Ice-Making Device for Refrigerator and Refrigerator Having the Same

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ice-making device for a refrigerator and a refrigerator having the same. The ice-making device of the present invention comprises a water tank detachably mounted to a rear surface of a refrigerator door, an ice-making housing detachably mounted to the rear surface of the door below the water tank and provided with a predetermined installation space therein, an ice tray mounted into the installation space and provided with an ice-making groove in which water supplied from the water tank is frozen into ice, and an ice bank for storing ice made in the ice tray, wherein the ice bank can be received in or withdrawn from the installation space. According to the present invention, there are advantages in that ice-making water can be prevented from running down from the ice tray, ice made in the ice tray can be prevented from being impregnated with odor of other foods, the ice can be more easily withdrawn while the loss of cold air is minimized, and the ice can be prevented from being impregnated with odor of the other foods.

1 . An ice-making device for a refrigerator, comprising:
 a water tank detachably mounted to a rear surface of a refrigerator door;   an ice-making housing detachably mounted to the rear surface of the door below the water tank and provided with a predetermined installation space therein;   an ice tray mounted into the installation space and provided with an ice-making groove in which water supplied from the water tank is frozen into ice; and   an ice bank for storing ice made in the ice tray, wherein the ice bank can be received in or withdrawn from the installation space.   
   
   
       2 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the water tank is detachably mounted into a mounting space defined between a bottom surface of any one of door baskets provided on the rear surface of the door and a top surface of the ice-making housing. 
   
   
       3 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the water tank is provided with a water storage space, a supply port through which water is supplied into the water storage space, a discharge port through which the water stored in the water storage space is supplied to the ice tray, and a valve for selectively opening or closing the discharge port. 
   
   
       4 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the discharge port is formed at a position deviated from a region where the water is supplied into the water storage space through the supply port. 
   
   
       5 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the water tank includes:
 a tank main body formed into a polyhedral shape with an open top to form the water storage space therein and provided with the discharge port at a bottom surface thereof;   a tank cover coupled to an upper portion of the tank main body to selectively open or close the water storage space and provided with the supply port at a predetermined position; and   a supply port cover provided on the tank cover to selectively open or close the supply port, and   at least a part of the water tank is formed of a transparent or translucent material to visually check an amount of water stored in the water storage space from the outside.   
   
   
       6 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein a support member is provided at an inner side of a sidewall of the tank main body to support an outer periphery of the tank cover. 
   
   
       7 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein a seating recess in which the supply port cover is seated when the supply port is closed by the cover and a packing groove covers the supply port are formed on a top surface of the tank cover, a cutout which communicates with the seating recess to allow a user's hand to be inserted into the recess is formed at a position on the tank cover to open the supply port cover which has covered the supply port, and a contact protrusion brought into close contact with the supply port and a packing protrusion fitted into the packing groove are provided on a bottom surface of the supply port cover. 
   
   
       8 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the valve includes:
 a valve bracket provided at an outer periphery of the discharge port and formed with a supply port;   a valve main body installed to be vertically movable through the supply port of the valve bracket to selectively open or close the supply port;   a packing ring provided between the valve bracket and the valve main body to stop up a gap between the valve bracket and the valve main body; and   an elastic member for imparting an elastic force to the valve main body in a direction in which the valve main body closes the supply port of the valve bracket, and   the valve main body is actuated by an actuating protrusion provided on the top surface of the ice-making housing to open the discharge port.   
   
   
       9 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the water tank is provided with a guide groove formed by depressing upward a portion of a bottom surface of the water tank, the ice-making housing is provided with a guide rib protruding upward from the top surface of the ice-making housing, and the water tank can be guided by allowing the guide rib to be inserted and slid in the guide groove while the water tank is received in or withdrawn from the mounting space. 
   
   
       10 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the ice-making housing comprises a first ice-making housing mounted below the water tank and having an ice tray installed in an installation space thereof, and a second ice-making housing mounted below the first ice-making housing and having an ice bank installed in an installation space thereof. 
   
   
       11 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein a supply port is provided at a top surface of the first ice-making housing to supply water stored in the water tank into the ice tray. 
   
   
       12 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the first ice-making housing further comprises at least one cold air supply port for supplying cold air into the installation space, a viewing window for visually checking from the outside a process of making ice in the ice-making groove, and a handle opening through which a user's hand can pass to allow the water tank to be mounted or withdrawn. 
   
   
       13 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein support shafts are provided at both lateral sides of the ice tray to pivotally support the ice tray on the first ice-making housing, a stopper is provided on an inner side of the first ice-making housing and is located within a range of the ice tray pivoting about the support shafts, a pivoting lever is provided on an outer side of the first ice-making housing to allow the ice tray to be pivoted, and the ice made in the ice-making groove is separated from the ice-making groove and then stored in the ice bank by actuating the pivoting lever to allow the ice tray to be caught to the stopper and then twisted while the ice tray is pivoted. 
   
   
       14 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the pivoting lever is provided on one side of the first ice-making housing corresponding to a free end of the door. 
   
   
       15 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 13 , further comprising a tray cover mounted in the installation space of the first ice-making housing to be vertically pivoted in cooperation with the pivot motion of the ice tray and to selectively open or close the ice-making groove. 
   
   
       16 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein the tray cover is made of a transparent or translucent material to allow a user to visually check a process of making ice in the ice-making groove. 
   
   
       17 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein the tray cover is provided with a supply port through which water supplied from the water tank through the supply port of the first ice-making housing can be supplied to the ice tray. 
   
   
       18 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 17 , wherein the supply port of the tray cover is formed at a position deviated from a region where the water is supplied from the water storage space through the supply port of the first ice-making housing. 
   
   
       19 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein the tray cover is further provided with a water guide surface downwardly inclined toward the supply port of the tray cover to guide the water into the supply port. 
   
   
       20 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein an ice transfer opening through which ice made in the ice tray is transferred to the ice bank and a transfer guide surface which is formed to be downwardly inclined toward the ice transfer opening to guide the ice into the ice guide opening are provided on a top surface of the second ice-making housing. 
   
   
       21 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein the ice bank is formed into a hexahedral shape with an open top and provided with an ice storage space therein, and at least a portion of the ice bank is made of a transparent or translucent material to allow a user to visually check the ice stored in the ice storage space from the outside. 
   
   
       22 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 21 , further comprising a guide means for allowing the ice bank to be received in or withdrawn from the installation space of the second ice-making housing through a home bar provided in the door. 
   
   
       23 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 22 , wherein the home bar includes:
 a home bar housing installed in the rear surface of the door below the second ice-making housing and provided with a predetermined storage space;   an opening formed by cutting out a portion of the door and communicating with the storage space and the installation space of the second ice-making housing; and   a home bar door for selectively opening or closing the opening, and   the ice bank is received in or withdrawn from the installation space of the second ice-making housing through the opening by means of the guide means.   
   
   
       24 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein the guide means is a guide box for moving forward or rearward of the installation space of the second ice-making housing in a state where the ice bank is seated thereon. 
   
   
       25 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 24 , wherein a support rib is provided at a rear end of the guide box to be brought into close contact with a rear side of the ice bank in a state where the ice bank is seated on a top surface of a floor plate of the guide box, and a support projection is provided at a front side of the ice bank to be brought into close contact with a front end of the guide box in a state where the ice bank is seated on the top surface of the floor plate of the guide box. 
   
   
       26 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 24 , wherein the floor plate of the guide box can be slid in a forward and rearward direction with respect to lateral sides of the guide box in a state where the ice bank is seated thereon, and a catching groove and a catching protrusion inserted in the catching groove are provided respectively at a position on a bottom surface of the ice bank and a corresponding position on the floor plate of the guide box. 
   
   
       27 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 24 , wherein the guide box which is received in the installation space of the second ice-making housing in a state where the ice bank is seated thereon is prevented from being inadvertently withdrawn from the installation space of the second ice-making housing by means of a locking means. 
   
   
       28 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 27 , wherein the locking means is composed of:
 a push latch provided on one side of the guide box or the second ice-making housing brought into close contact with the guide box; and   a latch hook provided on the other side of the guide box or the second ice-making housing brought into close contact with the guide box and inserted selectively in the push latch by pushing the guide box in a direction in which the ice bank is received in the installation space of the second ice-making housing.   
   
   
       29 . An ice-making device for a refrigerator, comprising:
 a water tank detachably mounted to a rear surface of a refrigerator door;   a first ice-making housing detachably mounted to the rear surface of the door below the water tank and provided with a predetermined installation space therein;   an ice tray pivotally mounted into the installation space of the first ice-making housing and provided with an ice-making groove in which water supplied from the water tank is frozen into ice;   a tray cover mounted in the installation space of the first ice-making housing to be vertically pivoted in cooperation with a pivot motion of the ice tray and to selectively open or close the ice-making groove;   a second ice-making housing detachably mounted to the rear surface of the door below the first ice-making housing and provided with a predetermined installation space therein;   an ice bank for storing ice made in the ice tray; and   a guide box for moving forward or rearward of the installation space of the second ice-making housing in a state where the ice bank is seated thereon such that the ice bank can be received in or withdrawn from the installation space of the second ice-making housing through a home bar provided in the door,   wherein the ice bank and the guide box can be received in or withdrawn from the installation space of the second ice-making housing.   
   
   
       30 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 29 , wherein the water tank is detachably mounted into a mounting space defined between a bottom surface of any one of door baskets provided on the rear surface of the door and a top surface of the first ice-making housing. 
   
   
       31 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 29 , wherein the water tank includes:
 a tank main body formed into a polyhedral shape with an open top to form a water storage space therein and provided with a discharge port, through which water stored in the water storage space is supplied to the ice bank, at a bottom surface thereof;   a valve coupled to the tank main body to selectively open or close the discharge port;   a tank cover coupled to an upper portion of the tank main body to selectively open or close the water storage space and provided with a supply port through which water is supplied into the water storage space; and   a supply port cover provided on the tank cover to selectively open or close the supply port, and   the discharge port is formed at a position deviated from a region where the water is supplied into the water storage space through the supply port and at least a part of the water tank is made of a transparent or translucent material to visually check an amount of water stored in the water storage space from the outside.   
   
   
       32 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 31 , wherein the valve includes:
 a valve bracket provided at an outer periphery of the discharge port and formed with a supply port;   a valve main body installed to be vertically movable through the supply port of the water tank to selectively open or close the supply port;   a packing ring provided between the valve bracket and the valve main body to stop up a gap between the valve bracket and the valve main body; and   an elastic member for imparting an elastic force to the valve main body in a direction in which the valve main body closes the supply port of the water tank, and   the valve main body is actuated by an actuating protrusion provided on the top surface of the first ice-making housing to open the discharge port.   
   
   
       33 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 29 , wherein a supply port is provided at the top surface of the first ice-making housing to supply the water stored in the water tank into the ice tray, an ice transfer opening through which ice made in the ice tray is transferred to the ice bank and a transfer guide surface which is formed to be downwardly inclined toward the ice transfer opening to guide the ice into the ice guide opening are provided on a top surface of the second ice-making housing. 
   
   
       34 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 29 , wherein
 ice made in the ice-making groove is separated from the ice-making groove and then stored in the ice bank by actuating a pivoting lever, which is provided on an outer side of the first ice-making housing corresponding to a free end of the door, and then allowing the ice tray to be caught to and twisted by a stopper provided on an inner side of the first ice-making housing when the ice tray is supported on the stopper.   
   
   
       35 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 29 , wherein the tray cover is provided with a supply port formed at a position deviated from a region where the water is supplied from the water tank to the ice tray through the supply port of the first ice-making housing, and a water guide surface downwardly inclined toward the supply port of the tray cover to guide the water into the supply port of the tray cover. 
   
   
       36 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 29 , wherein the ice bank is formed into a hexahedral shape with an open top and provided with an ice storage space therein, and at least a portion of the ice bank is made of a transparent or translucent material to allow a user to visually check the ice stored in the ice storage space from the outside. 
   
   
       37 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 29 , wherein a floor plate of the guide box can be slid in a forward and rearward direction with respect to lateral sides of the guide box in a state where the ice bank is seated thereon. 
   
   
       38 . The ice-making device as claimed in  claim 29 , wherein a push latch and a latch hook are provided respectively on the guide box and the second ice-making housing brought into close contact with the guide box such that the latch hook is selectively fastened to the push latch by pushing the guide box in a direction in which the ice bank is received in the installation space of the second ice-making housing. 
   
   
       39 . A refrigerator, comprising:
 a refrigerator main body provided with a predetermined storage space;   a refrigerator door for selectively opening or closing the storage space; and   an ice-making device according to  claim 1 , which is mounted to a rear surface of the door.