Ice bank of refrigerator

Disclosed is an ice bank of a refrigerator comprising: a casing for storing ice pieces introduced through one side of an upper surface thereof, and a guide unit formed at one side of the casing so as to guide the introduced ice pieces to be stored in the casing with being uniformly distributed therein. According to the ice bank of the refrigerator the present invention, the ice pieces can be uniformly heaped in the ice bank. Accordingly, it is capable of preventing the ice pieces from overflowing resulting from that the ice pieces are heaped up around a spot where the ice pieces fall down in the ice bank and of facilitatingly containing the ice pieces in the ice bank.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in priority Korean Application No. 10-2007-0096147, filed on, Sep. 20, 2007, which is herein expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an ice bank of a refrigerator, and particularly, to an ice bank of a refrigerator which is capable of preventing ice pieces from overflowing resulting from that the ice pieces are partially over-heaped up in the ice bank.

2. Background of the Invention

A refrigerator serves to store foods to be fresh in a chilling manner or a freezing manner. The refrigerator may be provided with an ice maker for making ice pieces and an ice bank for containing the ice pieces made in the ice maker therein.

Currently, the refrigerators provided with the ice maker and the ice bank increase according to demand for such refrigerator. In such refrigerator, ice pieces made in the ice maker fall down into the ice bank and then heaped up therein.

However, in the ice bank of the conventional refrigerator, the ice pieces falling down from the ice maker is concentratingly heaped up around a spot where the ice pieces fall down. Accordingly, empty portions may be generated in the ice bank, while the ice pieces may be over-heaped up on the falling spot of the ice pieces.

If the ice pieces are partially over-heaped up in the ice bank as the ice pieces are non-uniformly heaped up therein, the over-heaped ice pieces may fall down onto a bottom of a freezing chamber when a door is opened/closed. And, this phenomenon may cause the refrigerator to be partially unclean or unsanitary by the fallen ice pieces and cause damage to a part of the refrigerator or a user's body. Also, user's satisfaction on the product may be deteriorated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an ice bank of a refrigerator which is capable of preventing ice pieces from overflowing resulting from that the ice pieces are partially over-heaped up in the ice bank, by allowing the ice pieces introduced into the ice bank to be uniformly heaped up therein.

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 bank of a refrigerator comprising a casing for storing ice pieces introduced through one side of an upper surface thereof and a guide unit formed at one side of the casing so as to guide the introduced ice pieces to be stored in the casing with being uniformly distributed therein.

The guide unit may serve to prevent the introduced ice pieces from being concentratingly stored at one side of an inner space of the casing.

The guide unit may be formed to be downwardly inclined from one side of a bottom surface of the casing to another side thereof in correspondence with an introduction direction of the ice pieces.

The guide unit may be implemented as one of an inclined surface and a curved surface.

The guide unit may be implemented as the bottom surface of the casing, the bottom surface formed to be inclined.

The guide unit may be implemented as a separate member in the casing.

And, the guide unit introduced into the ice bank may be made in an ice maker and then fall down, and serve to guide the ice pieces from fallen spot thereof to other portions so that the ice pieces can be uniformly distributed in the ice bank.

Meanwhile, in accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ice bank of a refrigerator comprising a casing for storing ice pieces introduced through one side of an upper surface thereof a discharge hole formed at one side of the casing so as to discharge the stored ice pieces therethrough, a transfer portion for transferring the ice pieces to the discharge hole and a guide unit formed at an inner one side of the casing so as to guide the introduced ice pieces to be stored in the casing with being uniformly distributed therein.

The guide unit may be formed to be protruded from an inner surface of the casing so as to be located on a path through which the introduced ice pieces fall down.

The guide unit may be protrudingly formed to be downwardly inclined from the inner surface of the casing.

The guide unit may be implemented as a cantilever elastically transformed by the falling ice pieces.

The guide unit may comprise a first guide portion protruded from the inner surface of the casing so as to be located on the path through which the introduced ice pieces fall down and a second guide portion inclinedly formed on a bottom surface of the casing so as to guide the ice pieces having a path changed by the first guide portion toward a lower side of the first guide portion.

According to the ice bank of the refrigerator in accordance with the present invention, by the guide unit, the ice pieces falling down into the ice bank may not be heaped up around a falling spot of the ice pieces in the ice bank but be moved along the guide unit. Accordingly, the fallen ice pieces can be uniformly heaped in the inner space of the casing of the ice bank. Therefore, it is capable of preventing the ice pieces from being heaped up around the spot where the ice pieces fall down in the ice bank and of facilitatingly containing the ice pieces in the ice bank.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Description will now be given in detail of the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1is a perspective view showing a refrigerator having an ice bank in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring toFIG. 1, a refrigerator1, as an appliance for storing foods, includes a cooling chamber2in which foods are stored in a chilling manner at a temperature above zero degree, a freezing chamber3in which foods including ice pieces are stored at a temperature below zero degree, an ice maker5received in the freezing chamber3so as to make ice pieces and an ice bank100in which the ice pieces made in the ice maker5are stored up. The cooling chamber2and the freezing chamber3are selectively opened or closed by doors4.

And, an ice piece dispenser7may be further provided so that the ice pieces stored in the ice bank100can be properly supplied when a user desires.

The refrigerator1is provided with components for implementing a refrigeration cycle, such as a compressor, a condenser, an expander and an evaporator.

Operation related to the ice maker5will be explained.

After water is moderately supplied to the ice maker5, cooling air is supplied to the ice maker5. And then, after ice pieces are made in the ice maker5by the supplied cooling air, the ice pieces are separated from the ice maker5by an operation of the ice maker5itself and then fall down into the ice bank100.

And then, the ice pieces stored in the ice bank100are supplied to the user whenever he/she wants as much as he/she wants by opening the door4so as to draw out the ice pieces or through the ice piece dispenser7according to the user's requirement.

In case of the latter, an ice piece crusher for crushing the ice pieces into slush type ones is further provided in the ice bank100, and an additional transfer portion for supplying the ice pieces into the ice piece crusher may be further provided.

FIG. 2is a perspective view showing an ice maker in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring toFIG. 2, the ice maker5, serving to make ice pieces, includes a water supply unit12to which water is supplied from outside, an ice making chamber13in which ice pieces are made, an ejector14through which the ice pieces made in the ice making chamber13are ejected, a control box11in which multiple components allowing the ejector14to be rotated are mounted and an ice level sensing lever18for sensing whether or not the ice bank100is completely filled with the ice pieces so as to control the ice maker5. Meanwhile, a coupling unit (not shown) by which the ice maker5is mounted in the refrigerator and coupled thereto is formed at a rear side of the ice making chamber13.

In detail, the ejector14includes a shaft15rotated by being extended toward the outside of the control box11and an extended portion16for drawing up the ice pieces by rotation of the shaft15by being extended toward the outside of the shaft15.

And, the ice making chamber13is partitioned into a plurality of small spaces by partitioning protrusions20so as to form the ice pieces to have a proper size. And, a separator17for guiding the ice pieces drawn up by the ejector14to fall down into the ice bank100is formed at an upper side of the ice making chamber13. And, a heater (not shown) applying heat is disposed at a lower side of the ice making chamber13so as to detach the ice pieces from contact surfaces of an inner side surface of the ice making chamber13.

Referring to the configuration, operation of the ice maker5will be explained.

Water having guided by a water supply pipe formed in a specific shape is supplied to the water supply unit12. The supplied water is introduced into the ice making chamber13and then contained in each space partitioned by partitioning protrusions20. And then, cooling air of below zero degree is supplied toward the water and thus the water contained in the ice making chamber13is frozen.

When the water in the ice making chamber13is completely frozen through this process, the ejector14is operated by a specific driving mechanism disposed in the control box11. In detail, the shaft15is rotated, and accordingly the extended portion16is also rotated. Accordingly, the ice pieces made in the ice making chamber13are drawn up along an inner circumferential surface of the ice making chamber13. Before the ejector14is operated, heat is applied by the heater21so that the ice pieces can be detached from the contact surfaces of the ice making chamber13.

After the ice pieces are drawn up by the ejector14, the ice pieces are guided by the separator17and then fall down into the ice bank100to be stored up.

The aforementioned operation is repeatedly executed. While the operation is repeatedly executed, the ice level sensing lever18senses whether or not the ice pieces are stored in the ice bank100by a pre-set level. If it is sensed that the ice pieces are contained in the ice bank100by the pre-set level, the ice maker5may stop operating.

FIG. 3is a perspective view showing an ice bank in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, andFIG. 4is a section view taken along line ‘I-I’ inFIG. 3.

Referring toFIGS. 3 and 4, the ice bank100in accordance with this embodiment includes a casing131formed in an integral bucket structure, in which an ice piece storage chamber is formed, and a guide unit160for guiding the ice pieces so that the ice pieces fallen from the ice maker5can be stored with being uniformly distributed in the casing131.

In the guide unit160, a bottom portion where the ice pieces made in the ice maker5fall down and collide against is formed to be higher than other bottom portions of the casing131.

That is, the guide unit160is configured to have a bottom surface of the casing131downwardly inclined from one side to another side in correspondence with an introduction direction of the ice pieces, preferably.

Accordingly, it is capable of preventing the ice pieces introduced from the ice maker5and stored in the casing131from being concentratingly stored in one portion of the inner space of the casing131, in the guide unit160.

Meanwhile, in this embodiment, one side surface of the casing131may be provided with a handle portion150so that the user can conveniently move the casing131or receive the casing131at the lower portion of the ice maker5.

And, it may be configured to have the entirely same height of upper ends of side surfaces of the casing131forming an opened upper surface of the casing131through which the ice pieces are introduced from the ice maker5. However, preferably, an upper end of a side surface of the casing131corresponding to a direction for discharging the ice pieces from the ice maker5is configured to be higher than other upper ends of other side surfaces thereof.

Accordingly, reduced is a distance between a spot where the ice pieces are discharged from the ice maker5to a spot where the ice pieces are introduced into the casing131. Accordingly, it is capable of reducing a phenomenon that the ice pieces discharged from the ice maker5is not supplied into the casing131but outwardly fall down due to an error occurring during the operation of the ice maker5.

Hereafter, operation of the ice bank in accordance with this embodiment will be explained.

In this embodiment, the ice bank100has the lower portion provided with the guide unit160.

That is, the guide portion160is implemented as an inclined surface having a specific angle at a portion of the lower portion of the casing131, the portion where the ice pieces fall down from the ice maker5. The inclined surface is configured to have a portion where the ice pieces fall down formed to be higher than other portions of the casing131.

Upon forming the inclined surface, the ice pieces falling down into the ice bank100from the ice maker5can not be heaped up around a spot where the ice pieces fall down in the ice bank100but be moved along the inclined surface160.

Accordingly, the ice pieces can be uniformly heaped up in the ice bank100. Thus, it is capable of preventing a phenomenon that the ice pieces are heaped up around the spot where the ice pieces fall down and thus the ice pieces overflow in the ice bank100, and of facilitatingly containing the ice pieces in the ice bank100.

Hereafter, another embodiment of the present invention will be explained. A configuration and description same as that of the first embodiment will be omitted.

FIG. 5is a vertical section view showing a casing of an ice bank in accordance with a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring toFIG. 5, a guide unit261implemented as a curved surface having a specific curvature is formed at a spot where ice pieces fall down in a casing231of an ice bank200. In the curved surface, a surface where the ice pieces fall down is a higher than other surfaces, preferably.

Hereafter, still another embodiment of the present invention will be explained. A configuration and description same as that of the first embodiment will be omitted.

FIG. 6is a vertical section view showing a casing of an ice bank in accordance with a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring toFIG. 6, in this embodiment, a casing331of an ice bank300have an inclined bottom surface360. And, a horizontal state maintaining portion390is provided at a specific position of the lower portion of the bottom surface360so as to maintain a horizontal state of the ice bank300.

Accordingly, it is capable of reducing problems such as increase of used materials and difficulty in fabrication caused by additionally installing the guide unit formed at the bottom surface of the casing331and in the casing331.

Hereafter, yet still another embodiment of the present invention will be explained. A configuration and description same as that of the first embodiment will be omitted.

FIG. 7is a perspective view showing a casing of an ice bank in accordance with a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention, andFIG. 8is a section view taken along line ‘II-II’ inFIG. 7.

Referring toFIGS. 7 and 8, an ice bank400in this embodiment is partitioned from an external space by an integral type casing431, and stores ice pieces therein. And, an ice piece transfer portion434is disposed at an inner side surface of a lower portion of the casing431and an ice piece crusher437for crushing the transferred ice pieces is disposed at an outer side surface of the lower portion thereof. The ice piece transfer portion434and the ice piece crusher437are supported by a same rotation shaft433. The ice piece crusher437is provided with a fixed blade436and a rotating blade435so as to allow the ice pieces to be crushed into proper-sized ice pieces. The ice pieces supplied from the ice bank400is supplied to the ice piece crusher437through a discharge hole438and then supplied to an ice piece dispenser disposed at the outside of the refrigerator. Through this process, the user can obtain the ice pieces.

Here, the ice bank400includes the casing431which the ice pieces are introduced into and stored in, the discharge hole438through which the stored ice pieces are drawn out, the transfer portion434for transferring the ice pieces to the discharge hole438and a guide unit460for guiding the introduced ice pieces so so that the ice pieces can be uniformly distributed and stored in the casing431.

Here, the guide unit460is disposed on a path through which the introduced ice pieces fall down and formed to be protruded to be downwardly inclined from the inner surface of the casing431.

Thus, the fallen ice pieces collide with the guide unit460and thus the falling path of the ice pieces are changed. Accordingly, it is capable of preventing the ice pieces from being stored with being concentratingly heaped up at one portion in an inner space of the casing431.

Preferably, the guide unit460includes a first guide portion460aprotruded from the inner surface of the casing431so as to allow the introduced ice pieces to be located on the path through which the introduced ice pieces fall down, and a second guide portion460binclinedly formed on the bottom surface of the casing431so as to guide the ice pieces having a path changed by the first guide portion460atoward a lower side of the first guide portion460a.

Accordingly, the ice pieces introduced into the ice bank400collide against the first guide portion460aand the second guide portion460band then introduced toward the transfer portion434. When the great deal of ice pieces are stored at a side of the transfer portion434as time elapses, that is, the ice pieces supplied after a height of the stored ice pieces is greater than that of an installation position of the second guide portion460bare stored below the first guide portion460band above the second guide portion460b.

Thus, it is capable of preventing the ice pieces introduced from the ice maker5from concentratingly stored at a position where the transfer portion434is located.

Hereafter, in the ice bank400in accordance with this embodiment, the transfer portion434, the discharge hole438and the ice piece crusher437for adjusting the size of the ice pieces discharged through the ice piece dispenser will be explained in detail.

The transfer portion434serves to smoothly transfer the ice pieces stored in the casing431toward the ice piece crusher437.

The transfer portion434may be implemented as an auger formed in a spiral shape.

The ice piece crusher437includes the fixed blade436fixed with respect to the casing431, the rotating blade435rotated with respect to the fixed blade436, the rotation shaft433into which the rotating blade435is inserted so as to transfer a rotation force and a motor432connected to one end portion of the rotation shaft433.

The operation of the ice piece crusher437depends on a mode determined by the user.

First, in a case of a mode requiring to discharge the ice pieces stored in the casing431without a crushing process, if the ice pieces stored in the casing431are transferred toward the ice piece crusher437through the discharge hole438by the rotation of the transfer portion434, the ice pieces may be discharged to the ice piece dispenser by the rotation of the rotating blade435. That is, the ice piece crusher437and the ice piece dispenser are controlled under a state that they are communicated with each other.

On the other hand, in a case of a mode requiring to discharge the ice pieces stored in the casing after crushing them, if the ice pieces stored in the casing431are transferred toward the ice piece crusher437through the discharge hole438by the rotation of the transfer portion434, the ice pieces may be guided between the rotating blade435and the fixed blade436and then crushed by a pushing operation of the rotating blade435. In this case, the ice piece crusher437and the ice piece dispenser are controlled under a state that they are not communicated with each other by an additional member. Thus, the ice pieces are always interposed between the rotating blade435and the fixed blade436, and accordingly the crushing process is continued.

Thereafter, when the crushing process is finished, as the ice piece crusher437and the ice piece dispenser are controlled to be communicated with each other, the crushed slush ice is outwardly discharged through the ice piece dispenser.

Here, a function for selectively communicating the ice piece crusher437and the ice piece dispenser is executed by a shutter439.

Operation of the ice bank400will be explained.

The ice pieces made in the ice maker5fall down through an upper side of the casing431and then are contained in the ice bank400. The ice pieces contained in the ice bank400are supplied when the user wants in a proper size with the proper amount. To this end, upon operating the motor432, the rotation shaft433is rotated and thus the transfer portion434is operated. Then, the ice pieces are transferred. The transferred ice pieces are selectively crushed by the ice piece crusher437and then discharged through the ice piece dispenser in an ice piece type or a crushed slush ice type.

And, the ice piece crusher437can be operated as a transfer mechanism, as well as the transfer portion434for transferring the ice pieces to the ice piece crusher437, because the ice piece crusher437comes into contact with the ice pieces. In detail, since the rotating blade435comes in contact with the ice pieces when the rotating blade435starts to rotate, the ice pieces may be crushed by interaction with the fixed blade436or be transferred by the rotation of the rotating blade435.

And, it may be controlled whether or not the ice pieces or slush ice is discharged through the ice piece dispenser by operation of the shutter439.