Ice storage and auger-type ice maker comprising same

Abstract

Disclosed are an ice storage and an auger-type ice maker comprising same. The ice storage according to the present invention includes: a housing having an inner space for accommodating ice; a spiral provided in the inner space of the housing to rotate so as to move ice upward from the bottom surface of the housing, the ice being supplied from the outside; and a guide member surrounding at least one portion of the outer surface of the spiral and having, formed therein, an opening through which the rising ice is discharged into the inner space of the housing.

Description

Ice storage unit and auger-type ice maker including the same

[0001] Cross-citation with related application(s)

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0129546 filed September 25, 2024, and all contents disclosed in the literature of said Korean patent applications are incorporated herein as part of this specification.

[0003] The present invention relates to an ice storage unit for storing ice and an auger-type ice maker including the same, and more specifically, to an ice storage unit capable of storing a large volume of ice and evenly dispersing the ice within the ice storage unit without the ice clumping together, and an auger-type ice maker including the same.

[0004] As of 2023, the domestic water purifier market in South Korea has reached a scale of approximately 2.1 million units and 3 trillion won. This growth in the water purifier market is attributed to the incorporation of ice-making technology, which goes beyond the traditional functions of providing hot, cold, and purified water. It has become common practice for household refrigerators to be equipped with not only water purification functions but also ice makers that manufacture and store ice.

[0005] An ice maker consists of an ice-making unit that produces ice and an ice storage unit that stores the produced ice. The ice-making unit produces ice by immersing or spraying water into a finger-type evaporator; however, in this method, the ice storage unit is typically positioned below the evaporator, and the noise is loud because the defrostered ice falls due to gravity. Meanwhile, there is an auger-type ice maker equipped with a rotating auger inside an ice-making drum through which refrigerant flows to discharge the ice to the outside of the drum and cut the discharged ice. In an auger-type ice maker as well, if the discharged ice is not dispersed in a timely manner, the accumulated ice is crushed at the top of the auger, resulting in loud noise and the generation of sludge.

[0006] Meanwhile, manufactured ice is stored in an ice storage unit. When large quantities of ice are manufactured and stored, the ice tends to clump together due to partial melting and freezing of the ice surface. This clumping phenomenon causes an error where the ice cannot be dispensed at all when attempting to discharge it externally. To increase the ice storage capacity of the unit to more than 10 kg due to this issue, a technical solution must be implemented first, as clumping occurs even more easily.

[0007] Related prior art documents include Patent Document 1, which relates to noise caused by falling ice, and Patent Document 2, which relates to the phenomenon of ice clumping in an ice storage facility.

[0008] (Patent Document 1) KR Patent Registration 10-22329740000 (2021.03.23)

[0009] (Patent Document 2) KR Patent Registration 10-17111530000 (2017.02.22)

[0010] The present invention aims to solve the aforementioned problems by arranging a spiral that raises ice from the bottom surface in a housing, and providing a guide member that wraps around a part of the outer surface of the spiral and has an opening formed to discharge ice into the internal space of the housing where ice is stored. This demonstrates that the phenomenon of ice clumping in the ice storage can be significantly reduced and the ice can be uniformly dispersed in the ice storage.

[0011] Accordingly, the objective of the present invention is to provide an ice storage unit that prevents ice clumping and disperses it uniformly to maximize ice storage capacity, and an auger-type ice maker including the same.

[0012] To achieve the above objective, an ice storage unit according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a housing having an internal space for receiving ice, a spiral provided in the internal space of the housing that raises ice supplied from the outside from a position on the bottom surface of the housing as it rotates, and a guide member that surrounds at least a portion of the outer surface of the spiral and has an opening formed therein for discharging the rising ice into the internal space of the housing.

[0013] The ice storage unit may further include a blade that disperses the stored ice as it rotates within the internal space of the housing. Here, the blade is positioned on the bottom surface of the housing, and the bottom surface of the housing may have an inclined surface so that the ice moves to where the blade is located.

[0014] A spiral can have a shape that is helical but has a constant radius of curvature from the axis of rotation.

[0015] The guide member is fixed to the inner surface of the housing, and the opening of the guide member can be formed toward the upper part of the blade.

[0016] An auger-type ice maker according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a housing having an internal space for receiving ice; a spiral provided in the internal space of the housing and raising ice supplied from the outside from a position on the bottom surface of the housing as it rotates; an ice storage unit comprising a guide member that surrounds at least a portion of the outer surface of the spiral and has an opening formed therein for discharging vertically rising ice into the internal space of the housing; and an auger module disposed at the bottom of the ice storage unit and supplying ice to the spiral.

[0017] The auger module includes an ice-making container through which refrigerant flows, an auger disposed inside the ice-making container and rotating, and a driving means for rotating the auger, wherein the driving means can rotate a spiral using the power to rotate the auger.

[0018] The auger-type ice maker further includes a cutting module for cutting ice at the upper part of the ice maker container, an auger is connected to the lower part of the cutting module, and a spiral of an ice storage tank can be connected to the upper part of the cutting module.

[0019] The ice storage unit according to the present invention and the auger-type ice maker including the same can eliminate noise and sludge generation and prevent ice from clumping together by immediately vertically raising ice supplied from the outside or manufactured and sending it into the internal space of the housing for storing ice. Accordingly, the ice manufacturing and storage capacity of the ice storage unit can be increased.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an auger-type ice maker according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 is a top view of the ice storage shown in Figure 1.

[0022] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken by cutting along the A-A' line of Figure 1 to show the interior.

[0023] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken by cutting along the B-B' line of Figure 1 to show the interior.

[0024] Figure 5 is a drawing showing a discharge port that discharges ice into a housing and a motor that rotates a blade, in addition to Figure 1.

[0025] Fig. 6 is an exploded view of the auger-type ice maker shown in Fig. 1.

[0026] Figure 7 is an image showing the ice manufacturing process of an auger-type ice maker.

[0027] An ice storage unit according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a housing having an internal space for receiving ice, a spiral provided in the internal space of the housing that rotates to raise ice supplied from the outside from a position on the bottom surface of the housing, and a guide member that surrounds at least a portion of the outer surface of the spiral and has an opening formed therein for discharging the rising ice into the internal space of the housing. By having a spiral and a housing that surrounds the outer surface thereof, the ice storage unit of the present invention can continuously raise the ice vertically and send the ice into the internal space of the housing through the opening of the guide member, thereby preventing the ice from clumping and enabling a large capacity for ice production and storage.

[0028] Additionally, the ice storage unit may be mounted on an auger-type ice maker. An auger-type ice maker according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an auger module disposed at the bottom of the ice storage unit and supplying ice to a spiral.

[0029] The auger module continuously rotates while operating to supply ice to the ice storage, and since the spiral rotates together with the auger module to raise the ice, the problem of ice accumulating in specific locations can be solved.

[0030] Hereinafter, the features of the present invention will be described by citing embodiments through the drawings. However, since the exemplified embodiments, structures, and shapes can be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the technical spirit and scope of the present invention, they should be accepted as encompassing the components of the claims and their equivalent scopes.

[0031]

[0032] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an auger-type ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a top view of the ice storage shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken by cutting along line A-A' of FIG. 1 to show the interior, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken by cutting along line B-B' of FIG. 1 to show the interior.

[0033] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, the auger-type ice maker (1000) of the present invention includes an ice storage tank (100) for storing ice (D) and an auger module (200) for manufacturing and supplying ice to the ice storage tank.

[0034] An ice storage unit (100) includes a housing (110) having an internal space for accommodating ice (D), a spiral (120) for raising ice supplied from the outside, and a guide member (130) for guiding the raised ice to be discharged into the internal space of the housing.

[0035] A guide member (130) and a spiral (120) may be disposed in the internal space of the housing (110). For example, the spiral (120) may be provided at one corner of the internal space of the housing (110), and the guide member (130) may be attached to the wall (112) of the housing (110), and the guide member (130) may have a shape that partially wraps around the outer surface of the spiral (120). The spiral (120) has a spiral shape and rotates by external power. Therefore, it is preferable for the guide member (130) to wrap around the spiral (120) at a spaced-away position so that the spiral (120) can rotate. For reference, although the drawing shows a structure in which the guide member (130) can be attached while physically separated from the housing (110), the guide member (130) may be implemented as a physically integral part with the housing (110). For example, when performing injection molding or manufacturing a mold to produce a housing, the guide member can be injected or molded integrally with the housing to form a single integrated unit. By manufacturing it as an integrated unit in this way, foreign substances can be prevented from getting stuck in the space where the housing and the guide member come into contact.

[0036] The housing (110), spiral (120), and guide member (130) constituting the ice storage unit (100) may be made of a synthetic resin or alloy that is harmless to the human body, suitable for contact with food, and has excellent corrosion resistance and rigidity. For example, the synthetic resin may be polycarbonate (PC), polypropylene (PP), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), acetal resin (POM), or polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and the alloy may be stainless steel (STS304, STS316, STS316L), preferably stainless steel satisfying the standards of ASTM A240, ASTM A312, and ASTM A269, aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, or nickel alloy, but is not limited thereto.

[0037] When the spiral (120) rotates, the ice (D) supplied to the lower part of the spiral (120) rises along the spiral shape of the spiral. However, a guide member (130) is required to move the ice in a vertical upward direction. That is, the ice (D) rises vertically along the rotation of the spiral (120) inside the guide member (130). If the structure is such that only the spiral (120) rotates without the guide member (130), the smooth vertical rise of the ice cannot be induced, and ice accumulates at the lower part of the spiral (120), causing the load of the ice to gradually increase. Eventually, noise and sludge are generated from the ice grinding at the lower part of the spiral (120).

[0038] Meanwhile, the guide member (130) has an opening (G) formed therein to discharge some of the ice rising along the rotating spiral (120) into the internal space of the housing. The guide member (130) has an extended structure that is spaced apart and facing each other along the longitudinal direction of the spiral (120), and it is preferable that the opening (G) is also formed in the guide member (130) along the longitudinal direction of the spiral (120). Through this opening (G), the ice can be raised to a certain height and discharged in correspondence with the height of the ice accumulated inside the housing (110), and the accumulated load of the ice can be dispersed.

[0039] To explain with reference to FIG. 3 as a specific example, when ice is filled in the internal space of the ice storage (100) up to a height of T1, the ice supplied to the lower part of the spiral (120) cannot pass through the opening (G) formed in the guide member (130) and accumulates. At this time, when the spiral (120) rotates, the ice rises along the guide member (130) and the spiral (120) to T1 and is discharged along the opening (G). The ice discharged in this way is dispersed into the internal space of the housing (110) and accumulates up to T2. Then, as the spiral (120) rotates, the ice supplied to the lower part of the spiral (120) rises vertically along the guide member (130) and is discharged into the internal space of the housing (110) from the opening (G) at a height of T2.

[0040] In this way, the rotating spiral (120) and the guide member (130) covering its outer surface vertically raise the ice continuously supplied to the lower part and discharge it according to the height of the ice accumulated in the internal space of the housing (110), thereby resolving the ice accumulation occurring at the bottom of the spiral (120). Here, the bottom of the spiral (120) may be the position of the bottom surface (111) of the adjacent housing (110). Furthermore, the description above regarding the ice rising vertically should be interpreted as the overall direction of movement of the ice rising along the rotation of the spiral (120) up to a height of T1 or T2 relative to the position of the bottom surface (111) of the housing (110).

[0041] As shown in the drawing, it is preferable that the spiral (120) has a helical shape with a constant radius of curvature from the axis of rotation. A spiral with a shape in which the radius of curvature increases or decreases is difficult to maintain a constant distance from the guide member, making it difficult to induce the vertical rise of ice.

[0042] By adjusting the extension length of the spiral (120) and the height of the guide member, the local load accumulation of ice is relieved, and at the same time, the capacity to store ice is significantly increased.

[0043]

[0044] The ice storage unit (100) may further include a blade (140) for dispersing ice stored on the inner bottom surface (111).

[0045] The blade (140) is rotated by a motor (not shown) and rotates periodically at a preset time to further prevent ice from clumping together and forming lumps in the internal space of the housing (110).

[0046] To prevent the ice from clumping together, the bottom surface (111) of the housing (110) is preferably provided with an inclined surface (111a) so that the ice moves to the location where the blade (140) is located. For example, it is desirable to have an inclined surface (111a) connecting the wall surface (112) of the housing to the bottom surface (111) where the blade (140) is located, so that the ice moves along the inclined surface (111a) by gravity and accumulates at the location where the blade (140) is located.

[0047] More preferably, the opening (G) of the guide member (130) may be formed toward the upper part of the blade (140) so that ice discharged from the opening (G) of the guide member (130) can fall or accumulate on the upper part of the blade (140). For example, the guide member (130) may be attached to the inner surface of the housing (110), namely the wall surface (112) and the bottom surface (111). If the shape of the housing (110) is polygonal when viewed from above, it is preferable for the guide member (130) to be positioned adjacent to the corner, and the opening (G) of the guide member (130) to be formed at a position facing the corner. When the guide member (130) is formed at the corner, the guide member (130) is positioned on the upper part of the slope (111a) of the bottom surface (111) of the housing, which is relatively higher from the ground than the position of the blade (140). Therefore, it is good for the ice discharged from the opening (G) to fall onto the upper part of the blade (140).

[0048] As an additional embodiment, the ice storage unit may have a discharge port formed therein through which ice is discharged from the internal space of the housing to the outside. For example, FIG. 5 is a drawing illustrating a discharge port (Q) that discharges ice into the housing (110) in addition to FIG. 1, and a motor (M) that rotates the blade (140).

[0049] Referring to FIG. 5, a discharge port (Q) connecting the internal space and the outside may be formed in the housing (110) of the ice storage (100). The discharge port (Q) may be manufactured by integrally molding it when molding the housing (110) of the ice storage. Preferably, the discharge port (Q) may be formed in a position facing one side of the blade (140). In this case, when the blade (140) rotates, the ice located in the internal space also rotates and flows simultaneously, and the ice can be discharged through the discharge port (Q). That is, ice can be discharged to the outside through the discharge port (Q) by a single motor (M) that drives the rotation of the blade (140).

[0050] In the following, an auger module is described as an exemplary device for supplying ice to the spiral (120). However, the ice storage unit (100) of the present invention may be operated by a separately provided motor for the rotation of the spiral (120), and ice produced by a separate ice maker (such as an immersion or spray type ice maker) may also be transferred to the lower part of the spiral. Therefore, the ice storage unit (100) of the present invention should not be interpreted as being usable only with an auger-type ice maker.

[0051]

[0052] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the auger-type ice maker illustrated in FIG. 1. With reference to FIG. 4 and 6, the auger module will be described.

[0053] The auger module (200) is positioned at the bottom of the ice storage and preferably supplies ice to the bottom of the spiral (120). The auger module (200) includes an ice-making container (210) through which a refrigerant flows, an auger (220) positioned inside the ice-making container and rotating, and a driving means (230) for rotating the auger.

[0054] The auger module (200) can be one widely known in this field, and a refrigerant pipe is located in the ice-making container (210). As cold refrigerant flows, the water introduced between the inside of the ice-making container (210) and the auger (220) becomes ice. The auger (220) is rotated by a driving means (230), and an auger blade formed on the outer surface of the auger (220) scrapes the ice formed inside the ice-making container (210) and presses it upwards to discharge the ice. At this time, the discharged ice is cut by a cutting means (300) to become ice of a certain size and is located on the inside of the guide member (130) and the lower part of the spiral (120).

[0055] Here, the spiral (120) can be fixed by being coupled with a cutting means (300) that is coupled with the auger (220). For example, the lower end of the spiral (120) can be coupled to the upper end of the cutting means (130) by welding, and the cutting means (130) can be coupled to and fixed to the upper end of the auger (220). Thus, the spiral (120) can also be rotated by the power of rotating the auger (220) with a single driving means (230). This coupling structure rotates the auger (220) so that ice is continuously formed and accumulated on the upper end of the ice-making container (210), and as soon as the ice is formed, the spiral (120) rotates together with the auger (220), the ice is vertically raised and dispersed into the ice storage tank.

[0056] As the auger module (200) and cutting means (300) of the present invention may be used as disclosed in Korean Registered Patent No. 10-2480935, a detailed description is omitted.

[0057]

[0058] FIG. 7 is an image illustrating the ice manufacturing process of an auger-type ice maker. Referring to FIG. 7, FIG. 7(A) is an auger-type ice maker according to the present invention, which is equipped with a spiral and a guide member on the upper part of the auger module. FIG. 7(B) is an auger-type ice maker of a comparative example that is not equipped with a spiral and a guide member on the upper part of the auger module.

[0059] The auger-type ice maker of the present invention and the comparative example is equipped with a housing having an internal space of 40L volume, and produces ice at the same speed by giving the same output to each auger module.

[0060] In the case of the present invention, the lower end of the spiral is welded to the upper end of the cutting means so that the spiral rotates together with the auger. Meanwhile, in the case of the auger-type ice maker of the comparative example, the cutting means is provided, but the spiral is not connected to the upper end.

[0061] Comparing the present invention of FIG. 7(A) with FIG. 7(B), in the case of the present invention, ice was not accumulated on the upper part of the auger module during the ice manufacturing process, no slurry was observed resulting from the ice being finely crushed on the upper part of the auger module, and no ice clumping was detected. It was confirmed that in the present invention, ice does not clump but stacks vertically and is easily dispersed into the ice storage.

[0062] In the case of the auger-type ice maker of the comparative example, ice accumulated on the upper part of the auger module during the manufacturing process, and a finely crushed ice slurry was generated centered on the upper position of the auger. In addition, it was observed that the ice clumped together to form localized lumps.

[0063]

[0064] In this way, the ice storage unit according to the present invention and the auger-type ice maker including the same can eliminate the generation of sludge and prevent the phenomenon of ice clumping together by immediately vertically raising the manufactured ice and sending it into the internal space of the housing that stores the ice. Accordingly, the ice manufacturing and storage capacity of the ice storage unit can be significantly increased.

[0065] (Explanation of symbols)

[0066] 1000: Auger-type ice maker

[0067] 100: Ice storage

[0068] 110: Housing 111: Bottom surface

[0069] 111a: Inclined surface

[0070] 112: Wall

[0071] 120: Spiral

[0072] 130: Guide member G: Opening

[0073] 140: Blade

[0074] 200: Auger Module

[0075] 210: Ice container

[0076] 220: Ogre

[0077] 230: Driving means

[0078] 300: Cutting means

[0079] D: Ice

[0080] Q: Discharge port

[0081] M: Motor

[0082] The ice storage unit according to the present invention and the auger-type ice maker including the same can be used in devices for manufacturing or storing ice, refrigerators, and ice water purifiers.

Claims

1. A housing having an internal space for accommodating ice; A spiral provided in the internal space of the above housing, which raises ice supplied from the outside from the position of the bottom surface of the housing as it rotates; and An ice storage unit comprising a guide member that wraps at least a portion of the outer surface of the above-mentioned spiral and has an opening formed therein for discharging rising ice into the internal space of the housing.

2. In Paragraph 1, The above ice storage is An ice storage unit characterized by further including a blade that disperses stored ice as it rotates within the internal space of the housing.

3. In Paragraph 2, The above blade is positioned on the bottom surface of the housing, but, An ice storage unit characterized by the bottom surface of the housing having an inclined surface to allow ice to move to where the blade is located.

4. In Paragraph 3, An ice storage unit characterized in that the above housing has a discharge port formed therein for discharging ice from an internal space to the outside, and as the blade rotates, ice is discharged to the outside through the discharge port.

5. In Paragraph 1, An ice storage unit characterized by the above spiral having a helical shape with a constant radius of curvature from the axis of rotation.

6. In Paragraph 2, The guide member is coupled to and fixed to the inner surface of the housing, and An ice storage unit characterized by the opening of the guide member being formed toward the upper part of the blade.

7. An ice storage unit comprising: a housing having an internal space for receiving ice; a spiral provided in the internal space of the housing, which raises ice supplied from the outside from a position on the bottom surface of the housing as it rotates; and a guide member that surrounds at least a portion of the outer surface of the spiral and has an opening formed therein for discharging the rising ice into the internal space of the housing; and An auger-type ice maker comprising: an auger module disposed at the bottom of the ice storage unit and supplying ice to the spiral.

8. In Paragraph 7, The above auger module is It includes an ice-making container through which a refrigerant flows on the inside, an auger disposed inside the ice-making container and rotating, and a driving means for rotating the auger. The above driving means is characterized by rotating a spiral using power that rotates an auger, in an auger-type ice maker.

9. In Paragraph 8, The above auger-type ice maker The upper part of the above ice-making container further includes a cutting module for cutting ice, and An auger-type ice maker characterized by having an auger connected to the lower part of the cutting module and a spiral of an ice storage connected to the upper part of the cutting module.

Images