Ice maker and refrigerator including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11530860-B2
Application number	US-201916256028-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2019
Priority date	Jan 26, 2018
Publication date	Dec 20, 2022
Grant date	Dec 20, 2022

Abstract

A refrigerator and a control method of the same are disclosed, wherein the refrigerator comprises an ice tray for receiving water to generate ices; a motor capable of being rotated in a forward or reverse direction; an ejector including a rotary shaft rotating the ices made in the ice tray to discharge the ices from the ice tray, rotated by being axially connected to the motor, and a protrusion pin protruded in a radius direction of the rotary shaft to adjoin the ices; a heater for selectively supplying heat to the ice tray; a door switching sensor for sensing a storage compartment door's opening or closing, the storage compartment door being provided with the ejector; and a controller for turning the heater on or off in accordance with a rotation position of the ejector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control method of a refrigerator that includes an ice tray configured to receive water and to generate one or more ice pieces, a motor configured to rotate in a first direction or a second direction opposite to the first direction, an ejector that includes (i) a rotary shaft connected to the motor and configured to rotate the ice pieces in the ice tray to discharge the ice pieces from the ice tray, and (ii) a protrusion pin that protrudes in a radial direction of the rotary shaft and that is configured to contact the ice pieces, a heater configured to supply heat to the ice tray, a storage compartment door that includes the ejector and that is configured to open and close a storage compartment of the refrigerator, and a door switching sensor configured to sense whether the storage compartment door is opened or closed, the control method being performed by a controller and comprising:
sensing, using a first sensor, whether a rotation of the ejector is initiated;
based on sensing whether the rotation of the ejector is initiated, determining, using the door switching sensor, whether the storage compartment door is closed;
based on a determination that the storage compartment door is closed, rotating the ejector by a first amount of rotation; and
based on a determination that the storage compartment door is opened, rotating the ejector by a second amount of rotation.

2. The control method of the refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein whether the storage compartment door is closed is determined based on the door switching sensor sensing whether the storage compartment door stops moving after sealing the storage compartment.

3. The control method of the refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein rotating the ejector by the first amount of rotation comprises rotating the ejector to cause the protrusion pin to rotate by an angle that is greater than or equal to 360 degrees about the rotary shaft.

4. The control method of the refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to stop rotation of the ejector based on a determination by the door switching sensor that the storage compartment door is opened.

5. The control method of the refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein rotating the ejector by the second amount of rotation comprises rotating the ejector the second amount of rotation based on the storage compartment door being switched from a closed state to an opened state during rotation of the ejector.

6. The control method of the refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to drive the heater while rotating the ejector by the first amount of rotation.

7. The control method of the refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein driving the heater comprises:
turning on the heater based on the ejector being rotated to a first position during a rotation by the first amount of rotation; and
turning off the heater based on the ejector being rotated to a second position during the rotation by the first amount of rotation.

8. The control method of the refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein rotating the ejector by the second amount of rotation comprises rotating the ejector for two times including a first time and a second time subsequent to the first time, and
wherein the controller is configured to turn off the heater during the second time of rotation of the ejector.

9. The control method of the refrigerator according to claim 1 , further comprising:
sensing, using a second sensor, whether a level of the ice pieces received in an ice bank of the refrigerator exceeds a set height.

10. The control method of the refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the second amount of rotation is greater than the first amount of rotation.

11. The control method of the refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein rotating the ejector by the second amount of rotation comprises repeating a rotation of the ejector by the first amount of rotation.

12. A refrigerator comprising:
an ice tray configured to receive water and to generate one or more ice pieces;
a motor configured to rotate in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction;
an ejector comprising (i) a rotary shaft that is connected to the motor, that is configured to rotate the ice pieces in the ice tray to discharge the ice pieces from the ice tray, and (ii) a protrusion pin that protrudes in a radial direction of the rotary shaft and that is configured to contact the ice pieces;
a heater configured to supply heat to the ice tray;
a storage compartment door that is configured to open and close a storage compartment of the refrigerator, the storage compartment door including the ejector;
a door switching sensor configured to sense whether the storage compartment door is opened or closed; and
a controller configured to:
turn on the heater and turn off the heater based on a rotation position of the ejector sensed by a sensor,
rotate the ejector by different amounts of rotation based on the storage compartment door being closed or opened during a rotation of the ejector,
rotate the ejector by a first amount of rotation based on the door switching sensor sensing that the storage compartment door is closed during the rotation of the ejector, and
rotate the ejector by a second amount of rotation based on the door switching sensor sensing that the storage compartment door is switched from a closed state to an opened state during the rotation of the ejector.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12 , wherein the door switching sensor is further configured to determine that the storage compartment door is closed based on the storage compartment door stopping moving after sealing the storage compartment.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 12 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
rotate the ejector for two times including a first time and a second time subsequent to the first time; and
turn off the heater during the second time of rotation of the ejector.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 12 , wherein the controller is further configured to turn on the heater and then turn off the heater in a period in which the ejector is rotated by the first amount of rotation.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 12 , wherein the second amount of rotation is greater than the first amount of rotation.

17. The refrigerator according to claim 16 , wherein the first amount of rotation corresponds to an angle of rotation of the ejector for rotating one time about the rotary shaft.

18. The refrigerator according to claim 16 , wherein the second amount of rotation corresponds to an angle of rotation of the ejector for rotating two times about the rotary shaft.

19. The refrigerator according to claim 12 , wherein the controller is further configured to stop rotating the ejector based on a determination that the storage compartment door is opened.

20. A refrigerator comprising:
an ice tray configured to receive water and to generate one or more ice pieces;
a motor configured to rotate in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction;
an ejector comprising (i) a rotary shaft that is connected to the motor, that is configured to rotate the ice pieces in the ice tray to discharge the ice pieces from the ice tray, and (ii) a protrusion pin that protrudes in a radial direction of the rotary shaft and that is configured to contact the ice pieces;
a heater configured to supply heat to the ice tray;
a storage compartment door t

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Yeom Seungseob
• Lee Donghoon
• Lee Donghoon
• Lee Wookyong

Classifications

• F25C2500/08

  Sticking or clogging of ice · CPC title

• F25C2400/10

  Refrigerator units · CPC title

• F25C2600/04

  Control means · CPC title

• F25D2700/02

  Sensors detecting door opening · CPC title

• F25C5/08 Primary

  by heating bodies in contact with the ice · CPC title