KR20230131686A - Ice tray and ice maker including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is to provide an ice-making tray capable of producing more transparent and clean ice and an ice-making machine including the same. The present invention provides an ice-making tray which includes an ice-making groove where ice is formed and an ice-making machine which includes the ice-making tray, wherein the ice is formed in a unidirectional manner in the ice-making groove of the ice-making tray.

Description

Ice tray and ice maker including the same {ICE TRAY AND ICE MAKER INCLUDING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to an ice-making tray and an ice-making machine including the same.

In general, a refrigerator is a device that stores food at low temperatures to prevent food deterioration at room temperature. Recently, products equipped with refrigerator ice makers that provide ice to users separately from food have been released.

An ice maker for a refrigerator includes an ice-making tray with a plurality of ice-making grooves for automatically receiving water and making ice of a certain size, and an ice box provided at the bottom of the ice-making tray to store ice moved by a moving motor.

Here, there may be two methods for moving the ice made in the ice-making tray. The ice-making tray itself is twisted using the above-described moving motor to separate the ice-made ice from the ice-making groove, and then the ice below it is separated. The twist type is used to drop the ice into a box, and the ice is made by applying a certain amount of ice heat using a moving heater to an ice making tray made of metal, separating the ice from the ice making groove and rotating a separate ice ejector. This is the type of heater that is pushed to one side of the tray and dropped into the ice box below.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0071427 (published on June 24, 2019) discloses ‘an ice maker equipped with an ejector pin and a refrigerator including the same.’

Recently, various shapes, such as round shapes for cocktails, are being demanded, and the demand for hard and transparent ice to maintain a cooling effect for a longer period of time is increasing.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0071427 (2019.06.24. Publication date)

The present invention was devised to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, and the ice-making tray is capable of producing more transparent and clean ice by improving the cooling structure of the ice-making tray into a specific structure so that ice-making progresses gradually in one direction. The purpose is to provide an ice maker that includes.

The ice maker according to the present invention includes an ice-making tray having an ice-making groove in a space where ice is made, and the ice-making may be performed in one direction with respect to the ice-making groove of the ice-making tray.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the ice-making groove has one side open and has a shape whose cross-sectional diameter is reduced on one side, and ice-making can be performed in a direction in which the diameter decreases from the open portion.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the ice may include a single crystal structure formed by unidirectional ice making.

In one embodiment of the present invention, at least a portion of the ice-making groove may be insulated.

Here, in one embodiment of the present invention, the insulation treatment of the ice-making groove may be formed by including a foam material.

In one embodiment of the present invention, at least one of a heater unit and a cold/heat blocking unit may be formed in the insulated area.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the ice-making tray may include one or more of stainless steel, aluminum, and carbon.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the ice solidifies in one direction so that air bubbles and foreign substances generated during the ice-making process can be collected in the bottom portion of the ice-making groove.

Additionally, the present invention provides an ice maker including the ice making tray.

The ice making tray and the ice maker including the same according to the present invention have the effect of producing more transparent and clean ice by improving the cooling structure of the ice making tray into a specific structure and allowing ice making to proceed gradually in one direction.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of an ice-making tray according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of an insulated ice-making tray according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. When adding reference numerals to components in each drawing, it should be noted that identical components are given the same reference numerals as much as possible even if they are shown in different drawings. Additionally, when describing embodiments of the present invention, if detailed descriptions of related known configurations or functions are judged to impede understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, the detailed descriptions will be omitted.

In describing the components of the embodiment of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are only used to distinguish the component from other components, and the nature, sequence, or order of the component is not limited by the term. Additionally, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related technology, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal sense unless explicitly defined in the present application. No.

As described above, the conventional ice-making tray is made of a metal material with a high coefficient of thermal expansion, so it shrinks relatively more when the temperature is lowered, and the ice-making water expands in volume during the ice creation process, so the ice-making tray There was a problem that moving became more difficult due to the contraction of the ice and the expansion of the ice.

Accordingly, in the present invention, the inner surface of the ice-making groove of the ice-making tray is treated with aluminum anodization to form nano-sized bumps or holes to minimize the surface contact area, thereby preventing water droplets from seeping into the lotus leaf. The above-described problem can be solved by allowing ice to easily move from the ice-making groove of the ice-making tray due to the lotus effect of water falling from the surface.

The ice maker 100 according to the present invention may be installed in at least one of a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment. In this embodiment, the ice maker 100 may be installed in the upper left corner of the refrigerating compartment of a refrigerator (not shown), but the ice maker 100 is not limited to this.

The ice maker 100 can receive ice-making water from the refrigerator, and can produce the ice by turning the ice-making water into ice using cold air supplied to the storage compartment from the refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator.

An ice box (not shown) in which ice transferred from the ice maker 100 is stored may be installed in the storage compartment of such a refrigerator. The ice box may be placed below the ice maker 100. The ice box may be formed in a cylindrical shape with an open top. Ice made in the ice maker 100 may be transferred from the ice maker 100 to the ice box, and may be accommodated and stored in the ice box.

An auger may be placed within the ice box. The auger may be installed in the ice box to be rotatable in a circumferential direction. Both ends of the auger may be rotatably coupled to both sides of the ice box. A spiral groove may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the auger. When the auger rotates, it can transfer ice stored in the ice box to the outside of the ice box through the spiral groove. The auger may be rotated by the driving force of an auger motor installed on one side of the ice box.

Hereinafter, 'ice making' may mean that the ice water contained in the ice making groove 15 changes into ice, and 'freezing' may mean that the ice in the ice making groove 15 is separated from the ice making groove 15.

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to these drawings, the ice maker 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a control box 101 equipped with various electronic products including a driving unit, a space provided on one side of the control box 101, and a space where ice is made. It may include an ice-making tray 200 in which the ice-making groove 210 is formed, and a cooling unit 130 and a heater unit 120 disposed below the ice-making tray 200.

The control box 110 may be formed in a substantially hexahedral square cylinder shape. The control box 101 has an empty structure, so that an internal space in which various electrical products including the driving unit can be accommodated can be formed. A control unit (not shown) may be placed in the internal space of the control box 101. The control unit may include a printed circuit board. The control unit may control the operation of the ice maker 100.

The ice maker 100 may include an ice making tray 200. An ice-making groove 210 may be formed on the upper surface of the ice-making tray 200 to accommodate ice-making water. The ice making groove 210 may be formed of a plurality of ice making grooves 210 spaced apart from each other along the length of the ice making tray 200. Here, according to the present invention, nano-sized bumps or holes may be formed on the inner peripheral surface of the ice-making groove 210 by anodizing the surface to facilitate the removal of ice. there is. This will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

According to the present invention, the inner peripheral surface of the ice-making groove 210 of the ice-making tray 200 can be insulated. That is, the inner peripheral surface of the ice-making groove 210 may be filled with foam material 300, which is an insulating material. Accordingly, the upper surface of the ice-making water supplied to the ice-making groove 210 is exposed to the temperature of the freezer, and the remaining portion, that is, the inner surface of the ice-making groove 210, is insulated with a foam insulating material, so that ice-making occurs gradually in one direction for a predetermined period of time. By allowing the process to proceed, more transparent and clean ice can be created.

The predetermined time according to the present invention may mean a sufficient ice-making time for air bubbles and foreign substances to be collected at the bottom during the ice-making process in the ice-making groove 210 in one direction, that is, from the top to the bottom.

Furthermore, the ice-making groove 210 of the ice-making tray 200 has a cross-section that increases in diameter from the bottom to the top, for example, an inverted triangle shape, and is formed to protrude from the bottom in the form of an oval-shaped hemisphere. , it can make moving easier.

Figure 3 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of an ice-making tray according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of an insulated ice-making tray according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to these drawings, as described above, the ice maker 100 according to the embodiment of the ball invention is insulated with a foam material 300 in a shape that surrounds the inner surface of the ice making groove 210 of the ice making tray 200 made of aluminum. It can be. Here, the ice-making tray 200 filled with the foam material 300 according to the present invention may have a structure in which cold air cools in one direction, that is, from the upper end of the ice-making groove 210 toward the bottom.

The ice making groove 210 of the ice making tray 200 may be formed in a structure in which the upper part is open and the diameter decreases from the upper part downward. In one example, as shown in FIG. 4, the lower side of the ice making groove 210 may be formed in an oval shape or an inverted triangle shape.

During the ice-making process in which ice C is generated in the ice-making groove 210, air bubbles and suspended matter may settle inside the ice-making groove 210. At this time, according to the present invention, the side and lower parts of the ice-making groove 210, excluding the upper part, are insulated with foam material 300 to slowly make one-way ice from the upper side to the lower side of the ice-making groove 210. Since this can be achieved, foreign substances such as air bubbles and suspended matter can naturally settle and be collected in the lowermost part of the ice making groove 210. Therefore, by allowing ice (C) to be gradually generated in one direction for a predetermined period of time in the ice making groove 210 of the ice maker 100, the air bubbles and suspended matter are collected on one side of the lower portion during the ice making process, making it more transparent. and clean ice can be produced.

In addition, the foam material 300 surrounding the inner peripheral surface of the ice making groove 210 has a cold and heat blocking portion (P) formed on the side portion to prevent loss of cold air during the process of ice making of the ice C of the ice making groove 210. It can be. This can prevent leakage of cold air when the cold-heat blocking portion P is formed, thereby preventing condensation due to water condensation on the outer circumference of the ice-making groove 210.

In some cases, a heater unit H may be buried in the lower portion of the foam material 300 surrounding the inner peripheral surface of the ice-making groove 210. This heater unit (H) may be, for example, a cord heater or a planar heater, but is not limited thereto. Therefore, when moving ice is in progress, the heater unit H is operated so that the ice C, whose ice making has been completed in the ice making groove 210, can be moved more easily.

Specifically, as described above, in the ice making groove 210 of the ice maker 100, a cold/heat blocking portion (P) may be formed on the side portion, and a heater portion (H) may be buried in the lower portion. Accordingly, the foam material 300 formed in the ice making groove 210 is primarily insulated so that the ice making process can proceed in one direction, and further, the cold and heat blocking portion P formed on the side allows the ice making process to be performed on the side during the ice making process. In addition to preventing the loss of cold air in the above direction, the ice making process progresses slowly due to the heat transmitted from the heater portion (H) formed on the lower surface to the upper side, making it easy to collect air bubbles and foreign substances. .

Here, according to the present invention, the operation of the heater unit (H) embedded in the lower part of the ice making groove 210 of the ice maker 100 can be adjusted according to the ice making and moving process of the ice making groove 210. That is, during the ice making process of the ice making groove 210 of the ice maker 100, the operation of the heater unit (H) is stopped, but the heater unit (H) is preheated a predetermined time before the end of the ice making process, and the temperature is gradually increased. At this time, the operation of the heater unit (H) is maintained until the process of transferring ice from the ice making groove 210 begins. Accordingly, the ice making process proceeds in one direction in the ice making groove 210 of the ice maker, but the temperature deviation is reduced by the operation of the heater unit (H), so that it progresses slowly, making it easy to collect air bubbles and foreign substances. .

For reference, in the process of creating ice in the ice-making groove of an ice maker, ice-making water may be supplied to the ice-making groove. The supply of ice-making water is stopped after the ice-making water reaches a predetermined water level in the ice-making groove. Subsequently, the ice-making process proceeds by using external cold air, and after the ice-making is completed, the ice in the ice-making groove is moved and discharged to the outside.

When explaining the operation process of the heater unit (H), in one example, ice-making water is first supplied to the ice-making groove 210 of the ice maker 100. At this time, the heater unit (H) is maintained in the OFF state. Thereafter, as cold air flows in from the upper side of the ice-making groove 210, the ice-making process of the ice-making water proceeds. Here, according to the present invention, not only the operation (ON/OFF) of the heater unit (H) but also the power supplied to the heater unit (H) or the rising temperature can be adjusted to slowly rise at the end of ice making in conjunction with the ice making process. That is, from the end of the ice-making process, the power or temperature of the heater unit (H) slowly increases and the power or temperature of the heater unit (H) can be maintained at a preset temperature until the ice-making process. Therefore, not only can the one-way ice making process from the top to the bottom of the ice making groove 210 of the ice maker 100 be effectively carried out, but also the operation, power, or temperature of the heater unit (H) can be adjusted to facilitate ice removal. There will be.

Furthermore, in some cases, the ice maker 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is anodized using a phosphate-based electrolyte solution on the inner surface of the ice making groove 210 of the ice making tray 200 made of aluminum to create nano-sized bumps. ) may be formed.

The ice-making tray 200 having the irregularities maintains a contact angle with the water particles of the ice-making water exceeding approximately 90 degrees, so that the water particles are maintained in a superhydrophobic state floating on the irregularities, thereby allowing the ice-making water to be made into ice. During the process, it can be prevented from being adsorbed on the surface of the ice making tray 200. In one example, the ice-making tray 200 on which the unevenness according to the present invention is formed may be approximately 90 degrees or more, and more preferably may be maintained in a range from more than 90 degrees to less than 150 degrees.

That is, since the ice-making water that makes ice is generally a liquid, it has a contact angle to contact the metal of the ice-making tray 200 and has hydrophilic characteristics. At this time, if the contact angle is less than 90, the ice-making water spreads on the metal surface and becomes hydrophilic due to the surface tension, but the ice-making tray 200 with the irregularities is formed so that the contact angle with the ice-making water exceeds at least 90 degrees. By maintaining the superhydrophobic surface, it is possible to maximize the surface tension of the ice-making water and improve ice-making efficiency.

The surface treatment of the ice-making tray 200 using the anodizing method may be performed, for example, by controlling the current density using the ice-making tray 200 as an anode and titanium as a cathode.

In addition, part or all of the ice maker 100 including the ice making tray 200 whose surface has been treated using the anodizing method may also be surface treated using the anodizing method. That is, the ice maker 100 and the adjacent area where the ice making tray 100 is generally installed are provided with separate heaters to prevent condensation due to internal moisture condensation, etc., but the ice making tray 100 according to the present invention is included. Since the surface of the ice maker 100 disposed adjacent to or on at least a portion of the ice maker 100 is surface treated using the anodic oxidation method described above, a separate heater, etc. can be eliminated.

Above, an embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, the embodiments of the present invention are not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is natural that various modifications and equivalent implementations can be made by those skilled in the art. will be. Therefore, the true scope of rights of the present invention will be determined by the claims described later.

100: Ice maker 101: Control box
110: Eject pin 120: Heater unit
130: Cooling unit 200: Ice-making tray
210: Ice making groove 300: Foam material
C: Ice surface
H: heater part
P: Cold/heat blocking unit

Claims (10)

It includes an ice-making tray having an ice-making groove in a space where ice is made,
The ice making is an ice making tray in which ice is made in one direction with respect to the ice making groove of the ice making tray.
According to claim 1,
The ice-making groove is open on one side and has a shape whose cross-sectional diameter is reduced on one side, and ice-making is performed in a direction in which the diameter decreases from the open portion.
According to claim 1,
The ice making tray includes a single crystal structure formed by unidirectional ice making.
According to claim 1,
An ice-making tray in which at least a portion of the ice-making groove is insulated.
According to claim 4,
An ice-making tray in which the ice-making groove is insulated and includes a foam material.
According to claim 4,
An ice-making tray in which a heater part is formed in the insulated area.
According to claim 4,
An ice-making tray in which a cold-heat blocking portion is formed in the insulated portion.
According to claim 1,
The ice-making tray is an ice-making tray containing one or more of stainless steel, aluminum, and carbon.
According to claim 1,
An ice-making tray in which air bubbles and foreign substances generated during the ice-making process are collected in the bottom portion of the ice-making groove through unidirectional solidification of the ice.
An ice maker comprising the ice tray according to any one of claims 1 to 9.