KR20000019471A - Ice maker assembly permitting selective taking of ice pieces from refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An ice maker assembly is provided to achieve an enhanced ice piece dispensing system and reduction of number of components while eliminating an additional ice crusher. CONSTITUTION: An ice maker assembly comprises a plurality of ice making containers, a plurality of ice storing containers(V) arranged in parallel with a cross wall formed therebetween for accommodating ice pieces supplied from the ice making containers, springs(54a,54b) arranged in lengthwise direction to be rotatable within the storing containers(V), ice transport cylinders(56a,56b) arranged at each end of springs(54a,54b), a motor(59) for supplying a power for rotating the springs, a power transmitting unit for transmitting the power of the motor to each spring, a front plate(50) for sealing the container(V) by supporting an end of the axis of the spring penetrating through the cylinders and exposing to the outside of the container(V), the front plate having a plurality of ice piece outlets(50a) for discharging the ice piece transported via the cylinders, and a housing(51) arranged at an outer side of the front plate so as to guide the ice pieces discharged via the outlets.

Description

Ice Maker Assembly for Ice Sorting of Refrigerator

The present invention relates to an ice maker assembly for ice sorting out of a refrigerator capable of producing and supplying large and small pieces of ice. Particularly, the present invention relates to a sorting process after preparing large and small pieces of ice by an ice making container without crushing and manufacturing a desired size of ice. It is possible to reduce the number of parts requiring high-strength design, eliminate noise during ice crushing, and maximize the ice storage space by constructing the ice extracting structure that can be supplied. An ice maker assembly for extracting ice from a refrigerator.

Recently, as the dietary culture of Korea is gradually westernized, the ice consumption rate is greatly increasing. Also, as the tastes of consumers are gradually diversified, multifunctional large capacity refrigerators equipped with various convenience facilities are rapidly spreading to general households. have. The most representative example of such a convenience facility is a dispenser that allows water or ice to be easily taken out of the refrigerator.

In general, the internal structure of the refrigerator having a dispenser capable of selectively extracting water or ice, as shown in Figure 1, the water supply unit 10 for supplying the water flowing from the outside to the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment, and The water tank 20 for storing the water supplied from the water supply unit 10, the water supply pipe 31 for transferring the water supplied from the water tank to the freezer compartment, and the water transferred through the water supply pipe 31 An ice maker assembly 30 for receiving and ice-making, a water supply pipe 41 for transferring the water supplied from the water tank to the refrigerating chamber, and water supplied through the water supply pipe 41 and supplied from the water supply unit 10. It consists of the dispenser 40 for selectively taking out the ice to become.

The water supply unit 10 has a water supply valve 11 for supplying or blocking water introduced through the external water pipe, a filter 12 for purifying water supplied through the water supply valve 11, and The water supply control valve 13 for distributing the purified water through the filter 12 toward the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment.

The ice maker assembly 30 includes an ice making container D for receiving water transferred through the water supply pipe 31, a temperature sensor (not shown) provided at one side of the ice making container D, and the ice making container. And an ice storage container (V) for receiving and storing the ice iced by the ice maker (32) from the ice maker (D). The ice storage container (V) is installed on one side of the ice detection lever (not shown) to continuously detect the amount of ice inside, it is connected to the dispenser 40 internally.

2 and 3 show the internal structure and the ice extraction structure of the ice storage container (V) applied to the conventional ice maker assembly 30, respectively. As shown in the figure, the structure is a guide bush 152 rotatably installed on an inner surface of the ice storage container (V), and coupled to the guide bush 152 is horizontal across the ice storage container (V) A transfer spring 154 installed in a direction, an ice transfer container 156 formed at an inner front portion of the ice storage container V, a helix 156a embedded in the ice transfer container 156, A front plate 150 for blocking and fixing the front side of the ice storage container V, a housing 151 coupled to the outside of the front plate 150, and the transfer spring penetrating the inside of the housing 151. A cutting blade 157 provided on the shaft of 154 and a guide plate 157a disposed on the outer circumference of the cutting blade 157 and the guide plate 157a and the cutting blade 157 by switching positions of the guide plate 157a. Ice shifting bar (1) fixed to one side of the housing 151 to control the distance between the (1) to adjust the size of the ice (1) 55).

The transfer spring 154 is connected to the motor 159 by the guide bush 152, the front plate 150 uses a metal material to reinforce the strength of the ice storage container (V) made of a synthetic resin material The housing 151 for protecting the cutting blade 157 and the guide plate 157a is screwed and fixed to the outside of the front plate 150, and the transfer spring 154 protruding to the outside of the housing 151. An ice discharge port 158 is formed at the lower end of the housing 151 so as to communicate with the ice discharge passage 2 connected to the discharge port 43 of the dispenser 40 at the lower end of the housing 151. .

In addition, the guide plate 157a is connected to the ice switch bar 155, and one side of the ice switch bar 155 is provided with a control valve 159a and the control valve 159a together with the motor 159. It is possible to adjust the shape of the guide plate 157a according to the size of the ice (1) taken out during operation.

Meanwhile, the dispenser 40 has a front panel 42 of the dispenser 40 installed at one side of the refrigerating compartment door, and the front panel 42 has a water selection button 45 and an ice selection for selecting a desired item. A button 46 is formed, and an outlet 43 for discharging the item is formed inside the front panel 42, and a cup 3 is formed in the outlet 43 to receive water or ice 1. ), A pressurized blowout lever 44 protrudes from the cup 3 so that the dispenser 40 can be operated.

The refrigerator having the dispenser 40 as described above controls the water supply control valve 13 by a predetermined signal transmitted from a microcomputer (not shown) to supply a water supply pipe 31 connected to the water supply control valve 13. Since either one of the openings 41 is open, the purified water flowing through the water supply unit 10 is supplied to the ice maker container D or the dispenser 40 of the refrigerating chamber to stand by in the ice 1 or water state, When the cup 3 is installed on the 43 to operate the water selection button 45 or the ice selection button 46 from the outside in the state in which the draw lever 44 is pressurized, the water or ice 1 ) Is discharged into the cup 3 through the outlet 43.

In the case where the water or ice 1 is to be taken out, when the user operates the water selection button 45 to take out the water, the water supply control valve 13 receiving the signal is supplied with the water supply pipe 41 on the side of the refrigerating chamber. While communicating, the purified water of a predetermined pressure flows into the water tank 20 and pressurizes the water filled in the water tank of about 1.5 liters so that the pressurized water is discharged through the outlet 43 and a predetermined amount of ice. After taking out (1), the water corresponding to the amount is automatically supplied to the ice making container (D) so that a certain amount of ice (1) can always be generated and stored, and a predetermined amount of water or ice ( After taking out 1), the water tank 20 or the ice-making container D is operated to automatically supply and fill water. In this case, the ice maker assembly 30 determines the completion of ice making by recognizing whether the state of the ice making container D corresponds to the set temperature by a temperature sensor after the water supply is completed in the ice making container D. When the ice reaches the temperature and the ice is completed, the ice detection lever is operated to determine the state of filling the ice (1) in the ice storage container (V). When the ice (1) is not full, the ice from the ice making container (D) After receiving 1), the process of rewatering the ice-making container D is in progress, and when the ice 1 is full, the ice amount is detected by re-detecting every predetermined time. The de-icing process is repeated until the amount of ice 1 desired by the user is generated, and the cooling air generated from the fan (not shown) of the freezer compartment is sent to the ice maker assembly 30 through the grill hole and de-iced, It is stored in the ice storage container (V).

The extraction process of the ice 1 produced by the ice making process as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

When the cup 3 is installed at the outlet 43 of the dispenser 40 and the ice selection button 46 is operated from the outside while the ejecting lever 44 is pressed, the motor 159 is operated and the ice storage container is operated. The guide bush 152 and the conveying spring 154 installed on one inner wall of (V) are rotated, and the ice 1 filled in the ice storage container V is rotated by the conveying spring 154. When pushed in a predetermined direction by the ice transfer container 156, the helix 156a therein is rotated to push the uniform amount of ice 1 to the position of the cutting blade 157.

If the user wants a large size of ice 1, the ice switch bar 155 is operated to isolate the guide plate 157a inside the housing 151 from the cutting blade 157, thereby allowing the ice 1 to be an ice room. It exits as it is through the outlet 158 and falls into the cup 3 installed in the outlet 43 of the dispenser 40 via the ice ejection passage 2.

In addition, when the user wants a small size of ice (1), the ice conversion bar 155 is not operated, the ice (1) by keeping the guide plate 157a disposed adjacent to the outer circumference of the cutting blade 157 ) Is pulverized between the guide plate 157a and the cutting blade 157 and then exits through the ice discharge port 158 and falls into the cup 3 via the ice discharge passage 2.

However, in the conventional ice maker assembly 30, when the small ice 1 is to be taken out, the ice 1 is caught on the guide plate 157a of the ice storage container V, and in this case, the cutting blade 157 There was a problem that the ice (1) is sandwiched between the cutting blade (157) while scraping up with the rotation of the).

In addition, since a large amount of force is required to crush the ice (1), power loss is large, and the cutting blade 157 and its surrounding parts must maintain a high strength so as to overcome the load during the crushing of the ice (1). Design has to be made, there is a problem that the storage capacity of the ice (1) is reduced as much as it requires a separate space for accommodating parts necessary for ice (1) crushing.

In addition, there is a problem in that noise is greatly generated in the process of crushing the ice (1) to reduce the product reliability.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, by constructing an ice extraction structure that can be selectively supplied after the production of large and small ice by the ice making container without crushing the size of the ice desired by the user It is possible to reduce the number of parts requiring high-strength design, eliminate noise during crushing, and maximize the ice storage space. The purpose is to provide.

1 is a schematic internal structural diagram of a refrigerator equipped with a dispenser for water / ice selective extraction;

2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of the ice storage container applied to a conventional ice maker assembly;

Figure 3 is a front view of an ice storage container showing a conventional ice extraction structure,

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of an ice storage container applied to the ice sorting assembly for ice screening of the present invention,

5 is a plan view of the ice storage container according to the present invention,

6 is a front view of the ice storage container according to the present invention.

** Description of symbols for the main parts of the drawing **

D; Ice maker V; Ice storage container

30; Ice maker assembly 31; feed pipe

32; Ice maker 33a; Small Ice Container

33b; Large ice tray 50; Front panel

50a; Ice outlet 51; housing

52; Barrier ribs 54a, 54b; Feed spring

56a, 56b; Ice carrier 57; Helix

58; Ice outlet 59; Motor

60; Drive gear 61a, 61b; Driven gear

In order to achieve the above object, the ice-picking assembly of the refrigerator for extracting ice according to the present invention includes a plurality of ice-making containers for producing ice of different sizes, and are arranged side by side with the partition wall interposed therebetween. A plurality of ice storage containers for respectively accommodating large and small ice supplied from the container, a plurality of transfer springs arranged in the longitudinal direction so as to be rotatable inside each of the ice storage containers, and ice installed at each end of the transfer springs A transfer passage, a motor for providing power for rotating the transfer spring, a power transmission unit for transmitting the rotational force of the motor to each transfer spring so that the transfer spring can rotate in a predetermined direction, and the ice The shaft ends of the transfer spring protruding to the outside of the ice storage container through the transfer container are supported And a front plate having a plurality of ice outlets for sealing the ice storage container and extracting the ice transferred through the respective ice transfer vessels to the outside, and installed outside the front plate. And a housing for guiding the ice towards the dispenser.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Since the internal structure of the refrigerator provided with the dispenser 40 capable of selectively extracting water or ice according to the present invention is the same as described above based on FIG. 1, a detailed description of the structure of each unit will be omitted.

4 to 6 shows the structure of the ice storage container (V) applied to the ice sorting takeout assembly assembly 30 of the present invention, Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view, Figure 5 is a plan view, Figure 6 is a front view respectively. It is shown.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 to 6, the ice maker assembly 30 for ice sorting out of the refrigerator according to the present invention includes an ice maker D for receiving water transferred through the water supply pipe 31. A temperature sensor (not shown) provided at one side of the ice maker (D), an ice maker (32) for ice-making water contained in the ice maker (D), and ice iced by the ice maker (32). Ice storage container (V) for receiving and storing from the ice-making container (D).

The ice storage container (V) is installed on one side of the ice detection lever (not shown) to continuously detect the amount of ice inside, it is connected to the dispenser 40 internally.

The ice maker assembly 30 according to the present invention has small and large ice trays 33a and 33b for producing ice of different sizes, and are arranged side by side with the partition 52 interposed therebetween. A plurality of ice storage containers (V) for accommodating the large and small ice supplied from (33a) (33b), respectively, and a plurality of conveying arranged in the longitudinal direction so as to be rotatable inside each of these ice storage containers (V) Provides power for rotating the ice conveying vessels 56a and 56b provided at the distal ends of the springs 54a and 54b and the conveying springs 54a and 54b, and the conveying springs 54a and 54b. And a power transmission unit for transmitting the rotational force of the motor 59 to each of the transfer springs 54a and 54b so that the transfer springs 54a and 54b rotate in a predetermined direction. 60 and a transfer spring 54a that penetrates through the ice transfer containers 56a and 56b and protrudes out of the ice storage container V. A plurality of ice outlets 50a capable of supporting the shaft ends of the 54b to seal the ice storage container V and extracting the ice transported through the ice transfer containers 56a and 56b to the outside. ) Is formed on the front plate 50 and the housing 51 which is installed outside the front plate 50 to guide the ice taken out through the ice outlet 50a toward the dispenser 40.

That is, the present invention is provided with a separate ice storage container (V) at the lower end of the small ice container (33a) and the large ice container (33b) around the partition 52, each ice storage container (V) After the different sizes of ice are stored in the user, only the ice of the desired size can be selectively taken out.

Helix 57 is formed on the inner wall of each of the ice conveying vessels 56a and 56b to smoothly transport the ice, and an ice ejection passage connected to the outlet of the dispenser 40 at the lower end of the housing 51. An ice discharge port 58 is formed to pass through.

Each of the transfer springs 54a and 54b has winding directions opposite to each other so that only one of the transfer springs 54a or 54b may selectively move the ice forward when the motor 59 rotates. In some cases, a spiral plate structure may be applied as an alternative means of the transfer springs 54a and 54b, and the motor 59 preferably uses a DC motor capable of forward and reverse rotation. .

In addition, the power transmission unit 60 is a drive gear 61 fixed to the shaft of the motor 59, and the shaft end of the transfer spring (54a, 54b) with the drive gear 61 therebetween. And a plurality of driven gears 62a and 62b, which are respectively fixed to and rotated in engagement with the drive gear 61.

Referring to the operating principle of the present invention configured as described above are as follows.

The refrigerator according to the present invention controls the water supply control valve 13 according to a predetermined signal transmitted from the internal microcomputer, so that any one of the water supply pipes 31 and 41 connected to the water supply control valve 13 is opened, thereby supplying water. Purified water flowing through the unit 10 is supplied to the dispenser 40 of the ice making container (D) or the refrigerating chamber to stand by in ice or water, and a cup is installed in the outlet 43 so that the extraction lever 44 When the water selection button 45 or the ice selection button 46 is operated from the outside in the pressurized state, water or ice is discharged into the cup through the outlet 43 according to the external command.

In particular, the ice maker assembly 30 of the present invention can be easily taken out without the need to grind to the desired ice size when the user wants to take out the ice.

That is, the ice maker assembly 30 determines the completion of ice making by recognizing whether the state of the ice making container D corresponds to the set temperature by the temperature sensor after the water supply is completed in the ice making container D. When the ice reaches the temperature and the ice is completed, the ice detection lever is operated to determine the state of ice filling in both ice storage containers V. When the ice is not full, ice is supplied from each ice making container 33a (33b). Then, the process of refeeding each said ice-making container 33a and 33b progresses, and when ice is full, it re-examines every fixed time and detects the amount of ice. The ice making process is repeated until the amount of ice desired by the user is produced.

Referring to the extraction process of the ice produced by the ice making process as follows.

First, when the motor 59 rotates in one of the forward and reverse directions to rotate the drive gear 61, the driven gears 62a and 62b on both sides engaged with the drive gear 61 rotate in the same direction. Each transfer spring 54a, 54b is rotated.

At this time, the transfer springs 54a and 54b are rotated in the same direction, but since the winding directions thereof are opposite to each other, any one of these transfer springs rotates in the forward direction and moves the ice inside toward the ice outlet 50a. It is pushed, the other one of the transport spring is pushed in the opposite direction of the ice outlet (50a) while rotating in the reverse direction, so that the user can take out only the ice of the desired size.

The motor 59 is freely controlled by the microcomputer in the forward or reverse direction, so that the large and small ice can be selected and taken out.

The operation is completed by installing a cup in the ejection opening 43 of the dispenser 40 and pressing the ice size selection button (not shown) from the outside while the ejecting lever 44 is pressurized. As the motor 59 operates, the transfer spring 54a or 54b of the ice storage container V containing the ice of the selected size is rotated forward, and the ice filled in the ice storage container V is moved. When the feed spring 54a or 54b is pushed in a predetermined direction and introduced into the ice transport container 56a or 56b, the helix 57 rotates and a uniform amount of ice is pushed out of the ice outlet 50a. The ice is released through the ice discharge port 58 as it is, and falls into the cup installed in the discharge port 43 of the dispenser 40 through the ice discharge passage.

The effects of the present invention maintaining the extraction state as described above are as follows.

The ice sorting assembly for ice sorting assembly 30 according to the present invention does not manufacture by crushing the size of the ice desired by the user, after producing large and small ice by small and large ice trays 33a and 33b separately prepared. By constructing an ice extraction structure that can be selectively supplied by the ice storage container (V) to accommodate the ice that is iced from the ice, a separate ice crushing device is unnecessary, reducing the number of parts requiring high-strength design, ice Not only can the noise during grinding be removed, but various effects can be obtained by maximizing the ice storage space by removing the existing ice crusher.

Claims (4)

A plurality of ice storage containers for producing ice of different sizes, and a plurality of ice storage containers for receiving large and small pieces of ice supplied from the respective ice-making containers, arranged side by side with the bulkhead interposed therebetween; A plurality of transfer springs arranged in the longitudinal direction so as to be rotatable inside the ice storage container, an ice transfer container installed at each end of the transfer spring, a motor providing power for rotating the transfer spring, A power transmission unit which transmits the rotational force of the rotor to each of the transfer springs so that the transfer springs can rotate in a predetermined direction, and supports the shaft ends of the transfer springs that protrude out of the ice storage container through the ice transfer container. The ice storage container can be sealed and the ice transferred through each ice container can be taken out. And a housing installed at an outer side of the front plate to guide the ice taken out through the ice outlet toward the dispenser. The ice sorting of the refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein each of the transfer springs has winding directions formed in opposite directions so that only one transfer spring may selectively move the ice forward when the motor rotates. Blowing ice maker assembly. The ice machine assembly of claim 1 or 2, wherein the motor applies a direct current motor capable of forward and reverse rotation. According to claim 1, wherein the power transmission unit is a drive gear fixed to the shaft of the motor, a plurality of follower is fixed to the shaft end of the transfer spring with the drive gear therebetween to rotate in engagement with the drive gear. Ice sorter assembly for extracting ice of the refrigerator, characterized in that consisting of air.