MACHINE TO MAKE ICE FOR REFRIGERATOR
FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates in general to an ice maker for a refrigerator. More particularly, it relates to an ice maker for a refrigerator that includes a rotation stop element in its operating member which, in the case of a meil operation of the switches during the ice drop mode, prevents that the cam gear, which overturns and twists the container of the ice machine, continues to rotate beyond a stopping point. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Figure 3 illustrates a refrigerator having a conventional icemaker. The refrigerator includes a body 1, and a freezing compartment 3 and a cooling compartment 4, which are separated by a division 2. The freezing and cooling compartments 3 and 4 are accessible by opening two doors 5 and 6 towards the compartment 3 and towards the cooling compartment 4, respectively. A cooler 7, which cools the air, is provided behind the freezing compartment 3. The cold air from the cooler 7 is forcibly circulated into the freezing compartment 3 and the cooling compartment 4 by a fan 8 installed above the cooler 7. In order to guide the flow of this cold air, a faceplate 9 and a backplate 10 are installed in front of, and adjacent to the fan 8, respectively. Formed in the front plate 9, there is an outlet 11 that discharges the cold air into the freezing compartment 3, and in the rear plate 10 a duct 12 is originated which supplies the cold air into the cooling compartment 4. A machine to make ice 20, mounted in the freezing compartment 3, uses the cold air generated by the cooler 7, to convert the water into ice. The ice maker 20 consists of a container 21 of the icemaker having a plurality of concave portions 21 'containing the water as it freezes it, and an ice bin 22 storing the ready-made ice cubes in the container 21 of the ice maker. In addition, a water reservoir 23, a water supply pump 24, and a hose 25 are provided to supply water from the water reservoir 23 in the refrigeration compartment 4 to the container 21 of the ice maker. A hose 25 is provided to extend from the water reservoir 23 to the upper portion of the container 21 of the ice maker. Through the hose 25, water from the water reservoir 23 is fed to the container 21 of the ice machine. An operating member 26 is provided on the front of the container 21 of the ice making machine, and serves to drop the ice cubes into the container 21 of the ice making machine into the ice bin 22, by turning the container over. 21 of the machine to make ice at approximately 135 °, and twisting it after 15 °. Figure 4 schematically illustrates the external overall appearance of the conventional ice maker 20 installed in the freezer compartment 3. The container 21 of the icemaker is integrally attached to the operating member 26. The ice reservoir 22 is located below of the container 21 of the ice maker, and can be removed from the freezing compartment 3 in such a way that the ice cubes can be easily transferred from the freezing compartment 3. The container 21 of the ice maker is rotated around of the longitudinal axis of its ends, by means of a rotating force generated by an electric motor 30. An ice level check lever 45, and an ice level check switch 46, are provided to stop the ice fall mode when Ice tank 22 is full of ice cubes. In this ice making machine 20, the modes of water supply, ice making, and ice fall are performed automatically and in sequence, by controlling a control portion (not shown). Figure 6 shows the conventional operative member 26 performing the ice fall mode. This includes a motor 30 to generate a rotating force; a pair of reduction gears 33, which transfer and reduce the speed of the rotating force; and a cam gear 35 meshing with the reduction gears 33, in an arrow connection with the container 21 of the ice making machine, to thereby rotate the container 21 of the ice making machine. The operating member 26 also includes first and second horizontal position sensing switches 40 and 41, which turn on and off according to the rotation of the cam gear 35, to detect whether the container 21 of the ice maker is in a horizontal or flipped position; and an ice level check lever 45 (refer to Figure 4), and an ice level check switch 46 that determine whether the ice bin 22 is full. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, first and second slots 37 and 38 are formed on the outer circumference of the cam member 36, and arranged opposite one with respect to the other; the cam member 36 is connected to one side of the cam gear 35. Although the first slot 37 is formed on the inner side of the cam member 36, in order to face the first horizontal position detection switch 40, the second slot 38 is provided on the outer side of the cam member 36, to face the second horizontal position detection switch 41. As the cam gear 35 rotates, the first slot 37 comes into contact with the switch of horizontal position detection 40, to turn it off while the second horizontal position detection switch 41 remains on. When the second slot 38 contacts the second horizontal position detection switch 41, the switch 41 is turned off, while the first horizontal position detection switch 40 remains on. The control portion (not shown) controls the execution of the ice drop mode, by determining the position of the container 21 of the moving ice machine 21, according to combined signals of the first and second detection switches of the horizontal position 40 and 41. More specifically, when the first horizontal position detection switch 40 is off, and the second horizontal position detection switch 41 is turned on, the control portion determines that the container 21 of the horizontal position 40 is turned off. Ice machine is in a horizontal position. Alternatively, when the first and second horizontal position sensing switches 40 and 41 are turned on and off, respectively, the control portion determines that the container 21 of the ice maker has been twisted to its maximum angle. When both switches 40 and 41 are turned on, the control portion determines that the container 21 of the ice maker is in the process of turning over. When the ice bin 22 is filled with the ice cubes, the lever of the ice level check switch 45 turns off the ice level check switch 46, to inform the control portion that the ice bin 22 is full. Then, the control portion does not proceed with the ice melt mode until the ice level check switch 46 is turned on again due to depletion of material from the ice bin 22. In the conventional operating member 26, the motor
, which rotates forward and reverse, comes to a stop in response to the generation of an output signal from the second horizontal position detecting switch 41, when the container 21 of the icemaker is twisted to its maximum angle. When the container 21 of the icemaker returns to a horizontal position, the motor 30 is stopped by the output signal of the first horizontal position detection switch 40. In this configuration, the manufacturing mode can not be completely executed. of ice under certain circumstances. More specifically, when the first and second horizontal position sensing switches 40 and 41 are turned off and on, respectively, and the container 21 of the ice maker is in a horizontal position, once the motor 30 the cam gear 35 rotates for the ice fall mode, the cam member 36 allows both switches 40 and 41 to turn on. If the cam gear 35 continues to rotate a total of 135 °, the second slot 38 of the cam member 36 will be located on the second horizontal position detection switch 41. In accordance with the above, the second detection switch of the Horizontal position 41 is turned off, and the control portion (not shown) determines that the cam gear 35 is turned to its maximum angle. At this point, the container 21 of the ice machine is twisted to make the ice cubes fall out of the container 21 of the ice maker in this way. The conventional ice maker 20 does not have an element for stopping the motor 30 after the container 21 of the ice maker has been bent to the maximum, with the exception of the second horizontal position detection switch 41. Accordingly, in the case where the second horizontal position detecting switch 41 malfunctions or is defective, the motor 30 continues to rotate past the maximum point, possibly breaking the container 21 of the ice maker, the cam gear 35, and other components, as well as the engine itself. There is also the inverse problem. After the container 21 of the ice maker is turned up to its maximum angle to drop the ice cubes in the ice bin 22, the motor 30 reverses the direction, causing the cam member 36 and the gear of they also do it. Once the first slot 37 of the cam member 36 comes into contact with the first horizontal position sensing switch 40, the switch 40 is turned off, thereby stopping the motor 30. However, the conventional ice maker 20 does not have an element for stopping the motor 30 when the container 21 of the ice maker is in a horizontal position, with the exception of the first horizontal position detecting switch 40. Accordingly, in the case where the first horizontal position detection switch 40 malfunctioning or defective, motor 30 continues to rotate, possibly braking vessel 21 of the ice machine, cam gear 35, and other components, as well as engine 30 itself. Based on the foregoing, it can be appreciated that there is currently a need in the art for an ice maker for a refrigerator, which overcomes the disadvantages and drawbacks described above of currently available systems. The present invention satisfies this need. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the first object of the present invention to provide an ice maker for a refrigerator, wherein an engine can safely stop its operation, even when a cam gear continues to rotate beyond a maximum angle of rotation , due to the wrong operation of a switch during the ice fall mode. It is a second object of the present invention, provide an ice machine where an engine can safely stop its operation, even when a cam gear continues to rotate beyond a horizontal stopping point, due to the wrong operation of the switches during the ice fall mode . In order to achieve these objectives, an ice maker for a refrigerator is provided, with a freezing compartment and a cooling compartment, which includes: an engine that generates a rotating force used to rotate and twist a machine container to make ice lodged in the freezing compartment, and to drop the ice cubes made in the container of the machine to make ice in an ice deposit placed under the container of the ice machine; a reduction gear assembly and a cam gear that rotate the vessel of the ice maker by utilizing the rotational force generated by the motor; and a horizontal position detection switch on or off by rotating the cam gear, in order to control the ice making mode. The icemaker of the invention also includes an ice level check switch that is turned on or off by the rotating position of the cam gear, in order to control the amount of ice cubes contained in the ice bin. ice a lever for checking the level of ice whose position is determined by the amount of ice in the ice deposit; and a rotation stop element which prevents the cam gear from continuing to rotate beyond its stopping points. The previous rotation stopping element consists of a first stop which prevents the cam gear from rotating beyond its maximum angle of rotation; a second stop that prevents the cam gear from turning beyond its horizontal stopping point; and a catch protruding from the cam gear. Therefore, in the case where either the horizontal position detection switch or the ice level check switch fails to operate normally, the trap is trapped on the first or second stop and stops the rotation of the gear Of cam. The first stop is arranged to be slightly beyond the catch position when the cam gear is at its maximum rotation point. The second stop is arranged to be slightly beyond the position of the catch when the cam gear is in the position corresponding to the horizontal position of the container of the ice maker. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 illustrates the overall external appearance of an ice maker in accordance with the present invention. Figures 2A to 2E are sectional views of an operative member of the ice maker of the invention, in different stages of operation, taken along line II-II of Figure 1, wherein Figure 2A illustrates the container of the ice machine in the horizontal position, Figures 2B and 2C show the container of the ice machine in the intermediate stages of turning, Figure 2D shows the container of the ice maker whose rotation is limited by the first stop, and Figure 2E shows the container of the ice maker whose rotation is limited by the second stop. Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a refrigerator equipped with an ice machine. Figure 4 illustrates the overall external appearance of the ice machine for a refrigerator according to the prior art. Figure 5 is a perspective view of an operative member of the conventional icemaker, taken along line VV of Figure 4. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the operative relationship between a gear conventional cam and the switches of Figure 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITY Now the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 illustrates the overall external appearance of an ice maker in accordance with the present invention.
Figure 2A illustrates an operating member 50 when its container 21 of the ice machine is in the horizontal position. The operating member 50 of the icemaker of the invention includes the following components in a box 95: a motor 51 that generates a rotating force; a reduction gear assembly 55 that reduces the rotation speed of the engine 51, and delivers the rotational force of the engine 51 to a container 21 of the ice machine (Figure 1); and a cam gear 60 meshing with the reduction gear assembly 55, and being in an arrow connection with the container 21 of the ice maker, thereby making it possible to twist the container 21. The operating member 50 it also has a horizontal position detection switch 70, and an ice level check switch 75, the latter serving to control its ice fall mode and its ice level verification mode. An ice level check lever 80 assists in the function of the ice level check switch 75, moving up and down, depending on the number of ice cubes in an ice bin 22, to operate the ice cube switch. ice level check 75. The cam gear 60 consists of a gear 61 and a cam member 65 integral with the gear 61. A first cam 66 is formed on the cam member 65, to operate the switch detecting the horizontal position 70, and a second cam 67 is also formed on the cam member 65 to operate the ice level check switch 75. The first cam 66 has a first portion > n concave 66a, and a second concave portion 66b oppositely disposed one with respect to the other, on its outer surface, and two rounded portions 66c formed on the outer surface, wherein the first and second concave portions 66a and 66b are not formed. The horizontal position detection switch 70 is configured to turn off when its lever 71, during rotation of the first cam 66, comes into contact with the first and second concave portions 66a and 66b, and lights when its lever 71 is in contact with the rounded portion 66c. The second cam 67 is of a semicircular shape, and has a flat portion 67a and a rounded portion 67b. The ice level check switch 75 is turned off when its lever 76 is in contact with the flat portion 67a during rotation of the second cam 67, and is turned on when the lever 76 contacts the rounded portion 67b. The rotation of the stopping element, the feature of the present invention, includes a catch 120 extending outwardly from the gear 61, a first stop 100, and a second stop 110, both of which are formed in the box 95. The first stop 100, as shown in Figure 2C, is disposed slightly beyond the trapping position 120 formed on the cam gear 60 when the cam gear 60 is turned to its maximum angle. As shown in Figure 2A, the second stop 110 is disposed slightly beyond the position of the catch 120 formed on the cam gear 60 when the cam gear 60 is in the position corresponding to the horizontal position of the container 21 of the ice maker The ice level check lever 80 includes a first arm member 81, and a second arm member 82 that are rotated about the axis A in a direction opposite each other. The first arm member 81 is disposed between the second cam 67 and the ice level check switch 75. The ice level check switch 75 is turned on and off as the first arm member 81 moves toward up and down, respectively, with the rotation of the first cam 67. The container 21 of the ice maker has one end connected to the cam gear 60, and the other end rotatably stopped by a support 96 integrally coupled with the case 95 of the operating member 50. The support 96 has a plurality of protuberances 97 which prevent the end of the container 21 of the ice machine from turning after the cam member 65 has rotated the entire vessel 21 to 135 °. The cam member 65 then continues to rotate its end of the container 21 of the machine to make approximately an additional 15 ° of ice, thus twisting the container 21, and causing it to release its ice cubes in the ice bin 22. When the quantity of ice cubes in the ice bin 22 reaches a predetermined level, the second arm member 82 of the ice level check lever 80 rests on top of the ice in the ice bin 22. In other words, it is angled downwards with respect to the axis A, and the first arm member 81 is angled upwards. At this point, when the container 21 of the ice maker is in a horizontal position, the ice level check switch 75 is turned off. When the number of ice cubes exceeds a predetermined level, the second member is lifted of arm 82 (as indicated by dotted line), and the first arm member 81 moves downward, such that the ice level check switch 75 is turned on. The control portion (not shown) interprets This is because the ice bin 22 is filled to capacity with ice cubes. The following description refers to the operation of the operative member 50 of the ice maker of the invention. Figure 2A illustrates the location of the cam gear 60, when a container 21 of the ice maker is in the horizontal position. In this circumstance, the lever 71 of the horizontal position detecting switch 70 comes into contact with the first concave portion 66a of the first cam 66, to thereby turn off the switch 70. The first arm member 81 of the lever 70 ice level check 80 placed on the lever 76 of the ice level check switch 75, makes contact with the flat portion 67a of the second cam 67, in order to turn off the ice level check switch 75. Referring to this, the control portion (not shown) determines that the container 21 of the ice maker is in the horizontal position. After the ice making mode is completed, the control portion drives the motor 51, such that the cam gear 60 rotates clockwise, as shown in Figure 2B. As the cam gear 60 rotates, the rounded portion 66c of the first cam 66 presses the lever 71 of the horizontal position detection switch 70 to turn it on in this manner. When the cam gear 60 continues its rotation to the position illustrated in Figure 2C, the rounded portion 67b of the second cam 67, causes the first arm member 81 of the ice level check lever 80 to press the switch of ice level check 75, turning it on in this way. When both switches 70, 75 are turned on, this is interpreted by the control portion to mean that the container 21 of the ice maker is rotating. As shown in Figure 2C, when the cam gear 60 continues to rotate to the maximum angle of approximately 135 °, the second concave portion 66b of the first cam 66 comes into contact with the lever 71, such that it is turned off again the horizontal position detection switch 70 while the ice level check switch 75 remains on. The control portion interprets this as that the 2: 1 container of the icemaker is spinning at maximum. Because the end of the container 21 of the ice maker on the side of the support 96 is restricted from rotating by the protuberances 97, the motor 51 continues to operate for a predetermined period of time, so that the container 21 of the ice maker is twisted, thus dropping its ice cubes in the ice bin 22. Once the ice cube is finished Ice drop mode, the motor 51 reverses to rotate the cam member 65 to its original position in Figure 2A, by means of the intermediate states of Figures 2C and 2B. Accordingly, both switches 70 and 75 are turned off again, serving to inform the control portion that vessel 21 of the icemaker has returned to the horizontal position. The control portion stops the engine 51 after the ice fall mode is completed, and activates a water supply pump 24 to refill the container 21 of the ice maker. When the horizontal position detection switch 70 or the ice level check switch 75 is malfunctioning while the container 21 of the ice machine has rotated to the maximum, the control portion can not determine the maximum point of rotation. Accordingly, the motor 51 does not stop its operation, so that the cam gear 60 and the container 21 of the ice maker continue to rotate, thus damaging the container 21 of the ice maker, the cam gear 60, reduction gear assembly 55, and also motor 51. If either or both of two switches 70 and 75 malfunction while vessel 21 of the ice maker has rotated to the maximum, the first stop 100, arranged slightly beyond the location of the cam gear 60 at its point of maximum rotation, prevents further erroneous twisting thereof, protecting the machine to make ice 20. In other words, as shown in Figure 2D , the catch 120 is trapped on the first stop 100, in such a way that the cam gear 60 and the container 21 of the ice machine no longer rotate, thus preventing the components from being damaged. At this point, an electrical overcurrent flows to the motor 51, and the control portion (not shown), which senses this, stops the motor 51. In addition, after the cam gear 60 has returned to its original position ( the state of Figure 2A), the components can be damaged due to the continuous rotation of the cam gear 60. While the cam gear 60 reverses to make the container 21 of the icemaker remain in the horizontal position , if the horizontal position detection switch 70 or the ice level check switch 75 malfunctions, the motor 51 does not stop, so that each of the cam gears 60 and the container 21 of the machine to make ice, they continue to turn beyond their horizontal detention point. Therefore, the container 21 of the ice making machine, the cam gear 60, the reduction gear 55, and the motor 51 are damaged. If either or both of the two switches 70 and 75 malfunction while the container 21 of the ice making machine reaches the horizontal stopping point, the second stop 110, which is located slightly beyond the horizontal position of the container 21 of the ice machine, prevents the continuous rotation of the cam gear 60 In other words, as shown in Figure 2E, the trap 120 is trapped on the first stop 100 with the rotation of the cam gear 60, such that the cam gear 60 and the container 21 of the machine for making The ice no longer rotates, preventing the breaking of the components in this way. The control portion (not shown), which detects the electrical overcurrent flowing to the motor 51, stops the motor 51. Additionally, the above circumstance may occur during normal operation of the device. If the amount of ice cubes inside the ice bin 22 exceeds an appropriate level while the cam gear 60 returns to its original position after the ice fall mode, to thereby prevent the second arm member 82 of the ice level check lever 80 from moving forward, the ice level check switch 75 would remain on, regardless of the rotation of the cam gear 60. This would also occur if the path of the second arm member 82 that is descending is obstructed by a foreign object. Accordingly, the control portion would fail to detect the completion of the ice fall mode. On this occasion, the trap 120 and the second stop 110 prevent the cam gear 60 from rotating, in such a way that the motor 51 is stopped by the aforementioned element. In this way, the control portion determines that the ice reservoir 22 is filled to capacity with ice cubes. To summarize, if any of the switches 70, 75 malfunction or is defective when the cam gear and the ice maker container have turned to full or have returned to their horizontal position, the ice maker of the invention It ends the ice making mode without error, to prevent damage to the engine, the container of the ice maker, and the other components. Accordingly, the present invention can extend the life span of the icemaker and improve its reliability.