EASY-TO-CLEAN AUGER ICE MAKER

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

[0001]This application claims benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2025-0006501 filed on Jan. 16, 2025 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

[0002]The present disclosure relates to an easy-to-clean auger ice maker.

2. Description of Related Art

[0003]An auger ice maker includes an ice production unit including an auger, an ice compression unit including an extrusion head disposed on the upper portion of the auger, and a fluid storage tank.

[0004]The fluid storage tank supplies water to the bottom of the ice production unit and continuously fills the upper portion thereof, and when the auger is driven, a refrigerant pipe operates to cool the water inside the ice-making pipe.

[0005]In addition, the ice cooled and formed in the form of a slush according to the rotation of the auger is pushed upwards, and the ice pushed upwards from the auger and forced to move to the extrusion head is provided in the structure to be extruded upwards, out of the ice compression unit, by the extrusion head.

[0006]Meanwhile, the interior of the auger ice maker should be periodically cleaned, and if it is not properly cleaned, scale such as limestone may be generated in the ice production unit and the ice compression unit where water and ice come into contact, or contaminants such as residual chemicals or bacteria may occur.

[0007]This may cause poor-quality ice to be produced, affecting work efficiency, or may cause a backload on the motor operating the auger, resulting in malfunctioning of the device.

[0008]Therefore, to clean the auger ice maker, the device used for cooling, such as the refrigerant pipe, is turned off to melt the ice, the water inside the device is drained through the drain pipe, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the fluid storage tank, and then the auger is operated to clean the devices inside the ice production unit.

[0009]However, since the full water level of the fluid storage tank only reaches the ice production unit and is lower than the ice compression unit, even if the cleaning liquid is injected into the fluid storage tank, the cleaning liquid cannot be supplied to the ice compression unit, and thus the inside of the ice compression unit cannot be cleaned.

[0010]Therefore, in the related art, a method is disclosed in which a separate pipe connected from the fluid storage tank to the upper portion of the ice compression unit is installed to supply the cleaning liquid, and the cleaning liquid is supplied to the upper portion of the extrusion head of the ice compression unit through a valve and a nozzle installed in the pipe.

[0011]However, to this end, a separate cleaning device only for cleaning purposes should be additionally installed inside the auger ice maker, and additional space should be secured inside the auger ice maker to install the pipe, which may complicate the structure of the auger ice maker.

[0012]Therefore, there is a need for an auger ice maker that may simultaneously clean both the ice production unit and the ice compression unit without installing a separate space or device.

SUMMARY

[0013]An aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an easy-to-clean auger ice maker in which a structure may be simplified with a simple configuration and which may be easily and automatically cleaned from an ice production unit to an ice compression unit.

[0014]The subject matter of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described contents. Those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains will have no difficulty in understanding additional subjects of the present disclosure from the overall contents of this specification.

[0015]According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an easy-to-clean auger ice maker includes an ice production unit including an ice making pipe, an auger coaxially installed within the ice making pipe, and a refrigerant pipe spirally wound and fixed in close contact with an outer surface of the ice making pipe; an ice compression unit connected to an upper portion of the ice production unit and compressing ice produced in the ice production unit; a fluid storage tank connected to a lower portion of the ice production unit through a connection portion and having a storage space for storing fluid to be supplied to the ice production unit; an overflow drain portion having an upper end connected to the storage space of the fluid storage tank and allowing the fluid contained in the fluid storage tank to be discharged when exceeding a full water level; an overflow valve provided by a solenoid valve and installed on the overflow drain portion; a branch pipe connected to the connection portion; and a drain valve provided by a solenoid valve and installed on the branch pipe. A first full water level of the fluid storage tank is equal to a height of the ice production unit, and a second full water level of the fluid storage tank is equal to a height of the ice compression unit. The overflow valve opens the overflow drain portion during ice making, and the overflow valve closes the overflow drain portion during washing so that the fluid is filled to the second full water level of the fluid storage tank and an upper end height of the ice compression unit.

[0016]The overflow valve may be opened when power is off to open the overflow drain portion, and may be closed when the power is on to lock the overflow drain portion.

[0017]The easy-to-clean auger ice maker may further include a water level detection sensor disposed in the fluid storage tank and including a first sensor unit on a lower side and a second sensor unit on an upper side. When making ice, a water supply valve for supplying water to the fluid storage tank may be opened when the first sensor unit operates, and the water supply valve may be locked when the second sensor unit operates. When washing, the water supply valve may be locked when a predetermined time has passed during which the second sensor unit operates, so that the fluid may be filled to the second full water level of the fluid storage tank and the height of the ice compression unit.

[0018]An end of the water level detection sensor may be coupled to an upper outer surface of the fluid storage tank, and a sealing portion may be formed on a contact portion between the end of the water level detection sensor and the fluid storage tank.

[0019]The easy-to-clean auger ice maker may further include a control unit driving the ice production unit and the ice compression unit, and controlling operations of the overflow valve and the drain valve according to an ice-making process or a washing process.

[0020]The control unit may be configured to allow ice-making water overflowing during ice-making to be drained through the overflow drain portion, and to allow the fluid storage tank and the ice production unit to be maintained at the same water level by supplying the ice-making water to the first full water level of the fluid storage tank. The control unit may be configured to supply the ice-making water or a cleaning liquid to the second full water level of the fluid storage tank during washing and to maintain the same water level of the ice compression unit and the fluid storage tank.

[0021]The easy-to-clean auger ice maker may include a water level detection sensor disposed in the fluid storage tank and including a first sensor unit on a lower side and a second sensor unit on an upper side. The control unit may be configured to open a water supply valve for supplying water to the fluid storage tank when a fluid height decreases to a height of the first sensor unit during ice making, and to thus fill the fluid storage tank with the fluid. The control unit may be configured to close the water supply valve when the fluid is filled to a height of the second sensor unit. The control unit may be configured to lock the water supply valve after a predetermined time has elapsed when the fluid is filled to the height of the second sensor unit during washing, so that the fluid may be filled to the second full water level of the fluid storage tank and the height of the ice compression unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0022]The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0023]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating the main part of an auger ice maker according to an embodiment; and

[0024]FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a drainage structure of an auger ice maker according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025]Hereinafter, example embodiments will be described with reference to the attached drawings. However, the embodiments may be modified in various other forms, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described below.

[0026]In addition, the embodiments are provided to more completely explain the present disclosure to those with average knowledge in the relevant technical field.

[0027]In the drawings, the shapes and sizes of elements may be exaggerated for clearer explanation.

[0028]In describing the embodiments, if it is determined that a detailed description of known technologies related to the present disclosure may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present disclosure, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the terms described below are terms defined in consideration of their functions in the present disclosure, and may vary depending on the intention or custom of the user or operator. Therefore, the definitions should be made based on the contents throughout this specification. The terms used in the detailed description are only for describing the embodiments and should never be limited. Unless clearly used otherwise, expressions in the singular form include plural meanings.

[0029]In this description, expressions such as “including” or “having” are intended to indicate certain features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts or combinations thereof, and should not be construed to exclude the presence or possibility of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts or combinations thereof other than those described.

[0030]In this specification, terms such as “on,” “upper portion,” “upper surface,” “below,” “lower portion,” “lower side,” “lower surface,” “side,” “side surface” and the like are based on the drawings, and may actually vary depending on the direction in which the elements or components are disposed.

[0031]In addition, throughout the specification, when a part is said to be “connected” to another part, this includes not only cases where it is “directly connected,” but also cases where it is “indirectly connected” with another element therebetween.

[0032]Below, the present disclosure will be described in detail through each embodiment or example of the present disclosure. It should be noted that each embodiment or example described in this specification is not limited to only one embodiment or example, but may also be combined with other embodiments or examples. Therefore, the citation of claims in the patent claims is only an example of an embodiment, and the technical idea of the present disclosure should not be interpreted only as a combination with the cited claims, and combinations with various claims are also included in the scope of the technical idea of the present disclosure.

[0033]Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in detail through examples. However, it should be noted that the examples described below are only intended to illustrate and concretize the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of the rights of the present disclosure.

[0034]This is because the scope of the rights of the present disclosure is determined by the matters described in the patent claims and matters reasonably inferred therefrom.

[0035]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating the main part of an auger ice maker according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a drainage structure of an auger ice maker according to an embodiment.

[0036]Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, an auger ice maker 100 according to an embodiment includes an ice production unit 110, an ice compression unit 120, a fluid storage tank 130, an overflow drain portion 1610, an overflow valve 1620, a branch pipe 1820, and a drain valve 1710.

[0037]In this case, the lower portions of the fluid storage tank 130 and the ice production unit 110 are connected through a connection portion 1810, so that the fluid of the fluid storage tank 130 is supplied to the ice production unit 110.

[0038]The branch pipe 1820 is connected to the connection portion 1810 and serves to allow the fluid in the fluid storage tank 130 and the ice production unit 110 to flow toward the drain valve 1710 through the connection portion 1810.

[0039]The main drain 1870 is connected to the overflow valve 1620 and the drain valve 1710 and serves to drain the fluid discharged through the overflow drain portion 1610 and the branch pipe 1820 to the outside.

[0040]The ice production unit 110 is a part that produces ice using ice-making water supplied from the fluid storage tank 130, and includes an ice making pipe 112, an auger 111 coaxially installed inside the ice making pipe 112, and a refrigerant pipe 113 that is spirally wound around and attached in close contact with the outer surface of the ice making pipe 112.

[0041]At this time, the auger 111 may be disposed coaxially with the ice making pipe 112 inside the ice making pipe 112, and a motor 1950 may be connected to the bottom of the auger 111 so that the auger 111 may rotate.

[0042]Therefore, an ice making unit of the auger ice maker 100 may be equipped with the auger 111 that rotates by the motor 1950 inside ice making pipe 112 of the stainless steel installed vertically up and down, and the refrigerant pipe 113 formed in the form of a close-fitting coil spring may be equipped on the outer periphery of the ice making pipe 112.

[0043]In this case, a support that receives moisture may be provided below the motor 1950, and this support may be equipped with a drain pipe 1860 for sending moisture to the main drain 1870.

[0044]The ice compression unit 120 is connected to the upper portion of the ice production unit 110 and is a part that compresses ice produced in the ice production unit 110 to make the ice solid.

[0045]The fluid storage tank 130 is provided with a storage space 1311 therein to hold fluid to be supplied to the ice production unit 110 and is connected to the lower portion of the ice production unit 110 through the connection portion 1810. In addition, the fluid storage tank 130 may be composed of a first tank 131 at the lower portion and a second tank 132 at the upper portion.

[0046]At this time, a first full water level h1, which is the ice-making water full water level of the fluid storage tank 130, corresponds to the height of the ice production unit 110, and a second full water level h2 of the fluid storage tank 130, which is the reference during the washing operation, corresponds to the height of the ice compression unit 120.

[0047]The overflow drain portion 1610 is positioned so that the upper end is connected to the storage space 131 of the fluid storage tank 130, and the lower portion thereof is extended through the lower end of the fluid storage tank 130. When the ice-making water or cleaning liquid contained in the fluid storage tank 130 exceeds the first full water level h1, the overflowed ice-making water and cleaning liquid are discharged to the outside.

[0048]The overflow valve 1620 is formed by a solenoid valve and is installed to be connected to the lower end of the overflow drain portion 1610. The overflow valve 1620 may be structured so that it is opened when the power is off and closed when the power is supplied (power is on).

[0049]In this case, when making ice, the overflow valve 1620 is turned off to open the overflow drain portion 1610, and when washing, the overflow valve 1620 is operated to close the overflow drain portion 1610 so that the ice-making water or the diluted cleaning liquid mixed with the ice-making water is filled to the second full water level h2 of the fluid storage tank 130 and the height of the ice compression unit 120.

[0050]In addition, a water level detection sensor is included to detect the water level of the fluid (ice-making water or diluted cleaning liquid) contained in the storage space 1311 of the fluid storage tank 130.

[0051]The water level detection sensor is disposed in the internal storage space 1311 of the fluid storage tank 130 and serves to detect the first full water level h1 and the second full water level h2. The water level detection sensor includes a first sensor unit 1313 on the lower side and a second sensor unit 1312 on the upper side.

[0052]The first sensor unit 1313 is a low water level detection sensor for detecting the lowest water level of ice-making water during ice making, and the second sensor unit 1312 is a full water level detection sensor for detecting the maximum water level of ice-making water.

[0053]During ice making, when the first sensor unit 1313 operates, the water supply valve 1920 for supplying ice-making water to the fluid storage tank 130 is opened, and when the storage space 1311 of the fluid storage tank 130 is filled with ice-making water and the second sensor unit operates, the water supply valve 1920 is locked to block the water supply.

[0054]In addition, when washing, when the second sensor unit 1312 is in operation, the water supply valve 1920 is locked after a predetermined time has passed so that the fluid (ice-making water or a diluted solution of cleaning liquid and ice-making water) is filled to the second full water level h2 of the fluid storage tank 130 and the height of the ice compression unit 120.

[0055]At this time, the time elapsed after the operation of the second sensor unit 1312 may be appropriately set by considering the size of the storage space 1311 of the fluid storage tank 130 and the water supply speed of the water supply valve 1920.

[0056]In addition, the auger ice maker 100 of an embodiment includes a control unit (not illustrated).

[0057]The control unit controls the operation of the ice production unit 110 and the ice compression unit 120 in the ice making process or the washing process. In addition, the control unit controls the operation of the overflow valve 1610 and the drain valve 1710 according to the procedure of the ice making process or the washing process.

[0058]In addition, when the first sensor unit 1313 of the water level detection sensor of the fluid storage tank 130 detects the water level in the ice-making process, the control unit is configured to open the water supply valve 1920 and to supply ice-making water to the storage space 1311 of the fluid storage tank 130, and when the second sensor unit 1312 detects the full water level, the control unit is configured to close the water supply valve 1920 and to stop the supply of ice-making water.

[0059]At this time, the overflowed ice-making water is discharged through the overflow drain portion 1610, and the ice-making water is supplied up to the first full water level h1 of the fluid storage tank 130, so that the fluid storage tank 130 and the ice production unit 110 may maintain the same water level.

[0060]In the ice-making process, ice-making water stored in the fluid storage tank 130 is supplied to an ice-making pipe through the connection portion 1810 to fill the ice-making pipe with ice-making water up to the first full water level h1 of the fluid storage tank 130, the refrigerant is circulated through the refrigerant pipe and the auger is rotated to transfer the slush-like ice produced in the ice-making pipe 112 to the upper discharge port of the ice-making pipe 112, and the ice completed while the ice-making process is in progress may be discharged in the form of pieces to the ice storage 1520 through the ice discharge portion 1510.

[0061]In this case, an ice water drain 1840 connected to a main drain 1870 may be installed at the lower end of the ice storage 1520 so that water may be drained when the ice melts.

[0062]In addition, the control unit is configured so that ice-making water is supplied until a predetermined time has elapsed after a certain amount of cleaning liquid is manually added in the washing process and then the second sensor unit 1312 of the water level detection sensor of the fluid storage tank 130 detects the same. At this time, the time elapsed after the operation of the second sensor unit 1312 may be appropriately set in consideration of the size of the storage space 1311 of the fluid storage tank 130 and the water supply speed of the water supply valve 1920.

[0063]Accordingly, ice-making water or cleaning liquid may be supplied up to the second full water level h2 of the fluid storage tank 130 so that the ice compression unit 120 and the fluid storage tank 130 may maintain the same water level.

[0064]In this washing process, the device that cools the ice-making water is turned off, and only the auger 111 is driven to rotate, so that the ice production unit 110 and the ice compression unit 120 may be filled with ice-making water when washing and rinsing.

[0065]In detail, the washing process of the auger ice maker of an embodiment configured as described above will be described. When the user presses the washing button of the auger ice maker, the drain valve 1710 of the connection portion 1810 connected to the fluid storage tank 130 and the ice production unit 110 operates, and the ice-making water in the fluid storage tank 130 and the ice production unit 110 is removed by being sent to the main drain 1870 through the branch pipe 1820. In detail, all the water inside the ice maker is drained.

[0066]The drain valve 1710 is a solenoid valve and is set to automatically turn off after operation and then a predetermined time, to lock the branch pipe 1820. For example, the drain valve 1710 may be set to automatically turn off after 60 seconds of operation.

[0067]Next, the overflow valve 1620 is operated to lock the overflow drain portion 1610 so that water is not drained through the overflow drain portion 1610, and in this state, cleaning liquid is injected into the fluid storage tank 130 through a cleaning liquid inlet 133.

[0068]Since the cleaning liquid is injected, the water supply valve 1920 is operated, and the overflow drain portion 1610 is closed, water may be filled up to the second full water level h2 of the fluid storage tank 133 according to the control of the second sensor unit 1312 and the control unit, and since the second full water level h2 of the fluid storage tank 130 is the same height h2 as the height of the ice compression unit 120, the diluted cleaning liquid is filled up to the height of the ice compression unit 120 through the connection portion 1810 and the ice production unit 110.

[0069]Next, the motor 1950 is operated to wash the ice production unit 110 and the ice compression unit 120. The washing process may take about 30 minutes, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0070]Next, the overflow valve 1620 is turned off to open the overflow drain portion 1610, and thus a portion of the cleaning liquid contained in the storage space 1311 of the fluid storage tank 130 is drained through the overflow drain portion 1610.

[0071]At this time, the overflow valve 1620 may be set to automatically turn on after a predetermined time as a solenoid valve. For example, the overflow valve 1620 may be set to automatically turn on 60 seconds after being turned off by the control unit.

[0072]Then, the drain valve 1710 is operated to open the branch pipe 1820, and the cleaning liquid remaining in the storage space 1311 of the fluid storage tank 130 is removed through the branch pipe 1820. The drain valve 1710 is automatically turned off after a predetermined time, and for example, the drain valve 1710 may be set to automatically turn off 60 seconds after being operated.

[0073]Afterwards, the rinsing process of the ice production unit 110 and the ice compression unit 120 may be performed.

[0074]In the rinsing process, the overflow drain portion 1610 is closed by operating the overflow valve 1620, and the fluid storage tank 130 is filled with ice-making water from a water source 1910 through the water supply portion 1930 by operating the water supply valve 1920. At this time, by the second sensor unit 1312, the water supply valve 1920 is closed after a predetermined time has elapsed after the operation of the second sensor unit 1312, so that the ice-making water is filled up to the second full water level h2 of the fluid storage tank 130.

[0075]When the fluid storage tank 130 is filled with water, the motor 1950 is operated after a predetermined time (for example, after 6 seconds) to remove the cleaning liquid on the surface of the ice production unit 110 and the ice compression unit 120. This rinsing operation may be performed for 2 minutes, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0076]Then, the overflow valve 1620 is turned off to open the overflow drain portion 1610 to drain a portion of the ice-making water contained in the fluid storage tank 130 through the overflow drain portion 1610, and the drain valve 1710 is operated to open the branch pipe 1820 to drain the ice-making water (including a portion of the cleaning liquid) in the fluid storage tank 130, the ice compression unit 120, and the ice production unit 110.

[0077]At this time, the overflow valve 1620 may be operated after a predetermined time (for example, 60 seconds), and the drain valve 1710 may be operated for a predetermined time (for example, 60 seconds).

[0078]This process is repeated several times to clean the ice compression unit 120 and the ice production unit 110, and the above rinsing process may be repeated preferably at least three times, and the number of times may be increased or decreased as needed.

[0079]In the auger ice maker of the related art, when cleaning liquid is poured into the fluid storage tank during cleaning, water is filled only up to the full level of ice-making water by the water level sensor, and thus, the ice production unit is filled with diluted cleaning liquid, but the ice compression unit located above the ice production unit is not filled with diluted cleaning liquid, which causes inconvenience in cleaning the ice compression unit.

[0080]As described in the technology of the related art, to fill the diluted cleaning liquid up to the height of the ice compression unit, the shape of the fluid storage tank should be changed, and in addition, the diluted cleaning liquid should be prevented from being drained through the overflow drain portion. To this end, the overflow drain portion should be manually blocked using a clip or tool, which is cumbersome and significantly reduces workability.

[0081]In addition, after the washing is completed, the overflow drain portion should be opened for the ice-making operation, but there are cases where the user operates the ice maker without opening the discharge port, resulting in defective products.

[0082]However, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, since the process of removing residual ice-making water inside, washing, and rinsing is automatically performed without separate manual work, not only is the workability significantly improved, but also the structure of the auger ice maker may be simplified since the configuration of a pipe or the like for supplying the cleaning liquid used in an auger ice maker of the related art to an ice compression unit is unnecessary.

[0083]Meanwhile, when the cleaning liquid or the ice-making water during the rinsing is added, the cleaning liquid or ice-making water is filled up to the upper end of the fluid storage tank 130, and thus, water leakage may occur at the joint where the end of the water level detection sensor coupled to the upper outer surface of the fluid storage tank 130 and the fluid storage tank 130 come into contact.

[0084]To prevent such leakage, a sealing portion (not illustrated) formed of a sealing material may be formed at a joint portion (contact portion) of the fluid storage tank 130 and the water level detection sensor.

[0085]As set forth above, an easy-to-clean ice maker according to an embodiment has an effect of simultaneously cleaning both an ice production unit and an ice compression unit without separate manual work, and of simplifying a structure of the ice maker.

[0086]While example embodiments have been illustrated and described above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations could be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.