U.S. patent application number 12/756893 was filed with the patent office on 2010-11-18 for ice maker, refrigerator having the same, and ice making method thereof.
Invention is credited to Bong-Jin Kim, Seong-Jae Kim, Young-Hoon Yun.
Application Number | 20100287959 12/756893 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43067380 |
Filed Date | 2010-11-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100287959 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kim; Seong-Jae ; et
al. |
November 18, 2010 |
ICE MAKER, REFRIGERATOR HAVING THE SAME, AND ICE MAKING METHOD
THEREOF
Abstract
An ice maker, a refrigerator including the ice maker, and an ice
making method are provided. The ice maker includes a tray having a
predetermined depth into which water is supplied to make ice. The
ice maker includes an elevating unit to elevate a portion of the
ice, and a cutting unit to cut off the elevated portion of the ice
to be dispensed as ice pieces to a user. The ice maker has a slim
configuration, and a compact size. The ice maker may be provided in
the door of the refrigerator at a height approximately the same as
the height of the dispenser located at the front side of the door.
This arrangement permits a path for supplying cool air from a
freezing compartment to the ice maker to be decreased.
Inventors: |
Kim; Seong-Jae; (Seoul,
KR) ; Kim; Bong-Jin; (Seoul, KR) ; Yun;
Young-Hoon; (Seoul, KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BIRCH STEWART KOLASCH & BIRCH
PO BOX 747
FALLS CHURCH
VA
22040-0747
US
|
Family ID: |
43067380 |
Appl. No.: |
12/756893 |
Filed: |
April 8, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/71 ; 62/320;
62/340; 62/441; 62/449; 62/74 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25C 2600/04 20130101;
F25C 2700/12 20130101; F25C 1/12 20130101; F25C 5/04 20130101; F25C
5/08 20130101; F25C 2400/10 20130101; F25C 1/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/71 ; 62/320;
62/441; 62/449; 62/340; 62/74 |
International
Class: |
F25C 5/02 20060101
F25C005/02; F25D 13/04 20060101 F25D013/04; F25D 23/02 20060101
F25D023/02; F25C 1/00 20060101 F25C001/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 15, 2009 |
KR |
10-2009-0042817 |
Claims
1. An ice maker, comprising: a tray having an ice making space
configured to produce an ice mass; an ice elevating unit configured
to elevate the ice mass located within the ice making space so that
an upper portion of the ice mass is located above the tray; and an
ice separating unit configured to separate the upper portion of the
ice mass from a remaining portion of the ice mass.
2. The ice maker of claim 1, wherein the ice elevating unit
comprises a rotatable screw having a screw thread, the screw thread
being configured to contact the ice mass in the ice making space to
elevate the ice mass upon rotation of the screw.
3. The ice maker of claim 2, further comprising a driving unit
configured to rotate the screw, the driving unit including: a
driving motor; a driving gear coupled to the driving motor; and a
driven gear provided at the ice elevating unit and coupled to the
driving gear for rotating the screw while being rotated by a
rotation force of the driving gear.
4. The ice maker of claim 1, further comprising a driving motor
configured to simultaneously drive the ice elevating unit and the
ice separating unit by rotation of the driving motor.
5. The ice maker of claim 1, wherein the tray includes a plurality
of spaced-apart ribs provided on an inner surface thereof, the ribs
extending in a generally vertical direction.
6. The ice maker of claim 1, wherein the ice separating unit
comprises: a housing located at an upper side of the tray; and a
cutter member located within the housing, the cutter member being
configured to cut the ice mass into the upper portion and the
remaining portion.
7. The ice maker of claim 6, wherein the cutter member comprises: a
pair of support members spaced apart in a horizontal direction; and
a blade having a spiral shape, the blade having opposite ends
thereof coupled to the pair of support members.
8. An appliance, comprising: a body including an ice making
chamber; and an ice maker located in the ice making chamber, the
ice maker including: a tray having an ice making space configured
to produce an ice mass; an ice elevating unit configured to elevate
the ice mass located within the ice making space so that an upper
portion of the ice mass is located above the tray; and an ice
separating unit configured to separate the upper portion of the ice
mass from a remaining portion of the ice mass.
9. The appliance of claim 8, wherein the body is a refrigerator
body having a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber, and
wherein the ice making chamber is located in the refrigerating
chamber.
10. The appliance of claim 9, further comprising a door configured
to open and close the refrigerating chamber, wherein the ice making
chamber is located at the door.
11. The appliance of claim 8, further comprising a dispenser
located at the refrigerator door for drawing out ice made in the
ice making space to outside of the refrigerator door, wherein at
least a portion of the ice making chamber is located at a same
height as a portion of the dispenser.
12. A method of providing ice, comprising: producing an ice mass in
an ice making device; receiving an ice request signal from a user;
elevating the ice mass located within the ice making device;
separating an upper portion of the ice mass from a remaining
portion of the ice mass; and dispensing the separated upper portion
of the ice mass.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the elevating, the separating
and the dispensing occur in that order in response to the ice
request signal.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the ice mass is produced prior
to receiving the ice request signal.
15. The method of claim 12, wherein the producing an ice mass
includes: supplying water to a tray of the ice making device;
sensing time or an amount of the water supplied to the tray; and
determining whether the sensed time or water amount has reached a
preset value.
16. The method of claim 12, further comprising separating an
interface between the ice making device and the ice mass prior to
elevating the ice mass.
17. The method of claim 12, wherein the elevating the ice mass
includes applying mechanical force to the ice mass.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the applying mechanical force
includes applying a vertical lifting force to a generally vertical
sidewall of the ice mass.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the separating an upper portion
of the ice mass from a remaining portion of the ice mass includes
applying mechanical cutting force to the ice mass to sever the ice
mass into separate pieces.
20. The method of claim 12, wherein the elevating the ice mass
includes moving the ice mass in a generally vertical direction, and
the separating an upper portion of the ice mass from a remaining
portion of the ice mass includes applying mechanical force to the
ice mass in a generally horizontal direction.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained
in priority Korean Application No. 10-2009-0042817, filed on May
15, 2009, which is herein expressly incorporated by reference in
its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to an ice maker, a
refrigerator including the ice maker, and an ice making method, and
particularly, to an ice maker that occupies a small space and
provides an enhanced degree of spatial utilization and placement
options within a refrigerator.
[0004] 2. Background of the Invention
[0005] A home refrigerator serves to store food items in an
accommodation space at a low temperature. The refrigerator is
divided into a freezing chamber for storing food items at a
temperature below zero degrees Celsius, and a refrigerating chamber
for storing food items at a temperature above zero degrees Celsius.
As demands for ice increases, a large number of refrigerators
having automatic ice makers for making ice are being presented.
[0006] The ice maker may be installed at either the freezing
chamber or the refrigerating chamber, depending on the type of
refrigerator. In the case of installing the ice maker at the
refrigerating chamber, cool air inside the freezing chamber is
guided to the ice maker to perform an ice making operation.
[0007] Methods for separating ice from the ice maker may include a
torsion method, an ejection method, and a rotation method. The
torsion method is a method for separating ice by twisting the ice
maker, the ejection method is a method for separating ice from the
ice maker by an ejector installed above the ice maker, and the
rotation method is a method for separating ice by rotating the ice
maker.
[0008] However, the conventional ice makers and refrigerators
provided with the conventional ice makers have several
drawbacks.
[0009] Firstly, the conventional ice maker makes ice by containing
water in a horizontal ice container. Here, the ice container
occupies a large space, and an ice separation unit for separating
ice from the ice maker occupies a large space. This may reduce the
entire utilization space inside the refrigerator. Furthermore, in
the case of reducing the size of the ice maker, the amount of ice
that can be made at one time is reduced. This may cause ice not to
be rapidly provided in summer when a large amount of ice is
required.
[0010] Secondly, the conventional ice maker has a structure to drop
formed ice downwardly to a location below the ice maker.
Accordingly, in the case of a refrigerator having a dispenser, an
ice making chamber has to be installed at a position higher than
the dispenser. However, in the case of a 3-door bottom freezer type
refrigerator where a freezing chamber is installed at a lower side
and a refrigerating chamber including an ice making chamber is
installed at an upper side, when the ice making chamber is
installed at a high position, the freezing chamber is spaced far
from the ice making chamber, and cooling air loss may occur when
cool air from the freezing chamber is transferred to the ice making
chamber. This may reduce the energy efficiency of the
refrigerator.
[0011] Thirdly, the conventional ice maker has an ice making unit
and an ice separating unit operated by individual mechanisms. This
may cause the entire configuration and control to be complicated,
resulting in an increase in the fabrication costs of the ice
maker.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide
an ice maker having a slim configuration which occupies a small
space within a refrigerator.
[0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide an ice
maker locatable within a refrigerator at a location that permits a
reduction of air loss occurring when cool air in a freezing chamber
is supplied to an ice making chamber, by shortening a distance
between the freezing chamber and the ice making chamber by lowering
an installation height of the ice maker.
[0014] Still another object of the present invention is to provide
an ice maker capable of reducing fabrication costs and reducing
malfunctions thereof by having a simplified configuration and
precise controls.
[0015] Still other objects of the present invention are to provide
a refrigerator having the ice maker, and an ice making method
thereof.
[0016] To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with
the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly
described herein, there is provided an ice maker, comprising: a
tray having an ice making space; an elevating unit coupled to the
tray, for elevating ice; a driving unit coupled to the elevating
unit, for driving the elevating unit; and a transferring unit
coupled to the tray, for transferring ice.
[0017] To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with
the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly
described herein, there is also provided a refrigerator,
comprising: a refrigerator body; a freezing chamber formed at the
refrigerator body; a refrigerating chamber formed at the
refrigerator body, and partitioned from the freezing chamber; an
ice making chamber installed at the refrigerating chamber of the
refrigerator body, for making ice by receiving cool air inside the
freezing chamber; and an ice maker installed inside the ice making
chamber, for making ice, wherein the ice maker comprises: one or
more elevating units for elevating ice while rotating in a coupled
state to a tray; and a driving unit coupled to the elevating unit,
for driving the elevating unit.
[0018] To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with
the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly
described herein, there is still also provided an ice making method
of a refrigerator, comprising: a water supplying step for supplying
water to a tray; an ice making step for cooling the water contained
in the tray, and thereby making ice; and an ice separating step for
drawing out the ice from the tray in a mechanical push manner.
[0019] The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and
advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from
the following detailed description of the present invention when
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a
further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of
the invention and together with the description serve to explain
the principles of the invention.
[0021] In the drawings:
[0022] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bottom freezer type
refrigerator having an ice maker according to the present
invention;
[0023] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ice maker of FIG. 1;
[0024] FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line `III-III` in
FIG. 2;
[0025] FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line `IV-IV` in FIG.
2;
[0026] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a worm gear and a worm wheel
of an ice separating unit of FIG. 2;
[0027] FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken similarly to FIG. 4
according to another embodiment of the present invention;
[0028] FIG. 7 is a view schematically showing a configuration of a
control unit of FIG. 3;
[0029] FIGS. 8(a)-8(d) are longitudinal section views of the ice
maker of FIG. 2, which show an ice making process;
[0030] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an ice making process by the
ice maker of FIG. 2;
[0031] FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing the ice maker of FIG. 1
according to another embodiment of the present invention; and
[0032] FIGS. 11 and 12 are a rear view and a side sectional view
showing an arrangement structure of the ice maker of FIG. 2 and a
dispenser according to another embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0033] A description will now be given in detail of the present
invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0034] Hereinafter, an ice maker, a refrigerator having the same,
and an ice making method thereof according to the present invention
will be explained in more detail with reference to the attached
drawings.
[0035] Referring now to FIG. 1, the refrigerator according to the
present invention comprises a freezing chamber 2 installed at a
lower side of a refrigerator body 1 and configured to store food
items at a temperature below zero degrees Celsius, and a
refrigerating chamber 3 installed at an upper side of the
refrigerator body 1 and configured to store food items at a
temperature above zero degrees Celsius. A freezing chamber door 4
is slidably installed at the freezing chamber 2 so as to open and
close the freezing chamber 2 in a drawer-like manner. A plurality
of refrigerating chamber doors 5 are rotatably installed at both
sides of the refrigerating chamber 3 so as to open and close the
refrigerating chamber 3. A mechanical chamber is located at a lower
end of a rear portion of the refrigerator body 1 where a compressor
and a condenser are installed.
[0036] An evaporator for supplying cool air to the freezing chamber
2 or the refrigerating chamber 3 by being connected to the
compressor and the condenser is installed at a rear portion of the
refrigerator body 1, between an outer case and an inner case at a
rear wall of the freezing chamber. However, the evaporator may be
installed at a side wall or an upper wall or the refrigerator body.
Alternatively, the evaporator may be installed at a barrier wall
partitioning the freezing chamber 2 and the refrigerating chamber 3
from each other. One single evaporator may be installed only at the
freezing chamber 2 to supply cool air to the freezing chamber 2 and
the refrigerating chamber 3 in a distribution manner.
Alternatively, a freezing chamber evaporator and a separate
refrigerating chamber evaporator may be installed respectively, so
as to independently supply cool air to the freezing chamber 2 and
the refrigerating chamber 3.
[0037] An ice making chamber 51 for making ice and storing the ice
is formed at an upper inner wall surface of the refrigerating
chamber door 5. An ice maker 100 for making ice is installed inside
of the ice making chamber 51. A dispenser 52 is located below the
ice making chamber 51, so as to be outwardly exposed on a front
side of the refrigerator chamber door 5, so that ice made by the
ice maker 100 can be drawn out of the refrigerator.
[0038] The operation of the refrigerator will now be explained.
[0039] Once a load is detected from the freezing chamber 2 or the
refrigerating chamber 3, the compressor is operated to generate
cool air by the evaporator. A portion of the cool air is supplied
to the freezing chamber 2 and the refrigerating chamber 3 in a
distribution manner, whereas another portion of the cool air is
supplied to the ice making chamber 51. The cool air supplied to the
ice making chamber 51 is heat-exchanged so that ice can be formed
by the ice maker 100 mounted at the ice making chamber 51, and then
is returned into the freezing chamber 2 or is supplied to the
refrigerating chamber 3. The ice made by the ice maker 100 is drawn
out through the dispenser 52. These processes are repeatedly
performed.
[0040] As shown in FIG. 2, the ice maker 100 includes a water
supply unit 110 connected to a water supply source for supplying
water, a tray 120 for performing an ice making operation by
receiving the water supplied from the water supply unit 110, an ice
raising unit 130 for moving ice made in the tray 120, and an ice
separating unit 140 installed at an opening of the tray 120 for
cutting the ice into a proper size piece or pieces, and
transferring the ice piece or pieces away from the tray 120.
[0041] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the water supply unit 110 includes
a water supply pipe 111 for connecting the water supply source to
the tray 120, a water supply valve 112 installed at an intermediate
part of the water supply pipe 111 for controlling a water supply
amount. A water supply pump 113 may be provided at an upstream side
or a downstream side of the water supply valve 112 for pumping
water. The water supply pump 113 serves to supply a uniform water
pressure and flow. However, the water supply pump 113 is not
necessarily required. For example, where the water supply pump 113
is not provided, water supply may be performed by using a height
difference between the water supply source and the tray 120, or by
water pressure of the source.
[0042] The water supply pipe 111 may be independently connected to
the tray 120. When the tray 120 is implemented in plural numbers,
the water supply pipe 111 is connected to the plurality of trays
120, preferably in parallel, in consideration of the aspects of
controls and fabrication costs.
[0043] The water supply pipe 111 may be directly connected to the
water supply source for supplying water. In addition, the water
supply pipe 111 may be connected to a water tank provided in the
refrigerating chamber 3 and storing a predetermined amount of water
therein. In this case, the water tank serves as the water supply
source. In order to supply a predetermined amount of water to the
tray 120, a water level sensor may be installed at the tray 120, a
flow amount sensor for sensing a flow amount of water may be
installed at the water supply pipe, or a water level sensor may be
installed at the water tank.
[0044] The water supply valve 112 and the water supply pump 113 may
be electrically connected to a control unit 150 so as to exchange
signals with each other. The control unit 150 may control a water
supply amount based on a real time value sensed by the water level
sensor or the flow amount sensor. Alternatively, the control unit
150 may periodically turn on/off the water supply valve 112 and the
water supply pump 113 by setting an operation time of the water
supply valve 112 and the water supply pump 113 according to
predefined data.
[0045] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a single tray 120 may be provided
according to an ice making capacity of the refrigerator. However, a
plurality of trays 120 may be provided for increasing an ice making
capacity of the refrigerator. When a plurality of trays 120 are
provided, the plurality of trays 120 may be arranged in one line,
or may be arranged in a plurality of lines, taking into
consideration the relationships with the peripheral components. In
order to minimize each width of the trays 120 in back and forth
directions, the trays 120 are preferably arranged on the same plane
in one line. However, in order to minimize each width of the trays
120 in right and left directions, the trays 120 are preferably
arranged in a plurality of lines. The arrangement of the trays 120
may be suitably controlled according to particular needs.
[0046] The tray 120 may be formed of a conductive material such as
aluminum, and may be formed to have a rectangular section shape
having a predetermined thickness. The tray 120 may be formed to
have various shapes according to particular needs. However, the
tray 120 is preferably formed to have a rectangular shape extending
long in a horizontal direction since ice has to come in contact
with an elevating member, such as one or two screws to be described
later, thereby making ice in a rectangular shape.
[0047] Referring to FIG. 3, a water supply hole 121 may be formed
at the center of a bottom surface of the tray 120. Alternatively,
the water supply hole 121 may be formed on a side surface of the
tray 120, or above the tray 120.
[0048] The tray 120 may be provided with a plurality of ribs 122 on
an inner circumferential surface thereof. Ice made in the tray 120
having one consecutive shape may not be easy to cut, or may be
difficult to cut in a uniform size by a cutter. Accordingly, the
plurality of ribs 122 may extend in a vertical direction on an
inner circumferential surface of the tray 120 so that the ice
upwardly moving by the ice raising unit 130 can be partitioned from
each other in a horizontal direction, particularly along an axial
direction of a cutter 142 to be described later. The shape of ice
cubes may be determined according to the shape of the ribs 122.
[0049] The tray 120 may be formed to have the same sectional area
and shape in a longitudinal direction. Alternatively, the tray 120
may be formed to have different sectional areas and shapes in a
longitudinal direction. In the case of the latter, the tray 120 is
preferably formed to have a larger sectional area and shape toward
its opening, i.e., an ice separating end, so that ice made in the
tray 120 can be smoothly separated from the tray 120 in a
longitudinal direction.
[0050] The ice raising unit 130 includes a heater 131 installed on
an outer peripheral surface of the tray 120 for applying heat to
the tray 120 to thereby separate the ice mass from the tray 120, an
elevating unit 132 for elevating the ice mass separated from the
tray 120 by the heater 131, and a driving unit 137 for driving the
elevating unit 132.
[0051] As shown in FIG. 2, the heater 131 may be implemented as a
hot wire heater wound on an outer peripheral surface of the tray
120. In this case, the heater 131 may be formed as a single circuit
or a plurality of circuits according to the shape of the tray
120.
[0052] The heater 131 may be controlled so as to be communicated
with the water supply unit 110. For instance, a microcomputer may
determine whether water is being supplied to the tray 120 for ice
making, whether an ice making operation is being performed, or
whether the ice made in the tray 120 is being separated from the
tray 120, according to changes of values sensed by the water level
sensor or the flow amount sensor of the water supply unit 110. If
it is determined that water is being supplied to the tray 120 for
ice making, or if it is determined that an ice making operation is
being performed, the operation of the heater 131 is stopped.
However, if it is determined that the ice made in the tray 120 is
being separated from the tray 120, the operation of the heater 131
is started.
[0053] The time to operate the heater 131 may be determined by
real-time or by periodically sensing the temperature of the tray
120. Alternatively, the heater 131 may be forcibly operated based
on a data value set to indicate a lapsed time after changes of
values sensed by the water level sensor or the flow amount sensor
of the water supply unit 110. That is, whether the ice making
operation has been completed or not may be checked by sensing the
temperature of the tray 120, or through an ice making time. For
instance, when the temperature of the tray 120 measured by a
temperature sensor mounted at the tray 120 is less than a
predetermined temperature (e.g., about -9 degrees Celsius), it is
determined that the ice making operation has been completed.
Alternatively, when a predetermined time lapses after a water
supply operation, it is determined that the ice making operation
has been completed.
[0054] Although not shown, the heater 131 may be also implemented
as a conductive polymer, a plate heater with a positive thermal
coefficient, an AL thin film, or a heat transfer material, rather
than the aforementioned hot wire heater.
[0055] Rather than being attached onto the outer peripheral surface
of the tray 120, the heater 131 may instead be installed inside the
tray 120, or may be provided on an inner surface of the tray 120.
Alternatively, the tray 120 may be implemented as a heating
resistor which emits heat when electricity is applied to one or
more parts thereof. This may allow the tray 120 to serve as the
heater 131 without installing an additional heater.
[0056] The heater 131 may operate as a heat source by being
installed at a position spaced from the tray 120 by a predetermined
interval, without coming in contact with the tray 120. As another
example, the heat source may be implemented as an optical source
for irradiating light to at least one of the ice and the tray 120,
or a magnetron for irradiating microwaves to at least one of the
ice and the tray 120. The heat source such as the heater, the
optical source, and the magnetron melts a part of an interface
between the ice mass and the tray 120, by applying thermal energy
to at least one of the ice mass and the tray 120, or the interface
therebetween. Accordingly, once a screw 135 to be later explained
is operated to elevate the ice mass, the ice mass is separated from
the tray 120 by the screw 135 even in a condition where the
interface between the ice mass and the tray 120 has not melted
completely.
[0057] The elevating unit 132 includes a driving force transmitting
member 133 for transmitting a rotation force of a driving unit 137,
a driving force transmitting shaft 134 rotating by the driving
force transmitting member 133 in a connected state to the driving
unit 137, and a screw 135 for elevating ice while rotating by being
engaged to the driving force transmitting shaft 134.
[0058] The driving force transmitting member 133 may be implemented
as a belt as shown in FIGS. 2 through 6. Alternatively, the driving
force transmitting member 133 may be implemented as a plurality of
belts, a flexible force transmission member such as a chain, or one
or more gears or shafts.
[0059] The driving force transmitting shaft 134 is installed in
parallel to a rotation shaft 139 of a driving motor 138 which will
be later explained. The driving force transmitting shaft 134 is
provided with a pulley 134a for winding thereon the driving force
transmitting member 133 at one side thereof. A worm gear 134b for
elevating the screw 135 is formed at one side of the pulley 134a.
The number of the worm gears 134b corresponds to the number of the
screws 135. For instance, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the
screws 135 are provided at right and left sides, the worm gears
134b are formed at both ends of the driving force transmitting
shaft 134 in right and left directions.
[0060] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, two screws 135 may be installed
at right and left sides of the tray 120, or one screw 135 may be
installed at the center of the tray 120 as shown in FIG. 10. In the
case of installing the screw 135 at the center of the tray 120,
interference between the screw 135 and the cutter 142 to be
explained later has to be considered. Accordingly, it is preferable
to install the screw 135 at both sides of the tray 120 or one side
of the two sides for prevention of the interference with the cutter
142.
[0061] The screw 135 is formed long-ways in a vertical direction,
and both ends thereof are rotatably coupled to upper and lower
surfaces of the tray 120. The screw 135 is provided with screw
threads 135a up to a predetermined height thereof so as to push up
the ice in a contact manner. The screw threads 135a may be formed
to have a triangular section shape, or a quadrangular section
shape.
[0062] At upper ends of the screws 135, i.e., at an upper side of
the screw threads 135a, worm wheels 135b are provided for
converting a rotation motion of the driving force transmitting
shaft 134 in a horizontal axial direction into a rotation motion of
the screw 135 in a vertical axial direction by being engaged to the
worm gears 134b of the driving force transmitting shaft 134. The
worm wheels 135b may be directly coupled to the worm gears 134b.
Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the worm wheels 135b may
be coupled to the worm gears 134b through intermediate gears 136
provided therebetween. In this case, the worm wheels 135b need not
be formed to have a very large diameter, thereby enabling the
screws 135 to be easily fabricated and assembled.
[0063] The driving unit 137 may include a driving motor 138
provided at one side of an upper end of the tray 120, and a
rotation shaft 139 coupled to a rotor of the driving motor 138 for
rotating the driving force transmitting shaft 134 and the cutter
142.
[0064] The ice separating unit 140 includes a housing 141 for
covering an upper opened surface of the tray 120, and a cutter 142
rotatably installed at an inner space of the housing 141 and
configured to guide the ice to the dispenser after cutting the
ice.
[0065] The housing 141 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and
coupled to the upper opened side of the tray 120 so as to be
communicated thereto in right and left directions. A chute tube 143
for guiding the cut ice cubes to the dispenser is provided at one
side of the housing 141 opposite to the driving motor 138. The
chute tube 143 may be formed in a cylindrical shape having nearly
the same diameter as the housing 141. The driving motor 138 may be
coupled to another side of the housing 141.
[0066] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the cutter 142 is installed in
the housing 141 in a horizontal direction. The cutter 142 includes
a plurality of cutter plates 145 spaced apart from each other by a
predetermined distance so as to be rotated by a rotation force of
the driving motor 138. The cutter 142 further includes one or more
blades 146 formed in a spiral shape, with both ends thereof coupled
to surfaces of the two cutter plates 145. Among the plurality of
cutter plates 145, the rotation shaft 139 of the driving motor 138
is coupled to the cutter plate 145 adjacent to the driving motor
138. The blade 146 may be formed in a spiral shape wound by about
180.degree. so as to smoothly cut the upwardly moving ice mass. As
the two cutter plates 145 are connected to each other only by the
blade 146 without using an additional bar, the ice may be smoothly
upwardly moved from the tray 120 without being blocked by the
cutter 142.
[0067] The cutter 142 may be formed in other ways to cut the ice
mass into separated ice pieces having a proper size. In case of
forming the blade 146 of the cutter 142 in a screw shape, the blade
146 can move the ice in a consecutive push manner. This may allow a
free configuration of an arrangement shape of the tray 120 or a
direction to draw out the ice. Furthermore, in case of forming the
blade 146 of the cutter 142 in a screw shape, the number of the
chute tube 143 and the position of the ice drawing opening 147 may
be varied. More specifically, when the screw of the blade 146 is
implemented in one direction as shown in FIG. 4, the ice drawing
opening 147 is formed at one end of the blade 146. However, when
the screw of the blade 146 is implemented in both directions as
shown in FIG. 6, the ice drawing opening 147 may be formed at both
ends of the blade 146, or at an intermediate part of the blade
146.
[0068] The heater 131 and the driving motor 138 may be controlled
by a control unit 150, i.e., a microcomputer electrically connected
thereto. For instance, as shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 150
includes a sensing unit 151 for sensing the temperature of the tray
120 or sensing a lapsed time after water supply, a determination
unit 152 for determining whether the ice making operation has been
completed or not by comparing the temperature or time sensed by the
sensing unit 151 with a reference value, and a command unit 153 for
controlling on/off of the heater 131 and whether to operate the
driving motor 138 based on the determination by the determination
unit 152.
[0069] Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9, once ice making is
requested, the ice maker 100 is turned on, and an ice making
operation starts (S1). Once the ice making operation starts, the
water supply unit 110 supplies water to the tray 120 (S2). Here, a
water supply amount is real time sensed by a water level sensor
installed at the tray 120, or a flow amount sensor installed at a
water supply pipe, or a water level sensor installed at a water
tank, etc. Then, the sensed water supply amount is transmitted to
the microcomputer 150. The microcomputer 150 compares the received
water supply amount with a preset water supply amount (S3). Based
on the comparison, it is determined whether a preset amount of
water has been supplied to the tray 120. If it is determined that a
preset amount of water has been supplied to the tray 120, a water
supply valve of the water supply unit 110 is blocked to stop a
supply of water to the tray 120.
[0070] Once the water supply to the tray 120 has been completed,
the water inside the tray 120 is exposed to cool air supplied to
the ice making chamber 51 for a predetermined time, to be frozen
into an ice mass (S5). While the water inside the tray 120 is being
frozen, a temperature sensor periodically or real-time senses the
temperature of the tray 120 to transmit the sensed temperature to
the microcomputer 150. Then, the microcomputer 150 compares the
sensed temperature with a preset temperature (S6). Based on this
comparison, it is determined whether the surface of the water
inside the tray 120 has been frozen. If it is determined that the
water inside the tray 120 has been frozen into an ice mass, all the
processes are stopped (S7) to await an ice separating
operation.
[0071] Once ice separation is requested (S8), the heater 131 is
operated (S9) by the control unit 150. As the heater 131 is
operated, heat is supplied to the tray 120, thereby melting an
outer surface of the ice mass contacting an inner surface of the
tray 120.
[0072] Next, the driving motor 138 is operated by the control unit
150, thereby rotating the worm gears 134. The worm gears 134 rotate
the worm wheels 135b, thereby rotating the screws 135 to which the
worm wheels 135b have been coupled (S10). Accordingly, the screw
threads 135a of the screws 135 upwardly move the ice mass in a
pushing manner. As the ice mass is moved upwardly in a direction of
the housing 141, the ice separating operation starts (S11).
[0073] While the worm gears 134 are rotated by the driving motor
138, the cutter 142 also starts to be rotated (S12). The ice mass
inside the tray 120 is upwardly moved to be cut by the cutter 142
in a predetermined size. Then, the cut ice cubes are transferred to
the chute tube 143 by the blade 146 of the cutter 142, and
subsequently discharged out toward the dispenser, or toward an ice
storage container (S13).
[0074] While the ice is being separated from the tray 120 or while
the ice separating operation is prepared, supply of cool air to the
ice making chamber 51 is preferably stopped in order to facilitate
the ice separating operation, and in order to reduce power supplied
to the heater 131.
[0075] Once the ice drawing operation is completed, the operation
of the heater 131 and the cutter 142 is stopped. And, while the
water supply valve 112 is opened, a proper amount of water is
supplied to the tray 120 by a water level sensor and a flow amount
sensor, etc. These processes are repeatedly performed.
[0076] Under these configurations, the size of the ice maker may be
reduced, and thus the refrigerator having the ice maker may be
implemented to have a slim configuration. More specifically, in the
conventional art, a tray has a wide width, and an ice separation
unit for separating ice from an ice making maker has a wide width.
Accordingly, the conventional refrigerator having the ice maker has
a limitation in having a slim configuration. However, in the
present invention, since the ice maker is provided with the tray
having a small thickness, an occupation area occupied by the ice
maker in the refrigerator is small.
[0077] Furthermore, since an installation height of the ice maker
is lowered, a path for supplying cool air may be shortened. This
may prevent loss of cool air being supplied to the ice making
chamber. More specifically, in the conventional art, an ice storage
container is provided for storing ice made by the ice maker.
However, in the present invention, the tray having a long shape in
upper and lower directions serves to store a predetermined amount
of ice therein, thereby eliminating the need for an additional ice
storage container. Accordingly, the ice maker has a lowered
installation height, thereby reducing the distance between the
freezing chamber and the ice making chamber. This may shorten the
path for supplying cool air, thereby reducing loss of cool air, and
reducing loss of an input for driving the ice maker.
[0078] Furthermore, since the ice maker has a simplified
configuration and precise operation controls, the fabrication costs
may be reduced, and inferiority of the ice maker due to
malfunctions may be prevented. More specifically, in the
conventional art, ice is separated from the ice maker by a torsion
method, a heating method, a rotation method, etc. However, in the
present invention, ice is mechanically separated from the ice maker
by using a rotation force of the driving motor which rotates the
cutter. This may allow the ice maker to have a simplified
configuration and precise operation controls. As a result, the
fabrication costs for the ice maker may be reduced, and inferiority
of the ice maker due to malfunctions may be prevented to enhance
reliability of the ice maker.
[0079] Hereinafter, an ice maker according to another embodiment of
the present invention will be explained.
[0080] The screw 135 may be operated by a separate additional
driving motor, independently of the driving motor which rotates the
cutter 142. For instance, as shown in FIG. 10, a screw rotating
driving motor 125 may be additionally provided at the center of a
lower side of the tray 120, and the screw 135 may be coupled to a
rotation shaft of the screw rotating driving motor 125. In this
case, as shown in FIG. 10, one screw 135 may be provided at the
center of the tray 120. Alternatively, a plurality of screws 135
may be provided by using gears or belts and pulleys. Still
alternatively, each of the plurality of screws 135 may be
independently provided with a screw rotating driving motor. In this
case, the ice maker has similar configurations and effects as those
of the ice maker according to one embodiment of the present
invention, and thus detailed explanations thereof will be omitted.
The ice maker according to another embodiment where the screw
rotating driving motor 125 is additionally provided is different
from the ice maker according to one embodiment in that the driving
force transmitting member, the driving force transmitting bar, the
worm gears, the worm wheels, etc. need not be provided at a narrow
space. This may facilitate the assembly process and controls, and
reduce frequent malfunctions of the ice maker since the cutter and
the screw are independently operated.
[0081] The refrigerator having the ice maker according to the
present invention has the following operation and effects.
[0082] In case of a 3-door bottom freezer type refrigerator having
the ice making chamber at the refrigerating chamber and operating
the ice maker by guiding cool air to the ice making chamber from
the freezing chamber, a space occupied by the ice maker may be
reduced, thereby providing a slim configuration of the
refrigerator. In case of a built-in refrigerator having a reduced
depth in a front-to-rear direction for combination with other
structures, a refrigerating chamber door may have a reduced
thickness by applying the ice maker thereto. This may enhance a
degree of freedom to install the refrigerator.
[0083] In case of applying the ice maker to the refrigerator, the
cutter 142 is installed on an upper end of the tray 120, thereby
discharging the ice from an upper side of the ice maker.
Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 11, the ice maker 100 may be arranged
at a lower side of the refrigerating chamber door 5 beside the
dispenser 52 in a width direction at approximately the same height
as the dispenser 52. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 12, the ice
maker 100 and the dispenser 52 may be arranged in back and forth
directions such that the ice maker 100 is located behind the
dispenser 52 in a thickness direction of the refrigerating chamber
door 5. This may reduce a length of a flow path between the
freezing chamber 2 and the ice making chamber 51. Accordingly, loss
of cool air that may occur while supplying cool air to the ice
making chamber 51 from the freezing chamber 2 may be greatly
reduced, thereby lowering power consumption of the refrigerator.
This may also increase an effective volume of the refrigerating
chamber door.
[0084] The ice maker, the refrigerator having the same, and the ice
making method thereof maybe applicable to all types of
refrigerating appliances having ice makers, such as two-door
refrigerators, side-by-side refrigerators, and stand-alone freezers
without refrigerating chambers.
[0085] The foregoing embodiments and advantages are merely
exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present
disclosure. The present teachings can be readily applied to other
types of apparatuses. This description is intended to be
illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims. Many
alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to
those skilled in the art. The features, structures, methods, and
other characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described herein
may be combined in various ways to obtain additional and/or
alternative exemplary embodiments.
[0086] As the present features may be embodied in several forms
without departing from the characteristics thereof, it should also
be understood that the above-described embodiments are not limited
by any of the details of the foregoing description, unless
otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within
its scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore all
changes and modifications that fall within the metes and bounds of
the claims, or equivalents of such metes and bounds, are therefore
intended to be embraced by the appended claims.
* * * * *