MX2014014856A

MX2014014856A - Refrigerator.

Info

Publication number: MX2014014856A
Application number: MX2014014856A
Authority: MX
Inventors: Jin Jeong; Kyoung Ki Park; Bong Su Son; Do Yun Jang; Jae Koog An; Bu Kil Jeong
Original assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2012-06-07
Filing date: 2013-05-31
Publication date: 2015-06-17
Also published as: BR112014030495A2; KR20160116309A; IN2015DN00161A; KR101761738B1; MX367322B; KR20130137524A; AU2013272487A1; BR112014030495B1

Abstract

A refrigerator including an icemaker and an ice bucket provided at a door, a feeding unit to feed ice cubes stored in the ice bucket, a driving motor provided at a main body to drive the feeding unit, and a coupling device to transmit driving force from the driving motor to the feeding unit. When the door is closed, the driving motor is connected to the feeding unit. When the door is opened, the driving motor is disconnected from the feeding unit. Accordingly, the door has a simple structure, the ice bucket has an increased capacity, repair or replacement of the driving motor is easily achieved. The coupling device includes a first coupling unit and a second coupling unit which is engaged with the first coupling unit to receive driving force. The coupling device is configured to hide the coupling units when the door is opened.

Description

FRIDGE FIELD OF THE INVENTION Modalities of the present description refer to a refrigerator having an ice maker provided in a door.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In general, a refrigerator is an appliance which has a storage compartment for storing food therein and a cooling air supply device for supplying cooling air to the storage compartment, thereby maintaining the food in a fresh state . A storage compartment is formed in a main body and has an open front surface which is opened and closed by a door.

A refrigerator can include an ice maker to produce ice cubes, a cooler to store ice cubes produced by the ice maker, a feed unit to feed the ice cubes in the icebox, a drive motor to drive ice the feeding unit and a crushing device to crush the ice cubes in the cooler into pieces of ice.

The above components can be provided in a door as compared to a storage compartment. A conventional exemplary refrigerator is described in U.S. Patent No. 6,082,130. The conventional refrigerator includes a cooler provided in a door for storing ice cubes therein, and a feeding unit provided in the cooler for feeding the ice cubes.

An ice storage space is provided on top of the ice chest and an ice crushing space is provided under the ice chest. The feed unit has a rotation axis that extends vertically. A drive motor to drive the power unit is mounted on the door and is located under the cooler.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Problem The capacity of the cooler is not enough, and the door has a complicated structure. A repair or replacement of the drive motor is not easily achieved.

Solution to the problem It is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide a refrigerator in which a cooler provided with a feeding unit is arranged in a door and the cooler have an increased capacity.

It is another aspect of the present disclosure to provide a refrigerator in which a cooler provided with a power unit is arranged in a door and the door has a simple structure.

It is a further aspect of the present disclosure to provide a refrigerator in which a cooler provided with a power unit is arranged in a door and the ice feeding operation is performed continuously.

It is a further aspect of the present disclosure to provide a cooler including a coupling device which is configured to transmit driving force from a drive motor disposed in a main body to a power unit arranged in a door and has a capable structure to easily achieve a connection and disconnection.

It is a further aspect of the present disclosure to provide a cooler including a coupling device which is configured to transmit driving force from a drive motor arranged in a main body to a power unit arranged in a door and has an external appearance and improved security.

Additional aspects of the description will be set forth in part in the description that follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the description.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a refrigerator includes a main body having a storage compartment, a door rotatably coupled to the main body to open and close the storage compartment, an ice maker provided on the door, a cooler provided on the door to store ice cubes produced by the icemaker, the cooler is provided with a feeding device to feed the ice cubes stored therein, and a drive device provided in the main body for driving the feeding device. When the door is closed, the driving device is connected to the feeding device, and when the door is opened, the driving device is disconnected from the feeding device.

The drive device may include a drive motor for generating drive force and a drive coupler which is connected to the feed device. The feeding device may include a feeding unit for feeding the cubes of ice and a driven coupler that connects with or separates from the drive coupler. When the door is closed, the drive coupler and the driven coupler can be connected together, and when the door is opened, the drive coupler and the driven coupler can be separated from each other.

The driven coupler may include a support part and a pressurized part projecting from the support part. The pressurized part may have a proximal end located spaced apart from a center of rotation by a distance of a first radius and a distal end located spaced apart from the center of rotation by a distance of a second radius. The drive coupler may include an oscillating part and a pressurizing part projecting from the oscillating part. The pressurizing part may have a proximal end and a distal end, of which at least one is located separated from the center of rotation by a distance between the first radius and the second radius.

The drive coupler and the driven coupler can be made of a resin material.

The drive motor can be arranged in a side wall of the main body, and the drive device can include a reducer to reduce the rotation speed of the drive motor and transmit the driving force from the drive motor to the drive coupler.

The drive motor may be arranged in an upper wall of the main body, and the drive device may include at least one endless gear for transmitting driving force from the drive motor to the drive coupler.

The cooler may include a storage space for storing the ice cubes that fall from the ice machine and a crushing space in which the ice cubes are crushed into pieces of ice. The grinding space can be arranged horizontally in the storage space. The feed unit may include a horizontally extending axis of rotation to feed the ice cubes in the storage space to the grinding space. The driven coupler can be arranged on the axis of rotation of the power unit.

The cooler may include a storage space for storing the ice cubes that fall from the ice machine and a crushing space in which the ice cubes are crushed into pieces of ice. The grinding space can be arranged under the storage space. The feeding unit may include a vertically extending rotation axis or Inclined way to feed the ice cubes in the storage space to the crushing space. The feed device may include at least one worm gear for transmitting driving force from the driven coupler to the feed unit.

The cooler may include a discharge port for discharging the ice cubes therethrough and a crushing device for crushing the ice cubes into pieces of ice. The shredding device may include a fixed vane, fixed in the cooler, a rotational vane coupled to a rotational axis of the feed unit, a guide member rotatably coupled to the discharge port for crushing the ice cubes, and a switching motor for rotating the guide member.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a refrigerator includes a main body having an inner casing, an outer casing and an insulating wall provided between the inner casing and the outer casing, a storage compartment formed in the inner casing, a door rotatably coupled to the main body to open and close the storage compartment, an ice maker provided in the door, a cooler provided in the door for storing ice cubes produced by the icemaker, the icebox is provided with a power unit to feed the ice cubes stored therein, and a drive motor provided in the main body to drive the power unit.

The inner casing can be formed with a concave shaped motor receiving part that is pressed into the insulating wall, and at least a portion of the driving motor can be received in the motor receiving part.

The drive motor can be fixed to an outer surface of the outer casing.

The drive motor can be fixed to an inner surface of the inner casing.

The cooler may further include a drive force transmission device for transmitting the driving force from the drive motor to the feed unit. The drive force transmission device may include a drive coupler provided in the main body and a driven coupler provided in the door and configured to be coupled to the drive coupler when the door is closed and to separate from the drive coupler when the door open The drive force transmission device may further include a worm gear for transmitting the driving force from the drive motor to the drive coupler.

According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, a refrigerator includes a main body having a storage compartment, a door rotatably coupled to the main body to open and close the storage compartment, an ice making machine provided in the door, a cooler provided in the door to store ice cubes produced by the ice maker, a power unit that includes a driven coupler to receive the driving force, the power unit configured to feed the ice cubes in the Cooler in a horizontal direction, and a drive motor assembly provided in a side wall of the main body, the drive motor includes a drive coupler that connects to or separates from the driven coupler.

According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, a refrigerator includes a main body having a storage compartment, a door rotatably coupled to the main body to open and close the storage compartment, an ice machine provided in the door, a cooler provided in the door to store ice cubes produced by the ice machine, the ice chest is provided with a feeding unit to feed the ice cubes stored in it, a drive motor provided in the main body to generate the driving force, and a coupling device for transmitting the driving force from the drive motor to the power unit, the coupling device includes a drive coupler having a first coupling unit and a driven coupler having a second coupling unit which engages with the first coupling unit to receive the driving force. The coupling device is configured to conceal at least one of the first coupling unit and the second coupling unit when the door is opened.

The first coupling unit may include an insertion projection, and the second coupling unit may include an insertion recess into which the insertion projection is inserted.

The drive coupler can further include a first cover movably provided forwards and backwards around the insertion projection to hide the insertion projection when the door is opened.

The drive coupler may further include a first spring to elastically support the first cover to allow the first cover to conceal the insertion projection.

The driven coupler may further include a second cover provided movably forward and backward in the insertion recess to conceal the insertion recess when the door is opened.

The driven coupler may further include a second spring to elastically support the second cover to allow the second cover to conceal the insertion recess.

If the insertion projection is located in a position incapable of being inserted into the insertion recess when the door is closed, the second coupling unit can move backward in an axial direction by pressurizing the insertion projection.

The driven coupler may further include a third spring for returning the second coupling unit so that if the insertion projection is moved to a position capable of being inserted into the insertion recess by the operation of the drive motor in the state in which the second coupling unit moves backward, the insertion projection is inserted into the insertion recess.

According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, a refrigerator includes a main body having an inner casing, an outer casing and an insulation wall provided between the inner casing and the outer casing, a storage compartment formed in the main body. , a door rotatably coupled to the main body to open and close the storage compartment, an ice maker provided in the door, a cooler provided in the door for storing ice cubes produced by the icemaker, the icemaker it is provided with a power unit for feeding the ice cubes stored therein, a drive motor provided in the main body for driving the power unit, and a motor housing for accommodating the drive motor, the motor housing includes a first housing supported by the inner housing and the wall d and insulation and a second housing coupled to the first housing.

The first housing can be fixed to the inner housing by adhesive force of an insulation material used to form the insulation wall, and the second housing can be coupled with screws to the first housing.

The second housing may include a projection portion projecting toward the storage compartment to define a space to accommodate the drive motor.

The storage compartment can be provided with a tiny drawer to hide the projected part.

The cooler may further include a first coupling unit coupled to a drive shaft of the drive motor and including an insertion projection configured to transmit the drive force from the drive motor to the feed unit, and a second drive unit. coupling coupled to a rotation axis of the feeding unit and including an insertion recess into which the insertion projection is inserted.

The cooler may further include a first cover provided movably forward and backward around the insertion projection to conceal the insertion projection when the door is opened, and a second cover provided movably forward and backward in the Insertion recess to hide the insertion recess when the door is opened.

The second housing can be formed with an opening which is locked by the first coupling unit when the door is opened and through which the second coupling unit passes when the first coupling unit and the second coupling unit are coupled.

ADVANTAGEAL EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION As described above, in the refrigerator constructed so that the ice chest provided with the power unit is arranged in the door, the drive motor for driving the power unit can be mounted on the main body as compared to the door. Therefore, a capacity of the ice chest can be increased.

Since the axis of rotation of the feeding unit is arranged horizontally, the ice feeding operation of the feeding unit can be carried out continuously.

In addition, the door can have a simple structure.

A repair or replacement of the drive motor is easily achieved.

In addition, in the coupling device to transmit the driving force from the drive motor to the feed unit, the coupler of drive coupled to the drive motor disposed in the main body and the driven coupler coupled to the supply unit arranged in the door can be connected continuously.

Furthermore, since the drive coupler and the driven coupler are connected by the covers and are not exposed to the outside when the door is opened, an external and aesthetic appearance can be improved, and the risk of injury by direct contact of a body of a User with the drive coupler or driven coupler can be avoided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES These and / or other aspects of the description will become apparent and will be more readily appreciated from the following description of the modalities, taken together with the accompanying figures of which: FIGURE 1 is a perspective view illustrating a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure; FIGURE 2 is a perspective view illustrating a refrigerator door shown in FIGURE 1; FIGURE 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a refrigerator drive device shown in FIGURE 1; FIGURE 4 is a sectional plan view of the refrigerator shown in FIGURE 1; FIGURE 5 is a sectional view illustrating a state in which a center of rotation of a driven coupler and a center of rotation of a driving coupler coincide with each other in the refrigerator shown in FIGURE 1; FIGURE 6 is a side sectional view of a main body of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure; FIGURE 7 is a perspective view illustrating a refrigerator drive device shown in FIGURE 6; FIGURE 8 is a side sectional view of a main body of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure; FIGURE 9 is a perspective view illustrating a door of a refrigerator according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure; FIGURE 10 is a sectional plan view of the refrigerator shown in FIGURE 9; FIGURE 11 is a view for explaining a refrigerator according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure; FIGURE 12 is a view illustrating a refrigerator according to a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure; FIGURE 13 is a view illustrating a rear part of a refrigerator door shown in FIGURE 12; FIGURE 14 is an exploded perspective view of a refrigerator drive device shown in FIGURE 12; FIGURE 15 is a sectional view of a refrigerator drive coupler shown in FIGURE 12; FIGURE 16 is a view illustrating a driven coupler of the refrigerator shown in FIG.

FIGURE 12; FIGURE 17 is an exploded perspective view of the cooler driven coupler shown in FIGURE 12; FIGURE 18 is a sectional view of the driven coupler of the refrigerator shown in FIG.

FIGURE 12; FIGURE 19 is a sectional view illustrating a state in which a first coupling unit of the drive coupler pressurizes a second coupling unit of the driven coupler in the cooler shown in FIGURE 12; Y FIGURE 20 is a sectional view illustrating a state in which an insertion projection of the first coupling unit of the drive coupler is inserted into an insertion recess of the second coupling unit of the driven coupler in the refrigerator shown in FIG. FIGURE 12 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION MODE FOR THE INVENTION Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present disclosure, of which examples are illustrated in the appended figures, in which like reference numbers refer to like elements throughout the same.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view illustrating a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

As exemplified in FIGURE 1, a refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure includes a main body 10, storage compartments 20 and 30 formed in the main body 10, and an air supply device. of cooling (not shown) to supply cooling air to the storage compartments 20 and 30.

The main body 10 includes an inner shell 11 (see FIGURE 4) to define the storage compartments 20 and 30, an outer shell 12 (see FIGURE 4) coupled outside the inner shell 11 and an insulation wall 13 (see FIGURE 4). ) disposed between the inner housing 11 and the outer housing 12.

The inner casing 11 can be made of a resin material by injection molding and the outer casing 12 can be made of a metal material for high design quality and durability. The insulation wall 13 can be formed of rigid urethane foam, or it can be formed by injecting an untreated urethane material in a space between the inner casing 11 and the outer casing 12 which are coupled together.

The main body 10 can be formed in a substantially box-like configuration having an open front surface. The main body 10 may include an upper wall 14, a lower wall 15, a pair of side walls 16a and 16b, a rear wall, and an intermediate wall 17. The storage compartments 20 and 30 can be divided by the intermediate wall 17 into a freezing compartment 20 on the left side and a cooling compartment 30 on the right side. A compartment temperature 20 of freezing may be about -18 ° C and a temperature of the cooling compartment 30 may be about 0 ° C to 5 ° C. The positions of the freezing compartment 20 and the cooling compartment 30 are not limited to this arrangement and various configurations are possible.

A freezing compartment door 21 can be rotatably coupled to the main body 10 by a hinge 22, for opening and closing an open front surface of the freezing compartment 20. In addition, a cooling compartment door 31 can be rotatably coupled to the main body 10 by a hinge 32, for opening and closing an open front surface of the cooling compartment 30.

The freezing compartment door 21 is provided with an ice making machine 40 to produce ice cubes and a ice chest 50 for storing ice cubes produced by the ice making machine 40. The ice making machine 40 can produce ice cubes using cooling air in the freezing compartment 20.

The cooler 50 is placed under the machine 40 to make ice in the freezer compartment door 21. The ice chest 50 is provided with a power supply device 61 and 63 (see FIGURE 2) to feed ice cubes stored in it. The main body 10 is provided with a drive device 70 for driving the feeding device 61 and 63. Hereinafter, a structure of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present description will be described focusing on the feeding device and the driving device 70.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view illustrating the refrigerator door shown in FIGURE 1, FIGURE 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the refrigerator drive device shown in FIGURE 1, FIGURE 4 is a view in plan section of the refrigerator shown in FIGURE 1, and FIGURE 5 is a sectional view illustrating a state in which a center of rotation of a driven coupler and a center of rotation of a drive coupler coincide with each other in the refrigerator shown in FIGURE 1.

With reference to FIGURES 2 to 5, the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure includes the ice making machine 40, the ice chest 50 for storing ice cubes produced by the ice making machine 40, the device 61 and 63 of feeding to feed the ice cubes stored in the cooler 50 and the device 70 of drive to drive the feeding device 61 and 63.

The ice making machine 40 may include several cells 41 for making ice to freeze the water supplied thereto in ice cubes, an injector 42 for separating the ice cubes produced in the cells 41 for making ice from the machine 40 to make ice and a slide 43 for guiding the ice cubes separated from the machine 40 to make ice through the nozzle 42 in the cooler 50.

The ejector 42 may include an axis of rotation and an ejector pin extending in a radial direction of the axis of rotation. As the ejector pin rotates about the axis of rotation, the ice cubes in the ice making cells 41 are pushed out of the cells 41 to make ice. The ice cubes separated from the cells 41 for making ice by the ejector 42 can slide to the icemaker 50 through the slide 43.

The icemaker 50 may include a storage space 51 for storing the ice cubes falling from the ice making machine 40 and a crushing space 52 in which the ice cubes are crushed into pieces of ice. The storage space 51 and the grinding space 52 can be arranged horizontally.

A discharge port 55 can be formed in a lower portion of the crushing space 52, through which the ice chunks of the ice chest 50 are discharged. The discharge port 55 can be connected to a chute 90 to guide the ice chunks up to a distribution space of a distributor.

A crushing device may be provided in the crushing space 52 for shredding ice cubes into pieces of ice. The shredding device may include a fixed vane 58 fixed to the icemaker 50, a rotation vane 59 coupled to a rotation shaft 62 of a power unit 61 and configured to rotate together with the power unit 61 and a member 56 of guide to maintain the ice cubes so that the fixed vane 58 and the rotation vane 59 can crush the ice cubes into pieces of ice and guide the pieces of crushed ice to the discharge port 55.

The guide member 56 can be rotatably coupled to the discharge port 55 by a hinge, to selectively allow the ice cubes to discharge through the discharge port 55 without being crushed. The shredding device may include a switching motor 57 capable of rotating the guide member 56.

The ice cubes falling into the storage space 51 of the icemaker 50 from the ice making machine 40 can be fed into the space 52 for grinding the storage space 51 by the feeding device 61 and 63. The ice cubes can be selectively shredded into pieces of ice or not crushed in the crushing space 52 and can be discharged to the outside of the icemaker 50 through the discharge port 55 formed in the lower portion of the crushing space 52.

The feed device, which serves to feed ice cubes to the crushing space 52, may include a feed unit 61 and a driven coupler 63 that receives the driving force to rotate the feed unit 61.

The feeding unit 61 can be formed in a helical screw configuration, which includes a rotation shaft 62 and a spiral blade 64 extending in a radial direction from the rotation shaft 62.

The driven coupler 63 may include a support portion 63a extending in a radial direction from the rotation shaft 62 and a pressurized portion 63b projecting from the support portion 63a.

As exemplified in FIGURE 5, the pressurized portion 63b includes a proximal end located spaced apart from a center of rotation O by a distance of a first radius DI and a distal end located spaced from the center of rotation 0 by a distance of a second radius D2.

A drive coupler 73, which serves to rotate the driven coupler 63, can be provided to the main body 10. The drive coupler 73 includes an oscillating portion 73a extending in a radial direction from an axis of rotation and a pressurizing portion 73b projecting from the oscillating portion 73a. The pressurizing part 73b includes a proximal end and a distal end, of which at least one is located separated from the center of rotation O by a distance between the first radius DI and the second radius D2. As shown exemplarily in FIGURE 5, the proximal end of the pressurizing part 73b can be separated from the center of rotation O by a distance of a third radius D3 and the distal end of the pressurizing part 73b can be separated from the center of the center. rotation O for a distance of a fourth radius D4.

When the centers of rotation of the drive coupler 73 and the driven coupler 63 are aligned with each other, if the drive coupler 73 rotates, the The pressurizing part 73b of the drive coupler 73 pressurizes the pressurized portion 63b of the driven coupler 63 and thereby rotates the driven coupler 63.

The drive coupler 73 and the driven coupler 63 engage each other when the door 21 closes and disengage from each other when the door 21 opens. Accordingly, to avoid damage due to frequent coupling and decoupling, the drive coupler 73 and the driven coupler 63 can be made of a resin material.

As exemplified in FIGURES 3 and 4, a drive motor 71 for rotating the drive coupler 73 can be provided on the side wall 16a of the main body 10. A reducer 74 for reducing the rotation speed of the drive motor 71 can be connected to the drive motor 71, and the drive coupler 73 can be connected to an output shaft 74a of the reducer 74.

The inner casing 11 can be formed with a concave-shaped motor receiving portion 80 which is compressed within the isolation wall 13, so that at least a portion of the driving motor 71 can be received in the motor receiving portion 80. . As exemplified in FIGURE 4, the engine 71 The drive can be received completely in the motor receiving part 80.

By virtue of the motor receiving portion 80 in which at least a portion of the drive motor 71 is received, the drive device 70 may not project excessively into the freezing compartment 20, which may prevent a decrease in the capacity of the freezing compartment 20 and the interference with the driving device 70 when a user accesses the freezing compartment 20.

The drive motor 71 can be protected by a cover 75. The cover 75 can include a coupling part 75a that comes into close contact with the inner casing 11 to engage the inner casing 11. The coupling part 75a can be formed with a holding hole 75b and the inner housing 11 can also be formed with a holding hole 81 which corresponds to the holding hole 75b of the coupling part 75a. A clamping member 76 can be secured to the fixing holes 75b and 81, thereby securely securing the drive device 70 to the inner housing 11.

When the drive device 70 malfunctions, a user or technician can easily repair or replace the drive device 70 simply by releasing the clamping member 76 and separating the driving device 70 from the inner casing 11.

The drive device 70 is positioned so that the center of rotation of the drive coupler 73 is aligned with the center of rotation of the driven coupler 63 in the closed door state.

FIGURE 6 is a side sectional view of a main body of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIGURE 7 is a perspective view illustrating a refrigerator drive device shown in FIGURE 6. Some parts of this embodiment are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment and are thus indicated by the same reference numerals, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As exemplified in FIGS. 6 and 7, in a refrigerator according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, a drive motor 171 is disposed on an outer surface of the outer casing 12 of the top wall 14. The drive motor 171 can be fixed to the outer surface of the outer casing 12 using a motor holding part 171a. The motor fastening part 171a is not limited to the configuration illustrated in the figures and can having several configurations capable of fixing the drive motor 171 to the outer surface of the outer casing 12.

An accommodation space 180a, in which a drive shaft 172 of the drive motor 171 is arranged, is formed between the inner housing 11 and the outer housing 12. The drive shaft 172 can extend downwardly from the upper wall 14 through the accommodating space 180a.

The drive shaft 172 is disposed perpendicular to a rotation axis of a drive coupler 173. A worm gear 172a and 174a can be provided to transmit driving force of the drive shaft 172 to the drive coupler 173. Instead of the worm gear 172a and 174a, a bevel gear can be used. The structure of the gear 172a and 174a is able to reduce the speed of rotation of the drive shaft 172 and thus not require an additional gearbox. In addition, the worm gear 172a and 174a may have a smaller size than a bevel gear.

The worm gear 172a and 174a can include a worm 172a formed on the drive shaft 172 and an endless wheel 174a formed on a transmission shaft 174. The drive coupler 173 can be connected to the transmission shaft 174. The gear 172a and 174a can be arranged in an accommodation space 180b formed between the inner housing 11 and the outer housing 12.

Bearings 172b and 174b may be provided in the accommodation space 180b to allow the drive shaft 172 and the drive shaft 174 to rotate continuously. The accommodation space 180b can be covered by a cover 175. The cover 175 can be coupled to the inner housing 11 using a holding member 176.

As described above, since this embodiment is structured so that the drive shaft 172 and the worm gear 172a and 174a are arranged in the spaces between the inner housing 11 and the outer housing 12 and are not exposed to the outside, The external appearance of the refrigerator is improved.

FIGURE 8 is a side sectional view of a main body of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. Some parts in this embodiment are substantially the same as those in the first and second embodiments and are thus indicated by the same reference numerals, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown exemplarily in FIGURE 8, in a refrigerator according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure, a drive motor 271 it is disposed on an inner surface of the inner casing 11 of the upper wall 14. The drive motor 271 can be fixed on the inner surface of the inner casing 11 using a motor fastening part 271a. The motor fastening part 271a is not limited to the configuration illustrated in the figures.

A drive shaft 272 of the drive motor 271 can penetrate the inner casing 11 and can be arranged in a space between the inner casing 11 and the outer casing 12. The drive shaft 272 can be formed with a first auger 272a. The drive shaft 272 may also be coupled with a bearing 272b for continuous rotation thereof.

A first auger 274a, which engages with the first auger 272a, can be formed in a first transmission shaft 272. The first worm 272a and the first worm wheel 274a can compose a first worm gear 272a and 274a. A space 280a for accommodating the first worm gear 272a and 274a can be formed between the inner housing 11 and the outer housing 12.

In addition, an accommodation space 280b can be formed between the inner housing 11 and the outer housing 12. The accommodation space 280b can be extended vertically to accommodate the first transmission axis 274. The first axis 274 of transmission can be coupled with a bearing 274c and can be formed with a second worm 274b.

A second auger 275a, which engages the second auger 274b, can be formed in a second transmission shaft 275. The second drive shaft 275 can be connected to a drive coupler 273 and can be coupled with a bearing 275b. The second worm 274b and the second worm wheel 275a can compose a second gear 274b and 275a endless. An accommodating space 280c for accommodating the second worm gear 274b and 275a can be formed between the inner housing 11 and the outer housing 12.

The accommodation space 280c can be covered by a cover 276, and the cover 276 can be coupled to the inner housing 11 using a fastening member 277.

As described in the above, using the various gears 272a, 274a, 274b and 275a auger, the driving force of the drive motor 271 disposed on the interior surface of the inner housing 11 of the upper wall 14 can be transmitted to the coupler 273 of drive. The drive force transmission structure is not limited to this mode using several gears 272a, 274a, 274b and 275a endless. Other various methods of drive force transmission, which use a worm gear simple, a bevel gear, a belt-pulley system, or the like, can be applied, and such methods will also fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

This embodiment has features that the gears 272a, 274a, 274b and 275a endless, the first transmission shaft 272 and the second transmission shaft 275 are disposed in the spaces between the inner housing 11 and the outer housing 12 and are not exposed to the outside . In addition, the 272a, 274a, 274b and 275a worm gears eliminate the need for any additional reducer.

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view illustrating a door of a refrigerator according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIGURE 10 is a sectional plan view of the refrigerator shown in FIGURE 9. Some parts in this embodiment they are substantially the same as those in the first to third embodiments and are thus indicated by the same reference numerals, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As exemplified in FIGURES 9 and 10, in a refrigerator according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure, a rotation axis of a feed unit 361 is arranged vertically. A cooler 350 includes a storage space 351 for storing ice cubes produced by the machine for making ice and a crushing space 352 to which the ice cubes are fed from the storage space 351 and in which the ice cubes are crushed into pieces of ice. The grinding space 352 is disposed under the storage space 351.

Although a state separate from the storage space 351 of the grinding space 352 is illustrated in FIGURE 9, the storage space 351 and the grinding space 352 may be formed separately or integrally.

In the crushing space 352, a discharge port 355 is provided through which the ice chunks are discharged, a fixed vane 358 fixed in the chiller 350, a rotation vane 359 configured to rotate together with the chute unit 361. feed, and a guide member 356 for holding the ice cubes so that the fixed blade 358 and the rotation blade 359 can crush the ice cubes into pieces of ice and guide the crushed ice chips to the discharge hole 355. . The guide member 356 can be rotated about a hinge shaft 356a by a switching motor 357.

The storage space 351 and the grinding space 352 are divided by a separation plate 353. The separation wall 353 is formed with a communication hole 354 to communicate the space 351 of storage and crushing space 352 with each other. The separation plate 353 is arranged horizontally. Accordingly, a rotation shaft 362 of the feed unit 361 can be arranged vertically.

The feed unit 361 may include a rotation shaft 362 and an agitator 364 provided above the rotation shaft 362 to agitate the ice cubes in the storage space 351 and feed part of the grinding space 352 through the hole 354 of communication while preventing communication hole 354 from being blocked.

The axis of rotation 362 can be formed with an endless wheel 362a, and an endless screw 365a coupled with the endless wheel 362a can be formed on a transmission shaft 365. The transmission shaft 365 can be connected to a driven coupler 363.

As described above, by using the worm gear 362a and 365a, the driving force can be transmitted from the driven coupler 363 to the feed unit 361 having the rotation shaft 362 vertically disposed.

FIGURE 11 is a view for explaining a refrigerator according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure. Some parties in this mode are substantially the same as those in the first fourth modes and thus indicated by the same reference numbers, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown exemplarily in FIGURE 11, in a refrigerator according to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure, an axis of rotation of a feeding unit 461 is disposed in an inclined manner. A cooler 451 and 452 includes a storage space 451 for storing ice cubes produced by the ice making machine and a grinding space 452 to which the ice cubes are fed from the storage space 451 and in which the cubes Ice is crushed into pieces of ice. A separation plate 453 for dividing the storage space 451 and the grinding space 452 is disposed inclined. The separation plate 453 can be formed with a communication hole 454 for communicating the storage space 451 and the grinding space 452 with each other.

The feed unit 461 may include a rotation shaft 462 arranged inclined with respect to a horizontal plane or perpendicular to the separation plate 453 and an agitator 464 provided above the rotation shaft 462 for agitating the ice cubes in the space 451 of storage and feed the same to the space 452 of crushing through the hole 454 communication while preventing communication hole 454 from being blocked.

The rotation shaft 462 of the feed unit 461 can be formed with an endless wheel 462a, and an endless screw 465a coupled with the endless wheel 462a can be formed on a transmission shaft 465.

FIGURE 12 is a view illustrating a refrigerator according to a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIGURE 13 is a view illustrating a rear part of a refrigerator door shown in FIGURE 12. Some parts in this embodiment are substantially the same as those in the first to fifth modes and thus indicated by the same reference numerals, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As exemplified in FIGURES 12 and 13, a refrigerator 501 according to the sixth embodiment of the present disclosure includes a main body 510, a storage compartment 520 formed in the main body 510, and an air supply device. of cooling (not shown) for supplying cooling air to the storage compartment 520. The cooling air supply device can maintain a temperature of the storage compartment 520 below zero. That is, the Storage compartment 520 can be a freezing compartment.

The main body 510 includes an inner housing 511 to define the storage compartment 520, an outer housing 512 coupled outside the inner housing 511 and an insulation wall 513 (see FIGURE 18) disposed between the inner housing 511 and the outer housing 512 . The insulation wall 513 can be formed of rigid urethane foam, or it can be formed by injecting an untreated urethane material in a space between the inner shell 511 and the outer shell 512 that engage with each other.

A door 521 can be rotatably coupled to the main body 510 by a hinge 522, to open and close an open front surface of the storage compartment 520. Door 521 is provided with a ice making machine 540 to produce ice cubes and a ice maker 550 for storing ice cubes produced by the ice maker 540. The ice making machine 540 can produce ice cubes using cooling air in the storage compartment 520.

The ice making machine 540 may include several cells 541 for making ice to freeze the water supplied thereto in ice cubes, a 542 nozzle to separate the ice cubes produced in the cells 541 for making ice from the ice making machine 540 and a runner 543 for guiding the ice cubes separated from the ice making machine 540 through the nozzle 542 in the cooler 550.

Cooler 550 is provided in a back part of door 521 and placed below machine 540 to make ice. The icemaker 550 may include a storage space 551 for storing the ice cubes falling from the ice making machine 540 and a grinding space 552 in which the ice cubes are crushed into pieces of ice.

The storage space 551 and the grinding space 552 can be arranged horizontally close to one another. A discharge port 555 may be formed in a lower portion of the grinding space 552, through which the ice chunks of the ice bucket 550 are discharged. The discharge port 555 may be connected to a chute 560 to guide the chunks of ice to a distribution space of a distributor.

The cooler 550 can be provided with a feed device 561 and 700 for feeding the ice cubes and a crushing device 556, 557, 558 and 559 for crushing the ice cubes into pieces of ice.

The feeding device may include a power unit 561 and a driven coupler 700 to which the driving force for rotating the power unit 561 is transmitted. The driven coupler 700 is disposed outside the cooler 550, and the feed unit 561 can be connected to the driven coupler 700 through an opening 553 of the cooler 550.

The feed unit 561 may include a rotation shaft 562 and a helix 563 extending from the rotation shaft 562.

The driven coupler 700 may include a second coupling unit 710 formed with an insertion recess 720 and a second cover 730 provided in the insertion recess 720 to hide the insertion recess 720. A detailed constitution of the driven coupler 700 will be explained later.

The shredding device may include a fixed vane 558 fixed to the cooler 550, a rotation vane 559 coupled to the rotation shaft 562 of the feed unit 561 and configured to rotate together with the feed unit 561 and a guide member 556 to hold the ice cubes so that the fixed vane 558 and the rotation vane 559 can crush the ice cubes into pieces of ice. The guide member 556 can be rotatably coupled to the discharge port 555 by a hinge and can be rotated by a switching motor 557 to selectively allow the ice cubes to be discharged through the discharge port 555 without being crushed.

The main body 510 is provided with a drive device for driving the feeding device and the grinding device.

The drive device includes a drive motor 571 (see FIGURE 17) for generating drive force and a drive coupler 600 for transmitting the driving force of drive motor 571 to the feed device.

When the door 521 is opened, the drive coupler 600 and the driven coupler 700 are decoupled from each other. When the door 521 closes, the drive coupler 600 and the driven coupler 700 engage each other and, consequently, the driving force transmission between them is achieved.

The refrigerator according to the sixth embodiment of the present disclosure has features that the drive coupler 600 and the driven coupler 700 continuously engage with each other when the door 521 is closed, the external and aesthetic appearance in the open door state is improved and the risk of injury from direct contact of a user's body with 600 couplers and 700 of driving and driving is avoided. The constitution of the drive coupler 600 and the driven coupler 700 will now be described.

FIGURE 14 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the refrigerator drive device shown in FIGURE 12, and FIGURE 15 is a sectional view of the cooler drive coupler shown in FIGURE 12.

As exemplified in FIGURES 14 and 15, the cooler drive device according to the sixth embodiment of the present disclosure includes a drive motor 571 for generating drive force and a drive coupler 600 for transmitting force of drive from the drive motor 571 to the feed device.

The driving force of the drive motor 571 is transmitted to a drive shaft 572 with a rotational speed of the drive motor 571 being suitably reduced by a transmission part 575. The transmission part 575 may include a reduction gear or band.

The drive coupler 600 can be configured to couple to the drive shaft 572 and rotate together with the drive shaft 572. The coupler 600 of drive can be coupled to drive shaft 572 through a connection bracket 573.

The connection support 573 may have a substantially U-shaped shape and may be coupled to the drive shaft 572 to rotate therewith. The drive shaft 572 may have a rectangular cross section, and the connection support 573 may be formed with a rectangular shaft bore, through which the drive shaft 572 is inserted. The drive shaft 572 may be engaged by a nut 574 to secure the connection support 573 to the drive shaft 572.

The drive coupler 600 may include a first coupling unit 610, a first cover 630 and a first spring 640. The first coupling unit 610 may be coupled to the connection support 573 to rotate together therewith.

The first coupling unit 610 may include a circular plate portion 611 formed in a substantially circular plate shape and an insertion projection 620 projecting from the circular plate portion 611. The circular plate portion 611 may be formed with a spring support portion 612 to support the first spring 640.

The insert projection 620 can be inserted into an insert recess 720 formed in a second coupling unit 710 of the driven coupler 700, which will be described later. In the inserted state of the insert projection 620 in the insert recess 720, if the drive motor 571 is driven, the rotational force of the drive motor 571 is transmitted to the feed device.

The first cover 630 serves to conceal the insert projection 620 from being exposed to the outside when the door 521 is opened. Here, "hide" means to cause the insertion projection 620 to appear as not projecting from the surrounding objects. That is, the first cover 630 moves towards a position in a plane identical to a position of the front surface of the insertion projection 620, so that a side surface portion of the insertion projection 620 is not exposed.

Such a structure for concealing the insertion projection 620 can improve the external and aesthetic appearance, avoid direct contact injury of a user's body with the insertion projection 620 and improve the convenience of use.

The first cover 630 is formed with an opening 631 through which the insert projection 620 pass. To hide or expose the insert projection 620, the first cover 630 is movably provided back and forth around the insert projection 620 in an axial direction of the motor drive shaft 572.

The first cover 630 can be elastically supported by the first spring 640. As shown in exemplary form in the figures, the first spring 640 can be provided in two separate parts disposed adjacent to both sides of the insert projection 620. The first spring 640 elastically deflects the first cover 630 to hide the insertion projection 620. The first spring 640 can be configured as a helical compression spring.

The first cover 630 can be moved back in the axial direction to be pressurized by the second coupling unit 710 of the driven coupler 700, which will be described later. Accordingly, the insertion projection 620 can be exposed to the outside. If the pressurization is released, the first cover 630 can return to a position to hide the insertion projection 620 by the elastic restoring force of the first spring 640.

The cooler may also include a motor housing 581 and 585 to accommodate the motor 571 drive. The motor housing 581 and 585 may include a first motor housing 581 and a second motor housing 585.

The first motor housing 581 is disposed within the insulation wall 513 between the inner housing 511 and the outer housing 512. Therefore, the first motor housing 581 can be supported by the inner housing 511 and the insulation wall 513. The first motor housing 581 has an opening directed towards the storage compartment 520.

Before injecting an insulation material, the first motor housing 581 is temporarily fixed to the inner housing 511. Then, the insulation material is injected into the space between the inner housing 511 and the outer housing 512, thereby securely securing the first motor housing 581 to the inner housing 511 through the adhesive force of the insulation material. same.

The second motor housing 585 is coupled to the first motor housing 581 to cover the opening of the first motor housing 581. The second motor housing 585 and the first motor housing 581 have coupling holes 589 and 582 respectively, and engage each other when fastening a fastening member, such as a screw, to the coupling holes 589 and 582.

The second motor housing 585 has a projection portion 587 that projects into the storage compartment 520 to define an accommodation space 586 for accommodating the drive motor 571.

In addition, the second motor housing 585 is formed with an opening 588, through which the second coupling unit 710 passes when the first coupling unit 610 and the second coupling unit 710 are coupled.

In the storage compartment 520, a tiny drawer 590 can be provided for storing thin or small foods. The tiny drawer 590 can be designed to conceal the projected portion 587 of the second motor housing 585 so as not to be exposed to the exterior, thereby improving the external appearance.

FIGURE 16 is a view illustrating the driven coupler of the refrigerator shown in FIGURE 12, FIGURE 17 is an exploded perspective view of the driven coupler of the refrigerator shown in FIGURE 12, and FIGURE 18 is a sectional view of the cooler driven coupler shown in FIGURE 12.

With reference to FIGS. 16 to 18, the driven coupler may include a base portion 701, a second coupling unit 710, a second cover 730, a second spring 740, and a third spring 750.

The base portion 701 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shapes having an opening on one side. The base portion 701 serves to support the second coupling unit 710 and the third spring 750, and is coupled to the rotation shaft 562 of the feed unit to rotate together therewith. The axis of rotation 562 of the feed unit may have a rectangular cross section, and the base part 701 may be formed with a hole 703 of rectangular axis, through which the rotation shaft 562 is inserted. The base portion 701 may be provided with a projecting portion 702 that projects from an outer circumferential surface thereof. The flange part 702 is supported by the cooler 550 and serves to fix the position of the base part 701.

The second coupling unit 710 serves to receive the driving force by engaging the first coupling unit 610 of the drive coupler. The second coupling unit 710 includes a body part and an insert recess 720 formed in the body part.

The insertion projection 620 of the first coupling unit 610 is inserted into the insertion recess 720 of the second coupling unit 710. This In this manner, the insertion recess 720 may have a cross-sectional shape substantially identical to or larger than the insertion projection 620.

Here, the coupling of the first coupling unit 610 and the second coupling unit 710 means the insertion of the insertion projection 620 of the first coupling unit 610 into the insertion recess 720 of the second coupling unit 710.

The second coupling unit 710 is formed with a shaft hole 711 in which the rotation shaft 562 of the feed unit is adjusted and coupled to the rotation shaft 562 of the feed unit to rotate together therewith. The axis of rotation 562 of the feed unit may have a rectangular cross section, and the shaft hole 711 may also have a rectangular shape.

The second cover 730 serves to hide the insertion recess 720 so as not to be exposed to the outside when the door 521 is opened, when moving towards a position in a plane identical to a portion of a front surface of the second coupling unit 710. Here, "hiding" means causing the second coupling unit 710 to appear not to be formed with the insertion recess 720 when viewed from the outside.

Such a structure for concealing the insertion recess 720 can improve the external and aesthetic appearance and prevent inconvenience or injury of a user's fingers caused by being caught in the insertion recess 720 during the use of the refrigerator.

To hide or expose the insertion recess 720, the second cover 730 is provided movably forward and backward in the insertion recess 720 in an axial direction of the rotation axis 562 of the supply unit.

A guide leg 731 can be provided on a back surface of the second cover 730, to guide the movement of the second cover 730 and prevent separation of the second cover 730.

The second cover 730 can be elastically supported by the second spring 740. That is, the second spring 740 elastically biases the second cover 730 to hide the insertion recess 720. The second spring 740 can be configured as a helical compression spring.

The second cover 730 can be moved backward in the insertion recess 720 through pressurization provided by the insertion projection 620 of the first coupling unit 610. If pressurization is released, the second cover 730 may return to a position to hide the insertion recess 720 by the elastic restoring force of the second spring 740.

When the door 521 is closed, the insertion projection 620 of the first coupling unit 610 is inserted directly into the insertion recess 720 of the second coupling unit 710. However, the insertion projection 620 of the first coupling unit 610 can not be inserted directly into the insertion recess 720 of the second coupling unit 710 and may collide with the body part of the second coupling unit 710.

If the insert projection 620 of the first coupling unit 610 is inserted directly into the insertion recess 720 of the second coupling unit 710 or collides with the body portion of the second coupling unit 710 depends on the position of the projection 620 of insertion of the first coupling unit 610 and the position of the insertion recess 720 of the second coupling unit 710 when the door 521 is closed.

Such a collision between the insertion projection 620 of the first coupling unit 610 and the body part of the second coupling unit 710 can cause choking and damage to the components. In addition, due to the fact that the first coupling unit 610 and the second coupling unit 710 are not fully engaged, the feeding device may not operate normally, or the door can not be completely closed.

Accordingly, the refrigerator according to the sixth embodiment of the present description is equipped with a coupling device capable of preventing shock due to accidental collision between the insertion projection 620 of the first coupling unit 610 and the body part of the coupling unit 610. the second coupling unit 710, allowing the door to be completely closed and guiding the insertion projection 620 of the first coupling unit 610 so that it is fully inserted into the insertion recess 720 of the second coupling unit 710 if the engine 571 drive is driven in the collision state.

To achieve the above objectives, the second coupling unit 710 is provided movably forward and backward in an axial direction of the rotation axis 562 of the feed unit. The second coupling unit 710 is elastically supported by the third spring 750.

When the door 521 is closed, if the insertion projection 620 of the first coupling unit 610 collides with the body part of the second coupling unit 710 and pressurizes the second unit 710 of coupling, the second coupling unit 710 moves back towards the base portion 701 against the spring force of the third spring 750.

Subsequently, if the drive motor 571 is driven, the insert projection 620 of the first coupling unit 610 rotates. If the insertion projection 620 of the first coupling unit 610 rotates to a certain degree and the position of the insertion projection 620 is aligned with the position of the insertion recess 720, the second coupling unit 710 moves forwardly of the part 701 base by the resilient restoring force of the third spring 750 and optionally the insertion projection 620 of the first coupling unit 610 is inserted into the insertion recess 720 of the second coupling unit 710.

The axis of rotation 562 of the feed unit can be formed with a coupling hole 562a at an end portion thereof, and a separation prevention member 760 can be engaged in the coupling hole 562a to limit the movement of the second unit 710 coupling.

FIGURE 19 is a sectional view illustrating a state in which the first coupling unit of the drive coupler pressurizes the second coupler unit of the driven coupler in the refrigerator shown in FIGURE 12, and FIGURE 20 is a sectional view illustrating a state in which the insert projection of the first coupling unit of the drive coupler is inserted into the insertion recess of the second coupling unit of the coupler driven in the refrigerator shown in FIGURE 12.

With reference to FIGS. 15 and 18 to 20, operation of the refrigerator coupling device according to the sixth embodiment of the present description will now be explained.

As shown exemplarily in FIGURE 15, when the door is opened, the first cover 630 is elastically biased by the first spring 640 and conceals the first coupling unit 610. That is, the first cover 630 prevents the side surface portion of the insert projection 620 from the first coupling unit 610 from being exposed to the outside.

As shown exemplarily in FIGURE 18, when the door is opened, the second cover 730 is elastically deflected by the second spring 740 and conceals the second coupling unit 710. That is, the second cover 730 prevents the insertion recess 720 of the second coupling unit 710 from being exposed to the outside.

When the door is closed, depending on the position of the insertion projection 620 of the first coupling unit 610 and the position of the insertion recess 720 of the second coupling unit 710, the first coupling unit 610 and the second unit 710 coupling can be coupled directly or by the operation wherein the second coupling unit 710 is pushed back and the drive motor is driven to rotate the insertion projection 620 of the first coupling unit 610.

In detail, as shown exemplarily in FIGURE 19, when the door is closed, if the insertion projection 620 of the first coupling unit 610 is located in a position unable to be inserted into the insertion recess 720 of the second coupling unit 710, the insertion projection 620 of the first coupling unit 610 is not inserted into the insert recess 720 and collides with the body part of the second coupling unit 710. In this way, the second coupling unit 710 is pressurized and moved backward in the base portion 701 against the spring force of the third spring 750.

As such, since the second coupling unit 710 moves backwards when the collision between the insertion projection 620 of the first unit 610 of coupling and the body part of the second coupling unit 710 occurs, a minimal shock occurs and the door closes completely.

Next, as shown exemplarily in FIGURE 20, if the drive motor is driven in the state of FIGURE 19, the first coupling unit 610 and insertion projection 620 rotate by the drive motor. If the insertion projection 620 rotates to a certain degree and the insert projection 620 is located in a position capable of being inserted into the insertion recess 720, the second coupling unit 710 moves forward outside the base portion 701 by the elastic restoring force of the third spring 750.

At this time, the body part of the second coupling unit 710 moves forward while pushing the first cover 630 of the drive coupler again, and the insertion projection 620 of the first coupling unit 610 moves forward while pushing the second cover 730 of the second coupling unit 710 again.

If the drive motor is driven continuously even after the insert projection 620 is inserted into the insert recess 720, the rotational force of the drive motor is transmitted to the feed unit.

Although some embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art what changes can be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, of which the scope is defined in the claims. and its equivalents.

Claims

1. A refrigerator characterized in that it comprises: a main body that has a storage compartment; a door rotatably coupled to the main body to open and close the storage compartment; an ice machine provided at the door; a cooler provided in the door for storing ice cubes produced by the ice maker, the cooler is provided with a feeding device to feed the ice cubes stored therein; and a drive device provided in the main body for driving the feeding device, wherein when the door is closed, the driving device is connected to the feeding device, and when the door is opened, the driving device is disconnected from the power source. feeding device.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive device includes a drive motor for generating drive force and a drive coupler which is connected to the feed device, the feed device includes a feed unit for feeding the ice cubes and a driven coupler that connects with or separates from the drive coupler, and where when the door is closed, the drive coupler and driven coupler connect to each other, and when the door is opened, the drive coupler and coupler driven are separated from each other.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, characterized in that the driven coupler includes a support part and a pressurized part projecting from the support part, the pressurized part has a proximal end located separated from a center of rotation by a distance of a first radius and a distal end located spaced apart from the center of rotation by a distance of a second radius and the drive coupler includes an oscillating part and a pressurizing portion projecting from the oscillating part. The pressurizing part has a proximal end and a distal end, of which at least one is located separated from the center of rotation by a distance between the first radius and the second radius.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, characterized in that the drive coupler and the driven coupler are made of a resin material.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 2, characterized in that the drive motor is arranged in a side wall of the main body, and the drive device includes a reducer to reduce the rotation speed of the drive motor and transmit the drive force from the drive motor to the drive coupler.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 2, characterized in that the drive motor is arranged in an upper wall of the main body, and the drive device includes at least one worm gear to transmit the driving force from the drive motor to the coupler drive.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 2, characterized in that the ice chest includes a storage space for storing the ice cubes falling from the ice machine and a grinding space in which the ice cubes are crushed into pieces of ice , the grinding space is arranged horizontally in the storage space, the feeding unit includes a horizontally extending rotation axis to feed the ice cubes in the storage space to the grinding space, and the driven coupler is It has in the axis of rotation of the power unit.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 2, characterized in that the ice chest includes a storage space for storing the ice cubes falling from the ice machine and a grinding space in which the ice cubes are crushed into pieces of ice, the grinding space is disposed under the storage space, the feeding unit includes a rotation axis that extends vertically or inclinedly to feed the ice cubes in the storage space to the grinding space, and the device feed includes at least one worm gear to transmit drive force from the driven coupler to the feed unit.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 2, characterized in that the ice chest includes a discharge port for discharging the ice cubes therethrough and a crushing device for crushing the ice cubes into pieces of ice, and the crushing device includes a fixed vane, fixed in the cooler, a rotational vane coupled to a rotational axis of the feeding unit, a guide member rotatably coupled to the discharge port for crushing the ice cubes, and a switching motor to rotate the guide member.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that a coupling device transmits the driving force from the drive motor to the feed unit, the coupling device includes the drive coupler having a first coupling unit and the coupler driven having a second coupling unit which engages with the first coupling unit for receiving the driving force, wherein the coupling device is configured to conceal at least one of the first coupling unit and the second coupling unit when the door opens.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 10, characterized in that the first coupling unit includes an insertion projection, and the second coupling unit includes an insertion recess into which the insertion projection is inserted.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 11, characterized in that the drive coupler can also include a first cover provided movably forward and back around the insertion projection to hide the insertion projection when the door is opened and the first spring for elastically supporting the first cover to allow the first cover to hide the insertion projection.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 11, characterized in that the drive coupler further includes a second cover provided movably forward and backward in the insertion recess to hide the insertion recess when the door is opened and where the coupler The actuator further includes a second spring for elastically supporting the second cover to allow the second cover to conceal the insertion recess.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 11, characterized in that if the insertion projection is located in a position unable to be inserted into the insertion recess when the door is closed, the second coupling unit can be moved rearward in an axial direction by pressurization of the insertion projection.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 11, characterized in that the driven coupler further includes a third spring to return the second coupling unit so that if the insertion projection is moved to a position capable of being inserted into the insertion recess by the operation of the drive motor in the state in which the second coupling unit moves backward, the insertion projection is inserted into the insertion recess.