Refrigerant channel-integrated ice making tray and method for manufacturing same

A refrigerant channel-integrated ice making tray includes an ice making tray configured to have a number of partition ribs for containing water; and a refrigerant channel configured to traverse under the partition ribs inside of the ice making tray.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2015-0085952, filed Jun. 17, 2015, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments according to the present invention relate to an ice maker for a refrigerator, and more particularly to a refrigerant channel-integrated ice making tray in which an ice making tray is integrally formed with a refrigerant channel, which simplifies manufacturing of the ice making tray and increases the efficiency of the transfer of cold air generated by the refrigerant to the ice making tray, by making the refrigerant channel by injection molding at the bottom portion of a number of partition ribs, which form spaces to contain water to be used to make ice, when the ice making tray is injection molded.

BACKGROUND

In general, a refrigerator is an appliance with storage space for storing food at a reduced temperature, consisting of a refrigerator compartment maintaining a temperature a few degrees above the freezing point of water and a freezer compartment maintaining a temperature below the freezing point of water. Recent higher demand for ice contributes to increasing demand for a refrigerator equipped with an ice maker that can automatically make ice.

The ice maker may be installed in the freezer compartment depending on the type of a refrigerator, or in the refrigerator compartment if required.

FIG. 1shows an example ice maker installed in the freezer compartment. The ice maker100has an ice storage unit102for storing ice as shown inFIG. 1, and the ice stored in the ice storage unit102may be dispensed to the outside through an ice dispenser unit in accordance with an external ice dispensing signal. In this case, if more ice than a prescribed amount of ice is dispensed to the outside, information is provided as feedback to enable the ice maker100to make ice again, and the ice may be introduced into the ice storage unit102again.

As shown inFIG. 2AandFIG. 2B, in the ice maker100, a refrigerant pipe202is attached at the bottom portion of the ice making tray200in which the ice is usually made. When making ice, the refrigerant is allowed to flow through the refrigerant pipe202and thus water contained in the ice making tray200is turned into ice by cold air generated by the refrigerant.

However, the conventional ice maker is fabricated through a process in which the refrigerant pipe and the ice making tray are separately injection molded and the refrigerant pipe is then attached at the bottom portion of the ice making tray, which reduces the efficiency of the transfer of cold air from the refrigerant pipe to the ice making tray.

SUMMARY

In view of the above, embodiments according to the present invention provide a refrigerant channel-integrated ice making tray in which an ice making tray is integrally formed with a refrigerant channel, which simplifies manufacturing of the ice making tray and increases the efficiency of transfer of cold air produced with the refrigerant in the refrigerant channel, by making the refrigerant channel together by injection molding at the bottom portion of a number of partition ribs, which form spaces to contain water to be used to make ice, when the ice making tray is injection molded.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerant channel-integrated ice making tray includes: an ice making tray configured to have a number of partition ribs for containing water; and a refrigerant channel configured to traverse inside of the ice making tray under the bottom portion of the partition ribs.

Further, the ice making tray may include an inlet and an outlet for the refrigerant channel which are formed at one side and at the other side of the bottom area of the partition ribs at one end of the ice making tray.

Further, the ice making tray may be configured to connect with an exterior refrigerant supply pipe at the inlet and the outlet of the refrigerant channel.

Further, the refrigerant channel may be configured to have a U shape.

Further, the refrigerant channel may be configured to traverse the partition ribs in the U shape, and a plurality of connection channels are disposed in the form of a ladder between a first portion and a second portion of the U shape in a way that connection channels cross below and between the central area of the bottom portion of each of partition ribs and connect the first portion with the second portion of the U shaped refrigerant channel.

Further, the refrigerant channel may be injection molded as a pipe with a cross-section in the shape of a circle or a polygon.

Further, the inlet and the outlet may be configured to have a size and a shape corresponding to a size and a shape of the refrigerant supply pipe.

Further, the refrigerant channel may be integrally manufactured together with the ice making tray through an injection mold.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a refrigerant channel-integrated ice making tray includes: preparing a base member made from synthetic resin; forming an ice making tray at one (a first) side of the base member; and forming a refrigerant channel at another side (e.g., opposite the first side) of the base member.

Further, the base member may be injection molded to integrally form the ice making tray and the refrigerant channel.

Further, the refrigerant channel may be configured to traverse under the bottom portion of a number of partition ribs in the ice making tray, the partition ribs forming spaces for containing water to be made into ice.

Further, the operation of forming a refrigerant channel may include forming an inlet and an outlet of the refrigerant channel at one side and the other side of the bottom area of the partition ribs on one side surface (at one end) of the ice making tray.

Further, the operation of forming a refrigerant channel may include forming the refrigerant channel to have a U shape.

Further, the refrigerant channel may be configured to traverse the partition ribs in the U shape, and the refrigerant channel may be further configured to have a plurality of connection channels that are disposed in the form of a ladder in a way that they cross below the central area between the bottom portion of each of the partition ribs and connect a first portion of the U shaped refrigerant channel with a second portion of the U shaped refrigerant channel.

As described above, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerant channel-integrated ice making tray in which an ice making tray is integrally formed with a refrigerant channel is embodied by making the refrigerant channel together by injection molding at the bottom portion of a number of partition ribs, which form spaces to contain water to be used to make ice, when the ice making tray is injection molded so that the ice making tray is integrally formed with the refrigerant channel, which realizes a simplified manufacturing process for the ice making tray and increased efficiency of transfer of cold air produced with the refrigerant in the refrigerant channel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, example embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions and/or structures will not be described in detail if they would unnecessarily obscure the features of the present invention. Further, the terms to be described below are defined in consideration of their functions in the embodiments of the present invention and may vary depending on a user's or operator's intention or practice.

FIG. 3AtoFIG. 3Care a perspective view, a rear view, and a cross-sectional view of a refrigerant channel-integrated ice making tray in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

With reference to a perspective view of the ice making tray inFIG. 3A, a number of partition ribs302are arranged inside of the refrigerant channel-integrated ice making tray of the present invention at regular intervals; therefore, the ice making tray300is divided into a plurality of spaces.

Water to be used to make ice may be contained in a space above/between each of partition ribs302, and water may be turned into ice by cold air generated as a result of a refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant channel304.

As described above, a prior art ice making tray is manufactured by separate injection molding of a refrigerant pipe and of an ice making tray and attaching the refrigerant pipe at the bottom portion of the ice making tray so that cold air can be transferred from the refrigerant pipe to the ice making tray. As a result, the efficiency of cold air transfer may be reduced.

In order to overcome the above shortcoming, in the present invention, the refrigerant channel-integrated ice making tray300is implemented by making a refrigerant channel304by injection molding at the bottom portion of each of partition ribs302during injection molding of the ice making tray300.

Consequently, when a refrigerant flows through the refrigerant channel304which is integrally formed inside of the ice making tray300, cold air generated with the refrigerant is directly transferred to each of partition ribs302which are formed in the ice making tray300so that the transfer efficiency of the cold air can be increased.

In other words, as shown in the cross-sectional view ofFIG. 3B, the refrigerant channel304is integrally formed inside of the ice making tray300, and the refrigerant channel304is formed together with the ice making tray300by injection molding. Accordingly, it is not necessary to separately manufacture a refrigerant pipe as in the prior art, and thus a process for attaching the manufactured refrigerant pipe to the bottom portion of the ice making tray is not needed.

The refrigerant channel304may be positioned at the bottom portion of and under each of the partition ribs302in the ice making tray300. In this configuration, a channel made by a separate pipe is not inserted, but the channel is formed by injection molding along with the other part(s) of the ice making tray300. Accordingly, cold air derived from the refrigerant may be directly transferred to each of partition ribs302in the ice making tray300while the refrigerant flows through the refrigerant channel304when making ice, and consequentially the transfer efficiency of the cold air may be increased relative to the conventional design.

Furthermore, the ice making tray300in which the refrigerant channel304is integrally formed may include, for example, an inlet306and an outlet308of the refrigerant channel304which are respectively formed at one side and at the other side at the bottom portion of the partition ribs302on one side surface (at one end) of the ice making tray300, but the invention is not limited to this. In the example ofFIG. 3A, the cross-sections of the inlet306and the outlet308of the refrigerant channel304are illustrated as circles, but the invention is not limited thereto; the cross-sections of the inlet and outlet may be formed in a size and a shape corresponding to the size and shape of a refrigerant supply pipe (not shown). Further, the refrigerant channel304, other than a portion of the inlet306and the outlet308that are being connected with the refrigerant supply pipe, may be formed in the form of a circle or polygonal pipe (that is, the cross-sectional shape of the refrigerant channel304may be different from the cross-sectional shapes of the inlet306and the outlet308).

Further, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, since the ice making tray300is formed to integrally include the refrigerant channel304, the inlet306and the outlet308of the refrigerant channel304may be readily connected to the refrigerant supply pipe at the time of coupling of the ice making tray with the refrigerant supply pipe through which the refrigerant is supplied.

Additionally, as shown in a rear view ofFIG. 3B, the refrigerant channel304may be arranged under the bottom portion of each of the partition ribs302in the ice making tray to traverse each of partition ribs302, for example, as a “U” shape, and ice may be made by having a low temperature and pressure refrigerant flow through the refrigerant channel during an ice making process.

FIG. 4AandFIG. 4Bare a rear view and a cross-sectional view of the refrigerant channel-integrated ice making tray in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

With reference to a rear view ofFIG. 4A, in comparison to the refrigerant channel as shown inFIG. 3B, a refrigerant channel350integrally formed in the ice making tray300is arranged under the partition ribs302in the ice making tray300as a “U” shape traversing all of the partition ribs, and the refrigerant channel is also arranged with cross-wise connections between (e.g., below but at the center of) each of the partition ribs302, such that the refrigerant channel is also disposed in the central area between each adjacent pair of the partition ribs302.

In other words, as shown in a rear view ofFIG. 4A, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerant channel350is disposed as a first portion and a mirror-image second portion that are connected in a “U” shape that traverses the partition ribs302, and includes a plurality of connection channels that are disposed in the form of a ladder in a way that they cross the central area below and between the bottom portion of each of partition ribs302and connect the first portion and the second portion of the U shaped portion of the refrigerant channel.

In accordance with theFIG. 4Aembodiment in which the refrigerant channel350is arranged in the central area below and between each of the partition ribs302, when the refrigerant flows through the refrigerant channel350during an ice making process, the cold air derived from the refrigerant is directly transferred to the top, bottom and central areas of each of the partition ribs302in the ice making tray300so that the efficiency of transferring the cold air can be further increased.

FIG. 4Bshows a cross-sectional view of the ice making tray. As can be seen, an inlet352and an outlet354having a U shape and traversing a number of the partition ribs302may be formed inside of the ice making tray300, and the connection channel356may be formed in the central area below and between each of the partition ribs302.

FIG. 5is a flow diagram showing a method of manufacturing the refrigerant channel-integrated ice making tray in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference toFIG. 3AtoFIG. 3C,FIG. 4AtoFIG. 4B, andFIG. 5.

A base member, for example, made from synthetic resin, is prepared at operation500, and the ice making tray300is formed at one side (e.g., on one surface) of the base member, at operation502. In an embodiment, the formation of the ice making tray300in operation502includes forming a number of partition ribs302for containing water to be used to make ice, and the number of partition ribs302may be formed on the upper side of the base member.

Next, the refrigerant channels304,350are formed at the other side of the base member in which the ice making tray300is formed, at operation504. In an embodiment, the refrigerant channels304,350may be formed at the bottom area where the partition ribs302are formed on the base member. In addition, the refrigerant channels304,350being formed like this may be connected to an exterior refrigerant supply pipe by forming the inlets306,352and the outlets308,354of the refrigerant channels304,350at one side and at the other side of the bottom area of the partition ribs302at one end of the ice making tray300.

Through the aforementioned process, the ice making tray300and the refrigerant channels304and350may be integrally arranged at one side and at the other side of the base member, and the base member may be injection molded to integrally form the ice making tray300including the refrigerant channels304and350, at operation506.

As described above, in accordance with the present invention, the refrigerant channel-integrated ice making tray in which an ice making tray is integrally formed with a refrigerant channel is embodied by making the refrigerant channel by injection molding at the bottom portion of a number of partition ribs, which are formed to form spaces to contain water to be used to make ice, when the ice making tray is injection molded so that the ice making tray is integrally formed with the refrigerant channel, which realizes a simplified manufacturing process for the ice making tray and increased efficiency of transfer of the cold air generated by the refrigerant in the refrigerant channel to the ice making areas of the ice making tray.

While the description of the present invention has been made with reference to the example embodiments, various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. In other words, although the embodiments of the present invention describe a structure of an ice making tray in which the refrigerant channel and the ice making tray are integrally formed by together being injection molded, the ice making tray may also or instead be used as an evaporator in cooling cycles of the ice maker if needed. In other words, if the refrigerant being supplied to the refrigerant channel of the ice making tray is employed to perform a heat exchange, a separate evaporator for the ice maker for use in a refrigerator is not needed; therefore, an arrangement of the ice maker may be simplified and the efficiency of transferring cold air may be also increased.

While the description of the present invention has been made to the example embodiments, various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be defined by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing embodiments.