Water valve and refrigerator including the same

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a water valve and a refrigerator including the same may be provided, comprising: a valve body having an inlet for water to flow in, at least one discharge portion communicating with the inlet portion, and a flow path portion configured to communicate with the inlet portion and the discharge portion, and an opening / closing valve for opening and closing each flow path communicating with each of the at least one discharge portion, wherein the flow path portion is provided with an opening / closing flow path that is opened / closed by the opening / closing valve and a reservoir portion in which water flowing in from the inlet portion is received or flows depending on whether the opening / closing flow path is opened or closed, and the reservoir portion is provided with an improved protrusion portion that generates a vortex to improve the flow of water and increase the flow rate.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a water valve and a refrigerator including the same. Background Technology

[0003] Generally, a refrigerator is equipped with a refrigerator compartment for storing food at low temperatures and a freezer compartment for storing food frozen. Recently, there is a growing trend of installing a dispenser on the refrigerator door to easily dispense water without opening the door from the outside. In addition, there is an increasing trend of installing an ice dispenser, which allows ice frozen inside the refrigerator to be dispensed from the outside of the refrigerator door, along with a dispenser for dispensing cooled water from the outside.

[0004] A refrigerator equipped with both a dispenser and an ice maker is designed so that water is supplied from an external water source via a water supply pipe and filled into a water tank, and then water supply pipes are connected from the water tank to the dispenser and the ice maker to supply water simultaneously through the dispenser and the ice maker, thereby generating ice in the ice maker and transferring the generated ice to an ice dispenser to be dispensed from the outside of the door. A water valve is installed on the water supply line to regulate the supply volume of cold water to the dispenser and the water to the ice maker.

[0005] In particular, these water valves control the water supply by opening or closing the valve through the upward and downward movement of a plunger (electromagnetic component). There is a problem in that the water flow rate through the water valve is low due to the resistance of the water entering the structure for opening or closing the plunger. Prior art literature

[0007] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1211803 (Date of publication: December 12, 2012.) The problem to be solved

[0008] In order to solve the technical problem to be achieved by the present invention, the purpose is to provide a water valve capable of increasing the discharged flow rate by improving the flow of water, and a refrigerator including the same.

[0009] The technical problems that the present invention aims to solve are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned technical problems can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs from the description below. means of solving the problem

[0011] A water valve according to one embodiment of the present invention is,

[0012] A valve body having an inlet for water to flow in, at least one discharge portion communicating with said inlet portion, and a flow path portion configured to communicate with said inlet portion and said discharge portion; and

[0013] It includes an opening / closing valve that opens / closes each fluid path communicating with at least one of the above-mentioned discharge sections; and

[0014] The above Euro section,

[0015] An opening / closing passage that is opened / closed by the above-mentioned opening / closing valve; and

[0016] A reservoir is provided in which water flowing in from the above-mentioned inlet is received or flows depending on whether the above-mentioned opening and closing channel is open or closed.

[0017] The above reservoir is provided with an improved protrusion that generates a vortex, which can improve the flow of water and increase the flow rate.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present invention,

[0019] The above discharge section is,

[0020] It may include a first discharge section and a second discharge section communicating with the above-mentioned inlet section.

[0021] According to one embodiment of the present invention,

[0022] The above Euro section,

[0023] A first flow path portion communicating with the first discharge portion; and

[0024] It may include a second flow path connected to the second discharge section.

[0025] According to one embodiment of the present invention,

[0026] The above-mentioned first Euro section is,

[0027] A first opening / closing passage that is opened / closed by the above-mentioned opening / closing valve; and

[0028] A first reservoir may be provided, in which water flowing in from the above-mentioned inlet is received or flows depending on whether the above-mentioned opening and closing channel is open or closed.

[0029] According to one embodiment of the present invention,

[0030] The above second Euro section is,

[0031] A second opening / closing passage that is opened / closed by the above-mentioned opening / closing valve; and

[0032] A second reservoir may be provided, in which water flowing in from the above-mentioned inlet is received or flows depending on whether the above-mentioned opening and closing channel is open or closed.

[0033] According to one embodiment of the present invention,

[0034] The above-mentioned shut-off valve is,

[0035] A first opening / closing valve for opening and closing the flow path of the first flow path section; and

[0036] It may include a second opening / closing valve that opens and closes the flow path of the second flow path section.

[0037] According to one embodiment of the present invention,

[0038] The above-mentioned opening and closing valve is,

[0039] It can be provided as a solenoid that operates by the flow of current.

[0040] According to one embodiment of the present invention,

[0041] The above-mentioned improved protrusion is,

[0042] It may be included as a rib formed protruding from the bottom surface of the above reservoir.

[0043] A refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention is,

[0044] Includes a water valve that operates to selectively supply water;

[0045] The above water valve is,

[0046] A valve body having an inlet for water to flow in, at least one discharge portion communicating with said inlet portion, and a flow path portion configured to communicate with said inlet portion and said discharge portion; and

[0047] It includes an opening / closing valve that opens / closes each fluid path communicating with at least one of the above-mentioned discharge sections; and

[0048] The above Euro section,

[0049] An opening / closing passage that is opened / closed by the above-mentioned opening / closing valve; and

[0050] A reservoir is provided in which water flowing in from the above-mentioned inlet is received or flows depending on whether the above-mentioned opening and closing channel is open or closed.

[0051] The above reservoir is provided with an improved protrusion that generates a vortex, which can improve the flow of water and increase the flow rate. Effects of the invention

[0053] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a water valve capable of increasing the discharge flow rate by improving the flow of water and a refrigerator including the same can be provided. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0055] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a water valve according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a water valve according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the flow of water introduced into the inlet of a water valve according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a water valve according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a drawing of a valve body according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a drawing showing a reservoir provided with an improved flow path according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the flow of water flowing into a reservoir according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a mounting bracket according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a graph showing the measured water flow rate according to pressure of a water valve and a water valve without a protrusion according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an intake channel according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a drawing showing a reservoir according to another embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0056] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a water valve according to the present invention and a refrigerator including the same will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0057] It should be noted that when assigning reference numerals to the components of each drawing, the same components are assigned the same reference numeral whenever possible, even if they are shown in different drawings. Furthermore, in describing the embodiments of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known components or functions would hinder understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, such detailed description is omitted.

[0058] In describing the components of the embodiments of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc., may be used. These terms are intended merely to distinguish the components from other components, and the essence, order, or sequence of the components is not limited by such terms. Furthermore, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this application.

[0060] The present invention relates to a refrigerator comprising an ice maker and a dispenser. The refrigerator can supply water, for example, by supplying drinking water to a user through a dispenser or by supplying water to an ice maker installed in the refrigerator to make ice. A water valve according to one embodiment of the present invention is a device mounted on the water supply line of the refrigerator to selectively supply water to a dispenser or an ice maker, etc.

[0062] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a water valve according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a water valve according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the flow of water introduced into the inlet of a water valve according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a water valve according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a drawing of a valve body according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a drawing showing a reservoir where an improved flow path is provided according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 is a drawing showing the flow of water introduced into the reservoir according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a mounting bracket according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0064] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0065] A water valve (10) according to FIGS. 1 to 8 may include an inlet (110) into which water flows, at least one discharge (120) communicating with the inlet (110), a valve body (101) having a flow path configured to communicate with the inlet (110) and the discharge (120), and an opening / closing valve (200) for opening and closing each flow path communicating with each of the at least one discharge (120).

[0067] The above-mentioned water channel may be provided with a water reservoir (131) in which water flowing in from the water inlet channel (111) of the water inlet section (110) is received or flows depending on whether the water inlet channel (132) is opened or closed by the above-mentioned water inlet section (110), and the water inlet section (131) in which an improved protrusion (133) is provided may be provided with a water reservoir (131) in which a vortex is generated to improve the flow of water, thereby increasing the flow rate of water discharged through the water reservoir (132). Here, the upper body (102) provided on the upper surface of the reservoir (131) may have the cylinder (220) of the opening / closing valve (200) inserted and included, and the opening / closing passage (132) is provided to protrude at a predetermined height from the bottom surface of the reservoir (131), so that the opening / closing passage (132) can be opened or closed by the raising or lowering of the plunger (221) provided in the opening / closing valve (200).

[0070] The reservoir (131) is provided with an improved protrusion (133) to improve the flow of water and increase the flow rate discharged to the discharge section (120). More specifically, the improved protrusion (133) may be included as a rib (133) formed by protruding from the bottom surface of the reservoir (131) at a predetermined height. As the rib (133) is formed by protruding from the bottom surface of the reservoir (131), water flowing in from the inlet water channel (111) which is connected to the inlet water section (110) may collide with the rib, causing a vortex to be generated. The vortex generated by the rib (133) may change the direction of the water flowing in the reservoir (131). As the direction of the water flowing in the reservoir (131) is changed, the water flowing into the opening / closing channel (132) increases, and the flow rate discharged through the discharge section (120) can be increased. Here, the predetermined height may be selected by a person skilled in the art and may be a height at which the rib (133) and water collide to generate a vortex, but is not limited thereto.

[0072] The opening / closing valve (200) may be provided with a solenoid (210). When current flows through the solenoid (210) or when current does not flow, the plunger (221) embedded in the cylinder (220) may be controlled by a magnetic coil to rise or fall so that the opening / closing passage (132) opens or closes. Here, the plunger (221) of the opening / closing valve (200) may be installed to operate in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the opening / closing passage (132).

[0074] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the valve body (101) may be provided with at least one discharge section (120), preferably two discharge sections (120), but is not limited thereto. The valve body (101) may include a first discharge section (1201) and a second discharge section (1202) that are in communication with the inlet section. Accordingly, the flow path may include a first flow path section (1301) that is in communication with the first discharge section (1201) and a second flow path section (1302) that is in communication with the second discharge section (1202). The first flow path section (1301) and the second flow path section (1302) may be branched from an inlet flow path (1101) that is in communication with the inlet section (110), but is not limited thereto.

[0075] The first flow path (1301) may be provided with a first opening / closing flow path (1321) that is opened / closed by the opening / closing valve (200), and a first reservoir (1311) into which water flows in from the inlet (110) and is received or flows depending on whether the first opening / closing flow path (1321) is opened / closed. A first opening / closing valve (201) that opens / closes the flow path of the first flow path (1301) may be included to control the discharge of water to the first discharge section (1201).

[0076] The second flow path (1302) may be provided with a second opening / closing flow path (1322) that is opened / closed by the opening / closing valve (200), and a second reservoir (1312) into which water flows in from the inlet (110) and is received or flows depending on whether the second opening / closing flow path (1322) is opened / closed. A second opening / closing valve (202) that opens / closes the flow path of the second flow path (1302) may be included to control the discharge of water to the second discharge section (1202).

[0077] The first opening / closing valve (201) and the second opening / closing valve (202) can be controlled according to the control of the refrigerator control unit so that water can be selectively discharged to the first discharge unit (1201) and the second discharge unit (1202).

[0078] The first shut-off valve (201) and the second shut-off valve (201) may each be provided with a terminal. The terminal may serve to supply power to the first shut-off valve (201) and the second shut-off valve (202). For reference, the shut-off valve (200) provided as a solenoid uses a standard configuration, so a detailed description of the configuration is omitted.

[0080] Additionally, the valve body (101) may be provided with a mounting bracket (300) for fixing it inside the refrigerator.

[0081] Additionally, the mounting bracket (300) may include a bent portion (310) to be caught on the shoulder of the valve body (101). The mounting bracket (300) may include an upper body (102) that is detachably provided on the upper surface of the water reservoir (131) of the valve body (101) and has a through hole formed so that the cylinder (220) of the opening / closing valve (200) is inserted and the plunger (221) can move up and down. By including the bent portion (310), the upper body (102) can be double-secured by the mounting bracket (300) while connected to the valve body (101). By being double-secured, the assembly is more robust, while preventing leakage from the water valve (10) and increasing the stability of the product. In the water valve (10), high pressure may be generated in the valve body (101) and upper body (102) during the process of supplying water, and a mounting bracket (300) is included between the valve body (101) and the opening / closing valve (200), and the upper body (102) and the valve body (101) are double-fixed by the bending portion (310), thereby reinforcing the strength against the pressure generated in the valve body (101), so that even if pressure is repeatedly generated inside the water valve (10) for a long period of time, the valve body (101) and upper body (102) can be prevented from being damaged.

[0082] Additionally, the mounting bracket (300) may be provided with a reinforcing member (302). The reinforcing member (302) may be provided in a cross shape, but is not limited thereto. By forming the reinforcing member (302), the mounting bracket (300) is reinforced, so that deformation due to pressure can be prevented even when pressure is generated inside the water valve (10).

[0083] A fixing part (320) may be provided in the mounting bracket (300) to fix the opening / closing valve (200) and prevent it from coming off. The fixing part (320) may be provided in the form of a plate, and both sides may be bent from the upper surface of the opening / closing valve (200) so that the bent sides are inserted into the mounting bracket (300) and fixed, and the bent sides may be inserted into the mounting bracket (300) to fix the solenoid (201, 202).

[0085] FIG. 9 is a graph showing the water flow rate according to pressure of a water valve (10) according to one embodiment of the present invention and a water valve without an improved protrusion.

[0086] The discharge flow rate for 7.5 seconds was measured for a water valve without improved protrusions and a water valve according to an embodiment of the present invention under the same inlet pressure and the same voltage. It can be confirmed that the water valve according to an embodiment of the present invention has a higher discharge flow rate than the water valve without improved protrusions. As such, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the discharge flow rate can be increased by generating a vortex in the reservoir to improve the flow of water.

[0088] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an inlet water flow path according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a drawing showing a reservoir according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0089] According to FIGS. 10 and 11, the water valve (10) may include an inlet (110) into which water flows, at least one outlet (120) communicating with the inlet (110), a valve body (101) having a flow path configured to communicate with the inlet (110) and the outlet (120), and an opening / closing valve (200) for opening and closing each flow path communicating with each of the at least one outlet (120).

[0090] The above-mentioned water channel may be provided with a water reservoir (131) in which water flowing in from the water inlet channel (111) of the water inlet section (110) is received or flows depending on whether the water inlet channel (132) is opened or closed by the above-mentioned water inlet section (110), and the water inlet section (131) in which an improved protrusion (133) is provided may be provided with a water reservoir (131) in which a vortex is generated to improve the flow of water, thereby increasing the flow rate of water discharged through the water reservoir (131). Here, the upper body (102) provided on the upper surface of the reservoir (131) may have the cylinder (220) of the opening / closing valve (200) inserted and included, and the opening / closing passage (132) is provided to protrude at a predetermined height from the bottom surface of the reservoir (131), so that the opening / closing passage (132) can be opened or closed by the raising or lowering of the plunger (221) provided in the opening / closing valve (200).

[0091] The reservoir (131) is provided with an improved protrusion (133) to improve the flow of water and increase the flow rate discharged to the discharge section (120). More specifically, the improved protrusion (133) may be included as a rib (133) formed by protruding from the bottom surface of the reservoir (131) at a predetermined height. As the rib (133) is formed by protruding from the bottom surface of the reservoir (131), water flowing in from the inlet water channel (111) which is connected to the inlet water section (110) may collide with the rib, causing a vortex to be generated. The vortex generated by the rib (133) may change the direction of the water flowing in the reservoir (131). As the direction of the water flowing in the reservoir (131) is changed, the water flowing into the opening / closing channel (132) increases, and the flow rate discharged through the discharge section (120) can be increased. Here, the predetermined height may be selected by a person skilled in the art and may be a height at which the rib (133) and water collide to generate a vortex, but is not limited thereto.

[0092] The connection between the inlet channel (111) and the reservoir (131) may further include an inclined section (112) having a predetermined slope. By providing an inclined section (112) formed with a predetermined slope, the volume of the connection between the reservoir (131) and the inlet channel (111) is reduced, thereby increasing the flow velocity. Additionally, the inclined section prevents the occurrence of vortices caused by steps in the inlet channel where the slope is not formed, thereby preventing a decrease in flow velocity and improving the flow of water to increase the flow velocity.

[0094] The foregoing description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes only, and those skilled in the art will understand that other specific forms can be easily modified without altering the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single unit may be implemented in a distributed manner, and components described as distributed may likewise be implemented in a combined form.

[0095] The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims set forth below, and all modifications or variations derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and equivalent concepts thereof should be interpreted as being included within the scope of the present invention. Explanation of the symbols

[0097] 10: Water valve 101: Valve body 102: Upper body 110: Inlet 111: Entry Euro 112: Inclined section 120: Discharge part 131: Reservoir 132: Opening and closing Euros 133: Improved protrusion 200: Opening / closing valve 210: Solenoid 220: Cylinder 221: Plunger 300: Mounting bracket 301: Through hole 302: Reinforcement section 310: Bending part 320: Fixed part 330: Connecting part

Claims

Claim 1 A water valve comprising: a valve body having an inlet for water to flow in, at least one discharge portion communicating with the inlet portion, and a flow path portion configured to communicate with the inlet portion and the discharge portion; and an opening / closing valve for opening and closing each flow path communicating with each of the at least one discharge portion; wherein the flow path portion comprises an opening / closing flow path that is opened / closed by the opening / closing valve; and a reservoir portion in which water flowing in from the inlet portion is received or flows depending on whether the opening / closing flow path is opened or closed; and wherein the reservoir portion is provided with an improved projection portion that generates a vortex. Claim 2 A water valve according to claim 1, wherein the discharge portion comprises a first discharge portion and a second discharge portion communicating with the inlet portion. Claim 3 A water valve according to claim 2, wherein the above-mentioned flow path comprises: a first flow path communicating with the first discharge section; and a second flow path communicating with the second discharge section. Claim 4 A water valve according to claim 3, wherein the first flow path comprises: a first opening / closing flow path that is opened / closed by the opening / closing valve; and a first reservoir in which water flowing in from the inlet is received or flows depending on whether the opening / closing flow path is opened or closed. Claim 5 A water valve according to claim 3, wherein the second flow path comprises: a second opening / closing flow path that is opened / closed by the opening / closing valve; and a second reservoir in which water flowing in from the inlet is received or flows depending on whether the opening / closing flow path is opened or closed. Claim 6 In claim 3, the opening and closing valve comprises: a first opening and closing valve for opening and closing the flow path of the first flow path section; and a second opening and closing valve for opening and closing the flow path of the second flow path section; a water valve. Claim 7 In claim 1, the opening and closing valve is a water valve provided with a solenoid that operates by the flow of current. Claim 8 A water valve according to claim 1, wherein the improved projection is included as a rib formed protruding from the bottom surface of the reservoir. Claim 9 A refrigerator comprising: a water valve that operates to selectively supply water; wherein the water valve comprises: a valve body having an inlet for water to flow in, at least one outlet communicating with the inlet, and a flow path provided to communicate with the inlet and the outlet; and an opening / closing valve that opens and closes each flow path communicating with each of the at least one outlet; wherein the flow path comprises: an opening / closing flow path opened / closed by the opening / closing valve; and a reservoir in which water flowing in from the inlet is received or flows depending on whether the opening / closing flow path is opened or closed; and wherein the reservoir is provided with an improved protrusion that generates a vortex.

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