Ice maker for a refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9273892-B2
Application number	US-201113824477-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2011
Priority date	Sep 20, 2010
Publication date	Mar 1, 2016
Grant date	Mar 1, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed is an icemaker for a refrigerator, comprising: a tray for containing water to make the water into ice pieces having a predetermined shape; a water supply unit installed at one side of the tray, for supplying water to the tray; a drive unit installed to face the water supply unit with the tray being interposed therebetween; an ice separating lever rotatably assembled between the drive unit and the water supply unit to be rotated by a motor installed in the drive unit; and an ice separating heater for applying heat to the tray so that ice pieces are separated from the tray. The drive unit includes a drive unit housing, a driving motor having a driving gear, a slave gear having a rotary cam and a first magnet and coupled to a rotary shaft of the ice separating lever, a cantilever having a second magnet and rotated by the rotary cam, and first and second Hall elements corresponding to the first and second magnets, respectively.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An icemaker for a refrigerator, comprising: a tray for containing water to make the water into ice pieces having a predetermined shape; a water supply unit installed at one side of the tray, for supplying water to the tray; a drive unit installed to face the water supply unit with the tray being interposed therebetween; an ice separating lever rotatably assembled between the drive unit and the water supply unit to be rotated by the drive unit; and an ice separating heater for applying heat to the tray so that ice pieces are separated from the tray, wherein the drive unit includes a drive unit housing, a driving motor having a driving gear, a slave gear having a rotary cam and a first magnet and coupled to a rotary shaft of the ice separating lever, a cantilever having a second magnet and rotated by the rotary cam, and a first element and a second hall element corresponding to the first and second magnets, respectively, wherein the cantilever has an upper end having the second magnet and a lower end bent about a center of rotation thereof, and a rod protruding from the bent lower end toward the rotary cam, and the upper end and the lower end are fixed to each other and rotate together according to reciprocal rotation of the rotary cam, the upper end moves towards or moves away from the inner surface of the drive unit housing in which a printed circuit board is installed.

2. The icemaker of claim 1 , wherein if the first magnet and the first Hall element start to contact each other, an initial position of the ice separating lever is detected and ice making begins.

3. The icemaker of claim 1 , wherein if the contact of the second magnet and the second Hall element is separated, it is determined that the ice pieces are in a full state and electric power of the ice separating heater is interrupted by the detected temperature.

4. The icemaker of claim 3 , wherein the rotary cam includes a first circumferential position where a first radius starts, a second circumferential position spaced counterclockwise apart from the first circumferential position by a first angle and where the first radius ends and a second radius larger than the first radius starts, a third circumferential position spaced counterclockwise apart from the second circumferential position by a second angle, where the second radius ends, and having a protrusion having a third radius larger than the second radius, and a fourth circumferential position spaced counterclockwise apart from the third circumferential position by a third angle and where a fourth radius larger than the second radius starts and, ending at the first circumferential position.

5. The icemaker of claim 4 , wherein as the rotary cam rotates clockwise, when a free end of the rod of the cantilever contacts the rotary cam between the first circumferential position and the second circumferential position, the free end is located at a top point, when the free end of the rod contacts the rotary cam between the second circumferential position and the third circumferential position, the free end is located at a descending position, when the free end of the rod contacts the rotary cam at the third circumferential position, the free end reaches a first bottom point, the free end is located at the descending position between the third circumferential position and the fourth circumferential position, and the free end reaches a second bottom point between the fourth circumferential position and the first circumferential position.

6. The icemaker of claim 5 , wherein as the rotary cam rotates clockwise, when the free end of the rod of the cantilever is located at the top point, a free end of the full state lever is located at a bottom point, when the free end of the rod of the cantilever is located at the descending position, the free end of the full state lever is located at the ascending position, and when the free end of the rod of the cantilever is located at the first and second bottom points, the free end of the full state lever is located at first and second high points, respectively.

7. The icemaker of claim 1 , wherein if the contact of the second magnet and the second Hall element is separated while the first magnet contacts the first Hall element, it is determined that the ice pieces are in a full state and ice making is stopped.

8. The icemaker of claim 1 , wherein a return spring for applying a resilient force is installed in the rod of the cantilever so that a contact of the second magnet and the second Hall element can be maintained.

9. The icemaker of claim 8 , wherein a coupling member is further installed in the drive unit housing, and a stopping member is formed in the coupling member to be coupled to the return spring.

10. The icemaker of claim 1 , wherein a full state lever for identifying an amount of ice pieces to operate or stop the ice maker is connected to the cantilever, and a position of the full state lever is determined according to a position of a free end of the cantilever.

Assignees

• Lee Jung Owan
• Dongbu Daewoo Electronics Corp

Inventors

• Lee Jung Owan

Classifications

• F25C2700/06

  Rotation angle of the ejector ejecting ice from a stationary mould · CPC title

• F25C5/08 Primary

  by heating bodies in contact with the ice · CPC title

• F25C1/04

  by using stationary moulds · CPC title

• F25C2305/024

  Rotating rake · CPC title

• Y02B40/00

  Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers · CPC title