US 12,072,138 B2
Refrigerator and method for controlling the same
Donghoon Lee, Seoul (KR); Donghoon Lee, Seoul (KR); Wookyong Lee, Seoul (KR); Seungseob Yeom, Seoul (KR); Yongjun Bae, Seoul (KR); Sunggyun Son, Seoul (KR); and Chongyoung Park, Seoul (KR)
Assigned to LG ELECTRONICS INC., Seoul (KR)
Appl. No. 17/282,590
Filed by LG ELECTRONICS INC., Seoul (KR)
PCT Filed Oct. 1, 2019, PCT No. PCT/KR2019/012868
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 2, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/071755, 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. 10-2019-0081718 (KR), filed on Jul. 6, 2019; and application No. 10-2019-0081719 (KR), filed on Jul. 6, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0348824 A1, Nov. 11, 2021
Int. Cl. F25C 5/08 (2006.01); F25C 1/18 (2006.01); F25C 1/24 (2018.01); F25C 1/25 (2018.01); F25D 29/00 (2006.01)
CPC F25C 5/08 (2013.01) [F25C 1/18 (2013.01); F25C 1/24 (2013.01); F25C 1/25 (2018.01); F25D 29/00 (2013.01); F25C 2400/06 (2013.01); F25C 2400/10 (2013.01); F25C 2700/12 (2013.01); F25D 2700/123 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A refrigerator comprising:
a storage chamber;
a cold air supply configured to supply cold air to the storage chamber; and
an ice maker comprising:
a tray having a cell to form a space in which a liquid is phase-changed into ice;
a temperature sensor provided to detect a temperature of the liquid or ice in the tray;
a first heater configured to provide heat to the tray;
a second heater configured to supply heat to the cell in at least a portion of the section while the cold air supply supplies the cold air so that gas bubbles dissolved in the liquid inside the space move from a portion of the liquid which is phase-changing into the ice to another portion of the liquid that is still in a fluid state; and
a controller configured to:
control the first heater to be turned on when the ice is formed in the space of the cell,
control the first heater to be turned off when a temperature sensed by the temperature sensor reaches a temperature greater than zero degrees Celsius after the first heater has been turned on for at least a first length of time, and
control the second heater to be turned on when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor has not reached the temperature greater than zero degrees Celsius after the first heater has been turned on for at least a second length of time that is greater than the first length of time.