US20080053138A1 - Refrigerator - Google Patents
Refrigerator Download PDFInfo
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- US20080053138A1 US20080053138A1 US11/723,158 US72315807A US2008053138A1 US 20080053138 A1 US20080053138 A1 US 20080053138A1 US 72315807 A US72315807 A US 72315807A US 2008053138 A1 US2008053138 A1 US 2008053138A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- ice
- chamber
- refrigerator according
- shutter
- dispenser unit
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
- F25C5/00—Working or handling ice
- F25C5/02—Apparatus for disintegrating, removing or harvesting ice
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D23/00—General constructional features
- F25D23/02—Doors; Covers
- F25D23/025—Secondary closures
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
- F25C1/00—Producing ice
- F25C1/22—Construction of moulds; Filling devices for moulds
- F25C1/24—Construction of moulds; Filling devices for moulds for refrigerators, e.g. freezing trays
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
- F25C5/00—Working or handling ice
- F25C5/20—Distributing ice
- F25C5/22—Distributing ice particularly adapted for household refrigerators
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D11/00—Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators
- F25D11/02—Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators with cooling compartments at different temperatures
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D25/00—Charging, supporting, and discharging the articles to be cooled
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
- F25C2400/00—Auxiliary features or devices for producing, working or handling ice
- F25C2400/10—Refrigerator units
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Thermal Sciences (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Devices That Are Associated With Refrigeration Equipment (AREA)
- Cold Air Circulating Systems And Constructional Details In Refrigerators (AREA)
Abstract
A refrigerator with a storage chamber and a door to open and close the storage chamber, the refrigerator having: an ice making chamber, which is provided in the storage chamber; an ice making device, which is provided in the ice making chamber to make ice; an ice storage part, which stores the ice transferred from the ice making device; and a dispenser unit, which is provided in the storage chamber to dispense the ice stored in the ice storage part.
Description
- This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2006-0085918, filed on Sep. 6, 2006 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly to a refrigerator equipped with a dispenser unit that dispenses ice.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- Generally, a refrigerator has a freezing chamber and a cooling chamber, into which cool air, heat-exchanged with an evaporator, flows. A machine room containing a compressor and a condenser is provided at a rear lower portion of the freezing chamber or the cooling chamber. The cooling chamber is for storing foodstuffs in a fresh state at a temperature of about 3° C. to 5° C., and the freezing chamber is for storing foodstuffs in a frozen state at a temperature below zero for a long period.
- For the convenience of users, a refrigerator in which a cooling chamber storing frequently used beverages and foodstuffs is provided at an upper portion and a freezing chamber is provided at a lower portion is recently available. Such a refrigerator is equipped with a dispenser unit at a front portion of a door so that a user can conveniently draw ice out of the refrigerator.
- A refrigerator described as above is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0090496. The disclosed refrigerator has a freezing chamber provided at its lower portion and a cooling chamber provided at its upper portion. An ice making device is provided at a lower or upper corner in the cooling chamber.
- To draw ice stored in the ice making device therefrom, a dispenser unit is provided at a front surface of a cooling chamber door.
- But if the dispenser unit is provided at the front surface of the cooling chamber door, a thickness of the door is increased, and so a storage space in the cooling chamber becomes small. Also, it is difficult to install guards to a rear surface of the door for storing foodstuffs at the rear side of the door, and so an ineffective space incapable of storing foodstuffs is generated. Further, a structure of the door becomes complicated, thereby increasing manufacturing processes and costs, and deteriorating manufacturing efficiency.
- Also, in view of a recent trend of emphasizing an aesthetic design, because the dispenser unit provided at the front surface of the door is exposed outside, aesthetics of an external appearance of the refrigerator are deteriorated.
- The present invention has been made to solve the above-noted problems. It is an aspect of the invention to provide a refrigerator that is structured such that a dispenser unit for dispensing ice is provided inside a storage chamber.
- The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are achieved by providing a refrigerator with a storage chamber and a door to open and close the storage chamber, the refrigerator having: an ice making chamber, which is provided in the storage chamber; an ice making device, which is provided in the ice making chamber to make ice; an ice storage part, which stores the ice transferred from the ice making device; and a dispenser unit, which is provided in the storage chamber to dispense the ice stored in the ice storage part.
- According to one aspect, the ice storage part has: an ice discharge hole as an entrance to an ice discharge passage to discharge the ice, and an ice feeding device to feed the ice to the ice discharge hole; and the ice feeding device is slantedly disposed upward to the ice discharge hole.
- According to one aspect, the dispenser unit is disposed below the ice discharge passage, and has a pushing part, which receives a force exerted by a user, and a shutter which interlocks with the pushing part to open and close the ice discharge passage.
- according to one aspect, the dispenser also has an elastic member providing a restoring force to the dispenser unit to bias the shutter to close the ice discharge passage.
- According to one aspect, the dispenser unit also has a gear assembly disposed between the pushing part and the shutter such that when the pushing part receives the force exerted by the user, a rotational angle of the shutter induced by interaction among the pushing part, the gear assembly, and the shutter is larger than a rotational angle of the pushing part.
- According to one aspect, when the shutter opens the ice discharge hole, the ice feeding device is operated.
- According to one aspect, the refrigerator also has an ice crushing device, which is disposed at one side of the ice feeding device to crush the ice.
- According to one aspect, the storage chamber is partitioned into a cooling chamber and a freezing chamber, and the ice making chamber is provided in the cooling chamber.
- According to one aspect, the cooling chamber is provided over the freezing chamber.
- According to one aspect, a plurality of guards are installed to a rear surface of the door with predetermined gaps therebetween to form a corresponding plurality of storage spaces at the rear surface of the door.
- According to one aspect, the door is provided with an auxiliary door in front of the dispenser unit, through which a user selectively accesses the dispenser unit.
- The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are also achieved by providing a refrigerator with a main body having a cooling chamber, a freezing chamber, and doors respectively opening and closing the cooling chamber and the freezing chamber, the refrigerator having: an ice making chamber, which is provided in the cooling chamber and partitioned from a remaining portion thereof by an insulation wall; an ice storage part, which is provided in the ice making chamber; and a dispenser unit, which is provided in the cooling chamber to dispense ice stored in the ice storage part out of the ice making chamber.
- According to one aspect, the ice making chamber has an ice making device that makes the ice; the ice storage part has an ice discharge hole as an entrance to an ice discharge passage to discharge the ice; and the ice making chamber further comprises an ice feeding device that feeds the ice to the ice discharge hole.
- According to one aspect, the dispenser unit is provided at the insulation wall.
- According to one aspect, the dispenser unit has a pushing part, which receives a force exerted by a user, and a shutter which interlocks with the pushing part to open and close the ice discharge passage.
- According to one aspect, the refrigerator also has a control unit, which controls the ice feeding device to operate when the shutter opens the ice discharge hole.
- According to one aspect, the ice making chamber also has an ice crushing device, which is disposed at one side of the ice feeding device to crush the ice.
- According to one aspect, the ice storage part has a cover, which shields a front portion of the ice making chamber.
- Additional and/or aspects and advantages of the invention 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 practice of the invention.
- The above and/or other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which:
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FIG. 1 is a front view showing an outer appearance of a refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention when a cooling chamber door is opened; -
FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an inner constitution of the refrigerator ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing an operating state of a dispenser unit of the refrigerator ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing essential components of a refrigerator in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a dispenser unit inFIG. 4 ; -
FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing an operating state of the dispenser unit ofFIG. 4 ; and -
FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing an inner constitution of a refrigerator in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention. - Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.
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FIG. 1 is a front view showing a refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, andFIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an inner constitution of the refrigerator inFIG. 1 . - As shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2 , the refrigerator has: amain body 10, which has a storage chamber that is partitioned into anupper cooling chamber 11 and alower freezing chamber 12 by ahorizontal partition wall 13; anice making chamber 30, which is provided in a portion of thecooling chamber 11; anice making device 50, which is provided in theice making chamber 30 to make ice; anice storage part 60, which is provided below the ice makingdevice 50 to store ice cubes transferred from theice making device 50; anice feeding device 70, which is provided in theice storage part 60 to feed the ice cubes outside; and adispenser unit 90, which is provided in thecooling chamber 11 to dispense the ice cubes from theice storage part 60. By stating that theice making chamber 30 and thedispenser unit 90 are provided in thecooling chamber 11, it is meant that they are disposed entirely within thecooling chamber 11. - The refrigerator also has a cooling system, which includes a
compressor 14, a condenser (not shown), an expansion device (not shown) andevaporators - A
machine room 15, in which thecompressor 14 is disposed, is provided at a lower rear portion of themain body 10. Thefreezing chamber 12 is formed over themachine room 15 by being partitioned from themachine room 15. Thecooling chamber 11 is formed over thefreezing chamber 12 by being partitioned from thefreezing chamber 12 by thehorizontal partition wall 13. Afoam insulation 16 is filled between aninner cabinet 10 a and anouter cabinet 10 b of themain body 10. - The
cooling chamber 11 and thefreezing chamber 12 have opened front sides. Theupper cooling chamber 11 is opened and closed by a firstcooling chamber door 17 and a secondcooling chamber door 18, and thelower freezing chamber 12 is opened and closed by afreezing chamber door 19. The firstcooling chamber door 17 and the secondcooling chamber door 18 are hingedly coupled, respectively, to a left side and a right side of themain body 10, so as to be rotated in left and right directions, respectively. A plurality ofstorage guards 21 are installed at rear surfaces of the first and secondcooling chamber doors doors ice making chamber 30 anddispenser unit 90 are disposed entirely within the coolingchamber 30, no part of theice making chamber 30 or thedispenser unit 90 are disposed on or within either of the first or secondcooling chamber doors - Also, the first
cooling chamber door 17, which is disposed in front of thedispenser unit 90, is provided with anauxiliary door 20. When theauxiliary door 20 is opened, a user can get the ice cubes through thedispenser unit 90 without opening the firstcooling chamber door 17. - The freezing
chamber door 19, as shown inFIG. 2 , is coupled to front surfaces of the drawertype storage containers 19 a provided inside the freezingchamber 12 so as to move forward and backward. Alternatively, although it is not illustrated in the drawings, the freezingchamber door 19 may be hingedly coupled to themain body 10. - Freezing
chamber evaporator 22, to cool down the freezingchamber 12, and a freezingchamber circulation fan 23, to circulate cool air through the freezingchamber 12, are mounted to an inner rear portion of the freezingchamber 12. Aninner panel 24 is mounted in front of the freezingchamber evaporator 22 and the freezingchamber circulation fan 23, to partition the freezingchamber 12 and a space containing theevaporator 22 and thecirculation fan 23. Theinner panel 24 is formed with a coolair circulation passage 25 for cool air circulation through the freezingchamber 12. The coolair circulation passage 25 guides the cool air blown from the freezingchamber circulation fan 23 to be dispersively supplied into the freezingchamber 12. - Cooling
chamber evaporator 26, to cool down the coolingchamber 11, and a coolingchamber circulation fan 27, to circulate cool air through the coolingchamber 11, are mounted to an inner rear portion of the coolingchamber 11. Aninner panel 28 is mounted in front of the coolingchamber evaporator 26 and the coolingchamber circulation fan 27, to partition the coolingchamber 11 and a space containing theevaporator 26 and thecirculation fan 27. Theinner panel 28 is formed with a coolair circulation passage 29 for cool air circulation through the coolingchamber 11. As described above, the freezingchamber 12 and the coolingchamber 11 are respectively cooled down by theseparate evaporators - The
ice making chamber 30 is positioned at an inner upper corner of the coolingchamber 11 by being partitioned from an inner space of the coolingchamber 11 by aninsulation wall 31. - So that the
ice making chamber 30 can be kept at a freezing temperature, the cool air in the freezingchamber 12 provided at the lower portion of themain body 10 is also supplied into theice making chamber 30. To this end, a coolair supply passage 32 supplying the cool air cooled by the freezingchamber evaporator 22 into theice making chamber 30 and a coolair return passage 33 returning the cool air passing through theice making chamber 30 to the freezingchamber evaporator 22 are positioned at a rear portion of themain body 10. Ablower fan 34 is mounted to a lower portion of the coolair supply passage 32 to forcedly blow the cool air around an upper portion of the freezingchamber evaporator 22 into the coolair supply passage 32. - The
ice making chamber 30 is provided with: theice making device 50 to make the ice; theice storage part 60, which is provided below theice making device 50 to store the ice cubes transferred from theice making device 50; and theice feeding device 70, which is provided in theice storage part 60 to feed the ice cubes outside. Theice making chamber 30 is further provided with anice crushing device 80, which is disposed at one side of theice feeding device 70, to selectively crush the ice cubes according to the user's demand. - The
ice making device 50, as shown inFIG. 2 , is fixed to an inner upper surface of theice making chamber 30. - The
ice making device 50 includes anice making tray 51 to make the ice with water supplied from the outside, ascraper 52 to discharge the ice from theice making tray 51, and a drivingmotor 53 to drive thescraper 52. - The
ice storage part 60 is mounted below theice making device 50. Theice storage part 60 has an opened upper portion to receive the ice cubes dropped from theice making device 50. Theice storage part 60 extends lengthwise in front and rear directions, and is formed with anice discharge hole 61 to discharge the ice cubes at a front lower portion. Theice storage part 60 is mounted to theice making chamber 30 in a drawer-type fashion, to be drawn out of theice making chamber 30. Acover 62 is mounted to a front portion of theice storage part 60 to shield a front portion of theice making chamber 30. - A bottom surface of the
ice storage part 60 is slanted upward to theice discharge hole 61, so that the ice cubes are prevented from being arbitrarily discharged through theice discharge hole 61. - The
ice feeding device 70 includes: aspiral feeding member 71, which is rotatably mounted in theice storage part 60 to feed the ice cubes in theice storage part 60 to theice discharge hole 61; and afeed motor 72, which is fixed to an inner rear portion of theice storage part 60 to rotate thespiral feeding member 71. When theice storage part 60 is separated from theice making chamber 30, thespiral feeding member 71 is disengaged from a shaft of thefeed motor 72, and when theice storage part 60 is mounted to theice making chamber 30, thespiral feeding member 71 is engaged with the shaft of thefeed motor 72. - The
ice crushing device 80 is mounted over theice discharge hole 61 of theice storage part 60. Theice crushing device 80 is connected to theice feeding device 70, and is driven by thefeed motor 72. - The
ice crushing device 80 includes: a fixingblade 81, which is fixed near theice discharge hole 61; and a plurality ofrotating blades 82, which are mounted to be rotated relatively to thefixing blade 81. Therotating blades 82 are coupled to ashaft 73, which extends from thespiral feeding member 71 of theice feeding device 70. Accordingly, when thespiral feeding member 71 is rotated by the operation of thefeed motor 72, therotating blades 82 of theice crushing device 80 are also rotated. - An outlet (not shown) of the
ice crushing device 80 is selectively opened or closed to discharge the ice cubes or the crushed ice through theice discharge hole 61 according to the user's demand. - The
dispenser unit 90 to draw the ice cubes out of theice storage part 60 is provided below theice discharge hole 61. Thedispenser unit 90 includes: a pushingpart 91, which is provided below theice discharge hole 61 and pushed backward by a force exerted by the user; and ashutter 92, which interlocks with the pushingpart 91 to open and close anice discharge passage 63, which is provided at theice discharge hole 61 and communicates therewith. In other words,ice discharge hole 61 is an entrance toice discharge passage 63. - When the user pushes the pushing
part 91 by using an ice container like a cup, the pushingpart 91 can be moved backward. For convenience of users, the pushingpart 91 is formed in a concave curved shape corresponding to a curved shape of a cup to increase a contact area with a cup. - A top of the pushing
part 91 is configured to come into contact with a bottom of thecover 62 of theice storage part 60, so that the cool air in the coolingchamber 11 is prevented from flowing into theice making chamber 30 when theice discharge hole 61 is closed. - The
shutter 92 interlocked with the pushingpart 91 is normally kept in a state of closing theice discharge passage 63. When the user pushes the pushingpart 91 by using an ice container like a cup, as shown inFIG. 3 , theshutter 92 is moved backward in cooperation with the pushingpart 91, i.e., inserted into aninsertion space 35 formed at theinsulation wall 31 which is a bottom of theice making chamber 30, thereby opening theice discharge passage 63. At the same time, theice feeding device 70 is operated to discharge the ice cubes stored in theice storage part 60 through theice discharge hole 61 and theice discharge passage 63. - According to one embodiment, the refrigerator also has a
control unit 95 that controls theice feeding device 70 to operate when theshutter 92 opens theice discharge passage 63 provided at theice discharge hole 61. - An
elastic member 93 is provided at theinsertion space 35 of theinsulation wall 31. When the pushing force is released, theelastic member 93 applies its elastic restoring force to an end of theshutter 92, so that theshutter 92 returns to its original position and resultantly closes theice discharge passage 63. In other words, theshutter 92 is biased to close theice discharge passage 63. - To get the ice, if the user opens the first
cooling chamber door 17 of the coolingchamber 11 and pushes the pushingpart 91 of thedispenser unit 90 by using an ice container like a cup or a part of the user's body, theshutter 92 slides backward, theelastic member 93 is contracted, and theice discharge passage 63 is opened. At this time, theice feeding device 70 of theice storage part 60 is operated, and the ice cubes in theice storage part 60 are discharged through theice discharge hole 61 and theice discharge passage 63. - By selectively opening or closing the outlet (not shown) of the
ice crushing device 80, the user can get the desired type of ice, i.e., the ice cubes or the crushed ice through theice discharge hole 61. - On the other hand, when the user releases the ice container, like a cup, from the pushing
part 91 to stop the ice dispensing, theelastic member 93 expands due to its elastic restoring force, and theshutter 92 slides forward to close theice discharge passage 63. When theice discharge passage 63 is closed, the operation of theice feeding device 70 is also stopped, and the ice dispensing is terminated. - As described above, since the
dispenser unit 90 is not provided at thecooling chamber doors cooling chamber doors cooling chamber doors - Also, since the
auxiliary door 20 is provided at the cooling chamber door in front of thedispenser unit 90, the user can easily get the ice from thedispenser unit 90 by opening only theauxiliary door 20 without opening thecooling chamber doors - Also, since a device for dispensing the ice is not mounted to the front surface of the door, aesthetics of external appearance of the refrigerator can be increased.
- Hereinafter, a dispenser unit of a refrigerator in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention will be described.
- The same components as the previous embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the detailed description thereof will be omitted.
- As shown in
FIGS. 4 and 5 , adispenser unit 100 of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention has: a pushingpart 101, which is disposed below theice discharge passage 63; ashutter 102, which is connected to the pushingpart 101 and opens and closes theice discharge passage 63; and agear assembly 103, which transmits a rotational force of the pushingpart 101 to theshutter 102 to rotate the same. - The pushing
part 101 is formed in a lever shape, and is rotatably mounted to theinsulation wall 31 of theice making chamber 30 by apivot shaft 101 a. - The
shutter 102 is connected to the pushingpart 101 through thegear assembly 103. Thegear assembly 103 has three gears, so as to rotate theshutter 102 in the same direction as the rotational direction of the pushingpart 101. - The
gear assembly 103 includes: afirst gear 103 a, which is coupled to thepivot shaft 101 a of the pushingpart 101; asecond gear 103 b, which is coupled to apivot shaft 102 a of theshutter 102; and athird gear 103 c, which is disposed between thefirst gear 103 a and thesecond gear 103 b. Thegear assembly 103 is configured such that a radius of thefirst gear 101 a is larger than a radius of thesecond gear 103 b, and so that thefirst gear 103 a has more teeth than thesecond gear 103 b. Accordingly, when the user pushes the pushingpart 101 by using an ice container, a rotational angle of theshutter 102 is larger than a rotational angle of the pushingpart 101. - An
elastic member 104 is mounted to theinsulation wall 31 and thefirst gear 103 a, which is coupled to thepivot shaft 101 a of the pushingpart 101 to apply an elastic force to the pushingpart 101 and bias theshutter 102 to a position to close theice discharge passage 63. - As shown in
FIG. 6 , if the user opens the firstcooling chamber door 17 of the coolingchamber 11 and pushes the pushingpart 101, the pushingpart 101 is rotated about thepivot shaft 101 a, and thegear assembly 103 is rotated in cooperation with the pushingpart 101. Accordingly, theshutter 102 coupled to thesecond gear 103 b is also rotated to open theice discharge passage 63. At this time, theice feeding device 70 of theice storage part 60 is operated, and the ice cubes in theice storage part 60 are discharged through theice discharge hole 61 and theice discharge passage 63. - On the other hand, when the user releases the pushing force from the pushing
part 101, the pushingpart 101 is rotated counterclockwise by an elastic restoring force of theelastic member 104, and theshutter 102 coupled to thegear assembly 103 is also rotated to close theice discharge passage 63. When theice discharge passage 63 is closed, the operation of theice feeding device 70 is also stopped, and the ice dispensing is terminated. - As shown in
FIG. 7 , a refrigerator in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention is structured such that in amain body 110, anice making chamber 300 is provided at an inner lower corner of acooling chamber 111, and cool air in a freezingchamber 120, fromevaporator 22, can directly flow into theice making chamber 300. The same components as the previous embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the detailed description thereof will be omitted. - In the above description, it has been explained that the embodiments of the present invention are applied to the refrigerator having a structure that the cooling chamber and the freezing chamber are respectively provided with the separate evaporators. But embodiments of the present invention can also be applied to the refrigerators having a structure that one evaporator is mounted to the cooling chamber or the freezing chamber. Also, in addition to the bottom freezer type refrigerator, in which the cooling chamber is positioned at the upper portion and the freezing chamber is positioned at the lower portion, embodiments of the present invention can be applied to the top freezer type refrigerator, in which the freezing chamber is positioned at the upper portion and the cooling chamber is positioned at the lower portion, and the side-by-side type refrigerator, in which the cooling chamber is positioned at either the left side or the right side and the freezing chamber is positioned at the other side.
- As is apparent from the above description, according to an embodiment of the present invention, since the dispenser unit is provided inside the cooling chamber, the overall area of the rear sides of the cooling chamber doors can be utilized as the storage space.
- Also, since a device for dispensing the ice is not mounted to the door, the manufacturing process can be simplified, the manufacturing costs can be curtailed, and aesthetics of the external appearance of the refrigerator can be increased.
- Also, by providing the auxiliary door at the cooling chamber door, the user can conveniently get the ice without opening the cooling chamber door.
- Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments. Instead, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.
Claims (24)
1. A refrigerator, including a storage chamber and a door to open and close the storage chamber, the refrigerator comprising:
an ice making chamber, which is provided in the storage chamber;
an ice making device, which is provided in the ice making chamber to make ice;
an ice storage part, which stores the ice transferred from the ice making device; and
a dispenser unit, which is provided in the storage chamber to dispense the ice stored in the ice storage part.
2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein:
the ice storage part has:
an ice discharge hole as an entrance to an ice discharge passage to discharge the ice, and
an ice feeding device to feed the ice to the ice discharge hole; and
the ice feeding device is slantedly disposed upward to the ice discharge hole.
3. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein:
the dispenser unit is disposed below the ice discharge passage, and has
a pushing part, which receives a force exerted by a user, and
a shutter, which interlocks with the pushing part to open and close the ice discharge passage.
4. The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein the dispenser unit further includes an elastic member providing a restoring force to the dispenser unit to bias the shutter to close the ice discharge passage.
5. The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein the dispenser unit further includes a gear assembly disposed between the pushing part and the shutter such that when the pushing part receives the force exerted by the user, a rotational angle of the shutter induced by interaction among the pushing part, the gear assembly, and the shutter is larger than a rotational angle of the pushing part.
6. The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein when the shutter opens the ice discharge hole, the ice feeding device is operated.
7. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , further comprising:
an ice crushing device, which is disposed at one side of the ice feeding device to crush the ice.
8. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the storage chamber is partitioned into a cooling chamber and a freezing chamber, and the ice making chamber is provided in the cooling chamber.
9. The refrigerator according to claim 8 , wherein the cooling chamber is provided over the freezing chamber.
10. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of guards are installed to a rear surface of the door with predetermined gaps therebetween to form a corresponding plurality of storage spaces at the rear surface of the door.
11. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the door is provided with an auxiliary door in front of the dispenser unit, through which a user selectively accesses the dispenser unit.
12. A refrigerator, including a main body having a cooling chamber, a freezing chamber, and doors respectively opening and closing the cooling chamber and the freezing chamber, the refrigerator comprising:
an ice making chamber, which is provided in the cooling chamber and partitioned from a remaining portion thereof by an insulation wall;
an ice storage part, which is provided in the ice making chamber; and
a dispenser unit, which is provided in the cooling chamber to dispense ice stored in the ice storage part out of the ice making chamber.
13. The refrigerator according to claim 12 , wherein:
the ice making chamber comprises an ice making device that makes the ice;
the ice storage part has an ice discharge hole as an entrance to an ice discharge passage to discharge the ice; and
the ice making chamber further comprises an ice feeding device that feeds the ice to the ice discharge hole.
14. The refrigerator according to claim 12 , wherein the dispenser unit is provided at the insulation wall.
15. The refrigerator according to claim 13 , wherein the dispenser unit comprises:
a pushing part, which receives a force exerted by a user; and
a shutter, which interlocks with the pushing part to open and close the ice discharge passage.
16. The refrigerator according to claim 15 , further comprising:
a control unit, which controls the ice feeding device to operate when the shutter opens the ice discharge hole.
17. The refrigerator according to claim 13 , wherein the ice making chamber further comprises an ice crushing device, which is disposed at one side of the ice feeding device to crush the ice.
18. The refrigerator according to claim 13 , wherein the ice storage part includes a cover, which shields a front portion of the ice making chamber.
19. A refrigerator, including a cooling chamber, a freezing chamber, doors respectively opening and closing the cooling chamber and the freezing chamber, the refrigerator comprising:
an ice making chamber provided within the cooling chamber;
an ice making device provided within the ice making chamber to make ice;
an ice storage part provided within the ice making chamber and storing ice transferred from the ice making device; and
a dispenser unit provided within the storage chamber and having an ice discharge passage through which to dispense the ice stored in the ice storage part.
20. The refrigerator according to claim 19 , wherein the door opening and closing the cooling chamber comprises an auxiliary door disposed in correspondence with the dispenser unit, such that a user selectively accesses the dispenser unit through the auxiliary door.
21. The refrigerator according to claim 19 , wherein the dispenser unit comprises:
a pushing part receiving a force exerted by a user;
a shutter connected with the pushing part to open and close the ice discharge passage; and
an elastic member biasing the shutter to close the ice discharge passage.
22. The refrigerator according to claim 21 , wherein:
the dispenser unit further comprises
a first pivot shaft, to which the pushing part is connected and about which the pushing part rotates,
a second pivot shaft, to which the shutter is connected and about which the shutter rotates,
a gear assembly comprising
a first gear connected to the first pivot shaft,
a second gear connected to the second pivot shaft, and
a third gear transmitting rotation between the first and second gears;
the elastic member is connected at a first end thereof to an insulation wall of the ice making chamber, is connected at a second end thereof to the first gear, and via the gear assembly, biases the shutter to close the ice discharge passage; and
a relationship of a size and number of teeth of the first and second gears is such that when the pushing part receives the force exerted by the user, a rotational angle of the shutter induced by interaction among the pushing part, the gear assembly, and the shutter is larger than a rotational angle of the pushing part.
23. The refrigerator according to claim 19 , further comprising:
an evaporator corresponding to the freezing chamber;
a circulation fan blowing cool air from the evaporator into the freezing chamber;
a cool air supply passage; and
a blower fan blowing cool air from the evaporator into the ice making chamber via the cool air supply passage.
24. The refrigerator according to claim 19 , further comprising:
an evaporator corresponding to the freezing chamber;
a circulation fan blowing cool air from the evaporator into both the freezing chamber and the ice making chamber.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
KR1020060085918A KR20080022466A (en) | 2006-09-06 | 2006-09-06 | Refrigerator |
KR10-2006-0085918 | 2006-09-06 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20080053138A1 true US20080053138A1 (en) | 2008-03-06 |
Family
ID=39149646
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US11/723,158 Abandoned US20080053138A1 (en) | 2006-09-06 | 2007-03-16 | Refrigerator |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20080053138A1 (en) |
KR (1) | KR20080022466A (en) |
Cited By (14)
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US20100122546A1 (en) * | 2008-11-14 | 2010-05-20 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Ice dispensing technology |
US20100218543A1 (en) * | 2009-02-28 | 2010-09-02 | Electrolux Home Products, Inc. | Water introduction into fresh-food icemaker |
US20100275639A1 (en) * | 2009-02-25 | 2010-11-04 | Liebherr-Hausgerate Ochsenhausen Gmbh | Refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit |
US20110048056A1 (en) * | 2009-08-31 | 2011-03-03 | Whirlpool Corporation | Refrigerator ice and liquid dispenser incorporating imaging system |
CN102121782A (en) * | 2010-01-08 | 2011-07-13 | 三星电子株式会社 | Refrigerator and ice-making system thereof |
US20120174613A1 (en) * | 2011-01-10 | 2012-07-12 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Ice making device and refrigerator having the same |
US20130014533A1 (en) * | 2011-07-14 | 2013-01-17 | Hojin Choi | Refrigerator |
EP3184941A1 (en) * | 2015-12-24 | 2017-06-28 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Ice maker and refrigerator having the same |
CN107636407A (en) * | 2015-05-20 | 2018-01-26 | 三星电子株式会社 | Refrigerator |
US10045228B2 (en) | 2013-08-09 | 2018-08-07 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Method and apparatus, in mobile communication system, for effectively providing configuration information about small cell that has small cell service region |
US20190003758A1 (en) * | 2017-06-30 | 2019-01-03 | Midea Group Co., Ltd. | Refrigerator with tandem evaporators |
CN111707046A (en) * | 2020-07-28 | 2020-09-25 | 广东奥马冰箱有限公司 | Ice storage box structure and refrigerator |
WO2020224464A1 (en) * | 2019-05-03 | 2020-11-12 | 海尔智家股份有限公司 | Refrigerating appliance having detachable ice storage box |
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US20100122546A1 (en) * | 2008-11-14 | 2010-05-20 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Ice dispensing technology |
US8240156B2 (en) * | 2008-11-14 | 2012-08-14 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Ice dispensing technology |
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US20120174613A1 (en) * | 2011-01-10 | 2012-07-12 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Ice making device and refrigerator having the same |
CN102589230A (en) * | 2011-01-10 | 2012-07-18 | 三星电子株式会社 | An ice-making device and a refrigerator with an ice-making device |
US9476631B2 (en) * | 2011-01-10 | 2016-10-25 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Ice making device and refrigerator having the same |
US20130014533A1 (en) * | 2011-07-14 | 2013-01-17 | Hojin Choi | Refrigerator |
US9080808B2 (en) * | 2011-07-14 | 2015-07-14 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator |
US10045228B2 (en) | 2013-08-09 | 2018-08-07 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Method and apparatus, in mobile communication system, for effectively providing configuration information about small cell that has small cell service region |
US10254031B2 (en) * | 2015-05-20 | 2019-04-09 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Refrigerator |
CN107636407A (en) * | 2015-05-20 | 2018-01-26 | 三星电子株式会社 | Refrigerator |
EP3299749A4 (en) * | 2015-05-20 | 2018-05-02 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Refrigerator |
US20180149398A1 (en) * | 2015-05-20 | 2018-05-31 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Refrigerator |
CN106918176A (en) * | 2015-12-24 | 2017-07-04 | 三星电子株式会社 | Ice machine and the refrigerator with ice machine |
EP3184941A1 (en) * | 2015-12-24 | 2017-06-28 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Ice maker and refrigerator having the same |
US10393421B2 (en) | 2015-12-24 | 2019-08-27 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Ice maker and refrigerator having the same |
US20190003758A1 (en) * | 2017-06-30 | 2019-01-03 | Midea Group Co., Ltd. | Refrigerator with tandem evaporators |
US10712074B2 (en) * | 2017-06-30 | 2020-07-14 | Midea Group Co., Ltd. | Refrigerator with tandem evaporators |
US11493256B2 (en) | 2017-06-30 | 2022-11-08 | Midea Group Co., Ltd. | Refrigerator with tandem evaporators |
WO2020224464A1 (en) * | 2019-05-03 | 2020-11-12 | 海尔智家股份有限公司 | Refrigerating appliance having detachable ice storage box |
CN111707046A (en) * | 2020-07-28 | 2020-09-25 | 广东奥马冰箱有限公司 | Ice storage box structure and refrigerator |
WO2022233290A1 (en) * | 2021-05-07 | 2022-11-10 | 海尔智家股份有限公司 | Ice-making device and method for operating ice-making device |
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Legal Events
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AS | Assignment |
Owner name: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., KOREA, REPUBLIC OF Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:RYU, DONG NYEOL;MIN, JUNE KEE;LEE, JAE SEUNG;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:019118/0263 Effective date: 20070308 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |