Refrigerator

The present invention provides a refrigerator, in which cold-storage (1) and freezer rooms (2) are situated at upper and lower parts, respectively, in which ice made at the freezer room (2) of the lower part is dispensed at the cold-storage room (1) of the upper part, and by which a user can pick up the ice without bending over to enhance user's convenience. The present invention includes a body (B) having a cold-storage room (1) provided to an upper part and a freezer room (2) provided to a lower part, an ice maker (400) provided to the freezer room to make ice, an ice bank (600) receiving the ice made by the ice maker, and a transport mechanism sending the ice discharged from the ice bank (600) toward the cold-storage room (1) via an ice transport passage (200a, 300). Therefore, the present invention sufficiently secures the spaces of the cold-storage and freezer rooms to raise spatial efficiency.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to an ice pickup apparatus for a refrigerator.

BACKGROUND ART

Generally, a refrigerator is partitioned into a freezer room and a cold-storage room. The cold-storage room stores food and vegetable at a temperature of 3˜4° C., whereas the freezer room deep-freezes food such as meat and fish to store at a temperature below zero for a long term.

Various functions such as a vegetable (Kimchi) storage and the like are provided to a refrigerator for user's convenience. An ice-making is one of supplementary functions of the refrigerator, which will be explained in the following.

A refrigerator configuration, in which a cold-storage room is provided to an upper part thereof and in which a freezer room is situated under the cold-storage room, is explained with reference toFIG. 1as follows.

Referring toFIG. 1, a cold-storage room1is provided to an upper part of a refrigerator body and a freezer room2is provided under the cold-storage room1.

Doors are provided to selectively open/close the cold-storage and freezer rooms1and2, respectively. And, an ice machine is provided to the freezer room2.

The ice machine consists of an icemaker making ice and an ice bank storing the made ice therein.

Since the ice machine is provided within the freezer room situated in a lower part of the refrigerator body, a user opens the freezer room to pick up ice from the ice bank directly.

However, the related art refrigerator has the following problems.

First of all, since the ice bank is provided to the freezer room situated at a lower part of the related art refrigerator having the ice machine provided within the freezer room in the lower part of the refrigerator body, it is inconvenient for a user to bend over to pick up the ice.

Namely, in the related art refrigerator having the ice machine provided within the freezer room in the lower part of the refrigerator body, the ice machine is situated at the freezer room in the lower part of the refrigerator. Hence, to pick up ice, a user needs to bend over to open the freezer room and then pick up the stored ice out of the ice bank while bending over.

Meanwhile, a downward ice pickup mechanism using a dispenser can be provided to the freezer room. In such a case, a location of the ice bank is too low. Hence, it is difficult to employ a system of discharging ice to a lower position via the downward pickup mechanism.

Namely, in case of adopting the related art downward ice pickup system while the ice machine is left in the freezer room at the lower part of the refrigerator body, a user needs to further bend over. Hence, more inconvenience is caused to the user instead of removing the inconvenience in use.

Therefore, it is difficult to adopt the related art downward ice pickup system in the structure having the ice machine provided to the freezer room in the lower part of the refrigerator body. A new ice pickup structure is needed to remove the bending-over inconvenience.

In case of providing the ice machine to the cold-storage room in the upper part of the refrigerator body to remove the inconvenience in use, a separate insulation space for ice-making needs to be provided within the cold-storage room. Hence, an inner space of the cold-storage room becomes limited in space. In addition to the configuration, in case of installing the dispenser for picking up the ice at the freezer room, the aforesaid inconvenience still remains and the freezer room becomes excessively narrow.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a refrigerator that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator, in which cold-storage and freezer rooms are situated at upper and lower parts, respectively, in which ice made at the freezer room of the lower part is dispensed at the cold-storage room of the upper part, and by which a user can pick up the ice without bending over to enhance user's convenience.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator, by which a separate insulation space is not needed within a cold-storage room to provide an ice machine to the cold-storage room unnecessarily and by which a space of a freezer room can be sufficiently secured without providing a dispenser installation space within the freezer room.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, a refrigerator according to the present invention includes a body having a cold-storage room provided to an upper part and a freezer room provided to a lower part, an ice maker provided to the freezer room to make ice, an ice bank receiving the ice made by the ice maker, and a transport mechanism sending the ice discharged from the ice bank toward the cold-storage room via an ice transport passage.

To further achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, a refrigerator includes a body having a cold-storage room provided to an upper part and a freezer room provided to a lower part, an ice maker provided to the freezer room to make ice, an ice bank receiving the ice made by the ice maker, a conveyer mechanism sending the ice discharged from the ice bank to a transport position, a transport mechanism sending the ice sent to the transport position by the conveyer mechanism to a cold-storage room side via an ice transport passage, and a dispenser provided to the cold-storage room side to discharge the ice sent to the cold-storage room side by the transport mechanism via the ice transport passage to an outside of the cold-storage room side door.

To further achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, a refrigerator includes an ice maker provided to a freezer room situated at a lower part of a body to make to discharge ice downward, an ice bank provided under the ice maker, the ice bank having an open topside to receive the ice made by the ice maker and an ice discharge opening provided to a bottom side of the ice bank wherein the ice discharge opening can be opened/closed, a conveyer mechanism sending the ice discharged from the ice bank to a transport position, a freezer room side ice transport passage provided to one side of the ice bank, a chute box coupled to an inside of a cold-storage room side door, the chute box having an ice transport passage communicating with the freezer room side ice transport passage, and a transport mechanism discharging the ice conveyed to the transport position by the conveyer mechanism to a dispenser of the cold-storage room side door via the ice transport passage.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

FIG. 2is a cross-sectional diagram of a refrigerator provided with an ice pickup apparatus according to the present invention, andFIG. 3is a magnified cross-sectional diagram for explaining an ice pickup process of the ice pickup apparatus inFIG. 2.

Referring toFIG. 2andFIG. 3, a refrigerator according to the present invention includes an ice maker400provided to a freezer room2situated at a lower part of a body B to make to discharge ice downward, an ice bank600provided under the ice maker400, the ice bank600having an open topside to receive the ice made by the ice maker400and an ice discharge opening provided to a bottom side of the ice bank600wherein the ice discharge opening can be opened/closed, a freezer room side ice transport passage200aprovided to one side of the ice bank600, a chute box30coupled to an inside of a door3of a cold-storage room1, the chute box30having an ice transport passage300communicating the freezer room side ice transport passage200a, and a transport mechanism shooting up the ice discharged from the ice bank600via the ice transport passage300to discharge the ice to a dispenser D of the door3of the cold-storage room1.

The transport mechanism includes a motor900, a first link910connected to a shaft of the motor900to be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise by a drive force of the motor900, and a second link920coupled to a front end of the first link910via hinge.

In this case, the motor900is a step motor enabling a rotational speed adjustment for a predetermined acceleration of the motor900. This is because the ice can shot upward by the rotation at the predetermined acceleration.

Preferably, a push stick930having an area larger than that of the link is provided to a front end of the second link920to raise contact reliance with the ice.

More preferably, the push stick930is formed of a material having a prescribed cushion to avoid an impact on the ice.

Meanwhile, a conveyer mechanism is installed in a direction vertical to an installation direction of the transport mechanism to send the ice falling from the ice bank200to a shooting position.

The conveyer mechanism may have the same configuration of the transport mechanism.

Namely, the conveyer mechanism includes a motor800, a first link810connected to a shaft of the motor800to be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise by a drive force of the motor800, and a second link820coupled to a front end of the first link810via hinge. Preferably, a push stick830having an area larger than that of the link is provided to a front end of the second link820.

The ice transport passage300of the chute box30approximately has a ‘∩’ shape and a direction switching portion of an upper end of the chute box30is rounded. This is to prevent the ice shot upward by the transport mechanism from being broken and to enable the ice to slide down to be discharged to the dispenser D.

A sealing member500such as a gasket and the like is inserted between the chute box30and a barrier6to prevent the chill leakage.

An upper inside of the dispenser D of the door3of the cold-storage room1is provided with a shield plate110, which cuts off thermal contact with an external air while the ice is not discharged, and a drive motor120for selectively opening/closing the ice discharge opening by rotationally moving the shield plate110centering on a hinge point in a right-and-left direction.

Optionally, the shield plate110can be installed to move in a back-and-forth or up-and-down direction.

The ice maker400is provided to the freezer-room2in the lower part of the refrigerator body B and the ice bank600is installed under the ice maker400. Various kinds of general ice makers and banks are applicable to the ice maker and back400and600, respectively, of which explanations are skipped in the following.

A topside of the ice bank600has an open box shape to receive the ice made by the ice maker400. The ice bank600has a size suitable for a refrigerator capacity and ice storage capacity. Alternatively, a shape of the ice bank600can be variously modified according to a shape of an ice landing portion.

An ice transporter (not shown in the drawing) is provided to an upper within the ice bank600. The ice transporter is operative in dropping the ice stored in the ice bank600onto a horizontal passage underneath.

The ice transporter (not shown in the drawing) may include a helical auger and a motor rotating the auger.

Numeral references ‘4’, ‘5’, and ‘200’ indicate an evaporator, a blower fan, and a wall body configuring the ice transport passage.

An operation of the above-configured present invention is explained as follows.

First of all, a process of making ice by the ice maker400and discharging the ice to the ice bank600is repeated to store a prescribed quantity of the ice in the ice bank600.

While the prescribed quantity of the ice is stored in the ice bank600, an ice dispensing button of a control panel is pressed. If so, the ice comes out of the ice bank600by an action of the ice transporter (not shown in the drawing).

Namely, the ice discharged from the ice bank600falls down to the horizontal passage under the ice bank600, whereby the first and second links810and820, as shown inFIG. 3, spread from one state indicated by a doted line to the other state indicated by a solid line to send the ice to the freeze-room side ice transport passage200a.

In doing so, the conveyer mechanism pushes the ice to be set by a shooting timing of the transport mechanism.

Meanwhile, the ice sent to the freeze-room side ice transport passage200ais situated on the push stick930to be shot upward by the shooting action of the transport mechanism.

Namely, the motor900configuring the transport mechanism is rotated at a predetermined acceleration to bounce up.

Specifically, the motor900is the step motor and is controlled in a manner of gradually rotating faster in shooting the ice upward and gradually slowing down its rotational speed.

The ice shot on the freezer-room side ice transport passage200apasses through the passage provided to the barrier6, moves along the ice transport passage300of the chute box30provided to the door3of the cold-storage room1, and is then discharged to the dispenser D.

In doing so, since the direction switching portion at the upper end of the chute box30is rounded to have the ‘∩’ shape, the ice, which avoids being broken in the process of switching its moving direction, slides down to be discharged to the dispenser D.

In the above-explained process, the shield plate110provided to an upper side of the dispenser D may be opened each time the ice individually slides down along the ice transport passage300. Preferably, the shield plate110is opened when a prescribed quantity of ice gathers in the ice transport passage300to be collectively picked up.

Meanwhile, the dispenser D is preferably situated at a height of a user's waist or chest. This is to enable a user not to bend over in picking up the ice from the dispenser D.

It is apparent that an installation height of the dispenser D can be determined by considering an averaged height of nation or housewives.

FIG. 4is a magnified cross-sectional diagram of an ice pickup apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring toFIG. 4, an ice transport mechanism includes a motor M rotatable at predetermined acceleration, a pinion700shaft-coupled to the motor M to have gear teeth, and a rack710provided with another gear teeth710aengaging with the gear teeth of the pinion700.

Preferably, a push stick720is provided to a front end of the rack710to increase a contact area with ice that is shot upward.

Alternatively, the transport mechanism can be configured in a following manner.

First of all, a link mechanism is configured with a rapid return mechanism having a mean speed difference between a forward stroke and a return stroke instead of a motor having a predetermined rotational speed. The rapid return mechanism instantly transfers a force on a rapid return motion to shoot up the ice.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

Accordingly, the refrigerator according to the present invention provides the ice machine to the freezer room under the cold-storage room so that the ice is dispensed to the cold-storage room side, thereby expanding the space of the cold-storage room without providing the separate insulation space to the cold-storage room.

In case that the ice machine is provided to the freezer-room situated under the freezer room, a user can pick up the ice from the dispenser without bending over.

Moreover, the resent invention needs not to provide the separate insulation space within the cold-storage room to provide the ice machine to the cold-storage room, thereby securing the sufficient space of the cold-storage room.

Besides, the present invention does not provide the dispenser to the freezer room side, thereby securing the sufficient space of the freezer room.

Therefore, the present invention sufficiently secures the spaces of the cold-storage and freezer rooms to raise spatial efficiency and to facilitate the ice pick-up, thereby enhancing user's product reliance.