Patent Publication Number: US-2015059395-A1

Title: Ice maker

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2013-0106017 filed on Apr. 9, 2013, with the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates to an ice maker, and more particularly, to an ice maker including an ice storage guide configured to definitively separate water and ice falling from a freezing plate to prevent the water from flowing into an ice bin. 
     In a down-flow type ice maker, water freezes into ice while flowing down a freezing plate cooled by an evaporator, and the ice is separated from the freezing plate and stored in an ice bin. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a down-flow type ice maker of the prior art includes: an ice making unit including an evaporator  10 , a freezing plate  12 , and a water supply tube  14 ; a water tub  20  disposed below the ice making unit to collect ice-making water and ice-separating water falling from the freezing plate  12 ; and an ice guide  30  disposed at an upper end of the water tub  20  to separate ice and water and guide the ice to an ice bin (not shown) disposed outside of the water tub  20 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the ice guide  30  of the prior art includes a plurality of vertical barriers  32  arranged at regular intervals, and a connection part  34  connecting the vertical barriers  32 . 
     The upper ends of the vertical barriers  32  have slopes to guide ice to the ice bin. 
     When the ice maker is operated, parts such as the ice guide  30  and the water tub  20  making contact with water may be covered with scale (fur). Therefore, cleaning may be performed to remove scale formed on such parts and to allow the ice maker to be used hygienically. 
     However, since the vertical barriers  32  of the ice guide  30  of the prior art are arranged at intervals smaller than the sizes of ice cubes, the structure of the ice guide  30  is complex, and thus it is difficult to clean the ice guide  30 . 
     In addition, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the upper ends of the ice guide  30  are hung on the upper end of the water tub  20 . Therefore, water falling from the freezing plate  12  may flow along the slopes of the upper ends of the vertical barriers  32  to the ice bin, and thus, ice stored in the ice bin may melt. 
     If water permeates into the ice bin as described above, ice stored in the ice bin may melt, and the quality of the ice may be lowered. 
     SUMMARY 
     An aspect of the present disclosure may provide an ice maker configured to be easily cleaned and to store ice after definitively separating the ice from water. 
     According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an ice maker may include: a freezing plate configured to be cooled by an evaporator to freeze water flowing thereon; a water tub disposed below the freezing plate to collect water falling from the freezing plate; an ice bin forming an ice storage space around the water tub to collect ice falling from the freezing plate; and a plate-shaped ice storage guide placed on an upper end of the water tub between the freezing plate and the water tub, the ice storage guide including a sloped part inclined toward the ice bin and a plurality of discharge holes narrower than widths of ice cubes formed by the freezing plate. 
     The discharge holes may be elongated in an inclination direction of the sloped part. 
     The ice storage guide may further include a reinforcement rib vertically protruding from a rear side thereof and extending in a length direction thereof. 
     End plates may be provided on both ends of the ice storage guide to support a main body of the ice storage guide with respect to the upper end of the water tub. 
     The ice storage guide may further include an auxiliary discharge hole formed in front of the discharge holes and spaced apart from the discharge holes. 
     The auxiliary discharge hole may be formed between the discharge holes neighboring each other. 
     A plurality of auxiliary discharge holes may be arranged at predetermined intervals in a length direction of the ice storage guide, and a guide jaw may be formed between the auxiliary discharge holes neighboring each other so as to guide water flowing on the sloped part to the auxiliary discharge holes. 
     When the ice storage guide is placed on the water tub, a discharge gap may be formed between an end of the ice storage guide and an upper end of an inner wall of the of the water tub. 
     The ice storage guide may further include a guide protrusion formed on an end of the sloped part. 
     The ice storage guide may further include ridges protruding from the sloped portion at edges of the discharge holes. 
     The freezing plate may include front and rear freezing plates making contact with both ends of the evaporator, and front and rear parts of the ice storage guide may be symmetrical to guide ice falling respectively from the front and rear freezing plates. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The above and other aspects, features and other advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is perspective view illustrating an assembly included in an ice maker of the prior art, the assembly including an ice making unit, a water tub, and an ice guide; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view illustrating the ice guide of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarge view illustrating portion A of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a side cross-sectional view illustrating an assembly included in an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the assembly including a freezing plate, an evaporator, an ice storage guide, a water tub, and an ice bin; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view illustrating the ice storage guide of the ice maker illustrated in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a partially enlarged perspective view illustrating the ice storage guide of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view illustrating a portion of the assembly illustrated in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a cut-away view illustrating a state in which the ice storage guide illustrated in  FIG. 5  is placed on the water tub; and 
         FIG. 9  is a partially enlarged view illustrating the ice storage guide of  FIG. 8 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     The disclosure may, however, be exemplified in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the specific embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. 
     In the drawings, the shapes and dimensions of elements may be exaggerated for clarity, and the same reference numerals will be used throughout to designate the same or like elements. 
     In the following description, the technical terms are used only for explaining specific exemplary embodiments while not limiting the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The terms of a singular form may include plural forms unless referred to the contrary. 
     Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 4 to 9 , an ice maker  200  will be described according to embodiments of the present disclosure. 
       FIG. 4  is a side cross-sectional view illustrating an assembly included in the ice maker  200  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the assembly including a freezing plate  210 , an evaporator  220 , an ice storage guide  100 , a water tub  230 , and an ice bin  240 , and  FIGS. 5 and 6  are a perspective view and a partially enlarged view illustrating the ice storage guide  100 .  FIG. 7  is a perspective view illustrating a portion of the assembly illustrated in  FIG. 4 , and  FIGS. 8 and 9  are a cut-away view and a partially enlarged view illustrating a state in which the ice storage guide  100  is placed on the water tub  230 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4 to 9 , according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the ice maker  200  includes the freezing plate  210 , the evaporator  220 , the water tub  230 , the ice bin  240 , and the ice storage guide  100 . 
     The freezing plate  210  may be cooled by the evaporator  220  (to be described later), and water may freeze while falling down the surface of the freezing plate  210 . 
     In the embodiments, the freezing plate  210  may include a front freezing plate  210   a  and a rear freezing plate  210   b  that make contact with front and rear sides of the evaporator  220 . However, the configuration of the freezing plate  210  is not limited thereto. 
     The evaporator  220  may include a pipe in which a refrigerant flows. The pipe may have a zigzag shape with a plurality of bent portions. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the evaporator  220  may make contact with rear sides of the freezing plate  210  to cool the freezing plate  210 . 
     The water tub  230  may be disposed below the freezing plate  210  to collect water (ice-making water and ice-separating water) falling from the freezing plate  210 . 
     The ice bin  240  may form an ice storage space around the water tub  230  to collect ice falling from the freezing plate  210 . 
     The ice storage guide  100  is placed on an upper end of the water tub  230  between the freezing plate  210  and the water tub  230 . 
     The ice storage guide  100  may separate ice and water falling from the freezing plate  210  and guide the ice to the ice bin  240  and the water to the water tub  230 . 
     Hereinafter, the ice storage guide  100  will be described in more detail with reference to  FIGS. 5 to 9 . 
     In the embodiments, the ice storage guide  100  may include a sloped part  110  and discharge holes  120 . The sloped part  110  may include ridges  125 , reinforcement ribs  130 , end plates  140 , auxiliary discharge holes  150 , guide jaws  160 , and guide protrusions  170 . 
     The ice storage guide  100  is formed of a plate-shaped member, and the sloped part  110  is downwardly sloped. 
     In a state in which the ice storage guide  100  is placed on the water tub  230 , slopes of the sloped part  110  are inclined downward toward the ice bin  240 . 
     The discharge holes  120  are penetration holes formed through the ice storage guide  100 . The discharge holes  120  may be narrower than the widths of ice cubes formed by the freezing plate  210 . 
     The discharge holes  120  may be arranged along the entirety of the ice storage guide  100 . 
     In the embodiments, the discharge holes  120  may be elongated in the inclination directions of the sloped part  110 . 
     If the discharge holes  120  are elongated in the inclination directions of the sloped part  110  as described above, ice may easily slide on the sloped part  110  without being blocked by the discharge holes  120 . 
     Furthermore, in the embodiments, the ridges  125  may be formed along edges of the discharge holes  120 . 
     In other words, the ridges  125  may be edges of the discharge holes  120  protruding upward from the sloped part  110 . 
     When ice slides on the sloped part  110 , the contact area between the ice and the sloped part  110  may be reduced owing to the ridges  125 . In other words, owing to the ridges  125 , ice may make line contact with the sloped part  110  instead of making surface contact with the sloped part  110 . 
     The ridges  125  prevent ice from sticking to the sloped part  110  having a flat shape, and thus ice may slide smoothly on the sloped part  110 . 
     The upper ends of the ridges  125  maybe rounded so as to minimize the contact area between the sloped part  110  and ice. 
     The reinforcement ribs  130  may protrude vertically from a rear surface of the sloped part  110  and may extend in a length direction of the sloped part  110 . 
     Owing to the reinforcement ribs  130 , the ice storage guide  100  having a plate shape may have improved resistance to vertical loads. That is, the reinforcement ribs  130  reinforce the ice storage guide  100  to prevent the ice storage guide  100  from being deformed or broken by ice falling thereonto. 
     The endplates  140  maybe disposed on both ends of the ice storage guide  100  to support a main body of the ice storage guide  100  with respect to the water tub  230 . 
     In the embodiments, the end plates  140  may be plate-shaped members disposed on both ends of the ice storage guide  100  and extending downward therefrom. 
     The ice storage guide  100  may be fixed to the upper end of the water tub  230  by disposing lower ends of the end plates  140  on the upper end of the water tub  230 . 
     In the embodiments, the end plates  140  may have a plate shape, and may be formed in one piece with or integrally coupled to both ends of the ice storage guide  100  to reinforce the ice storage guide  100  and thus to prevent the ice storage guide  100  from being twisted or bent by a heavy load. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the auxiliary discharge holes  150  maybe formed in front of the discharge holes  120  (in a direction downstream from the discharge holes  120  based on directions in which ice and water move) and may be spaced apart from the discharge holes  120 . 
     Like the discharge holes  120 , the auxiliary discharge holes  150  are penetration holes formed through the sloped part  110  of the ice storage guide  100  so as to drain water flowing on the sloped part  110 . The auxiliary discharge holes  150  maybe narrower than the widths of ice cubes formed by the freezing plate  210 . 
     In the embodiments, the auxiliary discharge holes  150  may be arranged in lines in the length direction of the ice storage guide  100 . 
     Furthermore, in the embodiments, the auxiliary discharge holes  150  may be formed between the discharge holes  120  neighboring each other. In other words, the discharge holes  120  and the auxiliary discharge holes  150  arranged in the length direction of the ice storage guide  100  may be staggered. 
     In this case, water flowing between the discharge holes  120  may be drained through the auxiliary discharge holes  150 . 
     Furthermore, in the embodiments, the auxiliary discharge holes  150  may be spaced apart from each other, and the guide jaws  160  may be formed between the auxiliary discharge holes  150 . 
     The guide jaws  160  may protrude from the sloped part  110  to guide water flowing on the sloped part  110  to the auxiliary discharge holes  150 . 
     In the embodiments, as illustrated in  FIGS. 7 to 9 , when the ice storage guide  100  is placed on the water tub  230 , discharge gaps may be formed between edges of the ice storage guide  100  and upper ends of inner walls of the water tub  230 . 
     In other words, the front-to-rear width of the ice storage guide  100  may be narrower than the width of the water tub  230 , and thus horizontal gaps (discharge gaps) maybe formed between the ice storage guide  100  and the inner walls of the water tub  230 . 
     Water arriving at leading ends of the ice storage guide  100  without being drained through the discharge holes  120  and the auxiliary discharge holes  150  may finally be drained to the water tub  230  through the discharge gaps. 
     The guide protrusions  170  may protrude from the leading ends of the ice storage guide  100  toward the discharge gaps. 
     The guide protrusions  170  maybe arranged in the length direction of the ice storage guide  100  at intervals smaller than the widths of ice cubes. 
     The guide protrusions  170  may prevent ice cubes from falling through the discharge gaps. 
     The above-described ice storage guide  100  has an approximately flat shape, and thus may be easily cleaned. 
     Since water flowing on the sloped part  110  of the ice storage guide  100  can be discharged through the discharge holes  120 , the auxiliary discharge holes  150 , and the discharge gaps, water and ice may definitively be separated, and thus permeation of water into the ice bin  240  may be prevented. 
     Furthermore, in the embodiments, front and rear parts of the ice storage guide  100  may be symmetrical so as to guide ice cubes falling from the front freezing plate  210   a  and the rear freezing plate  210   b.    
     As set forth above, according to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, since the parts of the ice maker are simple and can be easily cleaned, the ice maker may be hygienically used. 
     In addition, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, ice and water falling from the freezing plate can definitively be separated from each other to prevent the water from flowing into the ice bin, and thus high-quality ice can reliably be made. 
     While exemplary embodiments have been shown and described above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations could be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.