Patent Abstract:
Disclosed is a structure for dispensing ice in a refrigerator, in which an automated ice-making device and an ice bank are installed at a door of a freezing chamber to thereby make its space utilization effectively. The structure of the present invention includes: an ice-making device installed in a door of a freezing chamber; an ice bank storing pieces of ice provided from the ice-making device; an ice transfer unit for transferring the pieces of the ice stored in the ice bank in a width direction; and an ice crushing part for crushing the pieces of the ice transferred by the ice transfer unit.

Full Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of the Korean Application No. P2003-0034082 filed on May 28, 2003, which is hereby incorporated by reference.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention relates to a structure for dispensing an ice in a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a structure for dispensing an ice in a refrigerator, which includes an automated ice-making device for manufacturing pieces of ice and an ice bank for keeping pieces of ice.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0005]    In general, a refrigerator is divided into a freezing chamber and a chilling chamber. The chilling chamber is maintained at temperature of 3° C. to 4° C., to keep foods or vegetables in a fresh state. The freezing chamber is maintained at a temperature below 0° C., to keep foods in a frozen state.  
           [0006]    Recently, various functions are added to the refrigerator so that a user can use it conveniently. Among them, one function is an automated ice-making device.  
           [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an automated ice-making device installed in a freezing chamber of a conventional two-door refrigerator, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line I-I of FIG. 1.  
           [0008]    As shown, the automated ice-making device  1  includes an ice-making chamber  11  for making pieces of ice, and a water supply part  12  provided at one side of the ice-making chamber  11  to supply water to the ice-making chamber  11 .  
           [0009]    In addition, the automated ice-making device  1  includes a control part  13  accommodating a motor (not shown) at the other side of the ice-making chamber  11 , and an ejector  14  rotatably connected to a shaft of the motor accommodated in the control part  13  to dispense the pieces of ice made in the ice-making chamber  11  to an ice bank  19 .  
           [0010]    A structure of the automated ice-making device  1  will be described below in detail. A coupling part  15  for coupling the automated ice-making device  1  to the freezing chamber of the refrigerator is formed at a rear side portion of the automated ice-making device  1 . The ice-making chamber  11  defining an ice-making space is provided at a body of the automated ice-making device  1 .  
           [0011]    The ice-making chamber  11  is in a hemicylinder shape. Partitioning protrusions  16  for separating and dispensing the pieces of ice are formed at an inner surface of the hemicylinder-shaped ice-making chamber  11 .  
           [0012]    As described above, the motor is installed inside the control part  13  formed at one portion of the ice-making chamber  11 , and the ejector  14  is coupled to the shaft of the motor.  
           [0013]    A shaft of the ejector  14  is formed across a center of the ice-making chamber  11 , and a plurality of ejector pins  14   a  are formed at a side surface of a shaft of the ejector  14 . The ejector pins  14   a  are formed spaced apart from each other and provided as many as the number of sections partitioned by the partitioning protrusions  16  of the ice-making chamber  11 .  
           [0014]    The ejector pin  14   a  is means for dispensing the pieces of ice to the ice bank  19 .  
           [0015]    A slide bar  17  is provided at an upper portion of a front hemicylinder of the ice-making chamber  11 , which is approximately halved on center of the ejector  14 . The pieces of ice slide down the slide bar  17  toward the ice bank  19 . The pieces of ice moved by the ejector pins  14   a  are loaded on the slide bar  17 , slide down the slide bar  17 , and then are dropped into the ice bank  19 .  
           [0016]    A heater  18  is attached to a lower surface of the ice-making chamber  11 . In order to transfer the pieces of ice, they must be separated from the inner surface of the ice-making chamber  11 . The heater  18  increases a temperature of the inner surface of the ice-making chamber  11  to melt the pieces of ice, which are fixedly attached to a surface of the ice-making chamber, such that the pieces of ice are easily separated from the ice-making chamber  11 . The separated ice is moved by the ejector  14  and the ejector pins  14   a.    
           [0017]    As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, such a conventional automated ice-making device is installed inside the refrigerator and generally fixed to rear wall or side wall inside the freezing chamber. Most refrigerators with the automated ice-making device  1  include a dispenser  21  for allowing a user to directly obtain the ices kept in the ice bank  19  without opening a door  2  of the refrigerator.  
           [0018]    Generally, the dispenser  21  is disposed at the door  2  and the automated ice-making device  1  is disposed inside the freezing chamber. Therefore, there are problems that the automated ice-making chamber  1  occupies a large inner space of the freezing chamber  1 . In other words, the automated ice-making device  1  is provided with the ice bank  19  as well as the ice-making chamber  11 , and an ice transfer unit (not shown) for transferring the pieces of ice to the dispenser  21  and an ice crushing part (not shown) are installed in the ice bank  19 , thus occupying a large space of the freezing chamber.  
           [0019]    Since the automated ice-making device  1  and the ice bank  19  occupy about 20% or more of the inner space of the freezing chamber, thus limiting the utilization of the inner space of the freezing chamber.  
           [0020]    Meanwhile, in order to solve the problems, there has been proposed a refrigerator having an automated ice-making device and an ice bank, both of which are installed at a door of a conventional freezing chamber.  
           [0021]    In the above art, the ice transfer unit of the ice bank has an auger installed in a vertical direction and employs a method of moving pieces of ice downwardly. To this end, if the pieces of ice are not discharged for a long time, the pieces of ice are fixedly attached between the augers, thus causing a problem that the augers do not operate.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0022]    Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a structure for dispensing ice in a refrigerator that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.  
           [0023]    An object of the present invention is to provide a structure for dispensing an ice in a refrigerator, in which an automated ice-making device and an ice bank are installed at a door of a freezing chamber to thereby enable an effective utilization of the freezing chamber space and prevent a malfunction when transferring pieces of ice.  
           [0024]    Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.  
           [0025]    To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a structure for dispensing ice in a refrigerator comprises: an ice-making device installed in a door of a freezing chamber; an ice bank storing pieces of ice provided from the ice-making device; an ice transfer unit for transferring the pieces of the ice stored in the ice bank in a width direction; and an ice crushing part for crushing the pieces of the ice transferred by the ice transfer unit.  
           [0026]    Preferably, the ice-making device includes a water-overflow preventing part, and the ice bank is provided at the door of the freezing chamber.  
           [0027]    The ice transfer unit includes a transfer means and a rotating means for rotating the transfer means. Specifically, the transfer means is a spiral auger, and the rotating means is a motor. Preferably, the auger is installed inside the ice bank in a width direction.  
           [0028]    The ice crushing part is formed at one end of the auger and includes a fixed blade and a rotating blade. The rotating blade is coupled to the auger of the ice transfer unit and rotates together with the auger.  
           [0029]    Preferably, an ice discharge opening is provided at a bottom surface of the ice bank in order to discharge pieces of ice and includes a damper for opening/closing the ice discharge opening.  
           [0030]    The ice discharge opening is formed under the ice crushing part and the ice bank is coupled to a dispenser which is formed at the door of the freezing chamber. Preferably, the dispenser includes a large-sized ice selecting part and a small-sized ice selector part.  
           [0031]    Preferably, a control part for controlling the ice transfer unit and the damper is provided.  
           [0032]    In case the large-sized ice selecting part of the dispenser is selected, the control part operates the motor of the ice transfer unit to open the damper, and when the small-sized ice selecting part of the dispenser is selected, the control part operates the motor of the ice transfer unit to close the damper for a predetermined selected time and then open the damper to thereby discharge the ice.  
           [0033]    According to another embodiment of the present invention, the ice discharge opening is provided with a first ice discharge opening and a second ice discharge opening. In this case, there are provided two dampers, i.e., a first damper and a second damper. The first ice discharge opening is formed under the ice transfer unit, and the second ice discharge opening is formed under the ice crushing part.  
           [0034]    A control part for controlling the two dampers and the ice transfer unit is provided. In case the large-sized ice selecting part of the dispenser is selected, the control part operates the first damper to open the first ice discharge opening and operates the second damper to close the second ice discharge opening. Meanwhile, when the small-sized ice selecting part of the dispenser is selected, the control part operates the first damper to close the first ice discharge opening and operates the second ice discharge opening to open the second ice discharge opening.  
           [0035]    It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0036]    The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an automated ice-making device  1  and an ice bank, which are attached to a freezing chamber of a conventional two-door refrigerator;  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line I-I;  
         [0039]    [0039]FIGS. 3 and 4 are a schematic plan view and a perspective view of a refrigerator having an automated ice-making device and an ice bank of FIG. 1, respectively;  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of an automated ice-making device and an ice bank in a structure for dispensing pieces of ice in a refrigerator according to the present invention;  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the automated ice-making device and the ice bank according to the present invention;  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 7 is a sectional view of an ice bank according to another embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a refrigerator having the structure for dispensing pieces of ice according to the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0044]    Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of an automated ice-making device  10  and an ice bank  50  in a structure for dispensing pieces of ice in a refrigerator according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the automated ice-making device and the ice bank  50  according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is a sectional view of an ice bank  500  according to another embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0046]    As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the ice bank  50  is installed at a lower portion of the automated ice-making device  10 . Since the automated ice-making device  10  is formed at a door  2 , water-overflow preventing parts  101  and  102  are formed in order to prevent an overflowing of water in an ice-making chamber according to opening/closing of the door  2 .  
         [0047]    In other words, the first water-overflow preventing part  101  is formed in a panel shape at a position in which the slide bar of the conventional ice-making chamber (refer to FIG. 1) is disposed, and the second water-overflow preventing part  102  is extendedly formed in an arc shape at an opposite side of the first water-overflow preventing part  101 , thereby preventing the overflowing of water according to a movement of the door  2 .  
         [0048]    The ice bank  50  has a storage space in which pieces of ice dispensed from the automated ice-making device  10  are stored. An ice transfer unit  51  and an ice crushing part  53  are installed inside the ice bank  50 .  
         [0049]    The ice transfer unit  51  is means for transferring pieces of ice, which are stored in the ice bank  50 , to an ice discharge opening by operating a lever  21   a  of a dispenser  21  for the purpose of eating the pieces of ice.  
         [0050]    The ice transfer unit  51  includes a winding transfer means for directly transferring the pieces of ice, and a rotating means for rotating the transfer means. The transfer means is an auger  513  made of a spiral metal rod or a plastic rod, and the rotating means is a motor  511 .  
         [0051]    A shaft of the motor  511  is coupled to one end of the auger  513 . The auger  513  is a metal construction in which a spiral metal rod is rotatably coupled to the shaft of the motor. The auger  513  can be made of synthetic resin such as plastics, except metal.  
         [0052]    The pieces of ice dropped into the ice bank  50  are placed among the metal rods of the auger  513 . Since the auger  513  is in the spiral shape, the ice disposed inside the auger  513  moves forward if the auger  513  is rotated by the motor  511 .  
         [0053]    The pieces of the ice moving forward are dispensed through the ice discharge opening  56  and dropped into the dispenser  21  coupled to the ice discharge opening  56 .  
         [0054]    According to the present invention, the auger  513  of the ice transfer unit  51  is installed in a width direction, and the ice crushing part  53  is installed in the ice bank  50  together with the ice transfer unit  51 .  
         [0055]    As described in the related art, the pieces of the ices made in the automated ice-making device  10  are formed in hemispherical shapes, thus occupying a large volume. Here, the piece of the ice having the large volume is referred to as “large-sized ice”. People rarely put the large-sized ice in drinking water or food. Instead, after crushing the large-sized ice into the “small-sized” ice, people put the small-sized ice in drinking water.  
         [0056]    The ice crushing part for crushing the large-sized ice into the small-sized ice is installed at the end of the auger  513  and includes a plurality of blades  531  and  532 , such that transferred ice is crushed between the blades  531  and  532 .  
         [0057]    The blades  531  and  532  can perform the crushing function if any one of a rotating blade  531  and a fixed blade  532  is provided. However, it is preferable to provide both the rotating blade  531  and the fixed blade  532  at the same time.  
         [0058]    Preferably, the rotating blade  531  is formed at one end of the auger  513  and thus rotates simultaneously when the auger  513  rotates. In addition, preferably, the fixed blade  532  is installed spaced apart from the rotating blade  531  by a predetermined interval, or it is installed in a circumference direction. In this case, a crushing effect may be improved.  
         [0059]    Ice discharge openings  551  and  552  are formed at a lower portion of the ice bank  50 . One or two ice discharge openings  551  and  552  can be provided. As a first embodiment of the present invention, there are provided two ice discharge openings  551  and  552 .  
         [0060]    As shown in FIG. 6, the first ice discharge opening  551  is formed on a bottom surface of the ice bank  50  under the end portion of the auger  513  transferring the pieces of ice, and the second ice discharge opening  552  is formed on a bottom surface of the ice bank  50  under the ice crushing part  53 .  
         [0061]    The first ice discharge opening  551  is a discharge opening which is opened when a user wants to a large-sized ice. In this case, the piece of ice moving along the auger  513  is dropped into the dispenser  21  before it is transferred to the blades  531  and  532 .  
         [0062]    The second ice discharge opening  552  is a discharge opening which is opened when a user wants a small-sized ice crushed by the ice crushing part  53 . In this case, the pieces of ice are crushed by the blades  531  and  532  and then dropped into the dispenser  21 .  
         [0063]    A first damper  561  is provided at the first ice discharge opening  551 . The first damper  561  is means for opening/closing the first ice discharge opening  501 . A second damper  562  is provided at the second ice discharge opening  552 . The second damper  552  is means for opening/closing the second ice discharge opening  552 .  
         [0064]    A large-sized ice selecting part  211  and a small-sized ice selecting part  212  are formed at the dispenser  21  provided at the door  2 . The large-sized ice selecting part  211  is a part which is selected when a user wants a large-sized ice, and the small-sized ice selecting part  212  is a part which is selected when a user wants a small-sized ice.  
         [0065]    Although not shown, the refrigerator includes a control part for controlling the first damper  561  and the second damper  562  when selecting the large-sized selecting part  211  and the small-sized selecting part  212 .  
         [0066]    Hereinafter, detailed description on functions of the control part will be made.  
         [0067]    If a user selects the large-sized selecting part  211  of the dispenser  21 , the control part operates the first damper  561  to open the first ice discharge opening  551  and operates the second damper  561  to close the second ice discharge opening  552 .  
         [0068]    The control part operates the motor  511  of the ice transfer unit  51  to rotate the auger  513 . According to the rotation of the auger  513 , pieces of the large-sized ice stored in the ice bank  50  are transferred toward the first ice discharge opening  551 . Since the first ice discharge opening  551  is opened by the first damper  561 , the pieces of the large-sized ice are dispensed through the first ice discharge opening  551  and dropped into the dispenser  21 .  
         [0069]    If a user selects the small-sized selecting part  212  of the dispenser  21  in order to obtain the crushed ice, the control part operates the first damper  561  to close the first ice discharge opening  551  and operates the second damper  561  to open the second ice discharge opening  552 .  
         [0070]    The control part operates the motor  511  of the ice transfer unit  51  to rotate the auger  513 . According to the rotation of the auger  513 , pieces of the large-sized ice stored in the ice bank  50  are transferred. Since the first ice discharge opening  551  is closed by the first damper  561 , the pieces of the large-sized ice are transferred to the ice crushing part  53 , not being dispensed through the first ice discharge opening  551 .  
         [0071]    The pieces of the large-sized ice are crushed by the rotating blade  531  and the fixed rotating blade  532  of the ice crushing part  53  and then dropped into the dispenser  21  through the second ice discharge opening  502 .  
         [0072]    Although the embodiment of the present invention shows that the large-sized ice and the small-sized ice are dropped through the different openings by forming two ice discharge openings  551  and  552 , the large-sized ice and the small-sized ice can be discharged using a single ice discharge opening  553  and a single damper  563 .  
         [0073]    In other words, as shown in FIG. 7, the large-sized ice and the small-sized ice can be selectively discharged through a single ice discharge opening  503 .  
         [0074]    As shown, an ice bank  50  according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a single ice discharge opening  553  formed on a bottom surface, and a damper  563  for opening/closing the ice discharge opening  553 .  
         [0075]    If a user selects the large-sized selecting part  211  of the dispenser  21  in order to obtain the large-sized ice, the damper  563  is operated to open the ice discharge opening  553 . Since the ice discharge opening  553  is opened, the large-sized ice transferred through the auger  513  is dropped through the ice discharge opening  553  and then dispensed through the dispenser  21  before it is crushed by the blades  531  and  532  of the ice crushing part  53 .  
         [0076]    If a user selects the small-sized selecting part  212  of the dispenser  21  in order to obtain the small-sized ice, the damper  563  is operated to close the ice discharge opening  553 . Since the ice discharge opening  553  is closed, the large-sized ice transferred through the auger  513  is crushed between the rotating blade  531  and the fixed blade  532  of the ice crushing part  53 .  
         [0077]    After carrying out the crushing operation for a predetermined time, the damper  563  is opened, such that the crushed ice is discharged to the dispenser  21 . The crushing time can be appropriately controlled by the control part. Further, it is possible to obtain a larger amount of the small-sized ice by repeating the above procedures.  
         [0078]    [0078]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the refrigerator according to the present invention, showing that the automated ice-making device  10  and the ice bank  50  are installed in the door  2  of the refrigerator.  
         [0079]    As shown in FIG. 7, according to the present invention, the automated ice-making device  10  and the ice bank  50  are installed in parallel in a width direction with respect to the freezing chamber door, so that a storage space of the ice bank  50  is expanded. Further, since the auger  513  is installed in the width direction, the auger  513  is lengthened and a space is widened. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a malfunction of the auger, which is caused due to the ice.  
         [0080]    In the refrigerator of the present invention, both the automated ice-making device and the ice bank are installed in the width direction with respect to the freezing chamber door, which does not influence a thickness of the freezing chamber door. Further, compared with the case the ice bank is installed in a length direction, the storage space is widened so that a large amount of ice is stored.  
         [0081]    Furthermore, since the auger of the ice transfer unit is installed in a width direction and there is an affordable space, it is possible to solve the malfunction of the auger due to the ice. A user can selectively eat pieces of ice having different size.  
         [0082]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5