ICE Maker and Refrigerator

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 18/412,136, filed on Jan. 12, 2024, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/511,871, filed on Jul. 15, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,874,045, which claims the benefit of the Korean Patent Application No. 10-2018-0142079, filed on Nov. 16, 2018, which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

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

Generally, refrigerators are appliances that can be used to cool and store food items. A storage space inside the refrigerator may be cooled using cool air, and the food items may be stored in a refrigerated or a frozen state.

In some cases, an ice maker may be provided in the refrigerator. For example, water can be supplied automatically from a water supply source to an ice tray to form ice pieces. In some cases, the formed ice pieces may be removed by heating the tray or by physically removing the ice pieces. Ice pieces formed in this manner typically have crescent or cubic shapes. In some cases, spherical ice may be made by the use of appropriately designed ice trays.

During the ice making process, air bubbles can become trapped inside the ice, thus leading to a cloudy, opaque appearance. Allowing the air bubbles to escape during the ice making process, on the other hand, can help lead to the formation of clear, transparent ice pieces.

According to one aspect of the subject matter described in this application, an ice maker includes: an upper assembly including an upper tray that defines upper portions of a plurality of ice making chambers and that defines a water receiving hole configured to receive water to the plurality of ice making chambers; and a lower assembly located vertically below the upper assembly and configured rotate relative to the upper assembly. The lower assembly includes: a lower tray that is made of a flexible material, that is configured to contact the water received through the water receiving hole, and that defines lower portions of the plurality of ice making chambers; and a lower support that is configured to receive the lower tray and that is configured to restrict an outward expansion of the lower portions of the plurality of ice making chambers. Each of the plurality of ice making chambers is configured to: based on rotation of the lower assembly to a first position relative to the upper assembly, receive water through the water receiving hole; and based on joining of the upper portions and the lower portions of the plurality of ice making chambers at a second position different from the first position, generate an ice piece within an ice making chamber among the plurality of ice making chambers. The lower tray includes: a lower tray body that defines the lower portions of the plurality of ice making chambers, the lower portions of the plurality of ice making chambers being configured to hold a first volume of water; and a circumferential wall that extends upward from the lower tray body, that is configured to, based on the lower assembly being at the first position, come in contact with and hold a second volume of water above the first volume of water, and that is configured to, based on the lower assembly being at the second position, vertically overlap at least a portion of the upper tray. The plurality of ice making chambers are configured to, based on joining of the upper portions and the lower portions of the plurality of ice making chambers at the second position, be filled with water from the first and second volumes of water.

Implementations according to this aspect may include one or more of the following features. For example, the circumferential wall may include an vertical portion that extends vertically from an upper surface of the lower tray body and a curved portion that extends laterally toward a rotation axis of rotation of the lower assembly relative to the upper assembly. In some cases, a horizontal distance from a center of the ice making chamber to an outer end of the curved portion may be greater than a horizontal distance from the center of the ice making chamber to an outer end of the vertical portion. In some cases, the lower tray may also include an horizontal extension part that extends horizontally outward from an interface between the lower tray body and the circumferential wall. Also, a distance between an upper end of the vertical portion and the horizontal extension part may be greater than or equal to a distance between an upper end of the curved portion and the horizontal extension part.

In some implementation, the upper tray may include a horizontal extension part and an upper tray body that extends downward from the horizontal extension part and that defines an inner surface of the upper portions of the plurality of ice making chambers, the inner surface having a hemispherical shape. In some cases, the upper tray body may include a vertical wall that defines a first portion of an outer surface of the upper tray body, the first portion extending in a vertical direction from the horizontal extension part and a curved wall that defines a second portion of the outer surface of the upper tray body, the second portion having a curved shape extending toward the rotation axis. The vertical portion of the lower tray body may be configured to, based on the lower assembly being at the first position, hold at least a portion of the second volume of water in a space between the vertical wall of the upper tray body and the vertical portion of the lower tray body, and the curved portion mat be configured to, based on the lower assembly being at the first position and the second position, vertically overlap at least a portion of the curved wall of the upper tray body.

In some implementations, the plurality of ice making chambers may include a first ice making chamber and a second ice making chamber that are arranged in a direction parallel to a rotation axis of rotation of the lower assembly relative to the upper assembly. At least a portion of the circumferential wall may extend vertically upward from an upper surface of the lower tray body. The circumferential wall may include a first circumferential wall located at the first ice making chamber and a second circumferential wall located at the second ice making chamber. A vertical distance between the upper surface of the lower tray body and an upper end of the first circumferential wall may be less than or equal to a vertical distance between the upper surface of the lower tray body and an upper end of the second circumferential wall. In some cases, the circumferential wall may include a first portion that extends vertically from a first portion of an upper surface of the lower tray body by a first length and a second portion that extends vertically from a second portion of the upper surface of the lower tray body by a second length different from the first length. The lower support may define a lower support opening configured to receive the lower tray, and an upper end of the lower support may be configured to be coplanar with an upper end of the lower tray based on the lower tray being received in the lower support.

In some implementations, the lower support may include a lower plate that extends horizontally, that is located at an upper end of the lower tray body, and that defines a lower support opening configured to receive the lower tray. The lower support may also include a wall portion that extends upward from the lower plate and that is configured to face the circumferential wall of the lower tray based on the lower tray being received in the lower support. The lower tray may further include a coupling protrusion that protrudes horizontally from the circumferential wall and that is configured to insert into a coupling slit defined at the wall portion of the lower support, and the coupling protrusion may be configured to, based on being inserted into the coupling slit, protrude outward of the wall portion of the lower support.

In some implementations, an upper surface of the lower tray may define, based on the lower assembly being located at the first position relative to the upper assembly, a first angle with respect to a lower surface of the upper tray, and the upper surface of the lower tray may define, based on the lower assembly being located at the second position relative to the upper assembly, a second angle with respect to the lower surface of the upper tray, the second angle being less than the first angle. The first angle may be less than 10 degrees. In some cases, the upper tray is made of a flexible material, and the upper assembly may further include an upper case located vertically above the upper tray and an upper support located vertically below the upper tray and configured to couple the upper tray to the upper case, the upper support defining a plate opening configured to allow a bottom portion of the upper tray to pass through based on the upper tray being coupled to the upper case.

In some implementations, the circumferential wall of the lower tray may be configured to, based on the lower assembly being at the first position, vertically overlap a first area of an outer surface of the upper tray, and the circumferential wall of the lower tray may be configured to, based on the lower assembly being at the second position, vertically overlap a second area of the outer surface of the upper tray, the second area being greater than the first area. In some cases, the upper tray and the lower tray may be made of a silicone material, and the ice maker may further include a direct current heater that contacts the upper tray and is configured to supply heat to the upper portions of the plurality of ice making chambers. In some cases, based on joining of the upper portions and the lower portions of the plurality of ice making chambers at the second position, a first water escape passage may be defined between the curved portion of the circumferential wall and the curved wall of the upper tray body. Also, based on joining of the upper portions and the lower portions of the plurality of ice making chambers at the second position, a second water escape passage may be defined between the vertical portion of the circumferential wall and the vertical wall of the upper tray body.

Referring to, a refrigeratormay include a cabinetthat defines a storage space for storing items, for example food items. In some cases, the cabinetmay define a refrigerating compartmentat an upper portion and a freezing compartmentat a lower portion. Various accommodation members such as a drawer, a shelf, a basket, and the like may be provided in the refrigerating compartmentand the freezing compartment.

One or more doors may be provided to open and close the storage space of the refrigerator. For example, a refrigerating compartment doormay be provided for the refrigerating compartment, and a freezing compartment doormay be provided for the freezing compartment. As illustrated in, the refrigerating compartment doormay include a pair of left/right doors that are configured to swing open, and the freezing compartment doormay be part of a drawer that is inserted and withdrawn from the freezing compartment.

The refrigerating and freezing compartments may be arranged in various alternative ways, as readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the refrigerating and freezing compartments may be arranged side by side. In some cases, the freezing compartment may be positioned above the refrigerating compartment.

As illustrated in, an ice makermay be provided in the freezing compartment. The ice makeris configured to make ice by using supplied water. As explained further below, the ice may have a spherical shape. Alternatively, the ice makermay be provided in the freezing compartment door, the refrigerating compartment, or the freezing compartment door. An ice binmay be provided to receive and store ice generated by the ice maker. The ice makerand the ice binmay be provided in an ice maker housing. The ice makerand the ice binmay be removed, for example, for servicing or replacement.

The ice made by the ice makermay be obtained by a user by, for example, opening the appropriate door to gain access to the ice bin. Alternatively, or additionally, a dispenserfor dispensing water and/or ice may be provided at an external side of the refrigerating compartment door or the freezing compartment door. A transfer unit may be used to transfer the ice stored in the ice binto the user via the dispenser.

Referring to, an ice makeraccording to one implementation is shown. As illustrated, the ice makerincludes an upper assemblyand a lower assembly. The lower assemblymay be rotatably coupled with respect to the upper assembly, with the upper and lower assemblies,being designed to come together to form an ice making chamberfor spherical ice. The ice making chambermay be formed, for example, by a lower tray that defines the shape of a lower half of the ice and an upper tray that defines the shape of an upper half of the ice. As shown, a plurality of ice making chambersmay be provided. For example, three or more chambers may be linearly arranged along a row. In some cases, the chambers may be provided in multiple rows that are arranged parallel to each other. Other shapes of ice, for example cubic or cylindrical among others, may be formed using a similar configuration of upper and lower assemblies but with differently shaped ice making chambers.

In more detail, referring to, the ice makerincludes an upper assemblyand a lower assembly. As explained further below, the lower assemblyis configured to rotate relative to the upper assemblyduring the ice making process.

The upper assemblyincludes an upper casethat defines an outer appearance and an upper traythat is mounted within the upper case. The upper tray, which can be made from a flexible material such as silicone, defines the upper portion of the plurality of ice making chambers. For example, in the case of spherical chambersdesigned to form spherical ice pieces, the upper hemisphere of the chambers may be defined by the upper tray(with the lower hemisphere being defined by a corresponding lower tray, as further detailed below).

The upper traydefines, at its upper surface, a plurality of upper tray openings. An upper ejectorincludes a plurality of corresponding protrusions that are designed to pass through the upper tray openingsduring an ice ejection stage to thereby push downward and remove any ice pieces that may be located within the upper portions of the ice making chambers. One of the plurality of upper tray openingsmay further be configured as a water receiving hole. In some cases, the water receiving holemay be separately provided to the upper trayin addition to the upper tray openings. In either case, the water receiving holeis configured to receive water from a water supply part.

The water supply partmay be a trough-like structure that is coupled to the upper assemblyand that is configured to receive water from a water supply source of the refrigerator. The water supply partmay further include a spout-like structure through which the received water flows into the ice making chambers. As illustrated, the water supply partcan supply water through only a single opening in the upper tray. However, because the plurality of ice making chambers, as explained in greater detail below, are fluidically connected to one another during the water filling stage, the water received through the single opening can be distributed to all the chambers. As a result, all of the ice making chambersmay be filled simultaneously with water using a single water supply part. In some implementations, multiple water supply parts, or alternatively a water supply part having multiple spouts, may be used to deliver water directly to more than one chamber at a time.

Referring further to, which shows an exploded view of the ice maker, the lower assemblymay include a lower tray, a lower support, and a lower case. The lower tray, which can also be made from a flexible material such as silicone, defines the lower portion of the plurality of ice making chambers. For example, in the case of spherical chambersdesigned to form spherical ice pieces, the lower hemisphere of the chambers may be defined by the lower tray, with the upper hemisphere being defined by the upper trayas explained above.

In some cases, the lower traymay be formed from a silicone material that is more elastically deformable than the silicone material used to form the upper tray. Therefore, by way of example, the lower traymay be more easily flexed during the ice removal process compared to the upper tray.

A driving unitmay be provided to the ice maker. The driving unitis configured to rotate the lower assemblyrelative to the upper assemblyduring the ice making process. The driving unitmay include a driving motor and a power transmission part, such as one or more gears, to actuate the lower assembly. The driving motor may be rotatable in both directions, thereby allowing the lower assemblyto be rotated in both directions. Althoughshows a single driving unitprovided at one side of the ice maker, multiple driving units may be provided. For example, driving units may be provided at opposing sides of the ice maker.

further shows the upper ejector, which may be removably coupled to the upper assembly. The upper ejectormay include an ejector bodyand a plurality of upper ejecting pinsthat extend downward from the ejector bodytoward the ice chambers. The number of upper ejecting pinsprovided on the ejector bodymay correspond to the number of ice chamberssuch that each ejecting pin is configured to be pushed downward into a corresponding ice chamber during the ice ejection stage. One or both side ends of the upper ejectormay include a retaining memberthat is configured to prevent a connection unitfrom becoming uncoupled from the upper ejector.

The connection unit, which may include one or more links that couple the lower assemblyto the upper ejector, is configured to translate a rotational movement of the lower assemblyto an up-down movement of the upper ejector.

For example, when the lower assemblyrotates in one direction, the upper ejectormay descend by the connection unitto allow the upper ejector pinto move downward and push out the ice. Conversely, when the lower assemblyrotates in the opposite direction, the upper ejectormay ascend back to its original position.

The ice makermay also include a lower ejectorthat is configured to remove ice that may be retained within the lower portion of the ice chamberin the lower assembly. The lower ejectormay include an ejector bodyand a plurality of lower ejecting pinsthat generally extend in a lateral and downward direction. The lower ejectormay be attached to the upper caseat a location such that, in use, when the lower assemblyis rotated away from the upper assembly, the lower assemblyis actuated toward the lower ejectorsuch that the lower ejecting pinscan press and deform the lower trayto thereby remove ice that is retained in the lower portion of the chamber.

As illustrated in, the upper assemblyincludes the upper casethat holds the upper trayand further includes an upper supportthat is configured to secure the upper trayto the upper case. Portions of the upper tray, for example, may be positioned between the upper caseabove and the upper supportbelow to provide a more secure coupling. Various coupling features, such as bosses, fasteners, hooks, tabs, bolts, protrusions, and the like, may be provided to help couple the upper case, the upper tray, and the upper supportto each other in a vertically aligned configuration. The water supply partmay be attached to the upper case.

The ice makermay also include a temperature sensorfor detecting a temperature of the upper tray. For example, the temperature sensormay be mounted on the upper casesuch that, when the upper trayis fixed to the upper case, the temperature sensorcontacts the upper tray. In other cases, the temperature sensormay be mounted directly to the upper tray. In some implementations, one or more other temperature sensors may be provided, for example at the lower tray.

The lower assemblymay include a lower supportthat is configured to provide support to a lower side of the lower trayand a lower casethat is configured to provide support to an upper side of the lower tray. The lower case, the lower tray, and the lower supportmay be coupled to each other through one or more coupling members, including but not limited to bosses, fasteners, hooks, tabs, bolts, protrusions, and the like.

The ice makermay include a switch for turning the ice makeron and off. For example, the ice makermay be activated to make ice when a user turns on the switch. That is, when the switchis turned on, water may be supplied to the ice making chambersof the ice maker. Subsequently, the water supplied to the ice making chamberscan be frozen to form ice pieces that are in turn ejected from the ice making chambers.

An exemplary ice making process of the ice makerwill be detailed below with reference to.

Referring to, water W may be supplied to the ice making chamber, which is made up of an upper chamberand a lower chamber, when the lower trayis in a water supply position. As explained above, the water may be received through the water receiving holefrom the water supply part.

In the water supply position, which is illustrated in, the lower traymay be rotated about a rotation axis cl such that the ice making chamberis not completely closed. That is, the ice making chambermay remain slightly open such that a preset angle is formed between a lower surfaceof the upper trayand an upper surfaceof the lower tray. The preset angle may be between 0 and 90 degrees. In some cases, the preset angle may be approximately 8 degrees. By leaving the ice making chamber slightly open by the preset angle while receiving the water, adjacent chambers within the ice making chambercan be fluidically connected to each other. Accordingly, even if water is supplied via the water receiving holeto just one of a plurality of chambers, the supplied water can be distributed to all the chambers. That is, all the chambers can be filled by supplying water to just one of the chambers and allowing the water to overflow into the adjacent chambers.

With the lower trayin the water supply position, a predetermined volume of water can be supplied to the ice making chambers. The predetermined volume of water may be greater than the amount of water required to create the desired ice piece. In such cases, excess water may be channeled away from the ice making chambers through one or more water escape passages that are provided by the ice making trays, as will be described further below.

When the predetermined volume of water is supplied with the lower trayin the water supply position, water W may completely fill the lower chamber. Water W may further fill, either partially or completely, a space that is formed between the upper and lower chambers,. In some cases, some of the supplied water may fill a lower portion of the upper chamber. Although the upper chambermay not be filled with water, water that is held in the space between the upper and lower chamber,can subsequently be pushed into the upper chamberto thereby create a fully-formed ice piece. In order to ensure that a sufficient volume of water is retained within the upper chamber, the volume of water that is held between the upper and lower chambers,during the water supply position may be equal to or greater than the volume of water that can be held within the upper chamber.

As described in further detail below with respect to, the lower traymay include a circumferential wall, or a retaining wall, that extends vertically upward from the upper surfaceand that serves to contain the water that is held above the upper surface. That is, the retaining wallis designed to prevent the water that is held between the upper and lower chambers,during the water supply step from spilling out.

Referring to, the lower trayis shown rotated from the water supply position shown into an ice making position. For example, the driving unitmay rotate the lower assemblytoward the upper assemblysuch that upper surfaceof the lower traybecome coplanar with the lower surfaceof the upper tray. Through this motion, as can be seen in, the water W that is held between the upper and lower chambers,may be pushed upward into the upper chamber.

In some implementations, after a complete ice making chamber has been formed in this manner, the driving unitmay over-rotate the lower traytoward the upper trayby a small amount to ensure that no gaps are present between the upper and lower surfacesand. The presence of gaps in this region between the traysand, for instance, may result in an undesirable seam or protrusion that is formed around formed ice.

When the water W contained within the ice making chamber freezes, ice I is formed as illustrated in.

Referring also to, a lower portion of the lower traymay include a deformable portionthat is configured to change shape based on an outward expansion of the ice piece within the ice making chamber during ice generation. Accordingly, the volume of the ice making chamber before ice generation (i.e. before the deformable portionchanges shape) may be less than the volume of the ice making chamber after ice generation (i.e. after the deformable portionchanges shape). Notably, because the deformable portionis configured to more readily change its shape compared to other portions of the ice making chamber, distortion of the chamber shape caused by ice expansion may be localized to the deformable portion

In some implementations, the deformable portionmay initially have a convex shape that protrudes toward a center of the ice making chamber as shown in. As illustrated in, filling of the chamber with water may not generate enough pressure to substantially change the convex shape of the deformable portion. However, once the water W within the chamber freezes, as seen in, the outward expansion of the ice I can push out the deformable portionto take on a concave shape that protrudes away from the center of the ice making chamber. Accordingly, the transformation of the deformable portionfrom a first shape (e.g. convex) to a second shape (e.g. concave) can help the ice making chamber to provide on a more spherical shape during the ice making stage. That is, the outward expansion of the deformable portioncan help compensate for the outward expansion of the ice to thereby provide a final ice shape that is more spherical than would have been otherwise. The deformable portioncan revert back to its original shape (i.e. first shape) after the ice piece is removed from the chamber.

The lower support(), which may be more rigid than the lower tray, includes a recess that is configured to surround and physically support the spherical portion of the lower tray. Accordingly, outward expansion of the lower trayduring ice formation, or other unwanted shape distortions, may be restricted. In some cases, as explained below with respect to, the lower supportmay include lower openingsto accommodate the deformable portionof the lower tray. Accordingly, the lower supportcan allow the deformable portionto expand outward during ice formation while at the same time providing a supporting force to the remaining portions of the lower tray. In some cases, the deformable portionof the lower traymay be configured to be more flexible than the other portions of the lower tray, for instance by being made thinner, to facilitate transitioning between the first and second shapes.

An exemplary process of ejecting the ice piece from the ice making chamber is illustrated in. In particular, after the ice piece is formed inside the chamber, the driving unitmay rotate the lower assemblyaway from the upper assemblyto separate and open up the upper and lower ice making chambers, thereby exposing the ice piece within.

During this ejection process, as illustrated in, the upper ejectormay move downward in conjunction with the outward rotation of the lower assemblysuch that the upper ejecting pinspass through the upper trayand into the ice chamber, thereby pushing away any ice remaining inside the upper chamber. In this way, the ice pressed by the upper ejecting pinmay be separated from the upper assemblyand collected, for example, in the ice bin. In some cases, the ice piece I may remain adhered to the lower chamber.

As the lower assemblycontinues to rotate outward away from the upper assembly, as seen in, any remaining ice piece I may fall out toward the ice bindue to gravity. In some cases, the ice piece I may not fall out on its own and instead remain adhered to the lower ice tray. The continued rotation of the lower assemblyaway from the upper assemblyin such cases will cause the lower ejecting pinsof the lower ejectorto pass through the lower openingsof the lower supportto press and deform the lower tray, for instance at the deformable portion, to thereby remove any ice that is retained in the lower portion of the chamber. In some cases, as shown in, a distal end of the lower ejectormay extend past the upper surfaceof the lower trayin order to push any remaining ice piece. In some cases, a length of the ejector pinsmay be equal to or greater than a radius of the ice making chamber.

In order to ensure that the ice piece within the chamber is properly ejected, as illustrated in, the lower assemblymay be rotated past 90 degrees from the ice making position. In some cases, the lower assemblymay be rotated between 120-140 degrees from the ice making position to reach the final ice ejection position.

Various exemplary implementations of the ejector pinare illustrated inAs shown in, the ejector pinmay be substantially linear in shape. The orientation angle of the ejector pinmay be chosen to be generally orthogonal to the lower assemblyat the final ice ejection position. For example, if the lower assemblyis designed to be rotated 110 degrees, the ejector pinmay be angled downward by 20 degrees. If the lower assemblyis designed to be rotated 130 degrees, the ejector pinmay be angled downward by 40 degrees. Alternatively, the orientation angle of the ejector pinmay be chosen to be generally orthogonal to the lower assemblywhen a distal endof the lower ejectorfirst makes contact with the lower ice tray. For example, if the lower ejectorfirst makes contact with the lower ice traywhen the lower assemblyhas been rotated 90 degrees from the ice making position, the ejector pinmay be oriented to be substantially horizontal.