U.S. patent application number 13/197431 was filed with the patent office on 2011-11-24 for refrigerator.
This patent application is currently assigned to LG Electronics Inc.. Invention is credited to Ju Hyun KIM, Jong Min SHIN.
Application Number | 20110283732 13/197431 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39582040 |
Filed Date | 2011-11-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110283732 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
SHIN; Jong Min ; et
al. |
November 24, 2011 |
REFRIGERATOR
Abstract
The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more
particularly, to a structure for allowing ice, which is received in
an ice-storing device provided in a refrigerating chamber door, to
be in a frozen state without being melted. The refrigerator of the
present invention comprises a main body including at least a
refrigerating chamber, a door for opening or closing the
refrigerating chamber, a container provided in the door to store
ice therein, and a cold heat storage member surrounding the
container. According to the refrigerator of the present invention
constructed as above, even though an ice bank for storing ice is
provided in a refrigerating chamber door, it is possible to prevent
a phenomenon by which ice is melted and stuck together.
Inventors: |
SHIN; Jong Min; (Busan City,
KR) ; KIM; Ju Hyun; (Jinhae City, KR) |
Assignee: |
LG Electronics Inc.
|
Family ID: |
39582040 |
Appl. No.: |
13/197431 |
Filed: |
August 3, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11969042 |
Jan 3, 2008 |
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13197431 |
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60883320 |
Jan 3, 2007 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
62/344 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 2317/0666 20130101;
F25C 5/182 20130101; F25D 2317/062 20130101; F25C 2400/10
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/344 |
International
Class: |
F25C 5/18 20060101
F25C005/18 |
Claims
1. A refrigerator, comprising: a main body including at least a
refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber disposed under the
refrigerating chamber; a first refrigerating chamber door and a
second refrigerating chamber door for opening or closing the
refrigerating chamber; an ice maker disposed within the
refrigerating chamber so as to be located behind the first
refrigerating chamber door; an container mounted on the first
refrigerating chamber door to supply ice from the ice maker and to
be exposed to an inside of the refrigerating chamber; a dispenser
disposed in the first refrigerating chamber door to dispense the
ice received in the container; an evaporator disposed within the
freezing chamber to supply cold air; and a cold air flow passage
for supplying the cold air from the freezing chamber to the
container in order to maintain the ice in the container in a frozen
state, and the cold air flow passage to extend along a ceiling of
the refrigerating chamber.
2. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cold air
flow passage comprises a duct member having a discharge port
positioned above an opening of the container.
3. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ice maker is
disposed adjacent to the cold air flow passage.
4. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the container
has an opening at an upper portion, and at least a portion of the
cold air discharged from the cold air flow passage is discharged to
the opening of the container.
5. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 4, wherein a remaining
portion of the cold air discharged from the cold air flow passage
is discharged into the refrigerating chamber.
6. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dispenser
includes an opening through which the ice is supplied to an outside
of the first refrigerating chamber door.
7. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein a portion of the
cold air discharged from the cold air flow passage is supplied to
the ice maker.
8. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, further comprises an
auger rotatably provided in the container to guide the ice of the
container.
9. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 9, further comprises a
motor to rotate the auger.
10. A refrigerator, comprising: a main body including at least a
refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber disposed under the
refrigerating chamber; a first refrigerating chamber door and a
second refrigerating chamber door for opening or closing the
refrigerating chamber; an ice maker disposed within the
refrigerating chamber so as to be located behind the first
refrigerating chamber door; a container mounted on the first
refrigerating chamber door to supply ice from the ice maker,
wherein an inside of the container communicates with the inside of
the refrigerating chamber; a dispenser disposed in the first
refrigerating chamber door to dispense the ice received in the
container; an evaporator disposed within the freezing chamber to
supply cold air; and a cold air flow passage for supplying the cold
air from the freezing chamber to the container in order to maintain
the ice in the container in a frozen state, and the cold air flow
passage to extend along a ceiling of the refrigerating chamber.
11. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 10, wherein the cold air
flow passage comprises a duct member having a discharge port
positioned above an opening of the container.
12. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 10, wherein the ice maker
is disposed adjacent to the cold air flow passage.
13. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 10, wherein the container
has an opening at an upper portion, and at least a portion of the
cold air discharged from the cold air flow passage is discharged to
the opening of the container.
14. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 10, wherein a portion of
the cold air discharged from the cold air flow passage is supplied
to the ice maker.
15. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 10, further comprises an
auger rotatably provided in the container to guide the ice of the
container.
16. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 15, further comprises a
motor to rotate the auger.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] This application is a Continuation Application of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 11/969,042, filed Jan. 3, 2008, which
claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application 60/883,320, filed
Jan. 3, 2007, the subject matters of which are incorporated herein
by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more
particularly, to a structure for allowing ice, which is received in
an ice-storing device provided in a refrigerating chamber door, to
be in a frozen state without being melted.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Generally, a refrigerator is an electric home appliance for
storing foods in a low temperature state so that the foods can be
kept in a fresh state for an extended period of time.
[0006] Specifically, a refrigerator includes a refrigerating
chamber that is maintained in a temperature range of 1 to 4.degree.
C. to store foods such as vegetables in a fresh state, and a
freezing chamber that is maintained at about -18.degree. C. to
store foods such as meat or fish in a frozen state.
[0007] In addition, refrigerators are classified into a type in
which a freezing chamber is positioned above a refrigerating
chamber, a type in which a freezing chamber is positioned below a
refrigerating chamber, and a type in which a freezing chamber and a
refrigerating chamber are positioned side by side.
[0008] Alternatively, refrigerators may be classified into a
side-by-side door refrigerator having right and left doors, and a
single-side door refrigerator having upper and lower doors.
[0009] Meanwhile, an ice maker for making ice and an ice bank for
storing the ice are provided in any one of the refrigerating
chamber and the freezing chamber.
[0010] Specifically, in a case where the ice maker and the ice bank
are provided in the freezing chamber, water stored in the ice maker
is made into ice by means of a refrigerant that has passed through
an evaporator, and the ice falls into and stored in the ice bank
provided below the ice maker.
[0011] Meanwhile, in some refrigerators, the ice maker is provided
in the refrigerating chamber, and the ice bank is provided at a
refrigerating chamber door. In this case, since the refrigerating
chamber is kept at a temperature above zero, the ice stored in the
ice bank may be partially melted and stuck again together.
[0012] Specifically, in a case where ice is melted and stuck
together, there is a problem in that an overload may be applied to
an ice crusher provided in the ice bank. More specifically, in a
case where an overload is applied to the ice crusher, parts such as
a motor for operating the ice crusher or a blade for crushing ice
may be damaged. As a result, there is a disadvantage in that the
life span of the ice bank is shortened, resulting in additional
repair or replacement costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The present invention is conceived to solve the
aforementioned problems. Accordingly, an object of the present
invention is to provide a refrigerator, wherein ice stored in an
ice bank provided at a refrigerating chamber door is kept in a
frozen state without being melted.
[0014] Specifically, an object of the present invention is to
provide a refrigerator, wherein ice stored in an ice bank is
prevented from being melted and stuck together so that an ice
crusher for crushing the ice is not damaged.
[0015] A refrigerator according to one aspect of the present
invention for achieving the objects comprises a main body including
at least a refrigerating chamber, a door for opening or closing the
refrigerating chamber, a container provided in the door to store
ice therein, and a cold heat storage member surrounding the
container.
[0016] A refrigerator according to another aspect of the present
invention comprises a main body including a refrigerating chamber
and a freezing chamber, a door for opening or closing the
refrigerating chamber, a container provided in the door to store
ice therein, a cold heat storage member provided at an entire or
partial portion of the container; and a cold air duct provided in
the main body to discharge cold air directly to the container.
[0017] With the structure described above, there is an advantage in
that ice stored in the ice bank provided at the refrigerating
chamber door can be kept in a frozen state without being
melted.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the
present invention will become apparent from the following
description of preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to the
present invention;
[0020] FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing the refrigerator
according to the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a refrigerator
according to another embodiment of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the structure of an ice
bank of the refrigerator according to the present invention;
and
[0023] FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view showing the ice bank of
the refrigerator according to the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] Hereinafter, a specific embodiment of the present invention
will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying
drawings. However, the spirit of the present invention is not
limited to the following embodiment, and retrograde embodiments or
other embodiments included in the scope of the present invention
can be easily conceived by adding, changing or eliminating other
components.
[0025] FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to the
present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing the
refrigerator according to the present invention.
[0026] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the refrigerator of the present
invention will be described by way of example in connection with a
bottom-freezer type refrigerator in which a refrigerating chamber
is provided at an upper portion and a freezing chamber is provided
at a lower portion.
[0027] The refrigerator 10 of the present invention includes a main
body 11 having a refrigerating chamber 15 and a freezing chamber 16
provided therein, refrigerating chamber doors 12 for opening or
closing the refrigerating chamber 15, and a freezing chamber door
13 for opening or closing the freezing chamber 16. Specifically,
the refrigerating chamber 15 and the freezing chamber 16 are
partitioned by means of a barrier 111.
[0028] In addition, the refrigerator 10 further includes a
compressor 32 provided at a lower portion of the main body 11 to
compress a refrigerant, an evaporator 31 disposed at a rear portion
of the main body 11 to generate cold air, and a blower fan 30 for
causing the cold air generated by the evaporator 31 to be supplied
into the refrigerating chamber 15 and the freezing chamber 16.
[0029] Moreover, the refrigerator 10 further includes a freezing
duct 17 for supplying the cold air blown by the blower fan 30 to
the freezing chamber 16, a refrigeration duct 18 for supplying the
cold air to the refrigerating chamber 15, an ice maker 20 provided
on a ceiling of the refrigerating chamber 15, and an ice bank 21
for storing ice made by the ice maker 20.
[0030] Specifically, the freezing duct 17 is provided with a
plurality of cold air holes, and the cold air is discharged into
the freezing chamber 16 through the cold air holes. Here, in
addition to the structure in which the evaporator 31 and the blower
fan 30 are disposed in the freezing duct 17, the evaporator 31 and
the blower fan 30 may be provided in a separate space in the main
body 11 and a freezing duct 17 connected to the freezing chamber 16
may be separately provided.
[0031] Furthermore, the refrigeration duct 18 extends from a space
where the evaporator 31 is accommodated, and is then connected to
the refrigerating chamber 15 through the barrier 111. Here, in
addition to the structure in which the refrigeration duct 18
communicates directly with the space with the evaporator 31
accommodated therein, it should be noted that the refrigeration
duct 18 may be branched off from the freezing duct 17.
[0032] As shown in the figures, the refrigerating chamber doors 12
are generally provided as side-by-side doors, and the freezing
chamber door 13 is generally in the form of a drawer-type door.
However, the freezing chamber door 13 may also be provided in the
form of side-by-side doors.
[0033] With the structure described above, ice made by the ice
maker 20 provided on the ceiling of the refrigerating chamber 15 is
separated by an ejector (not shown) and then falls into the ice
bank 21. Here, a guide extending from the ice maker 20 or the ice
bank 21 may be provided such that the ice separated from the ice
maker 20 can safely fall into the ice bank 21.
[0034] Specifically, the ice bank 21 has an upper face in the form
of an opening, and the opening of the ice bank 21 is positioned
below the ice maker 20 when the refrigerating chamber doors 12 are
closed. In addition, ice may be made by supplying cold air directly
to the ice maker 20 or by providing an additional refrigerant
conduit to the ice maker.
[0035] Meanwhile, in a case where the ice bank 21 is provided in
the refrigerating chamber 15 or the refrigerating chamber door 12,
there may be a phenomenon by which ice stored in the ice bank is
melted and stuck together since the refrigerating chamber 15 is
kept at a temperature above zero.
[0036] To solve this problem, it is necessary to always maintain
the interior of the ice bank 21 at a temperature below zero so that
ice is not melted.
[0037] Meanwhile, the refrigeration duct 18 communicates with the
space where the evaporator 31 is accommodated, and then extends
upward along a wall of the refrigerating chamber 15 and to the
ceiling of the refrigerating chamber 15. Then, an end of the
refrigeration duct 18 extends to a front portion of the
refrigerating chamber 15 and is positioned above the container 211
of the ice bank 21. Thus, cold air flowing along the refrigeration
duct 18 is discharged forward, and a portion of the discharged cold
air falls into the container 211, and the remainder of the cold air
circulates in the refrigerating chamber 15.
[0038] With this structure, at least a portion of cold air, which
has been cooled to a lower temperature while passing through the
evaporator 31, is discharged directly into the container 211,
thereby effectively preventing a phenomenon by which ice
accommodated in the container 211 is melted and stuck together.
[0039] Further, since the refrigeration duct 18 extends to the
front portion of the refrigerating chamber 15 and the cold air
discharged from the refrigeration duct 18 is discharged downward,
it is possible to obtain an air curtain effect.
[0040] FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a refrigerator
according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[0041] Referring to FIG. 3, the refrigeration duct 18 for allowing
cold air to be discharged toward the ice bank 21 is characterized
by extending forward along a bottom surface of a shelf 112. Since
the other constitutions of this embodiment are substantially
identical with those of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, detailed
descriptions thereof will be omitted.
[0042] Specifically, the refrigeration duct 18 extends from the
space where the evaporator 31 is accommodated, and is then
connected to the refrigerating chamber 15 through the barrier 111.
More specifically, the refrigeration duct 18 extends upward along a
rear surface of the refrigerating chamber 15 and then extends
forward along the bottom surface of the shelf 112. In addition,
discharge ports provided at an end of the refrigeration duct 18 are
positioned above the ice bank 21. Thus, a portion of the cold air
discharged from the refrigeration duct 18 is discharged toward the
ice bank 21, and the remainder of the cold air circulates in the
refrigerating chamber 15.
[0043] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the structure of an ice
bank of the refrigerator according to the present invention, and
FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view showing the ice bank of the
refrigerator according to the present invention.
[0044] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the ice bank 21 of the present
invention includes a cylindrical container 211 with an open upper
portion, a cold heat storage member 60 surrounding the container
211, an auger 212 provided at an inner lower portion of the
container 211 to guide ice downward, a crusher 213 integrally
connected to a lower end of the auger 212 to crush ice, a motor 214
for driving the crusher 213, and a shaft 215 for connecting the
motor 214 to the crusher 213 so as to transmit a rotational force
of the motor.
[0045] Furthermore, the ice maker 20 is provided at a side of the
ceiling of the refrigerating chamber 15. Specifically, the ice
maker 20 is positioned above the ice bank 21 such that ice
discharged from the ice maker 20 can fall into the container
211.
[0046] Here, since any kind of ice maker can be used as the ice
maker 20, a detailed description of the structure thereof will be
omitted.
[0047] Although the cold heat storage member 60 is illustrated to
surround an outer peripheral surface of the container 211 as a
preferred embodiment, it is not limited thereto. It should be noted
that the cold heat storage member 60 may be disposed to surround an
inner peripheral surface of the container 211 or to be embedded in
the container 211.
[0048] As for the material of the cold heat storage member 60, a
liquid cold heat storage material that is generally used in the art
may be employed. That is, a cold heat storage material in which
potassium hydrogen carbonate and ethyl alcohol are mixed may be
used. It should be noted that the cold heat storage material is not
limited to particular materials.
[0049] Since the cold heat storage member 60 surrounds the
container 211, the cold air discharged from the refrigeration duct
18 is stored in the cold heat storage member 60. Thus, ice stored
in the container 211 can be kept in a frozen state without being
melted.
[0050] According to the refrigerator of the present invention
constructed as above, even though an ice bank for storing ice is
provided in a refrigerating chamber door, it is possible to prevent
a phenomenon by which ice is melted and stuck together.
[0051] Further, since ice is not melted and stuck together, it is
possible to prevent a phenomenon by which an overload is applied to
an ice crusher provided in the ice bank.
[0052] In addition, since an overload is not applied to the ice
crusher, components such as a motor for driving the ice crusher or
a blade for crushing ice are not damaged. Thus, the life span of
the ice bank is extended and additional repair and replacement
costs are not required.
* * * * *