KR200191367Y1 - Ice feeding apparatus for refrigerators - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ice conveying apparatus for a refrigerator, and more particularly, to an ice conveying apparatus for a refrigerator to prevent ice cubes from sticking together inside the ice storage container.

Ice transfer device according to the present invention is a stirring means rotatably installed on the side of the spiral shaft rotated by the drive of the motor to agitate the ice pieces in the ice reservoir, and the power transmission mediated power transmission so that the stirring means rotates with the spiral shaft It is provided with a power transmission means, the ice pieces inside the ice reservoir are continuously stirred while the transfer of the ice by the rotation of the spiral shaft is not tangled with each other, thereby making it easy to discharge the ice.

Description

ICE FEEDING APPARATUS FOR REFRIGERATORS}

The present invention relates to an ice conveying apparatus for a refrigerator, and more particularly, to an ice conveying apparatus for a refrigerator to prevent ice cubes from sticking together inside the ice storage container.

In general, a freezer of a large refrigerator is provided with an ice making device for producing ice by freezing water supplied from the outside, and the ice produced by the ice making device is stored in an ice storage container installed therein. In addition, such a refrigerator is provided with an ice discharge tube communicating with the inside and the outside of the door and a device for storing the ice so that the user can take out the ice inside the storage container without opening the door. A conveying apparatus for conveying to the discharge tube is provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ice conveying apparatus of the refrigerator is installed inside the ice storage container 1 and has a spiral shaft 2 for conveying ice, a guide tube 3 for guiding the ice, and a guide tube ( 3) an inner spiral blade 4, and an ice crusher 5 provided inside the rear end of the guide tube 3. In addition, although not shown in the figure, the ice conveying apparatus is provided with a motor for driving them. At this time, the spiral shaft 2, the guide cylinder 3, and the ice crusher 5 are disposed in series in the ice storage container 1, and when the spiral shaft 2 is rotated by the driving of a motor (not shown). It is rotated together so that the ice can be transported and crushed.

That is, the ice pieces stored in the ice reservoir 1 enter the guide tube 3 by the rotation of the spiral shaft 2, and the ice pieces entered into the guide cylinder 3 are wound by the spiral blades 4. Pressurized and pushed into the ice crusher (5), it is crushed in the ice crusher (5) is discharged.

However, the conventional ice conveying apparatus configured as described above has a large width of the ice storage container 1, and the spiral shaft 2 for transporting the ice is disposed at the center of the ice storage container 1, so that it is spaced apart from the spiral shaft 2. Ice reservoir (1) ice cubes on both sides did not discharge well, there was a problem that tangled with each other. That is, the ice cubes on both sides of the slow discharge are tangled with each other to form large chunks, and these large chunks have a problem in that transfer is impossible by the spiral shaft 2.

The present invention is to solve such a problem, an object of the present invention is to provide an ice transfer device for a refrigerator to facilitate the discharge of ice by preventing the ice pieces stored in the ice storage container to be tangled with each other.

1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a conventional ice conveying apparatus.

2 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator freezer to which the ice conveying apparatus according to the present invention is applied.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the ice conveying apparatus according to the present invention, showing the structure of the stirring means inside the ice reservoir.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the power transmission means applied to the ice transfer apparatus according to the present invention.

Figure 5 shows another embodiment of the power transmission means applied to the ice conveying apparatus according to the present invention.

6 and 7 show another embodiment of the stirring means applied to the ice conveying apparatus according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

10: main body, 11: freezer, 12: door,

17: reservoir, 22: discharge tube, 23: storage space,

24: switch, 30: ice feeder, 31: spiral shaft,

32: spiral wings, 34: grinder, 35: motor,

37: rotating shaft, 38: rotating member, 40, 50, 60: stirring means,

41: support member, 70: belt, 80: drive gear,

81: first driven gear, 82: second driven gear.

An ice conveying apparatus for a refrigerator according to the present invention for achieving the above object is, a spiral shaft installed inside the ice storage container to transfer the ice, and a rotating member coupled to one end of the spiral shaft to rotatably support the spiral shaft; In the ice transfer apparatus for a refrigerator comprising a motor for rotating the rotating member, Stirring means rotatably installed on the side of the spiral shaft so that the ice pieces inside the ice reservoir are not entangled with each other; It characterized in that it comprises a power transmission means for the stirring means to rotate in conjunction with the rotating member.

In addition, the stirring means is made of a spiral shaft of the coil shape, characterized in that made of a crank bent several times.

In addition, the stirring means is characterized in that consisting of a rod-shaped rotary shaft, and a plurality of stirring rods coupled to the outer surface of the rotary shaft.

The power transmission means includes a support member rotatably mounted on one side of the ice storage container so as to rotatably support the stirring means, and a closed curve that is connected to an outer surface of the support member and the rotating member to mediate power transmission. It characterized in that it comprises a belt.

In addition, the power transmission means is characterized in that it comprises a drive gear provided on the outer surface of the rotating member, and at least one driven gear rotated in engagement with the drive gear and associated with the stirring means.

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

As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator having the ice conveying apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a freezing compartment 11 which is formed vertically long in the body 10 and whose front surface is opened, and the front surface of the freezing chamber 11. The door 12 is installed to open and close it. At this time, the door 12 is hinged to one side of the main body 10 to rotate and open and close. And the back wall of the main body 10 is provided with the evaporator 13 which produces cold air, and the compressor 14 is installed in the lower back of the main body 10. FIG.

In the freezer compartment 11, a first ice maker 15 and a second ice maker 16 are provided at upper and lower parts of the freezing chamber 11, and an ice storage container for storing the manufactured ice is provided at the lower part of the ice makers 15 and 16. 17, 18). At this time, each ice maker 15, 16 is connected to the water supply pipe 19 of the external water source so that water can be supplied. In addition, the freezer compartment 11 is provided with a shelf 20 and a plurality of storage boxes 21 for storing frozen food.

In addition, the door 12 is provided with a discharge tube 22 which communicates with the inside of the freezer compartment 11 to guide the discharge of ice so that the ice inside the ice reservoir 17 can be taken out without opening the door 12. Inside the freezing chamber 11 is provided with an ice transfer device 30 for transferring the ice of the ice reservoir 17 toward the discharge tube (22). At this time, the front of the door 12 is formed with an ice storage space 23 recessed inward to facilitate receiving the ice discharged to the discharge pipe 22, the outlet of the discharge pipe 22 is formed in the storage space (23) A switch 24 for operating the transfer device 30 inside the freezing compartment 11 and a guide member 25 for preventing the scattering of the discharged ice are provided at the same time.

The ice conveying apparatus 30 in the freezer compartment 11 is installed on the coil-shaped spiral shaft 31, the spiral blade 32, and the outlet side of the storage cylinder 17 rotatably installed in the storage cylinder 17. And an ice crusher 34 for pulverizing the discharged ice finely. The conveying device 30 also includes a motor 35 installed at the rear of the reservoir 17 so as to rotate them.

In this case, the spiral shaft 31, the spiral blade 32, and the ice crusher 34 are arranged in series on the same axis, and are configured to rotate together when the spiral shaft 31 is rotated by the driving of the motor 35. . In addition, the outer surface of the spiral wing 32 is provided with a cylindrical guide cylinder 33 surrounding the outer surface of the spiral wing 32 to enable pressurized ice to be transferred. A plurality of cutters 34a are provided inside the grinder 34, and the outlet 34b of the grinder 34 is positioned above the discharge tube 22 so that the crushed ice is supplied to the discharge tube 22.

The motor 35 installed behind the ice reservoir 17 is supported in a state of being housed in a separate housing 36 surrounding the outer surface, and the rotating shaft 37 of the motor 35 is formed of the housing 36 and the reservoir 17. It penetrates rearward and is connected to the spiral shaft 31 inside the reservoir 17. At this time, the connecting portion of the rotating shaft 37 and the spiral shaft 31 of the motor 35 is connected to each other so as to be separated and coupled to enable the separation of the reservoir 17. To this end, the spiral shaft 31 inside the reservoir 17 is provided with a cylindrical rotating member 38 for supporting the spiral shaft 31 so as to be rotatable and connecting with the motor rotation shaft 37.

In addition, the ice transfer device 30 according to the present invention, as shown in Figure 3, stirring the pieces of ice inside the ice reservoir 17 in order to prevent the ice pieces stored in the ice reservoir 17 is tangled with each other It is characterized by having a stirring means 40 to make.

Stirring means 40 is made of a spiral coil having a predetermined rigidity, both ends are rotatably supported inside the ice reservoir (17). In addition, the stirring means 40 is the axis (A) is disposed substantially parallel to the axis (B) of the spiral shaft 31, at one end to support the stirring means 40 rotatably and at the same time to transmit power transmission Cylindrical support member 41 is provided. At this time, the support member 41 is rotatably supported on the rear surface 17a of the ice reservoir 17 in which the rotating member 38 is installed to support the stirring means 40, and penetrates the ice reservoir 17 to the rear surface 17a. ) Extends outward.

Here, the stirring means 40 in the ice reservoir 17 is not only a spiral coil as described above, but also as shown in Figures 6 and 7, it can achieve the same purpose even if the shape is slightly modified. . In this configuration, the stirring means 50 shown in FIG. 6 is provided in the shape of a crank repeatedly bent several times, and both ends thereof are supported by the ice reservoir 17 and the support member 41, and the stirring means shown in FIG. 60 is a plurality of stirring rods 62 are radially coupled to the outer surface of the rod-shaped rotary shaft 61, and both ends of the rotary shaft 71 are supported by the ice reservoir 17 and the support member 41, respectively. At this time, the arrangement structure of the spiral shaft 31 and the stirring means (40, 50, 60) inside the ice reservoir 17 is disposed so that the spiral shaft 31 is biased to one side, the stirring means (40, 50, 60 is preferably disposed so that the pieces of ice inside the ice reservoir 17 can be uniformly stirred during the transfer of ice.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 4, the rotating member 38 and the supporting member 41 are rotated together in the rotating member 38 and the supporting member 41 which extend out of the rear surface of the ice storage container 17. Power transmission means for rotating the spiral shaft 31 and the stirring means 40 is provided. The power transmission means is composed of a closed curved belt 70 which mediates power transmission by walking between the rotating member 38 projecting on the rear surface 17a of the ice reservoir 17 and the outer surface of the support member 41. . At this time, around the outer surface of the rotating member 38 and the support member 41 is formed belt grooves (38a, 41a) to prevent the separation of the belt 70 and to increase the friction force, the belt 70 is the mounting and power transmission It is configured to have a predetermined elasticity in consideration of the frictional force at the time. Reference numeral 39 is a connection member coupled to the rotating shaft 37 of the motor 35 so that the rotational force of the motor 35 can be transmitted to the rotating member 38 through the coupling with the rotating member 38.

And Figure 5 shows another embodiment of the power transmission means according to the present invention, the power transmission is to be made through gear transmission. It is formed between the drive gear 80 integrally formed on the outer surface of the rotating member 38, the first driven gear 81, the first driven gear 81 and the drive gear 80 formed on the outer surface of the support member 41. It is composed of a second driven gear (82) which engages and mediates power transmission.

The following describes the operation of the ice transport device for a refrigerator configured as described above.

The ice frozen in the first ice maker 15 in the upper part of the freezer compartment 11 is dropped and stored in the ice storage container 17 located at the lower part thereof. In this state, when the user presses the switch 24 installed in the front storage space 23 of the door 12, the outlet of the discharge pipe 22 is opened and the motor 35 for driving the ice feeder 30 rotates. Do it. At this time, the rotational force of the motor 35 is transmitted to the spiral shaft 31 inside the reservoir 17 through the rotating member 38, and the rotational force transmitted to the spiral shaft 31 is connected in series with the spiral blade 32 and ice. Passed to mill 34 to rotate them together. Therefore, the pieces of ice in the ice reservoir 17 are pushed by the spiral shaft 31 of the coil shape and moved toward the spiral blade 32 inside the supply container 33, and the spiral blade 32 breaks the ice into the crusher 34. To the side. The ice entering the grinder 34 is pulverized finely by the rotation of the cutter 34a and then discharged into the storage space 23 through the discharge pipe 22.

On the other hand, during this series of operations, the stirring means (40, 50, 60) inside the ice reservoir 17 is rotated at the same time as the spiral shaft 31 because it is configured to interlock through the power transmission means. That is, when the rotating member 38 is rotated by the driving of the motor 35, the stirring member 40, 50, 60 while the rotating member 38 and the support member 41 connected through the belt 70 or gear transmission rotate. ), And the stirring means 40, 50, 60 continuously stir the pieces of ice inside the ice reservoir 17 while the ice is transported by the rotation of the spiral shaft 31. Therefore, the pieces of ice that are located at a position spaced apart from the spiral shaft 31 are continuously moved by the rotation of the stirring means 40, 50, and 60, so that they do not get tangled with each other to maintain the pieces of ice. In addition, since these pieces of ice move toward the spiral shaft 31 by the operation of the stirring means 40, 50, and 60, the ice is easily discharged.

As described in detail above, the refrigerator ice transport apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a stirring means that rotates together with a spiral shaft on one side of the ice reservoir, thereby continuing to stir the pieces of ice inside the ice reservoir during the transfer of ice Since the pieces of ice are not entangled with each other, it is easy to discharge the ice.

Claims (6)

In the ice conveying apparatus for a refrigerator comprising a spiral shaft installed inside the ice reservoir to transfer ice, a rotating member coupled to one end of the spiral shaft to rotatably support the spiral shaft, and a motor for rotating the rotating member. , And a stirring means rotatably installed on the side of the spiral shaft to prevent the ice pieces inside the ice container from being entangled with each other, and a power transmitting means for rotating the stirring means in association with the rotating member. Ice transport apparatus for a refrigerator, characterized in that. The method of claim 1, Ice stirring device for the refrigerator, characterized in that the stirring means consists of a spiral coil. The method of claim 1, The stirring means is a refrigerator ice transport apparatus, characterized in that formed in the shape of a crank bent several times. The method of claim 1, The stirring means is a rod-shaped rotating shaft and the ice transfer device for a refrigerator, characterized in that consisting of a plurality of stirring rods coupled to the outer surface of the rotating shaft. The method of claim 1, The power transmission means includes a support member rotatably mounted on one side of the ice storage container to rotatably support the stirring means, and a closed curved belt that is connected to an outer surface of the support member and the rotating member to mediate power transmission. Ice transport apparatus for a refrigerator comprising a. The method of claim 1, And the power transmission means includes a drive gear provided on an outer surface of the rotating member, and at least one driven gear rotated in engagement with the drive gear and associated with the stirring means.