U.S. patent application number 12/518810 was filed with the patent office on 2010-01-07 for refrigerator.
This patent application is currently assigned to LG Electronics Inc.. Invention is credited to Ju-Hyun Kim, Jong-Min Shin.
Application Number | 20100000249 12/518810 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39588795 |
Filed Date | 2010-01-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100000249 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kim; Ju-Hyun ; et
al. |
January 7, 2010 |
REFRIGERATOR
Abstract
The present invention is characterized in that an ice maker is
installed at a refrigerating chamber, an ice bank is installed at a
door for a refrigerating chamber, and a cooling air duct extended
along a wall surface of the refrigerating chamber and a shelf is
positioned on an upper side of the ice bank so that a phenomenon
that ice stored in the inside of an ice bank sticks to each other
due to the melting of ice can be prevented.
Inventors: |
Kim; Ju-Hyun; (Changwon
City, KR) ; Shin; Jong-Min; (Changwon City,
KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BIRCH STEWART KOLASCH & BIRCH
PO BOX 747
FALLS CHURCH
VA
22040-0747
US
|
Assignee: |
LG Electronics Inc.
Seoul
KR
|
Family ID: |
39588795 |
Appl. No.: |
12/518810 |
Filed: |
December 28, 2007 |
PCT Filed: |
December 28, 2007 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/KR2007/006981 |
371 Date: |
July 22, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/340 ; 62/407;
62/441; 62/449; 62/465 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 17/065 20130101;
F25C 1/24 20130101; F25D 25/028 20130101; F25C 2500/08 20130101;
F25D 2317/062 20130101; F25D 23/126 20130101; F25C 2400/10
20130101; F25D 23/028 20130101; F25C 2400/14 20130101; F25C 5/046
20130101; F25D 23/04 20130101; F25C 1/08 20130101; F25D 2400/06
20130101; F25C 2700/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/340 ; 62/441;
62/449; 62/465; 62/407 |
International
Class: |
F25C 1/00 20060101
F25C001/00; F25D 13/02 20060101 F25D013/02; F25D 23/02 20060101
F25D023/02; F25D 25/02 20060101 F25D025/02; F25D 17/04 20060101
F25D017/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 28, 2006 |
KR |
10-2006-0136169 |
Claims
1. A refrigerator, comprising: a main body having a freezing
chamber,an evaporator provided at a rear of the freezing chamber,
and a refrigerating chamber provided on an upper side of the
freezing chamber; a door opening and closing the refrigerating
chamber; a shelf provided in the inside of the refrigerating
chamber; an ice maker provided in the inside of the refrigerating
chamber; a container provided at a rear surface of the door and
storing ice therein; and a cooling air duct whose one end is
communicated with a space accomodating the evaporator and is
extended along the rear surface of the refrigerating chamber and
the shelf, and whose the other end is positioned at a front end of
the refrigerating chamber.
2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a
partition wall partitioning the refrigerating chamber and the
freezing chamber, wherein the cooling air duct penetrates through
the partition wall to be extended to the refrigerating chamber.
3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the cooling air
duct is configured to have a width equal to or smaller than that of
the shelf.
4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein a discharge hole
of the cooling air duct is positioned at a place at least equal to
or higher than an opening part of the container.
5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein an end portion of
a disharge side of the cooling air duct has a inclined surface that
is inclined downward.
6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the ice maker
comprises: a tray configured to receive water for making ice; and a
refrigerant pipe extended to an inner space of the tray, wherein
ice is directly generated on a surface of the refrigerant pipe.
7. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the ice maker is
installed at a ceiling surface of the refrigerating chamber.
8. A refrigerator, comprising: a main body having a refrigerating
chamber provided on an upper side of a freezing chamber; a pair of
doors rotatably provided at a front surface of the refrigerating
chamber; a shelf provided in the inside of the refrigerating
chamber; an evaporator provided at lower side rear of the main
body; a cooling air duct extended along the shelf to guide cooling
air generated from the evaporator to the front of the refrigerating
chamber; an ice maker provided in an upper space of the
refrigerating chamber and exposed to the cooling air of the
refrigerating chamber; and a container provided at a rear surface
of the door for the refrigerating chamber in which the ice maker is
installed, so as to store the ice which is generated in and dropped
from the ice maker, wherein the upper surface of the container
being opened to directly receive the cooling air discharged from
the cooling air duct.
9. The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the cooling air
duct is installed at any one side of upper, lower, and side
surfaces of the shelf.
10. The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the cooling air
duct is directly communicated with a space accomodating the
evaporator or is branched from a freezing duct connecting the
evaporator to the freezing chamber.
11. The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the ice maker
comprises: a tray storing water therein; and a refrigerant pipe
branched from an inlet side of the evaporator, at least a portion
thereof being submerged in the water stored in the tray, wherein
the ice is directly generated on a surface of the refrigerant
pipe.
12. The refrigerator according to claim 8, further comprising a
guide member being extended from an upper side of the container or
from the ice maker, so as to guide ice dropped from the ice maker
to the inside of the container.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This document relates to a refrigerator.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Generally, a refrigerator is home appliance for storing
foods in a low temerature state to maintain them in a fresh state
for a long time.
[0003] Specifically, the refrigerator comprises a refrigerating
chamber maintained at a range of 1 to 4.degree. C. to store foods
such as vegetables in a fresh state and a freezing chamber
maintained at -18.degree. C. to store foods such meat or fish in a
frozen state.
[0004] Also, the refrigerator has a type wherein the freezing
chamber is positioned on an upper side of the refrigerating
chamber, a type wherein the freezing chamber is positioned on a
lower side of the refrigerating chamber, and a type wherein the
freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber are provided to be
adjacent left and right, according to an installation way.
[0005] Also, the refrigerator may be sorted into a side by side
door type refrigerator wherein a door is installed left and right,
respectively, and a one swing door type refrigerator wherein a door
is installed up and down, respectively.
[0006] Meanwhile, any one side of the refrigerating chamber or the
freezing chamber is provided with an ice-maker for making ice and a
container for storing the made ice.
[0007] Concretely, when the ice maker and the container are
positioned in the freezing chamber, water stored in the ice maker
is made into ice by means of a refrigerant passing through an
evaporator, wherein the made ice is dropped to the container
provided on a lower side of the ice maker and then stored
therein.
[0008] On the other hand, in the case of some refrigerators, the
ice maker is provided in the refrigerating chamber and the
container is provided in the door of the refrigerating chamber. In
this case, since the refrigerating chamber is maintained at
temperature above zero, the ice stored in the container is melted,
making it possible to cause a phenomenon that the ice sticks to to
each other.
[0009] In detail, when the ice sticks to each other due to the
melting of ice, a problem of applying overload to an ice crusher
provided in an inside of the container occurs. More specifically,
when the overload is applied to the ice crusher, a phenomenon that
components such as a motor driving the ice crusher or a blade
crushing ice are damaged occurs. As a result, a lifetime of the
container is shorten, thereby causing a disadvantage that
additional cost consumed for repairing and replacing the components
is not required.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
Technical Problem
[0010] It is an object of the present invention to provide a
refrigerator capable of maintaining ice stored in a container in a
freezing state without the melting of ice.
[0011] Specifically, it is an object of the present invention to
provide a refrigerator capable of preventing a damage of a ice
crusher by preventing a phenonmenon that the ice sticks to each
other due to the melting of ice stored in the container.
Technical Solution
[0012] In order to accomplish the objects, there is provided a
refrigerator according to the present invention comprising: a main
body having a freezing chamber, an evaporator provided at a rear of
the freezing chamber, and a refrigerating chamber provided on an
upper side of the freezing chamber; a door opening and closing the
refrigerating chamber; a shelf provided in the inside of the
refrigerating chamber; an ice maker provided in the inside of the
refrigerating chamber; a container provided at a rear surface of
the door and storing ice therein; and a cooling air duct whose one
end is communicated with a space accomodating the evaporator and is
extended along the rear surface of the refrigerating chamber and
the shelf, and whose the other end is positioned at a front end of
the refrigerating chamber.
[0013] There is provided a refrigerator according to another aspect
of the present invention comprising: a main body having a
refrigerating chamber provided on an upper side of a freezing
chamber; a pair of doors rotatably provided at a front surface of
the refrigerating chamber; a shelf provided in the inside of the
refrigerating chamber; an evaporator provided at lower side rear of
the main body; a cooling air duct extended along the shelf to guide
cooling air generated from the evaporator to the front of the
refrigerating chamber; an ice maker provided in an upper space of
the refrigerating chamber and exposed to the cooling air of the
refrigerating chamber; and a container provided at a rear surface
of the door for the refrigerating chamber in which the ice maker is
installed, so as to store the ice which is generated in and dropped
from the ice maker, wherein the upper surface of the container
being opened to directly receive the cooling air discharged from
the cooling air duct.
Advantageous Effects
[0014] With the refrigerator configured as above according to the
present invention, although the container storing ice is provided
at the door for the refrigerating chamber, it has an effect of
preventing the phenomenon that the ice sticks to each to due to the
melting of ice.
[0015] Furthermore, the present invention has an effect of
preventing the phenomenon that overload is applied to the ice
crusher provided in the inside of the container by preventing the
phenomenon that the ice sticks to each to due to the melting of
ice.
[0016] Also, the present invention has an effect of prventing the
damage of the components such as the motor driving the ice crusher
and the blade crushing ice by preventing the phenomenon that
overload is applied to the ice crusher. As a result, it has an
advantage that the lifetime of the container is long so that
additional cost consumed for repairing and replacing the components
is not required.
[0017] In addition, since an end portion of a cooling duct is
provided at the front of the refrigerating chamber, the present
invention has an effect that an air curtain is formed by the
discharged cooling air.
[0018] Moreover, the present invention has an effect of lowering
manufacturing cost of the refrigerator by using the cooling air
supplied through the evaporator, without having a separate freezing
maintaining apparatus for prventing the melting of ice stored in
the inside of the container exposed to the refrigerating
chamber
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a refrigerator
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a cooling air discharging
structure of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the
present invention.
[0022] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a structure of a ice maker
provided in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the
present invention.
MODE FOR THE INVENTION
[0023] Hereinafter, concrete embodiments of the present invention
will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It
should be understood that the spirit of the present invention is
limited to embodiments to be proposed and other retrogressive
inventions or other embodiments beloning to the scope of the
present ivention can be easily proposed by addition, modification,
and deletion of other components.
[0024] FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to an
embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side
cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment
of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a
cooling air discharging structure of a refrigerator according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0025] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the refrigerator according to the
present invention will be described with reference to, as one
preferred embodiment, a bottom freezer type wherein a refrigerating
chamber is provided on an upper side and a freezing chamber is
provided on a lower side.
[0026] Specifically, the refrigerator 10 according to one
embodiment of the present invention comprises a main body 11 having
a refrigerating chamber 15 and a freezing chamber 16 provided on an
upper side and a lower side, respevtively, a door 12 for the
refrigerating chamber opening and closing the refrigerating chamber
15, a door 13 for the freezing chamber opening and closing the
freezing chamber 16. In detail, the refrigerating chamber 15 and
the freezing chamber 16 are separated by a barrier 111.
[0027] Also, one side surface of a ceiling of the refrigerating
chamber 15 is provided with a ice maker 20 and a cooling duct 18 is
extended along wall and celing surfaces of the refrigerating
chamber. And, the door 12 for the refrigerating chamber is
rotatably installed at front surfaces of the left and right of the
main body 11, respectively. And, a dispenser 14 capable of
dispensing water and ice is installed at any one front surface of
the door 12 for the refrigerating chamber 12.
[0028] On the other hand, the door 13 for the freezing chambr is
provided in a drawer form and a basket 19 storing frozen foods is
detachably provided at a rear surface of the door 13 for the
freezing chamber
[0029] In detail, both sides of a rear surface of the door 13 for
the freezing chamber are provided with door frams extened backward.
the side surfaces of the door frame and the freezing chamber 16 are
connected by means of a rail member. Therefore, the door 13 for the
freezing chamber is drwan out in a horizontal direction by means of
the rail member.
[0030] Also, the rear surface of the door 12 for the refrigerating
chamber installed with the ice maker 20 is installed with an ice
bank 12 storing ice. Therefore, ice made in the ice maker 20 is
deiced so that it is dropped to the ice bank 12.
[0031] Concretely, an upper surface of the ice bank 12 is opened
and in the state where the door 12 for the refrigerating chamber is
closed, an opening part of the ice bank 12 is positioned at a lower
portion of the ice maker 20. And, ice can be made by directly
supplying cooling air to the ice maker 20 or by providng a separate
refrigerant pipe. In the present embodiment, the ice maker 20 can
be configured of a structure having the separate refrigerant pipe.
And, in the case of the sturcture where the refrigerant pipe is
provided in the ice maker 20, it has an advantage in rapidly making
ice when the ice maker 20 is exposed to the cooling air for the
refrigerating chamber with a relatively high temperature.
Therefore, in the refrigerator with the struture where the ice
maker is provided in the refrigerating chamber, the ice maker
provided with the refrigerant pipe may be advantageous. The
structure and operation of the ice maker 20 provided with the
refrigerant pipe will be described in detail below with reference
to the accomanying drawings.
[0032] On the other hand, in the case where the ice bank 12 is
installed at the freezing chamber 15 or the door 12 for the
refrigerating chamber, when considering characteristics of the
refrigerating chamber 15 maintained at temperature above zero, a
phenonmenon that ice sticks to each other due to the melting of ice
can be caused.
[0033] In order to solve such a problem, the inside of the ice bank
12 should be always maintained at sub-zero temperature to prevent
the melting of ice.
[0034] Hereinafter, a method for maintainting the inside of the ice
bank 12 at a state where ice is not melted will be described in
detail.
[0035] Also, the refrigerator 10 further comprises a compressor 32
installed at a bottom surface of the freezing chamber 16 to
compress a refrigerant, an evaporator 31 installed at a rear of the
freezing chamber 16 to form cooing air, and a blowing fan 30
supplying the cooling air formed through the evaporator 31 to the
refrigerating chamber 51 and the freezing chamber 16.
[0036] Furthermore, the refrigerator comprises a freezing duct 17
supplying the cooling air ventilated from the blowing fan 30 to the
freezing chamber 16 and a cooling duct 18 supplying the cooling air
to the refrigerating chamber 15. The freezing duct 17 and the
cooling duct 18 may be defined by the cooling air duct.
[0037] In detail, the freezing duct 17 is provided with a plurality
of cooling air holes for discharging the cooling air to the
freezing chamber 16. Herein, the evaporator 31 and the blowing fan
30 are disposed in the inside of the freezing duct 17 as well as
the evaporator 31 and the blowing fan 30 are disposed in a separate
space of the main body 11. The freezing duct 17 connected to the
freezing chamber 16 may be formed separately.
[0038] Also, the cooling duct 18 is extended from a space
accomodating the evaporator 31 and passes through the barrier 111
and then is connected to the refrigerating chamber 15. Herein, the
cooling duct 18 may have a structure that it is directly
communicated with the space accomodating the evaporator 31 as well
as a structure that it is branched from the freezing duct 17.
[0039] With the structure as above, the ice made in the ice maker
20 installed at the ceiling of the refrigerating chamber 15 is
separated so that it is dropped to the ice bank 12. Hereion, a
guide extended from the ice maker 20 or the ice bank 12 may be
provided so that the ice separated from the ice maker 20 is safely
dropped to the ice bank 12.
[0040] Concretely, the ice bank 12 is provided with a container 211
in a cylinderical form whose upper portion is opened, an auger 212
provided at a lower side of the inside of the container to guide
ice downward, a crusher 213 integrally connected to a lower end of
the auger 212 to crush the ice, a motor 214 driving the crusher
213, and a shaft 215 connecting the motor 214 to the crusher 213 to
transfer the rotatory power of the motor.
[0041] Also, any one side of the ceiling portion of the
refrigerating chamber 15 is provided with the ice maker 20. In
detail, the ice maker 20 is disposed at the upper side of the ice
bank 12 so that the discharged ice is directly dropped to the
container 211 or it is configured to drop the ice to the container
211 by means of the guide after the ice is dropped.
[0042] Meanwhile, the inside of the refrigerating chamber 15 is
provided a plurality of shelves on which foods are safley seated.
And, the cooling duct 18 is communicated with the space
accomodating the evaporator 31, is raised along the wall surface of
the refrigerating chamber 15, and is extended to the front of the
refrigerating chamber 15 along the shelf 112.
[0043] With the structure as above, at least a portion of the
cooling air passing through the evaporator 31 to be cooled at low
temperature is directly discharged to the container 211, thereby
preventing the phenomenon that the ice received in the inside of
the container 211 sticks to each other due to the melting of
ice
[0044] Also, the door 12 for the refrigerating chamber is provided
as a side by side door as shown. The door 13 for the freezing
chamber may be provided in a drawer form, but is not limited
thereto. Likewise, the door 13 for the freezing chamber may be also
provided as the side by side door.
[0045] On the other hand, in addition to the structure that the
cooling duct 18 extended to the container 211 of the ice bank 21 is
extended along the bottom surface of the shelf 112 as shown, it may
be extended along the upper or side surface of the shelf 112. In
other words, the arrangement structure of the cooling duct 18 can
be properly determined according to the installation position of
the ice bank 21 provided to the door 12 for the refrigerating
chamber. And, the cooling duct 18 is extended from the rear of the
shelf end to the front end thereof, wherein its width may be equal
to or smaller than a width of the cooling duct 18.
[0046] For example, when the ice bank 21 is installed at an one
side edge of the door 12 for the refrigerating chamber 12, the
cooling duct 18 can be extended along the side surface of the shelf
112.
[0047] Also, the end of the discharge side of the cooling duct 18
is formed to be inclined at a predetermined angle so that the
cooling air can be discharged downward. This is to directly
dicharge the cooling air to the inside of the container 211 of the
ice banck 21. In other words, at least a portion of the cooling air
passing through the evaporator 31 to be cooled at low temperature
is directly discharged to the container 211, thereby preventing the
phenomenon that the ice received in the inside of the container 211
sticks to due to the melting of ice.
[0048] In addition, when the cooling air is discharged downward, an
air curtain effect can be obtained by means of the discharged
cooling air so that when the door for the refrigerating chamber is
opened, an amount of the cooling air discharged to the outside can
be reduced.
[0049] FIG. 4 schematically shows a structure of a ice maker
provided in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the
present invention.
[0050] Referring to FIG. 4, the ice maker 20 provided in the
refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention
comprises a tray 201 storing water for making ice, a ice making
pipe 40 extended to the inside of the tray 201, and a water supply
apparatus for supplying water to the tray 201.
[0051] In detail, the water supply apparatus comprises a water pail
42 storing water, a pump 41 pumping the water in the inside of the
water pail 42, and a water pipe 43. And, a dispenser connecting
pipe 44 can be branched from any one side of the water pipe 43 and
a switching valve 45 is installed at the branch point to
selectively control a flow direction of water. More specifically,
the dispenser connecting pipe 44 is extended to the dispenser so
tha a user can dispense portable water. And, a ratating axis 202 is
extended to both sides of the tray 201. And, the water pail 42 may
be buried in the inside of the body 11 or provided at one side of
the wall surface of the refrigerating chamber.
[0052] Further, the ice making pipe 40 is a pipe in which a portion
of the refrigerant performing a refrigerant cycle flows. The pipe
is curved and bent several times to form projecting parts 401 as
shown. And, the projecting part 401 may be formed at a length that
can be submerged in water supplied to the tray 201.
[0053] Briefly describing the ice making process of the ice maker
20 forming such a structure, portable water for making ice is first
supplied from an outside water pipe to the water pail 42. And, when
the ice making process starts, the pump 41 is operated so that the
water stored in the water pail 42 is supplied to the tray 201. And,
when the water supplied to the tray 201 reaches a set water level,
the supply of water stops and the refrigerant in low temperature
and low pressure flows in the refrigerant pipe 40. The refrigerant
pipe 40 is formed in a structure that a portion of the pipes
configuring a freezing cycle is branched to be extended the tray
201. In order words, the refrigerant pipe may be formed in a
structure that it is branched from any point of the pipe connected
to an inlet side of the evaporator 31 to be extended to the tray
201. And, the refrigerant pipe 40 may be connected back to an
outlet side of the compressor 32.
[0054] On the other hand, in performing the ice making process, the
ice making should be completed before the ice formed in the
projection 401 contacts the ice formed at the neighboring
projection 401. And, water remaining in the tray 201 is removed.
Herein, as a method of removing the remain water, there may be a
method of removing the remain water by a rotation of the tray 201
or a method of removing the remain water by a connection of a
separate drain pump. And, if the remain water is completed, the
tray 201 is rotated at 180.degree. and in this state, the ice from
the refrigerant pipe 400 is deiced.
[0055] In detail, as a method of deicing the ice from the
refrigerant pipe 400, there may be a method of flwoing a high
temperature of refrigerant in the refrigerant pipe 400 in the
deicing process or a method of heating the refrigerant pipe 400 by
attaching a heater to the surface of the refrigerant pipe 400.
[0056] With the process as described above, the deiced ice is
directly dropped to the ice bank 21 or dropped thereto by means of
the guide. And, the ice dropped to the ice bank 21 is maintained at
sub-zero temperature by means of the cooling air supplied from the
cooling duct 18 or an auxiliary duct 28. In other words, the
phenomenon that a lump of ice stored in the ice bank 21 sticks to
each other due to the melting of ice is prevented.
[0057] And, the ice maker 20 with the structure that the
refrigerant pipe is extended to the inner space of the tray 201 can
perform a rapid ice making even when it is directly exposed to the
cooling air for the refrigerating chamber. Therefore, a separate
heat insulating wall or heat insulating case structure for
preventing the ice maker 20 from being exposed to the cooling air
for the refrigerating chamber is not needed.
* * * * *