KR20160020101A - Ice-maker and refrigerator including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an ice maker that allows a refrigerator to recognize when the ice maker operates the ice maker, and a refrigerator that can reduce or stop power supplied to electric components when the ice maker informs the operation of the ice maker.
An ice maker according to the present invention includes: a tray for containing liquid; An ejector for discharging iced ice from the tray; A first heater for providing heat to the tray; And an ice-maker control unit. When the heater is operated, the main control unit of the refrigerator enables completion of ice-making or start of operation of the heater.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an icemaker and a refrigerator including the icemaker,

The present invention relates to an ice maker and a refrigerator including the ice maker. More particularly, the present invention relates to an ice maker capable of informing a refrigerator of the operation of the ice maker and a refrigerator capable of reducing or stopping the operation of electric components of the refrigerator, .

Generally, the ice maker is installed in the refrigerator and receives water. When water is frozen by the cold air in the refrigerator, the ice can be automatically discharged to the ice storage box by using the ejector. At this time, the ice maker uses the ice heater to heat the tray so that the ice can be easily separated from the tray so that the ice can be easily discharged.

On the other hand, the refrigerator uses a refrigeration cycle including a compressor, a condenser, a decompressor, and an evaporator to cool the air in the refrigerator, and the generated cold air is circulated through a refrigerator, a cold air blowing fan, To spread evenly.

However, the operating time of the ice-making heater is determined by the controller of the ice-making machine which operates independently of the refrigerator. That is, when the control unit of the ice maker determines that the water stored in the tray is completely frozen and becomes ice using an ice-making sensor or the like attached to a tray of the ice maker, power is supplied to the ice-maker heater. That is, when the ice-maker control unit operates the ice-making heater while the main controller of the refrigerator operates the compressor motor and the cooling fan of the refrigeration cycle to lower the temperature in the refrigerator, the amount of current is increased, The effect of the heater on the tray is reduced by half.

Embodiments of the present invention provide an ice maker that allows a refrigerator to recognize when the ice maker operates the ice maker and a refrigerator that can reduce or stop the electric power supplied to the electric component when the ice maker informs the operation of the ice maker .

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ice-maker for a refrigerator, comprising: a tray for containing liquid; An ejector for discharging iced ice from the tray; A first heater for providing heat to the tray; And an ice-maker controller, wherein when the first heater is operated, the main controller of the refrigerator enables completion of ice-making or start of operation of the first heater.

The icemaker control unit may be configured to allow the main control unit to know the icing completion or the start of operation of the first heater.

The icemaker control unit may enable the main control unit to know whether icing is completed or the operation of the first heater is started through a power line supplied with power from the main control unit.

The icemaker for a refrigerator may further include a motor for supplying power to the ejector, and the icemaker controller may be operable to allow the main controller to recognize operation of the motor when the motor is operated.

The icemaker control unit may be configured to allow the main control unit to recognize that the liquid is supplied to the tray when the tray is supplied with the liquid.

The icemaker for the refrigerator may further include an ice-making sensor for detecting that the liquid in the tray is iced, and when the ice-maker controller receives a signal from the ice-making sensor,

The icemaker control unit may inform the main control unit of the completion of ice-making via a power line supplied with power from the main control unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator including the ice-maker for a refrigerator and a main controller.

The main control unit may reduce or shut off the electric power supplied to the electric components of the refrigerator when the icemaker control unit learns to start operation of the first heater.

When the operation of the motor for supplying power to the ejector is known, the main control unit may reduce or shut off the electric power supplied to the electric components of the refrigerator.

The electric component may be at least one of a compressor motor, a blowing fan for cold air blowing, and a second heater mounted on the refrigerator.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator including an ice-maker, wherein the ice-maker includes: a tray for containing liquid; An ejector for discharging iced ice from the tray; A first heater for providing heat to the tray; And an ice maker controller, wherein the refrigerator includes a main controller for measuring and controlling a current supplied to the ice maker.

The main control unit may compare the magnitude of the measured current with a predetermined value, and if the magnitude is greater than the predetermined value, the power supplied to the electric component of the refrigerator may be reduced or blocked.

The electric component may be at least one of a compressor motor, a blowing fan for cold air blowing, and a second heater mounted on the refrigerator.

1 is a control block diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention,
2 is a control block diagram of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the ice maker of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, this is an exemplary embodiment only and the present invention is not limited thereto.

In the following description, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear. The following terms are defined in consideration of the functions of the present invention, and may be changed according to the intention or custom of the user, the operator, and the like. Therefore, the definition should be based on the contents throughout this specification.

The technical idea of the present invention is determined by the claims, and the following embodiments are merely a means for efficiently describing the technical idea of the present invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs.

1 is a control block diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, the refrigerator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a power supply unit 21, a main control unit 20, an electrical component 22, and an ice maker 15.

The electric component 22 of the refrigerator includes a compressor motor 24 of a compressor (not shown) constituting a refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator, a cold air blowing fan 23 disposed adjacent to an evaporator (not shown) constituting a cooling cycle, Other cold air blowing fans (not shown) disposed in the refrigerator and circulating the cold air, and a heater disposed in the refrigerator, for example, a heater for removing the red light.

The main control unit 20 of the refrigerator can receive power from the power supply unit 21 and supply it to the electric component 22 and the icemaker 15 as appropriate. Alternatively, the main control unit 20 may control the electric power supplied from the power supply unit 21 directly to the electric component 22 and the icemaker 15. [

The ice maker 15 includes a tray (not shown) for receiving and receiving liquid, an ejector (not shown) for ejecting ice frozen in the tray, a motor 11 for providing a driving force to the ejector, The ice-making heater 13 receives signals from the ice-making heater 12, an ice-making sensor 13 that sends a signal for determining a state of freezing the tray, and the ice- And a control unit 10 for controlling the control unit 10.

The moving heater 12 may be any one of a planar heater, a code heater, and a flexible heater. The planar heater can generate heat over a predetermined area. The planar heater may be made thin, for example, the thickness may be greater than 0 and 1 mm or less. By making the surface heaters thin and reducing the heat capacity of the surface heaters, the surface heaters can be quickly raised to a predetermined temperature. In this case, it is possible to reduce power consumption used in the surface heaters. For example, a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heater may be used as the surface heater, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

In addition, the planar heater may include a heating element, a first insulating member which surrounds the heating element on one side of the heating element, and a second insulating element which surrounds the heating element on the other side of the heating element. For example, the heating element may be provided over the entire area of the surface heater 102 in the form of a zigzag. As the heating element, for example, a metal thin film such as a stainless steel thin film, a platinum thin film, a tungsten thin film, or a nickel thin film may be used. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the heating element may be formed by coating a carbon nanotube (carbon nano tube), a carbon nano plate, or the like. The heating element may be provided with a pad for receiving electric power from the outside. The first insulating member and the second insulating member may be made of polyimide or graphene. In this case, the heating element can be stably protected even when the heating element is elevated to a high temperature or an external impact is applied. The first insulating member and the second insulating member may be formed in a film form. The first insulating member and the second insulating member may be adhered to one surface and the other surface of the heat generating element, respectively.

Meanwhile, the flexible heater may include an insulating portion formed to surround the heat generating portion and the heat generating portion. The heat generating part generates heat when a voltage is applied. The heating portion 106-1 may be a general hot wire (for example, a nickel-chromium wire or a copper-nickel wire). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the heat generating part may be formed in a form in which the glass fiber is wound on the heat wire, or in a form in which the glass fiber is wound on the heat wire. The insulating part serves as a part of the outer surface of the flexible heater and serves to protect the heat generating part. The insulating portion may be made of a soft insulating material or an insulating material having an elastic force. In this case, since the flexible heater has a flexible property, the flexible heater can be held in close contact with the ice tray, and the flexible heater can be coupled to the tray in a zigzag form. As this type of flexible heater, for example, there may be a cord heater, but the type of the flexible heater is not limited to the code heater.

Since the flexible heater includes the heat generating portion and the insulating portion, the diameter of the flexible heater can be reduced (for example, 2 to 4 mm) as compared with the sheath heater. That is, the diameter of the flexible heater can be set to 1/3 to 1/2 of the sheath heater. Since the flexible heater has a small diameter as well as a flexible property, when the flexible heater is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the ice tray, the contact area between the flexible heater and the tray can be increased.

The cord heater includes a power connection connector portion, a line-shaped heating cord heater wire, an attachment surface for attaching the cord heater wire, a heat transfer tape for bonding the cord heater wire and the attachment surface, and a connection Terminal. Here, the cord heater wire is in the form that a heating wire is wound on the outside of the glass fiber, and the outside is surrounded by an insulator which insulates electricity. The connection terminal is formed by compressing the inside of the copper tube from the inside to the outside so that the radius is reduced except the end portion of both ends where the power input cable and the cord heater wire can be inserted and the central region where the power input cable and the cord heater wire are connected. do. Insert the wires and the cord heater wire at both ends of the connecting terminal compressed by the copper tube and connect and connect from the central area of the connecting terminal. Also, a connecting watertube is attached to the outside of the connection terminal to prevent moisture from penetrating from the outside. As described above, the cord heater is connected and connected to the electric wire and the cord heater wire, which are connected by the power connection connector portion, through the connection terminal, and receives power from the power connection connector portion.

The controller 10 of the icemaker 15 can receive power from the main controller 20 of the refrigerator 100 through a power line. The controller 10 can receive the signal from the ice-making sensor 13 and determine whether or not the ice-making is completed. When the controller 10 determines that the ice making is completed, the controller 10 can supply electric power to the freezing heater 12 so that the freezing heater 12 can heat the tray. On the other hand, when the controller 10 determines that the icemaking is completed, the controller 11 can supply electric power to the motor 11 at the same time as the electric power is supplied to the heating heater 12 or after a predetermined time has elapsed. However, the control method of the moving ice heater 12 and the motor 11 of the control unit 10 is not limited to this, but can be modified into various forms.

The controller 10 of the ice maker 15 determines that the ice making is completed, so that the main controller 20 of the refrigerator 100 can recognize the ice maker. For example, the control unit 10 of the icemaker 15 may supply power to the ice-maker heater 12 through a power line supplied with power from the main controller 20, And sends a signal to the control unit 20.

Alternatively, the controller 10 of the icemaker 15 may send a signal to the main controller 20 through the power line so that the main controller 20 can recognize the icemaking completion signal from the icemaker 13.

The main control unit 20 receives a signal from the control unit 10 of the icemaker 15 as described above and at least one of the electric components 22, that is, the cold air blowing fan 23, the compressor motor 24, The power supplied to one may be cut off or reduced, or the frequency may be changed.

By controlling the electric component 22 in this manner, the cool air circulation in the refrigerator 100 can be suppressed or the temperature of the cool air can be suppressed from dropping, and the heat applied to the tray by the freezing heater 12 can be suppressed Is not lost so that the freezing operation is not disturbed, and the power consumption of the refrigerator as a whole can be maintained at a constant level or lowered.

Hereinafter, the operation of the ice maker 15 and the refrigerator 100 including the ice maker according to the present embodiment will be described.

First, the control unit 10 of the icemaker 15 uses the signal from the ice-making sensor 13 to start the ice-making operation when it judges that the water contained in the tray is frozen. During the unloading operation, the control unit 10 supplies electric power to the freezing heater 12 so that the freezing heater 12 can supply heat to the tray. At this time, the controller 10 of the icemaker 15 allows the main controller 20 of the refrigerator to recognize the operation of the freezing heater 12. For example, when the controller 10 of the icemaker 15 supplies electric power to the ice-maker heater 12, the icemaker 15 generates an ice-cold start signal and supplies this signal to the controller 10 from the main controller 20 And can be sent to the main control unit 20 through a power line. Alternatively, for example, the controller 10 of the ice maker 15 may send a signal indicating completion of ice-making to the main controller 20 from the ice-making sensor 13.

Further, at the time of the ice-making operation, the control unit 10 may supply power to the motor 11 that provides the driving force to the ejector so that the ejector presses the ice frozen in the tray and discharges the ice from the tray. At this time, the controller 10 of the icemaker 15 can make the main controller 20 of the refrigerator know the operation of the motor 11. [ For example, when the controller 10 supplies electric power to the motor 11, the controller 10 generates a signal indicative thereof and transmits the signal to the main controller 20 via the power line supplying power to the controller 10 Can be sent to the control unit 20.

Thus, when the icemaker 15 is informed that the icemaking is completed, the main controller 20 can cut off, reduce, or change the frequency of the electric power supplied to the electric component 22 of the refrigerator.

2 is a control block diagram of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

2, the refrigerator 100 'according to another embodiment of the present invention is different from the refrigerator 100' according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in that the main controller 100 'of the refrigerator 100' (20) can measure and control the current supplied to the icemaker (15).

Hereinafter, a refrigerator 100 'according to another embodiment will be described focusing on a difference from the refrigerator 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.

The main controller 20 of the refrigerator measures the current magnitude of the electric power supplied from the main controller 20 to the ice maker 15. The main control unit 20 compares the measured current with a predetermined value and if it is larger than this value it can be determined that the ice heater 12 of the ice maker 15 is operated. Then, the main control unit 20 can reduce or cut off the electric power supplied to the electric component 22 or change the frequency. For example, the main control unit 20 can reduce the power supplied to the cold air blowing fan 23, thereby reducing the amount of power consumption. In addition, or alternatively, the main control 20 can reduce or cut off the power supplied to the compressor motor 24 or reduce the frequency.

The main control unit 20 of the refrigerator determines that the operation of the ice-making heater 12 is determined to be the operation of the cold air blowing fan 23 and the compressor motor (not shown) if the magnitude of the current measured by the main control unit 20 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Since the cooling air circulation in the refrigerator is reduced or the cooling air temperature is prevented from being lowered, the heat applied to the tray by the ice-making heater 12 is not lost and the ice-making operation is not disturbed And the power consumption of the entire refrigerator can be maintained at a constant level.

The main controller 20 of the refrigerator compares the magnitude of the measured current with a second predetermined value and if the value is equal to or greater than the second predetermined value, the motor 11 that supplies the driving force to the ejector of the ice- You can decide. Then, the main control unit 20 can reduce or cut off the electric power supplied to the electric component 22 or change the frequency. For example, the main control unit 20 can reduce the power supplied to the cold air blowing fan 23, thereby reducing the amount of power consumption. In addition, or alternatively, the main control 20 can reduce or cut off the power supplied to the compressor motor 24 or reduce the frequency.

The main control unit 20 of the refrigerator determines that the ejector motor 11 is operated when the magnitude of the current measured by the main control unit 20 is equal to or greater than the second predetermined value, And the power supplied to the compressor motor 24 is reduced or blocked, the cooling air circulation in the refrigerator is reduced or the temperature of the cold air is prevented from being lowered, so that the ice-making operation is not disturbed and the power consumption of the entire refrigerator is maintained at a constant level .

10:
11: Motor
12: Ice heater
13: Deicing sensor
15: Ice machine
20:
21: Power supply
22: Electric parts
23: Cold air blowing fan
24: Compressor motor
25: heater
100; 100 ': Refrigerator

Claims (15)

In an ice-maker for a refrigerator,
A tray for receiving liquid;
An ejector for discharging iced ice from the tray;
A first heater for providing heat to the tray; And
And an ice-
Wherein the main controller of the refrigerator allows the user to know whether the ice maker has finished ice-making or the operation of the first heater when the first heater is operated.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the ice-maker control unit allows the main control unit to recognize the start of ice-making or the start of operation of the first heater.
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the ice-maker control unit allows the main control unit to know whether the ice-making is completed or the operation of the first heater is started through a power line supplied with power from the main control unit.
The method of claim 3,
Wherein the ice-maker for the refrigerator further includes a motor for supplying power to the ejector, and the ice-maker controller allows the main controller to recognize the operation of the motor when the motor is operated.
5. The method of claim 4,
And the icemaker control unit informs the main control unit of the operation of the motor through a power line supplied with power from the main control unit.
The method according to claim 1,
The ice-maker for refrigerator may further include an ice-making sensor for detecting that the liquid in the tray is frozen,
And the ice-maker controller informs the main controller of the completion of ice-making when the ice-maker sensor receives the signal of the ice-making sensor.
The method according to claim 6,
And the ice-maker control unit informs the main control unit of the completion of ice-making, through a power line supplied with electric power from the main control unit.
A refrigerator comprising: an ice-maker for a refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 7; and a main controller.
9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the main control unit reduces or cuts off electric power supplied to electric components of the refrigerator when the icemaker control unit learns to start operation of the first heater.
10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the electric component is at least one of a compressor motor, a blowing fan for cold air blowing, and a second heater mounted on the refrigerator.
9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the main control unit reduces or cuts off electric power supplied to electric components of the refrigerator when the operation of the motor for supplying power to the ejector is known.
12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the electric component is at least one of a compressor motor, a blowing fan for cold air blowing, and a second heater mounted on the refrigerator.
In a refrigerator including an ice maker,
The ice-
A tray for receiving liquid;
An ejector for discharging iced ice from the tray;
A first heater for providing heat to the tray; And
And an ice-
Wherein the refrigerator includes a main controller for measuring and controlling a current supplied to the ice maker.
14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the main controller compares the measured current with a predetermined value and reduces or cuts off power supplied to electric components of the refrigerator if the measured current is greater than the predetermined value.
15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the electric component is at least one of a compressor motor, a blowing fan for cold air blowing, and a second heater mounted on the refrigerator.

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