Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021396444-A1
Application number	US-201917282061-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 2, 2019
Priority date	Oct 2, 2018
Publication date	Dec 23, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

The refrigerator according to the present invention comprises: a storage compartment for storing food; a cooler for supplying cold to the storage compartment; a first tray assembly forming a part of ice-making cells which are where water changes phase to ice due to the cold; a second tray assembly forming the other part of the ice-making cells; a heater located adjacently to the first tray assembly and/or the second tray assembly; and a control unit for controlling the heater. Any one of the first and second tray assemblies has a greater degree of cold transfer than the other tray assembly.

First claim

1 . A refrigerator comprising:
a storage chamber; a cooler configured to supply cold into the storage chamber; a first tray having a first portion of a cell; a second tray having a second portion of the cell, the first portion and the second portion being configured to define a space formed by the cell; a liquid supply configured to supply a liquid to the space; a driver that moves the second tray relative to the first tray such that the second portion of the second tray contacts the first portion of the first tray to form the space of the cell in an ice making process in which the liquid in the space is phase-changed into ice, and that moves the second tray relative to the first tray such that the second portion of the second tray is spaced from the first portion of the first tray in an ice separation process in which the ice is removed from the space of the cell; a heater provided adjacent to at least one of the first tray or the second tray; and a controller configured to:
move the second tray to an ice making position for the ice making process after the liquid is supplied to the cell,
move the second tray from the ice making position to an ice separation position for the ice separation process to separate the ice from the cell after completion of the ice making process,
start the liquid supply to supply the liquid to the space when the second tray is moved to a liquid supply position from the ice separation position after the ice separation process is completed, and
operate the heater while the ice is being formed so that gas bubbles dissolved in the liquid within the cell move from a portion of space where the liquid that has phase-changed into the ice to another portion of the space where the liquid is in a fluid state, and
wherein one of the first tray or the second tray has a greater degree of cold transfer than another one of the first tray or the second tray.

2 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the degree of cold transfer of the first tray is greater than that of the second tray.

3 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the one tray having the greater degree of cold transfer is located farther from the heater than the other tray.

4 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the one tray having the greater degree of cold transfer includes:
a first tray section defining an appearance of the tray; and a second tray section formed of a material different from that of the first tray section and including an associated one of the first portion or the second portion of the cell.

5 . The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein a degree of deformation resistance of the first tray section is greater than that of the second tray section.

6 . The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein a degree of heat transfer or a degree of cold transfer of the first tray section is greater than that of the second tray section.

7 . The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein a degree of attachment between ice and the second tray section is less than a degree of attachment between ice and the first tray section.

8 . The refrigerator of claim 4 ,
wherein the one tray having the greater degree of cold transfer further includes a third tray section positioned to face the other tray in order to contact or to form a gap between the other tray, and wherein the third tray section is formed of a material different from that of the first tray section.

9 . The refrigerator of claim 8 , wherein a degree of deformation resistance of the first tray section is greater than that of the third tray section.

10 . The refrigerator of claim 8 , wherein a degree of heat transfer or degree of cold transfer of the first tray section is greater than that of the third tray section.

11 . The refrigerator of claim 8 , wherein a degree of attachment between ice and the third tray section is less than a degree of attachment between ice and the first tray section.

12 . The refrigerator of claim 8 , wherein the first tray section is formed of a metal material, and
wherein the second tray section and the third tray section are formed of a non-metal material.

13 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller reduces a degree of supercooling of liquid in at least one of a first time period before the liquid supply starts, a second time period until the liquid supply is completed after the liquid supply starts, or a third time period during the ice making process.

14 . The refrigerator of claim 13 ,
wherein the controller performs precooling of the cell during at least a portion of the first time period, and wherein the liquid is supplied to the space of the cell after the precooling is finished.

15 . The refrigerator of claim 13 ,
wherein the liquid supply supplies a first amount of the liquid to the space of the cell during a portion of the second time period, and supplies a second amount of the liquid to the space during another portion of the second time period.

16 . The refrigerator of claim 13 , wherein the controller causes at least one of mechanical energy and electrical energy to be supplied to at least one of the space of the cell, the first tray, or the second tray during Rink a portion of the third time period.

17 . The refrigerator of claim 16 , wherein the suppled mechanical energy includes at least one of kinetic energy or potential energy.

18 . The refrigerator of claim 16 , wherein the supplied electrical energy includes at least one of a current or a spark.

19 . A refrigerator comprising:
a storage chamber; a cooler configured to supply cold into the storage chamber; a liquid supply configured to supply a liquid; a first tray having a first portion of a cell; a second tray having a second portion of the cell, the first portion and the second portion being configured to define a space formed by the cell in which the liquid is phase-changed to form ice; a heater provided adjacent to at least one of the first tray or the second tray; and a controller configured to turn on the heater when the ice is forming, wherein the first tray includes a first wall defining the first portion of the cell, and the second tray includes a second wall defining the second portion of the cell, and the first wall has a greater degree of thermal transfer than the second wall.

20 . A refrigerator comprising:
a storage chamber; a cooler configured to supply cold into the storage chamber; a liquid supply configured to supply a liquid; a first tray having a first portion of a cell; a second tray having a second portion of the cell, the first portion and the second portion being configured to define a space formed by the cell in which the liquid is phase-changed to form ice; and a heater provided adjacent to at least one of the first tray or the second tray, wherein the first tray includes a first wall formed of a metal and defining the first portion of the cell, and the second tray includes a second wall formed of non-metal material and defining the second portion of the cell.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• F25C1/04 Primary

  by using stationary moulds · CPC title

• F25C5/06

  by deforming bodies with which the ice is in contact, e.g. using inflatable members · CPC title

• F25C2305/0221

  rotating ice mould · CPC title

• F25C5/08 Primary

  by heating bodies in contact with the ice · CPC title

• F25D29/00

  Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices · CPC title