US20240053081A1

US20240053081A1 - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: US20240053081A1
Application number: US18/229,499
Authority: US
Inventors: Minseob YOOK; Kwanyeol LEE; Jin Jeong
Original assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-08-11
Filing date: 2023-08-02
Publication date: 2024-02-15

Abstract

Provided is a refrigerator. The refrigerator includes an outer case forming an exterior of the refrigerator; an inner case provided in the outer case and defining a storage compartment, the inner case including a first inner wall and a second inner wall opposing the first inner wall; and an ice maker mounted in the inner case and to make ice, the ice maker including an ice maker case, wherein the ice maker case includes: a first ice maker case wall supported by the first inner wall; a second ice maker case wall supported by the second inner wall; and an elastic protrusion provided on the first ice maker case wall, the elastic protrusion being configured to interfere with the first inner wall and to be elastically deformable in a direction in which the elastic protrusion is pressed by the first inner wall.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a by-pass continuation of International Application No. PCT/KR2023/008209, filed on Jun. 14, 2023, which is based on and claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0100911, filed on Aug. 11, 2022, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The disclosure relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator including an ice maker.

2. Description of Related Art

A refrigerator is an appliance that stores food in a cold state and includes a body having a storage compartment and a cold air supply system configured to supply cold air to the storage compartment. The storage compartment includes a refrigerator compartment maintained at a temperature of about 0 to 5° C. to refrigerate stored food and a freezer compartment maintained at a temperature of about −30 to 0° C. to freeze stored food. Generally, the storage compartment has an open front surface to allow food to be put in and taken out, and the open front surface of the storage compartment is opened and closed by a door.
The refrigerator repeats a cooling cycle in which a refrigerant is compressed, condensed, expanded, and evaporated using a compressor, a condenser, an expander, and an evaporator. Here, both the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment may be cooled by a single evaporator provided at the freezer compartment side, or an evaporator may be provided in each of the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment for the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment to be independently cooled.
An ice maker configured to automatically make ice may be provided in the refrigerator. The ice maker may include an ice making tray in which ice is made, an ejector configured to eject the ice from the ice making tray, an ice bucket configured to store the ice ejected from the ice making tray, and a controller configured to control the ice making process.

SUMMARY

Provided is a refrigerator having an improved structure to allow an ice maker to be stably supported by an inner case.
Further, provided is a refrigerator having an improved structure to prevent damage to an ice maker and an inner case while the ice maker is mounted in the inner case.
Further still, provided is a refrigerator having an improved structure to improve the exterior quality.
Aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned aspects should be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains from the description below.
According to an aspect of the disclosure, a refrigerator includes: an outer case forming an exterior of the refrigerator; an inner case provided in the outer case and defining a storage compartment, the inner case including a first inner wall and a second inner wall opposing the first inner wall; and an ice maker mounted in the inner case and to make ice, the ice maker including an ice maker case, wherein the ice maker case includes: a first ice maker case wall supported by the first inner wall; a second ice maker case wall supported by the second inner wall; and an elastic protrusion provided on the first ice maker case wall, the elastic protrusion being configured to interfere with the first inner wall and to be elastically deformable in a direction in which the elastic protrusion is pressed by the first inner wall.
The elastic protrusion may be pressed in a direction from the first inner wall toward the second inner wall by the first inner wall.
The elastic protrusion may include an interference portion protruding in a first direction from the first ice maker case wall toward the first inner wall and to interfere with the first inner wall, and the interference portion may extend in a second direction parallel to the first inner wall.
The interference portion may include: a contact surface provided at one end of the interference portion and configured to come in contact with the first inner wall; and a corner surface provided at an end of the contact surface in the second direction, and the corner surface may be inclined relative to the second direction and extends from the contact surface in a direction moving away from the first inner wall.
The second direction may be parallel to a forward-backward direction of the inner case.
The interference portion may be configured to be movable in a direction parallel to the first direction by being elastically deformed.
The elastic protrusion may include a connecting portion connected to the first ice maker case wall, and the connecting portion may be configured to be elastically deformable about a fixed end thereof fixed to the first ice maker case wall.
The elastic protrusion may be pressed in a first direction by the first inner wall, and the connecting portion may extend from the fixed end in a direction different from the first direction.
The first ice maker case wall may include a cut-open portion formed in the direction in which the connecting portion extends, and the connecting portion may be provided at the cut-open portion.
The elastic protrusion may further include an interference portion configured to protrude in the first direction and to interfere with the first inner wall, and the interference portion may be bent from a free end of the connecting portion opposing the fixed end thereof and extends in the first direction.
The first inner wall may include a holder configured to support the first ice maker case wall, and the elastic protrusion may be provided under the holder.
The holder extends in a direction parallel to a forward-backward direction of the inner case, and the ice maker case may be mounted by sliding from a front of the inner case toward a rear thereof along the holder.
The ice maker case may further include a plurality of elastic protrusions including the elastic protrusion, and the plurality of elastic protrusions may be arranged in an up-down direction.
The elastic protrusion may be a first elastic protrusion, the ice maker case may further include a second elastic protrusion provided on the second ice maker case wall, and the second elastic protrusion may be configured to interfere with the second inner wall and to be elastically deformable in a direction in which the second elastic protrusion is pressed by the second inner wall.
The inner case may further include an opening formed at a front of the storage compartment and a rear wall formed at a rear of the storage compartment and configured to face the opening of the inner case, and the elastic protrusion may be disposed to be closer to the opening of the inner case than to the rear wall of the inner case.
According to an aspect of the disclosure, an ice maker includes: at least one ice making tray configured to receive and hold an amount of water; and an ice maker case configured to support the at least one ice making tray, wherein the ice maker case includes: a first ice maker case wall configured to be supported by a first inner wall of a refrigerator; a second ice maker case wall configured to be supported by a second inner wall of the refrigerator; and an elastic protrusion provided on the first ice maker case wall, the elastic protrusion being configured to interfere with the first inner wall when the ice maker is mounted in the refrigerator and to be elastically deformable in a direction in which the elastic protrusion is pressed by the first inner wall when the ice maker is mounted in the refrigerator.
The elastic protrusion may include a connecting portion configured to be connected to the first ice maker case wall, and the connecting portion may be configured to be elastically deformable about a fixed end thereof fixed to the first ice maker case wall.
The elastic protrusion may be configured to deflect in a first direction when the ice maker is mounted in the refrigerator, and the connecting portion may extend from the fixed end in a direction different from the first direction.
The first ice maker case wall may include a cut-open portion formed in the direction in which the connecting portion extends, and the connecting portion may be provided at the cut-open portion. In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a refrigerator includes an outer case configured to form an exterior, an inner case configured to form a storage compartment, and an ice maker configured to be mounted in the inner case and include an ice making unit configured to form ice and an ice maker case configured to support the ice making unit. The ice maker case includes an ice maker case wall configured to be supported by an inner wall of the inner case, an interference portion configured to protrude from the ice maker case wall toward the inner wall of the inner case in order to interfere with the inner wall of the inner case, and a connecting portion provided to connect the interference portion and the ice maker case wall and be elastically deformable.
The connecting portion may include a fixed end configured to be fixed to the ice maker case wall and a free end configured to oppose the fixed end. The interference portion may extend from the free end toward the inner wall of the inner case.
The ice maker case wall may include a cut-open portion configured to be cut open in a direction parallel to a direction in which the free end extends from the fixed end. The connecting portion may be provided at the cut-open portion.
The interference portion may be provided so that a position of the interference portion relative to the cut-open portion changes as the interference portion is pressed by the inner wall of the inner case.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a refrigerator includes an outer case configured to form an exterior, an inner case configured to form a storage compartment and include a first inner wall and a second inner wall opposing the first inner wall, and an ice maker configured to be provided in the storage compartment and include an ice maker case configured to be supported by the first inner wall and the second inner wall. The ice maker case includes a first elastic protrusion provided to interfere with the first inner wall and be pressed in a direction from the first inner wall toward the ice maker case by the first inner wall and a second elastic protrusion provided to interfere with the second inner wall and be pressed in a direction from the second inner wall toward the ice maker case by the second inner wall. The first elastic protrusion and the second elastic protrusion are each provided to be elastically deformable to allow a position of the ice maker case to be adjusted relative to the first inner wall and the second inner wall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and/or other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic lateral cross-sectional view of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a partial configuration of the refrigerator of FIG. 3 ;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of an ice maker of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a view of the ice maker of FIG. 5 from a different angle;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a first ice making unit of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of a second ice making unit of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a view for describing an operation of the second ice making unit of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a view for describing an operation of the second ice making unit of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a view for describing an operation of the second ice making unit of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of a partial configuration of the ice maker of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a cut-open cross-sectional view of the ice maker of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of A of FIG. 13 ;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the ice maker is mounted in an inner case of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of B of FIG. 15 ;

FIG. 17 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a state in which an inner wall of the inner case is deformed in FIG. 16 ;

FIG. 18 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a state of an elastic protrusion of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 19 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a state of an elastic protrusion of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 20 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a state of an elastic protrusion of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments described herein and configurations illustrated in the drawings are merely exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, and various modifications which may replace the embodiments and the drawings herein may be present at the time of filing this application.
Also, like reference numerals or symbols presented in the drawings of the application indicate parts or elements that perform substantially the same functions.
Also, terms used herein are for describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit and/or restrict the disclosure. A singular expression includes a plural expression unless context clearly indicates otherwise. In the application, terms such as “include” or “have” are for designating that features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof are present, and do not preclude the possibility of presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof in advance.
Also, terms including ordinals such as “first” and “second” used herein may be used to describe various elements, but the elements are not limited by the terms, and the terms are only used for the purpose of distinguishing one element from another element. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element while not departing from the scope of rights of the present disclosure, and likewise, a second element may also be referred to as a first element. The term “and/or” includes a combination of a plurality of associated listed items or any one item among the plurality of associated listed items. Herein, the expression “at least one of a, b, or c” indicates “only a”, “only b”, “only c”, “both a and b”, “both a and c”, “both b and c”, or “all of a, b, and c”.
Terms such as “up-down direction,” “under,” and “forward-backward direction” used in the following description are defined based on the drawings, and the shape and position of each element are not limited by the terms.
Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic lateral cross-sectional view of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , a refrigerator 1 may include a body 10, a storage compartment 20 provided inside the body 10, a door 30 configured to open and close the storage compartment 20, and a cooling system configured to supply cold air to the storage compartment 20.
The body 10 may have a front side formed to be open to allow a user to put food in the storage compartment 20 or take food out of the storage compartment 20. That is, the body 10 may include an opening 10 a formed in the front side of the body 10. The opening 10 a of the body 10 may be opened and closed by the door 30. The opening 10 a of the body 10 may be referred to as an opening 10 a of an outer case 12, an opening 10 a of an inner case 11, or the like, which will be described below.
The body 10 may include the inner case 11 configured to form the storage compartment 20, the outer case 12 configured to form an exterior of the refrigerator 1, and a body insulator 13 provided between the inner case 11 and the outer case 12.
The outer case 12 may be formed to have a substantially box-like shape having an open front side. The outer case 12 may form upper and lower surfaces, left and right side surfaces, and a rear surface of the refrigerator 1.
The outer case 12 may be configured to include a metal material. For example, the outer case 12 may be manufactured by processing a steel sheet material.
The inner case 11 may have an open front side. The inner case 11 may have the storage compartment 20 provided therein and may be provided inside the outer case 12. An inner wall of the inner case 11 may form an inner wall of the storage compartment 20.
The inner wall of the inner case 11 may include a first inner wall 11 a, a second inner wall 11 b opposing the first inner wall 11 a, a rear wall 11 c provided between the first inner wall 11 a and the second inner wall 11 b, an upper wall, and a lower wall. For example, the first inner wall 11 a may refer to the inner wall of the inner case 11 that is provided at the right side when the refrigerator 1 is viewed from the front. The second inner wall 11 b may refer to the inner wall of the inner case 11 that opposes the first inner wall 11 a and is provided at the left side when the refrigerator 1 is viewed from the front.
However, the positions of the first inner wall 11 a and the second inner wall 11 b are not limited thereto, and conversely, the inner wall of the inner case 11 that is provided at the left side when the refrigerator 1 is viewed from the front may be referred to as the first inner wall, and the inner wall of the inner case 11 that is provided at the right side when the refrigerator 1 is viewed from the front may be referred to as the second inner wall.
The inner case 11 may be configured to include a plastic material. For example, the inner case 11 may be manufactured by a vacuum forming process. For example, the inner case 11 may be manufactured by an injection molding process.
The body insulator 13 may be provided so that the outer case 12 and the inner case 11 are insulated from each other. The body insulator 13 may couple the inner case 11 and the outer case 12 to each other by being foamed between the inner case 11 and the outer case 12. The body insulator 13 may prevent a heat exchange from occurring between the inside of the storage compartment 20 and the outside of the body 10 to improve efficiency of cooling the inside of the storage compartment 20.
Urethane foam insulation, expanded polystyrene insulation (EPS), a vacuum insulation panel, and the like may be used as the body insulator 13. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the body insulator 13 may be configured to include various other materials.
The storage compartment 20 may be formed inside the body 10. For example, the storage compartment 20 may include a freezer compartment maintained at a temperature of about −30 to 0° C. to freeze and store food.
A shelf 16 on which food may be placed, a movable shelf 17 which may be inserted into and withdrawn from the inner case 11 and on which food may be placed, and a drawer 18 which may be inserted into and withdrawn from the inner case 11 and in which food may be stored may be provided in the storage compartment 20.
The inner case 11 may include an inclined wall 11 f. The inclined wall 11 f may be disposed at a front of the body 10 in order to be adjacent to the door 30. The inclined wall 11 f may be, from one side adjacent to the door 30 toward the other side facing the rear wall 11 c, inclined toward the inside of the storage compartment 20 in a left-right direction. The other side of the inclined wall 11 f may be a portion where the inclined wall 11 f meets the first inner wall 11 a or the second inner wall 11 b. The inclined wall 11 f may be disposed along at least a portion of the opening 10 a.
An inclined protruding wall 11 g may be disposed under the inclined wall 11 f. The inclined protruding wall 11 g may be formed to protrude further toward the inside of the storage compartment 20 in the left-right direction than the inclined wall 11 f. Also, the inclined protruding wall 11 g may be formed to protrude further toward the front than the inclined wall 11 f. The inclined protruding wall 11 g may include a protruding upper surface 11 ga. The protruding upper surface 11 ga may be disposed adjacent to a front inclined portion 1130. The inclined protruding wall 11 g may be disposed along at least a portion of the opening 10 a.
When a user views the inside of the storage compartment 20 through the opening 10 a of the body 10, the inclined wall 11 f and the inclined protruding wall 11 g may provide an improved aesthetic sense that makes the volume of the storage compartment 20 look wider to the user.
An ice maker cover 1100 of an ice maker 1000 may have the front inclined portion 1130 (see FIG. 5 ) formed to correspond to the inclined shape of the inclined protruding wall 11 g. Since the front inclined portion 1130 is inclined upward toward the rear, the inclined shape of the front inclined portion 1130 may form a harmonious aesthetic sense with the inclined protruding wall 11 g. The ice maker cover 1100 will be described below.
The refrigerator 1 may include a cooling system provided to generate cold air using a cooling cycle and supply the generated cold air to the storage compartment 20.
The cooling system may generate cold air using evaporative latent heat of a refrigerant in the cooling cycle. The cooling system may be configured to include a compressor 73, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator 71, a blower fan 72, and the like.
A cooling chamber 50 and a mechanical chamber 60 that allow the cooling system to be disposed may be provided in the body 10. For example, configurations such as the evaporator 71 configured to generate cold air and the blower fan 72 provided to allow the cold air generated by the evaporator 71 to flow may be provided in the cooling chamber 50. Configurations such as the compressor 73 and the condenser may be provided in the mechanical chamber 60.
The cooling chamber 50 may be disposed behind the storage compartment 20. The mechanical chamber 60 may be disposed behind the storage compartment 20.
Components of the refrigerator 1 that constitute the cooling system may have a relatively large weight. Accordingly, the cooling chamber 50 and the mechanical chamber 60 may be provided at a lower portion of the body 10. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the cooling chamber 50 and the mechanical chamber 60 may be disposed in various other ways, and the components constituting the cooling system may be disposed in various ways to correspond to the positions of the cooling chamber 50 and the mechanical chamber 60.
Since cold air is generated by the evaporator 71 in the cooling chamber 50, the cooling chamber 50 may maintain a relatively low-temperature state. On the other hand, since heat is generated by the compressor 73, the condenser, and the like in the mechanical chamber 60, the mechanical chamber 60 may maintain a relatively high-temperature state. Accordingly, the cooling chamber 50 and the mechanical chamber 60 may be formed in separate spaces and insulated from each other. For example, the body insulator 13 may be foamed between the cooling chamber 50 and the mechanical chamber 60.
As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the evaporator 71 provided in the cooling chamber 50 may evaporate a refrigerant to generate cold air, and the cold air generated by the evaporator 71 may flow due to the blower fan 72. The cold air flowing due to the blower fan 72 may flow from the cooling chamber 50 to the storage compartment 20. The cooling chamber 50 may be provided to communicate with the storage compartment 20.
For example, cold air generated by the evaporator 71 may flow toward a top of the cooling chamber 50 due to the blower fan 72. The cold air flowing due to the blower fan 72 may flow toward a top of the body 10 along a cold air supply duct 14. The cold air may be discharged forward from the cold air supply duct 14 and eventually be introduced into the storage compartment 20. On the other hand, for example, cold air generated by the evaporator 71 may flow to a lower portion of the body 10 due to the blower fan 72 and be introduced into the storage compartment 20.
In other words, as illustrated in FIG. 2 , the refrigerator 1 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be an indirect-cooling refrigerator. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, description will be given assuming that the refrigerator 1 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is an indirect-cooling refrigerator, but the spirit of the present disclosure is not limited thereto and may also apply to a direct-cooling refrigerator.
The evaporator 71, the blower fan 72, and the like disposed in the cooling chamber 50 may be referred to as cold air supply devices in that the evaporator 71 generates cold air and the blower fan 72 supplies the cold air to the storage compartment 20.
The body 10 may include the cold air supply duct 14. The cold air supply duct 14 may form a cold air flow path along which cold air generated by the cold air supply device flows from the cooling chamber 50 to the storage compartment 20. The storage compartment 20 may be provided to communicate with the cold air supply duct 14.
The cold air supply duct 14 may be formed inside the inner case 11. The cold air supply duct 14 may be formed at a rear portion of the inner case 11. More specifically, the cold air supply duct 14 may be provided behind the storage compartment 20.
The door 30 may be provided to open and close the storage compartment 20. The door 30 may be rotatably coupled to the body 10. More specifically, the door 30 may be rotatably coupled to the body 10 by a hinge 40 connected to each of the door 30 and the body 10. The door 30 may be rotatably coupled to the outer case 12.
An outer surface of the door 30 may form a portion of the exterior of the refrigerator 1. While the door 30 is at a closing position, the outer surface of the door 30 may form a front surface of the door 30.
An inner surface of the door 30 may be formed at a side opposite to the outer surface of the door 30. While the door 30 is at the closing position, the inner surface of the door 30 may form a rear surface of the door 30. While the door 30 is at the closing position, the inner surface of the door 30 may be provided to face the inside of the body 10. While the door 30 is at the closing position, the inner surface of the door 30 may be provided to cover the front of the storage compartment 20.
A foaming space may be formed between the outer surface of the door 30 and the inner surface of the door 30, and a door insulator 31 may be foamed in the foaming space. The door insulator 31 may prevent a heat exchange from occurring between the outer surface and the inner surface of the door 30. The door insulator 31 may improve insulation performance between the inside of the storage compartment 20 and the outside of the door 30.
Urethane foam insulation, expanded polystyrene insulation (EPS), a vacuum insulation panel, and the like may be used as the door insulator 31. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the door insulator 31 may be configured to include various other materials.
For example, the door insulator 31 may be configured with an insulator made of the same material as the body insulator 13. On the other hand, for example, the door insulator 31 may be configured with an insulator made of a different material from the body insulator 13.
A door gasket 33 provided to seal a gap between the door 30 and the body 10 and prevent leakage of cold air from the storage compartment 20 may be provided on the inner surface of the door 30. The door gasket 33 may be provided along the periphery of the inner surface of the door 30. The door gasket 33 may be disposed to be parallel to the opening 10 a of the body 10 while the door 30 is closed. The door gasket 33 may be configured to include an elastic material such as rubber.
A door shelf 32 on which food may be stored may be provided on the inner surface of the door 30.
The refrigerator 1 may include the ice maker 1000 configured to form ice using cold air of the storage compartment 20. The ice maker 1000 may include ice making units 1300 and 1400 (see FIG. 5 and so on) configured to form ice and an ice maker case 1200 (see FIG. 3 and so on) configured to support the ice making units 1300 and 1400.
The ice maker 1000 may be provided in the storage compartment 20. The ice maker 1000 may be mounted in the inner case 11. Specifically, the inner case 11 may include holders 11 aa and 11 bb provided on the inner walls 11 a and 11 b of the inner case 11, and the ice maker 1000 may be supported by the holders 11 aa and 11 bb (see FIG. 5 and so on). For example, the holders 11 aa and 11 bb may be formed to have shapes that protrude from the inner walls 11 a and 11 b of the inner case 11. For example, the holders 11 aa and 11 bb may be formed to have shapes that are concavely recessed in the inner walls 11 a and 11 b of the inner case 11.
The refrigerator 1 may further include a water supply 80 provided to receive water from an external water supply source. The water supply 80 may be provided to supply the water received from the external water supply source to the ice maker 1000. The ice maker 1000 may form ice using the water received through the water supply 80.
The water supply 80 may be formed to have the shape of a pipe having a water supply flow path, along which water flows, formed therein.
The water supply 80 may be provided as many as the number that corresponds to the number of the ice making units 1300 and 1400. For example, the ice making units 1300 and 1400 may include a first ice making unit 1300 and a second ice making unit 1400 (see FIG. 5 and so on), and the water supply 80 may be provided as a plurality of water supplies 80 to supply water to each of the first ice making unit 1300 and the second ice making unit 1400.
The water supply 80 may be disposed to pass through the body 10. The water supply 80 may be disposed to pass through the outer case 12 and the inner case 11. More specifically, the water supply 80 may pass through rear surfaces of the outer case 12 and the inner case 11. The water supply 80 may pass through the rear surfaces of the outer case 12 and the inner case 11 in a forward-backward direction. Here, the rear surface of the inner case 11 may indicate the above-mentioned rear wall 11 c of the inner case 11.
The refrigerator 1 may include an ice bucket 100 provided to accommodate ice formed by the ice maker 1000. The ice bucket 100 may be provided in the storage compartment 20.
The ice bucket 100 may be mounted in the inner case 11. The ice bucket 100 may be supported by the first inner wall 11 a and the second inner wall 11 b of the inner case 11.
The ice bucket 100 may be disposed under the ice maker 1000. The ice bucket 100 may be provided to accommodate ice moving downward after being discharged from the ice making units 1300 and 1400.
A bucket shelf 15 configured to support the ice bucket 100 may be provided in the storage compartment 20. The ice bucket 100 may be seated on the bucket shelf 15. The bucket shelf 15 may be supported by the first inner wall 11 a and the second inner wall 11 b.
Specific features of the ice maker 1000 and the ice bucket 100 will be described below.
The configuration of the refrigerator 1 described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 is only an example for describing a refrigerator according to the spirit of the present disclosure, and the spirit of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The refrigerator according to the spirit of the present disclosure may be provided to include various configurations for performing a function of supplying cold air to a storage compartment for storing food.
The refrigerator 1 including the body 10 configured to have the single storage compartment 20 formed therein and the single door 30 configured to open and close the storage compartment 20 has been described above as an example of the present disclosure for convenience of description, but the spirit of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the configuration of the present disclosure may be applied to various other types of refrigerators. A refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be a side-by-side (SBS) refrigerator in which a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment are arranged side by side (see FIG. 21 ). Alternatively, a refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be a bottom mounted freezer (BMF) refrigerator in which a refrigerator compartment is formed at an upper side and a freezer compartment is formed at a lower side. A refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be a top mounted freezer (TMF) refrigerator in which a freezer compartment is formed at an upper side and a refrigerator compartment is formed at a lower side.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a partial configuration of the refrigerator of FIG. 3 . FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the ice maker of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a view of the ice maker of FIG. 5 from a different angle.
Referring to FIGS. 3 to 6 , the ice maker 1000 of the refrigerator 1 may be provided in the storage compartment 20. The ice maker 1000 may be mounted in the inner case 11.
The ice maker 1000 may be supported by the first inner wall 11 a and the second inner wall 11 b of the inner case 11. The ice maker 1000 may be disposed between the first inner wall 11 a and the second inner wall 11 b.
As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the first inner wall 11 a may be the inner wall of the inner case 11 that is provided at the right side when the refrigerator 1 is viewed from the front, and the second inner wall 11 b may be the inner wall of the inner case 11 that opposes the first inner wall 11 a and is provided at the left side when the refrigerator 1 is viewed from the front. That is, the ice maker 1000 may be mounted in the inner case 11 to be supported by each of the left-side inner wall and the right-side inner wall of the inner case 11. The first inner wall 11 a and the second inner wall 11 b that support the ice maker 1000 may be formed to face each other in the left-right direction of the refrigerator 1.
However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and for example, in a case in which a refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is a SBS refrigerator in which a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment are arranged side by side, a vertical partition configured to isolate the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment from each other may be provided between the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment. In this case, the first inner wall may be any one of the left-side inner wall and the right-side inner wall of the inner case, and the second inner wall may be a sidewall of the vertical partition that opposes the first inner wall.
Hereinafter, for convenience of description, description will be given while the first inner wall 11 a and the second inner wall 11 b are defined based on FIGS. 3, 4 , and the like.
The ice maker 1000 may include the ice making units 1300 and 1400 configured to form ice and the ice maker case 1200 configured to support the ice making units 1300 and 1400.
The ice maker case 1200 may be mounted in the inner case 11. The ice maker case 1200 may be supported by the inner case 11. The ice maker case 1200 may be supported by the inner walls 11 a and 11 b of the inner case 11.
Specifically, the ice maker case 1200 may include ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b supported by the inner walls 11 a and 11 b of the inner case 11. The ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b may be outer walls of the ice maker case 1200 that face the inner walls 11 a and 11 b of the inner case 11.
The ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b may include a first ice maker case wall 1210 a supported by the first inner wall 11 a and a second ice maker case wall 1210 b supported by the second inner wall 11 b. The first ice maker case wall 1210 a may be an outer wall of the ice maker case 1200 that faces the first inner wall 11 a. Based on FIGS. 3 to 6 , the first ice maker case wall 1210 a may be a right-side outer wall of the ice maker case 1200 that is provided at the right side when viewed from the front. The second ice maker case wall 1210 b may be an outer wall of the ice maker case 1200 that faces the second inner wall 11 b. Based on FIGS. 3 to 6 , the second ice maker case wall 1210 b may be a left-side outer wall of the ice maker case 1200 that opposes the first ice maker case wall 1210 a and is provided at the left side when viewed from the front.
The first ice maker case wall 1210 a may be disposed to be substantially parallel to the first inner wall 11 a. The second ice maker case wall 1210 b may be disposed to be substantially parallel to the second inner wall 11 b.
The first ice maker case wall 1210 a and the second ice maker case wall 1210 b may be formed parallel to each other. The first ice maker case wall 1210 a and the second ice maker case wall 1210 b may be formed to have shapes that substantially correspond to each other.
The inner case 11 may include the holders 11 aa and 11 bb formed on the inner walls 11 a and 11 b of the inner case 11. The ice maker case 1200 may be supported by the holders 11 aa and 11 bb.
The holders 11 aa and 11 bb may be formed to have various shapes that can support the ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b.
For example, the holders 11 aa and 11 bb may be formed to have shapes that protrude from the inner walls 11 a and 11 b of the inner case 11. The holders 11 aa and 11 bb may be formed to protrude to support the ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b. The holders 11 aa and 11 bb may be formed to protrude toward the inside of the storage compartment 20. In this case, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 6 , the holders 11 aa and 11 bb may be inserted into concave portions formed in the ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b and support the ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b. Alternatively, the holders 11 aa and 11 bb may support lower sides of the ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b.
For example, the holders 11 aa and 11 bb may be formed to have shapes that are concavely recessed in the inner walls 11 a and 11 b of the inner case 11. Unlike in FIGS. 3 to 6 , portions protruding toward the inner walls 11 a and 11 b of the inner case 11 may be provided on the ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b, and as the protruding portions of the ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b are inserted into the holders 11 aa and 11 bb, the ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b may be supported by the holders 11 aa and 11 bb.
Hereinafter, description will be given based on the embodiment in which the holders 11 aa and 11 bb are formed to protrude to support the ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b as illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 6 . However, the spirit of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and, for example, as described above, the holders 11 aa and 11 bb supporting the ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b may be formed to have shapes that are concavely recessed in the inner walls 11 a and 11 b of inner case 11.
The holders 11 aa and 11 bb may extend in a direction parallel to the forward-backward direction of the inner case 11. The holders 11 aa and 11 bb may extend in a direction parallel to the forward-backward direction of the inner walls 11 a and 11 b of the inner case 11. Accordingly, the ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b may be stably supported in the up-down direction of the inner case 11 by the holders ilea and 11 bb.
For example, the ice maker case 1200 may be mounted by sliding from a front of the inner case 11 toward a rear thereof along the holders 11 aa and 11 bb extending in the direction parallel to the forward-backward direction of the inner case 11. In other words, the ice maker case 1200 may be mounted in the inner case 11 by sliding from the front of the inner case 11 toward the rear thereof. When being mounted in the inner case 11, the ice maker case 1200 may be inserted from the front of the inner case 11 toward the rear thereof.
When the ice maker case 1200 is being mounted in the inner case 11, a mounting position in the inner case 11, a mounting direction in the inner case 11, and the like may be guided by the holders 11 aa and 11 bb.
However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the ice maker case 1200 may be mounted in the inner case 11 in various other ways. For example, the ice maker case 1200 may be mounted by sliding in the up-down direction relative to the inner case 11. Even in this case, the holders 11 aa and 11 bb may still extend in the direction parallel to the forward-backward direction of the inner case 11.
The holders 11 aa and 11 bb may be provided to support upper portions of the ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b. For example, the ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b may be supported by the holders 11 aa and 11 bb as the upper portions of the ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b are seated on upper surfaces of the holders 11 aa and 11 bb. Accordingly, the ice maker case 1200 may be stably supported by the holders 11 aa and 11 bb. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b may be supported by the holders 11 aa and 11 bb in various other ways.
The holders 11 aa and 11 bb may be provided at positions adjacent to the front of the inner case 11. That is, the holders 11 aa and 11 bb may be disposed more adjacent to the opening 10 a of the inner case 11 than to the rear wall 11 c of the inner case 11. Accordingly, the holders 11 aa and 11 bb may support at least a front portion of the ice maker case 1200. Also, since the holders 11 aa and 11 bb are provided at the positions adjacent to the front of the inner case 11, when the ice maker case 1200 is being mounted in the inner case 11 by being inserted from the front of the inner case 11 toward the rear thereof, the ice maker case 1200 may be more easily guided by the holders 11 aa and 11 bb.
However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the holders 11 aa and 11 bb may be provided at various other positions. For example, the holders 11 aa and 11 bb may be provided at positions adjacent to the rear wall 11 c of the inner case 11. For example, the holders 11 aa and 11 bb may be provided at positions almost equally distant from each of the opening 10 a and the rear wall 11 c of the inner case 11.
A rear holder 11 e provided to support a rear of the ice maker case 1200 may be further provided in the inner case 11. The ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b may be supported by the rear holder 11 e as well as the holders 11 aa and 11 bb. For example, the rear holder 11 e may be provided on the inner walls 11 a and 11 b of the inner case 11. For example, the rear holder 11 e may be provided on the rear wall 11 c of the inner case 11. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the rear holder 11 e may not be provided in the inner case 11.
The holders 11 aa and 11 bb may include a first holder 11 aa provided on the first inner wall 11 a and configured to support the first ice maker case wall 1210 a and a second holder 11 bb provided on the second inner wall 11 b and configured to support the second ice maker case wall 1210 b.
The first holder 11 aa and the second holder 11 bb may be provided to oppose each other. The first holder 11 aa and the second holder 11 bb may be provided at positions corresponding to each other. The first holder 11 aa and the second holder 11 bb may be formed to have shapes that correspond to each other.
The first holder 11 aa may have a shape that protrudes toward the storage compartment 20. The first holder 11 aa may have a shape that protrudes from the first inner wall 11 a toward the first ice maker case wall 1210 a.
The second holder 11 bb may have a shape that protrudes toward the storage compartment 20. The second holder 11 bb may have a shape that protrudes from the second inner wall 11 b toward the second ice maker case wall 1210 b.
When the first holder 11 aa is disposed more adjacent to the opening 10 a of the inner case 11 than to the rear wall 11 c of the inner case 11, the rear holder 11 e may be disposed behind the first holder 11 aa. The first holder 11 aa and the rear holder 11 e may support the first ice maker case wall 1210 a.
When the second holder 11 bb is disposed more adjacent to the opening 10 a of the inner case 11 than to the rear wall 11 c of the inner case 11, the rear holder 11 e may be disposed behind the second holder 11 bb. The second holder 11 bb and the rear holder 11 e may support the second ice maker case wall 1210 b.
The rear holder 11 e may be provided as a plurality of rear holders 11 e to support each of the first ice maker case wall 1210 a and the second ice maker case wall 1210 b.
However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and for example, the first holder 11 aa may extend from the front of the inner case 11 toward the rear thereof in order to be integrally formed with the rear holder 11 e. The first holder 11 aa may be formed to provide support between a front portion and a rear portion of the first ice maker case wall 1210 a as a whole. For example, the second holder 11 bb may extend from the front of the inner case 11 toward the rear thereof in order to be integrally formed with the rear holder 11 e. The second holder 11 bb may be formed to provide support between a front portion and a rear portion of the second ice maker case wall 1210 b as a whole.
The ice maker case 1200 may be fixed to a rear portion of the inner case 11. The ice maker case 1200 may include a rear fixing portion 1260 formed to be fixed to the rear portion of the inner case 11.
For example, the rear fixing portion 1260 may be formed to face the cold air supply duct 14 disposed at a rear of the storage compartment 20. The rear fixing portion 1260 may be, by being fixed to the cold air supply duct 14, fixed to the rear portion of the inner case 11.
For example, the rear fixing portion 1260 may be formed to face the rear wall 11 c of the inner case 11. The rear fixing portion 1260 may be, by being fixed to the rear wall 11 c of the inner case 11, fixed to the rear portion of the inner case 11.
For example, the rear fixing portion 1260 may include a screw hole 1261, and a screw may pass through the screw hole 1261 in the forward-backward direction. The rear fixing portion 1260 may be fixed to the cold air supply duct 14 or the rear wall 11 c of the inner case 11 by screw coupling.
By the rear fixing portion 1260, the ice maker case 1200 may be more firmly mounted in the inner case 11. The configuration of the rear fixing portion 1260 described above is only one example of a configuration allowing the ice maker case 1200 to be fixed to the inner case 11, and the ice maker case 1200 may include various other configurations to be fixed to the inner case 11.
The ice maker case 1200 may form an exterior of the ice maker 1000. The ice maker case 1200 may include a front portion 1230 configured to form a front surface of the ice maker case 1200, and the front portion 1230 may form the exterior of the front of the ice maker 1000. The front portion 1230 may be formed between the first ice maker case wall 1210 a and the second ice maker case wall 1210 b. The front portion 1230 may connect the first ice maker case wall 1210 a and the second ice maker case wall 1210 b.
The ice maker case 1200 may be formed to have a substantially box-like shape. The ice maker case 1200 may be formed to have the shape of a box having at least one open surface. For example, the ice maker case 1200 may have a shape open in a direction toward the ice bucket 100, that is, downward. For example, the ice maker case 1200 may have a shape open rearward. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the ice maker case 1200 may be formed to have various other shapes.
The ice maker case 1200 may include a water supply through-portion 1250 through which the water supply 80 passes. The water supply 80 may supply water to the ice making units 1300 and 1400.
The water supply through-portion 1250 may be formed at an upper portion of the ice maker case 1200, but the position of the water supply through-portion 1250 is not limited thereto.
The water supply through-portion 1250 may be provided as many as the number that corresponds to the number of water supplies 80, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, a plurality of water supplies 80 may pass through a single water supply through-portion 1250.
The ice maker 1000 may include the ice maker cover 1100. The ice maker cover 1100 may be provided to cover a top of the ice maker case 1200. The ice maker cover 1100 may be coupled to the upper portion of the ice maker case 1200.
For example, the ice maker cover 1100 may be detachably mounted on the ice maker case 1200. For example, the ice maker cover 1100 may be integrally formed with the ice maker case 1200.
The ice maker cover 1100 may form the exterior of the ice maker 1000. The ice maker cover 1100 may form an upper surface of the ice maker 1000.
The ice maker cover 1100 may cover at least a portion of the water supply 80. More specifically, the ice maker cover 1100 may cover at least a portion of the water supply 80 that is disposed inside the storage compartment 20. The ice maker cover 1100 may cover the water supply through-portion 1250.
The ice maker cover 1100 may be disposed above the ice making units 1300 and 1400. The ice maker cover 1100 may cover a top of the ice making units 1300 and 1400.
The ice maker cover 1100 may include a shelf portion 1110 provided to support an article provided thereon and cover the ice maker case 1200.
The ice maker cover 1100 may include the front inclined portion 1130 configured to extend forward from the shelf portion 1110 and a rear inclined portion 1120 configured to extend rearward from the shelf portion 1110.
The rear inclined portion 1120 may be a portion coming in contact with the cold air supply duct 14 (see FIG. 2 ). The rear inclined portion 1120 may have a shape inclined upward toward the rear. In this way, while being supported by the cold air supply duct 14, the rear inclined portion 1120 may be provided to cover the water supply 80 passing through the cold air supply duct 14 and having a shape inclined downward toward the front.
The front inclined portion 1130 may extend forward from the shelf portion 1110. The front inclined portion 1130 may have a shape inclined downward toward the front. The front inclined portion 1130 may be disposed adjacent to the inclined wall 11 f (see FIG. 1 ). The ice making units 1300 and 1400 provided in the ice maker 1000 may be provided to form ice of various shapes.
For example, the ice maker 1000 may include the first ice making unit 1300 configured to form a first type of ice. The first ice making unit 1300 may be supported by a first ice making unit support portion 1241 of the ice maker case 1200.
For example, the ice maker 1000 may include the second ice making unit 1400 configured to form a second type of ice. The second ice making unit 1400 may be supported by a second ice making unit support portion 1242 of the ice maker case 1200.
The first ice making unit support portion 1241 may be provided to support at least an upper portion of the first ice making unit 1300. The second ice making unit support portion 1242 may be provided to support at least an upper portion of the second ice making unit 1400.
The first ice making unit support portion 1241 may be disposed under the ice maker cover 1100. A top of the first ice making unit support portion 1241 may be covered by the ice maker cover 1100. The second ice making unit support portion 1242 may be disposed under the ice maker cover 1100. Atop of the second ice making unit support portion 1242 may be covered by the ice maker cover 1100.
The first ice making unit support portion 1241 and the second ice making unit support portion 1242 may be disposed between the first ice maker case wall 1210 a and the second ice maker case wall 1210 b. The first ice making unit support portion 1241 and the second ice making unit support portion 1242 may be covered in the left-right direction by the first ice maker case wall 1210 a and the second ice maker case wall 1210 b.
The first ice making unit support portion 1241 and the second ice making unit support portion 1242 may be disposed behind the front portion 1230. The front of the first ice making unit support portion 1241 and the second ice making unit support portion 1242 may be covered by the front portion 1230.
The first ice making unit 1300 and the second ice making unit 1400 may be disposed parallel to each other. Likewise, the first ice making unit support portion 1241 and the second ice making unit support portion 1242 may be disposed parallel to each other.
For example, the first ice making unit 1300 and the second ice making unit 1400 may be disposed parallel to each other in the left-right direction of the refrigerator 1, and the first ice making unit support portion 1241 and the second ice making unit support portion 1242 may be disposed parallel to each other in the left-right direction of the refrigerator 1.
For example, the first ice making unit support portion 1241 may include a hook structure, and the first ice making unit 1300 may be supported by the first ice making unit support portion 1241 by hook coupling. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the first ice making unit support portion 1241 may include various other structures to fix the first ice making unit 1300.
For example, the second ice making unit support portion 1242 may include a hook structure, and the second ice making unit 1400 may be supported by the second ice making unit support portion 1242 by hook coupling. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the second ice making unit support portion 1242 may include various other structures to fix the second ice making unit 1400.
A configuration provided so that the ice making units 1300 and 1400 are supported by the ice maker case 1200 is not limited to that described above, and the ice making units 1300 and 1400 may be supported using various other methods.
The first type of ice formed by the first ice making unit 1300 and the second type of ice formed by the second ice making unit 1400 may be types of ice distinguished from each other in terms of the shape, size, and the like of ice.
For example, the first type of ice may be ice having a substantially cubic shape. For example, the second type of ice may be ice having a substantially spherical shape. Alternatively, for example, the first type of ice and the second type of ice may be formed to have similar shapes but different sizes.
However, different from the above description, the ice maker 1000 may be provided to form only one type of ice.
The configurations and operations of the first ice making unit 1300 and the second ice making unit 1400 will be described in detail below.
The ice bucket 100 may be provided in the storage compartment 20. The ice bucket 100 may be mounted in the inner case 11. Specifically, the ice bucket 100 may be supported by the first inner wall 11 a and the second inner wall 11 b of the inner case 11.
The ice bucket 100 may be disposed under the ice maker 1000. The ice bucket 100 may be provided to accommodate ice moving downward after being discharged from the ice making units 1300 and 1400.
For example, the ice bucket 100 may include a first accommodating portion 110 configured to accommodate the first type of ice formed by the first ice making unit 1300 and a second accommodating portion 120 configured to accommodate the second type of ice formed by the second ice making unit 1400. The first accommodating portion 110 may be disposed under the first ice making unit 1300. The second accommodating portion 120 may be disposed under the second ice making unit 1400.
The ice bucket 100 may be seated on the bucket shelf 15. The bucket shelf 15 may be supported by a bucket mounting portion 11 d provided on the inner walls 11 a and 11 b of the inner case 11. The bucket mounting portion 11 d may be formed to extend in the forward-backward direction of the inner case 11.
For example, the ice bucket 100 may be provided to be inserted into or withdrawn from the storage compartment 20. That is, the ice bucket 100 may be mounted to be slidable relative to the inner case 11. For example, the bucket shelf 15 may be provided to be slidable along the bucket mounting portion 11 d. The bucket shelf 15 may be inserted into or withdrawn from the storage compartment 20 along the bucket mounting portion 11 d, and the ice bucket 100 seated on the bucket shelf 15 may be inserted into or withdrawn from the storage compartment 20 together with the bucket shelf 15.
FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the first ice making unit of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
One example of the first ice making unit 1300 included in the ice maker 1000 of the refrigerator 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 7 .
Referring to FIG. 7 , the first ice making unit 1300 may be configured to form a first type of ice. For example, the first type of ice may be ice having a substantially cubic shape.
The first ice making unit 1300 may include a first ice making tray 1310 in which ice is formed. The first ice making tray 1310 may be provided to receive water from the water supply 80. The first ice making tray 1310 may be provided to be supported by the first ice making unit support portion 1241.
The first ice making tray 1310 may include at least one first ice making cell 1311 configured to store water received from the water supply 80. The water stored in the first ice making cell 1311 may be converted into ice by cold air of the storage compartment 20. In a case in which the first ice making cell 1311 is provided as a plurality of first ice making cells 1311 as illustrated in FIG. 7 , the plurality of first ice making cells 1311 may be isolated from each other by a partition.
The first ice making tray 1310 and the first ice making cell 1311 may have a shape with one side open. While water is being supplied to the first ice making tray 1310 or water is being frozen therein, the one open side of the first ice making tray 1310 and the first ice making cell 1311 may face substantially the top of the refrigerator 1. While the ice formed in the first ice making tray 1310 is moving to the ice bucket 100, the one open side of the first ice making tray 1310 and the first ice making cell 1311 may face substantially the bottom of the refrigerator 1.
The first ice making unit 1300 may include a first driving portion 1320 provided so that the ice formed in the first ice making tray 1310 moves to the first accommodating portion 110 of the ice bucket 100. For example, the first driving portion 1320 may be provided so that the first ice making tray 1310 rotates about an axis of rotation in the horizontal direction of the refrigerator 1 and the ice in the first ice making tray 1310 moves to the first accommodating portion 110.
The first driving portion 1320 may be coupled to the first ice making tray 1310. The first driving portion 1320 may be coupled to one side of the first ice making tray 1310 in the direction of the axis of rotation thereof. A first driving coupling portion 1312 may be provided at one side of the first ice making tray 1310 that faces the first driving portion 1320. The first driving coupling portion 1312 may be provided on the axis of rotation of the first ice making tray 1310. The first driving portion 1320 may be coupled to the first driving coupling portion 1312.
The first driving portion 1320 may include a motor, a power transmission member, and the like. The motor of the first driving portion 1320 may generate power, and the power transmission member may receive power from the motor and transmit the power to the first ice making tray 1310. The power transmission member of the first driving portion 1320 may be connected to the first driving coupling portion 1312. The power transmission member of the first driving portion 1320 may include at least one gear, for example.
The first ice making tray 1310 may be connected to an axis-of-rotation support portion 1241 a provided at the first ice making unit support portion 1241. The axis-of-rotation support portion 1241 a may be provided on the axis of rotation of the first ice making tray 1310. The axis-of-rotation support portion 1241 a may be disposed at a position opposite to the first driving coupling portion 1312 relative to the first ice making tray 1310. The axis-of-rotation support portion 1241 a may rotatably support the first ice making tray 1310.
By the above configuration, the first ice making tray 1310 may receive power from the first driving portion 1320 and may rotate about the axis of rotation in the horizontal direction of the refrigerator 1. According to rotation of the first ice making tray 1310, ice formed in the first ice making tray 1310 may be discharged from the first ice making cell 1311 and move to the first accommodating portion 110 of the ice bucket 100.
The first ice making unit 1300 may include an ice-full detection lever 1330. The ice-full detection lever 1330 may be provided to detect whether ice is full in the first accommodating portion 110 of the ice bucket 100 that is disposed under the ice maker 1000.
The ice-full detection lever 1330 may be coupled to the first driving portion 1320. Specifically, the ice-full detection lever 1330 may be coupled to a side portion of the first driving portion 1320. The ice-full detection lever 1330 may be coupled to be rotatable relative to the first driving portion 1320.
When it is determined by the ice-full detection lever 1330 that ice is full in the first accommodating portion 110, a controller controls to prevent any further water supply to the ice maker 1000. In this way, it is possible to prevent more ice than is necessary from being collected in the ice bucket 100.
The first ice making unit 1300 may further include a sensor module 1340. The sensor module 1340 may include a sensor, a case configured to accommodate the sensor, an insulator, and the like. The sensor module 1340 may be mounted under the first ice making tray 1310. The sensor of the sensor module 1340 may be a temperature sensor provided to detect temperature of the first ice making tray 1310.
When it is detected by the sensor module 1340 that the temperature of the first ice making tray 1310 is a predetermined temperature or lower, the controller may determine that ice formation is completed in the first ice making tray 1310. Based on the determination that ice formation is completed in the first ice making tray 1310, the controller may control driving of the first driving portion 1320 so that the first ice making tray 1310 rotates. In this way, ice formed in the first ice making tray 1310 may be collected in the first accommodating portion 110 of the ice bucket 100 that is disposed under the first ice making tray 1310.
The configuration relating to the first ice making unit 1300 described above with reference to FIG. 7 is only one example of an ice making unit provided in the ice maker of the refrigerator according to the spirit of the present disclosure, and the spirit of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the second ice making unit of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a view for describing an operation of the second ice making unit of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a view for describing an operation of the second ice making unit of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a view for describing an operation of the second ice making unit of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
One example of the second ice making unit 1400 included in the ice maker 1000 of the refrigerator 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11 .
Referring to FIGS. 8 to 11 , the second ice making unit 1400 may be configured to form a second type of ice having a substantially spherical shape.
The second ice making unit 1400 may include a second ice making tray 1410 in which ice is formed.
The second ice making tray 1410 may include at least one second ice making cell configured to store water received from the water supply 80 (see FIG. 2 ). The water stored in the second ice making cell may be converted into ice by cold air of the storage compartment 20. The second ice making cell may be provided inside the second ice making tray 1410. The second ice making cell may be configured to include an elastic material. The second ice making cell may be provided to be elastically deformable.
The second ice making unit 1400 may include a cover frame 1450 configured to cover an outer side of the second ice making tray 1410. The cover frame 1450 may be supported by the second ice making unit support portion 1242. The second ice making tray 1410 may be supported by the cover frame 1450.
The cover frame 1450 may include a water collector 1452 configured to receive water from the water supply 80. The water collector 1452 may be provided to collect water supplied from the water supply 80 and supply the water to the second ice making tray 1410.
As illustrated in FIGS. 8 to 11 , the second ice making tray 1410 may be provided to simultaneously form a plurality of pieces of the second type of ice. A plurality of second ice making cells may be provided inside the second ice making tray 1410. For example, the water collector 1452 may be provided as a plurality of water collectors 1452 to correspond to the number of the plurality of second ice making cells and may supply collected water to each of the plurality of second ice making cells. For example, the water collector 1452 may supply the collected water to only some of the plurality of second ice making cells, and the plurality of second ice making cells may be formed to communicate with each other so that the collected water can be supplied into all of the second ice making cells.
The second ice making tray 1410 may include a fixed tray 1411 and a movable tray 1412. The fixed tray 1411 and the movable tray 1412 may be supported by the cover frame 1450.
The fixed tray 1411 may maintain fixed relative to the cover frame 1450. The movable tray 1412 may be provided to be movable relative to the cover frame 1450. More specifically, the movable tray 1412 may be provided to be movable between the fixed tray 1411 and a second ejector 1440.
One portion of a second ice making cell that corresponds to substantially a half of the second ice making cell may be provided inside the fixed tray 1411. The other portion of the second ice making cell that corresponds to substantially the other half of the second ice making cell may be provided inside the movable tray 1412. The one portion of the second ice making cell inside the fixed tray 1411 and the other portion of the second ice making cell inside the movable tray 1412 may each be formed to include a substantially semi-spherical shape.
The second ice making unit 1400 may include a second driving portion 1420 configured to provide power so that the movable tray 1412 is movable relative to the cover frame 1450 and ejectors 1430 and 1440 configured to discharge ice formed in the second ice making tray 1410 from the second ice making tray 1410.
The second driving portion 1420 may include a motor configured to generate power, a motor case 1421 configured to accommodate the motor, and a power transmission member 1422 configured to transmit the power generated by the motor. For example, the motor of the second driving portion 1420 may generate power for rotation about the axis of rotation in the horizontal direction of the refrigerator 1.
The motor case 1421 may be coupled to the cover frame 1450. The motor case 1421 may be coupled to a second driving coupling portion 1451 provided at the cover frame 1450. A hole passing through the cover frame 1450 may be formed in the second driving coupling portion 1451, and the hole of the second driving coupling portion 1451 may be disposed in a rotating shaft connected to the motor of the second driving portion 1420.
The power transmission member 1422 may be connected to the motor of the second driving portion 1420 and receive power generated by the motor. The power transmission member 1422 may transmit the power received from the motor to the movable tray 1412. For example, the power transmission member 1422 may include at least one gear.
The power transmission member 1422 may be provided to covert rotary motion by the motor of the second driving portion 1420 into linear motion and transmit the linear motion to the movable tray 1412. For example, the power transmission member 1422 may include a pinion gear and a rack gear. The pinion gear of the power transmission member 1422 may be connected to the rotating shaft of the motor of the second driving portion 1420. The pinion gear of the power transmission member 1422 may be engaged with the rack gear, and the rotary motion of the pinion gear may be converted into linear motion of the rack gear.
The rack gear of the power transmission member 1422 may be coupled to the movable tray 1412. The movable tray 1412 may be provided to move linearly relative to the cover frame 1450 due to the linear motion of the rack gear.
The power transmission member 1422 may further include an elastic member 1423. The elastic member 1423 may couple the rack gear of the power transmission member 1422 to the movable tray 1412. For example, the elastic member 1423 may be an elastic spring.
The ejectors 1430 and 1440 of the second ice making unit 1400 may include a first ejector 1430 and a second ejector 1440. The first ejector 1430 may be provided at a position adjacent to the fixed tray 1411. The second ejector 1440 may be provided at a position adjacent to the movable tray 1412. The second ice making tray 1410 may be disposed between the first ejector 1430 and the second ejector 1440.
The first ejector 1430 may be provided to be movable relative to the cover frame 1450. The first ejector 1430 may be provided to be movable based on the movement of the movable tray 1412.
The first ejector 1430 may include a first body 1431, a first pressing portion 1432, and a leg portion 1433.
The first body 1431 may be formed to extend in a direction parallel to the movable tray 1412. That is, the first body 1431 may extend in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the first ejector 1430 moves.
The first pressing portion 1432 may be provided to extend from the first body 1431. The first body 1431 may be provided to support the first pressing portion 1432. The first pressing portion 1432 may be provided to pass through the fixed tray 1411 and press the second ice making cell inside the fixed tray 1411.
The leg portion 1433 may extend from both ends of the first body 1431 and be inserted into a side portion of the cover frame 1450. The leg portion 1433 may extend in a direction parallel to the direction in which the first ejector 1430 moves. The leg portion 1433 may be provided as a pair of leg portions 1433 symmetrical to each other.
When the movable tray 1412 moves in a direction moving away from the fixed tray 1411, the first ejector 1430 may move in the direction in which the movable tray 1412 moves. That is, since the fixed tray 1411 is disposed between the first ejector 1430 and the movable tray 1412, the first ejector 1430 may move in a direction approaching the fixed tray 1411.
Also, when the movable tray 1412 moves in a direction approaching the fixed tray 1411, the first ejector 1430 may also move in the direction in which the movable tray 1412 moves. That is, since the fixed tray 1411 is disposed between the first ejector 1430 and the movable tray 1412, the first ejector 1430 may move in a direction moving away from the fixed tray 1411.
For example, the movable tray 1412 may include an interference portion provided to interfere with the leg portion 1433 of the first ejector 1430, and according to movement of the movable tray 1412, the interference portion of the movable tray 1412 and the leg portion 1433 may interfere with each other, and the first ejector 1430 may also move together.
The first pressing portion 1432 of the first ejector 1430 may be provided to, while the first ejector 1430 moves toward the fixed tray 1411, pass through the fixed tray 1411 and press the second ice making cell inside the fixed tray 1411.
The second ejector 1440 may be fixed to one side of the cover frame 1450.
The second ejector 1440 may include a second body 1441, a second pressing portion 1442, and a frame coupling portion 1443. The second body 1441 may extend in the direction parallel to the movable tray 1412. The second pressing portion 1442 may extend from the second body 1441 toward the movable tray 1412. The frame coupling portion 1443 may be formed at both ends of the second body 1441 and coupled to the cover frame 1450.
The second ejector 1440 may maintain fixed relative to the cover frame 1450 and be provided to, while the movable tray 1412 moves toward the second ejector 1440, press the movable tray 1412. More specifically, the second ejector 1440 may be provided to, while the movable tray 1412 moves toward the second ejector 1440, press the second ice making cell inside the movable tray 1412.
As illustrated in FIG. 9 , while the second ice making tray 1410 forms ice using water received from the water supply 80, the fixed tray 1411 and the movable tray 1412 may be positioned to be coupled to each other. At the position at which the fixed tray 1411 and the movable tray 1412 are coupled, the one portion of the second ice making cell inside the fixed tray 1411 and the other portion of the second ice making cell inside the movable tray 1412 may be coupled and constitute a single second ice making cell, and the second type of ice may be formed inside the second ice making cell.
After the formation of the second type of ice is completed, as illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11 , the controller may control driving of the second driving portion 1420 so that the movable tray 1412 moves toward the second ejector 1440. When power is generated by the motor of the second driving portion 1420, the generated power may be transmitted to the movable tray 1412 through the power transmission member 1422. The movable tray 1412 may be separated from the fixed tray 1411 and linearly move toward the second ejector 1440.
The second pressing portion 1442 of the second ejector 1440 may be provided to, when the movable tray 1412 approaches, pass through the movable tray 1412 and press the portion of the second ice making cell inside the movable tray 1412. The portion of the second ice making cell inside the movable tray 1412 may be elastically deformed when pressed by the second pressing portion 1442, and the second type of ice placed therein may be discharged from the movable tray 1412. The second type of ice discharged from the movable tray 1412 may move to the second accommodating portion 120 of the ice bucket 100.
When the movable tray 1412 moves further in the same direction in the state in which the portion of the second ice making cell inside the movable tray 1412 is pressed by the second pressing portion 1442, as the interference portion of the movable tray 1412 and the leg portion 1433 interfere with each other, the first ejector 1430 may move toward the fixed tray 1411. Accordingly, the first pressing portion 1432 of the first ejector 1430 may be provided to pass through the fixed tray 1411 and press the other portion of the second ice making cell inside the fixed tray 1411. The other portion of the second ice making cell inside the fixed tray 1411 may be elastically deformed when pressed by the first pressing portion 1432, and the second type of ice placed therein may be discharged from the fixed tray 1411. The second type of ice discharged from the fixed tray 1411 may move to the second accommodating portion 120 of the ice bucket 100.
By the above configuration, ice formed in the second ice making tray 1410 may be discharged from the second ice making tray 1410 and move to the second accommodating portion 120 of the ice bucket 100.
The configuration relating to the second ice making unit 1400 described above with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11 is only one example of an ice making unit provided in the ice maker of the refrigerator according to the spirit of the present disclosure, and the spirit of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
Further, as an embodiment of the ice maker of the refrigerator according to the spirit of the present disclosure, a structure relating to an indirect-cooling ice maker that guides cold air generated in the storage compartment 20 toward the ice maker 1000 to cool water supplied to the first and second ice making trays 1310 and 1410 has been described above as an example with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11 . However, the spirit of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and for example, the spirit of the present disclosure may also apply to a configuration of a direct-cooling ice maker in which a separate refrigerant pipe is placed in the first and second ice making trays 1310 and 1410 to directly provide cold air thereto and cool water supplied to the first and second ice making trays 1310 and 1410.
FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of a partial configuration of the ice maker of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a cut-open cross-sectional view of the ice maker of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of A of FIG. 13 . FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the ice maker is mounted in the inner case of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 16 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of B of FIG. 15 . FIG. 17 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a state in which an inner wall of the inner case is deformed in FIG. 16 .
Referring to FIGS. 12 to 17 , the ice maker case 1200 of the ice maker 1000 may include elastic protrusions 1220 a and 1220 b provided on the ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b.
As described above, the ice maker case 1200 may include the first ice maker case wall 1210 a supported by the first inner wall 11 a of the inner case 11 and the second ice maker case wall 1210 b supported by the second inner wall 11 b of the inner case 11. The first ice maker case wall 1210 a and the second ice maker case wall 1210 b may each constitute an outer wall of the ice maker case 1200 in the left-right direction of the ice maker 1000.
When the ice maker 1000 is mounted in the inner case 11 aa illustrated in FIGS. 15 to 17 , an error may occur in the dimension of the ice maker case 1200 and the dimension of the inner case 11. Such an error may occur due to reasons such as limitations in the design and manufacture of the inner case 11 and limitations in the design and manufacture of the ice maker case 1200. Alternatively, after the body insulator 13 is foamed between the inner case 11 and the outer case 12 as illustrated in FIG. 17 , deformation may occur in the shape of the foamed body insulator 13. Alternatively, even after the ice maker 1000 is mounted in the inner case 11, deformation may occur in the inner walls 11 a and 11 b of the inner case 11, the ice maker case 1200 of the ice maker 1000, or the like.
In a case in which an error occurs in the dimension of the ice maker case 1200 and the dimension of the inner case 11 aa above, an error may occur in implementing the positions of the first inner wall 11 a and the first ice maker case wall 1210 a relative to each other, the positions of the second inner wall 11 b and the second ice maker case wall 1210 b relative to each other, and the like, as per the design. Accordingly, the ice maker 1000 may not be properly supported by the inner walls 11 a and 11 b of the inner case 11.
Also, due to the positions of the first inner wall 11 a and the first ice maker case wall 1210 a relative to each other, the positions of the second inner wall 11 b and the second ice maker case wall 1210 b relative to each other, and the like not being implemented as per the design, the exterior quality of the ice maker 1000 that is viewed by the user looking at the ice maker 1000 mounted in the inner case 11 may be degraded. For example, as the positions of the inner walls 11 a and 11 b and the ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b relative to each other are not implemented as per the design, the front portion 1230 of the ice maker case 1200 may be positioned to be inclined relative to the horizontal direction of the refrigerator 1. Since the front portion 1230 forms the exterior of the front of the ice maker 1000, the exterior quality of the ice maker 1000 may be degraded.
Also, while the ice maker 1000 is being mounted in the inner case 11, in the process in which the ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b of the ice maker case 1200 are brought into contact with the inner walls 11 a and 11 b, scratching may occur between the ice maker case 1200 and the inner walls 11 a and 11 b of the inner case 11, and damage to the ice maker 1000 or the inner case 11 may occur. This may become more of an issue in the case in which an error occurs in the dimension of the ice maker case 1200 and the dimension of the inner case 11. This may be an issue during the process of mounting the ice maker 1000 in the inner case 11, or even after the ice maker 1000 is mounted in the inner case 11, this may be an issue due to deformation in the ice maker case 1200, the inner case 11, the body insulator 13, or the like.
In order to address such an issue, the ice maker case 1200 may include the elastic protrusions 1220 a and 1220 b provided to interfere with the inner walls 11 a and 11 b of the inner case 11 and be elastically deformable.
Specifically, the ice maker case 1200 may include a first elastic protrusion 1220 a provided on the first ice maker case wall 1210 a. The first elastic protrusion 1220 a may interfere with the first inner wall 11 a. The first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be provided to be elastically deformable in a direction in which the first elastic protrusion 1220 a is pressed by the first inner wall 11 a.
The first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be provided at the right side of the ice maker case 1200 when viewed from the front. The first elastic protrusion 1220 a may have a shape that protrudes to the right of the ice maker case 1200 when viewed from the front.
The first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be provided to be pressed in a direction from the first inner wall 11 a of the inner case 11 toward the ice maker case 1200. The first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be provided to be pressed in a direction from the first inner wall 11 a of the inner case 11 toward the first ice maker case wall 1210 a. In other words, the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be provided to be pressed in a direction from the first inner wall 11 a of the inner case 11 toward the second inner wall 11 b. As illustrated in FIGS. 12 to 17 , the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be pressed toward the inside of the storage compartment 20 in the left-right direction by the first inner wall 11 a.
Due to being pressed, the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be provided to be elastically deformable. That is, the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be provided to be elastically deformable in the direction in which the first elastic protrusion 1220 a is pressed by the first inner wall 11 a.
Since the first elastic protrusion 1220 a is elastically deformable, the position of the first ice maker case wall 1210 a relative to the first inner wall 11 a may also be adjustable. Since the position of the first ice maker case wall 1210 a relative to the first inner wall 11 a is adjustable, the position of the ice maker case 1200 relative to the inner case 11 may be adjustable.
For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14 , in a state in which the ice maker 1000 is not mounted in the inner case 11, the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be in a non-elastically-deformed state due to not interfering with the first inner wall 11 a and not being pressed by the first inner wall 11 a. In this case, based on FIGS. 13 and 14 , a right side end of the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may protrude to be positioned more to the right than an outer surface of the first ice maker case wall 1210 a.
For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16 , in a state in which the ice maker 1000 is mounted in the inner case 11, the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may interfere with the first inner wall 11 a and be pressed by the first inner wall 11 a. Here, the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be elastically deformed, and the right side end of the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may move to be positioned more to the left than the position thereof in FIGS. 13 and 14 . In other words, the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be elastically deformed so that an end thereof facing the first inner wall 11 a, that is, an end thereof coming in contact with the first inner wall 11 a, moves toward the inside of the storage compartment 20 in the left-right direction.
For example, as illustrated in FIG. 17 , in the state in which the ice maker 1000 is mounted in the inner case 11, the first inner wall 11 a may be deformed due to reasons such as deformation of the body insulator 13. For example, when deformation occurs in the body insulator 13 such that the volume of the body insulator 13 increases, the first inner wall 11 a may be deformed in the direction toward the inside of the storage compartment 20 in the left-right direction. Accordingly, a degree to which the first elastic protrusion 1220 a is pressed by the first inner wall 11 a may increase, and a degree to which the first elastic protrusion 1220 a is elastically deformed may increase as compared to the degree illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16 .
Since the exterior of the ice maker 1000 that is visible to the user is mostly the exterior of the front of the ice maker 1000, the positions of the first ice maker case wall 1210 a and the first inner wall 11 a relative to each other may be adjusted at least from the front. Accordingly, the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be disposed to be more adjacent to the opening 10 a of the inner case 11 than to the rear wall 11 c of the inner case 11. More specifically, the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be disposed in front of the first ice maker case wall 1210 a and disposed to be adjacent to the front portion 1230 of the ice maker case 1200. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be provided at various other positions. For example, the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be disposed to be adjacent to the rear wall 11 c of the inner case 11. Alternatively, for example, the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be provided at a position almost equally distant from each of the opening 10 a and the rear wall 11 c of the inner case 11.
In the state in which the ice maker 1000 is mounted in the inner case 11, the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be disposed not to directly interfere with the first holder 11 aa. In other words, the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be disposed to interfere with a position on the first inner wall 11 a where the first holder 11 aa is not provided.
For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 15 to 17 , the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be provided under the first holder 11 aa. Specifically, although the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be disposed under the first holder 11 aa in the vertical direction, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be disposed in a direction moved in the forward-backward direction from under the first holder 11 aa in the vertical direction. That is, the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be disposed in a diagonal direction.
For example, unlike in FIGS. 15 to 17 , the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be provided above the first holder 11 aa.
However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be disposed to interfere with the first holder 11 aa.
The ice maker case 1200 may include a second elastic protrusion 1220 b provided on the second ice maker case wall 1210 b. The second elastic protrusion 1220 b may interfere with the second inner wall 11 b. The second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be provided to be elastically deformable in a direction in which the second elastic protrusion 1220 b is pressed by the second inner wall 11 b.
The second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be provided at the left side of the ice maker case 1200 when viewed from the front. The second elastic protrusion 1220 b may have a shape that protrudes to the left of the ice maker case 1200 when viewed from the front.
The second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be provided to be pressed in a direction from the second inner wall 11 b of the inner case 11 toward the ice maker case 1200. The second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be provided to be pressed in a direction from the second inner wall 11 b of the inner case 11 toward the second ice maker case wall 1210 b. In other words, the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be provided to be pressed in a direction from the second inner wall 11 b of the inner case 11 toward the first inner wall 11 a. As illustrated in FIGS. 12 to 17 , the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be pressed toward the inside of the storage compartment 20 in the left-right direction by the second inner wall 11 b.
Due to being pressed, the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be provided to be elastically deformable. That is, the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be provided to be elastically deformable in the direction in which the second elastic protrusion 1220 b is pressed by the second inner wall 11 b.
Since the second elastic protrusion 1220 b is elastically deformable, the position of the second ice maker case wall 1210 b relative to the second inner wall 11 b may also be adjustable. Since the position of the second ice maker case wall 1210 b relative to the second inner wall 11 b is adjustable, the position of the ice maker case 1200 relative to the inner case 11 may be adjustable.
For example, as illustrated in FIG. 13 , in the state in which the ice maker 1000 is not mounted in the inner case 11, the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be in a non-elastically-deformed state due to not interfering with the second inner wall 11 b and not being pressed by the second inner wall 11 b. In this case, based on FIG. 13 , a left side end of the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may protrude to be positioned more to the left than an outer surface of the second ice maker case wall 1210 b.
For example, as illustrated in FIG. 15 , in the state in which the ice maker 1000 is mounted in the inner case 11, the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may interfere with the second inner wall 11 b and be pressed by the second inner wall 11 b. Here, the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be elastically deformed, and the left side end of the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may move to be positioned more to the right than the position thereof in FIG. 13 . In other words, the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be elastically deformed so that an end thereof facing the second inner wall 11 b, that is, an end thereof coming in contact with the second inner wall 11 b, moves toward the inside of the storage compartment 20 in the left-right direction.
For example, as illustrated in FIG. 17 , as in the above description of the first elastic protrusion 1220 a, in the state in which the ice maker 1000 is mounted in the inner case 11, the second inner wall 11 b may be deformed due to reasons such as deformation of the body insulator 13. For example, when deformation occurs in the body insulator 13 such that the volume of the body insulator 13 increases, the second inner wall 11 b may be deformed in the direction toward the inside of the storage compartment 20 in the left-right direction. Accordingly, a degree to which the second elastic protrusion 1220 b is pressed by the second inner wall 11 b may increase, and a degree to which the second elastic protrusion 1220 b is elastically deformed may increase as compared to the degree illustrated in FIG. 15 .
Since the exterior of the ice maker 1000 that is visible to the user is mostly the exterior of the front of the ice maker 1000, the positions of the second ice maker case wall 1210 b and the second inner wall 11 b relative to each other may be adjusted at least from the front. Accordingly, the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be disposed to be more adjacent to the opening 10 a of the inner case 11 than to the rear wall 11 c of the inner case 11. More specifically, the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be disposed in front of the second ice maker case wall 1210 b and disposed to be adjacent to the front portion 1230 of the ice maker case 1200. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be provided at various other positions. For example, the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be disposed to be adjacent to the rear wall 11 c of the inner case 11. Alternatively, for example, the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be provided at a position almost equally distant from each of the opening 10 a and the rear wall 11 c of the inner case 11.
In the state in which the ice maker 1000 is mounted in the inner case 11, the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be disposed not to directly interfere with the second holder 11 bb. In other words, the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be disposed to interfere with a position on the second inner wall 11 b where the second holder 11 bb is not provided.
For example, as illustrated in FIG. 15 , the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be provided under the second holder 11 bb. Specifically, although the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be disposed under the second holder 11 bb in the vertical direction, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be disposed in a direction moved in the forward-backward direction from under the second holder 11 bb in the vertical direction. That is, the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be disposed in a diagonal direction.
For example, unlike in FIG. 15 , the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be provided above the second holder 11 bb.
However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be disposed to interfere with the second holder 11 bb.
In this way, the first elastic protrusion 1220 a and the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be provided to be elastically deformable so that the position of the ice maker case 1200 relative to the first inner wall 11 a and the second inner wall 11 b is adjustable.
By the above configuration, the ice maker 1000 includes the elastic protrusions 1220 a and 1220 b and thus may be stably supported by the inner walls 11 a and 11 b of the inner case 11. Also, since the elastic protrusions 1220 a and 1220 b are elastically deformable in the directions in which the elastic protrusions 1220 a and 1220 b are pressed by the inner walls 11 a and 11 b, the elastic protrusions 1220 a and 1220 b may prevent damage to the ice maker 1000 and the inner walls 11 a and 11 b of the inner case 11. Also, by the elastic protrusions 1220 a and 1220 b, the position of the ice maker 1000 relative to the inner case 11 may be adjusted, and the exterior quality of the product may be improved.
Although description has been given above assuming that the ice maker case 1200 includes the first elastic protrusion 1220 a provided on the first ice maker case wall 1210 a and configured to interfere with the first inner wall 11 a of the inner case 11 and the second elastic protrusion 1220 b provided on the second ice maker case wall 1210 b and configured to interfere with the second inner wall 11 b of the inner case 11, the spirit of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
For example, the ice maker case 1200 may include only the elastic protrusion 1220 a provided on the first ice maker case wall 1210 a and configured to interfere with the first inner wall 11 a of the inner case 11. The elastic protrusion 1220 a may be provided so that the position thereof between the first inner wall 11 a and the first ice maker case wall 1210 a is adjustable. Accordingly, even in such a case, the elastic protrusion 1220 a may be provided to adjust the position of the ice maker case 1200 relative to the inner case 11, and it is possible to provide an advantageous effect according to the spirit of the present disclosure.
On the other hand, for example, the ice maker case 1200 may include only the elastic protrusion 1220 b provided on the second ice maker case wall 1210 b and configured to interfere with the second inner wall 11 b of the inner case 11. The elastic protrusion 1220 b may be provided so that the position thereof between the second inner wall 11 b and the second ice maker case wall 1210 b is adjustable. Accordingly, even in such a case, the elastic protrusion 1220 b may be provided to adjust the position of the ice maker case 1200 relative to the inner case 11, and it is possible to provide an advantageous effect according to the spirit of the present disclosure.
The first ice maker case wall 1210 a and the second ice maker case wall 1210 b may have configurations that are the same as each other or at least correspond to each other.
Accordingly, hereinafter, the description of the second ice maker case wall 1210 b may be omitted, and the first ice maker case wall 1210 a may be referred to as an ice maker case wall 1210 a. The description of the configuration of the ice maker case wall 1210 a may also apply correspondingly to the configuration of the second ice maker case wall 1210 b.
Also, the first elastic protrusion 1220 a and the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may have configurations that are the same as each other or at least correspond to each other.
Accordingly, hereinafter, the description of the second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be omitted, and the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be referred to as an elastic protrusion 1220 a. The description of the configuration of the elastic protrusion 1220 a may also apply correspondingly to the configuration of the second elastic protrusion 1220 b.
Hereinafter, the configuration of the elastic protrusion 1220 a of the ice maker case 1200 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 12 to 17 .
The elastic protrusion 1220 a may include an interference portion 1221 a provided to interfere with the first inner wall 11 a. The interference portion 1221 a may protrude in a first direction X from the first ice maker case wall 1210 a toward the first inner wall 11 a.
The interference portion 1221 a may be provided to be movable in a direction parallel to the first direction X by being elastically deformed. Specifically, the interference portion 1221 a and the first inner wall 11 a may come in contact with each other in the direction parallel to the first direction X, and the interference portion 1221 a may be pressed in the direction parallel to the first direction X by the first inner wall 11 a. The interference portion 1221 a may be provided to be movable in the direction parallel to the first direction X when pressed by the first inner wall 11 a.
For example, when the ice maker 1000 is mounted in the inner case 11 (when the state of FIGS. 13 and 14 changes to the state of FIGS. 15 and 16 ), the interference portion 1221 a may move toward the inside of the storage compartment 20 in the first direction X. For example, when the first inner wall 11 a is deformed in the state in which the ice maker 1000 is mounted in the inner case 11, the interference portion 1221 a may move toward the inside of the storage compartment 20 in the first direction X according to the deformation of the first inner wall 11 a (when the state of FIGS. 15 and 16 changes to the state of FIG. 17 ), or the interference portion 1221 a may move toward the outside of the storage compartment 20 in the first direction X (when the state of FIG. 17 changes to the state of FIGS. 15 and 16 ). That is, the degree of elastic deformation of the elastic protrusion 1220 a may vary according to the degree to which the elastic protrusion 1220 a is pressed by the first inner wall 11 a, and the degree to which the interference portion 1221 a moves in the direction parallel to the first direction X may also vary according to the degree of elastic deformation.
For example, the first direction X may be a direction parallel to the left-right direction of the inner case 11.
The interference portion 1221 a may extend in a second direction Y different from the first direction X. The second direction Y may be a direction parallel to the first inner wall 11 a. In other words, the interference portion 1221 a may extend in the second direction Y which is a direction parallel to the direction in which the first inner wall 11 a extends.
For example, the second direction Y may be a direction orthogonal to the first direction X. For example, the second direction Y may be a direction parallel to the forward-backward direction of the inner case 11.
Since the interference portion 1221 a has a shape protruding in the first direction X and extends in the second direction Y parallel to the first inner wall 11 a, when interfering with the first inner wall 11 a, the interference portion 1221 a may distribute pressure applied to the interference portion 1221 a or the first inner wall 11 a. Further, when interfering with the first inner wall 11 a, the interference portion 1221 a may prevent damage to the interference portion 1221 a or the first inner wall 11 a.
The interference portion 1221 a may include a contact surface 1221 as 1 and a corner surface 1221 as 2. The contact surface 1221 as 1 and the corner surface 1221 as 2 may be provided at one end of the interference portion 1221 a in the first direction X. The contact surface 1221 as 1 and the corner surface 1221 as 2 may be provided at one end of the interference portion 1221 a that faces the first inner wall 11 a.
The contact surface 1221 as 1 may be provided at one end of the interference portion 1221 a in the first direction X and provided to come in contact with the first inner wall 11 a. The contact surface 1221 as 1 may be one surface of the interference portion 1221 a that comes in contact with the first inner wall 11 a.
The position at which the contact surface 1221 as 1 is provided at the interference portion 1221 a may vary according to the direction in which the interference portion 1221 a comes in contact with the first inner wall 11 a. For example, the contact surface 1221 as 1 may be provided at one end of the interference portion 1221 a in the left-right direction.
The corner surface 1221 as 2 may be bent from an end of the contact surface 1221 as 1 in the second direction Y and extend. The corner surface 1221 as 2 may be formed to be inclined relative to the second direction Y. The corner surface 1221 as 2 may be bent from the end of the contact surface 1221 as 1 in the second direction Y and extend in a direction inclined relative to the second direction Y. The corner surface 1221 as 2 may extend from the contact surface 1221 as 1 in a direction moving away from the first inner wall 11 a.
As illustrated in FIG. 12 and so on, the corner surface 1221 as 2 may be bent from both ends of the contact surface 1221 as 1 in the second direction Y and extend. For example, the corner surface 1221 as 2 may be bent from each of a front end and a rear end of the contact surface 1221 as 1 and extend in a direction inclined relative to the forward-backward direction. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and for example, the corner surface 1221 as 2 may be bent from one end of the contact surface 1221 as 1 in the second direction Y and extend. For example, the corner surface 1221 as 2 may extend from the rear end of the contact surface 1221 as 1. The corner surface 1221 as 2 may extend to be inclined in a direction toward the inside of the storage compartment 20 in the first direction X from an end of the contact surface 1221 as 1 in the second direction.
For example, one end of the interference portion 1221 a in the first direction X may be provided to include the shape of a curved surface. The contact surface 1221 as 1 and the corner surface 1221 as 2 may be formed to be connected to each other and constitute a single curved surface shape together (refer to an upper elastic protrusion 1220 aa of FIG. 12 ).
For example, the contact surface 1221 as 1 may extend in the second direction Y, and the corner surface 1221 as 2 may extend to be inclined relative to the direction in which the contact surface 1221 as 1 extends (refer to a lower elastic protrusion 1220 ab of FIG. 12 ). The contact surface 1221 as 1 may longitudinally extend in the second direction Y. A radius of curvature of the contact surface 1221 as 1 and a radius of curvature of the corner surface 1221 as 2 may be provided to be different from each other, and more specifically, the radius of curvature of the contact surface 1221 as 1 may be provided to be greater than the radius of curvature of the corner surface 1221 as 2.
However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the contact surface 1221 as 1 and the corner surface 1221 as 2 may be formed to have various other shapes.
According to the above configuration, the corner surface 1221 as 2 may be provided to not come in direct contact with the first inner wall 11 a. In particular, when the ice maker 1000 is mounted in the inner case 11 by being inserted thereinto in the second direction Y, the contact surface 1221 as 1 may come in contact and interfere with the first inner wall 11 a, but the corner surface 1221 as 2 may not come in contact with the first inner wall 11 a. That is, when the ice maker 1000 is being mounted in the inner case 11 by sliding in the second direction Y, due to the shape of the corner surface 1221 as 2, a corner portion of the interference portion 1221 a may be prevented from interfering with the first inner wall 11 a, and damage to the first inner wall 11 a or the elastic protrusion 1220 a due to the first inner wall 11 a and the elastic protrusion 1220 a being scratched against each other may be prevented.
However, the spirit of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the interference portion of the elastic protrusion according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be formed to have various other shapes that allow the interference portion to interfere with the inner wall of the inner case.
Although the second direction Y in which the interference portion 1221 a extends is illustrated as being parallel to the forward-backward direction of the inner case 11 in FIGS. 12 to 17 , unlike in FIGS. 12 to 17 , for example, the second direction in which the interference portion 1221 a extends may be parallel to the up-down direction of the inner case 11. Further, the corner surface 1221 as 2 may be bent from an end of the contact surface 1221 as 1 in the up-down direction and extend. In this case, while the ice maker 1000 is being mounted in the inner case 11, as long as the ice maker 1000 is inserted into the inner case 11 in the up-down direction, it is possible to prevent damage to the elastic protrusion 1220 a or the first inner wall 11 a that is caused by scratching between the elastic protrusion 1220 a and the first inner wall 11 a.
The elastic protrusion 1220 a may include a connecting portion 1222 a configured to be connected to the ice maker case wall 1210 a. The connecting portion 1222 a may connect the ice maker case wall 1210 a and the interference portion 1221 a to each other.
The connecting portion 1222 a may include a fixed end 1222 ae 1 configured to be fixed to the ice maker case wall 1210 a. The connecting portion 1222 a may be provided to be elastically deformable relative to the fixed end 1222 ae 1. The connecting portion 1222 a may be provided to be elastically deformable about the fixed end 1222 ae 1.
The connecting portion 1222 a may include a free end 1222 ae 2 opposing the fixed end 1222 ae 1. The free end 1222 ae 2 may not maintain fixed relative to the ice maker case wall 1210 a. The free end 1222 ae 2 may be one end of the connecting portion 1222 a that is connected to the interference portion 1221 a. The above-described interference portion 1221 a may extend in the first direction X from the free end 1222 ae 2. The interference portion 1221 a may extend from the free end 1222 ae 2 toward the first inner wall 11 a.
The connecting portion 1222 a may extend between the fixed end 1222 ae 1 and the free end 1222 ae 2. The connecting portion 1222 a may be provided to extend in a direction different from the direction in which the elastic protrusion 1220 a is pressed by the first inner wall 11 a. More specifically, the interference portion 1221 a may be provided to be pressed in the first direction X by the first inner wall 11 a, and the connecting portion 1222 a may be provided to extend from the fixed end 1222 ae 1 in a direction different from the first direction X.
For example, the connecting portion 1222 a may extend from the fixed end 1222 ae 1 toward the free end 1222 ae 2 in a third direction Z orthogonal to the first direction X and the second direction Y. For example, the third direction Z may be parallel to the up-down direction of the inner case 11. That is, the fixed end 1222 ae 1 may be formed above the free end 1222 ae 2, and the connecting portion 1222 a may have an upper end fixed to the ice maker case wall 1210 a and a lower end fixed to the interference portion 1221 a to be movable according to elastic deformation.
However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the connecting portion 1222 a may extend in various other directions from the fixed end 1222 ae 1 toward the free end 1222 ae 2.
The connecting portion 1222 a may be configured to include an elastic material. By including an elastic material, the connecting portion 1222 a may be provided to be elastically deformed about the fixed end 1222 ae 1 in response to an external force being applied to the free end 1222 ae 2 in a state in which the fixed end 1222 ae 1 is fixed to the ice maker case wall 1210 a. For example, the connecting portion 1222 a may be configured to include a plastic material. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the connecting portion 1222 a may be configured to include various other materials that allow the connecting portion 1222 a to be elastically deformable.
As described above, the interference portion 1221 a may have a shape that protrudes in the first direction X to interfere with the first inner wall 11 a. Here, the connecting portion 1222 a may extend from the fixed end 1222 ae 1 toward the free end 1222 ae 2, and the interference portion 1221 a may be bent from the free end 1222 ae 2 of the connecting portion 1222 a and extend in the first direction X. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 12 and so on, the connecting portion 1222 a may extend in the third direction Z, and the interference portion 1221 a may be bent from the free end 1222 ae 2 and extend in the first direction X.
The interference portion 1221 a may be integrally formed with the connecting portion 1222 a. In the case in which the connecting portion 1222 a is configured to include an elastic material, the interference portion 1221 a may be configured to include an elastic material like the connecting portion 1222 a.
However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the elastic protrusion 1220 a including the interference portion 1221 a and the connecting portion 1222 a may be formed in various other ways.
The ice maker case wall 1210 a may include a cut-open portion 1211 a. The cut-open portion 1211 a may be formed to be cut open in the direction in which the connecting portion 1222 a extends.
The connecting portion 1222 a may be provided at the cut-open portion 1211 a. The connecting portion 1222 a may be provided to be disposed in a cut-open area of the cut-open portion 1211 a. Specifically, the fixed end 1222 ae 1 of the connecting portion 1222 a may be fixed to the ice maker case wall 1210 a at a boundary portion of the cut-open portion 1211 a. The free end 1222 ae 2 may be provided to be movable without being fixed at an inner portion of the cut-open area of the cut-open portion 1211 a. According to such a configuration, the connecting portion 1222 a may be provided to be elastically deformable.
The cut-open portion 1211 a may extend in a direction parallel to the connecting portion 1222 a. The cut-open portion 1211 a may be cut open in a direction parallel to the direction in which the free end 1222 ae 2 extends from the fixed end 1222 ae 1.
The cut-open portion 1211 a may extend in the third direction Z. For example, the cut-open portion 1211 a may extend in the up-down direction of the inner case 11. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the cut-open portion 1211 a may extend in various other directions according to the shape or the like of the connecting portion 1222 a.
Due to the cut-open portion 1211 a, portions of the elastic protrusion 1220 a other than the fixed end 1222 ae 1 fixed to the ice maker case wall 1210 a may be formed to be spaced apart from the ice maker case wall 1210 a. The elastic protrusion 1220 a may be fixed to the ice maker case wall 1210 a by the fixed end 1222 ae 1, and the portions of the elastic protrusion 1220 a other than the fixed end 1222 ae 1 may, due to not being restrained by the ice maker case wall 1210 a, easily be elastically deformed about the fixed end 1222 ae 1 upon receiving an external force.
As illustrated in FIGS. 12 to 17 , the interference portion 1221 a may be provided so that the position of the interference portion 1221 a relative to the cut-open portion 1211 a changes as the interference portion 1221 a is pressed by the first inner wall 11 a. The cut-open portion 1211 a is one configuration of the ice maker case wall 1210 a and may maintain fixed relative to the ice maker case wall 1210 a. The interference portion 1221 a may be connected to the free end 1222 ae 2 of the connecting portion 1222 a provided at the cut-open portion 1211 a, and accordingly, the position of the interference portion 1221 a relative to the cut-open portion 1211 a may be changed upon the interference portion 1221 a receiving an external force. The interference portion 1221 a is a configuration coming in contact with the first inner wall 11 a, and as the position of the interference portion 1221 a relative to the cut-open portion 1211 a changes, the position of the ice maker case 1200 relative to the first inner wall 11 a may be adjusted.
As illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14 , a difference between the position at which the end of the interference portion 1221 a at the contact surface 1221 as 1 side protrudes from the ice maker case wall 1210 a when the ice maker 1000 is not mounted in the inner case 11 and the position at which the end of the interference portion 1221 a at the contact surface 1221 as 1 side protrudes from the ice maker case wall 1210 a when the ice maker 1000 is mounted in the inner case 11 may be seen as a length at which the interference portion 1221 a and the first inner wall 11 a overlap each other when the interference portion 1221 a interferes with the first inner wall 11 a.
In order to allow sufficient elastic deformation of the connecting portion 1222 a, the length of the area where the cut-open portion 1211 a is cut open may need to be sufficiently secured. For example, the length of the area where the cut-open portion 1211 a is cut open in the third direction Z may be provided to be three times or more of a length at which the interference portion 1221 a and the first inner wall 11 a overlap each other in the first direction X. However, the relationship between the length of the area where the cut-open portion 1211 a is cut open and the length at which the interference portion 1221 a and the first inner wall 11 a overlap each other is not limited thereto, and the elastic protrusion 1220 a may be formed in various other ways.
By the above configuration, the elastic protrusion 1220 a may be provided to be elastically deformable when pressed by the first inner wall 11 a. However, the configurations described above are only some examples for allowing the elastic protrusion of the ice maker case to be elastically deformed when pressed in the ice maker of the refrigerator according to the spirit of the present disclosure. The configuration for allowing the elastic deformation of the elastic protrusion 1220 a is not limited thereto and may be provided in various other ways. Some examples of various embodiments of the configuration provided to allow the elastic deformation of the elastic protrusion 1220 a will be described below (see FIGS. 18 to 20 ).
The elastic protrusion 1220 a may be provided as a plurality of elastic protrusions 1220 a on the ice maker case wall 1210 a. In other words, the first elastic protrusion 1220 a may be provided as a plurality of first elastic protrusions 1220 a on the first ice maker case wall 1210 a. The second elastic protrusion 1220 b may be provided as a plurality of second elastic protrusions 1220 b on the second ice maker case wall 1210 b. Hereinafter, description will be given based on the first ice maker case wall 1210 a and the first elastic protrusion 1220 a, and the following description may also apply identically to the configuration of the second ice maker case wall 1210 b and the second elastic protrusion 1220 b.
A plurality of elastic protrusions 1220 a may be arranged in the up-down direction. The plurality of elastic protrusions 1220 a may include the upper elastic protrusion 1220 aa and the lower elastic protrusion 1220 ab formed under the upper elastic protrusion 1220 aa.
The upper elastic protrusion 1220 aa may be provided at an upper portion of the ice maker case wall 1210 a. The lower elastic protrusion 1220 ab may be provided at a lower portion of the ice maker case wall 1210 a.
In a case in which the first holder 11 aa supports the upper portion of the ice maker case 1200, the first holder 11 aa may be disposed adjacent to at least the upper elastic protrusion 1220 aa. The present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the first holder 11 aa may be disposed at various other positions.
The upper elastic protrusion 1220 aa may be disposed under the first holder 11 aa. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and for example, the upper elastic protrusion 1220 aa may be disposed above the first holder 11 aa. For example, the first holder 11 aa may be disposed between the upper elastic protrusion 1220 aa and the lower elastic protrusion 1220 ab. For example, the lower elastic protrusion 1220 ab may be disposed above the first holder 11 aa.
The upper elastic protrusion 1220 aa and the lower elastic protrusion 1220 ab may be formed to have shapes different from each other.
For example, as illustrated in FIG. 12 and so on, a length at which the lower elastic protrusion 1220 ab extends in the second direction Y may be formed longer than a length at which the upper elastic protrusion 1220 aa extends in the second direction Y. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and for example, the length at which the lower elastic protrusion 1220 ab extends in the second direction Y may be formed shorter than the length at which the upper elastic protrusion 1220 aa extends in the second direction Y. For example, the length at which the lower elastic protrusion 1220 ab extends in the second direction Y may correspond to the length at which the upper elastic protrusion 1220 aa extends in the second direction Y.
For example, as illustrated in FIG. 12 and so on, a single interference portion 1221 a may be provided at the upper elastic protrusion 1220 aa, and a plurality of interference portions 1221 a may be provided at the lower elastic protrusion 1220 ab. The plurality of interference portions 1221 a of the lower elastic protrusion 1220 ab may be arranged parallel to each other in the up-down direction. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and a single interference portion 1221 a may be provided also at the lower elastic protrusion 1220 ab. Alternatively, a plurality of interference portions 1221 a may be provided also at the upper elastic protrusion 1220 aa. The number of interference portions 1221 a provided at the upper elastic protrusion 1220 aa and the number of interference portions 1221 a provided at the lower elastic protrusion 1220 ab may be equal to each other or different from each other.
For example, one end of the interference portion 1221 a of the upper elastic protrusion 1220 aa in the first direction X may be provided to include the shape of a curved surface. The contact surface 1221 as 1 and the corner surface 1221 as 2 may be formed to be connected to each other and constitute a single curved surface shape together.
For example, the contact surface 1221 as 1 may extend in the second direction Y, and the corner surface 1221 as 2 may extend to be inclined relative to the direction in which the contact surface 1221 as 1 extends (refer to the lower elastic protrusion 1220 ab of FIG. 12 ). The contact surface 1221 as 1 may longitudinally extend in the second direction Y. The radius of curvature of the contact surface 1221 as 1 and the radius of curvature of the corner surface 1221 as 2 may be provided to be different from each other, and more specifically, the radius of curvature of the contact surface 1221 as 1 may be provided to be greater than the radius of curvature of the corner surface 1221 as 2.
However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the shapes of the upper elastic protrusion 1220 aa and the lower elastic protrusion 1220 ab may be different from those illustrated in FIG. 12 and so on. For example, the upper elastic protrusion 1220 aa and the lower elastic protrusion 1220 ab may be formed to have shapes that correspond to each other. For example, an elastic protrusion having the shape of the lower elastic protrusion 1220 ab illustrated in FIG. 12 may be disposed at an upper portion, and an elastic protrusion having the shape of the upper elastic protrusion 1220 aa illustrated in FIG. 12 may be disposed at a lower portion.
Unlike in FIG. 12 and so on, only a single elastic protrusion 1220 a may be provided on the ice maker case wall 1210 a, or three or more elastic protrusions 1220 a may be provided on the ice maker case wall 1210 a.
The elastic protrusion 1220 a may be integrally formed with the ice maker case wall 1210 a. Further, the overall configuration of the ice maker case 1200 may be integrally formed by injection molding. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the elastic protrusion 1220 a may be separately formed from the ice maker case wall 1210 a and then coupled thereto.
Although the ice maker case 1200 configured to support the ice making units 1300 and 1400 and the ice maker cover 1100 configured to cover the ice maker case 1200 in the ice maker 1000 of the refrigerator 1 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure have been separately described above, the spirit of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
For example, the ice maker case 1200 and the ice maker cover 1100 may be integrally formed, and here, as integrated configurations supporting the ice making units 1300 and 1400, the ice maker case 1200 and the ice maker cover 1100 may be referred to as ice maker cases 1100 and 1200. As described above, the ice maker cases 1100 and 1200 may include configurations such as the ice maker case walls 1210 a and 1210 b and the elastic protrusions 1220 a and 1220 b.
Alternatively, for example, the ice maker case 1200 and the ice maker cover 1100 may be separately formed as illustrated in the drawings but may be referred to as the ice maker cases 1100 and 1200 in that the ice maker case 1200 and the ice maker cover 1100 perform a function of supporting the ice making units 1300 and 1400 while being coupled to each other. That is, the ice maker cover 1100 may also be seen as one configuration of the ice maker cases 1100 and 1200. Here, unlike in FIGS. 12 to 17 , the spirit of the present disclosure may include an embodiment in which configurations such as the above-described first ice maker case wall, second ice maker case wall, and elastic protrusion are provided on an ice maker cover.
FIG. 18 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a state of an elastic protrusion of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
In describing the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 18 , configurations identical to the configurations illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 17 may be denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof may be omitted.
Referring to FIG. 18 , the ice maker case 1200 of the ice maker 1000 may include a first ice maker case wall 1210 a-1 configured to be supported by the first inner wall 11 a and a first elastic protrusion 1220 a-1 provided on the first ice maker case wall 1210 a-1. The ice maker case 1200 may include a second ice maker case wall configured to be supported by the second inner wall 11 b and a second elastic protrusion provided on the second ice maker case wall.
Hereinafter, description will be given based on the first ice maker case wall 1210 a-1 and the first elastic protrusion 1220 a-1, and the following description may also apply identically to the configuration of the second ice maker case wall and the second elastic protrusion. Further, for convenience of description, the first ice maker case wall 1210 a-1 may be referred to as an ice maker case wall 1210 a-1, and the first elastic protrusion 1220 a-1 may be referred to as an elastic protrusion 1220 a-1.
The elastic protrusion 1220 a-1 may interfere with the first inner wall 11 a. The elastic protrusion 1220 a-1 may be provided to be elastically deformable in a direction in which the elastic protrusion 1220 a-1 is pressed by the first inner wall 11 a.
The elastic protrusion 1220 a-1 may include an interference portion 1221 a-1 configured to interfere with the ice maker case wall 1210 a-1. The interference portion 1221 a-1 may have a shape that protrudes toward the first inner wall 11 a. The interference portion 1221 a-1 may be provided to be pressed in a direction from the first inner wall 11 a toward the second inner wall 11 b by the first inner wall 11 a.
The interference portion 1221 a-1 may have features corresponding to the interference portion 1221 a according to the embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 17 . For example, the interference portion 1221 a-1 may protrude in the first direction X and extend in the second direction Y. The interference portion 1221 a-1 may include a contact surface formed at an end in the first direction X, a corner surface, and the like. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the interference portion 1221 a-1 may be formed to have various other shapes.
The elastic protrusion 1220 a-1 may include a connecting portion 1222 a-1 configured to be connected to the ice maker case wall 1210 a-1. The connecting portion 1222 a-1 may connect the ice maker case wall 1210 a-1 and the interference portion 1221 a-1 to each other. One end of the connecting portion 1222 a-1 may be connected to the ice maker case wall 1210 a-1, and the other end of the connecting portion 1222 a-1 may be connected to the interference portion 1221 a-1.
The connecting portion 1222 a-1 may be integrally formed with the ice maker case wall 1210 a-1, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
The interference portion 1221 a-1 may be configured to include an elastic material. For example, the interference portion 1221 a-1 may be configured to include various elastic materials such as a rubber material.
The interference portion 1221 a-1 configured to include an elastic material may itself be elastically deformable, and accordingly, when the interference portion 1221 a-1 is pressed by the first inner wall 11 a, the interference portion 1221 a-1 may be elastically deformed in a direction in which the interference portion 1221 a-1 is pressed by the first inner wall 11 a.
The connecting portion 1222 a-1 or the ice maker case wall 1210 a-1 may also be configured to include various elastic materials such as a plastic material. However, a material constituting the interference portion 1221 a-1 may be a material that is more easily elastically deformed than a material constituting the connecting portion 1222 a-1 or the ice maker case wall 1210 a-1.
By the above configuration, the elastic protrusion 1220 a-1 may be provided to be elastically deformable in a direction in which the elastic protrusion 1220 a-1 is pressed by the first inner wall 11 a and may be provided so that the position of the ice maker case 1200 relative to the first and second inner walls 11 a and 11 b of the inner case 11 is adjustable.
FIG. 19 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a state of an elastic protrusion of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
In describing the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 19 , configurations identical to the configurations illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 18 may be denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof may be omitted.
Referring to FIG. 19 , the ice maker case 1200 of the ice maker 1000 may include a first ice maker case wall 1210 a-2 configured to be supported by the first inner wall 11 a and a first elastic protrusion 1220 a-2 provided on the first ice maker case wall 1210 a-2. The ice maker case 1200 may include a second ice maker case wall configured to be supported by the second inner wall 11 b and a second elastic protrusion provided on the second ice maker case wall.
Hereinafter, description will be given based on the first ice maker case wall 1210 a-2 and the first elastic protrusion 1220 a-2, and the following description may also apply identically to the configuration of the second ice maker case wall and the second elastic protrusion. Further, for convenience of description, the first ice maker case wall 1210 a-2 may be referred to as an ice maker case wall 1210 a-2, and the first elastic protrusion 1220 a-2 may be referred to as an elastic protrusion 1220 a-2.
The elastic protrusion 1220 a-2 may interfere with the first inner wall 11 a. The elastic protrusion 1220 a-2 may be provided to be elastically deformable in a direction in which the elastic protrusion 1220 a-2 is pressed by the first inner wall 11 a.
The elastic protrusion 1220 a-2 may include an interference portion 1221 a-2 configured to interfere with the ice maker case wall 1210 a-2. The interference portion 1221 a-2 may have a shape that protrudes toward the first inner wall 11 a. The interference portion 1221 a-2 may be provided to be pressed in a direction from the first inner wall 11 a toward the second inner wall 11 b by the first inner wall 11 a.
The interference portion 1221 a-2 may have features corresponding to the interference portion 1221 a according to the embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 17 . For example, the interference portion 1221 a-2 may protrude in the first direction X and extend in the second direction Y. The interference portion 1221 a-2 may include a contact surface formed at an end in the first direction X, a corner surface, and the like. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the interference portion 1221 a-2 may be formed to have various other shapes.
The elastic protrusion 1220 a-2 may include a connecting portion 1222 a-2 configured to be connected to the ice maker case wall 1210 a-2. The connecting portion 1222 a-2 may connect the ice maker case wall 1210 a-2 and the interference portion 1221 a-2 to each other. One end of the connecting portion 1222 a-2 may be connected to the ice maker case wall 1210 a-2, and the other end of the connecting portion 1222 a-2 may be connected to the interference portion 1221 a-2.
The connecting portion 1222 a-2 may be provided to be elastically deformable. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 19 , the connecting portion 1222 a-2 may include an elastic spring.
Specifically, the connecting portion 1222 a-2 may include a compression spring provided to be compressible in a direction in which the interference portion 1221 a-2 is pressed. The elastic spring of the connecting portion 1222 a-2 may be provided to be compressible in the first direction X.
By the above configuration, the elastic protrusion 1220 a-2 may be provided to be elastically deformable in a direction in which the elastic protrusion 1220 a-2 is pressed by the first inner wall 11 a and may be provided so that the position of the ice maker case 1200 relative to the first and second inner walls 11 a and 11 b of the inner case 11 is adjustable.
FIG. 20 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a state of an elastic protrusion of the refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
In describing the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 20 , configurations identical to the configurations illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 19 may be denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof may be omitted.
Referring to FIG. 20 , the ice maker case 1200 of the ice maker 1000 may include a first ice maker case wall 1210 a-3 configured to be supported by the first inner wall 11 a and a first elastic protrusion 1220 a-3 provided on the first ice maker case wall 1210 a-3. The ice maker case 1200 may include a second ice maker case wall configured to be supported by the second inner wall 11 b and a second elastic protrusion provided on the second ice maker case wall.
Hereinafter, description will be given based on the first ice maker case wall 1210 a-3 and the first elastic protrusion 1220 a-3, and the following description may also apply identically to the configuration of the second ice maker case wall and the second elastic protrusion. Further, for convenience of description, the first ice maker case wall 1210 a-3 may be referred to as an ice maker case wall 1210 a-3, and the first elastic protrusion 1220 a-3 may be referred to as an elastic protrusion 1220 a-3.
The elastic protrusion 1220 a-3 may interfere with the first inner wall 11 a. The elastic protrusion 1220 a-3 may be provided to be elastically deformable in a direction in which the elastic protrusion 1220 a-3 is pressed by the first inner wall 11 a.
The elastic protrusion 1220 a-3 may include an interference portion 1221 a-3 configured to interfere with the ice maker case wall 1210 a-3. The interference portion 1221 a-3 may have a shape that protrudes toward the first inner wall 11 a. The interference portion 1221 a-3 may be provided to be pressed in a direction from the first inner wall 11 a toward the second inner wall 11 b by the first inner wall 11 a.
The interference portion 1221 a-3 may have features corresponding to the interference portion 1221 a according to the embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 17 . For example, the interference portion 1221 a-3 may protrude in the first direction X and extend in the second direction Y. The interference portion 1221 a-3 may include a contact surface formed at an end in the first direction X, a corner surface, and the like. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the interference portion 1221 a-3 may be formed to have various other shapes.
The elastic protrusion 1220 a-3 may include a connecting portion 1222 a-3 configured to be connected to the ice maker case wall 1210 a-3. The connecting portion 1222 a-3 may connect the ice maker case wall 1210 a-3 and the interference portion 1221 a-3 to each other. One end of the connecting portion 1222 a-3 may be connected to the ice maker case wall 1210 a-3, and the other end of the connecting portion 1222 a-3 may be connected to the interference portion 1221 a-3.
The connecting portion 1222 a-3 may be provided to be elastically deformable. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 20 , the connecting portion 1222 a-3 may include an elastic spring.
Specifically, the connecting portion 1222 a-3 may include a torsion spring provided to be twisted and deformed as the interference portion 1221 a-3 is pressed.
A hole may be formed in the ice maker case wall 1210 a-3 in order to, when the interference portion 1221 a-3 is pressed, prevent the interference portion 1221 a-3 and the torsion spring of the connecting portion 1222 a-3 from interfering with the ice maker case wall 1210 a-3 when moving.
By the above configuration, the elastic protrusion 1220 a-3 may be provided to be elastically deformable in a direction in which the elastic protrusion 1220 a-3 is pressed by the first inner wall 11 a and may be provided so that the position of the ice maker case 1200 relative to the first and second inner walls 11 a and 11 b of the inner case 11 is adjustable.
FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
Referring to FIG. 21 , a refrigerator 2001 according to one or more embodiments may be a side-by-side (SBS) refrigerator in which a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment are arranged side by side. The refrigerator 2001 may include a body 2010, a storage compartment 2020 provided inside the body 2010, a door 2030 configured to open and close the storage compartment 2020, and a cooling system configured to supply cold air to the storage compartment 2020.
The storage compartment 2020 may include a first storage compartment 2020 a and a second storage compartment 2020 b. The door 2030 may include a first door 2030 a provided to open and close the first storage compartment 2020 a and a second door 2030 b provided to open and close the second storage compartment 2020 b.
The first storage compartment 2020 a may be a refrigerator compartment, and the second storage compartment 2020 b may be a freezer compartment. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The first storage compartment 2020 a and the second storage compartment 2020 b may be isolated from each other in the left-right direction by a vertical partition 2019.
The refrigerator 2001 may include an ice maker 3000 configured to form ice using cold air of the storage compartment 2020. The ice maker 3000 may include an ice maker cover and an ice maker case.
Unlike in FIG. 5 , a front inclined portion may not be provided at the ice maker cover. This is to prevent the ice maker cover from interfering with a shelf 2032. However, for example, the ice maker cover may still include a shelf portion and a rear inclined portion.
The ice maker case may be supported by a second inner wall 2011 b and the vertical partition 2019. The ice maker case may include a first ice maker case wall configured to be supported by the vertical partition 2019 and a second ice maker case wall configured to be supported by the second inner wall 2011 b. Here, the vertical partition 2019 may have features corresponding to the first inner wall 11 a of the inner case 11 described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 20 .
The refrigerator 2001 may include an ice bucket 2100 disposed under the ice maker 3000. The ice bucket 2100 may accommodate ice moving downward after being discharged from an ice making unit and may be seated on a bucket shelf. The bucket shelf may be supported by the second inner wall 2011 b and the vertical partition 2019, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
The ice maker case may include an elastic protrusion provided on the first and second ice maker case walls. The elastic protrusion of the ice maker case may have features corresponding to the elastic protrusions 1220, 1220 a-1, 1220 a-2, and 1220 a-3 of the ice maker case 1200 described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 20 , and description thereof will be omitted.
According to the spirit of the present disclosure, by including an elastic protrusion provided on an ice maker case wall, an ice maker can be stably supported by an inner wall of an inner case.
According to the spirit of the present disclosure, by an ice maker including an elastic protrusion that is elastically deformable in a direction in which the elastic protrusion is pressed by an inner wall of an inner case, it is possible to prevent damage to the ice maker and the inner case.
According to the spirit of the present disclosure, by an ice maker including an elastic protrusion, the position of the ice maker relative to an inner case can be adjusted, and the exterior quality of the ice maker can be improved.
Advantageous effects according to the spirit of the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned advantageous effects should be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains from the description above.
Specific embodiments illustrated in the drawings have been described above. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the disclosure pertains may make various changes thereto without departing from the gist of the technical spirit of the disclosure defined in the claims below.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:

an outer case forming an exterior of the refrigerator;

an inner case provided in the outer case and defining a storage compartment, the inner case comprising a first inner wall and a second inner wall opposing the first inner wall; and

an ice maker mounted in the inner case and to make ice, the ice maker comprising an ice maker case,

wherein the ice maker case comprises:

a first ice maker case wall supported by the first inner wall;

a second ice maker case wall supported by the second inner wall; and

an elastic protrusion provided on the first ice maker case wall, the elastic protrusion being configured to interfere with the first inner wall and to be elastically deformable in a direction in which the elastic protrusion is pressed by the first inner wall.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the elastic protrusion is pressed in a direction from the first inner wall toward the second inner wall by the first inner wall.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1,

wherein the elastic protrusion comprises an interference portion protruding in a first direction from the first ice maker case wall toward the first inner wall and to interfere with the first inner wall, and

wherein the interference portion extends in a second direction parallel to the first inner wall.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3,

wherein the interference portion comprises:

a contact surface provided at one end of the interference portion and configured to come in contact with the first inner wall; and

a corner surface provided at an end of the contact surface in the second direction, and

wherein the corner surface is inclined relative to the second direction and extends from the contact surface in a direction moving away from the first inner wall.

5. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the second direction is parallel to a forward-backward direction of the inner case.

6. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the interference portion is configured to be movable in a direction parallel to the first direction by being elastically deformed.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1,

wherein the elastic protrusion comprises a connecting portion connected to the first ice maker case wall, and

wherein the connecting portion is configured to be elastically deformable about a fixed end thereof fixed to the first ice maker case wall.

8. The refrigerator of claim 7,

wherein the elastic protrusion is pressed in a first direction by the first inner wall, and

wherein the connecting portion extends from the fixed end in a direction different from the first direction.

9. The refrigerator of claim 8,

wherein the first ice maker case wall comprises a cut-open portion formed in the direction in which the connecting portion extends, and

wherein the connecting portion is provided at the cut-open portion.

10. The refrigerator of claim 8,

wherein the elastic protrusion further comprises an interference portion configured to protrude in the first direction and to interfere with the first inner wall, and

wherein the interference portion is bent from a free end of the connecting portion opposing the fixed end thereof and extends in the first direction.

11. The refrigerator of claim 1,

wherein the first inner wall comprises a holder configured to support the first ice maker case wall, and

wherein the elastic protrusion is provided under the holder.

12. The refrigerator of claim 11,

wherein the holder extends in a direction parallel to a forward-backward direction of the inner case, and

wherein the ice maker case is mounted by sliding from a front of the inner case toward a rear thereof along the holder.

13. The refrigerator of claim 1,

wherein the ice maker case further comprises a plurality of elastic protrusions including the elastic protrusion, and

wherein the plurality of elastic protrusions are arranged in an up-down direction.

14. The refrigerator of claim 1,

wherein the elastic protrusion is a first elastic protrusion,

wherein the ice maker case further comprises a second elastic protrusion provided on the second ice maker case wall, and

wherein the second elastic protrusion is configured to interfere with the second inner wall and to be elastically deformable in a direction in which the second elastic protrusion is pressed by the second inner wall.

15. The refrigerator of claim 1,

wherein the inner case further comprises an opening formed at a front of the storage compartment and a rear wall formed at a rear of the storage compartment and configured to face the opening of the inner case, and

wherein the elastic protrusion is disposed to be closer to the opening of the inner case than to the rear wall of the inner case.

16. An ice maker comprising:

at least one ice making tray configured to receive and hold an amount of water; and

an ice maker case configured to support the at least one ice making tray,

wherein the ice maker case comprises:

a first ice maker case wall configured to be supported by a first inner wall of a refrigerator;

a second ice maker case wall configured to be supported by a second inner wall of the refrigerator; and

an elastic protrusion provided on the first ice maker case wall, the elastic protrusion being configured to interfere with the first inner wall when the ice maker is mounted in the refrigerator and to be elastically deformable in a direction in which the elastic protrusion is pressed by the first inner wall when the ice maker is mounted in the refrigerator.

17. The ice maker of claim 16,

wherein the elastic protrusion comprises a connecting portion configured to be connected to the first ice maker case wall, and

18. The refrigerator of claim 17,

wherein the elastic protrusion is configured to deflect in a first direction when the ice maker is mounted in the refrigerator, and

19. The refrigerator of claim 18,

wherein the connecting portion is provided at the cut-open portion.