Patent Publication Number: US-2007119204-A1

Title: Refrigerator

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2005-0115118, filed on Nov. 29, 2005, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a refrigerator. More particularly, to a refrigerator having an improved dispenser.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      In general, a conventional refrigerator having a freezing chamber for keeping food such as meat and fish at a temperature below freezing, and a refrigerating chamber for keeping food such as fruits and vegetables at a temperature above freezing. The freezing chamber includes an ice making device which is supplied with water from an external water feeding device to make a predetermined size of ice in the freezing chamber, and in a front part of a freezing chamber door is provided a dispenser part receiving ice made in an ice making chamber and drinking water from an external side.  
      An example of a conventional refrigerator having such a dispenser part is disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 1997-0082482. The dispenser part of the conventional refrigerator is provided with an ice outlet so that an ice making chamber can be connected with the dispenser part when ice is supplied, and a cover for opening and closing the ice outlet.  
      However, when ice is caught in such a cover or the cover is left open due to malfunction, the conventional refrigerator operates with its freezing chamber being connected with an external side. In this case, frost is stuck in the ice outlet, and temperature in the freezing chamber rises to increase an operating rate, thereby increasing consumption of an electric power.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is achieved by providing a refrigerator which is capable of sensing the opening state of a cover accurately and reducing loss of energy.  
      Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.  
      These foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention can be achieved by providing a refrigerator including a freezing chamber, a freezing chamber door, an ice making device provided in the freezing chamber and making ice, and a dispenser part provided with an ice outlet and discharging the ice made in the ice making device to an external side. The dispenser part including an ice lever selectively operating a supply and a stoppage of ice, a cover member moving between a closing position closing the ice outlet and an opening position opening the ice outlet in cooperation with the ice lever, a cover opening and closing sensor sensing opening and closing of the cover member, and a display part displaying a signal from the cover opening and closing sensor.  
      The refrigerator further includes a warning part to inform a user of the signal, and a controller controlling the warning part to operate when the cover opening and closing sensor senses the opening of the cover member for over a predetermined time.  
      The refrigerator further includes a delay part delaying the closing of the cover member for a predetermined delaying time when the ice lever is press-removed to stop supplying the ice after the ice is discharged from the dispenser part, wherein the controller controls delaying operating of the warning part to be delayed for the predetermined delaying time.  
      According to an aspect of the present invention, the display part includes a display.  
      According to an aspect of the present invention, the warning part includes an acoustic warning device and/or a visual warning device.  
      According to an aspect of the present invention, the cover opening and closing sensor includes a light sensing device. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      These and/or other aspects and advantages of the prevent invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompany drawings of which:  
       FIG. 1  is a front perspective view illustrating a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a side sectional view illustrating a freezing chamber of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIG. 4  is a flow diagram view illustrating a refrigerator according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below so as to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.  
      In explaining an embodiment of the present invention, a side-by-side type of refrigerator is taken as an example, but the present invention is not limited to any particular type of refrigerator, and may vary accordingly.  
      In FIGS.  1  to  3 , a refrigerator according to the present invention comprises a main body  1  provided with refrigerating and freezing chambers  2  and  3 , doors  4  and  5  opening and closing the refrigerating and freezing chambers  2  and  3 , respectively, an ice making chamber  70 , and a dispenser part  60  supplying ice to an external side of the refrigerator.  
      The refrigerating chamber  2  and the freezing chamber  3  are provided to right and left sides of a partitioned wall, respectively. The refrigerating chamber door  4  and the freezing chamber door  5  are coupled with the refrigerating chamber  2  and the freezing chamber  3  for opening and closing the front opening thereof, respectively. Also, a door guide  6  is arranged vertically in an internal side of the doors  4  and  5  to contain bottles or the like. Furthermore, a plurality of shelves  7  comparting an internal side of the refrigerating chamber  2  are vertically arranged in an upper part of the refrigerating chamber  2 , and a plurality of drawers  8  are arranged in a lower part thereof.  
      An ice making chamber  70  is provided in an upper part of the freezing chamber  3  and comprises an ice making device  71  for making ice, and a plurality of shelves (not shown) and a plurality of drawers (not shown) are vertically arranged in a lower part thereof. Also, in a front face of the freezing chamber door  5  is provided a dispenser part  60  to be supplied with ice made in the ice making chamber  70  and water from an external side of the refrigerator.  
      In the ice making chamber  70  is installed the ice making device  71  to supply water from an external water feeding apparatus (not shown) to the ice making device  71 , and an ice storage part  10  is positioned under the ice making device  71  is to store ice from the ice making device  71 . Also, in an end part of the ice making device  71  is provided an ice separating motor (not shown) to separate ice made from the ice making machine  71 , and under the ice making device  71  is provided an ice detecting lever  73  to detect the amount of ice in the ice storage part  10 .  
      The ice storage part  10  comprises an ice container  11  and a guide case  15 . The ice container  11  stores ice separated from the ice making device  71 . The ice made in the ice device  71  has different shapes according to the configuration of the ice making device  71 . For example, cubic ice may be made. However, the shape of the ice is not limited to hereto, and may vary as necessary. On a side of the ice container  11  is provided an ice outlet  17  to discharge ice to the outside.  
      The guide case  15  is provided in a first end area of the ice container  11  and the ice outlet  17  is provided in a lower part thereof to discharge ice to a guide part  9  arranged in the freezing chamber door  5 . The guide case  15  may be provided to surround a first end area of the ice container  11  except for the ice outlet  17  provided in a lower part thereof.  
      An ice carrying unit  12  is provided in an internal side of the ice container  11 . The ice carrying unit  12  comprises a driving motor (not shown) arranged in a second end area of the ice container  11 , a rotating shaft  13  extended from the driving motor (not shown) toward the first end side of the ice container  11  and a spiral blade  14  coupled to the rotating shaft  13 , and discharges-ice in the ice storage part  10  toward the ice outlet  17 . The spiral blade  14  rotates together with the rotating shaft  13  to discharge ice in the ice storing tool  11  toward the ice outlet  17 .  
      The guide part  9  is formed to be connected with the freezing chamber door  5  so that ice passing through the ice outlet  17  can be supplied for the dispenser part  60 .  
      The dispenser part  60  comprises a water lever  61  for supplying drinking water, an ice lever  62  for supplying ice, and a button part  63  provided so that a user can select cubic ice, flake ice or powdered ice, for example.  
      The dispenser part  60  comprises a cover member  64  in cooperation with the ice lever  62  to move between a closing position “A” closing an ice outlet  69  and an opening position “B” opening the ice outlet  69 , a cover opening and closing sensor  65  sensing an opening or closing of the cover member  64 , and a display part  67  displaying a result sensed by the cover opening and closing sensor  65 .  
      The button  63  may be provided to have a touch screen or a lead switch. However, the button is not limited hereto, and may vary as necessary. The ice lever  62  arranged in the ice outlet  69  supplies ice when pressed, and stops supplying ice when press-removed.  
      The cover member  64  is rotatably coupled with the ice outlet  69  to open and close the ice outlet  69 . The cover member  64  comprises a shape corresponding to the ice outlet  69 . The cover member  64  operates in cooperation with the ice lever  62 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the cover member  64  moves to the opening position “B” opening the ice outlet  69  when the ice lever  62  is pressed, and the cover member  64  moves to the closing position “A” closing the ice outlet  69  when the ice lever  62  is press-removed. The cover member  64  may be rotatably coupled with the ice outlet  69 , for example. However, the cover member  64  is not limited hereto, and may vary as necessary. Though it is described above that the cover member  64  operates in cooperation with the ice lever  62 , the cover  64  and the ice lever  62  may be integrally formed, for example.  
      The cover opening and closing sensor  65  senses the opening position “B” opening the ice outlet  69  so that the ice making chamber  70  can be connected to the outside. The cover opening and closing sensor  65  may be made of various light sensing devices sensing light. For example, the cover opening and closing sensor  65  may be provided to have a photo sensor, a proximate sensor, and a light sensing sensor.  
      The display part  67  is provided to display a signal sensed in the cover opening and closing sensor  65 . The display part  67  is preferably provided to discriminate the opening position “B” and the closing position “A” of the cover member  64 . For example, icons may be provided to respectively display the opening position “B” and the closing position “A” of the cover member  64 , or to display only the opening position “B”.  
      A warning part  68  transmits a signal sensed in the cover opening and closing sensor  65  to a user so that the user can recognize the signal. The warning part  68  comprises an acoustic warning device stimulating a user&#39;s auditory sense and/or a visual warning device stimulating a user&#39;s eyesight. The acoustic warning device may be provided as a buzzer or a siren. The visual warning device may be provided as a display like the display part  67  as described above, and an extra lamp to be flickered.  
      A controller  100  controls the warning part  68  to operate when the cover opening and closing sensor  65  senses the opening of the cover member  64  for over a predetermined time.  
      The refrigerator according to the present invention may further comprise a delay part  66  delaying a movement of the cover member  64  to the closing position “A” for a predetermined time when the ice lever  62  is press-removed after ice is supplied. The delay part  66  is not limited to any particular type of delay mechanism, and may vary accordingly. For example, the delay part  66  may comprise an air damper connected with the cover member  64  and an oil damper thereto. The delay part  66  can prevent the phenomenon that undischarged ice is left to the guide part  9  when the ice lever  62  is press-removed after discharge of ice and the ice carrying unit  12  stops immediately to close and the cover member  64 . Here, the delaying time is set so that ice carried by the ice carrying unit  12  can be completely discharged to the outside.  
      The controller  100  controls the warning part  68  so that an operation of the warning part  68  can be delayed for the delaying time.  
      An operation of the refrigerator according to the present invention will be described below by referring to  FIG. 4 .  
      In operation  1 , a user selects the kind of ice through the button part. Then, when the ice lever is pressed, the ice carrying unit is driven and the cover member moves from the closing position “A” to the opening position “B”. Then, the cover opening and closing sensor senses whether the cover member is opened and displays the result on the display part. The cover opening and closing sensor may sense the opening of the cover member to display on the display part when not only the cover moves to the opening position “B” but also the freezing chamber door opens. When it is determined that the cover member is opened in operation  1 , ice stored in the ice container is discharged through the ice outlet via the guide part to an external side by the ice carrying unit. When a user is supplied with ice and then removes the press of the ice lever, the ice carrying unit stops. Then in operation  3 , the controller judges whether a predetermined time passes after the cover opening and closing sensor first senses an opening signal of the cover member. Then, from operation  3 , the process moves to operation  5  where it is determined whether the opening signal is sensed even after a predetermined time passes. If it is determined that the opening signal is sensed in operation  5 , the process moves to operation  7  where the controller operates the warning part. Accordingly, a user can recognize the malfunction of the cover member, thereby coping with a problem rapidly.  
      Meanwhile, the predetermined time may be set in advance by a user, for example.  
      As an alternative, in the case of a refrigerator having the delay part in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the delay part delays movement of the cover member to the closing position “A” for a predetermined delaying time. Thus, when the opening of the cover member is sensed by the cover opening and closing sensor  65  even after the predetermined delaying time passes in operation  5 , the process moves to operation  7 , where the controller drives the warning part to inform a user of malfunction of the cover member. In this case, the predetermined time is set to include the delaying time.  
      Through this configuration, undesired opening of the cover member is accurately sensed in order to be corrected rapidly. Accordingly, frost can be prevented from being adhered in the guide part, and a temperature rise of the freezing chamber can be prevented. Also, an electric power consumption increase caused by a cooling operation increase can be prevented in advance.  
      As described above, the refrigerator according to the present invention, can sense the opening state of the cover member accurately, thereby reducing loss of energy.  
      Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.