KR20240084143A - Ice maker and refrigerator including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an ice maker and a refrigerator including the same. the ice maker comprises: an ice making tray having a plurality of ice making grooves in which ice making water is accommodated; an ice separating motor driven to separate ice from the ice making grooves; and an ice separating heater provided in the ice making tray to heat the ice making tray. the ice making groove has a structure in which at least one of a shape and a size is formed differently.

Description

Ice maker and refrigerator including same {ICE MAKER AND REFRIGERATOR INCLUDING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to an ice maker and a refrigerator including the same.

In general, a refrigerator is a device that stores food at low temperatures to prevent food deterioration at room temperature. Recently, products equipped with refrigerator ice makers that provide ice to users separately from food have been released.

An ice maker for a refrigerator includes an ice tray with a plurality of ice-making grooves for automatically receiving water and making ice of a certain size, and an ice bank provided at the bottom of the ice tray to store ice moved by a moving motor.

Here, there may be two methods for moving the ice made in the ice tray. The ice tray itself is twisted using the above-described moving motor to separate the ice made from the ice making groove, and then the ice below it is separated. A twist type is used to drop the ice into a bank, and a moving heater is used to apply a certain amount of moving heat to an ice tray made of metal, thereby separating the ice from the ice-making groove and rotating a separate ice ejector. This is the type of heater that is pushed to one side of the tray and dropped into the ice bank at the bottom.

In general, such ice makers are structured so that when ice making is completed, ice is loaded into a container so that it can be withdrawn and used when necessary. Accordingly, there is a need to form a cold airflow so that the ice in the ice maker is maintained below a certain temperature.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2013-0078532

The present invention was developed to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, and allows the shape and size of the ice made by the ice maker to be formed differently, thereby satisfying the user's preference as needed, and a refrigerator including the same. The purpose is to provide.

The problem of the present invention is not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

One embodiment of the ice maker according to the present invention is:

An ice-making tray having a plurality of ice-making grooves for receiving ice-making water;

a moving motor driven to move ice from the ice making groove;

A moving heater is provided on the ice-making tray and heats the ice-making tray,

The ice-making groove may include a structure that is formed differently in at least one of shape and size.

In addition, another embodiment of the ice maker according to the present invention is,

An ice-making tray having a plurality of ice-making grooves for receiving ice-making water;

a moving motor driven to move ice from the ice making groove; and

It includes a supporter part that is fixed to one side of the ice-making tray and forms an external shape,

The ice-making groove includes a structure formed differently in at least one of shape and size.

In one example of the present invention, the ice making groove may further include a guidance guide unit that guides ice of different shapes and sizes.

In one example of the present invention, the ice making groove includes a first ice making groove; and

A second ice making groove may be formed to have a relatively smaller size than the first ice making groove.

In one example of the present invention, the first ice making grooves may be formed to be relatively smaller than the number of second ice making grooves.

In one example of the present invention, a water supply connection is formed to continuously supply ice-making water to the ice-making groove, and the water supply connection may include a structure formed at a partition separated from an adjacent ice-making groove.

In one example of the present invention, an ice bank into which ice moving from the ice-making groove falls may be further included.

In one example of the present invention, the ice-making groove of the ice-making tray may have a circular, polygonal, diamond-shaped, or oval cross-section.

In one example of the present invention, the ice-making tray may include a heater type or a twist type.

In one example of the present invention, the ice-making tray may be manufactured including at least one of metal material, rubber material, and resin.

In one example of the present invention, the ice making tray is It can be cast by die casting method.

In one example of the present invention, the ice-making tray may be made of metal, and may include metal that has been treated to prevent rusting through electrolytic polishing.

In one example of the present invention, the heater unit may include a silicon cord heater or a planar heater.

In one example of the present invention, a water supply unit that supplies ice-making water to the ice-making groove may be formed on one side of the ice maker main body.

Meanwhile, the present invention provides a refrigerator including the ice maker,

A cabinet that forms the exterior of the refrigerator and creates an internal storage space;

A door that opens and closes the storage space of the cabinet;

an ice maker disposed on one side of the cabinet; and

It includes a cooling unit disposed on one side of the ice maker,

The cooling unit may include a structure in which ice making is performed by directly contacting at least a portion of the ice maker.

In one example of the present invention, one side of the cabinet may include a structure that blows cold air toward the ice maker to exchange heat.

The ice maker and the refrigerator including the same according to the present invention have the effect of satisfying the user's preference as needed by allowing the ice made by the ice maker to be formed in different shapes and sizes.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

1 is a diagram showing a refrigerator equipped with an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a schematic front view of a heater-type ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3 is a schematic front view of a twist-type ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 and 5 are diagrams schematically showing an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figures 6 and 7 are perspective views of an ice-making tray in which ice-making grooves are formed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an ice maker and a refrigerator including the same according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. When adding reference numerals to components in each drawing, it should be noted that identical components are given the same reference numerals as much as possible even if they are shown in different drawings. Additionally, when describing embodiments of the present invention, if detailed descriptions of related known configurations or functions are judged to impede understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, the detailed descriptions will be omitted.

In describing the components of the embodiment of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are only used to distinguish the component from other components, and the nature, order, or order of the component is not limited by the term. Additionally, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related technology, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal sense unless explicitly defined in the present application. No.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing a refrigerator equipped with an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figures 2 and 3 show a heater type and a twist type ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 4 and Figure 5 shows schematic diagrams of an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to these drawings, a refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an ice maker 100.

The refrigerator 1 may include a cabinet forming a storage compartment with an open front, and at least one door 8 or 9 that opens and closes the open front of the storage compartment.

The storage compartment may include at least one of a refrigerator compartment for storing food in a refrigerated state and a freezer compartment for storing food in a frozen state. The refrigerator 1 of this embodiment is illustrated as including both the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment, and the refrigerating compartment may be provided above the freezing compartment.

The doors 8 and 9 may include a refrigerator compartment door 8 that opens and closes the refrigerator compartment, and a freezer compartment door 9 that opens and closes the freezer compartment. There are two refrigerator compartment doors (8) arranged to the left and right of each other. The left refrigerator compartment door (8) can open and close the left side, which is part of the refrigerator compartment, and the right refrigerator compartment door (8) can open and close the right side, which is the remaining portion of the refrigerator compartment. You can.

The ice maker 100 may be installed in at least one of the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment. The refrigerator 1 of this embodiment may have an ice maker 100 installed in the upper left corner of the refrigerator compartment.

The ice maker 100 can receive ice-making water from the refrigerator 1, and can produce the ice by turning the ice-making water into ice using cold air supplied to the storage compartment from the refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator 1. .

This ice maker 100 includes a case 10, a control box 20, a circulation fan (not shown), a flow path cover with an opening (not shown), an ice tray 102, and a drain plate (not shown). It is done. As it is shown in FIG. 2 as an example for explanation in this embodiment, it is not limited, and the storage unit through which the ice is moved after the ice is manufactured, and the auger motor and screw installed in the storage unit, and the ice tray 102 The configuration of the water supply unit that supplies ice-making water is not shown.

In the ice maker 100 according to the present invention, the circulation fan is located on the control box 20 side. In particular, the circulation fan is formed at the lower end of one side of the control box 20, and is formed in various directions with a predetermined inclination.

The air in the ice-making chamber 100 may be circulated by driving the circulation fan 200. The air in the ice making room 100 may be at a temperature lower than room temperature through heat exchange. The low-temperature air moves around the ice tray 102 and can lower the temperature of the ice tray 102, and due to the lowered temperature of the ice tray 102, the ice-making water provided to the ice tray 102 is in an ice state. It can be. Of course, a heater unit (not shown) or a cooling unit 120 may be placed in contact with the ice tray 102. The heater unit can heat ice so that it moves when moving, and the cooling unit 120 can be a pipe through which refrigerant can flow inside. By placing the pipe in contact with the ice tray 102, the ice tray 102 can be maintained at a sub-zero temperature or cooled to a sub-zero temperature.

Meanwhile, an ice box (not shown) may be installed in the storage compartment of the refrigerator 1. The ice box may be placed below the ice maker 100. The ice box may be formed in a cylindrical shape with an open upper side. Ice made in the ice maker 100 may be transferred from the ice maker 100 to an ice box and stored in the ice box.

An auger may be placed within the ice box. The auger may be installed in the ice box 2 to be rotatable in the circumferential direction. Both ends of the auger may be rotatably coupled to both sides of the ice box. A spiral groove may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the auger. When the auger rotates, it can transfer ice stored in the ice box to the outside of the ice box through the spiral groove. The auger may be rotated by the driving force of an auger motor installed on one side of the ice box.

Meanwhile, the ice maker 100 according to the present invention includes a control box 20, an ice-making tray 102 extending in one direction from the control box 20 and having an ice-making groove 15 through which ice-making water is made into ice. It can be configured. A body cover 11 extending from both sides and fixed to the control box 20 may be formed on the ice-making tray 102.

An ice making groove 15 may be formed in the ice making tray 102. The ice-making groove 15 may be formed of a plurality of ice-making grooves 15 spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction of the ice-making tray 102 . The ice making groove 15 may be formed on the upper surface of the ice making tray 102. Here, the ice-making grooves 15 of the ice-making tray 102 according to the present invention are formed in various shapes and sizes that can be used to make ice, and these ice-making grooves 15 will be described in more detail below.

The control box 30 may be formed in the shape of a square cylinder. The control box 30 may be placed at one end of the ice-making tray 102. The ice-making tray 102 may be placed on one side of the control box 30. One end of the ice making tray 102 may be placed on one side of the control box 30 . One end of the ice-making tray 102 may be placed on one side of the control box case 31, which will be described later. The length of the ice-making tray 102 may extend horizontally from one side of the control box 30.

A water supply unit may be disposed at the other end of the ice-making tray 102. The water supply unit may be formed on the ice maker cover 60, which will be described later. The water supply unit may be formed at one end of the ice maker cover 60 that is farther from the control box 30. The water supply unit may form a flow path that supplies ice-making water to the ice-making groove 15. Ice-making water may be supplied from the water supply unit to the ice-making groove 15. The ice-making water supplied to the ice-making groove 15 may be cooled by the cold air in the storage compartment of the refrigerator 1 and turned into ice.

Additionally, the ice maker 100 according to the present invention may include a heat exchange unit. The heat exchange unit may include one or more of the heater unit (not shown) and the cooling unit 120, and at least one may be inserted into the ice tray 102. For insertion placement, it may be inserted and injection molded during manufacturing of the ice tray 102.

Additionally, the heater unit may be a planar heater. Heat can be transferred through surface contact with the bottom surface of the planar heater and the ice tray 102, and ice transfer can be achieved through the heat transfer. The ice maker may further include another heater. Moisture generated during repeated heating and cooling may condense on the bottom of the ice tray 102 and fall downward, and the fallen water droplets may reach the drain plate disposed at the bottom. Water droplets that reach the drain plate may freeze due to the internal environment of the ice-making room. If the ice accumulates, the purpose of drainage may be lost, so heat from the heater can be transferred to a location where there is a possibility of freezing. The heater is a thawing heater (not shown) and can be located inside the drain plate for thawing.

The drain plate further includes the thaw heater to prevent freezing on the surface, and the thaw heater and the heater unit may be electrically connected in one or more of series and parallel. This heater unit and the thaw heater may be electrically connected to each other, and may be connected through one or more of series and parallel methods. This is because a plurality of each of the heater unit and the thawing heater may be provided.

The control box 20 may be connected to a full ice lever (not shown) operated by cam rotation. In this case, the ice-making process can be mechanically linked because the operation of the ice-making lever is involved during the operation of one cycle. Additionally, the full ice lever can be controlled by detection by an infrared sensor. In the case of being controlled by whether or not the infrared sensor is detected, the operation may be induced periodically or may be selectively determined by a combination of conditions such as detection time of the full ice lever in the infrared sensor area.

Meanwhile, the ice maker may further include an ice full detection unit (not shown). The ice level detection unit may detect the level of ice stored in the ice box. The full ice detection unit may be formed as a lever type rotatably provided in the control box 20, or may be provided as an optical sensor consisting of an optical light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. The signal detected by the ice level detection unit can be input to a control unit (C), which will be described later, and the control unit can determine whether the ice stored in the ice box is full through the signal input from the ice level detection unit. If the ice stored in the ice storage bowl is full, the control unit (C) may stop supplying the ice-making water to the ice-making groove 15 and stop the production of ice. Of course, if the ice stored in the ice storage bowl is not full, the control unit can restart production of the ice.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cooled ice-making water is in an ice state, and the ice may be in ice form. For ice removal, the ice tray 102 may be twisted or rotated by an ejector (not shown). In this embodiment, the ice tray 102 is moved by twisting or a metal ice tray is moved by rotation of the ejector. It may be (102). Of course, it may be a material containing polypropylene.

The ice maker 100 according to this embodiment may include a heater type and a twist type depending on the type of ice used to separate the ice.

Here, the heater-type ice maker among the ice makers according to an embodiment of the present invention is equipped with a drive box 200 in which electrical components and driving parts are built, and one side of the drive box 200, as shown in FIG. 2. It may include an ice-making tray 102 with a plurality of ice-making grooves 15 formed on the upper side, and an ejector and eject pin 25 disposed on the upper side of the ice-making tray 102 to eject the transferred ice.

Inside this drive box, a microcomputer (not shown) as a practical control unit and a printed circuit board with various electrical components for driving it are mounted, an electrically driven drive motor, a gear set linked to the drive motor, and the gear set. It may include an interlocking lever provided to be interlocked.

Meanwhile, among the ice makers according to an embodiment of the present invention, the twist type ice maker has a drive box 20 that is the same as the heater type ice maker described above, as shown in FIG. 3, and a case forming the outer shape of the drive box 20. and an ice-making tray 102 provided on one side of the case, with a plurality of ice-making grooves 15 formed on the upper side, and rotatable at a predetermined angle.

Heater-type ice makers and twist-type ice makers can be distinguished by the presence or absence of a moving heater (not shown) and whether the ice-making tray 102 is rotated to twist. In particular, the position of the drive motor disposed inside the drive box and the design of the gear set may be different depending on whether the drive box is a heater type or a twist type.

In the case of a heater type ice maker, when ice making is completed in the ice making groove 15 of the ice making tray 102, the ice is transferred by the moving heater unit that applies a predetermined heat to the ice making tray 102, and then The ejector rod provided with the ejector pin 25 is rotated by the interlocking operation of the drive motor and the cyke gear set provided inside the drive box 200, and the plurality of ejector pins 25 are rotated to remove the moved ice. It is driven to store ice in a lower ice storage container (not shown).

In addition, in the case of a twist-type ice maker, when ice-making of ice-making water is completed in the ice-making groove 15 of the ice-making tray 102, the drive motor is driven and the gear sets are interlocked, and one of the gear sets As the ice-making tray 102, which is directly connected to the gear shaft, is rotated in one direction, one end is twisted in an interference motion, and due to this twisting operation, the ice made in the ice-making groove 15 is transferred and at the same time, the ice below the ice-making tray 102 is moved. Ice falls into a storage container and is stored.

Figures 6 and 7 are perspective views of an ice-making tray in which ice-making grooves are formed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to these drawings, ice-making grooves 15 of different shapes and sizes may be formed in the ice-making tray 102 according to the present invention. The ice-making groove 15 may be formed of a plurality of ice-making grooves 15 spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction of the ice-making tray 102 . The ice making groove 15 may be formed on the upper surface of the ice making tray 102.

Here, the ice making grooves 15 of the ice making tray 102 according to the present invention may be formed in different shapes and sizes to enable ice making.

Specifically, the ice making groove 15 of the ice making tray 102 according to the present invention is relatively smaller in size than the first ice making groove 16 and the first ice making groove 16 having a circular, square, or polygonal shape in plan view. It may be configured to include a second ice making groove 17 formed. At this time, the first ice making groove 16 and the second ice making groove 17 may be arranged adjacent to each other, or may be provided in a mixed form.

Here, a water supply connection part 18 is formed so that ice water is continuously supplied to the first ice making groove 16 and the second ice making groove 17, and the water supply connection part 18 is located at a partition wall separated from the adjacent ice making groove. can be formed. Accordingly, external ice-making water can be continuously supplied through the water supply connection part 19 while penetrating the water supply connection part 18.

An ice bank (not shown) may be disposed on the lower side of the ice-making tray 102, and therefore, ice transferred from the ice-making tray 102 may fall into the ice bank.

The ice moving from the first ice making groove 16 and the second ice making groove 17 may be formed with a guide part (not shown) that guides the ice to fall in different directions depending on its size and shape. At this time, the guidance guide may guide the ice being transferred from the first ice making groove 16 and the second ice making groove 17 to be moved simultaneously or alternately.

Accordingly, the user's convenience of use can be improved by allowing the ice moving from the first ice making groove 16 and the second ice making groove 17 to fall separately and be stored in the ice bank.

Above, an embodiment of an ice maker and a refrigerator including the same according to the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, the embodiments of the present invention are not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is natural that various modifications and equivalent implementations can be made by those skilled in the art. will be. Therefore, the true scope of rights of the present invention will be determined by the claims described later.

1: refrigerator
11: Body cover
15: Ice making groove
16: First ice making groove
17: Second ice making groove
19: Water supply unit
20: Control box
100: Ice maker
102: Ice tray
120: heater unit

Claims (16)

An ice-making tray having a plurality of ice-making grooves for receiving ice-making water;
a moving motor driven to move ice from the ice making groove;
A moving heater is provided on the ice-making tray and heats the ice-making tray,
The ice making groove includes a structure in which at least one of shape and size is different.
An ice-making tray having a plurality of ice-making grooves for receiving ice-making water;
a moving motor driven to move ice from the ice making groove; and
It includes a supporter part that is fixed to one side of the ice-making tray and forms an external shape,
The ice making groove includes a structure in which at least one of shape and size is different.
The method of claim 1 or 2,
The ice maker further includes a guiding guide unit that guides ice of different shapes and sizes transferred from the ice making groove.
The method of claim 1 or 2,
The ice making groove is,
First ice making groove; and
An ice maker comprising: a second ice making groove formed in a relatively smaller size than the first ice making groove.
According to claim 4,
An ice maker wherein the first ice making grooves are formed in a relatively smaller number than the number of second ice making grooves.
The method of claim 1 or 2,
An ice maker comprising a water supply connection connected to continuously supply ice water to the ice making groove, and the water supply connection being formed at a partition separated from an adjacent ice making groove.
The method of claim 1 or 2,
The ice maker further comprising: an ice bank into which ice moving from the ice-making groove falls.
The method of claim 1 or 2,
The ice making groove of the ice making tray is formed in a circular, polygonal, diamond, or oval cross-section.
The method of claim 1 or 2,
The ice making tray includes a heater type or a twist type.
The method of claim 1 or 2,
The ice making tray is manufactured including at least one of metal material, rubber material, and resin.
According to claim 1,
An ice maker, wherein the ice tray is cast by a die casting method.
According to claim 1,
The ice making tray is made of metal and has been treated to prevent rusting through electrolytic polishing.
The method of claim 1 or 2,
An ice maker wherein the heater unit includes a silicone cord heater or a planar heater.
The method of claim 1 or 2,
An ice maker, wherein a water supply part that supplies ice-making water to the ice-making groove is formed on one side of the ice-making machine body.
A cabinet that forms the exterior of the refrigerator and creates an internal storage space;
A door that opens and closes the storage space of the cabinet;
an ice maker disposed on one side of the cabinet; and
It includes a cooling unit disposed on one side of the ice maker,
A refrigerator, wherein the cooling unit includes a structure in which ice making is performed by directly contacting at least a portion of the ice maker.
According to claim 15,
A refrigerator including a structure on one side of the cabinet for blowing cold air toward the ice maker to exchange heat.