Refrigerator

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 and 35 U.S.C. 365 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0073329, filed on Jun. 4, 2024, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator.

In general, refrigerators are home appliances for storing foods at a low temperature in a storage space that is covered by a door. Refrigerators cool storage spaces using cold air generated using a refrigeration cycle to store stored foods in a refrigerated or frozen state.

Such a refrigerator is becoming more luxurious and larger and is provided with various devices to improve convenience. For example, a refrigerator may be provided with an ice-maker that automatically makes and stores ice.

The ice made by the ice-maker may have a variety of shapes, and recently, ice-makers that make spherical ice have been developed.

Embodiments provide a refrigerator capable of improving ice separation defects of an ice-maker, which occur due to opening and closing of a door.

Embodiments also provide a refrigerator provided with an ice-maker capable of implementing a preheating state that is suitable for ice separation.

Embodiments also provide a refrigerator provided with an ice-maker capable of reducing noise that occurs due to ice separation defects.

Embodiments also provide a refrigerator capable of preventing an ice-maker from being damaged by ice separation defects.

Embodiments also provide a refrigerator provided with an ice-maker in which an outer appearance of separated ice is improved.

In one embodiment, a refrigerator includes: a cabinet forming a storage space; a door configured to open and close the storage space and define an ice-making chamber; an ice-maker provided in the ice-making chamber; and a controller configured to control the ice-maker, wherein the ice-maker includes: an upper tray made of a metal material and having a plurality of upper cells; a lower tray mounted to be movable with respect to the upper tray and having a plurality of lower cells that forms spaces, in which ice is made, together with the upper cells; a heater configured to heat the upper tray to perform a preheating operation for separating the ice; and a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the upper tray, wherein the controller may be configured to determine whether the preheating operation is completed on the basis of the temperature measured by the temperature sensor.

The controller may be configured to control the heater so that the heater performs the preheating operation when the ice-making is completed, and in a process of the preheating operation, the controller may be configured to: determine whether the preheating operation is completed when a preheating completion determination start condition is satisfied; and control the ice-maker to perform an ice separation operation when a preheating completion condition is satisfied.

In the preheating completion determination start condition, when a first temperature measured at a first time point, and a second temperature measured at a second time point after a first period from the first time point are compared with each other, the second temperature may be greater than the first temperature.

Each of the first temperature and the second temperature may be below zero.

In the preheating completion condition, when a third temperature measured at a third time point in a situation, in which the preheating completion determination start condition is satisfied, and a fourth temperature measured at a fourth time point after a second period from the third time point are compared with each other, the third temperature and the fourth temperature may be the same.

The third temperature may be an average temperature measured during a third period from the third time point, and the fourth temperature may be an average temperature measured during a third period from the fourth time point.

Each of the third temperature and the fourth temperature may be in the range of about −1° C. or more and about 1° C. or less.

In the preheating completion determination start condition, the heater may operate continuously for a predetermined operation time or more.

In the preheating completion condition, when a first temperature measured at a first time point in a situation, in which the preheating completion determination start condition is satisfied, and a second temperature measured at a second time point after a preheating completion period from the first time point are compared with each other, the first temperature and the second temperature may be the same.

The first temperature may be an average temperature measured during a predetermined measurement period from the first time point, and the second temperature may be an average temperature measured during the predetermined measurement period from the second time point.

Each of the first temperature and the second temperature may be in the range of about −1° C. or more and about 1° C. or less.

The refrigerator may further include a motor unit configured to rotate the lower tray, wherein the controller may be configured to control the motor unit to be driven when the preheating completion condition is satisfied.

The temperature sensor may be configured to provide the measured temperature to the controller in real time, the controller may be configured to control the heater so that the heater performs the preheating operation when the ice-making is completed, and in a process of the preheating operation, the controller may be configured to control the ice-maker so that the ice separation operation is performed when a preheating completion condition is satisfied, wherein, in the preheating completion determination start condition, a temperature provided from the temperature sensor in real time may be maintained for a predetermined preheating completion period.

The heater may be disposed on a top surface of the upper tray, and the temperature sensor may be disposed to be in contact with the upper tray, but is spaced apart from the heater.

The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The technical scope of the embodiments will fall within the scope of this disclosure, and addition, deletion, and modification of components or parts are possible within the scope of the embodiments.

Before explaining, directions will be defined. In embodiments of the present disclosure, a direction that is directed to a front surface of a door illustrated inmay be defined as a front direction, a direction that is directed to a cabinet may be defined as a rear direction on the basis of the front surface of the door, a direction that is directed to a bottom surface on which a refrigerator is installed may be defined as a downward direction, and a direction that is away from the bottom surface may be defined as an upward direction.

is a front view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.is a front view of the refrigerator in which a refrigerating compartment door is opened.

Referring to, a refrigeratoraccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a cabinetdefining a storage space and a doorthat opens and closes the storage space of the cabinet. The refrigeratormay have an outer appearance defined by the cabinetand the door.

For example, the cabinetmay define the storage space divided vertically. The storage space of the cabinetmay include a refrigerating compartmentdefined at an upper side and a freezing compartment defined at a lower side.

The doormay include a refrigerating compartment doorconfigured to open and close the refrigerating compartmentand a freezing compartment doorconfigured to open and close the freezing compartment. For example, the refrigerating compartment doormay be referred to as a first door, and the freezing compartment doormay be referred to as a second door.

The refrigerating compartment doormay be connected to the cabinetby a hinge (not shown) and may be a rotary door that opens and closes the refrigerating compartmentby rotation. For example, the refrigerating compartment doormay be disposed in pairs at left and right sides. The refrigerating compartmentmay be opened and closed by the rotation of the pair of refrigerating compartment doors.

The freezing compartment doormay be provided as a drawer-type door that is inserted into and withdrawn from the cabinet. That is, the freezing compartment doormay be configured to be inserted and withdrawn in a drawer-like manner to open and close the freezing compartment. Alternatively, the freezing compartment doormay be configured as a pair of rotary doors that rotate at both the left and right sides, like the refrigerating compartment door.

In addition, in this embodiment, for the convenience of explanation and understanding, the refrigeratorhaving a structure in which the refrigerating compartmentis disposed at the upper side, and the freezing compartment is disposed at the lower side is described as an example, but the present disclosure is not limited to the structure of the refrigeratorand may be applied to all types of refrigeratorsprovided with the door.

An ice-making chambermay be provided in at least one of the pair of refrigerating compartment doors. A dispenserthrough which water or ice is dispensed may be provided on a front surface of the refrigerating compartment doorprovided with the ice-making chamber.

An ice-maker (see reference numeral ‘’ in) may be installed inside the ice-making chamber. Hereinafter, the structure of the refrigerating compartment doorprovided with the ice-makerwill be described in detail with reference to.

is a view illustrating the inside of the ice-making chamber of the door.is a view illustrating a state in which a mounting member, the ice-maker, and an ice bank are separated from the door.

Referring to, the ice-making chambermay be defined by recessing a rear surface of the refrigerating compartment doorforward. For example, the ice-making chambermay be defined by a door linerdefining the rear side of the refrigerating compartment door.

A cold air inletthrough which cold air is introduced and a cold air outletthrough which the cold air is discharged may be provided at upper and lower portion of an inner surface of the ice-making chamber, respectively. The cold air inletand the cold air outletmay be connected to an ice-making chamber duct (not shown) provided in the refrigerating compartment door.

The ice-makerthat makes ice may be installed in the ice-making chamber. An ice bankin which the ice made by the ice-makeris stored may be provided in the ice-making chamber.

The ice-makerand the ice bankmay be disposed vertically inside the ice-making chamber. That is, the ice bankmay be disposed at a lower portion of the ice-maker.

The ice-makermay be disposed at a side of the cold air inlet. Thus, the cold air introduced into the ice-making chambermay be directed to the ice-maker.

An ice chutecommunicating with the dispensermay be provided in the bottom surface of the ice-making chamber. When manipulating the dispenser, the ice stored in the ice bankmay be dispensed to the dispenserthrough the ice chute.

A mounting membermay be provided on an inner surface of the ice-making chamber. The ice-makerand the ice bankmay be mounted on the mounting member. That is, the ice-makerand the ice bankmay be installed inside the ice-making chamberthrough the mounting member. The mounting membermay be provided across the front and bottom surfaces of the ice-making chamber.

Hereinafter, the ice-makerwill be described in detail with reference to.

is a perspective view of the ice-maker in which a lower tray is closed.is a perspective view of the ice-maker in which the lower tray is opened.is an exploded perspective view of the ice-maker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.is a vertical cross-sectional view of the ice-maker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.is an enlarged view of an area A of.

Referring to, the ice-makermay include an upper trayand a lower tray assembly, which are configured to make a plurality of spherical ice cubes.

The ice-makermay further include a tray coverto guide supply of water and a flow of the cold air to the upper tray.

The ice-makermay further include a motor unitthat rotates the lower tray assembly.

The ice-makermay further include an upper ejectorthat ejects ice from the upper trayand a lower ejectorthat ejects ice from the lower tray assembly.