Ice maker, refrigerator having the same, and method for supplying ice thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9494357-B2
Application number	US-201113580388-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2011
Priority date	Feb 23, 2010
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed are an ice maker, a refrigerator having the ice maker, and a method for supplying ice of the refrigerator. An ice making container long in a vertical direction is installed on a side wall surface of a refrigerator door, makes ice, and pushes up the ice by screws to release the ice, whereby the size of the ice maker can be reduced, the area occupied by the ice maker can be reduced, and a refrigerator having the ice maker can become slimmer. Also, because an installation height of the ice maker is lowered to shorten a cold air supply path and prevent a loss in the process of supplying cold air to the ice making chamber. Also, because a cutting operation is performed simultaneously when the ice is lifted, a fabrication cost can be reduced and a defective state due to malfunction can be prevented.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a refrigerator body having a freezing chamber formed at a lower portion of the refrigerator body and a refrigerating chamber formed at an upper portion of the refrigerator body;
a freezing chamber door configured to open and close the freezing chamber;
a refrigerating chamber door configured to open and close the refrigerating chamber;
a dispenser installed at the refrigerating chamber door; and
an ice maker provided to the refrigerating chamber door and configured to make ice, wherein the ice maker includes:
an ice making container for making ice;
a lifting unit for lifting ice made in the ice making container, the lifting unit including a driving motor provided at a lower end of the ice making container;
a cutting unit provided at an upper end of the ice making container and performing cutting to separate ice lifted by the lifting unit,

wherein the cutting unit is coupled to the lifting unit and cuts ice lifted in an ice making space, while being rotated along with the lifting unit, wherein the cutting unit includes:
a driving gear located at the upper end of the ice making container and coupled to the lifting unit, the driving gear being rotated based on contact with the lifting unit causing the driving gear to rotate,
an intermediate gear configured to regulate a rotation speed while being rotated in mesh with the driving gear based on an outer circumferential surface of the driving gear contacting a first gear portion of the intermediate gear located on a first outer circumferential surface of the intermediate gear, and
a following gear rotated in mesh with the intermediate gear based on a second outer circumferential surface of the intermediate gear contacting the following gear, the following gear having a cutting blade for cutting ice,

wherein the intermediate gear includes a second gear portion located at the second outer circumferential surface of the intermediate gear and in mesh with the following gear, the second gear portion of the intermediate gear being located only at a portion of the second outer circumferential surface of the intermediate gear such that a remaining portion of the second outer circumferential surface of the intermediate gear is not in mesh with the following gear,
wherein the following gear is elastically supported by an elastic member that allows the following gear to return to a cutting preparation position, and
wherein the second gear portion of the intermediate gear rotates, in a first direction, the following gear from the cutting preparation position to cause the cutting blade of the following gear to cut ice lifted by the lifting unit and, based on rotation of the intermediate gear, relative to the following gear, reaching the remaining portion of the second outer circumferential surface of the intermediate gear that is not in mesh with the following gear, the elastic member rotates, in a second direction that is opposite of the first direction, the following gear to return the following gear to the cutting preparation position.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the ice making container comprises at least one rib formed in a vertical direction on an inner circumferential surface of the longer axis direction.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the lifting unit further comprises:
screws provided to be in contact with ice at both sides of the ice making container.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the elastic member is is configured to allow arcuate motion of the cutting blade, and
wherein a first end of the elastic member is fixed to a bracket supporting the lifting unit, and a second end of the elastic member is fixed to the cutting blade.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the ice making container is made of a heat conductive material, and one or more heaters are provided to apply heat to the ice making container.

6. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the heater is electrically connected to a control unit that controls an ON/OFF operation of the heater, and the control unit comprises a detection unit for detecting the temperature of the ice making container or detecting a time which has lapsed since water was supplied, a determining unit for determining whether or not ice making has been completed by comparing the temperature or time detected by the detection unit with a reference value, and a command unit for controlling an ON/OFF operation of the heater according to the determination of the determining unit.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising an ice storage container for storing ice cut by the cutting unit,
wherein the ice making container is installed on a side wall surface of the refrigerating chamber door, and the ice storage container is installed at one side of the ice making container in a lateral direction of the refrigerating chamber door.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the ice making container widens toward an opening end of the ice making container.

9. The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising a decelerator that is coupled to a rotational shaft of the driving motor, that is located at the lower end of the ice making container, and that is configured to decelerate a turning force of the driving motor and deliver the decelerated force to the screws.

10. A refrigerator comprising:
a refrigerator body having a freezing chamber formed at a lower portion of the refrigerator body and a refrigerating chamber formed at an upper portion of the refrigerator body;
a freezing chamber door configured to open and close the freezing chamber;
a refrigerating chamber door configured to open and close the refrigerating chamber;
a dispenser installed at the refrigerating chamber door; and
an ice maker provided to the refrigerator door and configured to make ice, wherein the ice maker includes:
an ice making container for making ice;
a lifting unit for lifting ice made in the ice making container, wherein the lifting unit includes:
screws provided at both sides of the ice making container; and
a driving motor coupled to a lower end of the ice making container to rotate the screws;

a cutting unit provided at an upper end of the ice making container and performing cutting to separate ice lifted by the lifting unit; and
an ice storage container for storing ice cut by the cutting unit,

wherein the cutting unit is coupled to one of the screws and cuts ice lifted in the ice making space while being rotated along with the screws,
wherein the cutting unit includes an intermediate gear rotated with the one of the screws, and a following gear rotated in mesh with the intermediate gear and having a cutting blade for cutting the ice,
wherein the intermediate gear includes a second gear portion located at an outer circumferential surface of the intermediate gear and in mesh with the following gear, the second gear portion of the intermediate gear being located only at a portion of the second outer circumferential surface of the intermediate gear such that a remaining portion of the second outer circumferential surface of the intermediate gear is not in mesh with the following gear,
wherein the second gear is elastically supported by an elastic member that allows the second gear to return to a cutting preparation position, wherein the elastic member is configured to allow arcuate motion of the cutting blade, and wherein a first end of the elastic member is fixed to a bracket supporting the lifting unit, and a second end of the elastic member is fixed to the cutting blade, and
wherein the second gear portion of the intermediate gear rotates, in a first direction, the following gear from the cutting preparation position to cause the cutting bl

Assignees

• Kim Bongjin
• Kim Seongjae
• Jung Moongyo
• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Bongjin
• Kim Seongjae
• Jung Moongyo

Classifications

• F25C2700/12

  Temperature of ice trays · CPC title

• F25C1/04 Primary

  by using stationary moulds · CPC title

• F25C2600/04

  Control means · CPC title

• F25C1/12

  by freezing water on cooled surfaces, e.g. to form slabs · CPC title

• F25C2400/10

  Refrigerator units · CPC title