole 262 of the supply storage pipe 260. The ice I discharged from the supply hole 262 of the supply storage pipe 260 passes through the ice guide hole 271 of the supply guide member 270 and is guided by the extended guide portion 272, And may be supplied to and stored in the ice storage space SI of the tank 220.

In addition, the cold water flowing into the supply hole 262 through the supply storage pipe 260 can not pass through the ice guide hole 271 of the supply guide member 270. The cold water discharged from the supply hole 262 of the supply storage pipe 260 flows into the water storage space SW of the storage tank 220 through the space between the supply guide member 270 and the supply storage pipe 260 Can be supplied and stored.

The foreign material removing member 280 as shown in FIG. 10 may be connected to the supply guide member 270 as shown in FIG. The foreign material removing member 280 is connected to the supply guide member 270 by the connection assisting member 290 connected to the supply guide member 270 so as to surround one end of the supply storage pipe 260 as shown in FIG. . Further, the foreign material removing member 280 may be detachably connected to the connection assisting member 290, for example, in an engaging manner. Thereby, the filter member 283 provided in the foreign substance removing member 280 to be described later can be replaced.

However, the structure in which the foreign material removing member 280 is connected to the supply guide member 270 is not particularly limited and any known structure may be used. Lt; / RTI > When the foreign material removing member 280 is connected to the supply storage tube 260, the supply guide member 270 may be absent.

The foreign material removing member 280 may be shaped to surround one end of the supply storage tube 260 like the connection assisting member 290. The foreign material removing member 280 may be formed with a passage space 281 having an open top and a passage hole 282 connected to the passage space 281. The passage hole 282 may be provided with, for example, a mesh-like filter member 283 capable of removing foreign matter.

The cold water discharged from the supply hole 262 of the supply storage pipe 260 passes through the passage space 281 and the passage hole 282 of the foreign material removing member 280, Can be removed. Accordingly, cold water from which foreign substances have been removed can be stored in the water storage space SW of the storage tank 220.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, It will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art.

100: Ice maker 200: Ice and cold water storage unit
300: Ice and cold water generating unit 400: Flow path switching valve
410: housing 450: opening / closing unit

Claims (10)

An ice and cold water storage unit for storing ice and cold water;
An ice and cold water generating unit generating and supplying ice and cold water to the ice and cold water storage unit; And
A flow path switching valve connected to the ice and cold water storage unit for allowing the cold water supplied from the ice and cold water storage unit to flow to the ice and cold water generating unit or the cold water extraction pipe;
/ RTI >
Wherein the passage switching valve is provided with a vacuum generation preventing unit for preventing the generation of vacuum in the ice and cold water generating unit when the ice and cold water generating unit is driven when cold water is extracted by the cold water extracting pipe.
2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1,
A housing having an inner space having a cold water inlet, a connection outlet through which cold water is supplied to the ice and cold water generating unit, and a cold water outlet through which the cold water flows to flow into the cold water extracting tube; And
An opening / closing unit installed at an upper end of the housing and having an opening / closing member for selectively flowing cold water into the connecting outlet or the cold water outlet;
And,
Wherein the vacuum generation preventing portion comprises an air vent groove formed in at least one of the housing or the opening and closing member.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the housing
A first housing having the cold water inlet and the cold water outlet and having an inner space; And
A second housing coupled to an upper end of the first housing and having the connection outlet;
.
The method of claim 3,
The first housing is provided with a cold water inflow passage portion for connecting the cold water inflow opening and the inner space and a cold water discharge passage portion for connecting the cold water outflow portion and the inner space,
Wherein the first housing is provided with an extension part formed to extend from the inner space to form a part of the cold water discharge channel part.
5. The method of claim 4,
The second housing is provided with a cold water flow pipe communicating with the connection outlet and flowing cold water,
Wherein the vacuum generation prevention portion comprises an air vent groove formed at an end of the cold water flow pipe portion.
The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the opening /
A frame coupled to an upper end of the housing;
A case fixed to the frame and having a cylindrical nose portion;
A lifting member that is lifted and lowered by interaction with the coil part through the coil part; And
An opening / closing member installed at an end of the lifting member to selectively open / close the connection outlet and the cold water outlet;
.
The method according to claim 6,
And an elastic member connected to the elevating member to provide a restoring force to the elevating member.
The ice-maker according to claim 1, wherein the ice-
An apparatus main body having an inlet passage portion and a discharge passage portion;
A flow portion having an inlet port and an outlet port connected to the inlet passage portion and the discharge passage portion and having a flow space connected to the inlet port and the outlet port;
A cooling unit for allowing refrigerant to flow to at least a part of the periphery of the flow portion and flowing into the flow space through the inlet to cool the flowing water to make ice or cold water; And
A separation conveying part for separating ice generated in the flow space from the flow space and delivering the ice to the discharge port;
.
9. The method of claim 8,
And the separation conveying unit includes a screw member rotatably installed in the flow space.
10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the vacuum generation prevention unit prevents the generation of vacuum in the flow space when the screw member is driven when cold water is extracted into the cold water extraction pipe.

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