[0001] The following description relates to a refrigerator having an ice maker provided
on a door.
[0002] In general, a refrigerator is an electric home appliance which includes storage chambers
storing food and cold air supply devices supplying cold air to the storage chambers
to keep the food in a fresh state. The storage chambers are provided within a main
body such that the front surfaces of the storage chambers are opened and the opened
front surfaces of the storage chambers are opened and closed by doors.
[0003] The refrigerator may include an ice maker to make ice, an ice bucket storing the
ice made by the ice maker, an auger transferring the ice in the ice bucket, an agitator
agitating the ice in the ice bucket, and a driving motor to drive the auger.
[0004] Particularly, the auger and the agitator may be driven together by one driving motor.
[0005] Therefore, it is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide a refrigerator in
which an auger and an agitator are operated together by one driving motor, assembly
of the auger and the agitator is simplified, the number of parts of the auger and
the number of parts of the agitator are reduced and thus, productivity is improved.
[0006] It is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide a refrigerator in which an ice
bucket is easily attached to and detached from a door.
[0007] Additional aspects of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description
which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned
by practice of the disclosure.
[0008] In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, a refrigerator includes a
main body including storage chambers, doors rotatably combined with the main body
to open and close the storage chambers, an ice maker provided on one of the doors,
an ice bucket provided on the door to store ice made by the ice maker, an auger provided
on the ice bucket to be rotatable and including a transfer unit transferring the ice
in the ice bucket and a driving gear unit formed integrally with the end of the transfer
unit and transmitting rotary force, and an agitator provided on the ice bucket to
be rotated by the rotary force transmitted from the auger and including an agitation
unit agitating the ice in the ice bucket and a driven gear unit engaged with the driving
gear unit and combined with the end of the agitation unit.
[0009] The transfer unit and the driving gear unit may be formed integrally through injection
molding.
[0010] The refrigerator may further include a motor driving the auger and the auger and
the agitator may be rotated together by driving the motor.
[0011] The auger and the agitator may be rotated in opposite directions.
[0012] The driving gear unit of the auger and the driven gear unit of the agitator may be
disposed at the outside of the ice bucket.
[0013] The ice bucket may include a driving gear unit passage hole through which the driving
gear unit of the auger passes.
[0014] The auger may further include an auger separation prevention rib having a greater
diameter than the diameter of the driving gear unit passage hole to prevent the auger
from being separated to the outside of the ice bucket via the driving gear unit passage
hole.
[0015] The agitation unit may include a gear combination unit provided at the end of the
agitation rotary shaft so that the driven gear unit is combined with the gear combination
unit.
[0016] The ice bucket may include a gear combination unit passage hole through which the
gear combination unit passes.
[0017] The agitator may further include an agitator separation prevention rib having a greater
diameter than the diameter of the gear combination unit passage hole to prevent the
agitator from being separated to the outside of the ice bucket via the gear combination
unit passage hole.
[0018] The agitation unit and the driven gear unit may be fixed to each other using a screw
or a hook.
[0019] In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, a refrigerator includes a
main body, doors rotatably combined with the main body, an ice bucket attached to
and detached from one of the doors, and a dual fixing device fixing the ice bucket
to the door, wherein the dual fixing device includes first latches provided on the
ice bucket to be rotatable, each of the first latches including a first locking part,
elastic members elastically supporting the first latches, second latches provided
on the ice bucket to be fixed, each of the second latches including a second locking
part, first catches provided on the door, each of the first catches including an upper
support surface supporting the upper end of the first locking part to prevent separation
of the ice bucket in the upward direction and a first side support surface supporting
the side end of the first locking part to prevent separation of the ice bucket in
the horizontal direction, and second catches provided on the door, each of the second
catches including a lower support surface supporting the lower end of the second locking
part to prevent separation of the ice bucket in the downward direction and a second
side support surface supporting the side end of the second locking part to prevent
separation of the ice bucket in the horizontal direction.
[0020] The first latches may be provided at higher positions of the ice bucket than the
second latches.
[0021] The first latches may be fixed to the first catches after the second latches are
fixed to the second catches.
[0022] Locking between the second latches and the second catches may be released after locking
between the first latches and the first catches are released.
[0023] These and/or other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent and more readily
appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment
of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an ice bucket of the refrigerator of FIG.
1;
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the ice bucket, an auger, and
an agitator of the refrigerator of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating the ice bucket of the refrigerator of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view illustrating the ice bucket of the refrigerator
of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view illustrating the ice bucket of the refrigerator of FIG.
1;
FIG. 7 is a view illustrating an attachment and detachment structure of the ice bucket
on a door of the refrigerator of FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a fixation structure between a second latch and a second
catch of the refrigerator of FIG. 1;
FIG. 9 is a view illustrating a fixation structure between a first latch and a first
catch of the refrigerator of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 10 is a sectional view illustrating the fixation structure between the first
latch and the first catch of the refrigerator of FIG. 1.
[0024] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present disclosure,
examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference
numerals refer to like elements throughout.
[0025] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment
of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an ice bucket
of the refrigerator of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating
the ice bucket, an auger, and an agitator of the refrigerator of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is
a plan view illustrating the ice bucket of the refrigerator of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a
partial sectional view illustrating the ice bucket of the refrigerator of FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view illustrating the ice bucket of the refrigerator of FIG.
1.
[0026] With reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, a refrigerator 1 in accordance with an embodiment
of the present disclosure includes a main body 10 forming the external appearance
of the refrigerator 1, storage chambers 18 and 19 formed within the main body 10 and
storing food, doors 20 and 30 combined with the main body 10 to open and close the
storage chambers 18 and 19, an ice maker 11 making ice, and an ice bucket assembly
50 storing the ice made by the ice maker 11. The ice bucket assembly 50 includes an
ice bucket 80 and an ice bucket cover 60 combined with the front surface of the ice
bucket 80.
[0027] The storage chambers 18 and 19 may include a freezing chamber 18 formed in the left
portion of the main body 10 and a refrigerating chamber 19 formed in the right portion
of the main body 10. The freezing chamber 18 and the refrigerating chamber 19 may
be divided by a diaphragm 17.
[0028] The doors 20 and 30 may include a door 20 opening and closing the freezing chamber
18 and a door 30 opening and closing the refrigerating chamber 19. The doors 20 and
30 may be combined with the main body 10 by hinges 15 and 16 to be rotatable.
[0029] A driving motor 120 transmitting rotary force to an auger 90 of the ice bucket 80
when the door 20 is closed may be provided on the side wall of the main body 10. Therefore,
in the refrigerator in accordance with the embodiment of the present disclosure, connection
between the auger 90 and the driving motor 120 may be released when the door 20 is
opened and the auger 90 and the driving motor 120 may be connected when the door 20
is closed.
[0030] By providing the driving motor 120 on the side wall of the main body 10 in such a
manner, an ice storage space within the ice bucket 80 may be increased and the structure
of the ice bucket 80 may be simplified.
[0031] The auger 90 is provided in the ice bucket 80 to transfer ice stored in the ice bucket
80 to an ice discharge port. When the driving motor 120 is operated, the auger 90
may be rotated to transfer the ice.
[0032] Further, an agitator 100 agitating the stored ice is provided in the ice bucket 80.
The agitator 100 is connected to the auger 90 and thus, when the auger 90 is rotated,
the agitator 100 may be rotated in connection with the auger 90.
[0033] The auger 90 includes a transfer unit 91 transferring ice in the ice bucket 80 and
a driving gear unit 96 formed at the lengthwise end of the transfer unit 91 and transferring
rotary force to the agitator 100.
[0034] The transfer unit 91 may include an auger rotary shaft 92 and a transfer blade 93
protruding from the auger rotary shaft 92 in the radial direction to transfer ice.
The transfer blade 93 may be provided in a spiral shape and transfer ice in the axial
direction when the auger 90 is rotated.
[0035] The driving gear unit 96 may be disposed at the outside of the ice bucket 80 and
engaged with a driven gear unit 116 of the agitator 100. When the driving gear unit
96 is rotated, the driven gear unit 116 may be rotated in the opposite direction to
the rotation direction of the driving gear unit 96.
[0036] A driving gear unit passage hole 81 through which the driving gear unit 96 passes
may be formed on the ice bucket 80. Therefore, the auger 90 may be combined with the
ice bucket 80 by causing the driving gear unit 96 to pass through the driving gear
unit passage hole 81 from the inside to the outside of the ice bucket 80.
[0037] The auger 90 may include a coupler combination unit 97 with which a coupler 98 combined
with the driving motor 120 and receiving driving force transmitted from the driving
motor 120 and an auger separation prevention rib 95 preventing the auger 90 from being
separated to the outside of the ice bucket 80 through the driving gear unit passage
hole 81.
[0038] The auger separation prevention rib 95 may have a greater diameter than the diameter
of the driving gear unit passage hole 81 and be supported by the inner surface of
the ice bucket 80.
[0039] The transfer unit 91 and the driving gear unit 96 may be integrally formed of a resin
through injection molding. Therefore, the auger including the transfer unit 91 and
the driving gear unit 96 may be formed integrally. Although not shown in the drawings,
an iron core may be provided within the auger rotary shaft 92 to reinforce the auger
rotary shaft 92. Here, the iron core may be inserted into a mold for the auger 90
and then, the auger 90 be formed around the iron core by injection molding.
[0040] The agitator 100 includes an agitation unit 110 agitating ice in the ice bucket 80
and the driven gear unit 116 combined with the end of the agitation unit 110, engaged
with the driving gear unit 96, and rotated. The agitation unit 110 is disposed at
the inside of the ice bucket 80 and the driven gear unit 116 is disposed at the outside
of the ice bucket 80.
[0041] The agitation unit 110 may agitate ice, thus preventing the ice from clumping and
guiding the ice to be efficiently dispensed. The agitation unit 110 may include an
agitation rotary shaft 111, agitation blades 112 protruding from the agitation rotary
shaft 111 in the radial direction to agitate ice, and a gear combination unit 113
provided at the end of the agitation rotary shaft 111 so that the driven gear unit
116 is combined with the gear combination unit 113.
[0042] A gear combination unit passage hole 82 through which the gear combination unit 113
of the agitator 100 passes may be formed on the ice bucket 82. Therefore, the agitation
unit 110 and the driven gear unit 116 may be combined with each other through the
gear combination unit passage hole 82.
[0043] The agitation unit 110 and the driven gear unit 116 may be firmly coupled with a
screw S. For this purse, coupling holes 114 and 117 may be formed through the agitation
unit 110 and the driven gear unit 116. However, differently from this embodiment,
the agitation unit 110 and the driven gear unit 116 may be combined through a hook
structure.
[0044] The agitator 100 includes an agitator separation prevention rib 115 preventing the
agitator 100 from being separated to the outside of the ice bucket 80 through the
gear combination unit passage hole 82.
[0045] The agitator separation prevention rib 115 may have a greater diameter than the diameter
of the gear combination unit passage hole 82 and be supported by the inner surface
of the ice bucket 80.
[0046] FIG. 7 is a view illustrating an attachment and detachment structure of the ice bucket
on a door of the refrigerator of FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a fixation
structure between a second latch and a second catch of the refrigerator of FIG. 1.
FIG. 9 is a view illustrating a fixation structure between a first latch and a first
catch of the refrigerator of FIG. 1. FIG. 10 is a sectional view illustrating the
fixation structure between the first latch and the first catch of the refrigerator
of FIG. 1.
[0047] The refrigerator in accordance with the embodiment of the present disclosure includes
a dual fixing device fixing the ice bucket 50 to the door 20.
[0048] The dual fixing device includes first latches 61 provided on the ice bucket 50 to
be rotatable, each of the first latches 61 including a first locking part 62, second
latches 71 provided on the ice bucket 50 to be fixed, each of the second latches 71
including a second locking part 72, first catches 21 provided on the door 20 to correspond
to the first latches 61, and second catches 31 provided on the door 20 to correspond
to the second latches 71.
[0049] The first latches 61 are provided at higher positions than the second latches 71
and thus, the first catches 21 may be provided at higher positions than the second
catches 31.
[0050] The first latch 61 may include a rotary shaft 66, the first locking part 62, a pressing
part 67 to apply pressure to release locking between the first latch 61 and the first
catch 21, and an elastic member 65 elastically supporting the first latch 61.
[0051] When pressure is applied to the pressing part 67, the first latch 61 is rotated and
thus, locking between the first latch 61 and the first catch 21 may be released and,
when pressure applied to the pressing part 67 is removed, the first latch 67 may return
to the locking position by elastic force of the elastic member 65.
[0052] The first catch 21 may include an upper support surface 22 supporting an upper end
63 of the first locking part 62 to prevent separation of the ice bucket 50 in the
upward direction and a first side support surface 23 supporting a side end 64 of the
first locking part 62 to prevent separation of the ice bucket 50 in the horizontal
direction.
[0053] Thereby, the first latch 61 and the first catch 21 may prevent separation of the
ice bucket 50 in the upward direction and separation of the ice bucket 50 in the horizontal
direction.
[0054] The second catch 31 may include a lower support surface 32 supporting a lower end
73 of the second locking part 72 to prevent separation of the ice bucket 50 in the
downward direction and a second side support surface 33 supporting a side end 74 of
the second locking part 72 to prevent separation of the ice bucket 50 in the horizontal
direction.
[0055] Thereby, the second latch 71 and the second catch 31 may prevent separation of the
ice bucket 50 in the downward direction and separation of the ice bucket 50 in the
horizontal direction.
[0056] The ice bucket 50 in accordance with the embodiment of the present disclosure is
fixed in the upward, downward, and horizontal directions by the dual fixing device
in such a manner and may thus be stably fixed regardless of vibration due to operation
of the driving motor 120.
[0057] The ice bucket 50 having the above configuration in accordance with the embodiment
of the present disclosure may be mounted on the door 20 by sequentially fixing the
lower portion of the ice bucket 50 and then fixing the upper portion of the ice bucket
50. That is, after the second latches 71 are fixed to the second catches 31, the first
latches 51 may be fixed to the first catches 21.
[0058] Therefore, the ice bucket 50 may be easily mounted on the door 20 by fixing the lower
portion of the ice bucket 50 and then pushing the upper portion of the ice bucket
50.
[0059] On the other hand, the ice bucket 50 may be easily separated from the door 20 by
releasing locking of the upper portion of the ice bucket 50 and then releasing locking
of the lower portion of the ice bucket 50. That is, after locking between the first
latches 51 and the first catches 21 is released, locking between the second latches
71 and the second catches 31 may be released.
[0060] As is apparent from the above description, in a refrigerator in accordance with an
embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of parts of an auger and the number
of parts of an agitator are reduced and thus, productivity of the refrigerator may
be improved and the auger and the agitator may be simply assembled.
Further, an ice bucket may be easily attached to and detached from a door and stably
fixed to the door.
[0061] Although a few embodiments of the present disclosure 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 disclosure, the
scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.
1. A refrigerator comprising:
a main body including a storage chamber;
a door rotatably combined with the main body to open and close the storage chamber;
an ice maker provided on the door;
an ice bucket provided on the door to store ice made by the ice maker;
an auger provided on the ice bucket so as to be rotatable and including a transfer
unit transferring the ice in the ice bucket and a driving gear unit formed integrally
with the end of the transfer unit and transmitting rotary force; and
an agitator provided on the ice bucket to be rotated by the rotary force transmitted
from the auger and including an agitation unit agitating the ice in the ice bucket
and a driven gear unit engaged with the driving gear unit and combined with the end
of the agitation unit.
2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the transfer unit and the driving gear
unit are formed integrally through injection molding.
3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a motor driving the
auger,
wherein the auger and the agitator are rotated together by driving the motor.
4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the auger and the agitator are rotated
in opposite directions.
5. The refrigerator according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the driving
gear unit of the auger and the driven gear unit of the agitator are disposed at the
outside of the ice bucket.
6. The refrigerator according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ice bucket
includes a driving gear unit passage hole through which the driving gear unit of the
auger passes.
7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the auger further includes an auger
separation prevention rib having a greater diameter than the diameter of the driving
gear unit passage hole so as to prevent the auger from being separated to the outside
of the ice bucket via the driving gear unit passage hole.
8. The refrigerator according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the agitation
unit includes a gear combination unit provided at the end of the agitation rotary
shaft so that the driven gear unit is combined with the gear combination unit.
9. The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the ice bucket includes a gear combination
unit passage hole through which the gear combination unit passes.
10. The refrigerator according to claim 9, wherein the agitator further includes an agitator
separation prevention rib having a greater diameter than the diameter of the gear
combination unit passage hole so as to prevent the agitator from being separated to
the outside of the ice bucket via the gear combination unit passage hole.
11. The refrigerator according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the agitation
unit and the driven gear unit are fixed to each other using a screw or a hook.
12. A refrigerator comprising:
a main body;
a door rotatably combined with the main body;
an ice bucket attached to and detached from the door; and
a dual fixing device fixing the ice bucket to the door, wherein the dual fixing device
includes:
a first latch provided on the ice bucket so as to be rotatable and including a first
locking part;
an elastic member elastically supporting the first latch;
a second latch provided on the ice bucket so as to be fixed and including a second
locking part;
a first catch provided on the door and including an upper support surface supporting
the upper end of the first locking part to prevent separation of the ice bucket in
the upward direction and a first side support surface supporting the side end of the
first locking part to prevent separation of the ice bucket in the horizontal direction;
and
a second catch provided on the door and including a lower support surface supporting
the lower end of the second locking part to prevent separation of the ice bucket in
the downward direction and a second side support surface supporting the side end of
the second locking part to prevent separation of the ice bucket in the horizontal
direction.
13. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein the first latch is provided at a higher
position of the ice bucket than the second latch.
14. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein the first latch is fixed to the first
catch after the second latch is fixed to the second catch.
15. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein locking between the second latch and
the second catch is released after locking between the first latch and the first catch
is released.