KR20220153921A - Ice maker - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an ice maker capable of reducing noise which may occur when ice is removed from an ice making unit. According to an aspect of the present invention, the ice maker includes: a housing assembly including an ice storage unit for accommodating ice; the ice making unit accommodated in the housing assembly and generating the ice; and an ice transfer member arranged in the ice storage unit and transferring the ice to discharge the ice accommodated in the ice storage unit to the outside of the housing assembly. The ice making unit includes: an ice making member generating the ice; and a tray member which can rotate around a rotation center aligned in a horizontal direction and accommodate water for a part of the ice making member to be sunken. The housing assembly includes: a first space which is a space right above the ice storage unit; and a second space arranged on one side of the first space. The tray member is arranged for the rotation center to be placed in the second space.

Description

Ice maker {ICE MAKER}

The present invention relates to an ice maker.

An ice maker is a device that cools water to a freezing point of 0°C or less to generate ice and supply it to users. Such an ice maker may be provided in a refrigerator or water purifier that requires ice. Such an ice maker may include an ice making unit for generating ice and an ice storage unit for storing ice generated from the ice making unit. Also, the ice making unit may include an ice making member providing a passage through which the refrigerant flows and a tray member accommodating water in which a part of the ice making member is immersed.

With this configuration, the tray member is rotated so that the ice maker is immersed in water, and a refrigerant flows inside the ice maker, so that ice can be formed in the ice maker. Also, after the ice is created, the tray member is rotated in a direction away from the ice making unit, and the ice is separated from the ice making unit and falls into the ice storage unit.

However, since the conventional ice making unit is disposed directly above the ice storage unit, it is difficult for the user to clean the inside of the ice storage unit. In other words, it may be difficult for the user's hand to reach the bottom of the ice storage unit due to the ice making unit disposed directly above the ice storage unit.

In this regard, Korean Publication No. 10-2015-0003517 "Ice Dispensing Apparatus" (Patent Document 1) by the present applicant discloses an ice dispensing apparatus including an ice maker for generating ice and an ice bin for storing the generated ice. .

However, there is a problem in that an ice maker is provided above the ice bin of the ice dispensing device of Patent Document 1, and thus the user may be disturbed by the ice machine when cleaning the inside of the ice bin. In other words, with the ice maker of Patent Document 1, it may be difficult for the user's hand to reach the bottom of the ice bin.

In addition, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2015-0107329 "Ice storage and ice maker including the same" (Patent Document 2) by the present applicant is an ice maker including an ice making unit for generating ice and an ice storage for storing the generated ice. are starting

However, since the ice maker of Patent Document 2 has an ice making unit provided above the ice storage, there is a problem in that the user may be disturbed by the ice making unit when cleaning the inside of the ice storage. In other words, due to the ice making unit of Patent Document 2, it may be difficult for the user's hand to reach the bottom of the ice bin.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0003517 (published on January 9, 2015) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0107329 (published on September 23, 2015)

Embodiments of the present invention have been invented against the above background, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ice maker in which a user can clean an ice storage unit without being disturbed by an ice making unit.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an ice maker capable of reducing noise that may occur when ice is removed from an ice making unit.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a housing assembly including an ice storage unit for accommodating ice; an ice making unit accommodated in the housing assembly and generating the ice; and an ice transfer member disposed in the ice storage unit and transporting the ice to discharge the ice accommodated in the ice storage unit to the outside of the housing assembly, wherein the ice making unit includes an ice making member that generates the ice. ; and a tray member rotatable about a rotation center oriented in a horizontal direction and capable of receiving water so that a portion of the ice making member is submerged, wherein a first space directly above the ice storage unit is located inside the housing assembly. space; A second space disposed at one side of the first space may be provided, and the tray member may be disposed so that the center of rotation is placed in the second space.

In addition, an ice maker may be provided in which a width of the ice storage unit increases toward an upper side.

In addition, the tray member is placed in an ice-making state in which a part of the ice-making member is accommodated to generate the ice, or in an ice-separating state in which it is spaced apart from the ice-making member so as not to accommodate the ice-making member, and the tray member is placed in the ice-making state. An ice maker disposed in the second space in both the state and the ice-separating state may be provided.

The housing assembly includes an ice guide disposed below the tray member and inclined downward toward the first space to guide the ice separated from the ice making unit to the first space; When the tray member is in an ice-separating state, a gap between the tray member and the ice guide part is smaller than a thickness of the ice in a direction perpendicular to the center of rotation of the ice at the time of ice-separation.

The housing assembly includes an ice guide disposed below the tray member and inclined downward toward the second space to guide the ice separated from the ice making unit to the second space; The ice guiding unit may include a guide body and a guide damper fixed to the guide body, wherein the guide damper has elasticity to suppress noise generated when ice is separated from the ice making member.

The housing assembly may further include a storage damper disposed on a bottom surface of the ice storage unit and having an elastic force to suppress noise generated when the ice falls into the ice storage unit. .

The first space may be opened so that the user's hand can reach the bottom surface of the inner space of the ice storage unit through the first space to communicate with the ice storage unit.

According to one aspect of the present invention, since the ice making unit can be disposed in the second space, the user can easily clean the inside of the ice storage unit without being disturbed by the ice making unit.

In addition, since a guide damper is provided below the ice making unit, noise that may occur when ice is removed from the ice making unit can be reduced.

1 is a perspective view of an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the ice maker of FIG. 1 .
3 is a cross-sectional view of the ice maker of FIG. 2 taken along AA';
4 is a cross-sectional view of the ice maker of FIG. 2 taken along BB'.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments for implementing the technical idea of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In addition, in the description of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

In addition, when a component is referred to as being 'connected', 'supported', or 'moved' to another component, it is understood that it may be directly connected to, supported, or moved to the other component, but other components may exist in the middle. It should be.

Terms used in this specification are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In addition, in this specification, expressions such as upper, lower, side, etc. are described based on the drawings, and it is made clear in advance that they may be expressed differently if the direction of the object is changed. For the same reason, some components in the accompanying drawings are exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated, and the size of each component does not entirely reflect the actual size.

In addition, terms including ordinal numbers, such as first and second, may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another.

As used herein, the meaning of "comprising" specifies specific characteristics, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, and other specific characteristics, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, elements, and/or groups. does not exclude the presence or addition of

Hereinafter, an ice maker 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , an ice maker 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a device that generates ice 2 and provides it to a user, and may be provided in a water purifier, a refrigerator, or the like. The ice maker 1 may include a housing assembly 100 , an ice making unit 200 and an ice transfer member 300 .

The housing assembly 100 may be configured to provide an overall appearance of the ice maker 1 and support other components. In addition, the housing assembly 100 may include an ice storage unit 110, a first space forming unit 120, a second space forming unit 130, an ice guide unit 140, and a storage unit damper 150. can

Further referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the ice storage unit 110 may provide an ice receiving space for accommodating ice 2 . The ice storage unit 110 may communicate with the first space forming unit 120 . Also, the ice storage unit 110 may increase in width toward the upper side. In other words, the width of the ice accommodating space may increase as it goes upward. The ice storage unit 110 may have a width perpendicular to a vertical direction and a direction in which a rotation center, which will be described later, is oriented. In addition, an ice outlet 111 through which ice 2 can be discharged and a remaining water outlet 112 through which residual water can be discharged may be formed in the ice storage unit 110 . The ice outlet 111 may be disposed on the front side of the ice storage unit 110 , and the remaining water outlet 112 may be disposed on the bottom surface of the ice storage unit 110 . In addition, the bottom surface of the ice storage unit 110 may be inclined downward as the distance from the ice outlet 111 increases. Due to the slope of the bottom surface of the ice storage unit 110, it is possible to prevent the ice 2 from being accumulated near the ice outlet.

The first space forming unit 120 may be provided in the first space S1 , which is a space directly above the ice storage unit 110 . The first space forming portion 120 may be a portion extending upward from an upper end of the ice storage portion 110 in the housing assembly 100 . In addition, the first space S1 communicates with the ice storage unit 110 and is opened so that the user's hand can reach the bottom surface of the ice storage space of the ice storage unit 110 through the first space S1. It can be. The first space S1 is formed between the first space forming unit 120 and a virtual surface (virtual surface) oriented upward from the upper end of the ice storage unit 110 connected to the ice guide unit 140. It can be a space to be.

The second space forming unit 130 may provide a second space S2, which is a space disposed on one side of the first space S1. The second space forming part 130 may be a part extending upward from the ice guide part 140 of the housing assembly 100 . In addition, the second space S2 may be a space formed between the above-described virtual surface and the second space forming unit 130 . The second space S2 and the first space S1 communicate with each other and may be located above the ice storage unit 110 . Also, the ice making unit 200 may be disposed in the second space S2.

The ice guide 140 may be disposed below the ice making unit 200 to guide the ice 2 detached from the ice making unit 200 to the first space S1. Also, the ice guide 140 may be a lower end surface of the second space forming part 130 and may be inclined downward toward the first space S1. By the ice guiding unit 140 , the ice 2 may be guided to the first space S1 and moved to the ice storage unit 110 . In addition, the ice guidance unit 140 may include a guide body 141 and a guide damper 142 .

The guide body 141 may guide the ice 2 to the first space S1. The guide body 141 may be inclined downward toward the first space S1.

The guide damper 142 may be fixed to the guide body 141 and have elasticity to suppress noise generated when the ice 2 is separated from the ice making unit 200 . In other words, when the guide damper 142 comes into contact with the ice 2, it may absorb the impact. For example, the guide damper 142 may be a synthetic resin having elasticity such as rubber or silicon.

The storage unit damper 150 may be disposed on the bottom surface of the ice storage unit 110 and have elasticity to suppress noise generated when the ice 2 falls into the ice storage unit 110 . In other words, when the storage damper 150 contacts the ice 2, it can absorb the impact. For example, the storage damper 150 may be a synthetic resin having elasticity such as rubber or silicon.

The ice making unit 200 may produce ice 2 by cooling water accommodated in the tray member 220 . Also, the ice making unit 200 may be disposed in the second space S2. The ice making unit 200 may include an ice making member 210 and a tray member 220 .

The ice making member 210 may cool water to make ice 2 . The ice making member 210 may include an evaporation unit 211 and an immersion unit 212 .

The evaporator 211 may provide a passage through which a refrigerant having a temperature lower than the freezing point of water or a refrigerant having a temperature higher than the freezing point of water may flow therein. In other words, a refrigerant having a temperature lower than the freezing point of water may flow in the evaporator 211 to generate ice 2, and a refrigerant having a temperature higher than the freezing point of water may flow in order to separate the ice. The evaporator 211 is connected to a compressor (not shown), a condenser (not shown), a capillary tube (not shown), an expansion valve (not shown), etc., which may be provided outside the ice maker 1, so that the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant are controlled. A changing refrigeration cycle can be achieved. In addition, the evaporator 211 may be oriented in a horizontal direction to be located in the second space S2 and supported by the housing assembly 100 . For example, the evaporator 211 may be a U-shaped tube.

The immersion unit 212 may extend downward from the evaporation unit 211 . In other words, the immersion part 212 may extend from the evaporation part 211 toward the ice guide part 140 . In addition, a part of the immersion portion 212 may be submerged in the water of the tray member 220 . A refrigerant having a temperature lower than the freezing point flows in the immersion part 212 , and water may be cooled by the immersion part 212 to form ice 2 . Meanwhile, the ice 2 may be separated from the immersion part 212 by flowing a refrigerant having a temperature higher than the freezing point in the evaporation part 211 .

Referring back to FIG. 3 , the tray member 220 is rotatable about a rotation center oriented in a horizontal direction, and can contain water so that a portion of the ice making member 210 is submerged. Also, the tray member 220 may be arranged such that the center of rotation is placed in the second space S2. The tray member 220 is placed in an ice-making state in which a portion of the ice-making member 210 is accommodated to generate ice 2, or in an ice-separating state in which it is spaced apart from the ice-making member 210 so as not to accommodate the ice-making member 210. can be placed The tray member 220 is rotated to be placed in an open position toward the upper side so that the immersion unit 212 is immersed in water in the ice making state, and in the open position toward the first space S1 in the ice removal state. It can be rotated to lay down. The tray member 220 may be disposed in the second space S2 both in the ice making state and in the ice separation state.

In addition, when the tray member 220 is in an ice-separating state, the gap d1 between the tray member 220 and the ice guide 140 is equal to the thickness d2 of the ice 2 in the direction perpendicular to the center of rotation during ice-separation. may be smaller than Here, the ice thickness (d2) means the width between the surface forming the hole inside the ice and the outer edge of the ice.

The ice transfer member 300 may be disposed in the ice storage unit 110 and transfer the ice 2 accommodated in the ice storage unit 110 to discharge the ice 2 to the outside of the housing assembly 100 . The ice transfer member 300 may be rotatably supported by the ice storage unit 110 . Also, the ice transport member 300 may have a screw shape. The ice 2 may be transported by the ice conveying member 300 and discharged to the outside through the ice outlet 111 .

A control device (not shown) may control the ice making unit 200 to control ice or tilt the generated ice from the ice making unit 200 . Also, the controller may drive the ice making unit 200 so that the ice thickness d2 generated by the ice making unit 200 is greater than the gap d1 between the tray member 220 and the ice guide 140. . Such a control device may be implemented by an arithmetic unit including a microprocessor, a memory, and the like, and since the implementation method is obvious to those skilled in the art, further detailed descriptions are omitted.

Hereinafter, operations and effects of the ice maker 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The ice making unit 200 of the ice maker 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is disposed in the second space S2, so that the user can easily clean the housing assembly 100. In other words, the user's hand can easily reach the bottom surface of the ice storage unit 110 through the first space S1 without being obstructed by the ice making unit 200 .

In addition, when the ice 2 is detached from the ice making unit 200, noise of the ice 2 falling can be effectively reduced by the elastic force of the guide damper 142. In addition, when the ice 2 is de-iced, the guide damper 142 can prevent the ice 2 from being damaged.

In addition, since the gap d1 between the tray member 220 and the ice guide 140 is smaller than the thickness d2 of the ice 2, when the tray member 220 is in an ice-breaking state, the gap d1 It is possible to prevent ice (2) from being caught.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described as specific embodiments, this is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and should be construed as having the widest scope according to the technical spirit disclosed herein. A person skilled in the art may implement a pattern of a shape not indicated by combining/substituting the disclosed embodiments, but this also does not deviate from the scope of the present invention. In addition, those skilled in the art can easily change or modify the disclosed embodiments based on this specification, and it is clear that such changes or modifications also fall within the scope of the present invention.

1: ice maker 2: ice
100: housing assembly 110: ice storage unit
111: ice outlet 112: residual water outlet
120: first space forming unit 130: second space forming unit
140: ice guide unit 141: guide body
142: guide damper 150: storage damper
200: ice making unit 210: ice making member
211: evaporation unit 212: immersion unit
220: tray member 300: ice transfer member

Claims (7)

a housing assembly including an ice storage unit for accommodating ice;
an ice making unit accommodated in the housing assembly and generating the ice; and
an ice transfer member disposed in the ice storage unit and transporting the ice to discharge the ice accommodated in the ice storage unit to the outside of the housing assembly;
The ice making unit,
an ice making member generating the ice; and
a tray member rotatable about a rotation center oriented in a horizontal direction and capable of containing water so that a portion of the ice making member is submerged;
Inside the housing assembly,
a first space directly above the ice storage unit;
A second space disposed on one side of the first space is provided,
The tray member is disposed so that the center of rotation is placed in the second space,
ice machine. According to claim 1,
The ice storage portion increases in width toward the top,
ice machine. According to claim 1,
the tray member is placed in an ice-making state in which a part of the ice-making member is accommodated to generate the ice, or in an ice-separating state in which it is spaced apart from the ice-making member so as not to receive the ice-making member;
The tray member is disposed in the second space in both the ice-making state and the ice-separating state.
ice machine. According to claim 3,
The housing assembly,
an ice guide disposed below the tray member and inclined downward toward the first space to guide the ice separated from the ice making unit to the first space;
When the tray member is in the ice-separating state, a gap between the tray member and the ice guide part is smaller than a thickness of the ice in a direction perpendicular to the rotation center at the time of ice-separation;
ice machine. According to claim 1,
The housing assembly,
an ice guide disposed below the tray member and inclined downward toward the second space to guide the ice separated from the ice making unit to the second space;
The ice guide unit,
guide body; and
Including a guide damper fixed to the guide body,
The guide damper has an elastic force to suppress noise generated when the ice is separated from the ice making member.
ice machine. According to claim 1,
The housing assembly,
Further comprising a storage damper disposed on a bottom surface of the ice storage unit and having an elastic force to suppress noise generated when the ice falls into the ice storage unit.
ice machine. According to claim 1,
The first space is open so that the user's hand can reach the bottom surface of the inner space of the ice storage unit through the first space and communicates with the ice storage unit.
ice machine.

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