Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12429269-B2
Application number	US-202318511242-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2023
Priority date	Oct 2, 2018
Publication date	Sep 30, 2025
Grant date	Sep 30, 2025

Abstract

A refrigerator may include: a storage chamber, a first ice-maker, a second ice-maker, a cooler for supplying the cold to the storage chamber and the ice-making chamber, an ice bin for storing ice generated by the second ice-maker, a water supply unit for supplying water to the ice-making cell, a heater for supplying heat to the ice-making cell, and a controller for controlling the heater. The controller may increase the heating amount of the heater when the heat transfer amount between the cold in the storage chamber and the water in the ice-making cell is increased, and decreases the heating amount of the heater when the heat transfer amount between the cold in the storage chamber and the water in the ice-making cell is reduced.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator, comprising:
a first ice maker comprising a tray assembly to define a cell that forms a space in which a liquid phase-changes into ice, the first ice maker being disposed in the refrigerator;
a second ice maker disposed in an ice making compartment, the ice making compartment being disposed in the refrigerator;
an ice bin configured to store ice provided by the second ice maker;
a cooler disposed in the refrigerator;
a heater configured to supply heat into the cell; and
a controller configured to control the heater, the controller being disposed outside of the heater, wherein the controller controls the heater to operate while the ice is being formed so that gas bubbles dissolved in the liquid within the cell move from a first portion of the space where the liquid that has phase-changed into the ice to a second portion of the space where the liquid is in a fluid state, and wherein the controller is configured to:
change a heating amount of the heater based on a change of a heat transfer amount between cold within a storage chamber and the liquid of the cell.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller controls the heater to:
increase the heating amount of the heater based on an increase of the heat transfer amount between cold within the storage chamber and the liquid of the cell.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising the storage chamber configured to store food and disposed in the refrigerator.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein the ice making compartment is partitioned from the storage chamber.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising a door where the ice making compartment is provided.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the cooler is configured to supply cold into the storage chamber or the ice making compartment.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the cooler includes at least one of an evaporator or a thermoelectric element.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the second ice maker makes ice having a same shape as the first ice maker, or the second ice maker makes ice having a different shape from the first ice maker.

9. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to adjust the heating amount of the heater when the heat transfer amount between cold and the liquid in the cell is varied, the cold being provided by the cooler.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to increase the heating amount of the heater when the heat transfer amount between cold and the liquid in the cell increases, the cold being provided by the cooler.

11. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to increase the heating amount of the heater when a cooling power of the cooler to supply cold increases, the cold being provided by the cooler.

12. The refrigerator of claim 11 , wherein the cooling power of the cooler increases, when at least one condition is satisfied, the at least one condition including:
a target temperature of a compartment of the refrigerator is lowered, the first ice maker being positioned in the compartment,
an output of at least one of a compressor or a fan of the refrigerator increases, or
an opening degree of a refrigerant valve of the refrigerator increases.

13. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to increase the heating amount of the heater when air having a temperature lower than a temperature of air around the cell is supplied to around the cell.

14. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to decrease the heating amount of the heater when the heat transfer amount between cold and the liquid in the cell decreases, the cold being provided by the cooler.

15. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to decrease the heating amount of the heater when a cooling power of the cooler to supply the cold decreases.

16. The refrigerator of claim 15 , wherein the cooling power of the cooler decreases when at least one condition is satisfied, the at least one condition including:
a target temperature of a compartment of the refrigerator is increased, the first ice maker being positioned in the compartment, an output of at least one of a compressor or a fan decreases, or an opening degree of a refrigerant valve of the refrigerator decreases.

17. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to decrease the heating amount of the heater when at least one condition is satisfied, the at least one condition including:
food is put into a compartment of the refrigerator in which the first ice maker is positioned, the food having a temperature higher than a temperature of cold air in the compartment.

18. A refrigerator, comprising:
a first ice maker comprising a tray assembly to define a cell that forms a space in which a liquid phase-changes into ice, the first ice maker being disposed in the refrigerator;
a second ice maker disposed in an ice making compartment, the ice making compartment being disposed in the refrigerator;
an ice bin configured to store ice provided by the second ice maker; and
a heater configured to supply heat into the cell, wherein the heater is controlled to be operated while the ice is being formed so that gas bubbles dissolved in the liquid within the cell move from a first portion of the space where the liquid that has phase-changed into the ice to a second portion of the space where the liquid is in a fluid state, and wherein: a heating amount of the heater is decreased, based on a decrease of the heat transfer amount between cold within a storage chamber and the liquid of the cell.

19. A refrigerator, comprising:
a first ice maker comprising a tray assembly to define a cell that forms a space in which a liquid phase-changes into ice, the first ice maker being disposed in the refrigerator;
a second ice maker disposed in an ice making compartment, the ice making compartment being disposed in the refrigerator;
an ice bin configured to store ice provided by the second ice maker; and
a heater configured to supply heat into the cell, wherein the heater is controlled to be operated while the ice is being formed so that gas bubbles dissolved in the liquid within the cell move from a first portion of the space where the liquid that has phase-changed into the ice to a second portion of the space where the liquid is in a fluid state, and wherein a heating amount of the heater is decreased when a door of a refrigerator is opened, and air having a temperature which is higher than a temperature of air around the cell is introduced around the cell.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lee Donghoon
• Lee Wookyong
• Yeom Seungseob
• Lee Donghoon
• Bae Yongjun
• Son Sunggyun
• Park Chongyoung

Classifications

• F25C2600/04

  Control means · CPC title

• F25C2400/10

  Refrigerator units · CPC title

• F25C2400/08

  for different type of ice · CPC title

• F25C5/08

  by heating bodies in contact with the ice · CPC title

• F25C1/24

  for refrigerators, e.g. freezing trays · CPC title