ICE Maker and Refrigerator

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 18/586,795, filed on Feb. 26, 2024, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/950,626, filed on Sep. 22, 2022, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,913,700, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/685,793, filed on Nov. 15, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,480,375, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 and 35 U.S.C. § 365 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2018-0142079, filed in Korea on Nov. 16, 2018, Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0081737, filed in Korea on Jul. 6, 2019, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0110813, filed in Korea on Sep. 6, 2019, whose entire disclosures are hereby incorporated by reference.

The present disclosure relates to an ice maker and a refrigerator.

In general, a refrigerator is a home appliance for storing foods at a low temperature by low temperature air.

The refrigerator uses cold-air to cool inside of a storage space, so that the stored food may be stored in a refrigerated or frozen state.

Typically, an ice maker for making ice is provided inside the refrigerator.

The ice maker is configured to receive water from a water source or a water tank in a tray to make ice.

Further, the ice maker is configured to remove the ice from the ice tray in a heating or twisting manner after the ice-making is completed.

As such, the ice maker, which automatically receives the water and removes the ice, has an open top to scoop molded ice.

As described above, the ice made in the ice maker having a structure as described above may have at least one flat surface such as crescent or cubic shape.

When the ice has a spherical shape, it is more convenient to ice the ice, and also, it is possible to provide different feeling of use to a user. Also, even when the made ice is stored, a contact area between the ice cubes may be minimized to minimize a mat of the ice cubes.

Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1850918 as Prior Art document discloses an ice maker.

The ice maker of Prior Art document includes an upper tray in which a plurality of upper cells of a hemispherical shape are arranged and a pair of link guides extending upwardly from both sides are disposed, a lower tray in which a plurality of lower cells of a hemispherical shape are arranged and which is pivotally connected to the upper tray, a pivoting shaft connected to rear ends of the lower tray and the upper tray to allow the lower tray to pivot relative to the upper tray, a pair of links having one end thereof connected to the lower tray and the other end thereof connected to the link guide, and an ejecting pin assembly having both ends thereof respectively connected to the pair of links while being respectively inserted into the link guides, wherein the ejecting pin assembly ascends and descends together with the link.

In the Prior Art document, there is formed a guide sleeve extending upward from each cell of the upper tray, but the guide sleeve is to serve only as a guide of the ejecting pin. Therefore, a height of the guide sleeve is excessively large, so that flow of the cold-air may be inhibited. In addition, when a diameter of the guide sleeve is excessively large, the planar shape of the ice made in the cell becomes excessively large, and the ice does not appear as spherical ice.

Further, when the movement of the ejecting pin is generated, the ejecting pin may be caught to the upper tray and the guide sleeve of the metal material, and then broken.

A purpose of an embodiment of the present disclosure is to provide an ice maker and a refrigerator that may prevent water from overflowing even when an amount of water supplied into a cell changes.

Another purpose of an embodiment of the present disclosure is to provide an ice maker and a refrigerator that prevent water from overflowing even when an amount of water supplied into a cell changes after water supply.

Another purpose of an embodiment of the present disclosure is to provide an ice maker and a refrigerator that smooth flow of cold-air passing through an upper tray to improve an ice making performance.

Another purpose of an embodiment of the present disclosure is to provide an ice maker and a refrigerator that prevent damage and deformation of an ejector and an upper tray even when the ejector and the upper tray interfere with each other.

Another purpose of an embodiment of the present disclosure is to provide an ice maker that prevents formation of a protrusion on one side of ice during ice-making of spherical ice.

Another purpose of an embodiment of the present disclosure is to provide an ice maker in which friction between a surface of ice made during spherical ice-making and an inner face of a tray is increased.

In a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an ice maker including an upper tray made of an elastic material, wherein a plurality of hemispherical upper chambers are defined in the upper tray, each ejector-receiving opening opened to be in communication with each of the plurality of upper chambers, each opening-defining wall extending upward along a circumference of each ejector-receiving opening, an upper ejector disposed above the upper tray, wherein the upper ejector is configured to pass through the ejector-defining wall and vertically move to remove each ice from each ice chamber, a lower tray made of an elastic material, and having a plurality of lower chambers defined therein in contact with the plurality of upper chambers by pivoting to define a plurality of spherical ice chambers, respectively, and a driver for pivoting the lower tray to open and close the upper tray and the lower tray, wherein the upper tray includes a horizontal extension forming a top face of the upper tray, wherein the upper chamber is positioned below the horizontal extension such that the opening-defining wall is formed at a vertical level equal to or lower than a vertical level of the opening-defining wall.

In one embodiment, a volume of a space inside the opening-defining wall may be within 2 to 4% of a total volume of the ice chamber.

In one embodiment, the ice maker may further include an upper casing fixedly mounted on the upper tray such that an upper portion of the upper tray is exposed, and wherein a cold-air hole for supplying cold-air to the top face of the upper tray may be defined in the upper casing.

In one embodiment, a cold-air discharge hole for discharging the cold-air may be defined at one side of the upper tray spaced apart from the cold-air hole, and the plurality of ice chambers may be arranged in line between the cold-air hole and the cold-air discharge hole.

In one embodiment, a cold-air guide for guiding the supplied cold-air to the top face of the upper tray may be formed on the upper casing.

In one embodiment, a rib for connecting an outer face of the opening-defining wall with a top face of the upper chamber may be formed in the upper tray.

In one embodiment, the rib may further protrude outwards downwardly.

In one embodiment, the rib may include a plurality of ribs formed along a circumference of the opening-defining wall.

In one embodiment, a rib extending for connecting outer portions of neighboring opening-defining walls with each other may be formed between the neighboring opening-defining walls.

In one embodiment, a water-supply guide extending obliquely to guide water into the upper chamber may be formed on one of the opening-defining walls respectively formed on the plurality of upper chambers.

In one embodiment, a receiving portion recessed downward may be defined in the horizontal extension, and the plurality of upper chambers may be sequentially arranged inside the receiving portion.

In a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a refrigerator including a cabinet having a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment defined therein, wherein the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment are divided vertically and an ice maker disposed in the freezing compartment to make ice, wherein the ice maker includes an upper casing mounted on a top face of the freezing compartment and having a cold-air hole defined therein, wherein cold-air flows into the upper casing through the cold-air hole, an upper tray made of an elastic material, wherein the upper tray is mounted below the upper casing such that at least a portion of a top face of the upper tray is exposed, and wherein the upper tray includes a plurality of hemispherical upper chambers defined therein, each ejector-receiving opening opened to be in communication with each of the plurality of upper chambers, each opening-defining wall extending upward along a circumference of each ejector-receiving opening, an upper ejector disposed above the upper tray, wherein the upper ejector is configured to pass through the ejector-defining wall and vertically move to remove each ice from each ice chamber, a lower tray made of an elastic material, and having a plurality of lower chambers defined therein in contact with the plurality ofupper chambers by pivoting to define a plurality of spherical ice chambers, respectively, and a driver for pivoting the lower tray to open and close the upper tray and the lower tray, wherein the upper tray includes a horizontal extension forming a top face of the upper tray, wherein the upper chamber is positioned below the horizontal extension such that the opening-defining wall is formed at a vertical level equal to or lower than a vertical level of the opening-defining wall.

In one embodiment, the refrigerator may further include an upper support penetrated by a portion of the upper chamber, wherein the upper support supports the horizontal extension from below, and a guide extending upward of the upper tray may be formed on the upper support, wherein the upper ejector may be connected to the guide in a vertically movable manner.

In one embodiment, the horizontal extension may be disposed between the upper tray and the upper casing, and top and bottom faces of the horizontal extension may be restrained by the upper tray and the upper casing, respectively.

In one embodiment, the upper casing may have a cavity defined therein recessed downward, and a tray opening for exposing a portion of the top face of the upper tray including the opening-defining wall formed thereon may be defined in the cavity.

In one embodiment, a vertical level of the opening-defining wall may be lower than a vertical level of the cavity.

In one embodiment, a volume of an internal space of the opening-defining wall may correspond to a volume of ice debris that is able to be attached to a perimeter of the upper tray.

In one embodiment, a surface-treatment portion for increasing an attaching force between an inner face of the ice chamber and a surface of the ice during ice-removal may be formed on at least a portion of the inner face of the ice chamber.

In one embodiment, the surface-treatment portion may have a bump or a pattern formed thereon to increase a roughness of a surface of the ice chamber.

In one embodiment, the refrigerator may further include a refrigerator door for opening and closing the refrigerating compartment, and the refrigerator door may further include a dispenser for dispensing water or ice and a main ice maker in communication with the dispenser, wherein the main ice maker makes ice and stores the made ice.

The ice maker and the refrigerator according to the embodiments of the present disclosure have following effects.

According to the present embodiment, the cold-air flowing into the ice maker through the cold-air hole passes above the ice chambers by the cold-air guide, so that the ice formation speed may become uniform and the ice may maintain in the spherical shape.

Further, the opening-defining wall formed on the upper tray does not protrude excessively, so that the cold-air flowing along the top face of the upper tray may be evenly transferred to the entirety of the upper tray and may flow smoothly, thereby increasing the ice-removal efficiency.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the ice formation speed is delayed by the lower heater for supplying the heat to the ice chamber, so that the bubbles may move from the portion where the ice is formed toward the water, thereby producing the transparent ice.

Further, according to the present embodiment, regardless of the type of the refrigerator in which the ice maker is mounted, the cold-air passed through the cold-air hole flows along the cold-air guide, so that the flow patterns of the cold-air become almost the same. Therefore, the transparency of the ice may be uniform regardless of the type of refrigerator.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the ejector-receiving opening in communication with the upper chamber may be defined in the top face of the upper tray, and the opening-defining wall may be formed along the circumference of the ejector-receiving opening. The ejector-receiving opening not only guides the ejector, but also prevent overflowing of the water by receiving the water in the internal space of the opening-defining wall even when the amount of water inside the ice chamber increases due to the ice debris in the ice chamber or the water flowed from another chamber. Thus, problems caused by the overflowing of the water may be prevented, and the ice-removal may be performed without any problem even when the amount of water changes.

In addition, the volume of the space inside the opening-defining wall may be determined to be 2 to 4% of the total volume of the ice chamber in consideration of an error of a sensor occurring in the actual ice-removal, water inflow from the neighboring chamber, or inflow of the ice debris. Thus, while preventing water overflow, the internal space of the opening-defining wall may not be defined excessively large, so that the ice of substantially spherical shape may be made.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the ribs are formed along the circumference of the opening-defining wall, so that the deformation of the opening-defining wall may be prevented even when the interference occurs during the movement of the ejector, and even when the opening-defining wall is deformed, the opening-defining wall may be returned to its original position to perform the normal ice-removal.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the inner face of the ice chamber to which the water is supplied and the ice is made in the ice maker may be surface-treated such that friction between the inner face of the ice chamber and the surface of the ice is increased.

Therefore, even when the volume of the ice increases due to the water phase-change during the ice-removal process and the gap between the upper tray and the lower tray increases, the ice and the ice chamber are attached to each other, so that the formation of the protrusion on the surface of the ice due to the flow of the water to the portion between the ice chamber and the surface of the ice may be prevented.