KR20200111908A - Ice maker and refrigerator incuding the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ice maker and a refrigerator including the same. More specifically, the ice maker includes: an ice making tray; an ice-breaking heater; a cooling pipe; a heat exchange seating portion located on a lower part of the ice making tray and into which the ice-making heater and the cooling pipe are inserted; and a flow path cover including an inclined portion or a round portion, and mounted to support one side of the ice-breaking heater and the cooling pipe at a lower part of the heat exchange seating portion, thereby easily discharging water generated by melting frost around the ice-making tray, and the refrigerator including the same.

Description

Ice maker and refrigerator including the same {ICE MAKER AND REFRIGERATOR INCUDING THE SAME}

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

In general, a refrigerator includes a main body including a refrigerating chamber for refrigerating and storing food and a freezing chamber for freezing and storing food, and a compressor for compressing a refrigerant and a heat exchanger for generating cold air are installed behind the main body. The cold air generated from the heat exchanger is supplied to the inside of the refrigerator or freezer by a fan, and the air that has risen in temperature by circulating the refrigerator or freezer is supplied to the refrigerator or freezer through the heat exchanger again, so that food being stored in the refrigerator or freezer You can always keep it fresh. In this case, an ice maker for manufacturing ice is installed in the freezing chamber or the refrigerating chamber.

The ice maker automatically supplies water to the ice making container and checks the ice making condition. When the ice making is complete, the ice is automatically removed from the ice making container and loaded into the ice storage container. Can be obtained and has been widely used recently.

The ice maker is supplied with water to the ice making container and in order to ice the ice made, various sensors (eg, ice-making water sensor, position sensor, ice detection sensor, temperature sensor, etc.) and motors (eg, drive shaft motor or twist Motor, etc.). These ice makers may be classified into an intercooling type or a direct cooling type according to an ice making method. Among them, in the case of direct cooling, ice is produced by directly contacting the refrigerant pipe with the tray or water. While the ice making mechanism is relatively simple and the cooling speed is fast, the ice making room is made so that a part of the refrigerant pipe is in contact with the ice making tray. Installation is complicated as the work that must be placed and fixed inside is essential, and frost is created due to temperature differences around the tray and refrigerant pipe, and the frost melts during ice moving and falls into the ice storage container below, causing ice clumping. There is a drawback that a problem occurs.

KR 1020190012238 A

An embodiment of the present invention is an ice maker that makes it easy to fix the refrigerant pipe under the ice-making tray, and discharges the water generated by melting during ice ice so that the frost around the ice-making tray does not fall into the lower ice storage container, and includes the same. It aims to provide a refrigerator.

According to an aspect of the invention, the control box; A fan motor provided at one side of the control box; An ice-making tray provided at one side of the control box; An ejector for eaves positioned above the ice-making tray; A driving motor located inside the control box and transmitting power to the ejector; An ice-breaking heater positioned under the ice-making tray; A cooling pipe positioned below the ice-making tray and spaced apart from the ice-making heater; A heat exchange seating unit positioned below the ice-making tray and having a fastening groove for inserting the ice-making heater and the cooling pipe therein; A flow path cover enclosing a lower portion of the heat exchange seating portion and formed to be inclined, including an inclined portion or a round portion, and mounted to support one side of the ice-breaking heater and cooling pipe fastened to the fastening groove under the heat exchange seating portion; And a drain duct formed to extend from one side of the control box and positioned under the flow channel cover to facilitate drainage.

According to another aspect of the invention, the control box; A fan motor provided at one side of the control box; An ice-making tray provided at one side of the control box; An ejector for eaves positioned above the ice-making tray; A driving motor located inside the control box and transmitting power to the ejector; A heat exchange seating unit formed to extend below the ice making tray and insert-molding a heater and a cooling pipe for ice making; A flow path cover enclosing a lower portion of the heat exchange seating portion and formed to be inclined, including an inclined portion or a round portion, and mounted to support one side of the ice-breaking heater and the cooling pipe fastened to the fastening groove under the heat exchange seating portion; And a drain duct formed to extend from one side of the control box and positioned under the flow channel cover to facilitate drainage.

In addition, cool air may be sucked from the ice-making tray by the fan motor to circulate cool air.

In addition, the flow path cover may be formed with a flow path.

In addition, the flow path cover may include a through hole for drainage.

In addition, the flow path cover may be elastically mounted.

In addition, in the longitudinal direction of the ice making tray, the length of the drain duct may be longer than the length of the flow path cover.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator including the ice maker is provided.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, ice making performance may be improved.

An embodiment of the present invention facilitates the discharge of water generated by melting of the frost around the ice making tray, thereby preventing a problem in which the manufactured ice is aggregated by water generated in the frost.

1 is a view showing an ice maker and a refrigerator including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention,
2, 3 and 4 show the cross-sectional shape of an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention,
5 is a diagram showing the shape of a flow path cover through hole of an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention,
6 is a diagram illustrating a shape in which an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention is fastened and assembled.

Hereinafter, a specific embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following detailed description is provided to aid in a comprehensive understanding of the methods, devices, and/or systems described herein. However, this is only an example and the present invention is not limited thereto.

In describing the embodiments of the present invention, when it is determined that a detailed description of a known technology related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, terms to be described later are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present invention and may vary according to the intention or custom of users or operators. Therefore, the definition should be made based on the contents throughout this specification. The terms used in the detailed description are only for describing embodiments of the present invention, and should not be limiting. Unless explicitly used otherwise, expressions in the singular form include the meaning of the plural form. In this description, expressions such as "comprising" or "feature" are intended to refer to certain features, numbers, steps, actions, elements, some or combination thereof, and one or more other than those described. It should not be construed to exclude the presence or possibility of other features, numbers, steps, actions, elements, any part or combination thereof.

Meanwhile, directional terms such as upper side, lower side, one side, and the other side are used in relation to the orientation of the disclosed drawings. Since the constituent elements of the embodiments of the present invention may be positioned in various orientations, the directional terminology is used for illustrative purposes, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, terms such as first and second may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. These terms may be used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another component. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element.

1 is an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention and a refrigerator including the same, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, the ice maker may include a control box 110 and an ice tray 120. Ice-making water is provided to the receiving portion 121 of the ice-making tray 120 through the water supply unit 100, and an ice maker disposed in a subzero environment may wait so that the ice-making water becomes ice.

As a configuration for placing the ice maker in a subzero environment, the ice maker may include a cooling unit and a fan motor (not shown). In this embodiment, the cooling unit will be described as being a cooling pipe 150. The cold air generated through the cooling pipe 150 may be sucked through a fan motor (not shown), through which the ice making tray 120 may be disposed in a subzero environment.

The fan motor (not shown) may be located on one side of the control box 110, and in this embodiment, an ice-making tray 120 is provided on one side of the control box 110, and the fan motor (not shown) is a control box. It will be described as being provided to be positioned above the ice-making tray 120 at one side of the 110. Since the fan motor (not shown) is disposed in the above-described position, cool air is sucked from the ice-making tray 120 by the fan motor (not shown) to circulate the cool air.

When the ice-making water becomes ice, the ice-ice heater 140 generates heat. Due to the heat generated by the ice-breaking heater 140, the ice may melt the surface of the ice fixed to the inner surface of the receiving part 121, and when the fixed surface melts, the ice-making tray 120 is located above the ice making tray 120. Ice may be iced by the rotation of the dragon ejector 130. Ice to be iced moves along the side guide 131 and may be moved to and stored in a storage unit (not shown) located at the bottom. Here, the operation of the ejector 130, the cooling pipe 150, and the ice-breaking heater 140 may be performed by control of a controller located in the control box 110. In addition, the rotation of the Auger motor located on the side of the storage unit (not shown) may also be controlled by the control unit, and the Auger motor may be selectively controlled with the heater 140 for ice breaking. Through this, the heater 140 for ice breaking and the Auger motor may be crossed and operated.

The type of the ice-breaking heater 140 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heater. Alternatively, it may be an area heater. When the ice-breaking heater 140 is an area heater, the heating surface may be disposed to face the inside of the receiving part 121. The ice-breaking heater 140 may be kept in contact with the bottom of the ice-making tray 120, and blocks heat transmitted to the storage unit (not shown) so that the heat generated therefrom does not go to the storage unit (not shown). Insulation member for can be attached. Furthermore, the ice maker may include an overheating prevention unit. The position of the overheating prevention unit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, located between the control box 110 and the ice making tray 120.

The control unit may be provided inside the control box 110, and electric fields included in the ice maker and connected to the ice maker may be operated under the control of the control unit. For example, the ejector 130 may control the rotation operation by the control unit, and the ice may be iced through the rotation operation. The rotating operation may be operated after the heating of the ice-breaking heater 140, through which, after at least a part of the surface of the ice adhering to the receiving portion of the ice-making tray 120 is melted, the ice-breaking by the ejector 130 is made. You lose. In addition, a driving motor is located inside the control box 110, and power generated by the driving motor is transmitted to the ejector 130.

The ice-making heater 140 and the cooling pipe 150 are located under the ice-making tray 120 and are spaced apart from each other. In this case, the ice-breaking heater 140 and the cooling pipe 150 may be fixed through the heat exchange seating unit 160 and the flow path cover 170 positioned under the ice-making tray 120. In detail, the heat exchange seating unit 160 may be connected, coupled, or extended to the lower portion of the ice making tray 120, and the heat exchange seating unit 160 may include a heater 140 and a cooling pipe ( A fastening groove for fitting 150) may be formed, and the heater 140 and the cooling pipe 150 for ice breaking may be inserted and positioned in the fastening groove. After the ice-breaking heater 140 and the cooling pipe 150 are inserted into the fastening groove, the ice-breaking heater 140 and cooling are fastened by placing the flow path cover 170 under the heat exchange seating unit 160 While one side of the pipe 150 is supported, it may be fixed. Alternatively, the heat exchanger seating unit 160 may be provided integrally by insert-molding the ice-breaking heater 140 and the cooling pipe 150. In this case, it is possible to improve the convenience of the assembler in the operation of placing the ice maker in the refrigerator.

The flow path cover 170 is formed to surround the lower portion of the heat exchange seat 160 and may elastically contact the lower portion of the heat exchange seat 160. In detail, referring to FIG. 2, when viewed in the width direction of the ice-making tray 120, the flow path cover 170 has a width smaller than that of the heat exchange seating portion 160, and the heat exchange seating portion When coupled to 160, both ends of the heat exchanger may be elastically mounted while being deformed to fit the width of the heat exchange seating portion 160. Through this, since the flow path cover 170 is coupled while pressing the side portion of the heat exchange seat 160, it can be stably coupled without including a separate coupling support structure using an elastic force. The flow path cover 170 is formed to include an inclined portion 171, and through the inclined portion 171, a heater 140 for ice breaking or a cooling pipe 150 fastened to the heat exchange seating portion 160 is supported. I can.

The flow path cover 170 may be formed with a flow path. For example, the flow path cover 170 may be formed including a round portion 172, which is illustrated in FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 3, the flow path cover 170 may be formed to have a round bottom surface including a curved surface gradually decreasing in height as it approaches from both ends toward the middle part around the center line in the width direction. By having a structure, when the frost generated in the ice-making tray 120 or the heat exchange seating unit 160 melts down, a flow path that can function as a drainage path is provided to facilitate flow to one side of the center of the bottom surface of the flow path cover 170. Can be formed. Water generated by melting frost may move to the drain duct 180 along the flow path formed in the flow path cover 170.

The heat exchange seating unit 160 may include a groove for forming a predetermined space between the flow path cover 170 and a fastening groove for fastening the ice-breaking heater 140 or the cooling pipe 150 at the bottom thereof. . For example, the lower portion of the heat exchange seating unit 160 is a fastening groove for fastening the ice-breaking heater 140 and the cooling pipe 150 so that the lower portion of the heat exchanger seating unit 160 is sequentially approached from the farthest position around the center line in the width direction. It may be formed to include a fastening groove for and the groove. The cold air generated from the cooling pipe 150 is collected in a predetermined space formed by the groove, and the collected cold air is sucked and moved to the top as the above-described fan motor (not shown) is driven, and then the longitudinal direction of the ice-making tray 120 It is moved in a direction away from the control box 110, and after cooling the ice-making tray 120, it can be sucked back into the fan motor (not shown) through the groove. Through this, air in the ice maker may be cooled while circulating in the ice maker.

4 is a diagram illustrating a shape of a longitudinal section of an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention. When the process of discharging water is described with reference to FIG. 4, frost is melted by a temperature change under the ice-making tray 120 or the heat exchange seating unit 160, and the water generated by the melting of the frost is removed from the flow path cover 170. It flows to the bottom. A through hole 171 for drainage is formed on the lower surface of the flow path cover 170, and water flowing to the lower surface of the flow path cover 170 passes through the through hole 171 to the drain duct 180 below the flow path cover 170.

The through hole 171 is formed to penetrate the lower surface of the flow path cover 170, and an example of the shape thereof is shown in FIG. 5. Referring to FIG. 5, the through hole 171 may be formed to penetrate vertically or obliquely under the flow path cover 170. Alternatively, the through part may be formed to have a curved surface. In other words, the through part may be formed in a curved shape so as to have a curve when viewed from the side.

6 is a diagram illustrating a shape in which the cooling pipe 150, the flow path cover 170, and the drain duct 180 are fastened and assembled in the ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6, a cooling pipe 150 is fitted under the heat exchange seating unit 160, and a flow path cover 170 is elastically mounted to surround the lower portion of the heat exchange seating unit 160, and the cooling pipe The drain duct 180 is positioned under the flow path cover 170 and supports 150.

The drain duct 180 may be connected or coupled to one side of the control box 110 or may be formed to extend therefrom. In this case, the form of the connection or bond is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a hinge bond. The drain duct 180 may be formed to facilitate drainage, and may be formed to have an inclined portion for defining a direction in which water flows. Specifically, it may be formed to be inclined downward. In addition, in the longitudinal direction of the ice-making tray 120, the flow path cover 170 is formed to have the same length as the ice-making tray 120, and the length of the drain duct 180 is longer than the length of the flow path cover 170. Can be formed to For example, in the longitudinal direction of the ice making tray 120, the drain duct 180 may be formed to protrude and extend from the flow path cover 170.

The drain duct 180 includes a drain duct heater 181. In addition, a heat insulation member for preventing heat generated from the drain duct heater 181 from reaching the storage unit (not shown) may be included. The drain duct heater 181 may be disposed in the longitudinal direction of the drain duct 180, and when the drain duct 180 includes a heat insulating member, the heat insulating member is located under the drain duct heater 181. Can be.

In the above, preferred embodiments of the ice maker and refrigerator according to the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments of the present invention are not necessarily limited by the above-described preferred embodiments, and it is natural that various modifications and implementations in an equal range by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains are possible. will be. Therefore, it will be said that the true scope of the present invention is determined by the following claims.

1: refrigerator
10: ice maker
100: water supply
110: control box
120: ice tray
130: ejector
131: side guide
140: ice-breaking heater
150: cooling pipe
160: heat exchange seat
170: Euro cover
180: drain duct
181: drain duct heater
190: upper case

Claims (8)

Control box;
A fan motor provided at one side of the control box;
An ice-making tray provided at one side of the control box;
An ejector for eaves positioned above the ice-making tray;
A driving motor located inside the control box and transmitting power to the ejector;
An ice-breaking heater positioned under the ice-making tray;
A cooling pipe positioned below the ice-making tray and spaced apart from the ice-making heater;
A heat exchange seating unit positioned below the ice-making tray and having a fastening groove for inserting the ice-making heater and the cooling pipe therein;
A flow path cover enclosing a lower portion of the heat exchange seating portion and formed to be inclined, including an inclined portion or a round portion, and mounted to support one side of the ice-breaking heater and the cooling pipe fastened to the fastening groove under the heat exchange seating portion; And
And a drain duct formed to extend from one side of the control box and positioned under the flow path cover, and configured to facilitate drainage.
Control box;
A fan motor provided at one side of the control box;
An ice-making tray provided at one side of the control box;
An ejector for eaves positioned above the ice-making tray;
A driving motor located inside the control box and transmitting power to the ejector;
A heat exchange seating unit formed to extend below the ice making tray and insert-molding a heater and a cooling pipe for ice making;
A flow path cover enclosing a lower portion of the heat exchange seating portion and formed to be inclined, including an inclined portion or a round portion, and mounted to support one side of the ice-breaking heater and the cooling pipe fastened to the fastening groove under the heat exchange seating portion; And
And a drain duct formed to extend from one side of the control box and positioned under the flow path cover, and configured to facilitate drainage.
The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The ice maker, wherein cool air is sucked from the ice-making tray by the fan motor to circulate cool air.
The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The flow path cover is formed with a flow path, ice maker.
The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The channel cover includes a through hole for drainage, ice maker.
The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The flow cover is elastically mounted, ice maker.
The method according to claim 1 or 2,
An ice maker in which a length of the drain duct is longer than a length of the flow path cover in a length direction of the ice making tray.
A refrigerator comprising the ice maker of claim 1 or 2.

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