KR20240082538A - Ice maker and refrigerator including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ice-making tray having an ice-making groove for receiving ice-making water, an ice-making motor driven to transfer ice from the ice-making groove, an ice-making heater provided in the ice-making tray to heat the ice-making tray, and the ice-making water flowing into the ice-making groove. A water supply valve that supplies water and a power supply unit for operating the water supply valve provided in the refrigerator; wherein the water valve operation signal transmitted from the ice maker is transmitted to a control unit of the refrigerator, and the water valve is controlled according to the water valve operation signal. An ice maker including a structure and a refrigerator including the same are provided.

Description

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

The present invention relates to an ice maker and a refrigerator 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 tray with a plurality of ice-making grooves for automatically receiving water and making ice of a certain size, and an ice bank provided at the bottom of the ice tray to store ice moved by a moving motor.

Here, there may be two methods for moving the ice made in the ice tray. The ice tray itself is twisted using the above-described moving motor to separate the ice made from the ice making groove, and then the ice below it is separated. A twist type is used to drop the ice into a bank, and a moving heater is used to apply a certain amount of moving heat to an ice tray made of metal, thereby 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 bank at the bottom.

In general, such ice makers are structured so that when ice making is completed, ice is loaded into a container so that it can be withdrawn and used when necessary. Accordingly, there is a need to form a cold airflow so that the ice in the ice maker is maintained below a certain temperature.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2013-0078532

The present invention was devised to solve the above-described technical problem, and provides an ice maker and a refrigerator including the same, which enable a more rapid and efficient ice-making process by enabling direct control of operations including water supply to the refrigerator from the ice maker. The purpose is to provide.

The object of the present invention is not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

One embodiment of the ice maker according to the present invention includes an ice-making tray having an ice-making groove for receiving ice-making water;

a moving motor driven to move ice from the ice making groove;

A moving heater provided in the ice-making tray to heat the ice-making tray;

a water supply valve supplying the ice-making water to the ice-making groove; and

It includes a power supply unit for operating the water supply valve provided in the refrigerator,

The water supply valve operation signal transmitted from the ice maker is transmitted to a control unit of the refrigerator, and the water supply valve is controlled according to the water valve operation signal.

In one example of the present invention, water supply may be provided in a plurality of stages according to a water valve operation signal transmitted from the ice maker to the control unit of the refrigerator.

In one example of the present invention, it may further include at least one FET element electrically connected to the control unit.

In one example of the present invention, the control unit,

a microcomputer that receives power from the refrigerator from the power supply unit provided in the refrigerator; and

It may include a motor driving unit that supplies power input from the microcomputer to the moving motor and the water supply valve.

In one example of the present invention, the water valve may include a DC valve.

Additionally, the present invention provides a refrigerator including the ice maker.

The ice maker and the refrigerator including the same according to the present invention have the effect of allowing a more rapid and efficient ice making process to be performed by directly controlling operations including water supply to the refrigerator from the ice maker.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

1 is a diagram showing a refrigerator equipped with an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a schematic diagram of an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a conceptual diagram showing a control system for an ice maker and refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 4 is an exemplary diagram showing an example of the operation of the control system of the ice maker and refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an ice maker and a refrigerator including the same according to 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, order, 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 unless clearly defined in the present application, should not be interpreted in an idealized or excessively formal sense. No.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing a refrigerator equipped with an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a perspective view of an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an ice maker 100.

The refrigerator 1 may include a cabinet forming a storage compartment with an open front, and at least one door 8 or 9 that opens and closes the open front of the storage compartment.

The storage compartment may include at least one of a refrigerator compartment for storing food in a refrigerated state and a freezer compartment for storing food in a frozen state. The refrigerator 1 of this embodiment is illustrated as including both the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment, and the refrigerating compartment may be provided above the freezing compartment.

The doors 8 and 9 may include a refrigerator compartment door 8 that opens and closes the refrigerator compartment, and a freezer compartment door 9 that opens and closes the freezer compartment. There are two refrigerator compartment doors (8) arranged to the left and right of each other. The left refrigerator compartment door (8) can open and close the left side, which is part of the refrigerator compartment, and the right refrigerator compartment door (8) can open and close the right side, which is the remaining portion of the refrigerator compartment. You can.

The ice maker 100 may be installed in at least one of the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment. The refrigerator 1 of this embodiment may have an ice maker 100 installed in the upper left corner of the refrigerator compartment.

The ice maker 100 can receive ice-making water from the refrigerator 1, and can manufacture 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 1. .

This ice maker 100 includes a case 10, a control box 20, a circulation fan (not shown), a flow path cover with an opening (not shown), an ice tray 102, and a drain plate (not shown). It is done. As it is shown in FIG. 2 as an example for explanation in this embodiment, it is not limited, and the storage unit through which the ice is moved after the ice is manufactured, and the auger motor and screw installed in the storage unit, and the ice tray 102 The configuration of the water supply unit that supplies ice-making water is not shown.

In the ice maker 100 according to the present invention, the circulation fan is located on the control box 20 side. In particular, the circulation fan is formed at the lower end of one side of the control box 20, and is formed in various directions with a predetermined inclination.

The air in the ice-making chamber 100 may be circulated by driving the circulation fan 200. The air in the ice making room 100 may be at a temperature lower than room temperature through heat exchange. The low-temperature air moves around the ice tray 102 and can lower the temperature of the ice tray 102, and due to the lowered temperature of the ice tray 102, the ice-making water provided to the ice tray 102 is in an ice state. It can be. Of course, the cooling unit 120 may be placed in contact with the ice tray 102. The cooling unit 120 may be a pipe through which refrigerant can flow. By placing the pipe in contact with the ice tray 102, the ice tray 102 can be maintained at a sub-zero temperature or cooled to a sub-zero temperature.

Meanwhile, the cooled ice-making water turns into ice, and the ice can turn into ice. For moving, the ice tray 102 may be twisted or rotated by an ejector (not shown). In this embodiment, the ice tray 102 may be made of metal and moved by rotation of the ejector. Of course, it may be a material containing polypropylene.

An ice box (not shown) may be installed in the storage compartment of the refrigerator 1. 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 an ice box and stored in the ice box.

An auger may be placed within the ice box. The auger may be installed in the ice box 2 to be rotatable in the 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.

Meanwhile, the ice maker 100 according to the present invention may include a heat exchanger. The heat exchange unit may include one or more of a heater unit (not shown) and a cooling unit 120, and at least one may be inserted into the ice tray 102. For insertion placement, it may be inserted and injection molded during manufacturing of the ice tray 102.

Additionally, the heater unit may be a planar heater. Heat can be transferred through surface contact with the bottom surface of the planar heater and the ice tray 102, and ice transfer can be achieved through the heat transfer. The ice maker may further include another heater. Moisture generated during repeated heating and cooling may condense on the bottom of the ice tray 102 and fall downward, and the fallen water droplets may reach the drain plate disposed at the bottom. Water droplets that reach the drain plate may freeze due to the internal environment of the ice-making room. If the ice accumulates, the purpose of drainage may be lost, so heat from the heater can be transferred to a location where there is a possibility of freezing. The heater is a thawing heater (not shown) and can be located inside the drain plate for thawing.

The drain plate further includes the thaw heater to prevent freezing on the surface, and the thaw heater and the heater unit may be electrically connected in one or more of series and parallel. This heater unit and the thaw heater may be electrically connected to each other, and may be connected through one or more of series and parallel methods. This is because a plurality of each of the heater unit and the thawing heater may be provided.

The control box 20 may be connected to a full ice lever (not shown) operated by cam rotation. In this case, the ice-making process can be mechanically linked because the operation of the ice-making lever is involved during the operation of one cycle. Additionally, the full ice lever can be controlled by detection by an infrared sensor. In the case of being controlled by whether or not the infrared sensor is detected, the operation may be induced periodically or may be selectively determined by a combination of conditions such as detection time of the full ice lever in the infrared sensor area.

Meanwhile, the ice maker may further include an ice full detection unit (not shown). The ice level detection unit may detect the level of ice stored in the ice box. The full ice detection unit may be formed as a lever type rotatably provided in the control box 20, or may be provided as an optical sensor consisting of an optical light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. The signal detected by the full ice detection unit can be input to a control unit C, which will be described later, and the control unit can determine whether the ice stored in the ice box is full through the signal input from the full ice detection unit. If the ice stored in the ice storage bowl is full, the control unit (C) may stop supplying the ice-making water to the ice-making groove 15 and stop the production of ice. Of course, if the ice stored in the ice storage bowl is not full, the control unit can restart production of the ice.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a control system for an ice maker and a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram showing an example of operation of a control system for an ice maker and a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to these drawings, the present invention may include a refrigerator 1 in which a control unit C is formed and an ice maker 100 in which an operation signal of a water supply valve V of the ice maker 100 is transmitted to the refrigerator 1. there is. Here, the ice maker 100 may also be equipped with a control unit (not shown) that transmits the signal. The control unit of the ice maker 100 may be disposed within the control box 20 of the ice maker 100. The control unit may include a printed circuit board (PCB). The control unit can control all electrical components installed in the ice maker 100 of this embodiment.

The refrigerator 1 may be provided with a water supply valve V that supplies water to the ice maker 100 . The water supply valve (V) can be connected to a faucet installed in the home building through a hose or pipe. The water supply valve 105 is installed in the water supply line connected to the ice-making groove 15, and can supply ice-making water to the ice-making groove 102. The water supply valve (V) can be opened and closed by being controlled by the control unit (C). When the water supply valve (V) is opened, it can supply ice-making water to the ice-making groove (102). When the water supply valve (V) is closed, the supply of ice-making water to the ice-making groove (102) can be stopped. The water supply valve (V) may be an electrically operated solenoid valve. The water valve (V) can be operated by DC power.

Here, the water supply valve (V) operation signal transmitted from the ice maker (100) can be controlled to be directly supplied through the control unit (C) of the refrigerator (1) when water is needed for the ice maker (100). At this time, the water supply method through the water supply valve (V) may be carried out as a multi-stage water supply method including a plurality of stages.

This control unit C may be provided in the ice maker 100, the refrigerator 1, or both the ice maker 100 and the refrigerator 1. That is, the control unit C may be provided in at least one of the refrigerator 1 and the ice maker 100. The control unit C may include a refrigerator control unit provided in the refrigerator 1 and an ice maker control unit provided in the ice maker 100. In this case, the refrigerator 1 and the ice maker 100 may transmit and receive signals in both directions as well as in one direction.

The water supply valve (V) formed on one side of the refrigerator (1) is such that the water supply operation signal of the ice maker (100) is transmitted to the control unit (C) of the refrigerator (1) and the water supply operation signal of the received water valve (V) is used. The control unit (C) can directly control the water supply valve (V).

That is, in one example, the refrigerator 1 including the ice maker 100 may enter a water supply mode in which water is supplied in a plurality of preset stages according to the operation time, as shown in FIG. 4 . The water supply intervals of these plural water supply stages may be adjusted to adjust according to the water level of the ice making groove formed in the ice making tray 102 of the ice maker 100.

In one example, as described above, the water supply method through the water supply valve (V) may be carried out as a multi-stage water supply method including a plurality of stages. Preferably, water may be supplied in stages at least twice or more through the water supply valve (V) at a predetermined time interval. In one example, the water supply unit may be controlled to wait for a certain period of time after sensing the first water supply and then re-sensing or to supply additional water, and then after sensing for the second water supply, it may be controlled to wait for a certain period of time and then re-sensing or to supply additional water. You can. That is, the control unit C may be set in at least a two-step manner to supply the ice-making water to the ice-making groove of the ice-making tray 102 through the water supply unit to have a predetermined water level.

The control unit (C) of the refrigerator (1) receives power from the refrigerator (1) provided in the refrigerator (1) and controls at least one of the moving motor water supply valve (V), the temperature/hall sensor, and the moving heater. The refrigerator power input from the power supply unit to the control unit C may be DC 12V or DC 24V. The moving motor may be a DC motor. The moving motor may be a step motor. The moving heater may be a DC heater or a surface heater.

The control unit (C) can adjust the voltage of the refrigerator power input from the power supply unit to the control unit (C) and supply it to the moving heater. For example, when the refrigerator power supply is DC 12V and the moving heater is operated by DC 24V power, the control unit C can increase the voltage of the refrigerator power supply to DC 24V and supply it to the moving heater. Additionally, when the refrigerator power supply is DC 24V and the moving heater is operated by DC 12V power, the control unit C can reduce the voltage of the refrigerator power supply to DC 12V and supply it to the moving heater.

Additionally, the control unit (C) can receive power from the refrigerator (1) from the power supply unit provided in the refrigerator (1) and control the water supply valve (V) installed in the refrigerator (1). The water valve (V) may be a DC valve.

The water valve (V) can be actuated by a current of less than 300 mA. In this case, the control unit C may include a microcomputer, a motor driver, and a FET element.

The microcomputer can receive current from the power supply provided in the refrigerator 1 and transmit it to the motor drive unit and the FET element. The motor driving unit can supply power input from the microcomputer to the moving motor and water supply valve (V). The moving motor and water valve (V) can be operated by power supplied from the motor drive unit. The control unit C may include a motor drive (not shown) that drives the motor drive unit.

The motor driving unit can simultaneously or selectively control the moving motor and the water supply valve (V) through the voltage input from the microcomputer. At this time, the control unit (C) can control the moving heater through the FET element. For example, when the current input to the water valve (V) is less than 300 mA, the power supplied from the refrigerator is input as DC 12V, and with this power, the motor drive unit supplies power to the moving motor and the water valve (V) through the microcomputer. can be supplied and controlled.

Above, an embodiment of an ice maker and a refrigerator including the same according to 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.

1: refrigerator
10: Case
20: Control box
100: Ice maker
102: Ice tray
120: cooling unit
C: Control section
S: water supply section
V: Water valve

Claims (6)

An ice-making tray having an ice-making groove for receiving ice-making water;
a moving motor driven to move ice from the ice making groove;
A moving heater provided in the ice-making tray to heat the ice-making tray;
a water supply valve supplying the ice-making water to the ice-making groove; and
It includes a power supply unit for operating the water supply valve provided in the refrigerator,
An ice maker comprising a structure in which the water supply valve operation signal transmitted from the ice maker is transmitted to a control unit of the refrigerator and the water supply valve is controlled according to the water valve operation signal.
According to claim 1,
An ice maker in which water is supplied in a plurality of stages according to a water valve operation signal transmitted from the ice maker to the control unit of the refrigerator.
According to claim 1,
The ice maker further includes at least one FET element electrically connected to the control unit.
According to claim 1,
The control unit,
a microcomputer that receives power from the refrigerator from the power supply unit provided in the refrigerator; and
An ice maker comprising: a motor driving unit that supplies power input from the microcomputer to the moving motor and the water supply valve.
According to claim 1,
An ice maker, wherein the water supply valve includes a DC valve.
A refrigerator comprising an ice maker according to claims 1 to 5.