US 11,879,679 B2
Refrigerator and control method therefor
Donghoon Lee, Seoul (KR); Wookyong Lee, Seoul (KR); Chongyoung Park, Seoul (KR); Donghoon Lee, Seoul (KR); Seungseob Yeom, Seoul (KR); Yongjun Bae, Seoul (KR); and Sunggyun Son, Seoul (KR)
Assigned to LG ELECTRONICS INC., Seoul (KR)
Appl. No. 17/281,753
Filed by LG ELECTRONICS INC., Seoul (KR)
PCT Filed Oct. 1, 2019, PCT No. PCT/KR2019/012852
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 31, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/071742, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 9, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2018-0117785 (KR), filed on Oct. 2, 2018; application No. 10-2018-0117819 (KR), filed on Oct. 2, 2018; application No. 10-2018-0117821 (KR), filed on Oct. 2, 2018; application No. 10-2018-0117822 (KR), filed on Oct. 2, 2018; application No. 10-2018-0142117 (KR), filed on Nov. 16, 2018; application No. 10-2019-0081702 (KR), filed on Jul. 6, 2019; and application No. 10-2019-0081715 (KR), filed on Jul. 6, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0389035 A1, Dec. 16, 2021
Int. Cl. F25C 1/24 (2018.01); F25C 5/08 (2006.01)
CPC F25C 1/24 (2013.01) [F25C 5/08 (2013.01); F25C 2400/10 (2013.01); F25C 2400/14 (2013.01)] 23 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A refrigerator comprising:
a storage chamber;
a cooler configured to supply cold air into the storage chamber; and
an ice maker comprising:
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 to receive a liquid to be phase-changed to form ice;
a heater provided to supply heat to the cell; and
a controller configured to:
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
in a state in which the heater operates, when a defrosting start condition is satisfied while the ice is being formed in the space of the cell, perform a defrosting process and reduce an amount of cold air supplied by the cooler,
wherein the heater continues to be turned on during performing of the defrosting process,
wherein the controller is configured to determine whether a reduction of an output of the heater is required during performing of the defrosting process, and
wherein when the controller determines to reduce the output of the heater, the controller reduces the output of the heater.