CN111197894B - Ice maker and refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The ice maker of the present invention includes an upper tray assembly including an upper mold portion having at least one upper cavity; and a lower tray assembly including a lower support and a lower mold portion having at least one lower cavity, and being flexible, the lower tray assembly is movable relative to the upper tray assembly between an open position and a closed position in which the upper chamber and the lower chamber form a chamber for ice making At least one ice chamber, the lower mold part includes a convex portion protruding toward the lower chamber side, the convex portion being deformed toward the outside of the lower chamber during ice making.

Description

Ice Maker and Refrigerator

technical field

This instruction manual relates to ice machines and refrigerators.

Background technique

In general, a refrigerator is a home appliance for a storage space capable of storing food at low temperature in an interior shielded by a door.

The refrigerator uses cold air to cool the inside of the storage space, so that stored food can be stored in a refrigerated or frozen state.

Generally, an ice maker for making ice is provided inside the refrigerator.

The ice maker is configured to make ice by receiving water supplied from a water supply source or a water tank into a tray.

And, the ice maker is configured to remove the made ice from the ice tray by heating or twisting.

The ice maker that automatically supplies water and removes ice in the manner described above is formed to open upward to take out shaped ice.

Ice produced by the ice maker configured as above has at least one flat surface such as a crescent shape or a diamond shape.

In addition, in the case where the shape of the ice is formed into a spherical shape, the ice can be used more conveniently, and a different feeling of use can be provided to the user. Also, when the produced ice is stored, ice condensation can be minimized by minimizing the contact area between the ices.

An ice maker is provided in Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1850918, which is a prior document 1.

The ice maker in existing document 1 includes: an upper tray, on which a plurality of hemispherical upper casings are arranged, and a pair of connecting rod guides extending upward at both side ends; a lower tray, on which a plurality of hemispherical casings are arranged. a lower shell, connected to the upper tray in a rotatable manner; and an ice removal heater for heating the upper tray.

Also, the ice maker includes lower ejection pins for separating ice attached to the lower tray during the ice removing process.

The lower tray includes: a tray body formed with a plurality of lower shells; a lower frame formed with a tray body placement portion for arranging the tray body; and an upper frame fixed to the upper frame. The underside of the frame.

The tray main body is provided with an extension end extending radially from the edge of the top surface of the lower case. The tray body seating part supports the extension end.

In the case of the ice maker of this prior art document 1, the tray main body seating part supports only the extended end in the tray main body. Therefore, the lower housing is not covered by the lower frame. Therefore, the lower case is in a state that may be deformed by an external force during ice making.

During ice making, water expands, and the expansion force of the water acts on the lower tray.

However, in the case of existing document 1, the lower case is not covered by the lower frame, and therefore, expansion force of water acts on the lower case, so that the lower case may be deformed. When the lower case is deformed, ice is formed into a shape corresponding to the deformed lower case, and therefore, there is a disadvantage that the ice cannot be formed into a complete spherical shape.

And, in the case of the prior art document 1, although the ice of the shape similar to the ball can be produced, the ice is frozen in the upper casing and the lower casing respectively, therefore, there are air bubbles in the produced ice, making the ice opaque.

In U.S. Laid-Open Patent No. 2182454, which is conventional document 2, an ice cube tray is provided.

The ice cube tray of existing document 2 may include a frame and a soft rubber tray supported by the frame. A tray can include multiple containers.

A concave portion having a shape concaved downward is provided on each lower side of the plurality of containers.

During the ice making process, water is located in the plurality of containers and the depressions, and the water is phase-changed into ice in this state. Therefore, according to the prior art document 2, after the ice making is completed, the ice includes a convex portion having a shape convex downward. After ice making is completed, when the depression is pressed to separate the ice from the tray, the depression goes upward and separates the ice from the tray.

Therefore, in the case of the prior art document 2, based on the overall shape of the ice, a convex portion protruding downward is also formed, thus, even if the prior art document 1 and the prior art document 2 are combined, it is difficult to form a complete ice. The disadvantage of spherical ice.

Contents of the invention

This embodiment provides an ice maker capable of maintaining a spherical shape of ice after making ice.

The present embodiment provides an ice maker in which the convex portion of the lower tray for generating spherical ice is easily deformed during ice making.

This embodiment provides an ice maker, in which the convex portion deformed during the ice making process can be deformed again during the ice removing process.

The present embodiment provides an ice maker capable of producing transparent spherical ice.

The present embodiment provides an ice maker in which the heat of the lower heater can be smoothly supplied to the lower tray.

The present embodiment provides an ice maker in which a lower heater for generating transparent ice does not interfere with a lower ejector for removing ice, and heat of the lower heater can be smoothly transferred to a lower tray.

This embodiment provides a refrigerator including the above ice maker.

An ice maker according to an aspect may include: an upper tray forming an upper chamber as a part of the ice chamber; a lower tray including a chamber wall forming a lower chamber as another part of the ice chamber; and a lower support supporting the chamber wall of the lower tray and having a lower opening.

The upper chamber and the lower chamber may be formed in a hemispherical shape. Ice generated in the ice chamber by the upper chamber and the lower chamber may have a spherical shape.

In consideration of deformation of a part of the chamber wall of the lower tray toward the lower opening side, the chamber wall may include a protrusion. The protrusion may protrude in a direction away from the lower opening.

The chamber wall includes a contact area in contact with the lower support and a non-contact area in which at least a part of the protrusion may be provided.

A center of the protrusion may coincide with a center of the lower opening.

The upper tray includes an upper opening through which a vertical centerline passing through the center of the ice chamber may pass, the protrusion, and the lower opening.

Before the ice making is completed, a part of the protrusion is located outside the lower opening, and after the ice making is completed, the part of the protrusion originally located outside the lower opening is deformed toward the lower opening side to be located at the lower opening. The lower opening thus enables the ice to be formed into a spherical shape as a whole.

In this embodiment, a concave portion having a shape concave toward the upper tray is formed on the lower side of the convex portion, so the convex portion may be easily deformed by the expansion force of water, and it may also be damaged during ice removal. It may be easily deformed again due to pressing force.

In this embodiment, the ice maker may further include: a lower ejector, which passes through the lower opening and presses the protrusion to remove ice; Provide heat.

The lower heater may be located radially outside the lower opening to prevent the lower heater from interfering with the lower ejector.

As an example, a part of the lower heater may be disposed so as to surround the periphery of the protrusion in the horizontal direction.

The lower heater may be supported by the lower support.

The outer surface of the chamber wall includes an arc surface from which a heater contact portion for contacting the lower heater may protrude.

A bottom surface of the heater contact portion may be flat so that its contact area with the lower heater is increased. The heater contact portion may be configured to surround the convex portion.

The refrigerator according to another aspect may include: a cabinet provided with a freezing chamber; and an ice maker for making ice using cold air for cooling the freezing chamber.

The ice maker may include: an upper tray defining an upper chamber; a lower tray defining a lower chamber forming an ice chamber together with the upper chamber; and a lower support supporting the lower tray and having a lower tray. Open your mouth. The lower tray may include a protrusion protruding toward the upper tray at a position corresponding to the lower opening.

An ice maker according to yet another aspect includes: an upper tray forming an upper chamber as part of the ice chamber; a lower tray including a chamber wall forming a lower chamber as another part of the ice chamber; and a lower support supporting a chamber wall of the lower tray and having a lower opening, the lower tray may be formed of a flexible material as a non-metallic material, and the chamber wall may include a direction away from the lower opening Protruding protrusions.

A concave portion having a shape concave toward the upper tray may be formed on a lower side of the convex portion. Before the ice making is completed, a part of the protrusion is located outside the lower opening, and after the ice making is completed, the part of the protrusion originally located outside the lower opening can be deformed toward the lower opening side. located in the lower opening.

A diameter of the protrusion may be smaller than a diameter of the lower opening before ice making is completed.

Before ice making is completed, the highest point of the convex portion may be located higher than the lowest point of the ice chamber, and the highest point of the concave portion may be located lower than the lowest point of the ice chamber. Location.

The highest point of the depressed portion may be located at a higher position than the lowest point of the lower tray before ice making is completed.

The ice maker may further include a lower heater for providing heat to the lower tray during ice making. The highest point of the depressed portion may be located at a higher position than the lower heater before ice making is completed.

A vertical centerline passing through the center of the ice chamber may pass through the lower opening. The lowest point of the lower tray may be spaced horizontally from the vertical centerline before ice making is complete.

A distance between a lowest point of the lower tray and the vertical center line after ice making is completed may be smaller than a distance between a lowest point of the lower tray and the vertical center line before ice making is completed.

The ice maker may include a lower ejector penetrating through the lower opening to press the protrusion to remove ice. The lower heater may provide heat to the lower tray during ice making.

The lower heater may be located radially outward of the lower opening.

At least a portion of the lower heater may be configured to surround the protrusion in a horizontal direction.

The lowest point of the ice chamber may be located higher than the highest point of the lower heater before ice making is completed, and the lowest point of the ice chamber may be located higher than the lower heater after ice making is completed. The highest point of the heater is lower.

At least a portion of the lower heater may be positioned higher than the lowest point of the lower tray before ice making is completed, and the lower tray may be positioned higher than the lowest point of the lower tray after ice making is completed. lower position.

The lower heater may be supported by the lower support.

The outer surface of the chamber wall includes an arc surface from which a heater contact portion for contacting the lower heater may protrude. A bottom surface of the heater contact portion may be a flat surface.

The heater contact portion may be configured to surround the convex portion.

The lower support includes a heater receiving groove for receiving the lower heater, and the heater receiving groove may be formed of inner and outer walls.

At least a portion of the heater contact portion may be located between a top surface of the inner wall and a top surface of the outer wall in a state where the heater contact portion is in contact with the lower heater.

The top surfaces of the inner wall and the outer wall are respectively in contact with the chamber wall, and may be arc-shaped.

An ice maker according to yet another aspect may include: an upper tray including an upper tray body forming a plurality of upper chambers in a hemispherical shape; and a lower tray including a lower tray body forming a plurality of lower chambers in a hemispherical shape. The cavity is also in contact with the bottom surface of the upper tray body on the top surface.

In this embodiment, the upper tray and the lower tray may be formed of silicon material, respectively.

In this embodiment, the lower tray body may include a convex portion curved in a convex manner toward the upper chamber. During the ice making process, since the protrusion having a shape protruding toward the outside of the ice is not formed due to the deformation of the protrusion, spherical ice may be generated.

A concave portion having a shape concaved upward may be formed on a lower side of the convex portion so that the convex portion can be smoothly deformed.

The lower tray may include: a first extension extending horizontally from the lower tray body; and a peripheral wall extending upward from the first extension and surrounding the upper tray body.

The outer surface of the chamber wall may be spaced apart from the inner surface of the lower tray body.

The upper tray body may include chamber walls forming the plurality of upper chambers. The chamber walls include a vertical wall and a curved wall, and the peripheral wall may include a first wall surrounding the vertical wall and a second wall surrounding the curved wall.

The upper tray body may include: an upper opening for inflowing cold air; an inlet wall extending along a periphery of the upper opening; a first connecting rib provided on the inlet wall and connecting the inlet wall and the above the upper tray body.

The upper tray body includes a number of upper openings and inlet walls corresponding to the plurality of upper chambers, and at least two adjacent inlet walls among the plurality of inlet walls may be connected by a second connection rib.

An ice maker according to yet another aspect includes: an upper tray forming an upper chamber as part of the ice chamber; and a lower tray forming a lower chamber as another part of the ice chamber, the lower tray At least a part of the upper tray is separated from the upper tray at the water supply position, at least a part of the lower tray may be in contact with the upper tray at the ice making position, and the hardness of the upper tray may be greater than that of the lower tray, so that Water leakage is prevented at the contact portion between the lower tray and the upper tray during the ice making process.

The upper tray and the lower tray may be formed of a flexible material which is a non-metallic material. As an example, the upper tray and the lower tray may be formed of a silicon material.

The ice maker may further include a lower ejector that presses the lower tray during ice removal.

The upper tray and the lower tray are formed of flexible materials. When the hardness of the upper tray is greater than that of the lower tray, the deformation of the upper tray is limited during the ice removal process, and the lower tray can be pressed by the lower ejector. deformation in the process. Ice adhering to the lower tray can be separated from the lower tray due to the deformation of the lower tray.

The upper tray includes an upper tray body forming the upper chamber, and the lower tray may include: a lower tray body forming the lower chamber; and a peripheral wall extending from the lower tray body and position around the upper tray body.

In the ice making position, a gap may be formed between the outer surface of the upper tray main body and the inner surface of the peripheral wall to prevent water from flowing out of the ice chamber during the movement of the lower tray to the ice making position after water supply. overflow. The gap may be formed smaller than the thickness of the peripheral wall.

The upper tray body may include an upper opening. In the ice making position, the upper end of the peripheral wall may be located higher than the upper opening.

The ice maker may further include an upper ejector that passes through the upper opening to press ice during ice removal.

The ice maker further includes: a lower support supporting the lower tray; and a lower case having the peripheral wall surrounding the peripheral wall of the lower tray so that the peripheral wall of the lower tray can be restricted from being outwardly directed. out of shape.

A coupling protrusion is provided on the peripheral wall of the lower tray, and a coupling slot for coupling the coupling protrusion is provided on the peripheral wall of the lower housing, so that the peripheral wall of the lower tray can be restricted from moving inwardly. out of shape.

The ice maker may further include: a lower support supporting a part of the lower tray; and a lower case supporting another part of the lower tray.

The lower tray may further include a horizontally extending portion extending from the peripheral wall.

The lower support may be in contact with a bottom surface of the horizontally extending portion, and the lower case may be in contact with a top surface of the horizontally extending portion.

A protrusion may be provided on any one of the top surface and the bottom surface of the extension in the horizontal direction, and any one of the lower support member and the lower housing may be provided with a protrusion for accommodating the Raised slots.

The ice maker may further include: an upper supporter supporting the upper tray; and an upper case pressing a part of the upper tray toward the upper supporter side.

The upper tray may include: an upper tray body forming the upper chamber; and a horizontal extension extending from the upper tray body in a horizontal direction and supported by the upper support.

The upper supporter may include a support plate having an opening through which a part of the upper tray passes, and being in contact with a bottom surface of the horizontally extending part.

The upper case may include an upper plate having an opening through which a part of the upper tray passes, and being in contact with a top surface of the horizontally extending part.

At least one of the top and bottom surfaces of the horizontally extending portion is provided with a protrusion, and at least one of the support plate and the upper plate is provided with a slot for receiving the protrusion, thereby preventing Deformation of the horizontal extension.

A refrigerator according to still another aspect may include: a cabinet provided with a freezing chamber; and an ice maker for making ice using cold air for cooling the freezing chamber.

The ice maker is characterized in that it may include: an upper tray defining an upper chamber; and a lower tray defining a lower chamber forming an ice chamber together with the upper chamber, and capable of being moved relative to the upper tray. Rotate, the upper tray and the lower tray are respectively formed of a flexible material which is a non-metallic material, and the hardness of the upper tray may be greater than that of the lower tray.

An ice maker according to yet another aspect may include: an upper tray formed as a part of the upper chamber in the ice chamber and formed of a flexible material that is a non-metallic material; and a lower tray formed as a part of the ice chamber in the ice chamber. The lower chamber of the other part is formed of a flexible material which is a non-metallic material.

In the water supply position, at least a part of the lower tray is separated from the upper tray, and in the ice making position, at least a part of the lower tray is in contact with the upper tray, and the hardness of the upper tray is greater than that of the lower tray. hardness.

The upper tray and the lower tray may be formed of the same material. As an example, the upper tray and the lower tray may be formed of a silicon material.

The upper tray includes an upper tray body forming the upper chamber, and the lower tray may include: a lower tray body forming the lower chamber; and a peripheral wall extending from the lower tray body in an ice making position. around the upper tray body.

In the ice making position, a gap may be formed between an outer surface of the upper tray body and an inner surface of the peripheral wall. The gap may be formed smaller than the thickness of the peripheral wall.

The upper tray body includes an upper opening, and the upper end of the peripheral wall may be located higher than the upper opening in the ice making position.

The lower tray further includes a first extending portion horizontally extending from the lower tray main body, the peripheral wall extends upward from the first extending portion, the bottom surface of the upper tray main body can be connected to the lower tray The top surface of the body is in contact.

The ice maker further includes: a lower support supporting a portion of the upper tray; and a lower housing supporting another portion of the lower tray, the lower tray may further include a second extension.

At least one of the top surface and the bottom surface of the second extension part is provided with a protrusion, and at least one of the lower support member and the lower housing may be provided with a slot for receiving the protrusion.

The upper tray body may include: a vertical wall; and a curved wall that is curved in a direction away from the upper chamber. The peripheral wall may include a first wall surrounding the vertical wall and a second wall surrounding the curved wall.

The first wall is a vertical wall and the second wall is a curved wall.

The lower tray may be rotatable relative to the upper tray with a rotation center as a reference, and the second wall may be located closer to the rotation center than the first wall.

A center of curvature of the second wall may coincide with the rotation center.

The ice maker may further include: a lower support supporting the lower tray; and a lower case having the peripheral wall surrounding the peripheral wall of the lower tray.

A coupling protrusion is provided on the peripheral wall of the lower tray, and a coupling slot for coupling the coupling protrusion may be provided on the peripheral wall of the lower housing.

The ice maker may further include: an upper supporter supporting the upper tray; and an upper case pressing a part of the upper tray toward the upper supporter side.

The upper tray may include: an upper tray body forming the upper chamber; and a horizontal extension extending from the upper tray body in a horizontal direction and supported by the upper support.

The upper support may include a support plate having an opening through which a part of the upper tray passes, and being in contact with a bottom surface of the horizontally extending part.

An upper plate may be included, having an opening through which a part of the upper tray passes, and being in contact with a top surface of the horizontally extending portion.

A protrusion is provided on one or more of the top surface and the bottom surface of the horizontally extending portion, and a slot for accommodating the protrusion may be provided on one or more of the support plate and the upper plate.

According to the proposed invention, it is included that the lower tray includes a protrusion protruding toward the upper chamber side. The convex portion is formed in consideration of expansion force of water during ice making, and thus, when the convex portion is deformed during ice making, the convex portion forms a part of the hemispherical lower chamber. As a result, there is no portion protruding outward in the produced ice, and the ice can have a spherical shape.

And, the heat of the lower heater is supplied to the lower tray during the ice making process, so the ice starts to freeze from the upper side in the ice chamber, thereby having an advantage of making the generated spherical ice transparent.

Also, the convex portion of the lower tray is pressed by the lower ejector to remove ice, and since the concave portion having a concave shape is provided on the lower side of the convex portion, the convex portion is easily deformed during the ice making process.

In addition, during the ice removal process, the deformed convex portion is pressed by the lower ejector and deformed again, thereby improving the performance of separating the ice from the lower tray.

And, the lower heater is located radially outside the convex portion, so the lower ejector does not interfere with the lower heater, and the lower heater is arranged around the periphery of the convex portion, so the heat of the lower heater can be smoothly transferred to the lower tray.

In addition, the upper tray and the lower tray made of flexible materials contact each other at the ice making position, and the hardness of the upper tray is formed to be greater than that of the lower tray, so there is an advantage of improving the adhesion force of the contact portion of the upper tray and the lower tray.

When the contact force of the contact portion of the upper tray and the lower tray is increased, it is possible to prevent water from flowing through between the upper tray and the lower tray and leaking out during the ice making process.

Moreover, according to this embodiment, the deformation and positional movement of the upper tray can be restricted during the ice removal process, and the lower tray is easily deformed when being pressed by the lower ejector, so that the ice attached to the lower tray can be separated from the ice. The lower tray is detached.

Also, the lower tray includes a peripheral wall surrounding the periphery of the upper tray at the ice making position, and there is a gap between the peripheral wall and the outer surface of the upper tray, thereby allowing water to remain even if it is oversupplied during water supply. In the gap, the water in the ice chamber can be prevented from overflowing to the outside of the ice maker.

And, the lower support supporting the lower tray includes a peripheral wall surrounding the peripheral wall of the lower tray, and thus can prevent the peripheral wall of the lower tray from being deformed outward.

In addition, coupling protrusions are formed on the peripheral wall of the lower tray, and protrusion slots for accommodating the coupling protrusions are provided on the peripheral wall of the lower support, so that the peripheral wall of the lower tray can be prevented from being deformed inwardly.

And, the upper tray includes a horizontally extending portion, the upper case is in contact with the top surface of the horizontally extending portion, and the upper supporter is in contact with the bottom surface of the horizontally extending portion, thereby preventing movement of the upper tray.

In addition, protrusions are formed on the horizontally extending portion, and the protrusions are coupled to one or more of the upper support member and the upper housing, thereby preventing plastic deformation of the horizontally extending portion from being stretched. out of shape.

Moreover, the lower tray includes an extension extending in the horizontal direction, the lower support is in contact with the bottom surface of the extension, and the lower housing is in contact with the top surface of the extension, therefore, during the ice removal process, the The extension is prevented from moving during deformation of the lower tray body.

In addition, since the protrusion is formed on the extension part, and the protrusion is coupled to one or more of the lower support and the lower case, plastic deformation due to stretching of the extension part can be prevented.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the door of the refrigerator of Fig. 1 is opened.

3 and 4 are perspective views of an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is an upper perspective view of an upper housing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the lower part of the upper casing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is an upper perspective view of an upper tray according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the lower part of the upper tray according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a side view of an upper tray according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is an upper perspective view of an upper support member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the lower part of an upper support member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view showing a heater coupling portion in the upper case of FIG. 6 .

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a state where a heater is coupled to the upper case of FIG. 6 .

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing the arrangement of electric wires connected to the heater in the upper case.

Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the upper assembly is assembled.

Figure 17 is a perspective view of a lower assembly of an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 18 is an upper perspective view of a lower housing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 19 is a lower perspective view of a lower housing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 20 is an upper perspective view of a lower tray according to an embodiment of the present invention.

21 and 22 are perspective views of the lower part of the lower tray according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 23 is a side view of a lower tray according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 24 is an upper perspective view of a lower support member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 25 is a lower perspective view of a lower support member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 26 is a sectional view taken along line D-D of Fig. 17 for illustrating a state where the lower unit is assembled.

Fig. 27 is a top view of a lower support according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a perspective view illustrating a state where a lower heater is coupled to the lower supporter of FIG. 27 .

Fig. 29 is a diagram showing a state where electric wires connected to the lower heater penetrate the upper case in a state where the lower unit and the upper unit are coupled.

Fig. 30 is a sectional view taken along line A-A of Fig. 3 .

FIG. 31 is a diagram illustrating an ice making completion state in FIG. 30 .

Fig. 32 is a sectional view taken along line B-B of Fig. 3 in a water supply state.

Fig. 33 is a sectional view taken along line B-B of Fig. 3 in an ice making state.

Fig. 34 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of Fig. 3 in a state where ice making is completed.

Fig. 35 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of Fig. 3 in the initial state of ice removal.

Fig. 36 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of Fig. 3 in a state of completing ice removal.

Detailed ways

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a door of the refrigerator of FIG. 1 is opened.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , a refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include: a box body 2 forming a storage space; and a door for opening and closing the storage space.

In detail, the box body 2 forms a storage space separated up and down by a partition, and a refrigerating chamber 3 may be formed in the upper part, and a freezing chamber 4 may be formed in the lower part.

Inside the refrigerator compartment 3 and the freezer compartment 4, storage components such as drawers, shelves, and casings can be provided.

The doors may include a refrigerating compartment door 5 covering the refrigerating compartment 3 and a freezing compartment door 6 covering the freezing compartment 4 .

The refrigerating chamber door 5 can be formed by a pair of left and right doors, and can be opened and closed by turning. The freezer door 6 can be configured to be pulled out and pushed in in a drawer type.

Certainly, the arrangement of the refrigerating chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4 and the form of the door may vary according to different types of refrigerators, and the present invention may be applied to various types of refrigerators without being limited thereto. For example, the freezing chamber 4 and the refrigerating chamber 3 may be arranged on the left and right, or the freezing chamber 4 may also be located on the upper side of the refrigerating chamber 3 .

An ice maker 100 may be provided in the freezer compartment 4 . The ice maker 100 is used to make ice from supplied water, and can generate spherical ice.

An ice box 102 may also be provided below the ice maker 100 , and the ice made after being removed from the ice maker 100 is stored in the ice box 102 .

The ice maker 100 and the ice box 102 may also be installed inside the freezer compartment 4 in a state of being accommodated in a separate housing 101 .

A user can get ice by opening the freezer door 6 and approaching the ice box 102 .

As another example, the refrigerating chamber door 5 may be provided with a dispenser 7 for extracting purified water or made ice from the outside.

The ice generated in the ice maker 100 or the ice generated in the ice maker 100 and stored in the ice box 102 is transferred to the dispenser 7 by a transfer device, so that the user can obtain ice from the dispenser 7, as follows , the ice maker will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3 and 4 are perspective views of an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 to 5, the ice maker 100 may include an upper assembly 110 (or an upper tray assembly) and a lower assembly 200 (or a lower tray assembly).

The lower assembly 200 is rotatable relative to the upper assembly 110 . As an example, the lower assembly 200 may be rotatably connected to the upper assembly 110 .

The lower assembly 200 can generate spherical ice together with the upper assembly 110 in a state of being in contact with the upper assembly 110 .

That is, the upper assembly 110 and the lower assembly 200 form an ice chamber 111 for generating spherical ice. The ice chamber 111 is substantially a spherical chamber.

It should be clarified that the "spherical or hemispherical" in the present invention includes not only the shape of a geometrically complete sphere or hemisphere, but also shapes geometrically similar to a complete sphere or hemisphere.

The upper assembly 110 and the lower assembly 200 may form a plurality of separate ice chambers 111 .

Hereinafter, the case where three ice chambers 111 are formed by the upper assembly 110 and the lower assembly 200 will be described as an example, and it should be clear that the number of ice chambers 111 is not limited.

In a state where the ice chamber 111 is formed by the upper assembly 110 and the lower assembly 200 , water may be supplied to the ice chamber 111 through the water supply part 190 .

The water supply part 190 is coupled to the upper assembly 110 and guides water supplied from the outside to the ice chamber 111 .

After making ice, the lower assembly 200 may rotate in a forward direction. At this time, the spherical ice formed between the upper assembly 110 and the lower assembly 200 may be separated from the upper assembly 110 and the lower assembly 200 .

The ice maker 100 may further include a driving unit 180 to enable the lower assembly 200 to rotate relative to the upper assembly 110 .

The driving unit 180 may include: a driving motor; and a power transmission part for transmitting power of the driving motor to the lower assembly 200 . The power transmission part may include one or more gears.

The driving motor may be a motor capable of bidirectional rotation. Therefore, the lower assembly 200 can rotate in both directions.

The ice maker 100 may further include an upper ejector 300 to enable separation of ice from the upper assembly 110 .

The upper ejector 300 may separate the ice attached to the upper assembly 110 from the upper assembly 110 .

The upper ejector 300 may include: an ejector body 310 ; and a plurality of upper ejector pins 320 extending from the ejector body 310 in a crossing direction.

The upper push-out pins 320 may be provided in the same number as the ice chambers 111 .

Both ends of the ejector body 310 may be provided with detachment preventing protrusions 312 for preventing the ejector body 310 from being separated from the connection unit 350 when it is combined with the connection unit 350 described later.

As an example, a pair of separation prevention protrusions 312 may protrude from the ejector body 310 in opposite directions.

In a process in which the upper push-out pin 320 is introduced into the ice chamber 111 through the upper assembly 110 , ice in the ice chamber 111 may be pressed.

The ice pressed by the upper push-out pin 320 may be separated from the upper assembly 110 .

Also, the ice maker 100 may further include a lower ejector 400 to separate the ice attached to the lower assembly 200 .

The lower ejector 400 may separate ice adhered to the lower assembly 200 from the lower assembly 200 by pressing the lower assembly 200 . As an example, the lower ejector 400 may be fixed to the upper assembly 110 .

The lower ejector 400 may include: an ejector body 410 ; and a plurality of lower ejector pins 420 protruding from the ejector body 410 . The lower push-out pins 420 may be provided in the same number as the ice chambers 111 .

During the rotation of the lower assembly 200 for removing ice, the rotational force of the lower assembly 200 may be transmitted to the upper ejector 300 .

For this, the ice maker 100 may further include a connection unit 350 connecting the lower assembly 200 and the upper ejector 300 . The connection unit 350 may include more than one link.

As an example, when the lower assembly 200 rotates in one direction, the upper ejector 300 descends under the action of the connection unit 350 , so that the upper ejector pin 320 can press the ice.

On the contrary, when the lower assembly 200 is rotated in another direction, the upper ejector 300 is raised to return to the original position under the action of the connection unit 350 .

Next, the upper assembly 110 and the lower assembly 200 will be further described in detail.

The upper assembly 110 may include an upper tray 150 forming a part of an ice chamber 111 for making ice. As an example, the upper tray 150 defines an upper portion of the ice chamber 111 . The upper tray 150 may be referred to as a first tray. Alternatively, the upper tray 150 may be referred to as an upper mold part.

The upper assembly 110 may further include an upper support 170 for fixing the position of the upper tray 150 .

As an example, the upper support member 170 may support the lower side of the upper tray 150 to limit movement of the lower side.

The upper assembly 110 may further include an upper case 120 for fixing the position of the upper tray 150 . The upper case 120 may press a part of the upper tray 150 toward the upper supporter 170 side.

The upper tray 150 may be located at a lower side of the upper case 120 . A portion of the upper supporter 170 may be located at a lower side of the upper tray 150 .

As described above, the upper case 120 , the upper tray 150 , and the upper supporter 170 aligned in the up-down direction may be fastened by fastening members.

That is, the upper tray 150 may be fixed to the upper case 120 by fastening of a fastening member.

As an example, the water supply unit 190 may be fixed to the upper case 120 .

The ice maker 100 may further include a temperature sensor 500 for sensing the temperature of the upper tray 150 .

As an example, the temperature sensor 500 may be mounted on the upper case 120 . When the upper tray 150 is fixed to the upper case 120 , the temperature sensor 500 may be in contact with the upper tray 150 .

In addition, the lower assembly 200 may include a lower tray 250 forming another part of the ice chamber 111 for making ice. As an example, the lower tray 250 defines a lower portion of the ice chamber 111 .

The lower assembly 200 may further include: a lower supporter 270 supporting a lower side of the lower tray 250 ; and a lower case 210 covering at least a portion of the lower tray 250 . The lower tray 250 may be called a second tray. Alternatively, the lower tray 250 may be a lower mold part.

The lower assembly 200 may further include a lower support 270 supporting a lower side of the lower tray 250 .

The lower assembly 200 may further include a lower case 210 , and at least a portion of the lower case 210 covers an upper side of the lower tray 250 .

The lower case 210, the lower tray 250, and the lower supporter 270 may be fastened by fastening members.

In addition, the ice maker 100 may further include a switch 600 for turning on/off the ice maker 100 . When the user operates the switch 600 to be turned on, ice can be made by the ice maker 100 .

That is, when the switch 600 is activated, an ice making process of supplying water to the ice maker 100 to make ice using cold air and an ice removing process of rotating the lower assembly 200 to separate ice may be repeatedly performed.

On the contrary, when the switch 600 is operated in an off state, ice cannot be made by the ice maker 100 . As an example, the switch 600 may be provided on the upper case 120 .

<Upper case>

FIG. 6 is an upper perspective view of an upper case according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a lower perspective view of an upper case according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7 , the upper case 120 may be fixed to the housing 101 in the freezing chamber 4 in a state where the upper tray 150 is fixed.

The upper case 120 may include an upper plate 121 for fixing the upper tray 150 .

The upper tray 150 may be fixed to the upper plate 121 in a state where a part of the upper tray 150 is in contact with the bottom surface of the upper plate 121 .

An opening 123 for penetrating a part of the upper tray 150 may be provided in the upper plate 121 .

As an example, when the upper tray 150 is located on the lower side of the upper plate 121, when the upper tray 150 is fixed to the upper plate 121, a part of the upper tray 150 can pass through the opening 123. protrudes above the upper plate 121 .

Alternatively, the upper tray 150 may be exposed above the upper plate 121 through the opening 123 instead of protruding above the upper plate 121 through the opening 123 .

The upper plate 121 may include a recessed portion 122 formed by indenting downward. The opening 123 may be formed at the bottom 122 a of the recessed part 122 .

Accordingly, the upper tray 150 passing through the opening 123 may be located in a space formed by the recessed part 122 .

The upper casing 120 may be provided with a heater coupling portion 124 for coupling with an upper heater (refer to 148 in FIG. 14 ) for removing ice, and the upper heater is used for heating the upper tray 150 .

As an example, the heater coupling part 124 may be provided on the upper plate 121 . The heater coupling part 124 may be located at a lower side of the recessed part 122 .

The upper housing 120 may further include a pair of mounting ribs 128 , 129 for mounting the temperature sensor 500 .

The pair of mounting ribs 128 and 129 are arranged at a distance from each other in the arrow B direction in FIG. 7 . The pair of mounting ribs 128 , 129 are arranged to face each other, and the temperature sensor 500 may be located between the pair of mounting ribs 128 , 129 .

The pair of mounting ribs 128 , 129 may be provided on the upper plate 121 .

The upper plate 121 may be provided with a plurality of slots 131 , 132 for combining with the upper tray 150 .

A part of the upper tray 150 may be inserted into the plurality of slots 131 , 132 .

The plurality of slots 131 , 132 may include: a first upper slot 131 ; and a second upper slot 132 located on the opposite side of the first upper slot 131 with reference to the opening 123 .

The opening 123 may be located between the first upper slot 131 and the second upper slot 132 .

The first upper slot 131 and the second upper slot 132 may be separated in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 7 .

The plurality of first upper slots 131 may be arranged at intervals in an arrow A direction (referred to as a first direction) intersecting with an arrow B direction (referred to as a second direction), but is not limited thereto.

Also, the plurality of second upper slots 132 may be arranged at intervals in the arrow A direction.

In this specification, the arrow A direction is the same direction as the arrangement direction of the plurality of ice chambers 111 .

As an example, the first upper slot 131 may be formed in a curved shape. Therefore, the length of the first upper slot 131 can be increased.

As an example, the second upper slot 132 may be formed in a curved shape. Therefore, the length of the second upper slot 132 can be increased.

When the length of each upper slot 131, 132 is increased, the length of the protrusion (formed on the upper tray) inserted into each upper slot 131, 132 can be increased, thereby enabling the enlargement of the upper tray. 150 is combined with the upper housing 120 .

The distance from the first upper slot 131 to the opening 123 and the distance from the second upper slot 132 to the opening 123 may be different. As an example, the distance from the second upper slot 132 to the opening 123 may be shorter than the distance from the first upper slot 131 to the opening 123 .

Each upper slot 131 , 132 may be arc-shaped in a shape protruding from each slot 131 , 132 to the outside of the opening 123 when viewed from the opening 123 .

The upper plate 121 may further include a sleeve 133 for inserting a fastening boss of the upper support 170 described later.

The sleeve 133 may be formed in a cylindrical shape, and may extend upward from the upper plate 121 .

As an example, a plurality of sleeves 133 may be provided on the upper plate 121 . The plurality of sleeves 133 may be arranged at intervals in the arrow A direction. Also, the plurality of sleeves 133 may be arranged in a plurality of rows in the arrow B direction.

Some of the plurality of sleeves 133 may be located between two adjacent first upper slots 131 .

Another part of the plurality of sleeves 133 may be disposed between two adjacent second upper slots 132 , or configured to face an area between two second upper slots 132 .

The upper housing 120 may further include a plurality of hinge supports 135, 136 to enable the lower assembly 200 to rotate.

The plurality of hinge supports 135 and 136 may be arranged at intervals in the arrow A direction with reference to FIG. 7 . A first hinge hole 137 may be formed on each of the hinge supports 135 , 136 .

As an example, the plurality of hinge supports 135 and 136 may extend downward from the upper plate 121 .

The upper case 120 may further include a vertical extension 140 vertically extending along a periphery of the upper plate 121 . The vertical extension 140 may extend upward from the upper plate 121 .

The vertical extension 140 may include more than one coupling hook 140a. The upper case 120 may be hook-combined with the housing 101 through the coupling hook 140a.

The water supply part 190 may be combined with the vertical extension part 140 .

The upper case 120 may further include a horizontal extension 142 extending horizontally to the outside of the vertical extension 140 .

The horizontal extension portion 142 may be provided with a screw fastening portion 142a protruding outward to screw the upper casing 120 to the outer shell 101 .

The upper case 120 may further include a side peripheral portion 143 . The side peripheral portion 143 may extend downward from the horizontal extension portion 142 .

The side peripheral part 143 may be configured to surround the periphery of the lower assembly 200 . That is, the side peripheral portion 143 functions to prevent the lower assembly 200 from being exposed to the outside.

In the above, it has been described that the upper casing 120 is fastened to the separate housing 101 in the freezing compartment 4. However, different from this, the upper casing 120 may also be directly fastened to the outer shell 101 forming the freezing compartment. 4 walls.

<upper tray>

8 is an upper perspective view of an upper tray according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 9 is a lower perspective view of an upper tray according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a side view of an upper tray according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 8 to 10 , the upper tray 150 may be formed of a flexible material, which is a non-metallic material, so that it can return to an original shape after being deformed by an external force.

As an example, the upper tray 150 may be formed of silicon material. As in this embodiment, when the upper tray 150 is formed of silicon material, during the ice removal process, even if the shape of the upper tray 150 is deformed by an external force, the upper tray 150 can be restored to its original shape again, therefore , can form spherical ice despite repeated ice formation.

In the case where the upper tray 150 is formed of a metal material, if an external force is applied to the upper tray 150 to deform the upper tray 150 itself, the upper tray 150 cannot return to an original shape.

In this case, spherical ice cannot be generated after the shape of the upper tray 150 is deformed. That is, spherical ice cannot be repeatedly generated.

On the contrary, as in the present embodiment, when the upper tray 150 has a flexible material capable of returning to an original shape, such a problem can be solved.

Also, when the upper tray 150 is formed of a silicon material, it is possible to prevent the upper tray 150 from being melted or thermally deformed by heat supplied from an upper heater described later.

Also, when the upper tray 150 is formed of a flexible material, bonding force or adhesion between ice and the upper tray 150 may be reduced, so that ice can be easily separated from the upper tray 150 .

The upper tray 150 may include an upper tray body 151 forming an upper chamber 152 that is a part of the ice chamber 111 . The upper tray body 151 may also be referred to as an upper mold body.

The upper tray body 151 may define a plurality of upper chambers 152 .

As an example, the plurality of upper chambers 152 may define a first upper chamber 152a, a second upper chamber 152b, and a third upper chamber 152c.

The upper tray body 151 may include three chamber walls 153 forming independent three upper chambers 152a, 152b, 152c, and the three chamber walls 153 may be integrally formed and connected to each other.

The first upper chamber 152a, the second upper chamber 152b and the third upper chamber 152c may be arranged in a row. As an example, the first upper chamber 152a, the second upper chamber 152b, and the third upper chamber 152c may be arranged in the direction of arrow A with reference to FIG. 9 . The arrow A direction in FIG. 9 is the same direction as the arrow A direction in FIG. 7 .

At least the inner peripheral surface of the chamber wall 153 may be formed in a hemispherical shape. Therefore, the upper chamber 152 may be formed in a hemispherical shape. That is, the upper part of the spherical ice may be formed by the upper chamber 152 .

An upper opening 154 for allowing water to flow into the upper chamber 152 may be formed on an upper side of the upper tray body 151 . As an example, three upper openings 154 may be formed in the upper tray body 151 . Cold air may be guided to the ice chamber 111 through the upper opening 154 .

During ice removal, the upper ejector 300 may be introduced into the upper chamber 152 through the upper opening 154 .

In the process of introducing the upper ejector 300 through the upper opening 154 , in order to minimize the deformation of the upper tray 150 on the side of the upper opening 154 , an inlet wall may be provided on the upper tray 150 . 155.

The inlet wall 155 is disposed along the periphery of the upper opening 154 and may extend upward from the upper tray body 151 .

The inlet wall 155 may be formed in a cylindrical shape. Therefore, the upper ejector 300 can penetrate the upper opening 154 through the inner space of the inlet wall 155 .

When the upper ejector 300 is introduced into the upper opening 154 , more than one first connecting rib 155 a may be provided along the periphery of the inlet wall 155 to prevent deformation of the inlet wall 155 .

The first connection rib 155a may connect the inlet wall 155 and the upper tray body 151 . As an example, the first connecting rib 155 a may be integrally formed with the periphery of the inlet wall 155 and the outer surface of the upper tray body 151 .

A plurality of first connection ribs 155a may be arranged along the periphery of the inlet wall 155, but is not limited thereto.

Two inlet walls 155 corresponding to the second upper chamber 152 b and the third upper chamber 152 c may be connected by a second connection rib 162 . The second connecting rib 162 also serves to prevent deformation of the inlet wall 155 .

A water supply guide 156 may be provided at the inlet wall 155 corresponding to any one of the three upper chambers 152a, 152b, 152c.

The water supply guide 156 may be formed at the inlet wall 155 corresponding to the second upper chamber 152b, but is not limited thereto.

The water supply guide 156 may be inclined from the inlet wall 155 toward a direction toward an upper side and away from the second upper chamber 152b.

The upper tray 150 may further include a first receiving part 160 . The concave portion 122 of the upper case 120 can be accommodated in the first receiving portion 160 .

A heater joint 124 is provided in the recessed part 122, and an upper heater (refer to 148 in FIG. 14 ) is provided in the heater joint 124. Therefore, it can be understood as It is accommodated in the first accommodation portion 160 .

The first receiving portion 160 may be configured in a shape surrounding the upper chambers 152a, 152b, 152c. The first receiving part 160 may be formed by indenting downward from the top surface of the upper tray body 151 .

The heater coupling part 124 coupled with the upper heater (refer to 148 in FIG. 14 ) may be accommodated in the first housing part 160 .

The upper tray 150 may further include a second accommodating portion 161 (or may be referred to as a sensor accommodating portion) accommodating the temperature sensor 500 .

As an example, the second receiving portion 161 may be provided on the upper tray body 151 . The second accommodating portion 161 may be formed by indenting downward from the bottom of the first accommodating portion 160 , but is not limited thereto.

The second receiving portion 161 may be located between two adjacent upper chambers. As an example, FIG. 8 shows a situation where the second accommodating portion 161 is located between the first upper chamber 152a and the second upper chamber 152b.

Therefore, interference between the upper heater (see 148 in FIG. 14 ) accommodated in the first housing portion 160 and the temperature sensor 500 can be prevented.

In a state where the temperature sensor 500 is accommodated in the second accommodation part 161 , the temperature sensor 500 may be in contact with the outer surface of the upper tray body 151 .

The chamber wall 153 of the upper tray body 151 may include a vertical wall 153a and a curved wall 153b.

The curved wall 153b may be arc-shaped in a direction going upward and away from the upper chamber 152 .

The upper tray 150 may further include a horizontal extension 164 extending in a horizontal direction from a periphery of the upper tray body 151 . As an example, the horizontal extension portion 164 may extend along the periphery of the upper end edge of the upper tray body 151 .

The horizontal extension 164 may be in contact with the upper case 120 and the upper supporter 170 .

As an example, the bottom surface 164b (or may be referred to as "first surface") of the horizontal extension 164 may be in contact with the upper support 170, and the top surface 164a (or may be referred to as "the second surface") of the horizontal extension 164 may be in contact with the upper support member 170. two sides") may be in contact with the upper housing 120.

At least a portion of the horizontal extension 164 may be located between the upper case 120 and the upper support 170 .

The horizontal extension 164 may include a plurality of upper protrusions 165, 166 for being inserted into the plurality of upper slots 131, 132, respectively.

The plurality of upper protrusions 165 , 166 may include: a first upper protrusion 165 ; and a second upper protrusion 166 located on the opposite side of the first upper protrusion 165 based on the upper opening 154 .

The first upper protrusion 165 can be inserted into the first upper slot 131 , and the second upper protrusion 166 can be inserted into the second upper slot 132 .

The first upper protrusion 165 and the second upper protrusion 166 may protrude upward from the top surface 164 a of the horizontal extension part 164 .

The first upper protrusion 165 and the second upper protrusion 166 may be spaced apart in an arrow B direction in FIG. 9 . The arrow B direction in FIG. 9 is the same direction as the arrow B direction in FIG. 7 .

The plurality of first upper protrusions 165 may be arranged at intervals in the arrow A direction, but is not limited thereto.

Also, the plurality of second upper protrusions 166 may be arranged at intervals in the arrow A direction.

As an example, the first upper protrusion 165 may be formed in a curved shape. Also, as an example, the second upper protrusion 166 may be formed in a curved shape.

In this embodiment, each upper protrusion 165, 166 not only combines the upper tray 150 with the upper housing 120, but also prevents the horizontal extension from 164 deformations.

At this time, when the upper protrusions 165, 166 are formed in a curved shape, the distance between the upper protrusions 165, 166 and the upper chamber 152 in the length direction is the same or almost the same, thereby effectively Deformation of the horizontally extending portion 164 is prevented.

As an example, the horizontal deformation of the horizontal extension portion 164 is minimized, thereby preventing the horizontal extension portion 164 from being elongated and plastically deformed. If the horizontal extension 164 is plastically deformed, the upper tray body cannot be located at an accurate position when ice is made, and thus the shape of ice is not spherical.

The horizontal extension 164 may further include a plurality of lower protrusions 167 , 168 . The plurality of lower protrusions 167, 168 may be inserted into lower slots of the upper supporter 170 described later.

The plurality of lower protrusions 167, 168 may include: a first lower protrusion 167; and a second lower protrusion 168 located on the opposite side of the first lower protrusion 167 with respect to the upper chamber 152 .

The first lower protrusion 167 and the second lower protrusion 168 may protrude downward from the bottom surface 164 b of the horizontal extension part 164 .

The first lower protrusion 167 may be located on the opposite side of the first upper protrusion 165 based on the horizontal extension 164 . The second lower protrusion 168 may be located on the opposite side of the second upper protrusion 166 based on the horizontal extension 164 .

The first lower protrusion 167 may be spaced apart from the vertical wall 153 a of the upper tray body 151 . The second lower protrusion 168 may be spaced apart from the curved wall 153 b of the upper tray body 151 .

The plurality of lower protrusions 167, 168 may also be formed in a curved shape. By forming protrusions 165 , 166 , 167 , and 168 on the top surface 164 a and the bottom surface 164 b of the horizontal extension portion 164 , deformation in the horizontal direction of the horizontal extension portion 164 can be effectively prevented.

A through-hole 169 through which a fastening boss of the upper support 170 described later may pass through may be provided in the horizontally extending portion 164 .

As an example, a plurality of through holes 169 may be provided in the horizontally extending portion 164 .

Some of the through holes 169 may be located between two adjacent first upper protrusions 165 or adjacent two first lower protrusions 167 .

Another part of the plurality of through holes 169 may be arranged between the two second lower protrusions 168 , or may be arranged to face an area between the two second lower protrusions 168 .

<Upper support>

FIG. 11 is an upper perspective view of an upper support member according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a lower perspective view of an upper support member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12 , the upper supporter 170 may include a support plate 171 in contact with the upper tray 150 .

As an example, the top surface of the support plate 171 may be in contact with the bottom surface 164 b of the horizontally extending portion 164 of the upper tray 150 .

A plate opening 172 through which the upper tray body 151 passes may be provided in the support plate 171 .

A peripheral wall 174 bent upward may be provided at an edge of the support plate 171 . As an example, the peripheral wall 174 may be in contact with at least a part of the lateral periphery of the horizontal extension portion 164 .

A top surface of the peripheral wall 174 may be in contact with a bottom surface of the upper plate 121 .

The support plate 171 may include a plurality of lower slots 176,177.

The plurality of lower slots 176, 177 may include a first lower slot 176 into which the first lower protrusion 167 is inserted and a second lower slot 177 into which the second lower protrusion 168 is inserted.

A plurality of first lower slots 176 may be spaced apart in the direction of arrow A in the support plate 171 . Also, a plurality of second lower slots 177 may be arranged at intervals in the direction of arrow A in the support plate 171 .

The support plate 171 may further include a plurality of fastening bosses 175 . The plurality of fastening bosses 175 may protrude upward from the top surface of the support plate 171 .

Each fastening boss 175 may pass through the through hole 169 of the horizontal extension part 164 to be introduced into the inside of the sleeve 133 of the upper case 120 .

In the state where the fastening boss 175 is introduced into the interior of the sleeve 133, the top surface of the fastening boss 175 may be located at the same height as the top surface of the sleeve 133, or at a lower level. the height of.

As an example, the fastening member fastened to the fastening boss 175 may be a bolt (B1 in FIG. 3 ). The bolt B1 may include a main body and a head formed to be larger in diameter than the main body. The bolt B1 can be fastened to the fastening boss 175 from above the fastening boss 175 .

During the process of fastening the main body of the bolt B1 to the fastening boss 175 , when the head contacts the top surface of the sleeve 133 or the head contacts the sleeve 133 When the top surface and the top surface of the fastening boss 175 are closed, the assembly of the upper assembly 110 can be completed.

The upper supporter 170 may further include a plurality of unit guides 181 , 182 for guiding the connection unit 350 connected with the upper ejector 300 .

As an example, the plurality of unit guides 181 and 182 may be arranged at intervals in the arrow A direction with reference to FIG. 12 .

The unit guides 181 , 182 may extend upward from the top surface of the support plate 171 . The each unit guide 181 , 182 may be connected with the peripheral wall 174 .

Each of the unit guides 181, 182 may include a guide slot 183 extending in an up and down direction.

In a state where both ends of the ejector body 310 of the upper ejector 300 pass through the guide slot 183 , the connection unit 350 is connected to the ejector body 310 .

Therefore, during the rotation of the lower assembly 200, when the rotational force is transmitted from the connection unit 350 to the ejector body 310, the ejector body 310 can move up and down along the guide slot 183. .

<Upper Heater Bonding Structure>

Fig. 13 is an enlarged view showing the heater joint part in the upper case of Fig. 6, Fig. 14 is a view showing the state where the heater is connected to the upper case of Fig. A diagram of the layout of the wires connected to the heater.

Referring to FIGS. 13 to 15 , the heater combining part 124 may include a heater receiving groove 124 a for receiving the upper heater 148 .

As an example, the heater receiving groove 124 a may be formed by indenting a part of the bottom surface of the recessed part 122 of the upper casing 120 upward.

The heater receiving groove 124 a may extend along a periphery of the opening 123 of the upper case 120 .

As an example, the upper heater 148 may be a wire type heater. Therefore, the upper heater 148 may be bent to correspond to the shape of the heater receiving groove 124a to accommodate the upper heater 148 in the heater receiving groove 124a.

The upper heater 148 may be a DC heater supplied with DC power. The upper heater 148 may be activated for ice removal. The upper heater 148 may be called an ice separating heater.

When the heat of the upper heater 148 is transferred to the upper tray 150 , ice may be separated from the surface (inner surface) of the upper tray 150 .

If the upper tray 150 is formed of a metal material, the heat of the upper heater 148 is stronger, and after the upper heater 148 is turned off, the part of the ice heated by the upper heater 148 adheres to the The surface of the upper tray 150 thus becomes opaque.

That is, an opaque band having a shape corresponding to the upper heater is formed on the periphery of the ice.

However, in the case of the present embodiment, a DC heater whose output itself is low is used, and the upper tray 150 is formed of a silicon material, therefore, the heat transferred to the upper tray 150 is reduced and the thermal conductivity of the upper tray 150 itself is reduced. also lowered.

Since heat is not concentrated locally on the ice and a small amount of heat is slowly applied to the ice, not only is it possible to effectively separate the ice from the upper tray, but it is also possible to prevent an opaque band from forming at the periphery of the ice.

The upper heater 148 may be configured to surround a periphery of the plurality of upper chambers 152 such that heat of the upper heater 148 can be uniformly transferred to each of the plurality of upper chambers 152 of the upper tray 150 .

The upper heater 148 may be in contact with a periphery of each of the plurality of chamber walls 153 respectively forming the plurality of upper chambers 152 . At this time, the upper heater 148 may be located at a lower position than the upper opening 154 .

The heater receiving groove 124a is recessed in the recessed part 122, and thus, the heater receiving groove 124a may be defined by the outer wall 124b and the inner wall 124c.

In the state where the upper heater 148 is accommodated in the heater accommodation groove 124a, the diameter of the upper heater 148 may be formed larger than the depth of the heater accommodation groove 124a so that the upper heater 148 may protrudes to the outside of the heater coupling portion 124 .

In the state where the upper heater 148 is accommodated in the heater accommodation groove 124a, a part of the upper heater 148 protrudes to the outside of the heater accommodation groove 124a, so the upper heater 148 can contact with the upper tray 150 .

At least one of the outer wall 124b and the inner wall 124c may be provided with a detachment prevention protrusion 124d to prevent the upper heater 148 accommodated in the heater accommodating groove 124a from detaching from the heater accommodating groove 124a.

As an example, FIG. 13 shows a situation where the inner wall 124c is provided with a plurality of detachment preventing protrusions 124d.

The detachment prevention protrusion 124d may protrude from the end of the inner wall 124c toward the outer wall 124b.

At this time, the protruding length of the anti-separation protrusion 124d can be formed to be less than 1/2 of the interval between the outer wall 124b and the inner wall 124c, so that the insertion of the upper heater 148 is not blocked by the anti-separation protrusion 124d. hinder, and prevent the upper heater 148 from easily detaching from the heater receiving groove 124a.

As shown in FIG. 14 , the upper heater 148 may be divided into an upper arc portion 148 c and a straight portion 148 d in a state where the upper heater 148 is housed in the heater receiving groove 124 a.

That is, the heater receiving groove 124a includes an upper circular arc portion and a straight line portion, and corresponding to the upper circular arc portion and the straight line portion of the heater receiving groove 124a, the upper heater 148 may be divided into an upper circular portion. The arc portion 148c and the straight portion 148d.

The upper arc portion 148c is a portion arranged along the periphery of the upper chamber 152 and curved in an arc in the horizontal direction.

The straight portion 148d is a portion connecting the upper arc portion 148c corresponding to each upper chamber 152 .

The position of the upper heater 148 is lower than the upper opening 154 , so a line connecting two spaced points of the upper arc portion can pass through the upper chamber 152 .

The upper arc portion 148c of the upper heater 148 is likely to disengage from the heater receiving groove 124a, and therefore, the anti-disengagement protrusion 124d may be configured to be in contact with the upper arc portion 148c.

A through opening 124e may be provided on the bottom surface of the heater receiving groove 124a. When the upper heater 148 is accommodated in the heater accommodation groove 124a, a part of the upper heater 148 may be located in the through opening 124e. As an example, the through opening 124e may be located at a portion facing the detachment preventing protrusion 124d.

When the upper heater 148 is curved in an arc in the horizontal direction, there is a possibility of disconnection due to the increased tension of the upper heater 148, and there is a high possibility that the upper heater 148 is received from the heater. The groove 124a is disengaged.

However, as in this embodiment, in the case where the heater receiving groove 124a forms a through opening 124e, a part of the upper heater 148 may be located in the through opening 124e, thereby reducing the tension of the upper heater 148. , and prevent the upper heater from detaching from the heater receiving groove 124a.

As shown in FIG. 15 , the power input end 148 a and the power output end 148 b of the upper heater 148 can pass through the heater passage hole 125 formed in the upper casing 120 in a state of being arranged side by side.

The upper heater 148 is accommodated at the lower side of the upper casing 120 , so the power input end 148 a and the power output end 148 b of the upper heater 148 can extend upwards through the heater passage hole 125 .

The power input terminal 148a and the power output terminal 148b passing through the heater through hole 125 may be connected to a first connector 129a.

The first connector 129a may be connected to a second connector 129c connected with two electric wires 129d connected in a manner corresponding to the power input terminal 148a and the power output terminal 148b.

The upper heater 148, the first connector 129a, the second connector 129c, and the first guide part 126 for guiding the electric wire 129d may be provided on the upper plate 121 of the upper case 120.

As an example, FIG. 15 shows that the first guide portion 126 guides the first connector 129a.

The first guide part 126 extends upward from the top surface of the upper plate 121, and an upper end part may be bent in a horizontal direction.

Therefore, the upper curved portion of the first guide portion 126 restricts the upward movement of the first connector 129a.

The electric wires 129d may be drawn out to the outside of the upper housing 120 after being bent into a substantially "U" shape to prevent interference with surrounding structures.

The electric wire 129d extends in a state of being bent more than once, and therefore, the upper case 120 may further include electric wire guides 127, 128 for fixing the position of the electric wire 129d.

The wire guides 127 and 128 may include a first guide 127 and a second guide 128 arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction. The first guide 127 and the second guide 128 may be bent in a direction corresponding to the bending direction of the electric wire 129d to minimize damage of the bent electric wire 129d.

That is, the first guide 127 and the second guide 128 may include curved portions, respectively.

More than one of the first guide 127 and the second guide 128 may include an upper guide 127 a extending toward the other guide to limit the distance between the first guide 127 and the second guide 128 . The electric wires 129d between them move upward.

Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the upper assembly is assembled.

Referring to FIG. 16 , the upper case 120 , the upper tray 150 , and the upper supporter 170 may be combined with each other in a state where the upper heater 148 is coupled to the heater coupling portion 124 of the upper case 120 .

The first upper protrusion 165 of the upper tray 150 is inserted into the first upper slot 131 of the upper case 120 . And, the second upper protrusion 166 of the upper tray 150 is inserted into the second upper slot 132 of the upper case 120 .

Then, insert the first lower protrusion 167 of the upper tray 150 into the first lower slot 176 of the upper support member 170, and insert the second lower protrusion 168 of the upper tray into the upper The second lower slot 177 of the support 170 .

At this time, the fastening boss 175 of the upper support 170 is accommodated in the sleeve 133 of the upper case 120 through the through hole 169 of the upper tray 150 . In this state, the bolt B1 can be fastened to the fastening boss 175 from above the fastening boss 175 .

When the bolt B1 is fastened to the fastening boss 175 , the head of the bolt B1 is positioned higher than the upper plate 121 .

On the contrary, the position of the hinge supports 135, 136 is lower than the upper plate 121, therefore, during the rotation process of the lower assembly 200, it can prevent the upper assembly 110 or the connection unit 350 from contacting the head of the bolt B1. interfere.

During the assembly of the upper assembly 110, the plurality of unit guides 181, 182 of the upper support 170 pass through openings located on both sides of the upper plate 121 in the upper housing 120 (FIG. 6 139a, 139b) protrude above the upper plate 121.

The upper ejector 300 penetrates the guide slots 183 of the unit guides 181 , 182 protruding above the upper plate 121 as described above.

Therefore, the upper ejector 300 descends in a state of being located on the upper side of the upper plate 121 and is introduced into the inside of the upper chamber 152, so that the ice in the upper chamber 152 is released from the upper tray. 150 separations.

When the upper assembly 110 is assembled, the heater combination part 124 combined with the upper heater 148 is received in the first receiving part 160 of the upper tray 150 .

The upper heater 148 is in contact with the bottom surface 160 a of the first accommodating portion 160 in a state where the heater coupling portion 124 is accommodated in the first accommodating portion 160 .

As in this embodiment, when the upper heater 148 is housed in the concave-shaped heater coupling portion 124 and contacts the upper tray main body 151 , it is possible to transfer heat from the upper heater 148 to the upper tray. The heat of parts other than the tray main body 151 is minimized.

At least a portion of the upper heater 148 may be configured to overlap the upper chamber 152 in an up-down direction so that heat of the upper heater 148 is smoothly transferred to the upper chamber 152 .

In this embodiment, the upper arc portion 148c of the upper heater 148 may overlap with the upper chamber 152 in the vertical direction.

That is, with the upper chamber 152 as a reference, the maximum distance between two points of the upper arc portion 148c on opposite sides is formed to be smaller than the diameter of the upper chamber 152 .

<Lower case>

17 is a perspective view of a lower assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 18 is an upper perspective view of a lower housing according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 19 is a lower perspective view of a lower housing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 17 to 19 , a lower tray 250 may be included.

The lower tray 250 may form the ice chamber 111 together with the upper tray 150 .

The lower assembly 200 may further include a lower support 270 supporting the lower tray 250 . In a state where the lower tray 250 is seated on the lower supporter 270, the lower supporter 270 and the lower tray 250 may rotate together.

The lower assembly 200 may further include a lower case 210 for fixing the position of the lower tray 250 .

The lower case 210 may surround a periphery of the lower tray 250 , and the lower supporter 270 may support the lower tray 250 .

The connection unit 350 may be combined with the lower supporter 270 .

The connecting unit 350 may include: a first connecting rod 352 receiving the power of the driving unit 180 for rotating the lower supporting member 270; and a second connecting rod 356 connected with the lower supporting member 270, thereby When the lower supporting member 270 rotates, it is used to transmit the rotational force of the lower supporting member 270 to the upper ejector 300 .

The first link 352 and the lower supporter 270 may be connected by an elastic member 360 . As an example, the elastic member 360 may be a coil spring.

One end of the elastic member 360 is connected to the first connecting rod 352 , and the other end is connected to the lower supporting member 270 .

The elastic member 360 provides an elastic force to the lower supporter 270 to maintain a state where the upper tray 150 is in contact with the lower tray 250 .

In this embodiment, a first connecting rod 352 and a second connecting rod 356 may be provided on both sides of the lower supporting member 270 .

Any one of the two first links 352 is connected to the driving unit 180 to receive a rotational force from the driving unit 180 .

The two first connecting rods 352 may be connected by a connecting shaft ( 370 in FIG. 5 ).

A hole 358 through which the ejector body 310 of the upper ejector 300 can pass may be formed at an upper end of the second link 356 .

The lower case 210 may include a lower plate 211 for fixing the lower tray 250 .

The lower tray 250 may be fixed with a part in contact with the bottom surface of the lower plate 211 .

An opening 212 through which a part of the lower tray 250 passes may be provided in the lower plate 211 .

As an example, in the state where the lower tray 250 is located on the lower side of the lower plate 211, when the lower tray 250 is fixed to the lower plate 211, a part of the lower tray 250 can pass through the opening. 212 protrudes above the lower plate 211 .

The lower housing 210 may further include a peripheral wall 214 (or a covering wall) surrounding the lower tray 250 passing through the lower plate 211 .

The peripheral wall 214 may include a vertical wall 214 a and a curved wall 215 .

The vertical wall 214 a is a wall extending vertically upward from the lower plate 211 . The curved wall 215 is an arc-shaped wall that is farther and farther away from the opening 212 upwards from the lower plate 211 .

The vertical wall 214a may include a first combining slot 214b for combining with the lower tray 250 . The first combining slot 214b may be formed by indenting downward from the upper end of the vertical wall 214a.

The curved wall 215 may include a second combining slot 215a for combining with the lower tray 250 .

The second combining slot 215a may be formed by indenting the upper end of the curved wall 215 downward.

The lower housing 210 may further include a first fastening boss 216 and a second fastening boss 217 .

The first fastening boss 216 may protrude downward from the bottom surface of the lower plate 211 . As an example, a plurality of first fastening bosses 216 may protrude downward from the lower plate 211 .

The plurality of first fastening bosses 216 may be arranged at intervals in the arrow A direction with reference to FIG. 18 .

The second fastening boss 217 may protrude downward from the bottom surface of the lower plate 211 . As an example, a plurality of second fastening bosses 217 may protrude from the lower plate 211 . The plurality of second fastening bosses 217 may be arranged at intervals in the arrow A direction with reference to FIG. 18 .

The first fastening boss 216 and the second fastening boss 217 may be spaced apart in the arrow B direction.

In this embodiment, the length of the first fastening boss 216 and the length of the second fastening boss 217 may be formed differently. As an example, the length of the second fastening boss 217 may be formed to be longer than the length of the first fastening boss 216 .

A first fastening member may be fastened to the first fastening boss 216 from an upper side of the first fastening boss 216 . On the contrary, the second fastening member may be fastened to the second fastening boss 217 from the lower side of the second fastening boss 217 .

During the process of fastening the first fastening member to the first fastening boss 216, the curved wall 215 is provided with a moving groove 215b for the fastening member, so that the first fastening member does not come into contact with the first fastening boss 216. The curved wall 215 interferes.

The lower case 210 may further include a slot 218 for combining with the lower tray 250 .

A part of the lower tray 250 can be inserted into the slot 218 . The slot 218 may be located close to the vertical wall 214a.

As an example, a plurality of slots 218 may be arranged at intervals in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 18 . Each slot 218 may be formed in a curved shape.

The lower case 210 may further include a receiving groove 218a for inserting a part of the lower tray 250 . The receiving groove 218a may be formed by indenting a portion of the lower plate 211 toward the curved wall 215 .

The lower case 210 may further include an extension wall 219 , and the extension wall 219 is in contact with a part of the side periphery of the lower plate 211 in a state of being combined with the lower tray 250 . The extension wall 219 may extend in a linear shape in the arrow A direction.

<Lower tray>

Fig. 20 is an upper perspective view of the lower tray according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 21 and Fig. 22 are lower perspective views of the lower tray according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 23 is a side view of the lower tray according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 20 to 23 , the lower tray 250 may be formed of a flexible material, and the lower tray 250 may return to an original shape after being deformed by an external force.

As an example, the lower tray 250 may be formed of silicon material. As in this embodiment, when the lower tray 250 is made of silicon material, during the ice removal process, even if an external force is applied to the lower tray 250 to deform the shape of the lower tray 250, the lower tray 250 can Return to the original shape again. Therefore, despite repeated ice formation, spherical ice can be produced.

If the lower tray 250 is formed of a metal material, when an external force is applied to the lower tray 250 to deform the lower tray 250 itself, the lower tray 250 cannot return to an original shape again.

In this case, spherical ice cannot be generated after the shape of the lower tray 250 is deformed. That is, spherical ice cannot be repeatedly generated.

On the contrary, as in the present embodiment, when the lower tray 250 has a flexible material capable of returning to an original shape, such a problem can be solved.

Also, when the lower tray 250 is formed of a silicon material, it is possible to prevent the lower tray 250 from being melted or thermally deformed by heat supplied from a lower heater described later.

Also, when the lower tray 250 is formed of a flexible material, bonding force or adhesion between ice and the lower tray 250 may be reduced, so that ice can be easily separated from the lower tray 250 .

The lower tray 250 may include a lower tray body 251 forming a lower chamber 252 as a part of the ice chamber 111 . The lower tray body 251 may also be referred to as a lower mold body.

The lower tray body 251 may define a plurality of lower chambers 252 .

As an example, the plurality of lower chambers 252 may include a first lower chamber 252a, a second lower chamber 252b, and a third lower chamber 252c.

The lower tray body 251 may include three chamber walls 252d forming independent three lower chambers 252a, 252b, 252c, and the three chamber walls 252d may be integrated to form the lower tray body 251 .

The first lower chamber 252a, the second lower chamber 252b and the third lower chamber 252c may be arranged in a row. As an example, the first lower chamber 252a, the second lower chamber 252b, and the third lower chamber 252c may be arranged in the direction of arrow A with reference to FIG. 20 .

The inner peripheral surface of the chamber wall 252d may be formed in a hemispherical shape or a shape similar to a hemispherical shape.

Therefore, the lower chamber 252 may be formed in a hemispherical shape or a shape similar to a hemispherical shape. That is, a spherical lower part of the ice may be formed by the lower chamber 252 .

The lower tray 250 may further include a first extending portion 253 extending horizontally from the upper end edge of the lower tray main body 251 . The first extension part 253 may be continuously formed along the periphery of the lower tray body 251 .

The lower tray 250 may further include a peripheral wall 260 extending upward from the top surface of the first extension part 253 .

A bottom surface of the upper tray body 151 may be in contact with a top surface 251 e of the lower tray body 251 . The top surface 251e of the lower tray main body 251 may also be referred to as an end surface.

The peripheral wall 260 may surround the upper tray body 151 disposed on the top surface 251 e of the lower tray body 251 .

In this embodiment, the peripheral wall 214 of the lower housing 210 may surround the peripheral wall 260 of the lower tray 250 . When the peripheral wall 214 of the lower housing 210 surrounds the peripheral wall 260 of the lower tray 250 , the peripheral wall 260 of the lower tray 250 can be restricted from being deformed outwardly during the rotation of the lower tray 250 .

The peripheral wall 260 may include: a first wall 260 a surrounding the vertical wall 153 a of the upper tray body 151 ; and a second wall 260 b surrounding the curved wall 153 b of the upper tray body 151 .

The first wall 260 a is a vertical wall extending vertically from the top surface of the first extension part 253 . The second wall 260b is a curved wall formed in a shape corresponding to the upper tray body 151 . That is, the second wall 260b may be curved in a direction away from the lower chamber 252 toward the upper side from the first extending portion 253 .

The center of curvature of the second wall 260 b may be the rotation center C2 of the lower assembly 200 .

The lower tray 250 may further include a second extending portion 254 extending horizontally from the peripheral wall 260 .

The second extension part 254 may be located at a higher position than the first extension part 253 . Therefore, the first extension 253 and the second extension 254 form a step.

The second extension 254 may include a first upper protrusion 255 for being inserted into the slot 218 of the lower case 210 . The first upper protrusion 255 may be spaced apart from the peripheral wall 260 in the horizontal direction.

As an example, the first upper protrusion 255 may protrude upward from the top surface of the second extension portion 254 at a position adjacent to the first wall 260 a.

The plurality of first upper protrusions 255 may be arranged at intervals in the arrow A direction with reference to FIG. 20 , but is not limited thereto. As an example, the first upper protrusion 255 may extend in a curved shape.

The second extension part 254 may further include a first lower protrusion 257 for being inserted into a protrusion groove of a lower supporter 270 described later. The first lower protrusion 257 may protrude downward from the bottom surface of the second extension part 254 .

The plurality of first lower protrusions 257 may be arranged at intervals in the arrow A direction, but is not limited thereto.

The first upper protrusion 255 and the first lower protrusion 257 may be located on opposite sides based on the upper and lower sides of the second extension part 254 . At least a portion of the first upper protrusion 255 may overlap the first lower protrusion 257 in an up-down direction.

A plurality of through holes 256 may be formed on the second extension portion 254 .

The plurality of through holes 256 may include: a first through hole 256a for passing through the first fastening boss 216 of the lower case 210; The second through hole 256b.

As an example, the plurality of first through-holes 256a may be arranged at intervals in the arrow A direction of FIG. 20 .

In addition, the plurality of second through-holes 256b may be arranged at intervals in the arrow A direction of FIG. 20 .

The plurality of first through holes 256a and the plurality of second through holes 256b may be located on opposite sides with respect to the lower chamber 252 .

Some of the plurality of second through holes 256 b may be located between two adjacent first upper protrusions 255 . Also, some of the plurality of second through holes 256 b may be located between the two first lower protrusions 257 .

The second extension 254 may further include a second upper protrusion 258 . The second upper protrusion 258 may be located on the opposite side of the first upper protrusion 255 with respect to the lower chamber 252 .

The second upper protrusion 258 may be spaced apart from the peripheral wall 260 in the horizontal direction. As an example, the second upper protrusion 258 may protrude upward from the top surface of the second extension portion 254 at a position adjacent to the second wall 260b.

The plurality of second upper protrusions 258 may be arranged at intervals in the arrow A direction of FIG. 20 , but is not limited thereto.

The second upper protrusion 258 can be accommodated in the receiving groove 218 a of the lower housing 210 . In the state where the second upper protrusion 258 is accommodated in the receiving groove 218 a, the second upper protrusion 258 may contact the curved wall 215 of the lower housing 210 .

The peripheral wall 260 of the lower tray 250 may include a first combining protrusion 262 for combining with the lower case 210 .

The first coupling protrusion 262 may protrude horizontally from the first wall 260 a of the peripheral wall 260 . The first combining protrusion 262 may be located on the upper side of the side of the first wall 260a.

The first coupling protrusion 262 may include a neck portion 262a having a smaller diameter than other portions. The neck portion 262 a may be inserted into the first combining slot 214 b formed on the peripheral wall 214 of the lower case 210 .

The peripheral wall 260 of the lower tray 250 may further include a second combining protrusion 262c for combining with the lower case 210 .

The second coupling protrusion 262c may protrude horizontally from the second wall 260b of the peripheral wall 260 . The second coupling protrusion 262c may be inserted into the second coupling slot 215a formed on the peripheral wall 214 of the lower case 210 .

As in this embodiment, each coupling protrusion 262, 262c provided on the peripheral wall 260 of the lower tray 250 is inserted into the coupling slot 214b, 215a formed on the peripheral wall of the lower case 210, thereby preventing During the rotation of the lower tray 250, the peripheral wall 260 of the lower tray 250 is deformed inwardly.

As an example, during the movement of the lower assembly 200 from the ice removing position to the ice making position, a part of the peripheral wall 260 of the lower tray 250 can be prevented from being deformed inwardly and introduced into the upper chamber 152 .

The second extension 254 may further include a second lower protrusion 266 . The second lower protrusion 266 may be located on the opposite side of the first lower protrusion 257 with respect to the lower chamber 252 .

The second lower protrusion 266 may protrude downward from the bottom surface of the second extension part 254 . As an example, the second lower protrusion 266 may extend in a linear shape.

A portion of the plurality of first through holes 256 a may be located between the second lower protrusion 266 and the lower chamber 252 .

The second lower protrusion 266 may be accommodated in a guide groove formed in a lower support member 270 described later.

The second extension portion 254 may further include a side restricting portion 264 . The side restricting part 264 restricts the movement of the lower tray 250 in the horizontal direction when the lower tray 250 is combined with the lower case 210 and the lower support 270 .

The side limiting portion 264 protrudes laterally from the second extending portion 254 , and the vertical length of the side limiting portion 264 is formed to be greater than the thickness of the second extending portion 254 . As an example, a part of the side restricting part 264 is located higher than the top surface of the second extension part 254 , and another part is located lower than the bottom surface of the second extension part 254 .

Accordingly, a part of the side restricting part 264 may contact the side of the lower case 210 and another part may contact the side of the lower supporter 270 .

In addition, the lower tray body 251 may be provided with a heater contact portion 251 a for contacting the lower heater 296 .

As an example, the heater contact portion 251a may be provided on each of the chamber walls 252d. The heater contact portion 251a may protrude from the chamber wall 252d. As an example, the heater contact portion 251a may be formed in a circular ring shape.

<Lower support>

24 is an upper perspective view of a lower support member according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 25 is a lower perspective view of a lower support member according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. A cross-sectional view taken along the line D-D.

Referring to FIG. 24 to FIG. 26 , the lower supporting member 270 may cover more than 1/2 of the lower chamber 252 so as to maintain the shape of the lower chamber 252 during the ice making process.

The lower supporter 270 may include a supporter body 271 supporting the lower tray 250 .

The support body 271 may include three chamber receiving parts 272 for receiving the three chamber walls 252d of the lower tray 250 . The chamber receiving part 272 may be formed in a hemispherical shape.

The support body 271 may include a lower opening 274 for allowing the lower ejector 400 to pass through during ice removal. As an example, three lower openings 274 may be provided on the supporter main body 271 corresponding to the three chamber accommodating parts 272 .

A reinforcing rib 275 for enhancing strength may be provided along the periphery of the lower opening 274 .

And, adjacent two chamber receiving parts 272 among the three chamber receiving parts 272 may be connected by a connecting rib 273 . Such connecting ribs 273 may enhance the strength of the chamber accommodating portion 272 .

The lower supporter 270 may further include a first extension wall 285 extending horizontally from the upper end of the supporter main body 271 .

The lower supporting member 270 may further include a second extension wall 286 forming a step with the first extension wall 285 at an edge of the first extension wall 285 .

The top surface of the second extension wall 286 may be located at a higher position than the first extension wall 285 .

The first extension 253 of the lower tray 250 may be disposed on the top surface 271 a of the support body 271 , and the second extension wall 286 may surround a side of the first extension 253 of the lower tray 250 . At this time, the second extension wall 286 may contact the side of the first extension part 253 of the lower tray 250 .

The lower supporter 270 may further include a protrusion groove 287 for receiving the first lower protrusion 257 of the lower tray 250 .

The raised groove 287 may extend in a curved shape. As an example, the protruding groove 287 may be formed on the second extension wall 286 .

The lower supporting member 270 may further include a first fastening groove 286a, and the first fastening member B2 passing through the first fastening boss 216 of the upper housing 120 is fastened to the first fastening groove 286a.

As an example, the first fastening groove 286 a may be disposed on the second extension wall 286 .

A plurality of first fastening grooves 286 a may be arranged at intervals in the arrow A direction on the second extension wall 286 . Some of the plurality of first fastening grooves 286 a may be located between two adjacent protruding grooves 287 .

The lower supporting member 270 may further include a boss through hole 286 b for passing through the second fastening boss 217 of the upper housing 120 .

As an example, the boss through hole 286 b may be disposed on the second extension wall 286 . A sleeve 286c surrounding the second fastening boss 217 may be provided on the second extension wall 286 through the boss through hole 286b. The sleeve 286c may be formed in a cylindrical shape with a lower portion open.

The first fastening member B2 may pass through the first fastening boss 216 from above the lower housing 210 and then be fastened to the first fastening groove 286a.

The second fastening member B3 may be fastened to the second fastening boss 217 from below the lower support 270 .

The lower end of the sleeve 286 c may be located at the same height as the lower end of the second fastening boss 217 , or may be located at a lower position than the lower end of the second fastening boss 217 .

Therefore, during the fastening process of the second fastening member B3, the head of the second fastening member B3 may be in contact with the second fastening boss 217 and the bottom surface of the sleeve 286c, or contact with the bottom surface of the sleeve 286c.

The lower supporter 270 may further include an outer wall 280 arranged to surround the lower tray body 251 while being spaced from an outer side of the lower tray body 251 .

As an example, the outer wall 280 may extend downward along the edge of the second extension wall 286 .

The lower supporter 270 may further include a plurality of hinge bodies 281 , 282 for connecting with each hinge supporter 135 , 136 of the upper case 120 .

The plurality of hinge bodies 281 and 282 may be spaced apart in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 24 . Each hinge body 281, 282 may further include a second hinge hole 281a.

The shaft connecting portion 353 of the first connecting rod 352 may pass through the second hinge hole 281a. The connecting shaft 370 may be connected to the shaft connecting part 353 .

The intervals between the plurality of hinge bodies 281 , 282 are smaller than the intervals between the plurality of hinge supports 135 , 136 . Accordingly, the plurality of hinge bodies 281 , 282 may be located between the plurality of hinge supports 135 , 136 .

The lower support 270 may further include a coupling shaft 283 to which the second link 356 is rotatably connected. The coupling shaft 283 can be respectively disposed on two sides of the outer wall 280 .

The lower supporter 270 may further include an elastic member coupling part 284 for coupling the elastic member 360 . The elastic member coupling part 284 may form a space capable of receiving a part of the elastic member 360 . The elastic member 360 is accommodated in the elastic member joint portion 284 , thereby preventing the elastic member 360 from interfering with surrounding structures.

The elastic member coupling portion 284 may include a locking portion 284 a for locking the lower end of the elastic member 360 .

<Coupling structure of the lower heater>

Fig. 27 is a top view of the lower support according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 28 is a perspective view showing the state where the lower heater is combined with the lower support in Fig. 27, and Fig. 29 is a state showing the combination of the lower assembly and the upper assembly Below is the state where the wires connected to the lower heater pass through the upper case.

Referring to FIGS. 27 to 29 , the ice maker 100 of this embodiment may further include a lower heater 296 for applying heat to the lower tray 250 during the ice making process.

The lower heater 296 provides heat to the lower chamber 252 during the ice making process, so that the ice starts to freeze from the upper side in the ice chamber 111 .

Moreover, since the lower heater 296 generates heat during the ice making process, the air bubbles in the ice chamber 111 move downward during the ice making process, and when the ice making is completed, the air bubbles in the spherical ice can be eliminated. The parts other than the lowermost end are transparent. That is, according to the present embodiment, substantially transparent spherical ice can be generated.

As an example, the lower heater 296 may be a wire type heater.

The lower heater 296 may be disposed on the lower supporter 270 . In addition, the lower heater 296 may be in contact with the lower tray 250 to provide heat to the lower chamber 252 .

As an example, the lower heater 296 may be in contact with the lower tray main body 251 . The lower heater 296 may be configured to surround the three chamber walls 252d of the lower tray body 251 .

The lower supporter 270 may further include a heater coupling part 290 for coupling the lower heater 296 .

The heater combining part 290 may include a heater receiving groove 291 recessed downward from the chamber receiving part 272 of the lower tray body 251 .

Through the recess of the heater receiving groove 291, the heater coupling part 290 may include an inner wall 291a and an outer wall 291b.

As an example, the inner wall 291a may be formed in a ring shape, and the outer wall 291b may be arranged to surround the inner wall 291a.

When the lower heater 296 is received in the heater receiving groove 291, the lower heater 296 may surround at least a portion of the inner wall 291a.

The lower opening 274 may be located in the area formed by the inner wall 291a. Therefore, when the chamber wall 252d of the lower tray 250 is accommodated in the chamber receiving part 272, the chamber wall 252d may be in contact with the top surface of the inner wall 291a. The top surface of the inner wall 291a is an arc-shaped surface corresponding to the hemispherical chamber wall 252d.

In the state where the lower heater 296 is accommodated in the heater accommodation groove 291, the diameter of the lower heater 296 may be formed to be larger than the recessed depth of the heater accommodation groove 291 so that the lower heater A part 296 protrudes to the outside of the heater receiving groove 291 .

At least one of the outer wall 291b and the inner wall 291a may be provided with a detachment preventing protrusion 291c to prevent the lower heater 296 accommodated in the heater accommodating groove 291 from detaching from the heater accommodating groove 291 .

FIG. 27 shows that the detachment prevention protrusion 291c is disposed on the inner wall 291a.

The diameter of the inner wall 291a is smaller than the diameter of the chamber receiving part 272, so that the lower heater 296 moves along the surface of the chamber receiving part 272 during the assembly process of the lower heater 296, and accommodated in the heater accommodation groove 291 .

That is, the lower heater 296 is accommodated in the heater accommodation groove 291 from above the outer wall 291b toward the inner wall 291a. Therefore, the anti-separation protrusion 291c is preferably formed on the inner wall 291a to prevent the lower heater 296 from interfering with the anti-separation protrusion 291c during the process of being accommodated in the heater receiving groove 291 .

The detachment prevention protrusion 291c may protrude from the upper end portion of the inner wall 291a toward the outer wall 291b.

The protruding length of the detachment prevention protrusion 291c may be less than 1/2 of the distance between the outer wall 291b and the inner wall 291a.

As shown in FIG. 28 , in a state where the lower heater 296 is accommodated in the heater receiving groove 291 , the lower heater 296 may be divided into a lower arc portion 296 a and a straight portion 296 b.

That is, the heater receiving groove 291 includes a lower arc portion and a straight portion, corresponding to the lower arc portion and the straight portion of the heater receiving groove 291, the lower heater 296 can be divided into the The lower arc portion 296a and the straight portion 296b.

The lower arc portion 296a is a portion arranged along the periphery of the lower chamber 252, and is a portion curved in an arc in the horizontal direction.

The straight line portion 296b is a portion connecting the lower circular arc portions 296a corresponding to the respective lower chambers 252 .

In the lower heater 296, the lower arc portion 296a is likely to be detached from the heater receiving groove 291, and therefore, the detachment prevention protrusion 291c may be arranged to be in contact with the lower arc portion 296a.

A through opening 291 d may be provided on the bottom surface of the heater receiving groove 291 . When the lower heater 296 is accommodated in the heater receiving groove 291, a part of the lower heater 296 may be located in the through opening 291d. As an example, the through opening 291d may be located at a portion facing the detachment preventing protrusion 291c.

When the lower heater 296 is curved in an arc in the horizontal direction, there is a possibility of disconnection due to an increase in the tension of the lower heater 296, and the lower heater 296 is likely to be accommodated from the heater. The groove 291 is disengaged.

However, as in this embodiment, in the case where the heater receiving groove 291 forms a through opening 291d, a part of the lower heater 296 may be located in the through opening 291d, thereby reducing the tension of the lower heater 296. , and prevent the lower heater 296 from detaching from the heater receiving groove 291 .

The lower support member 270 may include: a first guide groove 293 for guiding the power input end 296c and the power output end 296d of the lower heater 296 accommodated in the heater accommodation groove 291; and a second guide groove 294, Extends in a direction intersecting the first guide groove 293 .

As an example, the first guide groove 293 may extend in the arrow B direction from the heater receiving groove 291 .

The second guide groove 294 may extend from the end of the first guide groove 293 to the arrow A direction. In this embodiment, the arrow A direction is a direction parallel to the extension direction of the rotation central axis C1 of the lower assembly 200 .

Referring to FIG. 28 , the first guide groove 293 may extend from any one of the left and right chamber accommodating parts except the central part among the three chamber accommodating parts.

As an example, FIG. 28 shows a situation in which the first guide groove 293 extends from the chamber accommodating portion located on the left side among the three chamber accommodating portions.

As shown in FIG. 28 , the power input end 296c and the power output end 296d of the lower heater 296 may be accommodated in the first guide groove 293 in a state of being arranged side by side.

The power input terminal 296c and the power output terminal 296d of the lower heater 296 may be connected to a first connector 297a.

The first connector 297a may be connected to a second connector 297b connected with two electric wires 298 connected in a manner corresponding to the power input terminal 296c and the power output terminal 296d.

In this embodiment, when the first connector 297a and the second connector 297b are connected, the first connector 297a and the second connector 297b are accommodated in the second guide groove 294.

The electric wire 298 connected to the second connector 297b is drawn out of the lower supporter 270 from the end of the second guide groove 294 through the leadout slot 295 formed in the lower supporter 270 .

According to this embodiment, the first connector 297a and the second connector 297b are accommodated in the second guide groove 294, so when the assembly of the lower assembly 200 is completed, the first connector 297a and the second connector 297b are not exposed to the outside.

As described above, if the first connector 297a and the second connector 297b are not exposed to the outside, during the rotation of the lower assembly 200, the first connector 297a and the second connector can be prevented from The second connector 297b interferes with surrounding structures and prevents the first connector 297a from being separated from the second connector 297b.

And, the first connector 297a and the second connector 297b are accommodated in the second guide groove 294, therefore, a part of the electric wire 298 is located in the second guide groove 294, and the other part passes through the second guide groove 294. The outlet slot 295 is located outside the lower supporting member 270 .

At this time, the second guide groove 294 extends in a direction parallel to the rotation center axis C1 of the lower assembly 200, and therefore, a part of the electric wire 298 also extends in a direction parallel to the rotation center axis C1. .

The other part of the electric wire 298 extends outside the lower support 270 in a direction intersecting the rotation center axis C1.

According to this arrangement of the electric wires 298, almost no tensile force is applied to the electric wires 298 during the rotation of the lower assembly 200, but a torsion force is applied.

When the torsional force is applied, the electric wire 298 is less likely to be disconnected than when a tensile force is applied to the electric wire 298 .

In the case of this embodiment, during the rotation of the lower assembly 200, the lower heater 296 maintains a fixed position and applies a twisting force to the electric wire 298, so that the lower heater 296 can be prevented from rotating. 296, and prevent the disconnection of the wire 298.

At least one of the first guide groove 293 and the second guide groove 294 may be provided with a detachment prevention protrusion 293a, and the detachment prevention protrusion 293a is used to prevent the lower heater accommodated inside the guide groove from 296 or wire 298 out.

The power input end 296c and the power output end 296d of the lower heater 296 are located in the first guide groove 293 . At this time, heat is also generated at the power input end 296c and the power output end 296d, therefore, the heat supplied to the left side of the first guide groove 293 is greater than that supplied to the other chamber accommodating portions. heat.

In this case, if the amount of heat supplied to each chamber accommodating portion is different, the transparency of the produced spherical ice may also vary from ice to ice after ice making and ice removal are completed.

Therefore, the chamber accommodating portion farthest from the first guide groove 293 among the three chamber accommodating portions (for example, the right chamber accommodating portion) may also be provided with a detour-use accommodating groove 292 so that The case where the difference in transparency of each ice becomes large is minimized.

As an example, the detour-use accommodation groove 292 may be arranged in a shape extending outward from the heater accommodation groove 291 , bent and then connected to the heater accommodation groove 291 .

When a part 296e of the lower heater 296 is additionally accommodated in the detour accommodation groove 292, the contact area between the chamber wall of the chamber accommodation portion 272 accommodated on the right side and the lower heater 296 can be increased. .

Therefore, a protrusion 292 a for fixing the position of the lower heater accommodated in the detour-use accommodation groove 292 may be additionally provided in the chamber accommodation portion 272 on the right side.

Referring to FIG. 29 , in the state where the lower assembly 200 is combined with the upper casing 120 of the upper assembly 110 , the electric wires 298 drawn out to the outside of the lower support 270 pass through the opening formed in the upper casing 120 . The wires pass through the slot 138 so as to extend upwards of the upper housing 120 .

The wire insertion slot 138 may be provided with a restriction guide 139 for restricting the movement of the wire 298 passing through the wire insertion slot 138 . The restricting guide 139 is formed in a shape bent multiple times, and the electric wire 298 may be located in a region where the restricting guide is formed.

FIG. 30 is a sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 3 , and FIG. 31 is a view showing a state in which ice generation is completed in FIG. 30 .

FIG. 30 shows a state where the upper tray and the lower tray are in contact.

First, referring to FIG. 30 , the ice chamber 111 is completed by the upper tray 150 and the lower tray 250 contacting in an up-down direction.

At this time, the upper tray 150 and the lower tray 250 may be formed of the same material.

When the upper tray 150 and the lower tray 250 are formed of the same material so that the hardness of the upper tray 150 and the lower tray 250 are the same, the bottom surface 151a of the upper tray 150 and the lower tray 250 The contact force between the top surfaces 251e is reduced.

On the contrary, when the hardness of the upper tray 150 and the lower tray 250 are different, in the state where the bottom surface 151a of the upper tray 150 is in contact with the top surface 251e of the lower tray 250, the deformation of the tray with a relatively soft hardness The degree is larger, thereby increasing the close contact force between the bottom surface 151a of the upper tray 150 and the top surface 251e of the lower tray 250 .

During the ice removing process, the upper ejector 300 passes through the upper opening 154 to press the ice in the ice chamber 111 .

At this time, the upper tray 150 needs to be prevented from being deformed together with the ice during the process of pressing the ice by the upper ejector 300 . On the contrary, the lower tray 250 needs to be deformed smoothly during the process of the lower ejector 400 pressing the ice to improve the separation performance of the ice.

Therefore, the hardness of the upper tray 150 may be formed to be greater than that of the lower tray 250 .

Moreover, when the hardness of the upper tray 150 is the same as that of the lower tray 250, after the ice making is completed, at the contact position between the upper tray 150 and the lower tray 250, the upper tray 150 and the lower tray 250 The lower tray 250 is used as one tray, and thus, the upper tray 150 may not be easily separated from the lower tray 250 .

However, when the hardness of the upper tray 150 is formed to be greater than the hardness of the lower tray 250, the adhesion force between the upper tray 150 and the lower tray 250 during the ice making process is improved, and the ice is removed. During the process, when the lower tray 250 is rotated, the lower tray 250 can be easily separated from the upper tray 150 .

The bottom surface 151 a of the upper tray body 151 is in contact with the top surface 251 e of the lower tray body 251 .

At this time, the elastic force of the elastic member 360 is applied to the lower supporter 270 in a state where the top surface 251 e of the lower tray body 251 is in contact with the bottom surface 151 a of the upper tray body 151 .

The elastic force of the elastic member 360 is applied to the lower tray 250 through the lower support 270 , so that the top surface 251 e of the lower tray body 251 presses the bottom surface 151 a of the upper tray body 151 .

Therefore, in a state where the top surface 251e of the lower tray body 251 is in contact with the bottom surface 151a of the upper tray body 151, each surface is pressed against each other, thereby increasing the adhesion force.

As described above, when the close contact force between the top surface 251e of the lower tray body 251 and the bottom surface 151a of the upper tray body 151 increases, since there is no gap between the two surfaces, it is possible to prevent the Upon completion, thin ribbon-shaped ice forms along the periphery of the spherical ice.

The first extension 253 of the lower tray 250 is disposed on the top surface 271 a of the support body 271 of the lower support 270 . The second extension wall 286 of the lower supporter 270 is in contact with the side of the first extension portion 253 of the lower tray 250 .

The second extension 254 of the lower tray 250 can be disposed on the second extension wall 286 of the lower support 270 .

The upper tray body 151 may be accommodated in the inner space of the peripheral wall 260 of the lower tray 250 in a state where the bottom surface 151a of the upper tray body 151 is seated on the top surface 251e of the lower tray body 251 .

At this time, the vertical wall 153 a of the upper tray body 151 is arranged to face the vertical wall 260 a of the lower tray 250 , and the curved wall 153 b of the upper tray body 151 is arranged to face the second wall 260 b of the lower tray 250 .

The outer surface of the chamber wall 153 of the upper tray body 151 is separated from the inner surface of the peripheral wall 260 of the lower tray 250 . That is, a space is formed between the outer surface of the chamber wall 153 of the upper tray body 151 and the inner surface of the peripheral wall 260 of the lower tray 250 .

The water supplied through the water supply part 190 is accommodated in the ice chamber 111, and when the amount of supplied water is larger than the volume of the ice chamber 111, the water that cannot be accommodated in the ice chamber 111 is stored in the ice chamber 111. The space between the outer surface of the chamber wall 153 of the upper tray body 151 and the inner surface of the peripheral wall 260 of the lower tray 250 .

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, even if the amount of water supplied is greater than the volume of the ice chamber 111 , water can be prevented from overflowing from the ice maker 100 .

The larger the space (or gap), the larger the volume of the lower assembly 200 is, therefore, the space (or gap) is formed to be smaller than the thickness of the peripheral wall 260 to prevent the volume of the lower assembly 200 from increasing. .

The space (or gap) may be formed to be greater than 1/100 and less than 1/50 of the diameter of the ice chamber 111 .

In a state where the top surface 251e of the lower tray body 251 is in contact with the bottom surface 151a of the upper tray body 151 , the top surface of the peripheral wall 260 may be located lower than the upper opening 154 of the upper tray 150 or the upper portion. Chamber 152 is at a higher position.

In addition, as described above, the lower tray main body 251 may be further provided with a heater contact portion 251 a for increasing a contact area with the lower heater 296 .

The heater contact part 251 a may protrude from the bottom surface of the lower tray body 251 . As an example, the heater contact portion 251a may protrude from the chamber wall 252d whose outer surface is curved.

The heater contact portion 251a may be configured in a ring shape. The bottom surface of the heater contact portion 251a may be a flat surface. Therefore, the heater contact portion 251 a may be in surface contact with the lower heater 296 .

In a state where the lower heater 296 is in contact with the heater contact portion 251a, the lower heater 296 may be located at a position lower than the middle point of the height of the lower chamber 252, but is not limited thereto. .

A portion of the heater contact portion 251a may be located between the top surface of the inner wall 291a and the top surface of the outer wall 291b in a state where the heater contact portion 251a is in contact with the lower heater 296 .

The lower tray body 251 may further include a convex portion 251b, and a lower part of the convex portion 251b is formed to protrude upward. As an example, the chamber wall 252d may include the protrusion 251b.

Referring to FIG. 30 , a part of the chamber wall 252d is supported by the lower support 270 , and another part is not supported by the lower support 270 . Accordingly, the chamber wall 252d may include a contact area in contact with the lower supporter 270 and a non-contact area not in contact with the lower supporter 270 . At least a part of the protrusion 251b may be provided in the non-contact area.

The protrusion 251b may be configured in a protruding manner toward the center of the ice chamber 111 . Except for the protrusion 251b, the lower chamber 252 may be formed in a hemispherical shape.

On the other hand, the protrusion 251b may protrude in a direction away from the lower opening 274 of the lower supporter 270 .

A recessed portion 251c is formed on the lower side of the convex portion 251b such that the thickness of the convex portion 251b is substantially the same as that of other parts of the lower tray body 251 .

In the present specification, "substantially the same" means to include concepts of being completely the same and not being completely the same but being almost indistinguishably similar.

The protrusion 251b may be configured to face the lower opening 274 of the lower supporter 270 in the up-down direction. The center of the protrusion 251 b may coincide with the center of the lower opening 274 .

A vertical centerline C3 passing through the center of the ice chamber 111 may pass through the upper opening 154 , the protrusion 251 b and the lower opening 274 .

The heater contact portion 251a may be configured to surround the convex portion 251b.

The lower opening 274 may be located vertically below the lower chamber 252 . That is, the lower opening 274 may be located vertically below the protrusion 251b.

A diameter D2 of the lower opening 274 may be smaller than a radius (1/2*D7) of the ice chamber 111 such that a contact area between the lower supporter 270 and the lower tray 250 increases.

A diameter D1 of the protrusion 251 b may be formed smaller than a diameter D2 of the lower opening 274 .

In a state where water is supplied to the ice chamber 111 , when cold air is supplied to the ice chamber 111 , the liquid water phase changes into solid ice. At this time, the water expands during the phase change of the water into ice, and the expansion force of the water is transmitted to the upper tray main body 151 and the lower tray main body 251, respectively.

In the case of this embodiment, the other part of the lower tray body 251 is surrounded by the support body 271, and the part corresponding to the lower opening 274 of the support body 271 (hereinafter referred to as "corresponding part") ) are not surrounded.

If the lower tray main body 251 is formed in a complete hemispherical shape, when the expansion force of the water is applied to the portion of the lower tray main body 251 corresponding to the lower opening 274, the lower tray A corresponding portion of the main body 251 is deformed toward the lower opening 274 side.

In this case, before ice making, the water supplied to the ice chamber 111 exists in a spherical shape, but after the completion of ice production, due to the deformation of the corresponding part of the lower tray main body 251, it is in a spherical shape. Additional ice in a convex shape corresponding to the space created by the deformation of the corresponding portion is formed on the ice.

Therefore, in this embodiment, considering the deformation of the lower tray main body 251 , a convex portion 251 b is formed on the lower tray main body 251 so that the ice made is as close to a complete spherical shape as possible. During the ice making process, the volume increase of ice can be compensated by the convex portion 251b.

A line passing through the center of the ice chamber 111 in the up-down direction in FIG. 30 may be referred to as a vertical centerline C3. As an example, the vertical centerline C3 may pass through the upper opening 154 and the lower opening 274 .

In this embodiment, the protrusion 251b is pressed by the lower ejector 400 during ice removal.

The lower heater 296 may be located radially outside the lower opening 274 to prevent the lower ejector 400 from contacting the lower heater 296 when the lower ejector 400 presses the protrusion 251b. interfere. Also, the lower heater 296 may be located radially outside of the protrusion 251b.

As an example, the lower arc portion of the lower heater 296 may be arranged to surround the convex portion 251b in the radial direction outside the convex portion 251b in the horizontal direction.

As shown in FIG. 30 , before ice making is completed, the lowest point 251g of the lower tray 250 is located at a position spaced apart from the vertical centerline C3.

The lowest point 111a of the ice chamber 111 may be located at a higher position than the lower heater 296 before ice making is completed.

And, at least a part of the lower heater 296 may be located higher than the lowest point 251g of the lower tray 250 before ice making is completed.

The highest point 251d of the protrusion 251b may be located at a higher position than the lowest point 111a of the ice chamber 111 before ice making is completed. Also, the highest point 251c1 of the concave portion 251c may be located at a lower position than the lowest point 111a of the ice chamber 111 .

Before ice making is completed, the highest point 251c1 of the recessed portion 251c may be located at a higher position than the lower heater 296 or the heater contact portion 251a.

The highest point 251c1 of the concave portion 251c may be located at a higher position than the lowest point 251g of the lower tray 250 before ice making is completed.

In addition, the diameter D1 of the convex portion 251b is formed to be smaller than the diameter D2 of the lower opening 274, so that, as shown in FIG. inside.

And, when ice making is completed, the lowest point 251f of the lower tray 250 may be located on the vertical center line C3. Alternatively, when the ice making is completed, the lowest point 251f of the lower tray 250 may be close to the vertical center line C3.

Therefore, the distance between the lowest point 251f of the lower tray 250 and the vertical centerline C3 after ice making is completed is smaller than the distance between the lowest point 251g of the lower tray 250 and the vertical centerline C3 before ice making is completed. distance between.

When ice making is completed, the lowest point 251f of the lower tray 250 may be located at a lower position than the lower heater 296 .

When ice making is completed, the lowest point 111b of the ice chamber 111 may be located at a lower position than the highest point of the lower heater 296 .

In the case of this embodiment, before ice making, the water supplied to the ice chamber 111 does not have a spherical shape, but after ice making is completed, the convex portion 251b of the lower tray main body 251 faces the lower The sides of the opening 274 are deformed so that spherical ice can be generated.

In the present embodiment, even though the convex portion 251b is formed, the concave portion 251c is formed on the lower side of the convex portion 251b, so that the convex portion 251b can be easily deformed. And, after the convex portion 251b is deformed by the concave portion 251c, if the external force is removed, the convex portion 251b can easily return to the original shape.

Next, the ice making process of the ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

32 is a sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 3 in a water supply state, and FIG. 33 is a sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 3 in an ice making state.

Fig. 34 is a sectional view taken along the line B-B of Fig. 3 in the ice making complete state, Fig. 35 is a sectional view taken along the B-B line of Fig. 3 in the initial ice removing state, and Fig. 36 is in the ice removing complete state Below is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 3 .

32 to 36, first, the lower assembly 200 is rotated to the water supply position.

In the water supply position of the lower assembly 200 , the top surface 251 e of the lower tray 250 is separated from the bottom surface 151 e of the upper tray 150 . The bottom surface 151e of the upper tray 150 may be called an end surface.

The bottom surface 151e of the upper tray 150 may be located at the same or similar height as the rotation center C2 (also referred to as a horizontal rotation axis) of the lower assembly 200, but is not limited thereto.

The rotation center C2 of the lower assembly 200 may be located on a surface extending from the top surface 251 e of the lower tray 250 . Alternatively, the rotation center C2 of the lower assembly 200 may be located on a surface extending from the contact surface of the lower tray 250 and the upper tray 150 .

In this embodiment, the direction in which the lower assembly 200 is rotated for removing ice (based on the drawing, counterclockwise) is referred to as forward direction, and the opposite direction (clockwise direction) is referred to as reverse direction.

At the water supply position of the lower assembly 200, the angle formed by the top surface 251e of the lower tray 250 and the bottom surface 151e of the upper tray 150 may be about 8 degrees, but it is not limited thereto.

In the state as described above, water supplied from the outside is guided and supplied to the ice chamber 111 by the water supply part 190 .

At this time, water may be supplied to the ice chamber 111 through one of the upper openings 154 of the upper tray 150 .

In a state where water supply is completed, a part of the supplied water fills the lower chamber 252 , and another part of the supplied water may be stored in a space between the upper tray 150 and the lower tray 250 .

As an example, the upper chamber 152 may have the same volume as the space between the upper tray 150 and the lower tray 250 . At this time, the water between the upper tray 150 and the lower tray 250 may completely fill the upper tray 150 . Of course, the volume of the upper chamber 152 may be greater than the volume of the space between the upper tray 150 and the lower tray 250 .

In the case of this embodiment, the lower tray 250 does not have passages for the three lower chambers 252 to communicate with each other.

As described above, even if the lower tray 250 does not have a channel for moving water, since the top surface 251e of the lower tray 250 is separated from the bottom surface 151e of the upper tray 150, during water supply, when When water fills up a specific lower chamber, the water may flow to other lower chambers along the top surface 251e of the lower tray 250 .

Accordingly, the plurality of lower chambers 252 in the lower tray 250 may be filled with water, respectively.

Also, in the case of the present embodiment, since the lower tray 250 does not have a channel for communicating with the lower chamber 252, it is possible to prevent additional ice in a convex shape from being formed on the periphery of the ice after ice making is completed.

In the state where the water supply is completed, as shown in FIG. 33 , the lower assembly 200 rotates in the reverse direction. When the lower assembly 200 rotates in the reverse direction, the top surface 251 e of the lower tray 250 is close to the bottom surface 151 e of the upper tray 150 .

At this time, the water between the top surface 251e of the lower tray 250 and the bottom surface 151e of the upper tray 150 is distributed to the respective interiors of the plurality of upper chambers 152 .

When the top surface 251e of the lower tray 250 is in close contact with the bottom surface 151e of the upper tray 150, the upper chamber 152 is filled with water.

The position of the lower assembly 200 in a state where the top surface 251e of the lower tray 250 is in contact with the bottom surface 151e of the upper tray 150 may be referred to as an ice making position. Alternatively, the ice-making position can also be referred to as a closed position (closed position).

During the water supply process, the upper ends 260d, 260e of the peripheral wall 260 of the lower tray 250 may be located at a higher position than the upper opening 154, so as to prevent the lower assembly 200 from the water supply position to the water supply due to excessive water supply. The water moved into the space (or gap) during the movement of the ice making position overflows.

And, the upper ends 260d, 260e of the peripheral wall 260 of the lower tray 250 may be located higher than the highest water level in the ice chamber 111 .

In the ice making position, the second wall 260b of the peripheral walls 260 is located closer to the rotation center C2 of the lower assembly 200 (or lower tray 250 ) than the first wall 260a.

As an example, the center of curvature of the second wall 260b may coincide with the rotation center C2.

Ice making starts in a state where the lower assembly 200 moves to the ice making position.

During ice making, the pressing force of water is smaller than the force for deforming the convex portion 251b of the lower tray 250, and thus, the convex portion 251b maintains an original shape without being deformed.

When ice production starts, the lower heater 296 is activated. When the lower heater 296 is activated, the heat of the lower heater 296 is transferred to the lower tray 250 .

Therefore, if ice making is performed in a state in which the lower heater 296 is activated, ice making starts from the upper left side in the ice chamber 111 .

That is, water turns into ice in the ice chamber 111 from the side of the upper opening 154 . Ice is generated from the upper side in the ice chamber 111, and therefore, air bubbles in the ice chamber 111 move downward.

In this embodiment, the output of the lower heater 296 may vary according to the mass per unit height of the water in the ice chamber 111 .

When the heating capacity of the lower heater 296 is the same, since the water in the ice chamber 111 has a different mass per unit height, the ice formation speed per unit height may be different.

For example, when the mass per unit height of water is small, ice formation is fast, and conversely, when the mass per unit height of water is large, ice formation is slow.

When the ice-making speed at each height of water is not constant, the transparency of ice at each unit height may be different. In particular, when the ice generation rate is fast, air bubbles cannot move from the ice to the water side and the ice contains air bubbles, so that the transparency may be low.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the output of the lower heater 296 can be controlled in such a manner that the output of the lower heater 296 is changed according to the mass per unit height of the water in the ice chamber 111 .

When the ice chamber 111 is formed into a spherical shape, the mass per unit height of the water increases from the upper side toward the lower side, and reaches a maximum at the boundary of the upper tray 150 and the lower tray 250, and then decrease to the lower side.

Therefore, in the case of the present embodiment, the output of the lower heater 296 can be reduced from the initial output and then increased.

In the ice chamber 111, the ice contacts the top surface of the convex portion 251b of the lower tray 250 during ice generation from the upper side toward the lower side.

In this state, if ice continues to be produced, as shown in FIG. 35 , the convex portion 251b is pressed and deformed, and when ice making is completed, spherical ice can be produced.

An unillustrated control unit may determine whether ice making is completed based on the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor 500 .

The lower heater 296 may be turned off when ice production is completed or before ice production is completed.

When the ice making is finished, the upper heater 148 is first activated to remove the ice. When the upper heater 148 is activated, the heat of the upper heater 148 is transferred to the upper tray 150 so that ice may be separated from the surface (inner surface) of the upper tray 150 .

When the upper heater 148 operates for a set time, the upper heater 148 is turned off, and the lower assembly 200 can be rotated forward by operating the driving unit 180 .

As shown in FIG. 36 , when the lower assembly 200 rotates forward, the lower tray 250 is spaced away from the upper tray 150 .

The rotational force of the lower assembly 200 is transmitted to the upper ejector 300 through the connection unit 350 . At this time, the upper ejector 300 descends through the unit guides 181 , 182 , thereby introducing the upper ejection pin 320 into the upper chamber 152 through the upper opening 154 .

Ice may be separated from the upper tray 150 before the upper push-out pin 320 presses the ice during ice removal. That is, ice may be separated from the surface of the upper tray 150 by the heat of the upper heater 148 .

In this case, the ice may rotate together with the lower assembly 200 while being supported by the lower tray 250 .

Alternatively, there may be a case where ice is not separated from the surface of the upper tray 150 even if the heat of the upper heater 148 is applied to the upper tray 150 .

Therefore, when the lower assembly 200 rotates forward, the ice may be separated from the lower tray 250 in a state of being in close contact with the upper tray 150 .

In this state, during the rotation of the lower assembly 200, the upper push-out pin 320 passing through the upper opening 154 presses the ice that is in close contact with the upper tray 150, thereby allowing the ice to flow from the upper tray 150. The upper tray 150 is separated. The ice separated from the upper tray 150 may be supported by the lower tray 250 again.

In the state where the ice is supported by the lower tray 250, when the ice rotates together with the lower assembly 200, even if no external force is applied to the lower tray 250, the ice may fall from the lower tray 250 due to its own weight. separate.

Even during the rotation of the lower assembly 200, the ice does not separate from the lower tray 250 under its own weight. As shown in FIG. 36, when the lower tray 250 is pressed by the lower ejector 400, the ice It can also be separated from the lower tray 250 . The position of FIG. 36 may be referred to as an ice separation position. The ice removal position may be referred to as an open position.

Specifically, during the rotation of the lower assembly 200 , the lower tray 250 is in contact with the lower push-out pin 420 .

When the lower assembly 200 continues to rotate forward, the lower ejection pin 420 presses the lower tray 250, thereby deforming the lower tray 250, and the pressing force of the lower ejection pin 420 is transmitted to the ice, Thereby, ice may be separated from the surface of the lower tray 250 . The ice separated from the surface of the lower tray 250 may fall downward and be stored in the ice box 102 .

After the ice is separated from the lower tray 250 , the lower assembly 200 is rotated reversely again under the action of the driving unit 180 .

During the reverse rotation of the lower assembly 200, when the lower push-out pin 420 is spaced apart from the lower tray 250, the deformed lower tray 250 may return to an original shape. That is, the deformed convex portion 251b can be restored to the original shape again.

During the reverse rotation of the lower assembly 200 , the rotational force is transmitted to the upper ejector 300 through the connection unit 350 , so that the upper ejector 300 rises, and the upper ejector pin 320 exits from the upper chamber 152 break away.

When the lower assembly 200 reaches the water supply position, the driving unit 180 is stopped, and water supply is started again.

Claims (17)

1. An ice machine, comprising: an upper tray assembly including an upper mold portion having at least one upper cavity; and a lower tray assembly comprising a lower mold portion having at least one lower cavity and being flexible; a lower support covering an outer peripheral surface of the lower mold portion, the lower tray assembly is movable relative to the upper tray assembly between an open position and a closed position, In said closed position, said upper chamber and said lower chamber form at least one ice chamber for making ice, The lower mold part includes a convex portion protruding toward the lower chamber side, and ice is generated from the upper side to the lower side in the ice chamber, and the convex portion has a direction toward the lower chamber before ice is made in the ice chamber. The center of the ice chamber has a convex shape, and after the ice making in the ice chamber is completed, it has a shape that protrudes to the outside of the lower chamber. 2. The ice maker of claim 1, wherein: The lower mold part is formed of a flexible material or a silicon material. 3. The ice maker of claim 1, wherein: The lower support covers more than 1/2 of the outer peripheral surface of the lower mold part to limit deformation of the lower mold part during ice making. 4. The ice maker of claim 1, wherein: said lower mold portion comprises a lower mold body formed in a hemispherical shape for forming said at least one lower cavity, The lower support includes a hemispherical-shaped cavity receiving portion for receiving the lower mold body, The chamber receiving part is formed with a lower opening. 5. The ice maker of claim 4, wherein: A lower heater is also included, the lower heater is accommodated in the heater accommodation groove of the lower support, The heater receiving groove is adjacent to the lower opening, and the lower heater is in contact with the lower mold part. 6. The ice maker according to claim 4 or 5, wherein: The lower opening corresponds to the center of the outer peripheral surface of the lower chamber. 7. The ice maker of claim 1, wherein: The lower mold section includes: a lower mold body forming a wall of said lower chamber; and a peripheral wall extending from the lower chamber and formed along a peripheral end of the lower mold body, The lower mold body includes an end face that contacts the upper mold portion in the closed position of the lower tray assembly. 8. The ice maker of claim 7, wherein: the upper mold portion includes an upper mold body forming a wall of the upper chamber, the upper mold body includes an end face in contact with an end face of the lower mold body in the closed position of the lower tray assembly, In the closed position of the lower tray assembly, the upper mold body is received within the peripheral wall and the end faces of the lower mold body and the upper mold body are in contact with each other. 9. The ice maker of claim 8, wherein: When the upper mold body is received within the peripheral wall in the closed position of the lower tray assembly, the upper mold body is spaced from the peripheral wall between the upper mold body and the peripheral wall Create a gap between them to prevent water from overflowing. 10. The ice maker according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein: In the closed position of the lower tray assembly, the peripheral wall extends towards the upper tray assembly. 11. The ice maker of claim 7, wherein: The lower tray assembly rotates about a rotation axis relative to the upper tray assembly. 12. The ice maker of claim 11, wherein: the peripheral wall includes a curved wall extending in a direction away from the lower chamber, The center of curvature of the curved wall coincides with the axis of rotation. 13. The ice maker of claim 1, wherein: The upper chamber and the lower chamber are formed in a hemispherical shape to form a spherical ice chamber. 14. The ice maker of claim 4, wherein: In the closed position, the protrusion is located on the upper side of the lower opening before ice is formed in the ice chamber. 15. The ice maker of claim 4, wherein: a recessed portion recessed toward the lower chamber side is provided on the lower side of the convex portion, In the closed position, the recess is located on the upper side of the lower opening before ice is formed in the ice chamber. 16. The ice maker of claim 15, wherein: During the ice making process, the area of the concave portion is reduced due to the deformation of the convex portion. 17. The ice maker of claim 1, wherein: The convex portion is deformed by an expansion force of water during ice making, and the convex portion is deformed during ice making to form a part of the lower chamber in a hemispherical shape.

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