WO2020145594A1

WO2020145594A1 - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: WO2020145594A1
Application number: PCT/KR2020/000182
Authority: WO
Inventors: 육민섭; 안재국
Original assignee: 삼성전자주식회사
Priority date: 2019-01-08
Filing date: 2020-01-06
Publication date: 2020-07-16
Also published as: KR20200085992A

Abstract

A refrigerator including an ice bucket having improved convenience of use is disclosed. The refrigerator can comprise: an icemaker for making ice; an ice bucket for storing ice made by the icemaker; a stirrer rotating inside the ice bucket so as to stir the ice; a driving motor generating driving force and including a driving shaft; a driving coupler coupled to the driving shaft, and capable of moving in a first direction or a second direction opposite to the first direction according to the axial direction of the driving shaft; a driven coupler which is selectively connected to the driving coupler, and which rotates together with the driving coupler so as to transmit the driving force to the stirrer when the driven coupler is connected to the driving coupler; and an elastic member for providing elastic force so as to move the driving coupler in the second direction when the driving coupler is pressed by the driven coupler and moves in the first direction.

Description

Refrigerator

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator including an ice bucket with improved ease of use.

In general, a refrigerator is a household appliance that is provided with a storage compartment for storing food and a cold air supply device for supplying cold air to the storage compartment to store food freshly. The storage chamber is provided so that the front is opened inside the main body, and the opened front of the storage chamber can be opened and closed by a door.

The refrigerator includes an ice maker that generates ice, an ice bucket that stores ice generated by the ice maker, a transport member that transports ice in the ice bucket, a driving motor that drives the transport member, and a crushing device that crushes ice in the ice bucket A back may be provided.

The ice bucket should be easily removable by the user for internal cleaning and the like.

Conventionally, when the ice bucket is mounted on the refrigerator body or the ice bucket mounting portion provided on the refrigerator door, power transmission is not normally performed when the angle of engagement between the drive coupler mounted on the motor and the driven coupler mounted on the ice bucket is not correct.

One aspect of the present invention provides a refrigerator including an ice bucket with improved ease of use.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a refrigerator that is normally coupled automatically even when the driven coupler provided in the ice bucket and the driven coupler transmitting power of the drive motor are not coupled at the correct angle.

According to the spirit of the present invention, the refrigerator includes an ice machine configured to generate ice, an ice bucket provided to store ice generated by the ice machine, and a stirrer provided to stir the ice by rotating inside the ice bucket ), a driving motor that generates a driving force, and is coupled to the driving shaft, and is movable in a first direction along a axial direction of the driving shaft or in a second direction opposite to the first direction. A provided drive coupler and a driven coupler selectively connected to the drive coupler, when connected to the drive coupler, the driven coupler rotating with the drive coupler to transmit the driving force to the stirrer and the drive coupler are the When pressed by the driven coupler and moved in the first direction, the drive coupler may include an elastic member that provides an elastic force to move in the second direction.

The driven coupler may be located at any one of a first relative position rotating with the drive coupler and a second relative position pressing the drive coupler in the first direction.

When the driven coupler is positioned at the first relative position with respect to the drive coupler, the driven coupler may be spaced apart by a first distance in the axial direction of the drive coupler and the drive shaft.

When the driven coupler is positioned at the second relative position with respect to the drive coupler, the driven coupler may be spaced apart by a second distance different from the first distance in the axial direction of the drive coupler and the drive shaft.

The second distance may be longer than the first distance.

When the drive coupler rotates while the drive coupler and the driven coupler are separated by the second distance, the drive coupler may move in the second direction to be spaced apart from the driven coupler by the first distance.

The stirrer may include a shaft portion and a sterling portion that is bent from the shaft portion and stirs ice.

The ice bucket further includes a first release preventing member preventing the driven coupler from escaping in the first direction, and the first departure preventing member can be coupled to a first release preventing groove provided in the shaft portion. have.

The ice bucket further includes a movement preventing portion that prevents the driven coupler from moving in the second direction and fixes the driven coupler with respect to an axial direction of the shaft portion, and the driven coupler includes the movement preventing portion and the first It may be disposed between the departure preventing member.

The driven coupler may include a first coupling hole in which the shaft portion is inserted, a first plate portion in which the first coupling hole is provided, and a first bending portion formed by bending both ends of the first plate portion.

The driving coupler may include a second coupling hole in which the driving shaft is inserted, a second plate portion in which the second coupling hole is provided, and a second bending portion formed by bending both ends of the second plate portion. .

The refrigerator may further include a second departure preventing member preventing the driving coupler from escaping in the second direction.

The second departure preventing member may be coupled to a second departure preventing groove provided on the drive shaft.

The cross section of the drive shaft may include at least one straight portion to prevent the drive coupler from rotating relative to the drive shaft.

The drive shaft may further include a stopper portion that limits the range of movement of the drive coupler in the first direction.

The refrigerator is provided to open and close the main body including the storage compartment, the storage compartment, and prevents the ice bucket from being exposed to the outside and the inside door to which the ice bucket is mounted, and is rotatable relative to the interior door. It may further include an external door.

When the outer door is opened, the ice bucket may be separated from the inner door or coupled to the inner door in front of the inner door.

According to the spirit of the present invention, the refrigerator is provided with a main body having a storage compartment, an internal door provided to open and close the storage compartment, an external door provided rotatably with respect to the external door, and an external door provided in the ice maker An ice bucket that is provided to store ice and is detachably mounted on the inner door, an ice transport member that is provided to rotate ice inside the ice bucket, and generates a driving force, and includes a drive shaft. The motor, coupled to the ice transport member, is coupled to the drive shaft to rotate together with the driven coupler and the drive shaft receiving the driving force, and moves in the axial direction of the drive shaft according to a relative position with respect to the driven coupler It may include a drive coupler.

The refrigerator further includes an elastic member that provides an elastic force to move the drive coupler in a second direction opposite to the first direction when the drive coupler moves in the first direction along the drive shaft by the driven coupler. It can contain.

When the drive coupler moves in the first direction and the drive coupler rotates to be positioned at a predetermined relative position with respect to the driven coupler, the drive coupler may move in the second direction.

The refrigerator may further include a departure preventing member that prevents the driving coupler from leaving in the first direction along the driving shaft.

The drive shaft may include a release preventing groove to which the release preventing member is coupled, and a stopper portion for limiting a range of movement of the drive coupler in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

According to the spirit of the present invention, a refrigerator is provided with an ice bucket provided to store ice, an ice transfer member provided to rotate inside the ice bucket, a drive shaft rotating by the driving force of the drive motor, and coupled to the drive shaft And a driven coupler that rotates together with the drive shaft and is coupled to the ice transport member to rotate together with the ice transport member, and includes a driven coupler receiving the driving force from the drive coupler, and the drive coupler and the driven coupler When connected, the drive coupler may move or be fixed in the axial direction of the drive shaft according to the relative position of the drive coupler and the driven coupler in the circumferential direction of the drive shaft.

According to the spirit of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator including an ice bucket with improved usability.

According to the spirit of the present invention, even if the driven coupler provided in the ice bucket and the drive coupler transmitting power of the drive motor are not coupled at the correct angle, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that is normally coupled automatically.

1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a view illustrating a state in which an external door is opened in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a view showing a separate door, an ice maker and an ice bucket in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is an enlarged view of a driving unit in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is an exploded view of an ice bucket in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is an exploded view of a driving unit in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 is an enlarged view of a portion of an ice bucket in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a side cross-sectional view of an ice bucket and a driving unit in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the driving coupler and the driven coupler are positioned at the first relative position.

9 is a side cross-sectional view of an ice bucket and a driving unit in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the driving coupler and the driven coupler are positioned at the second relative position.

10 is a view showing a drive coupler and a driven coupler separately in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a view showing a state when the drive coupler and the driven coupler are positioned at a first relative position.

11 is a view showing a drive coupler and a driven coupler separately in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a view showing a state when the drive coupler and the driven coupler are positioned at a second relative position.

The configuration shown in the embodiments and drawings described in this specification is only a preferred example of the disclosed invention, and at the time of filing of the present application, there may be various modifications that can replace the embodiments and drawings of the present specification.

In addition, the terms used herein are used to describe the examples, and are not intended to limit and/or limit the disclosed invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this specification, the terms "include" or "have" are intended to indicate that there are features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof described in the specification, and one or more other features. It does not preclude the existence or addition possibility of fields or numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof.

In addition, terms including an ordinal number such as “first” and “second” used in the present specification may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. It is used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from other components. For example, the first component may be referred to as a second component without departing from the scope of the present invention, and similarly, the second component may be referred to as a first component.

Referring to FIG. 1, a refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 10 including a storage room (not shown) and an internal door that is rotatably coupled to the main body 10 to open and close the storage room ( 20) and an outer door 30 that is rotatably provided with respect to the inner door 20.

1 and 2, the main body 10 may include a hinge 11 that couples the inner door 20 and the outer door 30 so as to be rotatable relative to the main body 10. The inner door 20 may be provided with a dispenser 40 through which the user can take out water or ice. An ice bucket 100 provided to store ice generated by the ice maker 50 (see FIG. 3) may be detachably mounted on the inner door 20.

The outer door 30 may include an opening 31. The dispenser 40 may be exposed to the outside even when the outer door 30 is closed through the opening 31. The user can access the dispenser 40 without opening the outer door 30.

The outer door 30 can prevent the ice bucket 100 from being exposed to the outside. Further, when the outer door 30 is opened, the ice bucket 100 may be separated from the inner door 20 or coupled to the inner door 20 in front of the inner door 20. Through this, the user can easily access the ice bucket 100 by opening only the outer door 30 without opening the inner door 20. In addition, since it is possible to access the ice bucket 100 without opening the inner door 20 that opens and closes the storage compartment (not shown), it is possible to prevent cold air from leaking inside the storage compartment. It is possible to prevent unnecessary cold air leakage and energy waste.

Referring to FIG. 3, the inner door 20 may include a door guard 21 for receiving food or beverage containers and the like. The inner door 20 may be provided with an ice maker 50 configured to generate and transport ice. An ice bucket 100 provided to store ice generated by the ice maker 50 may be detachably mounted on the inner door 20. The inner door 20 may be provided with a driving unit 200 that provides a driving force to crush and transport the ice inside the ice bucket 100.

Referring to FIG. 4, the driving unit 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a driving motor 201 (refer to FIG. 8 ), a driving shaft 210 rotating by a driving force of the driving motor, and a driving shaft 210 It may include a drive coupler 220 coupled to the drive shaft 210 and provided to rotate together, and an elastic member 230 providing elastic force to the drive coupler 220.

The driving coupler 220 may include a plate-shaped second plate portion 221 and a second bending portion 222 formed by bending both ends of the second plate portion 221. The second plate portion 221 may include a pair of long sides and a pair of short sides. The second bent portion 222 may be formed by bending a pair of long sides toward the ice bucket 100.

The driving coupler 220 may be provided to move along the driving shaft 210. The driving coupler 220 may move in a first direction or a second direction opposite to the first direction. The driving coupler 220 may be moved by the driven coupler 120, which will be described later, in the first direction. Also, the driving coupler 220 may move in the second direction by the elastic member 230.

The elastic member 230 may provide an elastic force so that the drive coupler 220 moves in the second direction. The elastic member 230 may be disposed between the driving coupler 220 and the driving motor 201.

The driving unit 200 may further include a second departure preventing member 240 provided to prevent the driving coupler 220 from being separated from the driving shaft 210. The second departure preventing member 240 may prevent the driving coupler 220 from being separated in the second direction by the elastic force of the elastic member 230. The second departure prevention member 240 may be fitted to the second departure prevention groove 213 provided on the drive shaft 210. The second departure preventing member 240 may include, for example, an E-ring. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the second departure preventing member 240 may include a C-ring and similar structures.

5, the ice bucket 100 is connected to the stirrer (110) and the drive coupler 220, which are provided to agitate the ice by rotating inside the ice bucket 100, and the driving motor 201 It may include a driven coupler 120 to receive the driving force.

The stirrer 110 may include a sterling portion 111 that rotates and agitates ice, and a first shaft portion 112 that serves as a rotation axis of the sterling portion 111. The sterling portion 111 may be formed by bending one end of the first shaft portion 112.

The first shaft portion 112 includes a first departure preventing groove 113 to which a first departure preventing member 140 to be described later is coupled, and a first head portion 114 provided at the other end of the first shaft portion 112. It may include. A driven coupler 120 to be described later and an ice crushing device 130 may be coupled to the first shaft portion 112.

The cross section of the first shaft portion 112, specifically, the cross section of the first shaft portion 112 may include at least one straight portion. According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5, the cross section of the first shaft portion 112 may include two straight portions provided side by side. Through this, the driven coupler 120 coupled to the first shaft portion 112 can be prevented from rotating relative to the first shaft portion 112. Unlike the cross-sectional view of the first shaft portion 112, the drawing may include one straight portion or three or more straight portions.

The driven coupler 120 may include a plate-shaped first plate portion 121 and a first bending portion 122 formed by bending both ends of the first plate portion 121. The first plate portion 121 may include a pair of long sides and a pair of short sides. The first bent portion 122 may be formed by bending a pair of short sides in a direction facing the driving coupler 220. The driven coupler 120 may include a first coupling hole 123 provided to insert the first shaft portion 112.

The first coupling hole 123 may be provided to correspond to the shape of the cross section of the first shaft portion 112. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first coupling hole 123 may include two straight portions. As described above, the cross section of the first shaft portion 112 may include one straight portion or three or more straight portions, and the corresponding first coupling hole 123 also includes one straight portion or three or more straight lines. It may contain wealth. Due to the cross-sectional shape of the first coupling hole 123 and the first shaft portion 112, the driven coupler 120 may rotate together with the first shaft portion 112.

The ice bucket 100 may further include a first departure preventing member 140 provided to prevent the driven coupler 120 from being separated from the first shaft part 112. The first departure preventing member 140 may prevent the driven coupler 120 from being separated from the first shaft portion 112 in the first direction. The first departure prevention member 140 may be fitted to the first departure prevention groove 113 provided in the first shaft portion 112. The first departure preventing member 140 may include, for example, an E-ring. The first departure-preventing member 140 is not limited thereto, and may include a C-ring and similar structures.

The ice bucket 100 may include an ice crushing device 130 provided to crush ice. The ice crushing device 130 may be coupled to the first shaft portion 112.

The ice crushing device 130 includes

rotating blades

131 and 132 provided to rotate with respect to the first shaft portion 112 and fixed

blades

133 and 134 fixed with respect to the first shaft portion 112. Can.

The

rotating blades

131 and 132 may include a first rotating blade 131 and a second rotating blade 132. The first rotating blade 131 and the second rotating blade 132 may be provided to rotate together with the first shaft portion 112, respectively. Accordingly, the

rotating blades

131 and 132 are not specifically shown in the drawings, but may include a coupling hole including at least one straight portion.

The fixed

blades

133 and 134 may include a first fixed blade 133 and a second fixed blade 134. One end of the first fixing blade 133 may be fixed by being coupled to the blade fixing portion 135. One end of the second fixing blade 134 may be fixed by being coupled to the blade fixing portion 135. Each of the first fixing blade 133 and the second fixing blade 134 may include coupling holes not specifically illustrated in the drawings. The coupling holes (not shown) of the fixed

blades

133 and 134 may be provided in a circular shape so as to be rotatable relative to the first shaft portion 112. As described above, since the first shaft portion 112 includes at least one straight portion to prevent relative rotation with a structure coupled to the first shaft portion 112, the fixed

blades

133 and 134 are made of It may be coupled to a predetermined structure coupled to the 1 shaft portion (112). The predetermined structure has a circular cross section so that the fixed

blades

133 and 134 can rotate relative to the predetermined structure. Through this, even if the first shaft portion 112 rotates, the fixed

blades

133 and 134 may maintain a fixed state without rotating together with the first shaft portion 112.

The blade fixing part 135 may be fixed to one side of the housing 150 to be described later. The blade fixing part 135 is fixed to the housing 150, and one end of the fixing

blades

133 and 134 may be fixed to the blade fixing part 135.

Ice in the ice bucket 100 in the stirrer 110 may be transferred between the rotating blades 131,132 and the fixed blades 133,134. Ice transferred between the

rotating blades

131 and 132 and the fixed

blades

133 and 134 may be crushed by the

rotating blades

131 and 132 rotating together with the driven coupler 120 and the first shaft portion 112.

A fixed portion 137 provided to prevent the driven coupler 120 from moving in the first or second direction may be coupled to the first shaft portion 112. The fixing part 137 may be disposed between the driven coupler 120 and the second rotating blade 132. In other words, the driven coupler 120 may be fixed by the fixing part 137 and the first departure preventing member 140. The driven coupler 120 is disposed between the fixing part 137 and the first release preventing member 140 and can rotate together with the first shaft part 112 without moving in the first direction or the second direction.

The ice bucket 100 may further include an ice guide part 136 provided to prevent the crushed ice from accumulating inside the housing 150. The ice guide part 136 may be provided to be rotatable relative to the first shaft part 112 like the fixed

blades

133 and 134. The ice guide unit 136 may prevent the crushed ice from moving into the housing 150 and guide it to be discharged to the ice outlet 152 of the housing 150.

The ice bucket 100 may further include a housing 150. An ice crushing device 130 may be disposed inside the housing 150. The housing 150 may include a third coupling hole 151 in which the first shaft portion 112 is inserted. The third coupling hole 151 may be provided in a circular shape. The housing 150 may include an ice outlet 152 provided to discharge crushed ice.

Referring to FIG. 6, the driving unit 200 includes a driving motor 201 (see FIG. 8 ), a driving shaft 210, a driving coupler 220, an elastic member 230, and a second, as described above. It may include a departure preventing member 240. An outlet 202 for discharging the crushed ice from the ice bucket 100 to the dispenser 40 may be provided on the side of the driving shaft 210.

The drive shaft 210 includes a stopper portion 211 that limits the range of movement of the drive coupler 220 in the first direction, and a second shaft portion through which the drive coupler 220 can move in the first direction or the second direction. (212).

The second shaft portion 212 may include at least one straight portion. The cross section of the second shaft portion 212, specifically, the cross section of the second shaft portion 212 may include at least one straight portion. According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6, the cross section of the second shaft portion 212 may include two straight portions provided side by side. Through this, it is possible to prevent the drive coupler 220 coupled to the second shaft portion 212 from rotating relative to the second shaft portion 212. Unlike the cross-sectional view of the second shaft portion 212, the drawing may include one straight portion or three or more straight portions.

The cross-section of the stopper part 211 may be provided in a circular shape. If the cross-section of the stopper portion 211 is different from the second shaft portion 212, it may be provided in various shapes in addition to the circular shape. The stopper part 211 may limit a moving range in which the driving coupler 220 can move in the first direction. Since the second coupling hole 223 of the drive coupler 220 corresponds to the cross-sectional shape of the second shaft portion 212, the drive coupler 220 is in the first or second direction along the second shaft portion 212. Can be moved. Since the cross-sectional shape of the stopper portion 211 and the cross-sectional shape of the second shaft portion 212 are different, the drive coupler 220 cannot move along the stopper portion 211. Therefore, the stopper part 211 may limit the moving range of the drive coupler 220.

The driving shaft 210 may further include a second departure preventing groove 213 into which the second departure preventing member 240 is fitted. The drive shaft 210 may include a head portion 214 provided at an end of the drive shaft 210.

The driving coupler 220 may include a second plate portion 221, a second bending portion 222, and a second coupling hole 223. The second coupling hole 223 may include at least one straight portion to correspond to the cross-sectional shape of the drive shaft 210.

Referring to FIG. 7, a housing 150 may be coupled to a lower portion of the ice bucket 100. As described above, the crushed ice may be discharged to the dispenser 40 through the ice outlet 152 and the outlet 202.

The driven coupler 120 is coupled to the first shaft portion 112 and may be restricted from moving in the first direction or the second direction by the first release preventing member 140 and the fixing portion 137.

8 is a side cross-sectional view of an ice bucket and a driving unit in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the driving coupler and the driven coupler are positioned at the first relative position. 9 is a side cross-sectional view of an ice bucket and a driving unit in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the driving coupler and the driven coupler are positioned at the second relative position. 10 is a view showing a drive coupler and a driven coupler separately in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a view showing a state when the drive coupler and the driven coupler are positioned at a first relative position. 11 is a view showing a drive coupler and a driven coupler separately in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a view showing a state when the drive coupler and the driven coupler are positioned at a second relative position.

A connection operation between the drive coupler and the driven coupler of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11.

8 and 10, in the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, the driving coupler 220 and the driven coupler 120 may be located at a first relative position. When the drive coupler 220 and the driven coupler 120 are positioned at the first relative position as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the driven coupler 120 may rotate together with the drive coupler 220.

As described above, the driven coupler 120 rotates together with the first shaft portion 112, and the first shaft portion 112 and the stirling portion 111 rotate together, so that the driven coupler 120 rotates to generate the stirling portion. 111 can rotate. Accordingly, ice stored in the ice bucket 100 may be stirred by the stirring portion 111.

When the driven coupler 120 is positioned at a first relative position with respect to the driven coupler 220, the distance between the driven coupler 220 and the driven coupler 120 may be referred to as a first distance. This may be a shorter distance than the second distance, which will be described later. When the driven coupler 120 is positioned at a first relative position with respect to the drive coupler 220, the drive coupler 220 and the driven coupler 120 may be positioned relatively close to each other in the first direction or the second direction.

When the driven coupler 120 is located in the first relative position relative to the driven coupler 220, or when the driven coupler 220 is located in the first relative position relative to the driven coupler 120, the drive motor 201 ) May be transmitted from the driving coupler 220 to the driven coupler 120. Accordingly, the driven coupler 120 may rotate together with the driving coupler 220.

When the driven coupler 120 is located in the first relative position relative to the driven coupler 220, or when the driven coupler 220 is located in the first relative position relative to the driven coupler 120, the driven coupler 220 ), the second bending portion 222 and the first bending portion 122 of the driven coupler 120 may overlap at least partially in the axial direction. In other words, when the surfaces of the second bent portion 222 and the first bent portion 122 facing each other are referred to as the upper surface of the second bent portion 222 and the lower surface of the first bent portion 122, respectively, The side surface of the first bending portion 122 and the side surface of the second bending portion 222 may contact. The side surface of the second bending portion 222 and the side surface of the first bending portion 122 contact each other, so that the driving coupler 220 and the driven coupler 120 may rotate together.

9 and 11, the driven coupler 120 may be positioned at a second relative position with respect to the drive coupler 220.

When the driven coupler 120 is positioned at a second relative position with respect to the driven coupler 220, the distance between the driven coupler 220 and the driven coupler 120 may be referred to as a second distance. The first distance and the second distance may indicate a distance in the axial direction between the drive coupler 220 and the driven coupler 120, respectively. The second distance may be longer than the first distance. When the driven coupler 120 is positioned at a second relative position with respect to the driven coupler 220, the driven coupler 220 and the driven coupler 120 may be positioned relatively far in the first or second direction.

When the driven coupler 120 is positioned at a second relative position relative to the driven coupler 220, or when the driven coupler 220 is positioned at a second relative position relative to the driven coupler 120, the drive motor 201 ), the driving force may not be transmitted from the driving coupler 220 to the driven coupler 120. Accordingly, the driven coupler 120 may not rotate together with the drive coupler 220, but only the drive coupler 220 may rotate.

When the driven coupler 120 is located in the second relative position relative to the driven coupler 220, or when the driven coupler 220 is located in the second relative position relative to the driven coupler 120, the driven coupler 220 ), the second bending portion 222 and the first bending portion 122 of the driven coupler 120 may not overlap in the axial direction. In other words, when the surfaces of the second bent portion 222 and the first bent portion 122 facing each other are referred to as the upper surface of the second bent portion 222 and the lower surface of the first bent portion 122, respectively, The side surface of the first bending portion 122 and the side surface of the second bending portion 222 may not contact each other. The lower surface of the first bending portion 122 and the upper surface of the second bending portion 222 may contact each other.

9 and 11, when the driven coupler 120 is positioned at a second relative position relative to the driven coupler 220, the driven coupler 220 does not rotate with the driven coupler 120, Only the drive coupler 220 can rotate. When the drive coupler 220 is positioned at the second relative position, the drive coupler 220 may be pressed by the driven coupler 120 and move in the first direction. Accordingly, the distance in the axial direction between the driving coupler 220 and the driven coupler 120 may be the second distance.

As the drive coupler 220 rotates while being separated by a second distance, the drive coupler 220 may be positioned at a first relative position with respect to the driven coupler 120. When the drive coupler 220 is positioned at a first relative position with respect to the driven coupler 120, as shown in FIG. 8, the drive coupler 220 may move in the second direction by the elastic force of the elastic member 230. have. When the driving coupler 220 moves in the second direction, the distance in the axial direction between the driving coupler 220 and the driven coupler 120 may be the first distance, and the driven coupler 120 may be the driving coupler 220 Can rotate with

As described above, the refrigerator 1 according to the spirit of the present invention, when the ice bucket 100 is mounted on the ice bucket mounting portion provided on the door, the coupling angle between the driving coupler 220 and the driven coupler 120 is accurately Even if it does not fit, it can be automatically combined normally by the operation of the drive motor. In other words, when the ice bucket 100 is mounted on the ice bucket mounting portion, the drive coupler 220 and the driven coupler 120 are operated by the operation of the driving motor 201 even if they are not located in the first relative position to which they are normally engaged. It is located in the first relative position, and accordingly, the driving coupler 220 and the driven coupler 120 may be normally coupled. When mounting the ice bucket, the user can mount the drive coupler without considering the relative positions of the driven coupler and the driven coupler. Conventionally, when the drive coupler and the driven coupler are not normally coupled, power transmission is not performed, and the ice bucket has to be mounted again so that the drive coupler and the driven coupler are normally coupled. Since the ice bucket according to the spirit of the present invention can be normally coupled without going through the re-installation process, mounting of the ice bucket can be facilitated. The usability of the refrigerator can be improved.

In the above, specific examples have been illustrated and described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and a person skilled in the art to which the invention pertains may variously perform various changes without departing from the gist of the technical spirit of the invention described in the following claims. .

Claims

An ice machine configured to produce ice;

An ice bucket provided to store ice generated by the ice maker;

A stirrer provided to stir the ice by rotating inside the ice bucket;

A driving motor generating a driving force and including a driving shaft;

A drive coupler coupled to the drive shaft and provided to be movable in a first direction along a axial direction of the drive shaft or in a second direction opposite to the first direction;

A driven coupler selectively connected to the driving coupler, when connected to the driving coupler, a driven coupler rotating with the driving coupler to transmit the driving force to the stirrer; And

An elastic member that provides an elastic force so that the drive coupler moves in the second direction when the drive coupler moves in the first direction by being pressed by the driven coupler; Refrigerator comprising a.
According to claim 1,

The driven coupler,

A refrigerator positioned at one of a first relative position rotating together with the driving coupler and a second relative position pressing the driving coupler in the first direction.
According to claim 2,

When the driven coupler is positioned at the first relative position with respect to the driven coupler, the driven coupler is spaced apart by a first distance in the axial direction of the driven coupler and the drive shaft,

When the driven coupler is positioned at the second relative position with respect to the driven coupler, the driven coupler is spaced apart by a second distance different from the first distance in the axial direction of the driven coupler and the drive shaft.
According to claim 3,

The second distance is a refrigerator longer than the first distance.
According to claim 4,

When the drive coupler rotates while the drive coupler and the driven coupler are separated by the second distance, the drive coupler moves in the second direction to be spaced apart from the driven coupler by the first distance.
According to claim 1,

The refrigerator includes a shaft portion and a sterling portion that is bent from the shaft portion and stirs ice.
The method of claim 6,

The ice bucket further includes a first departure preventing member preventing the driven coupler from escaping in the first direction,

The first departure preventing member is a refrigerator coupled to the first departure preventing groove provided on the shaft portion.
The method of claim 6,

The ice bucket further includes a movement preventing portion that prevents the driven coupler from moving in the second direction and fixes the driven coupler with respect to an axial direction of the shaft portion,

The passive coupler is a refrigerator disposed between the movement preventing portion and the first departure preventing member.
The method of claim 6,

The driven coupler,

A first coupling hole into which the shaft portion is inserted,

The first plate portion is provided with the first coupling hole,

A refrigerator including a first bent portion formed by bending both ends of the first plate portion.
The method of claim 9,

The drive coupler,

A second coupling hole into which the drive shaft is inserted,

A second plate portion in which the second coupling hole is provided,

A refrigerator including a second bent portion formed by bending both ends of the second plate portion.
The method of claim 7,

Further comprising a second departure preventing member for preventing the drive coupler from leaving in the second direction,

The second departure preventing member is a refrigerator coupled to a second departure prevention groove provided on the drive shaft.
According to claim 1,

A cross section of the drive shaft, the refrigerator comprising at least one straight portion to prevent the drive coupler from rotating relative to the drive shaft.
The method of claim 12,

The drive shaft, the refrigerator further comprising a stopper portion for limiting the range of movement of the drive coupler in the first direction.
According to claim 1,

A main body including a storage compartment;

An inner door provided to open and close the storage compartment and equipped with the ice bucket;

An outer door that prevents the ice bucket from being exposed to the outside and is rotatable relative to the inner door; Refrigerator comprising more.
The method of claim 14,

When the outer door is opened, the ice bucket is separated from the inner door or in front of the inner door or coupled to the inner door.