KR100445482B1 - A control method of ice maker - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ice maker, and more particularly, to an automatic ice maker control method capable of controlling a self-diagnostic function and a function for adjusting the water supply amount with one control key.

According to the present invention, at the same time pressing the control key provided on the main body of the ice maker, the time of the selected control key is counted, and controls to perform the self-diagnostic function and the water supply control function according to the counted time. Accordingly, the self-diagnosis function and the water supply amount control function can be selected and controlled according to the input time of the control key provided in the main body without removing the main body case of the ice maker, so that the user can conveniently use it.

Description

Ice control machine automatic control method {A control method of ice maker}

The present invention relates to an ice maker automatic control method, and more particularly to an ice maker automatic control method that can selectively control the self-diagnostic function and the water supply control using one control key provided on one side of the ice maker body.

Hereinafter, the ice maker according to the related art will be described in detail.

1A and 1B are perspective views of a general refrigerator ice maker.

As shown in the figure, the ice maker is fixed to the wall surface of the freezer using connection brackets 2a and 2b extending upward from the ice maker 12, for example, to the connection brackets 2a and 2b. Using the formed hole is fixed to the wall surface of the freezer compartment with a fastening screw.

The ice maker 12, which contains water for ice making and makes ice of a predetermined shape, has a cross section shaped into a half moon shape and is formed of a material having excellent thermal conductivity, for example, aluminum. The water supply to the ice making container 12 is made through a feed tube connection part 4 formed at one side.

An ice lever 14 is installed at an upper portion of the ice making container 12. The ice lever 14 is configured to rotate to take out ice completely defrosted from the ice making container 12 to the outside of the ice making container by using the rotational force of the driving motor installed inside the casing 20. have.

And as can be seen in Figure 1b, a heater 15 for applying a small amount of heat so that the completed ice is separated from the ice making container 12 is installed in the lower portion of the ice making container 12. Therefore, when cold air is supplied for a predetermined time and ice making is completed, the heater 15 generates heat to space the ice attached to the ice making container 12. The semi-moon-shaped ice spaced in this way is separated from the ice making container 12 by the rotation of the ice lever 14. And the ice is separated in this way, fall into the ice storage container (not shown) located below. In order to prevent the ice separated at this time from entering the inside of the ice making container 12 again, a stripper 6 is provided on the front upper surface of the ice making container 12.

And before the ice is separated from the ice making container 12, whether or not the ice is filled in the ice storage container at the bottom is detected by the ice detection lever (16). The sensing lever 16 moves up and down within a predetermined angle range by a motor inside the casing 20, and detects whether the ice storage container is full of ice through a sensor. The sensor detects a value detected by the sensor, and the controller operates the ice maker according to the determined value.

Therefore, when the ice detection lever 16 moves up and down and senses that the ice storage container is full of ice, the ice lever 14 does not operate. However, when the detection lever 16 moves up and down to detect that the ice storage container is not full of ice, the ice lever 14 rotates to move the ice lever 14 to separate the ice from the ice making container. Push to make ice fill the bottom ice container.

The stripper 6 extends to the rear side from the front plate 18 and has a plurality of branch shapes. In addition, the above-mentioned moving lever 14 is designed to rotate between each stripper 6. The front plate 18 formed on the front surface of the ice making container 12 has a shape that extends downwardly from the height at which the ice making container 12 is located. This front plate 18 is for preventing the ice collected in the ice storage container substantially below it from contacting the ice making container 12.

That is, when the ice accumulated in the ice storage container located below the ice making container 12 comes into contact with the ice making container 12, the ice may stick or the heater 15 installed under the ice making container 12 during the ice making process. It is melted by the heat of the, the melted water is frozen again after the heater is turned off, the whole ice is stuck or tangled. In order to prevent this, the front plate 18 is formed in a flat plate shape which extends to have a predetermined length vertically downward from the ice making container 12.

Here, the ice maker itself is as described above that is installed in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator. And by the cold air supplied into the freezer compartment, the water inside the ice making container 12 is made of ice.

Therefore, when cold air is supplied in the direction of the arrow in the freezer compartment, such cold air lowers the ice making container 12 by contacting the ice making container 12 through the rear of the front plate 18, and the ice making is performed. Will be done.

And heat is generated in the heater 15 during the ice. In the normal operation state of the heater 15, the heater 15 generates heat for a predetermined time and the heat generation stops when a predetermined time elapses of ice in the ice making container 12 elapses.

2 is a cross-sectional perspective view of an ice maker equipped with a self-diagnosis function switch and a water supply control switch.

As shown in the figure, the solenoid valve 1 for adjusting the amount of water supplied to the ice making vessel 12 through the water supply tube connecting portion 4, and the self-diagnosis switch 2 for determining the state of the ice maker, respectively. It is provided. The solenoid valve 1 and the self-diagnosis switch 2 are configured in such a way that the user cannot adjust them, and the solenoid valve 1 and the self-diagnosis switch 2 are constantly supplied to the ice maker with a predetermined amount of water supplied in the manufacturing. In addition, the self-diagnosis switch 2 was difficult for the user to directly test, and the service technician separated the case, and measured each contact point provided in the ice maker with a tester to measure the voltage or current amount of the contact point. As a result, it was possible to determine whether an abnormality occurred in the ice maker.

As such, the ice maker of the refrigerator according to the related art has a solenoid valve and a self-diagnostic contact, respectively, inside the ice maker to adjust the self-diagnostic function and the water supply amount. In addition, the solenoid valve and the self-diagnosis contact point as described above may be inspected only when the cover mounted on the front side is removed. In addition, by manually adjusting the solenoid valve to control the amount of water supply, it is difficult to supply the correct amount of water, there was also a disadvantage that the ice of the desired size can not be obtained accurately.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic ice maker control method including a self-diagnosis function and a water supply control function with one switch and controlling the operation.

1A and 1B are perspective views of a general refrigerator ice maker.

2 is a cross-sectional perspective view of an ice maker equipped with a self-diagnosis function switch and a water supply control switch.

Figure 3 is a control configuration for the ice maker operation control of the refrigerator according to the present invention.

Figure 4a is a perspective view of the refrigerator ice maker according to the present invention.

Figure 4b is a state diagram of the LED display according to the self-diagnostic function.

5 is an operation control flow chart for the self-diagnostic function and water supply control according to the selection of the control key provided in the ice maker of the refrigerator according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

55: control key 60: timer

65 control unit 70 solenoid valve

75: heater 80: motor

85: LED display part

Automatic ice maker control method according to the present invention for achieving the above object comprises the steps of selecting a predetermined time control key for water supply control or self-diagnostic function; Counting an input time of a control key selected by a user; According to the input time of the control key, the water supply control and the self-diagnostic function is configured to include a control step for controlling to proceed selectively.

In addition, the automatic ice maker control method according to the present invention is characterized in that the display step of the LED display unit increases in proportion to the number of times the control key of the water supply control function is selected to emit light and to control the water supply.

The automatic ice maker control method according to the present invention is characterized in that as the self-diagnosis function is selected, the display step of the LED display unit increases step by step and simultaneously detects the state of the ice maker.

Hereinafter, the automatic ice maker control method according to the present invention will be described in detail.

3 is a control block diagram for controlling the operation of the ice maker of the refrigerator according to the present invention.

As shown in the figure, a power supply unit 50 for supplying power to the product, an adjustment key 55 for inputting an operation control signal, a timer 60 for counting time, and a water supply amount supplied to an ice making container are controlled. The water supply valve 70, a heater 75 for dissipating heat to separate the ice from the ice making container, a motor 80 for providing power to drive the ice lever, and an operation control signal input by the user. LED display unit 85 to be displayed so as to confirm, and a control unit 65 for controlling the driving of the product according to the operation control signal input by the user.

Figure 4a is a perspective view of the refrigerator ice maker according to the present invention, Figure 4b is a state diagram of the LED display according to the self-diagnostic function, Figure 5 according to the selection of the control key provided in the refrigerator ice maker according to the present invention, self-diagnostic function and water supply adjustment Operation control flow chart for.

As shown in the figure, an LED display unit 85 is provided on one side of the ice maker body of the refrigerator. The user can grasp at a glance the amount of water supplied to the ice making container through the LED display unit 85. In addition, the LED display unit 85 is provided with one adjustment key 55 for adjusting the water supply amount or for self-diagnosis. In addition, the adjustment key 55 is configured on the outside of the cover so that consumers can easily adjust the self-diagnostic function and the water supply amount without removing the cover of the ice maker.

When the user selects the control key 55 and adjusts the pressing time, the signal is transmitted to the control unit 65, and the control unit 65 compares the self-diagnostic function or the water supply control with a preset reference value according to the pressing time. It will be judged.

As shown in Figure 4a, the user presses the control key 55 provided on the ice maker body (step 200). If it is determined that the time when the user presses the adjustment key 55 has elapsed for 3 seconds or more (step 210), and it is determined that the user has not elapsed for 3 seconds or more, the control unit 65 determines that the water supply valve is adjusted (300). step). Then, the LED display unit 85 is turned on one by one, and the water supply valve 70 is driven.

That is, if the adjustment key 55 is kept pressed for less than 3 seconds, the LED display unit 85 is continuously turned on one by one, and at the same time, the water supply valve 70 is also driven. Therefore, the amount of water supplied to the ice making container can be adjusted to increase or decrease to a desired amount. Looking at this in more detail as follows.

If the user inputs the adjustment key 55 once before the elapse of 3 seconds (step 310), the signal is transmitted to the control unit 65, and the control unit 65 determines that the water supply adjustment function has been selected. Accordingly, the LED display unit 85 is controlled to rise by one step according to the one-time input of the control key 55 to display the first water supply step through the LED display unit 85 (step 320). At the same time, the controller 65 controls the water supply valve 70 to operate so that the amount of water supplied to the ice making container flows into the first water supply step by a predetermined amount (step 330).

However, if the input of the control key 55 is two consecutive times in step 200, the signal is transmitted to the control unit 65, the control unit 65 is input to the control key 55 twice (step 340). ), It is determined that the second water supply stage of the water supply adjustment function is selected. The controller 65 controls the second water supply stage to be displayed through the LED display unit 85 (operation 350). At the same time, the control unit 65 controls the water supply valve 70 to operate so that the amount of water supplied to the ice making container flows into the second water supply step by a predetermined amount (step 360).

In order to continuously increase the input of the adjustment key 55 as described above, in order to adjust the water supply amount as much as possible, if the control key 55 provided in the ice maker body is continuously input N times (step 370), The signal is transmitted to the control unit 65, and the control unit 65 determines that the Nth water supply step of the water supply adjustment function is selected. The controller 65 controls the N-th water supply step to be displayed through the LED display unit 85 (step 380). At the same time, the control unit 65 controls the water supply valve 70 to operate so that the amount of water supplied to the ice making container is maximized (step 390).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 210 that the user presses the control key for more than 3 seconds, the controller determines that the self-diagnosis function signal has been input (step 220). Accordingly, the controller 65 controls the water supply valve 70, the motor 80, the heater 75, and the like to be driven in a predetermined order, and determines whether the ice maker is operating normally (step 230). At this time, the user can confirm this by displaying whether the state of the ice maker is in a normal state or an abnormal state through the LED display unit 85 of the display unit (step 240).

That is, when it is determined that the self-diagnosis function signal is input, the controller drives the ice maker according to the preset self-diagnosis function, and at the same time, as shown in FIG. 3B, the heater output / motor output / exact position detection / water supply output / sea ice detection. At the same time the inspection is in progress to allow the user to check each progress and status through the LED display (85). If it is determined that the abnormal state, the LED display unit 85 displays the abnormal state by color or flickering so that the user can check.

As described above, the present invention includes a self-diagnosis function and a water supply control switch as one, and the basic technical idea is to control the operation of the ice maker by changing functions according to the time when the switch is pressed.

The rights of the present invention are not limited to the embodiments described above, but are defined by the claims, and those skilled in the art can make various modifications and adaptations within the scope of the claims. It is self-evident.

Therefore, the following effects can be expected due to the automatic ice maker control method according to the present invention.

Water supply control and self-diagnosis can be performed without removing the outer case of the ice maker. In addition, the water supply control and the self-diagnosis function can be selectively performed with one control key as described above, so that the user can conveniently use it.

Claims (4)

Selecting an adjustment key for a water supply control or a self-diagnosis function for a predetermined time; Counting an input time of a control key selected by a user; And a control step of controlling the water supply adjustment and the self-diagnosis function to be selectively performed according to the input time of the adjustment key. The method of claim 1, An ice maker automatic control method characterized in that the display step of the LED display unit increases in proportion to the number of times the control key of the water supply control function is selected to emit light and to control the water supply. The method of claim 1, When the self-diagnosis function is selected, the display step of the LED display unit increases step by step and at the same time detects the state of the ice maker. The method of claim 2, The control key of the water supply amount adjustment function is mounted on the outer case of the ice maker automatic control method.