Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9080799-B2
Application number	US-201213724766-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2012
Priority date	Dec 30, 2011
Publication date	Jul 14, 2015
Grant date	Jul 14, 2015

Abstract

A structure of a driving apparatus capable of easily organizing a driving apparatus that is configured to drive an ejector of an ice maker, and preventing frost from being formed on inner compartments, the driving apparatus including a case and a driving module detachable to the inner side of the case, wherein the driving module includes an ice separating motor to drive the ejector, a circuit board to control an ice making process, an electro-motion member to deliver a rotational force of the ice separating motor to the ejector, and a module case to accommodate the components of the driving module.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator, comprising:
a body;
a storage compartment formed at an inside the body;
an ice making compartment provided at an inside the body while being divided from the storage compartment;
a cool air supplying apparatus having a compressor, a condenser, an expansion apparatus, an evaporator, and a refrigerant pipe, at least a portion of which is disposed at an inside the ice making compartment so that a cooling energy is supplied to the ice making compartment;
an ice making tray configured to be contacted with the refrigerant pipe in the ice making compartment so that the ice making tray directly receives cooling energy from the refrigerant pipe in the ice making compartment;
an ejector rotatively disposed at an upper side of the ice making tray to separate ice from the ice making tray;
an ice bucket provided at a lower side of an ice maker to store the ice separated from the ice making tray; and
a driving apparatus disposed at one longitudinal side of the ice making tray to drive the ejector and control an ice making process,
wherein the driving apparatus comprises
a driving apparatus case provided with an open front surface and having an inside space thereof;
a cover configured to be attached/detached on the open front surface of the driving apparatus case to open/close the open front surface of the case; and
a driving module having an ice separating motor configured to generate a rotational force to rotate the ejector, a circuit board configured to control the ice making process, and a module case configured to accommodate the ice separating motor and the circuit board,
wherein the driving module is configured to be inserted in a sliding manner to be mounted at the inside space of the driving apparatus case through the open front surface of the driving apparatus case, or is configured to be withdrawn in a sliding manner through the open front surface of the driving apparatus case to be separated from the inside space of the driving apparatus case.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein each of the module case and the driving apparatus case is provided with at least one coupling hole, to which a coupling member is coupled, formed thereto in order to fix the driving module at the inside space of the driving apparatus case.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein the coupling member is coupled to the coupling hole through the open front surface of the driving apparatus case.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the driving module comprises a driving gear coupled to a rotational shaft of the ice separating motor, a driven gear coupled to a rotational shaft of the ejector, and at least one electro-motion gear coupled in between the driving gear and the driven gear in an interlocking manner.

5. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the electro-motion gear comprises a large-size gear configured to receive a rotational force and a small-size gear having a smaller radius compared to a radius of the large-size gear to deliver the received rotational force at a reduced speed.

6. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the driven gear is disposed at an outside of the module case.

7. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the driven gear comprises a connecting bar having an insertion groove into which the rotational shaft of the ejector is inserted, and protruded toward a direction of a shaft of the driven gear in order to rotate along with the driven gear, and
the ejector is rotated along with the driven gear as the rotational shaft of the ejector is insertedly coupled to the insertion groove.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the module case is formed with a heat insulation material.

9. A refrigerator, comprising:
a body;
a storage compartment formed at an inside the body;
an ice making compartment provided at an inside the body while being divided from the storage compartment;
a cool air supplying apparatus having a compressor, a condenser, an expansion apparatus, an evaporator, and a refrigerant pipe, at least a portion of the refrigerant pipe is disposed at an inside the ice making compartment so that a cooling energy is supplied to the ice making compartment;
an ice making tray configured to be contacted with the refrigerant pipe in the ice making compartment so that the ice making tray directly receives cooling energy from the refrigerant pipe in the ice making compartment;
an ejector rotatively disposed at an upper side of the ice making tray to separate ice from the ice making tray;
an ice bucket provided at a lower side of the ice maker to store the ice separated from the ice making tray; and
a driving apparatus disposed at one longitudinal side of the ice making tray to drive the ejector and control an ice making process,
wherein the driving apparatus comprises a driving apparatus case and a driving module configured to be attached/detached at an inside the driving apparatus case,
the driving module comprises a module case, an ice separating motor accommodated at an inside of the module case and configured to generate a rotational force, and a plurality of gears configured to rotate while being interlocked to each other so that the rotational force of the ice separating motor is delivered to the ejector, and
at least one of the plurality of gears is disposed at an outside of the module case so that the at least one gear is coupled to a rotational shaft of the ejector.

10. The refrigerator of claim 9 , wherein a rotational shaft of the at least one gear disposed at the outside the module case is formed in a same line with the rotational shaft of the ejector.

11. The refrigerator of claim 9 , wherein the at least one gear disposed at the outside the module case is provided with an insertion groove formed thereto so that the rotational shaft of the ejector is insertedly coupled to the insertion groove.

12. A refrigerator having an ice making compartment and a refrigerant pipe, comprising:
an ice making tray configured to contact the refrigerant pipe;
an ejector rotatively above the ice making tray to separate ice from the ice making tray;
an ice bucket below the ice maker to store the ice separated from the ice making tray; and
a driving apparatus to drive the ejector, the driving apparatus including a driving apparatus case and a driving module,
wherein the driving module comprises a module case, an ice separating motor accommodated at an inside the module case and a plurality of gears configured to rotate while being interlocked to each other, at least one of the plurality of gears being disposed at an outside of the module case and configured to be coupled to a rotational shaft of the ejector, the driving module being an integrated unit that is removably attachable to an inside of the driving apparatus case via a fastening member.

13. The refrigerator of claim 12 , wherein a rotational shaft of the at least one gear disposed at the outside the module case is formed in a same line with the rotational shaft of the ejector.

14. The refrigerator of claim 12 , wherein the at least one gear disposed at the outside the module case is provided with an insertion groove formed thereto so that the rotational shaft of the ejector is insertedly coupled to the insertion groove.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hong Chang Uo
• Song Young Il

Classifications

• F25C5/182

  Ice bins therefor · CPC title

• F25D23/069

  Cooling space dividing partitions · CPC title

• F25D21/04

  Preventing the formation of frost or condensate · CPC title

• F25C5/22

  particularly adapted for household refrigerators · CPC title

• F25D23/067

  Supporting elements · CPC title