U.S. patent application number 11/882726 was filed with the patent office on 2008-02-14 for ice making apparatus and refrigerator having the same.
This patent application is currently assigned to SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Myung Hoon Cho, Jong Dal Lee, Jae Hoon Lim, Seung Tae Lim, Dong Nyeol Ryu.
Application Number | 20080034780 11/882726 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39049205 |
Filed Date | 2008-02-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080034780 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lim; Jae Hoon ; et
al. |
February 14, 2008 |
Ice making apparatus and refrigerator having the same
Abstract
An ice making apparatus capable of reducing an ice making time
be rapid cooling of an ice making tray thereof while guaranteeing
the making of transparent ice and a refrigerating having the ice
making apparatus. The ice making apparatus includes the ice making
tray to freeze water filled therein so as to make ice, and a cold
air guiding device to guide cold air to a lower surface of the ice
making tray. The cold air guiding device includes a cold air
guiding plate installed below the ice making tray to be spaced
apart from the lower surface of the ice making tray, and a
plurality of protrusions provided at an upper surface of the cold
air guiding plate to guide the cold air flowing along the upper
surface of the cold air guiding plate in a direction toward the
lower surface of the ice making tray.
Inventors: |
Lim; Jae Hoon; (Suwon-si,
KR) ; Lee; Jong Dal; (Gwangju, KR) ; Ryu; Dong
Nyeol; (Daejeon, KR) ; Cho; Myung Hoon;
(Suwon-si, KR) ; Lim; Seung Tae; (Gwangju,
KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
STAAS & HALSEY LLP
SUITE 700, 1201 NEW YORK AVENUE, N.W.
WASHINGTON
DC
20005
US
|
Assignee: |
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO.,
LTD.
Suwon-si
KR
|
Family ID: |
39049205 |
Appl. No.: |
11/882726 |
Filed: |
August 3, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/353 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 2317/063 20130101;
F25D 17/065 20130101; F25D 2400/30 20130101; F25C 2400/10 20130101;
F25D 2317/061 20130101; F25C 1/04 20130101; F25D 2317/067 20130101;
F25C 5/22 20180101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/353 |
International
Class: |
F25C 1/00 20060101
F25C001/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 11, 2006 |
KR |
2006-76434 |
Jun 4, 2007 |
KR |
2007-54431 |
Claims
1. An ice making apparatus comprising an ice making tray to freeze
water filled therein to make ice, and a cold air guiding device to
guide cold air to a lower surface of the ice making tray, wherein
the cold air guiding device comprises: a cold air guiding plate
installed below the ice making tray to be spaced apart from the
lower surface of the ice making tray; and a plurality of
protrusions provided at an upper surface of the cold air guiding
plate to guide the cold air flowing along the upper surface of the
cold air guiding plate in a direction toward the lower surface of
the ice making tray.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cold air guiding
device further comprises first and second side guiding portions
extending upward from opposite sides of the cold air guiding plate,
respectively, to allow the cold air to flow in a space defined
between the lower surface of the ice making tray and the upper
surface of the cold air guiding plate.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cold air guiding
device further comprises a third side guiding portion having
opposite ends connected, respectively, to first ends of both the
first and second side guiding portions, and the third side guiding
portion comprising a cold air inlet to be connected to a cold air
duct.
4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the cold air guiding
device opens at an opposite side of the third side guiding
portion.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of
protrusions are formed lengthwise in a direction intersecting with
a flow direction of the cold air.
6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of
protrusions are formed lengthwise in a direction intersecting with
a flow direction of the cold air.
7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of
protrusions comprise a triangular cross section.
8. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of
protrusions are formed lengthwise in a direction intersecting with
a flow direction of the cold air and comprise a triangular cross
section, and each of the protrusions comprise opposite ends which
come into contact with the first and second side guiding portions,
respectively.
9. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of
protrusions are formed lengthwise in a direction intersecting with
a flow direction of the cold air and comprise a triangular cross
section, and the respective protrusions are spaced apart from each
other in the flow direction of the cold air and are alternately
arranged at opposite sides of the cold air guiding plate.
10. A refrigerator comprising: a body having at least one storage
compartment; and an ice making apparatus mounted in a partitioned
space within the storage compartment, wherein the ice making
apparatus comprises an ice making tray to freeze water filled
therein to make ice and a cold air guiding device to guide cold air
to a lower surface of the ice making tray, and the cold air guiding
device comprises: a cold air guiding plate installed below the ice
making tray to be spaced apart from the lower surface of the ice
making tray; and a plurality of protrusions provided at an upper
surface of the cold air guiding plate and adapted to guide the cold
air flowing along the upper surface of the cold air guiding plate
in a direction toward the lower surface of the ice making tray.
11. The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein the cold air
guiding device further comprises first and second side guiding
portions extending upward from opposite sides of the cold air
guiding plate, respectively, to allow the cold air to flow in a
space defined between the lower surface of the ice making tray and
the upper surface of the cold air guiding plate.
12. The refrigerator according to claim 11, wherein the cold air
guiding device further comprises a third side guiding portion
having opposite ends connected, respectively, to first ends of both
the first and second side guiding portions, and the third side
guiding portion comprising a cold air inlet to be connected to a
cold air duct.
13. The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein the plurality
of protrusions are formed lengthwise in a direction intersecting
with a flow direction of the cold air.
14. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein the plurality
of protrusions are formed lengthwise in a direction intersecting
with a flow direction of the cold air.
15. The refrigerator according to claim 13, wherein the plurality
of protrusions have a triangular cross section.
16. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein the plurality
of protrusions are formed lengthwise in a direction intersecting
with a flow direction of the cold air and comprise a triangular
cross section, and each of the protrusions comprises opposite ends
to come into contact with the first and second side guiding
portions, respectively.
17. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein the plurality
of protrusions are formed lengthwise in a direction intersecting
with a flow direction of the cold air and comprise a triangular
cross section, and the respective protrusions are spaced apart from
each other in the flow direction of the cold air and are
alternately arranged at opposite sides of the cold air guiding
plate.
18. An ice making apparatus comprising: an ice making tray to
freeze water filled therein to make ice, and a cold air guiding
device having a cold air flow path to guide cold air to a lower
surface of the ice making tray, wherein the cold air flow path of
the cold air guiding device has a cross sectional area decreasing
from the upstream to the downstream.
19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the cold air
guiding device comprises: a cold air guiding plate installed below
the ice making tray to be spaced apart from the lower surface of
the ice making tray; and a plurality of side guiding portions
extending upward from opposite sides of the cold air guiding
plate.
20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the cold air
guiding plate comprises a plurality of stepped portions configured
such that the heights of upper surfaces of the stepped portions
initially gradually increase and again, gradually decrease from the
upstream to the downstream.
21. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the cold air
guiding device comprises a plurality of triangular ribs formed in
the cold air flow path to connect an upper surface of the cold air
guiding plate and one of the side guiding portions to each other,
for creating an eddy of cold air.
22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the plurality of
triangular ribs gradually increase in size from the upstream to the
downstream of the cold air flow path.
23. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the cold air flow
path of the cold air guiding device has a cross sectional area
initially decreasing and again increasing from the upstream to the
downstream thereof.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent
Applications No. 10-2006-0076434, filed on Aug. 11, 2006 and No.
10-2007-0054431, filed on Jun. 4, 2007 in the Korean Intellectual
Property Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein
by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to an ice making apparatus for
the making of ice and a refrigerator having the ice making
apparatus. More particularly, to an ice making apparatus which can
achieve an improvement in the ice making performance thereof by
virtue of rapid cooling of an ice making tray, and a refrigerator
having the ice making apparatus.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Korean Patent Registration Publication No. 10-0565621
discloses a conventional refrigerator having an upper refrigerating
compartment and a lower freezing compartment. The refrigerator
further includes an ice making chamber provided in the
refrigerating compartment for making of ice.
[0006] The ice making chamber communicates with the freezing
compartment through a cooling duct to receive cold air supplied
upward from the lower freezing compartment. The ice making chamber
is internally provided with an ice making apparatus for making ice
and an ice storage container having an ice discharge function.
[0007] The ice making apparatus includes an ice making tray to make
ice using water supplied from an external water supply source, an
ice separator to discharge the ice from the ice making tray into
the ice storage container, and a drive motor to drive the ice
separator. The ice making tray is installed with a heater, which
serves to slightly melt the ice in order to separate the ice from
the ice making tray.
[0008] The above-described conventional refrigerator has a problem
in that it requires an excessively long time to make ice because an
ice making operation must be performed only after an interior
temperature of the ice making chamber drops by cold air supplied
there to until it reaches a desired freezing condition.
Specifically, the conventional refrigerator has a problem in that
an excessively long time is required for the cooling of the ice
making tray.
[0009] Furthermore, in the above-described ice making apparatus
provided in the conventional refrigerator, the ice making tray
should be heated by the heater to guarantee successful separation
of the ice from the ice making tray. Therefore, to perform an ice
making operation again after separation of the ice, it is essential
to remove the heat remaining in the ice making tray, and therefore
requires an increase in the cooling time of the ice making
tray.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to
provide an ice making apparatus, which can achieve a reduced ice
making time by virtue of rapid cooling of an ice making tray
thereof, and a refrigerator having the ice making apparatus.
[0011] It is another aspect of the present invention to provide an
ice making apparatus, which can achieve rapid removal of residual
heat in an ice making tray after separation of ice, and a
refrigerator having the ice making apparatus.
[0012] It is yet another aspect of the present invention to provide
an ice making apparatus, which can guarantee the making of
transparent ice by allowing water received in an ice making tray to
be gradually frozen from the bottom to the top, and a refrigerator
having the ice making apparatus.
[0013] Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will
be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part,
will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by
practice of the invention.
[0014] The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention
are achieved by providing an ice making apparatus including an ice
making tray to freeze water filled therein to make ice, and a cold
air guiding device to guide cold air to a lower surface of the ice
making tray, wherein the cold air guiding device includes a cold
air guiding plate installed below the ice making tray to be spaced
apart from the lower surface of the ice making tray, and a
plurality of protrusions provided at an upper surface of the cold
air guiding plate to guide the cold air flowing along the upper
surface of the cold air guiding plate in a direction toward the
lower surface of the ice making tray.
[0015] According to an aspect of the present invention, the cold
air guiding device further includes first and second side guiding
portions extending upward from opposite sides of the cold air
guiding plate, respectively, to allow the cold air to flow in a
space defined between the lower surface of the ice making tray and
the upper surface of the cold air guiding plate.
[0016] According to an aspect of the present invention, the cold
air guiding device further includes a third side guiding portion
having opposite ends connected, respectively, to first ends of the
first and second side guiding portions, the third side guiding
portion including a cold air inlet to be connected to a cold air
duct.
[0017] According to an aspect of the present invention, the cold
air guiding device is opened at an opposite side of the third side
guiding portion.
[0018] According to an aspect of the present invention, the
plurality of protrusions are formed lengthwise in a direction
intersecting with a flow direction of the cold air.
[0019] According to an aspect of the present invention, the
plurality of protrusions include a triangular cross section.
[0020] According to an aspect of the present invention, each of the
protrusions includes opposite ends to come into contact with the
first and second side guiding portions, respectively.
[0021] The plurality of protrusions are spaced apart from each
other in the flow direction of the cold air and alternately
arranged at opposite sides of the cold air guiding plate.
[0022] It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a
refrigerator including a body having at least one storage
compartment and an ice making apparatus mounted in a partitioned
space within the storage compartment, wherein the ice making
apparatus includes an ice making tray to freeze water filled
therein to make ice and a cold air guiding device to guide cold air
to a lower surface of the ice making tray, and the cold air guiding
device includes a cold air guiding plate installed below the ice
making tray to be spaced apart from the lower surface of the ice
making tray, and a plurality of protrusions provided at an upper
surface of the cold air guiding plate to guide the cold air flowing
along the upper surface of the cold air guiding plate in a
direction toward the lower surface of the ice making tray.
[0023] It is yet another aspect of the present invention to provide
an ice making apparatus comprising: an ice making tray to freeze
water filled therein to make ice, and a cold air guiding device
having a cold air flow path to guide cold air to a lower surface of
the ice making tray, wherein the cold air flow path of the cold air
guiding device has a cross sectional area decreasing from the
upstream to the downstream.
[0024] The cold air guiding device comprises: a cold air guiding
plate installed below the ice making tray to be spaced apart from
the lower surface of the ice making tray; and a plurality of side
guiding portions extending upward from opposite sides of the cold
air guiding plate.
[0025] The cold air guiding plate comprises a plurality of stepped
portions configured such that the heights of upper surfaces of the
stepped portions initially gradually increase and again, gradually
decrease from the upstream to the downstream.
[0026] The cold air guiding device comprises a plurality of
triangular ribs formed in the cold air flow path to connect an
upper surface of the cold air guiding plate and one of the side
guiding portions to each other, for creating an eddy of cold
air.
[0027] The plurality of triangular ribs gradually increase in size
from the upstream to the downstream of the cold air flow path.
[0028] The cold air flow path of the cold air guiding device has a
cross sectional area initially decreasing and again increasing from
the upstream to the downstream thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention
will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the
following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings of which:
[0030] FIG. 1 is a sectional view illustrating a refrigerator
having an ice making apparatus according to an embodiment of the
present invention;
[0031] FIG. 2 is a front view of the refrigerator having the ice
making apparatus according to an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0032] FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the ice making apparatus
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0033] FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV' of
FIG. 3;
[0034] FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a first embodiment
of a cold air guiding device included in the ice making apparatus
according to the present invention;
[0035] FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an alternative
embodiment of the cold air guiding device shown in FIG. 5;
[0036] FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a second
embodiment of the cold air guiding device included in the ice
making apparatus according to the present invention; and
[0037] FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the ice making apparatus
according to the present invention, which employs the cold air
guiding device shown in FIG. 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0038] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of
the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the
accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the
like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below to
explain the present invention by referring to the figures.
[0039] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a refrigerator having an ice making
apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the refrigerator comprises a body 10, which
is divided into an upper refrigerating compartment 11 and a lower
freezing compartment 12 by means of a partition wall 13.
[0040] The refrigerating compartment 11 and the freezing
compartment 12 each have open front sides. The upper refrigerating
compartment 11, as shown in FIG. 2, is opened and closed by first
and second refrigerating compartment doors 14 and 15. The lower
freezing compartment 12 is opened and closed by a freezing
compartment door 16. The first and second refrigerating compartment
doors 14 and 15 are hingedly coupled with opposite sides of the
body 10 in a pivotally rotatable manner, respectively. Therefore,
the first and second refrigerating compartment doors 14 and 15 are
rotatable leftward and rightward, respectively, to open and close
the refrigerating compartment 11. The freezing compartment door 16,
as shown in FIG. 1, is coupled with a drawer type storage container
16a mounted in the freezing compartment 12. The freezing
compartment door 16 opens and closes the freezing compartment 12
via forward and rearward movements thereof.
[0041] Although not shown in the drawings, alternatively, the
freezing compartment door 16 may be hingedly coupled with the body
10 so that it opens and closes the freezing compartment 12 via
pivotal rotation thereof.
[0042] A freezing compartment evaporator 17 to cool the freezing
compartment 12 and a freezing compartment circulating fan 18 to
circulate cold air within the freezing compartment 12 are mounted
in a space defined in a rear region of the freezing compartment 12.
The space where the freezing compartment evaporator 17 and freezing
compartment circulating fan 18 are mounted, is separated from the
remaining interior space of the freezing compartment 12 by means of
an inner panel 19 which is also mounted in the rear region of the
freezing compartment 12. The inner panel 19 internally defines a
cold air circulating path 20 for the circulation of cold air in the
freezing compartment 12. The cold air circulating path 20 guides
the cold air blown by the freezing compartment circulating fan 18
to evenly distribute and supply cold air into the freezing
compartment 12.
[0043] A refrigerating compartment evaporator 21 to cool the
refrigerating compartment 11 and a refrigerating compartment
circulating fan 22 to circulate cold air within the refrigerating
compartment 11 are mounted in a space defined in a rear region of
the refrigerating compartment 11. The space where the refrigerating
compartment evaporator 21 and refrigerating compartment circulating
fan 22 are mounted, is separated from the remaining interior space
of the refrigerating compartment 11 by means of an inner panel 23
which is also mounted in the rear region of the refrigerating
compartment 11. The inner panel 23 internally defines a cold air
circulating path 24 for the circulation of cold air in the
refrigerating compartment 11. As will be understood from the
above-described configuration, both the freezing compartment 12 and
the refrigerating compartment 11 are cooled by the respective
evaporators 17 and 21.
[0044] An ice making chamber 26 is provided in an upper corner
region of the refrigerating compartment 11 in such a manner that it
is separated from the remaining interior space of the refrigerating
compartment 11 by means of an insulation wall 7. To maintain the
ice making chamber 26 at a freezing temperature, cold air is
supplied into the ice making chamber 26 from the freezing
compartment 12 that is defined in the lower portion of the body 10.
Thus, a cold air supply path 27 and a cold air return path 28 (See
FIG. 2) are provided in the rear region of the body 10. The cold
air supply path 27 is used to supply the cold air generated by the
freezing compartment evaporator 17 into the ice making chamber 26,
and the cold air return path 28 is used to return the air having
passed through the ice making chamber 26, toward the freezing
compartment evaporator 17. A blowing fan 29 is mounted below the
cold air supply path 27 to forcibly blow the cold air, discharged
upward from the freezing compartment evaporator 17, into the cold
air supply path 27.
[0045] The ice making chamber 26 comprises an ice making apparatus
30 to make ice, an ice storage container 60 to store the ice made
by the ice making apparatus 30, the ice storage container 60 having
an ice outlet 61, an ice transfer device 70 to discharge the ice
from the ice making chamber 26, and an ice crushing device 80 to
crush the ice to be discharged through the ice outlet 61.
[0046] The first refrigerating compartment door 14, as shown in
FIG. 1 comprises a discharge chute 65 to guide the ice discharged
from the ice outlet 61 of the ice storage container 60, to an
outside of the first refrigerating compartment door 14. The first
refrigerating compartment door 14 comprises an ice receiving space
66 in a front surface thereof, to receive the ice discharged
through the discharge chute 65. According to an embodiment of the
present invention, the discharge chute 65 is obliquely formed in a
protruding portion 67 that inwardly protrudes from an inner surface
of the first refrigerating compartment door 14. The position of the
discharge chute 65 is determined so that an entrance thereof
coincides with the ice outlet 61 of the ice storage container 60 in
a state wherein the first refrigerating compartment door 14 is
closed.
[0047] The ice making apparatus 30, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, is
secured in an upper portion of the ice making chamber 26. The ice
making apparatus 30 comprises an ice making tray 31 to make ice by
use of water supplied from an external water supply source, an ice
separator 32 to discharge the ice from the ice making tray 31, a
drive motor 33 to operate the ice separator 32, and a heater 34 to
heat the ice making tray 31 when it is desired to discharge the ice
from the interior of the ice making tray 31. The ice making
apparatus 30 further comprises a cold air guiding device 40 to
allow the cold air which is supplied from the lower freezing
compartment 12 of the body 10 into the ice making chamber 26, to be
directly supplied to a lower side of the ice making tray 31.
[0048] The interior of the ice making tray 31, as shown in FIG. 3,
is divided into a plurality of ice making spaces 31b by means of a
plurality of partitions 31a to make a plurality of ice pieces at a
same time. As shown in FIG. 4, for example, the ice making tray 31
comprises a semi-circular cross section.
[0049] The ice separator 32 comprises a rotating shaft 32a which is
rotatably coupled with an upper end position of the ice making tray
31, and a plurality of scrapers 32b radially extended from the
rotating shaft 32a. The number of scrapers 32b correspond to the
number of ice making spaces 31b so that they are introduced into
the respective ice making spaces 31b to discharge the ice pieces
from the ice making spaces 31b. In operation of the ice separator
32, specifically, when the rotating shaft 32a is rotated by the
drive motor 33, the scrapers 32b are simultaneously rotated by an
angle of 360 degrees, so as to scrape out the ice pieces from the
respective ice making spaces 31b. During the separation of the ice
pieces, the heater 34 operates to slightly heat the ice making tray
31, to facilitate easy separation of the ice pieces from the ice
making spaces 31b.
[0050] FIGS. 3 to 5 illustrate the cold air guiding device 40
according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The cold
air guiding device 40 which guides the cold air to the lower side
of the ice making tray 31, comprises a cold air guiding plate 41
installed below the ice making tray 31 to be spaced apart from a
lower surface of the ice making tray 31 by a predetermined
distance, first and second side guiding portions 42 and 43
extending upward from opposite sides of the cold air guiding plate
41, and a third side guiding portion 44 to connect the first and
second side guiding portions 42 and 43 to each other, the third
side guiding portion 44 comprises a cold air inlet 45. The first,
second and third side portions 42, 43 and 44 being integrally
combined with the cold air guiding plate 41, for example. A cold
air duct 46 is connected to the cold air inlet 45 of the third side
guiding portion 44, to communicate with the cold air supply path 27
that is defined in the rear region of the body 10.
[0051] By use of the cold air guiding device 40, the cold air which
is supplied from the lower freezing compartment 12 of the body 10
to the ice making chamber 26, is able to be first supplied to the
ice making tray 31, to thereby directly cool the ice making tray
31.
[0052] The cold air guiding plate 41 comprises a plurality of
protrusions 47 at an upper surface thereof, to guide the cold air
flowing in the interior of the cold air guiding device 40 upward to
the lower surface of the ice making tray 31. Therefore, the lower
surface of the ice making tray 31 can be directly cooled by the
cold air.
[0053] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the
plurality of protrusions 47 extend lengthwise in a direction
intersecting with a flow direction of the cold air, and are spaced
apart from one another in the flow direction of the cold air. Each
of the protrusions 47 comprises a triangular cross section suitable
to easily guide the cold air upward (i.e. toward the lower surface
of the ice making tray 31).
[0054] The protrusions 47 are not limited to the above-described
configuration. Alternatively, the protrusions 47 may have a
semi-circular cross section, or wing shape extending obliquely
upward from the cold air guiding plate 41 so long as they can guide
the cold air flowing along the upper surface of the cold air
guiding plate 41 upward.
[0055] As shown in FIG. 5, each of the protrusions 47 comprises a
length corresponding to a width of the cold air guiding plate 41,
such that opposite ends thereof come into contact with the first
and second side guiding portions 42 and 43, respectively.
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, protrusions 47' are configured
to have a length shorter than the width of the cold air guiding
plate 41 and are arranged alternately at opposite sides of the cold
air guiding plate 41.
[0056] Now, an operation for supplying cold air through the
above-described cold air guiding device 40 will be explained.
[0057] When cold air is supplied into the ice making chamber 26
through the cold air supply path 27 provided in the rear region of
the body 10, the cold air is successively supplied into the cold
air guiding device 40 through the cold air duct 46 provided in the
ice making chamber 26. Accordingly, the cold air supplied into the
ice making chamber 26 is wholly supplied into the cold air guiding
device 40.
[0058] The cold air supplied into the cold air guiding device 40,
directly cools the lower surface of the ice making tray 31 while
flowing along a path defined by the cold air guiding plate 41,
first and second side guiding portions 42 and 43, and the lower
surface of the ice making tray 31. After being used to cool the ice
making tray 31, the cold air is discharged into the ice making
chamber 26 through an opening 48 formed at a side of the cold air
guiding device 40 opposite to the third side guiding portion 44.
While flowing in the cold air guiding device 40, the cold air is
guided upward by the plurality of protrusions 47 formed at the
upper surface of the cold air guiding plate 41 as stated above.
Therefore, the cold air collides with the lower surface of the ice
making tray 31, so as to directly cool the lower surface of the ice
making tray 31. As a result, the ice making apparatus 30 of the
present invention can achieve more rapid cooling of the ice making
tray 31 than conventional ice making apparatuses, thus resulting in
a reduction in ice making time. Furthermore, with the direct
cooling of the ice making tray 31 using the cold air, even when any
heat emitted from the heater 34 remains in the ice making tray 31
after separation of the ice from the ice making tray 31, the heat
can be removed rapidly and consequently, the ice making time can be
more reduced.
[0059] With the above-described cold air supply operation, water
received in a bottom region of the ice making tray 31 can be frozen
earlier than that received in a top region of the ice making tray
31. Accordingly, the water received in the ice making tray 31 can
be gradually frozen from the bottom to the top of the ice making
tray 31. Thus, guaranteeing the making of transparent ice because
air received in the ice making tray 31 can be discharged to the
outside from the top of the ice making tray 31 in the course of
freezing the water.
[0060] FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a cold air guiding
device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the ice making apparatus using the
cold air guiding device of FIG. 7. The cold air guiding device 140
according to the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8,
comprises a cold air guiding plate 141 installed below the ice
making tray 31 to be spaced apart from the lower surface of the ice
making tray by a predetermined distance, first and second side
guiding portions 142 and 143 extending upward from opposite sides
of the cold air guiding plate 141, and a third side guiding portion
144 to connect the first and second side guiding portions 142 and
143 to each other, the third side guiding portion 144 comprising a
cold air inlet 145. The cold air inlet 145 of the third side
guiding portion 144 is connected to the cold air duct 46 that is
connected with the cold air supply path 27 formed in the rear
region of the body 10.
[0061] The cold air guiding plate 141 comprises a plurality of
stepped portions 141a, 141b, and 141c having different heights of
an upper surface. Specifically, the heights of the upper surfaces
of the stepped portions 141a, 141b, and 141c initially gradually
increase and again, gradually decrease from the upstream to the
downstream of the cold air flow path. Here, the cross sectional
area of the cold air flow path initially gradually decreases and
again, gradually increases from the upstream to the downstream
thereof. With this configuration, in addition to efficiently
guiding cold air toward the lower surface of the ice making tray
31, the cold air guiding plate 141 causes the maximum flow rate of
cold air at a location below the central region of the ice making
tray 31, thus enabling a rapid ice making operation in the central
region of the ice making tray 31. This has the effect of making up
for the weak point of the ice making tray 31 that conventionally
has a slower ice making operation in the central region than the
remaining region thereof.
[0062] The cold air guiding device 140 further comprises a
plurality of triangular ribs 145a, 145b, and 145c spaced apart from
one another within the cold air flow path. The triangular ribs
145a, 145b, and 145c define slopes to connect an upper surface of
the cold air guiding plate 141 and the side guiding portion 143 to
each other. The triangular ribs 145a, 145b, and 145c have different
sizes from one another. Specifically, the sizes of the triangular
ribs 145a, 145b, and 145c gradually increase from the upstream to
the downstream of the cold air flow path. With this configuration,
the triangular ribs 145a, 145b, and 145c create an eddy of cold
air, thereby improving the contact efficiency of cold air and the
lower surface of the ice making tray 31.
[0063] As apparent from the above-description, the present
invention provides an ice making apparatus, which can achieve rapid
cooling of an ice making tray thereof as a result of supplying cold
air directly to a lower surface of the ice making tray by way of a
cold air guiding device. Accordingly, the present invention has the
effect of achieving a reduced ice making time.
[0064] Further, according to an embodiment of the present
invention, the cold air is directly injected to the lower surface
of the ice making tray to cool the ice making tray. Therefore, even
if any heat emitted from a heater remains in the ice making tray
after separation of ice from the ice making tray, the heat can be
removed rapidly.
[0065] Furthermore, since the lower surface of the ice making tray
can be directly cooled by the cold air, water filled in the ice
making tray can be gradually frozen from the bottom to the top. As
a result, the making of transparent ice can be accomplished.
[0066] Although a few embodiments of the present invention have
been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled
in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without
departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the
scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.
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