US 12,111,089 B2
Refrigerator
Donghoon Lee, Seoul (KR); Wookyong Lee, Seoul (KR); Sunggyun Son, Seoul (KR); Donghoon Lee, Seoul (KR); Seungseob Yeom, Seoul (KR); Yongjun Bae, Seoul (KR); and Chongyoung Park, Seoul (KR)
Assigned to LG ELECTRONICS INC., Seoul (KR)
Appl. No. 17/281,776
Filed by LG ELECTRONICS INC., Seoul (KR)
PCT Filed Oct. 1, 2019, PCT No. PCT/KR2019/012866
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 31, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/071753, 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; and application No. 10-2019-0081690 (KR), filed on Jul. 6, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0404722 A1, Dec. 30, 2021
Int. Cl. F25C 1/18 (2006.01); F25C 1/24 (2018.01); F25C 1/25 (2018.01)
CPC F25C 1/18 (2013.01) [F25C 1/24 (2013.01); F25C 1/25 (2018.01); F25C 2400/08 (2013.01); F25C 2600/04 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A refrigerator comprising:
a storage chamber;
a cooler configured to supply cold 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;
a liquid supply configured to supply a liquid to the space;
a driver that moves the second tray relative to the first tray such that the second tray contacts the first tray to form the space of the cell in an ice making process in which the liquid in the space is phase-changed into ice, and that moves the second tray relative to the first tray such that the second tray is spaced from the first tray in an ice separation process in which the ice is removed from the space of the cell;
a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature within the cell;
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 a 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,
wherein the ice maker further comprises:
a first tray case supporting the first tray; and
a second tray case supporting the second tray,
wherein the second tray case includes a first section having a shape corresponding to the second portion of the cell, and a second section extending from a point of the first section,
wherein the second section includes a first part extending in a first direction, and a second part extending a second direction crossing the first direction, and
wherein the second direction is a direction away from the first portion.
 
16. A refrigerator comprising:
a storage chamber;
a cooler configured to supply cold 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 of the cell being configured to define a space of the cell to receive liquid to be phase-changed to form ice;
a liquid supply part configured to supply the liquid into the cell;
a heater provided to supply heat to the cell; and
a controller configured to control the heater while the ice is forming in the space of the cell so that air bubbles dissolved in the liquid within the cell move from a portion of the cell where the liquid has phase-changed into the ice toward another portion of the cell where the liquid is in a fluid state,
wherein the ice maker comprises:
a first tray case supporting the first tray; and
a second tray case supporting the second tray,
wherein the second tray case includes a first section supporting the second tray and a second section extending from the first section, and
wherein the second section includes a first part extended in a direction away from the second portion, and a second part extended in a direction away from the first portion.
 
20. A refrigerator comprising:
a storage chamber;
a cooler configured to supply cold 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 of the cell being configured to define a space of the cell to receive a liquid to be phase-changed to form ice;
a liquid supply part configured to supply the liquid into the cell;
a heater provided to supply heat to the cell; and
a controller configured to control the heater while the ice is forming in the space of the cell so that air bubbles dissolved in the liquid within the cell move from a portion of the cell where the liquid has phase-changed into the ice toward another portion of the cell where the liquid is in a fluid state,
wherein the ice maker comprises:
a first tray case supporting the first tray; and
a second tray case supporting the second tray,
wherein the second tray case includes a first section supporting the second tray and a second section extending from the first section, and
wherein
the first portion and the second portion are arranged in a first direction,
the second section includes an end portion, and
a distance between the end portion and the first portion in the first direction is greater than a distance between the first section and the first portion in the first direction.