Patent Grant
10598420
This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e), 120, 121, or 365(c), and is a National Stage entry from International Application No. PCT/KR2015/005636, filed Jun. 5, 2015, which claims priority to the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2014-0083985 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Jul. 4, 2014 and of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2014-0092345 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Jul. 22, 2014, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a heater, and more particularly, to a plane heater and an ice machine having the same.
Generally, a refrigerator includes a refrigerator compartment which keeps food refrigerated and a freezer compartment which keeps the food frozen. At this time, an ice machine for making ice is installed at the freezer compartment or the refrigerator compartment.
Referring to
In this case, since the heater 27 is formed to be in line contact with a lower portion of the ice tray 11 in the form of a U shape, an area which is in direct contact with the ice tray 11 is small and thus heat transfer efficiency is degraded. Much of time and electric power are consumed to transfer heat to a portion of the ice tray which is not in direct contact with the heater 27 and to melt the ice in the ice tray 11. At this time, since the ice tray 11 is excessively heated by the heater 27, a lot of time is required to cool again the ice tray 11 to an ice-making temperature in an ice-making cycle after the ice is separated, and thus an ice-making time is increased. In addition, in the conventional sheath heater, since a connection between the sheath heater and a temperature fuse which cuts off power supply when the sheath heater is overheated is complicated and a connection structure which supplies electric power to the sheath heater is also complicated, it is difficult to assemble and couple corresponding elements.
The present invention is directed to providing a plane heater which is capable of increasing heat transfer efficiency to an ice tray and an ice machine having the same.
Moreover, the present invention is directed to providing a plane heater which is capable of reducing an ice-making time while reducing power consumption for an entire ice-making process and an ice machine having the same.
Additionally, the present invention is directed to providing a plane heater having a simple connection structure for power supply and an ice machine having the same.
Moreover, the present invention is directed to providing a plane heater which is capable of reducing power consumption and an ice machine having the same.
One aspect of the present invention provides a plane heater provided at an ice tray of an ice machine which includes the ice tray having a partitioned space to accommodate ice-making water, an ejector configured to separate ice inside the ice tray, a motor provided to face the ice tray and configured to drive the ejector therein and a control box having a printed circuit board, the plane heater including a heat emitting body formed of a metal thin film and having a thickness thicker than 0 and equal to or thinner than 0.5 mm; a heat insulation member provided to cover the heat emitting body; and a power source connection part including an electrode pad electrically connected to the heat emitting body and a support plate provided below the electrode pad.
The electrode pad of the power source connection part may be connected to a connector provided at a printed circuit board inside the control box and may transmit electric power to the heat emitting body.
The support plate may be configured with one of a printed circuit board (PCB), a metal PCB and a plastic material.
The support plate may extend in a lengthwise direction of the plane heater, and the heat emitting body may be provided on the extending support plate, and the heat insulation member may be provided on the extending support plate to cover the heat emitting body.
The plane heater may further include a heat insulation film provided between the electrode pad and the support plate; and an adhesive member provided between the heat insulation film and the support plate to bond the heat insulation film to the support plate.
The plane heater may be formed to have a different heat emitting density according to a position corresponding to the ice tray.
The plane heater may be formed so that a portion thereof corresponding to at least one of one end of the ice tray, the other end of the ice tray and a center of the ice tray has a higher heat emitting density than that of other portions thereof.
The plane heater may be formed to have a different heat emitting surface area according to a position corresponding to the ice tray.
One side of each of the heat emitting body and the heat insulation member may be fixed to a lower surface of the power source connection part, and one end of the heat emitting body may be electrically connected to the electrode pad formed on an upper surface of the power source connection part through an insertion hole formed at the power source connection part.
The plane heater may be provided in a closed loop type at an outer circumferential surface of the ice tray, or may be formed in a partially opened loop type.
The plane heater may further include a power source disconnection part provided at the power source connection part to cut off electric power supplied to the heat emitting body of the plane heater when a temperature of the plane heater exceeds a preset temperature or a current exceeding a preset current flows.
The plane heater may further include a 1-1st electrode pad provided at the power source connection part, electrically connected to one end of the heat emitting body and connected to a connector; and a 1-2nd electrode pad provided at the power source connection part, electrically connected to the other end of the heat emitting body and connected to the connector, and the 1-1st electrode pad or the 1-2nd electrode pad may be provided so that a portion thereof electrically connected to the heat emitting body and a portion thereof connected to the connector are spaced apart from each other, and the power source disconnection part may be provided to electrically connect the spaced portions of the 1-1st electrode pad or the 1-2nd electrode pad.
The power source disconnection part may be a temperature fuse or a bimetal.
The plane heater may further include a temperature sensor provided at the power source connection part; and a second electrode pad electrically connected to the temperature sensor and connected to a connector provided at the printed circuit board inside the control box.
The plane heater may be screw-coupled to the ice tray through at least one coupling member passing through the plane heater.
A width of the electrode pad may be provided wider than that of the heat emitting body.
The power source connection part may be connected to a connector provided at the printed circuit board inside the control box, and a portion of the electrode pad which is connected to the connector may be provided to have a width or a surface area wider than that of a portion thereof connected to the heat emitting body.
The power source connection part may be connected to a connector provided at the printed circuit board inside the control box, and the plane heater may further include a shrinkable tube provided to cover a portion except the power source connection part connected to the connector.
The shrinkable tube may be cross-linked by electron beam irradiation.
An outer cover of the plane heater may be cross-linked by electron beam irradiation.
The plane heater may include a first plane heater part of which one end is connected to the power source connection part and which is provided at one side of an outer circumferential surface of the ice tray along a lengthwise direction of the ice tray;
and a second plane heater part of which one end is connected to the power source connection part and which is provided at the other side of an outer circumferential surface of the ice tray along the lengthwise direction of the ice tray.
The power source connection part may be connected to a connector provided at the printed circuit board inside the control box, and a plurality of heat emitting bodies are provided to be branched from the power source connection part.
The power source connection part may be provided to be biased to one side based on a center of a lengthwise direction of the plane heater.
A plurality of electrode pads may be provided at the power source connection part, and the power source connection part may further include a partition part provided between the electrode pads on the support plate.
The electrode pad may be fixed to the support plate by a coupling member provided to pass through the power source connection part.
The electrode pad may be provided along a lengthwise direction of the support plate to a distal end of the support plate on an upper surface of the support plate and may extend from the distal end of the support plate to a lower surface of the support plate in a predetermined length, and the coupling member may pass through from the electrode pad provided on the upper surface of the support plate to the electrode pad provided at the lower surface of the support plate and may couple and fix the electrode pad to the support plate.
The plane heater may further include an electrode pad guide part provided at the support plate and provided along the electrode pad at a side portion of the electrode pad.
The plane heater may further include a metal connection member fitted to an end of the power source connection part, electrically connected to the electrode pad and fixed to the support plate, and the power source connection part may be connected to a connector in which the metal connection member is provided at the printed circuit board inside the control box.
The metal connection member may be provided along a lengthwise direction of the support plate to a distal end of the support plate on an upper surface of the support plate and may extend from the distal end of the support plate to a lower surface of the support plate in a predetermined length, and the coupling member may pass through from the metal connection member provided on the upper surface of the support plate to the metal connection member provided at the lower surface of the support plate and may couple and fix the metal connection member to the support plate.
The plane heater may further include a power source disconnection part configured to cut off power source applied to the heat emitting body under a preset to condition, and the power source disconnection part may be provided at the ice tray.
The power source disconnection part may be accommodated and fixed into an accommodation groove provided at a surface of the ice tray facing the control box.
The plane heater may further include a 1-1st electrode pad provided at the power source connection part and electrically connected to one end of the heat emitting body of the plane heater; and a 1-2nd electrode pad provided at the power source connection part and spaced apart from the other end of the heat emitting body of the plane heater, and the power source disconnection part may be electrically connected to the other end of the heat emitting body by a first connection part and may be electrically connected to the 1-2nd electrode pad by a second connection part.
One end of each of the first connection part and the second connection part may be connected to the power source disconnection part, and the other end thereof may be connected to a coupling member passing through and coupled to the power source connection part.
The heat emitting body, the 1-1st electrode pad and the 1-2nd electrode pad may be connected by an arc welding or an electric welding.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a plane heater provided at an ice tray of an ice machine which includes the ice tray having a partitioned space to accommodate ice-making water, an ejector configured to separate ice inside the ice tray, a motor provided to face the ice tray and configured to drive the ejector therein and a control box having a printed circuit board, the plane heater including a heat emitting body formed of a metal thin film and having a thickness thicker than 0 and equal to or thinner than 0.5 mm; a heat insulation member provided to cover the heat emitting body; a lead wire configured to electrically connect the heat emitting body with the printed circuit board; and a power source disconnection part provided at the ice tray, connected to the heat emitting body and the lead wire and configured to cut off electric power applied to the heat emitting body of the plane heater under a preset condition.
The heat emitting body and the lead wire may be connected by an arc welding or an electric welding.
An accommodation groove may be provided at a surface of the ice tray facing the control box, and the power disconnection part may be accommodated and fixed into the accommodation groove.
The ice tray may include a first tray formed of a metal thin film and a second tray formed of a resin, and the plane heater may be provided between the first tray and the second tray.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, since the plane heater is provided to be in surface contact with the outer circumferential surface of the ice tray, a surface area which is in contact with the ice tray can be increased, and thus heat transfer efficiency from the plane heater to the ice tray can be increased, and ice frozen to an inner surface of the ice tray can be melted even with small quantity of heat and a short operating time. Moreover, since the heat insulation member is provided at the other surface of the plane heater, a loss of heat which leaks to an outside of the ice tray can be prevented.
Moreover, since the plane heater is in close contact with the ice tray by an adhesive member or a heater pressing part, the heat transfer efficiency from the plane heater to the ice tray can be increased.
In addition, since the plane heater is formed in a thin film type and thermal capacity of the plane heater is reduced, the plane heater can be heated to a predetermined temperature within a short time, and a power consumption of the plane heater can be reduced.
Moreover, since an operation of a first plane heater and a second plane heater is controlled according to a rotational position of the ejector or an operating time of the ejector, the power consumption necessary to melt the ice frozen to the inner surface of the ice tray can be reduced.
Additionally, since the plane heater is provided in a module type including the power source connection part configured with the PCB or the metal PCB, the power source disconnection part, the temperature sensor or the like can be formed at the power source connection part through a simple structure and circuit.
In addition, since the power source connection part of the plane heater is connected to the connector provided at the control box, a power supply connection structure of the plane heater can be simplified, and the power source connection part of the plane heater can be easily connected or disconnected to the connector (in one-touch method).
Hereinafter, specific embodiments of a plane heater and an ice machine including the same of the present invention will be described with reference to
In the following description, if it is considered that the specific description of the related and noticed functions or structures may obscure the gist of the present invention, the specific description will be omitted. In addition, the terms used herein are defined according to the functions of the present invention. Thus, the terms may vary depending on user's or operator's intentions or practices. Therefore, the terms used herein must be understood based on the descriptions made herein.
The technical spirit of the present invention is determined by the claims, and the following embodiments are provided to merely explain the technical spirit of the present invention to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains.
Referring to
The ice tray 102 has an ice-making space which accommodates water therein. A plurality of partition walls may be formed inside the ice tray 102 and may divide the ice-making space into a plurality of spaces.
The plane heater 108 may be provided to be in surface contact with an outer circumferential surface of the ice tray 102. The plane heater 108 may be provided along a lengthwise direction of the ice tray 102. The plane heater 108 may generate heat over a predetermined area. The plane heater 108 may be formed in a thin film type. For example, the plane heater 108 may be formed to have a thickness thicker than 0 mm and equal to or thinner than 1 mm. A lower-bound value of the thickness of the plane heater 108 may be appropriately set by those skilled in the art according to materials of a heat emitting body and a heat insulation member forming the plane heater 108. Since the plane heater 108 is formed in the thin film type and a thermal capacity of the plane heater 108 is reduced, the plane heater 108 may be heated to a predetermined temperature within a short time. In this case, a power consumption of the plane heater 108 may be reduced. For example, a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater may be used as the plane heater 108, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
The plane heater 108 may include a heat emitting body 108a, a heat insulation member 108b and a power source connection part 108c. The heat emitting body 108a may be provided on an entire area of the plane heater 108 to generate heat. For example, the heat emitting body 108a may be provided on the entire area of the plane heater 108 in zigzags. For example, the heat emitting body 108a may be formed of a metal thin film such as a stainless thin film, platinum thin film, a tungsten thin film and a nickel thin film, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The heat emitting body 108a may be formed by a thin film coating of carbon nanotube, carbon nanoplate or the like. The heat emitting body 108a may be formed to have a thickness thicker than 0 mm and equal to or thinner than 0.5 mm. A lower-bound value of the thickness of the heat emitting body 108a may be appropriately set by those skilled in the art according to a material of the heat emitting body.
The heat insulation member 108b may be provided to cover the heat emitting body 108a. The heat insulation member 108b may be formed of a polyimide or graphene material. In this case, even when the heat emitting body 108a is heated to a high temperature or an external impact is applied thereto, the heat emitting body 108a may be protected safely. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the heat insulation member 108b may be formed of various other heat insulation materials. The heat insulation member 108b may be formed in a thin film type. The heat insulation member 108b may include a first heat insulation member provided at one surface of the heat emitting body 108a to cover the heat emitting body 108a and a second heat insulation member provided at the other surface of the heat emitting body 108a to cover the heat emitting body 108a.
The power source connection part 108c may be provided at a distal end of the plane heater 108. The power source connection part 108c may be configured with a printed circuit board (PCB) or a metal PCB. An electrode pad 108c-1 to which both ends of the heat emitting body 108a are electrically connected may be formed at the power source connection part 108c. An insulation member (not shown) which covers the electrode pad 108c-1 may be formed at the electrode pad 108c-1 of the power source connection part 108c to which the heat emitting body 108a is connected. The power source connection part 108c may be connected to a connector 110a provided inside the control box 110. At this time, the electrode pad 108c-1 of the power source connection part 108c may be electrically connected to the connector 110a. The power source connection part 108c is electrically connected to a power supply part (not shown) through the connector 110a and serves to apply electric power transmitted from the power supply part (not shown) to the heat emitting body 108a. The power supply part (not shown) may be provided inside the control box 110 but is not limited thereto. The power supply part (not shown) may be provided at another portion (e.g., a controller) of a refrigerator at which the ice machine 100 is installed.
The plane heater 108 may include a first plane heater 108-1 provided at one side surface of the outer circumferential surface of the ice tray 102 along a lengthwise direction of the ice tray 102 and a second plane heater 108-2 provided at the other side surface of the outer circumferential surface of the ice tray 102 along the lengthwise direction of the ice tray 102. For example, the plane heater 108 may be bonded to the ice tray 102 through a polyimide adhesive. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the plane heater 108 may be bonded to the ice tray 102 through an adhesive paste including thermal conductive powder. In this case, the plane heater 108 may be bonded to the ice tray 102, and heat generated from the plane heater 108 may also be effectively transferred to the ice tray 102. A heat insulation member (not shown) may be provided at the other surface of the plane heater 108. The heat insulation member (not shown) serves to prevent the heat generated from the plane heater 108 from leaking to an outside of the ice tray 102. In this case, heat transfer efficiency in which the heat generated from the plane heater 108 is transferred to an inside of the ice tray 102 may be increased.
Here, since the plane heater 108 is provided to be in surface contact with the ice tray 102, an area which is in contact with the ice tray 102 may be increased. In this case, since the heat transfer efficiency from the plane heater 108 to the ice tray 102 may be increased, ice frozen to an inner surface of the ice tray 102 may be melted even with small quantity of heat and a short operating time. In addition, since the first plane heater 108-1 and the second plane heater 108-2 are provided at both side surfaces of the outer circumferential surface of the ice tray 102 and the heat insulation member (not shown) is provided at each of the other surfaces of the first plane heater 108-1 and the second plane heater 108-2, the heat may be rapidly transferred to an entire inner area of the ice tray 102 through the first plane heater 108-1 and the second plane heater 108-2.
Meanwhile, a cool air contact section may be provided at a lower surface portion of the outer circumferential surface of the ice tray 102. That is, an area of the outer circumferential surface of the ice tray 102 which is located between the first plane heater 108-1 and the second plane heater 108-2 may be exposed to an outside. The cool air contact section is an area in which the ice tray 102 comes in contact with cool air in an ice-making compartment and serves to allow a temperature of the ice tray 102 to reach an ice-making temperature within a short time.
That is, when the first plane heater 108-1 and the second plane heater 108-2 heat the ice tray 102 and slightly melt the ice frozen to the inner circumferential surface of the ice tray 102, an ejector (not shown) is rotated to separate and move the ice to an ice bank (not shown). Then, ice-making water is supplied into the ice tray 102, and an ice-making process is performed again. At this time, since the area in which the ice tray 102 is in contact with the cool air in the ice-making compartment is ensured by the cool air contact section, the temperature of the ice tray 102 may reach the ice-making temperature within a short time, and thus an entire ice-making time may be reduced.
The control box 110 may be provided at one side of the ice tray 102. The control box 110 may be coupled to the ice tray 102 at one side of the ice tray 102. A controller (not shown) which controls an entire operation of the ice machine 100 may be provided at the control box 110. In addition, an ice separating motor (not shown) which rotates the ejector (not shown) in a predetermined direction may be provided at the control box 110. The power supply part (not shown) which supplies the electric power to the ice separating motor (not shown) and the plane heater 108 may be provided at the control box 110.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, since the plane heater 108 is provided to be in surface contact with the outer circumferential surface of the ice tray 102, the area which comes in contact with the ice tray 102 may be increased, and thus the heat transfer efficiency from the plane heater 108 to the ice tray 102 may be increased, and the ice frozen to the inner surface of the ice tray 102 may be melted even with the small quantity of heat and the short operating time. Moreover, since the heat insulation member (not shown) is provided at the other surface of the plane heater 108, a loss of heat which leaks to an outside of the ice tray 102 may be prevented. Additionally, since the plane heater 108 is formed in the thin film type and the thermal capacity of the plane heater 108 is reduced, the plane heater 108 may be heated to a predetermined temperature within a short time, and the power consumption of the plane heater 108 may be reduced.
Referring to
The ice tray 102 has an ice-making space which accommodates water therein. A plurality of partition walls may be formed inside the ice tray 102 and may divide the ice-making space into a plurality of spaces.
The plane heater 108 may be provided to be in surface contact with an outer circumferential surface of the ice tray 102. The plane heater 108 may be provided along a lengthwise direction of the ice tray 102. The plane heater 108 may generate heat over a predetermined area. The plane heater 108 may be formed in a thin film type. For example, the plane heater 108 may be formed to have a thickness thicker than 0 mm and equal to or thinner than 1 mm. A lower-bound value of the thickness of the plane heater 108 may be appropriately set by those skilled in the art according to materials of a heat emitting body and a heat insulation member forming the plane heater 108. Since the plane heater 108 is formed in the thin film type and a thermal capacity of the plane heater 108 is reduced, the plane heater 108 may be heated to a predetermined temperature within a short time. In this case, a power consumption of the plane heater 108 may be reduced. For example, a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater may be used as the plane heater 108, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
The plane heater 108 may include a heat emitting body 108a, a heat insulation member 108b and a power source connection part 108c. The heat emitting body 108a may be provided on an entire area of the plane heater 108 to generate heat. For example, the heat emitting body 108a may be provided on the entire area of the plane heater 108 in zigzags. For example, the heat emitting body 108a may be formed of a metal thin film such as a stainless thin film, platinum thin film, a tungsten thin film and a nickel thin film, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The heat emitting body 108a may be formed by a thin film coating of carbon nanotube, carbon nanoplate or the like. The heat emitting body 108a may be formed to have a thickness thicker than 0 mm and equal to or thinner than 0.5 mm. A lower-bound value of the thickness of the heat emitting body 108a may be appropriately set by those skilled in the art according to a material of the heat emitting body.
The heat insulation member 108b may be provided to cover the heat emitting body 108a. The heat insulation member 108b may be formed of a polyimide or graphene material. In this case, even when the heat emitting body 108a is heated to a high temperature or an external impact is applied thereto, the heat emitting body 108a may be protected safely. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the heat insulation member 108b may be formed of various other heat insulation materials. The heat insulation member 108b may be formed in a thin film type. The heat insulation member 108b may include a first heat insulation member provided at one surface of the heat emitting body 108a to cover the heat emitting body 108a and a second heat insulation member provided at the other surface of the heat emitting body 108a to cover the heat emitting body 108a.
The power source connection part 108c may be provided at a distal end of the plane heater 108. The power source connection part 108c may be configured with a printed circuit board (PCB) or a metal PCB. An electrode pad 108c-1 to which both ends of the heat emitting body 108a are electrically connected may be formed at the power source connection part 108c. An insulation member (not shown) which covers the electrode pad 108c-1 may be formed at the electrode pad 108c-1 of the power source connection part 108c to which the heat emitting body 108a is connected. The power source connection part 108c may be connected to a connector 110a provided inside the control box 110. At this time, the electrode pad 108c-1 of the power source connection part 108c may be electrically connected to the connector 110a. The power source connection part 108c is electrically connected to a power supply part (not shown) through the connector 110a and serves to apply electric power transmitted from the power supply part (not shown) to the heat emitting body 108a. The power supply part (not shown) may be provided inside the control box 110 but is not limited thereto. The power supply part (not shown) may be provided at another portion (e.g., a controller) of a refrigerator at which the ice machine 100 is installed.
The plane heater 108 may include a first plane heater 108-1 provided at one side surface of the outer circumferential surface of the ice tray 102 along a lengthwise direction of the ice tray 102 and a second plane heater 108-2 provided at the other side surface of the outer circumferential surface of the ice tray 102 along the lengthwise direction of the ice tray 102. For example, the plane heater 108 may be bonded to the ice tray 102 through a polyimide adhesive. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the plane heater 108 may be bonded to the ice tray 102 through an adhesive paste including thermal conductive powder. In this case, the plane heater 108 may be bonded to the ice tray 102, and heat generated from the plane heater 108 may also be effectively transferred to the ice tray 102. A heat insulation member (not shown) may be provided at the other surface of the plane heater 108. The heat insulation member (not shown) serves to prevent the heat generated from the plane heater 108 from leaking to an outside of the ice tray 102. In this case, heat transfer efficiency in which the heat generated from the plane heater 108 is transferred to an inside of the ice tray 102 may be increased.
Here, since the plane heater 108 is provided to be in surface contact with the ice tray 102, an area which is in contact with the ice tray 102 may be increased. In this case, since the heat transfer efficiency from the plane heater 108 to the ice tray 102 may be increased, ice frozen to an inner surface of the ice tray 102 may be melted even with small quantity of heat and a short operating time. In addition, since the first plane heater 108-1 and the second plane heater 108-2 are provided at both side surfaces of the outer circumferential surface of the ice tray 102 and the heat insulation member (not shown) is provided at each of the other surfaces of the first plane heater 108-1 and the second plane heater 108-2, the heat may be rapidly transferred to an entire inner area of the ice tray 102 through the first plane heater 108-1 and the second plane heater 108-2.
Meanwhile, a cool air contact section may be provided at a lower surface portion of the outer circumferential surface of the ice tray 102. That is, an area of the outer circumferential surface of the ice tray 102 which is located between the first plane heater 108-1 and the second plane heater 108-2 may be exposed to an outside. The cool air contact section is an area in which the ice tray 102 comes in contact with cool air in an ice-making compartment and serves to allow a temperature of the ice tray 102 to reach an ice-making temperature within a short time.
That is, when the first plane heater 108-1 and the second plane heater 108-2 heat the ice tray 102 and slightly melt the ice frozen to the inner circumferential surface of the ice tray 102, an ejector (not shown) is rotated to separate and move the ice to an ice bank (not shown). Then, ice-making water is supplied into the ice tray 102, and an ice-making process is performed again. At this time, since the area in which the ice tray 102 is in contact with the cool air in the ice-making compartment is ensured by the cool air contact section, the temperature of the ice tray 102 may reach the ice-making temperature within a short time, and thus an entire ice-making time may be reduced.
The control box 110 may be provided at one side of the ice tray 102. The control box 110 may be coupled to the ice tray 102 at one side of the ice tray 102. A controller (not shown) which controls an entire operation of the ice machine 100 may be provided at the control box 110. In addition, an ice separating motor (not shown) which rotates the ejector (not shown) in a predetermined direction may be provided at the control box 110. The power supply part (not shown) which supplies the electric power to the ice separating motor (not shown) and the plane heater 108 may be provided at the control box 110.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, since the plane heater 108 is provided to be in surface contact with the outer circumferential surface of the ice tray 102, the area which comes in contact with the ice tray 102 may be increased, and thus the heat transfer efficiency from the plane heater 108 to the ice tray 102 may be increased, and the ice frozen to the inner surface of the ice tray 102 may be melted even with the small quantity of heat and the short operating time. Additionally, since the heat insulation member (not shown) is provided at the other surface of the plane heater 108, a loss of heat which leaks to an outside of the ice tray 102 may be prevented. In addition, since the plane heater 108 is formed in the thin film type and the thermal capacity of the plane heater 108 is reduced, the plane heater 108 may be heated to a predetermined temperature within a short time, and the power consumption of the plane heater 108 may be reduced.
Referring to
The power source connection part 108c may be configured with a printed circuit board (PCB) or a metal PCB. The power source connection part 108c may include a first electrode pad 121, a power source disconnection part 123 and a heat insulation layer 125. The first electrode pad 121 may include a 1-1st electrode pad 121-1 to which one end of the heat emitting body 108a is electrically connected and a 1-2nd electrode pad 121-2 provided to be spaced apart from the 1-1st electrode pad 121-1 and to which the other end of the heat emitting body 108a is electrically connected. The first electrode pad 121 may be connected to a connector 110a provided inside a control box 110. The 1-2nd electrode pad 121-2 may be provided so that a portion thereof to which the other end of the heat emitting body 108a is electrically connected and a portion thereof connected to the connector 110a are spaced apart from each other.
The power source disconnection part 123 may be provided to electrically connect the portions of the 1-2nd electrode pad 121-2 which are spaced apart from each other, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The 1-1st electrode pad 121-1 may be provided so that portions thereof are spaced apart from each other, and the power source disconnection part 123 may be provided to electrically connect the portions of the 1-1st electrode pad 121-1 which are spaced apart from each other. The power source disconnection part 123 serves to cut off electric power applied to the heat emitting body 108a when a temperature of the heat emitting body 108a exceeds a preset temperature. The power source disconnection part 123 may be configured with a temperature fuse or a bimetal but is not limited thereto. In this case, the power source disconnection part 123 may be configured without a separate temperature sensor. Furthermore, the power source disconnection part 123 may also cut off the electric power applied to the heat emitting body 108a when an excessive current flows to the heat emitting body 108a. As described above, since the plane heater 108 is provided in a module type including the power source connection part 108c configured with the PCB or the metal PCB, the power source disconnection part 123 may be formed at the power source connection part 108c through a simple structure and circuit.
The heat insulation layer 125 may be provided on the power source connection part 108c to cover the heat emitting body 108a, the electrode pad 121 and the power source disconnection part 123. The heat insulation layer 125 may serve to protect the heat emitting body 108a, the electrode pad 121 and the power source disconnection part 123 from an external environment. The heat insulation layer 125 is not provided at a portion of the electrode pad 121 which is connected to the connector 110a.
Referring to
Meanwhile, an outer cover of the plane heater 108 may be cross-linked by electron beam irradiation. For example, a separate insulation layer may be formed at the heat insulation member 108b of the plane heater 108. The insulation layer may be cross-linked by the electron beam irradiation. Alternatively, the heat insulation member 108b may be formed of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) or polyethylene (PE) which is cross-linked by the electron beam irradiation. For example, in the case in which the heat insulation member 108b may be formed of polyethylene (PE), when accelerated electron beams are irradiated to the insulation member 108b, a radical is generated while H ions are dissociated from a PE chain, and the cross-linking is performed by bonding of the radicals. At this time, since polyethylene (PE) has a reticular structure by the bonding of the radicals, a heat resistant temperature of the heat insulation member 108b may be enhanced, and brittleness of the plane heater 108 may be enhanced.
In addition, the outer cover of the plane heater 108 may be a shrinkable tube. For example, the shrinkable tube may be provided to cover the heat insulation member 108b of the plane heater 108. Alternatively, the shrinkable tube may be used as the heat insulation member 108b. The shrinkable tube may be a shrinkable tube which is cross-lined by the electron beam irradiation.
Referring to
Referring to
The heat emitting body 108a and the heat insulation member 108b of the plane heater 108 may be in close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the ice tray 102. One end of each of the heat emitting body 108a and the heat insulation member 108c may be in close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the ice tray 102 by pressing of the power source connection part 108c at a lower portion of the power source connection part 108c. Moreover, one end of the heat emitting body 108a may be inserted into the insertion hole 129 to be exposed to the outside and then may be electrically connected to the electrode pad 108c-1. In this case, while an entire area of the heat emitting body 108a and the heat insulation member 108b are in close contact with the ice tray 102, an electrical connection between the heat emitting body 108a and the electrode pad 108c-1 may be stably maintained. Meanwhile, the insulation layer (not shown) may be provided to cover a part of each of the heat emitting body 108a and the electrode pad 108c-1 which is exposed to the outside.
Referring to
Referring to
Meanwhile, the plane heater 108 may have a different heat emitting density according to a position thereof. That is, the plane heater 108 may be formed so that a surface area of the heat emitting body 108a per unit surface area thereof is changed, and thus the heat emitting density may be changed according to the position of the plane heater 108.
Referring to
Here, the plane heater 108 may be formed so that the heat emitting density is changed according to a position corresponding to the ice tray 102. For example, portions of the plane heater 108 corresponding to one end of the ice tray 102 and the other end thereof may be formed to have the heat emitting density (e.g., the density per unit surface area of the heat emitting body, or the like) higher than that of other portions thereof. Since a structure such as the control box 110 is provided at one end of the ice tray 102 and a structure such as a water supply part 162 is provided at the other end of the ice tray 102, the heat may escape to other structures when the ice tray 102 is heated through the plane heater 108. Therefore, since the portions of the plane heater 108 corresponding to one end of the ice tray 102 and the other end thereof are formed to have the heat emitting density higher than that of other portions thereof, the ice may be evenly separated from an entire area of the ice tray 102. In addition, a portion of the plane heater 108 corresponding to a center of the ice tray 102 may be formed to have the heat emitting density lower or higher than that of other portions.
Referring to
Referring to
One end of the first plane heater part 164-1 and one end of the second plane heater part 164-2 are connected to the power source connection part 110c. At this time, the second plane heater part 164-2 may be bent from the other side surface of the outer circumferential surface of the ice tray 102 to one side surface thereof and may be connected to the power source connection part 110c. As described above, a plurality of heat emitting bodies 108a of the plane heater 108 may be provided to be branched from the power source connection part 108c.
The other end of the first plane heater part 164-1 and the other end of the second plane heater part 164-2 are connected to each other. For example, the other end of the first plane heater part 164-1 may be bent from one side surface of the outer circumferential surface of the ice tray 102 to the other side surface thereof and may be connected to the other end of the second plane heater part 164-2. Alternatively, the other end of the second plane heater part 164-2 may be bent from the other side surface of the outer circumferential surface of the ice tray 102 to one side surface thereof and may be connected to the other end of the first plane heater part 164-1. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the other end of the first plane heater part 164-1 and the other end of the second plane heater part 164-2 may be spaced apart from each other. In this case, the first plane heater part 164-1 and the second plane heater part 164-2 may be electrically connected to positive and negative electrode pads of the power source connection part 108c, respectively.
The plane heater 108 may be formed in a closed loop type at the outer circumferential surface of the ice tray 102, and may also be formed in a partially opened loop type. In this case, the cool air contact section may be ensured with one plane heater 108 while a contact surface area (or a heat emitting surface area) with the ice tray 102 is increased.
Meanwhile, a printed circuit board 25 on which the connector 110a is formed may be provided inside the control box 110. The printed circuit board 25 may be a main board on which a controller (not shown) for controlling an entire operation of the ice machine 100 is provided. The printed circuit board 25 may be provided at a side inside a housing 21 of the control box 110 corresponding to the power source connection part 108c. That is, the printed circuit board 25 may be provided to be biased to a right side of
As described above, since the power source connection part 108c of the plane heater 108 protrudes from one side surface of the outer circumferential surface of the ice tray 102 toward the control box 110 and the printed circuit board 25 is provided at the side inside the control box 110 corresponding to the power source connection part 108c, the connector 110a connected to the power source connection part 108c may be provided on the printed circuit board 25 without separately extending the printed circuit board 25 or deforming a size and a shape thereof.
Here, it has been described that the power source connection part 108c is provided at one side surface of the outer circumferential surface of the ice tray 102, but the present invention is not limited thereto, as long as the power source connection part 108c is provided to be biased to a right side or left side of
Referring to
An adhesive member 174 and a support plate 176 may be provided in turn below the second heat insulation film 172-2 provided at the lower surface of the electrode pad 108c-1. The adhesive member 174 serves to bond the second insulation film 172-2 and the support plate 176. Here, the electrode pad 108c-1 and structures (i.e., the second heat insulation film 172-2, the adhesive member 174 and the support plate 176) provided at the lower portion of the electrode pad 108c-1 form the power source connection part 108c. The support plate 176 serves to support a structure provided on the support plate 176. The support plate 176 may be configured with a PCB, a metal PCB, a plastic material or the like.
Additionally, as illustrated in
Moreover, as illustrated in
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
One end of the heat emitting body 108a may be electrically connected to the 1-1st electrode pad 121-1 on the lower surface of the power source connection part 108c. A first coupling member 182-1 may be provided at a portion thereof corresponding to one end of the heat emitting body 108a to pass through the power source connection part 108c from the heat insulation member 108b located at the upper surface of the power source connection part 108c. The first coupling member 182-1 serves to allow a stable electrical connection between one end of the heat emitting body 108a and the 1-1st electrode pad 121-1 while fixing the heat insulation member 108b and the heat emitting body 108a to the power source connection part 108c.
The other end of the heat emitting body 108a may be provided at the lower surface of the power source connection part 108c to be spaced apart from the 1-2nd electrode pad 121-2. A second coupling member 182-2 may be provided at a portion thereof corresponding to the other end of the heat emitting body 108a to pass through the power source connection part 108c from the heat insulation member 108b located at the upper surface of the power source connection part 108c. The second coupling member 182-2 serves to fix the heat insulation member 108b and the heat emitting body 108a to the power source connection part 108c. The second coupling member 182-2 is in contact with the other end of the heat emitting body 108a at the lower surface of the power source connection part 108c.
A third coupling member 182-3 may be provided at a portion thereof corresponding to the 1-2nd electrode pad 121-2 to pass through the power source connection part 108c. The third coupling member 182-3 is in contact with the 1-2nd electrode pad 121-2 at the lower surface of the power source connection part 108c.
Meanwhile, an accommodation groove 191 may be provided at an end surface (i.e., a surface facing the control box) of the ice tray 102. Moreover, a power source disconnection part 123 may be accommodated and fixed into the accommodation groove 191. The power source disconnection part 123 may be electrically connected to the second coupling member 182-2 by a first connection part 193-1. The power source disconnection part 123 may be electrically connected to the third coupling member 182-3 by a second connection part 193-2. That is, the power source disconnection part 123 may be provided to electrically connect the other end of the heat emitting body 108a and the 1-2nd electrode pad 121-2 by the first connection part 193-1 and the second connection part 193-2.
In the case in which the power source disconnection part 123 is provided at the ice tray 102, the electric power applied to the heat emitting body 108a may be cut off when a temperature of the ice tray 102 (or a temperature of the heat emitting body 108a which is directly detected without a separate temperature sensor exceeds a preset temperature. In this case, reliability of an operation of the power source disconnection part 123 may be increased. The power source disconnection part 123 may be configured with a temperature fuse or a bimetal. The coupling members 182-1, 182-2 and 182-3, the heat emitting body 108a and the first electrode pads 121-1 and 121-2 may be coupled by an arc welding, an electric welding or the like.
Here, it has been illustrated that the heat emitting body 108a and the first electrode pads 121-1 and 121-2 are provided at the lower surface of the power source connection part 108c and the first connection part 193-1 and the second connection part 193-2 are connected to the second coupling member 182-2 and the third coupling member 182-3, respectively, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The heat emitting body 108a and the first electrode pads 121-1 and 121-2 may be provided at the upper surface of the power source connection part 108c, and the first connection part 193-1 and the second connection part 193-2 may be electrically connected to the other end of the heat emitting body 108a and the 1-2nd electrode pad 121-2, respectively, without a separate coupling member. At this time, the first connection part 193-1 and the second connection part 193-2 may be electrically connected to the other end of the heat emitting body 108a and the 1-2nd electrode pad 121-2, respectively, through the arc welding or the electric welding. In addition, here, it has been described that one end of the heat emitting body 108a is electrically connected to the 1-1st electrode pad 121-1 through the first coupling member 182-1, but the present invention is not limited thereto. One end of the heat emitting body 108a may be electrically connected to the 1-1st electrode pad 121-1 through the arc welding or the electric welding without a separate coupling member.
Meanwhile, the first electrode pads 121-1 and 121-2 may be electrically connected to a main board inside the control box through a lead wire (not shown). That is, the connector may not be provided inside the control box. At this time, the power source connection part 108c may be electrically connected to the main board inside the control box through a lead wire (not shown).
Referring to
A plane heater 108 may be provided between the first tray 102a and the second tray 102b. The first tray 102a may be coupled into the second tray 102b to be overlapped therewith. For example, such a configuration may be realized by insert-injecting a resin into the first tray 102a formed of a metal and forming the second tray 102b.
For example, the first ray 102a may be formed by pressing (drawing) a metal thin film having a thickness of 0.5 mm or less or may be formed by an aluminum die casting. The first tray 102a may have a semicircular cross section and may have a vertical wall at both ends thereof. An internal space of the first tray 102a may be partitioned by a plurality of partition walls 9. Each of the partition walls 9 may be formed in a hollow shape. A hollow space of the partition wall 9 may be in communication with an outside of the ice tray 102 through a cut-out portion 18 formed at the second tray 102b, and thus the cool air may be more smoothly transmitted to water accommodated in the ice tray 102 through the first tray 102a, and an ice-making time may be shortened.
A protrusion 16 may be formed at an outer surface of the first tray 102a, i.e., an outer surface of the vertical wall and may be inserted into a corresponding groove 17 of the second tray 102b. Alternatively, the groove 17 and the protrusion 16 may be formed reversely, or the groove 17 and the protrusion 16 may be formed at both trays 102a and 102b. The protrusion may have various shapes such a cylindrical shape, a square pillar shape and a hook shape, and the groove may also have various corresponding shapes. By such a configuration, a bonding force between the first tray 102a and the second tray 102b may be enhanced, and the second tray 102b may be prevented from being separated from the first tray 102a. Furthermore, a concave-convex portion may be alternatively or additionally formed at an outer surface of the first tray 102a. The concave-convex portion may enhance the bonding force between the first tray 102a and the second tray 102b and may more effectively prevent the second tray 102b from being separated from the first tray 102a.
The concave-convex portion at the outer surface of the first tray 102a may be formed by, for example, an embossing process or a thermal spraying process. The second tray 102b of the ice tray 102 may be coupled to the first tray 102a to cover an outer surface of the first tray 102a, i.e., to cause the first tray 102a to be overlapped inside the second tray 102b. For example, such coupling may be achieved by insert-injecting the second tray 102b with respect to the first tray 102a. Due to such coupling, even when the first tray 102a is formed of the metal thin film, structural rigidity of the ice tray 102 may be maintained by the second tray 102a. At this time, while the plane heater 108 which is disposed between the first tray 102a and the second tray 102b is preliminarily bonded to the outer surface of the first tray 102a by an adhesive, the injection molding may be performed. The groove 17 corresponding to the protrusion 16 formed at the outer surface of the first tray 102a may be naturally formed by insert-injecting the second tray 102b with respect to the first tray 102a.
Further, a plurality of cut-out portions 18 through which the outer surface of the first tray 102a, e.g., an outer surface of a bottom portion is exposed may be formed at the second tray 102b. The cut-out portions 18 exposes the outer surface of the first tray 102a, particularly, the bottom portion, and shapes and positions thereof may be variously selected. However, the cut-out portions 18 may be arranged so that a portion of the ice tray 102 at which the cool air is further required, for example, the outer surface of the bottom portion adjacent to both ends is further exposed. Moreover, some of the cut-out portions 18 allow the outside of the ice tray 102 to be in communication with the hollow space of the partition wall 9 so that the cool air is introduced into the hollow space of the partition wall 9. Due to such a configuration, the cool air may be more effectively transmitted to the water accommodated in the ice tray 102, and the ice-making time may be shortened.
The plane heater 108 disposed between the first tray 102a and the second tray 102b may be inserted by insert-injecting the second tray 102b with respect to the outer surface of the first tray 102a. The plane heater 108 may be disposed at an area different from that at which the cut-out portions 18 formed at the second tray 102b are disposed and may not be exposed through the cut-out portions 18.
Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2014-0083985 | Jul 2014 | KR | national |
| 10-2014-0092345 | Jul 2014 | KR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/KR2015/005636 | 6/5/2015 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2016/003081 | 1/7/2016 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20070261427 | Kim | Nov 2007 | A1 |
| 20100206990 | Petrenko | Aug 2010 | A1 |
| 20100319373 | Jeong | Dec 2010 | A1 |
| 20110252816 | Kulkarni | Oct 2011 | A1 |
| 20120318003 | Kim et al. | Dec 2012 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2001-023732 | Jan 2001 | JP |
| 2010-266173 | Nov 2010 | JP |
| 10-2006-0099728 | Sep 2006 | KR |
| 10-0710711 | Apr 2007 | KR |
| 10-2010-0116147 | Oct 2010 | KR |
| Entry |
|---|
| International Search Report for PCT/KR2015/005636. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20170211866 A1 | Jul 2017 | US |
