CN101231057B - Ice maker for refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an ice maker for a refrigerator. The invention comprises the following parts: an ice-making container with an ice-making space inside; the ice-making space can contain water for making ice cubes. Installed on one side of the ice-making container, the driving device such as the motor installed inside can be shielded from the outside, and a driving unit with a concave-shaped recess is provided at a position adjacent to one side of the ice-making container. The concave portion includes a first curved surface that can redirect water splashed onto the ice-making space to the interior of the ice-making space; it is set in a state opposite to the first curved surface, and can redirect the water splashed onto the ice-making space. Guide to the 2nd curved surface inside the ice making space. The ice maker for a refrigerator to which the present invention is applied as described above has the advantage of preventing water from flowing downward along the surface of the housing.

Description

Ice machine for refrigerator

technical field

The present invention relates to an ice maker, and more specifically, relates to an ice maker for a refrigerator that is installed inside a refrigerator and uses water supplied to the inside to make ice cubes.

Background technique

An ice maker is a device that makes ice cubes from the water supplied inside and transfers them to an ice cube storage container where they can be stored. Recently, with the increase in size and automatic development of refrigerators, it has gradually become a general component.

Next, an ice maker for a refrigerator using the prior art will be described in detail.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing the structure of an ice maker for a refrigerator using the prior art.

As shown in the figure, the ice maker 2 is provided with an ice making container 4 capable of making ice cubes from water supplied therein. Inside the ice making container 4, there is provided an ice making space 4' which can accommodate water to be supplied to the inside through a water supply pipe not shown in the figure. In the ice-making space 4', a plurality of dividing parts 6 are provided at intervals of a certain distance so that the ice cubes produced in the ice-making space 4' can be separated smoothly.

On one side of the ice maker 2 , a driving unit 8 is provided adjacent to the ice making container 4 . The outer appearance of the driving unit 8 constitutes a casing 9, and inside the driving unit 8, a driving device capable of adjusting the operation of the ice machine 2, a control device and other components are provided.

On one side of the housing 9, in a rotatable state, an ice detection rod 10 that can sense whether the ice cube storage container (not shown in the figure) arranged below the ice making container 4 is full of ice cubes is provided.

The unexplained symbol 12 in the figure is a stripper that can accurately drop the ice cubes made in the ice making container 4 to the ice cube storage container (not shown in the figure) located at the bottom of the ice making container 4 .

However, the prior art as described above has the following problems.

That is, although in the prior art, the ice machine 2 is installed in the freezer compartment as a storage space where the storage items can be stored, but recently, in order to ensure the size of the storage space, it is introduced that the ice machine 2 is not installed in the storage room. space, but a product set on the side of the storage space door that can selectively open and close the storage space.

The products of the ice maker 2 are installed on the side of the storage space door. When the user opens or closes the storage space door, the water in the ice-making space 4' may be in a state of not freezing, which is caused by the rotation of the storage space door. Splashes in all directions under the action of centrifugal force.

In particular, when the water contained in the ice-making space 4' splashes onto one side of the casing 9 adjacent to the ice-making container 4, since one side of the casing 9 is set in a flat state, there is water that cannot flow into the ice-making space again. In the space 4', it will flow down along the surface of the shell 9.

Moreover, in the prior art, the water splashed onto the casing 9 may freeze in other positions than the ice-making space 4 ′, which hinders the operation of the components that constitute the ice maker 2 such as the ice detection rod 10 . The problem.

Contents of the invention

Therefore, the present invention is made to solve the above-mentioned problems. An object of the present invention is to provide an ice maker for a refrigerator capable of preventing water supplied to an ice making space from flowing out of the ice making space.

Another object of the present invention is to prevent the water leaking from the ice making space from hindering the operation of the ice making machine.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes the following parts: an ice-making container with an ice-making space inside; the ice-making space can accommodate water for making ice cubes, and is arranged on one side of the ice-making container, and the motor installed inside The drive unit is shielded from the outside, and a drive unit with a recessed recess is provided at a position adjacent to one side of the ice making container.

The concave part is composed of the following parts: the first curved surface that can redirect the water splashed into the ice-making space to the ice-making space; The water is redirected to the 2nd curved surface in the ice making space.

The first curved surface and the second curved surface are arranged below the concave part, and are aligned with the assembly protrusions of the ice removal rod provided with movable ice cubes.

As described above, the ice maker for a refrigerator to which the present invention is applied has the advantage of preventing water from flowing down along the surface of the housing.

The effect of the invention

As described above, the ice maker for a refrigerator to which the present invention is applied has the following effects.

That is, by providing the recessed portion formed in a concave shape on the casing, when the water contained in the ice-making space is splashed toward the casing under the action of the centrifugal force caused by the opening and closing of the storage space door , the splashed water will flow into the ice-making space again under the guidance of the concave part. Therefore, the present invention has the effect of preventing the water contained in the ice-making space from flowing into other parts outside the ice-making space.

Moreover, because the water does not flow to other parts of the ice-making space, and only freezes inside the ice-making space, it can prevent the water from freezing on the ice detection rod and other components that constitute the ice machine, thereby not causing these The effect of component damage.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an ice maker for a refrigerator in the prior art.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural view of a preferred embodiment of the ice maker for a refrigerator of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic structural view of the embodiment of the present invention when the ice rod is removed.

Explanation of the symbols of the main parts of the drawings

30: Ice machine 32: Ice container

32’: Ice-making space 34: Partition department

36: Joint 38: Stripper

40: drive unit 41: shell

42: Assembly protrusion 42a: Through hole

43: Depressed part 43a: The first curved face

43b: The second curved surface 43c: Connecting part

44: Ice removal rod 46: Ice detection rod

Specific implementation method

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an ice maker for a refrigerator to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the ice maker for a refrigerator of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a schematic structural view of the embodiment of the present invention when the ice rod is removed.

As shown in the figure, an ice maker 30 that makes ice cubes from water supplied inside and transfers them to an ice cube storage container is installed on the door side of the storage space. The storage space door can selectively open and close the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment as the storage space, and is set in a state of being rotated relative to the refrigerator body. In this embodiment, it is preferable that the ice maker 30 is disposed on the side of the storage space door that can selectively open and close the freezer compartment.

An ice making container 32 capable of making ice cubes is provided on the ice maker 30 as described above. Inside the ice making container 32, there is provided an ice making space 32' which can accommodate water supplied through a water supply pipe not shown in the figure. Meanwhile, inside the ice making container 32, there is provided a dividing portion 34 capable of dividing the ice making space 32' into a plurality of parts. The function of the dividing part 34 is to make the ice cubes produced in the ice-making space 32' smoothly divided into small units.

On the side wall of the ice-making container 32, there is provided an upwardly extending joint portion 36 formed. The coupling portion 36 is a portion coupled to one side of the storage space door, and functions to support the ice maker 30 by the storage space door.

A stripper 38 is provided on the upper portion of the ice making container 32 . On the stripper 38, a plurality of rib-shaped portions having a narrow width and a long length are provided at regular intervals. The effect of the peeling off 38 as described above is to make the ice cubes made by the ice making container 32 fall accurately into the ice cube storage container below the ice making container 32 . Below the ice making container 32 is provided with a heater (not marked in the figure) that can separate the finished ice cubes from the ice making container 32 and slightly heat it.

A driving unit 40 is provided at one side of the ice maker 30 . The outer appearance of the drive unit 40 is constituted by a case 41 . Moreover, inside the driving unit 40, a driving device and a control device capable of adjusting the operation of the ice maker 30 are provided.

An assembly protrusion 42 protrudes from one side of the housing 41 . A through hole 42 a is provided in the fitting protrusion 42 . Through the through hole 42a, the driving device disposed inside the driving unit 40 is connected to the ice removing rod 44 which will be described below. The ice removal rod 44 is to be inserted into the through hole 42a as described above. The outer periphery of the fitting protrusion 42 is formed in a circular shape, and through the outer peripheral surface, water splashed on the concave portion 43 which will be described below will flow into the ice making space 32'.

A recessed portion 43 formed in a recessed state is provided on one side surface of the housing 41 . The concave portion 43 is located above the assembly protrusion 42 and has a shape similar to a fan. That is, in this embodiment, the first curved surface portion 43a and the second curved surface portion 43b are provided on the recessed portion 43 at intervals of a certain distance. The first curved surface portion 43a functions to prevent the water splashed on the recessed portion 43 from moving away from the first curved surface portion 43a. The second curved surface 43b functions to prevent the water splashed on the recessed portion 43 from moving away from the second curved surface 43b.

The recessed portion 43 is provided with a connecting portion 43c which can make the recessed portion 43 a closed curve and can connect one end portion of the first curved surface portion 43a and the second curved surface portion 43b. The connecting portion 43c functions to prevent the water splashed on the recessed portion 43 from moving upward of the recessed portion 43 .

The recessed part 43 is set in such a shape that the distance between the two curved parts 43a, 43b gradually decreases toward the direction of the through hole 42a, and the first curved part and the second curved part are aligned with the assembly protrusion inserted into the ice removing rod. The recessed portion 43 as described above functions to allow the water splashed to the side of the housing 41 to flow into the ice making space 32'. That is, the recessed portion 43 guides the water splashed to the side of the casing 41 toward the direction of the fitting protrusion, thereby preventing the water from flowing to the outside of the ice making space 32'.

One end of the ice removing rod 44 is inserted into the through hole 42a in a supportable state. The ice removing rod 44 is rotated by the rotational force of the driving motor provided inside the driving unit 40 , so as to take out the ice cubes made on the ice making container 32 to the outside of the ice making container 32 .

One side of the housing 41 is rotatably provided with an ice detecting rod 46 which can sense whether the ice cube storage container (not shown in the figure) arranged below the ice making container 32 is full of ice cubes.

Next, the action of the ice maker for a refrigerator to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail.

The ice maker 30 to which the present invention is applied is disposed on a side of a storage space door that can selectively open and close a freezing chamber. Water will be supplied to the ice making space 32' provided in the ice making container 32 through a water supply pipe not identified in the figure. After the water is filled into the ice making space 32', it is turned into ice cubes by the cold air supplied from the freezing chamber side.

At this time, the user cannot visually observe the frozen state of the water filled in the ice making space 32' from the outside. Also, the user often opens and closes the storage space door in order to consume drinking water stored in the storage space or by the storage space door. Like this, it will happen that the water contained in the ice making space 32' also opens the storage space door under the situation of not freezing.

As mentioned above, when the storage space door is opened before the water contained in the ice-making space 32' is completely frozen, under the rotation of the storage space door, the water is separated from the ice-making space 32' and splashed into the ice-making space due to the centrifugal force. The ice container 32 is external.

In particular, there is a possibility of water splashing on the side of the casing 41 adjacent to the ice making container 32 . At this time, the range where the water splashes onto the casing 41 is the same as the range formed by the edge of the recessed portion 43 provided in the present invention. Like this, the water that splashes on the recessed part 43 will not be able to escape from the edge range of the recessed part 43, and will flow towards the direction of the assembly protrusion 42 where the distance between the two curved parts 43a, 43b gradually decreases, and finally will flow into it again. into the ice making space 32'. In this way, even if the storage space door is often opened or closed, the water will only freeze inside the ice making space 32'.

Claims (1)

1. An ice maker for a refrigerator, comprising: an ice-making container with an ice-making space inside; the ice-making space can accommodate water for making ice cubes, and is characterized in that it is also arranged on one side of the ice-making container, The motor driving device arranged inside can be shielded from the outside, and a drive unit with a recessed recessed portion is provided at a position adjacent to one side of the ice-making container, and the recessed portion includes the following parts: the splash can The water on the ice making space is redirected to the first curved surface inside the ice making space; it is set in a state opposite to the first curved surface, and the water splashed on the ice making space can be redirected to the inside of the ice making space The 2nd face.

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