KR20210005798A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

A refrigerator according to the present invention comprises: a storage chamber in which food is stored; a cold air supply means which supplies cold air to the storage chamber; a first tray forming a part of an ice-making cell that is a space in which water is phase-changed into ice by the cold air; a second tray which forms another part of the ice-making cell, which is in contact with the first tray in the ice-making process, and which is connected to the driving unit so as to be spaced apart from the first tray in the ice-making process; a water supply valve which controls the flow of water supplied to the ice-making cell; a water supply amount detection unit which detects the water supply amount of the ice-making cell; a heater positioned adjacent to at least one of the first tray and the second tray; and a control unit which controls the heater and the driving unit. The control unit is configured to: control the water supply valve to supply a first reference water supply amount of water to the ice-making cell so as to supply water to the ice-making cell at a water supply position of the second tray; move, after the supply of water in the first reference water supply amount is completed, the second tray to an ice-making position; and determine whether the water supply amount of the ice-making cell reaches a target water supply amount by the water supply amount detection unit. When the water supply amount of the ice-making cell reaches the target water supply amount, the control unit starts ice making, and when the water supply amount of the ice-making cell does not reach the target water supply amount, the control unit moves the second tray back to the water supply position and controls the water supply valve so that a second reference water supply amount that is smaller than the first reference water supply amount is supplied. According to the present invention, it is possible to make ice with uniform transparency.

Description

Refrigerator {Refrigerator}

This specification relates to a refrigerator.

In general, refrigerators are home appliances that allow low-temperature storage of food in an internal storage space that is shielded by a door.

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

Usually, an ice maker for making ice is provided in the refrigerator.

The ice maker generates ice by cooling water after receiving water supplied from a water supply source or a water tank in a tray.

In addition, the ice maker may ice the ice which has been de-iced in the ice tray using a heating method or a twisting method.

In this way, the ice maker, which is automatically watered and iced, is formed to open upwards and pumps the ice formed.

Ice made in an ice maker with such a structure has a flat surface such as a crescent shape or a cubic shape.

On the other hand, when the shape of the ice is formed in a spherical shape, it may be more convenient to use ice, and a different feeling of use may be provided to the user. In addition, it is possible to minimize the sticking of ice by minimizing the area in contact with each other even when the ice is stored.

An ice maker is disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1850918 (hereinafter referred to as "priority document 1"), which is a prior document.

In the ice maker of Prior Document 1, a plurality of hemispherical upper cells are arranged, an upper tray including a pair of link guides extending upward from both sides, and a plurality of hemispherical lower cells are arranged, and the upper A lower tray rotatably connected to a tray, a rotation shaft connected to the rear end of the lower tray and the upper tray so that the lower tray rotates with respect to the upper tray, one end connected to the lower tray, and the other end A pair of links connected to the link guide unit; And an upper ejecting pin assembly connected to the pair of links, respectively, with both ends being fitted in the link guide part, and moving up and down together with the link.

In the case of Prior Document 1, a sphere-shaped ice can be generated by the hemispherical upper cell and the hemispherical lower cell, but since the ice is simultaneously generated in the upper and lower cells, air bubbles contained in water are completely discharged. There is a drawback that the ice formed by the air bubbles dispersed in the water is opaque.

An ice-making apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei 9-269172 (hereinafter referred to as "priority document 2"), which is a prior document.

The ice-making apparatus of Prior Document 2 includes an ice-making dish and a heater that heats the bottom of water supplied to the ice-making dish.

In the case of the ice making apparatus of Prior Document 2, water on one side and the bottom of the ice making block is heated by a heater during the ice making process. Thus, solidification proceeds on the water surface, and convection occurs in the water, so that transparent ice can be produced.

As the growth of transparent ice progresses and the volume of water in the ice-making block decreases, the solidification rate gradually increases, and sufficient convection suitable for the solidification rate cannot occur.

Therefore, in the case of Prior Document 2, when approximately 2/3 of the water is solidified, the heating amount of the heater is increased to suppress an increase in the solidification rate.

However, according to Prior Document 2, since the heating amount of the heater is increased when the volume of water is simply reduced, it is difficult to generate ice having uniform transparency according to the shape of ice.

The present embodiment provides a refrigerator capable of generating ice having uniform transparency as a whole regardless of shape.

The present embodiment provides a refrigerator capable of producing ice in the same shape as an ice-making cell by precisely supplying water as much as a target water supply amount.

The present embodiment provides a refrigerator having uniform transparency for each unit height of ice generated.

A refrigerator according to an aspect includes a storage compartment in which food is stored; Cold air supply means for supplying cold air to the storage chamber; A first tray forming a part of an ice making cell, which is a space in which water is phase-changed into ice by the cold air; A second tray that forms another part of the ice-making cell and is connected to a driving unit so that it may contact the first tray during an ice-making process and spaced apart from the first tray in an ice-making process; A water supply valve controlling the flow of water supplied to the ice making cell; A water supply amount detection unit for sensing the water supply amount of the ice making cell; A heater positioned adjacent to at least one of the first tray and the second tray; And a control unit for controlling the heater and the driving unit.

The control unit may control the water supply valve to supply water to the ice making cell by a first reference water supply amount for water supply of the ice making cell at a water supply position of the second tray.

After the water supply is completed by the first reference water supply amount, the second tray may be moved to the ice making position, and it may be determined whether the water supply amount of the ice making cell reaches the target water supply amount by the water supply amount detecting unit.

When the water supply amount of the ice-making cell reaches the target water supply amount, the control unit starts ice-making, and if the water supply amount of the ice-making cell does not reach the target water supply amount, the second tray is moved back to the water supply position, and the first reference water supply amount The water supply valve may be controlled to supply water by a smaller second reference water supply amount.

After the water supply is completed by the second reference water supply amount, the control unit moves the second tray to the ice-making position after completing water supply by the first reference water supply amount, and the water supply amount of the ice-making cell by the water supply amount detection unit It can be determined whether this target water supply has been reached.

When the water supply amount of the ice making cell reaches the target water supply amount, the controller may start ice making. If the water supply amount of the ice making cell does not reach the target water supply amount, additional water supply equal to the second reference water supply amount may be repeatedly performed until the water supply amount of the ice making cell reaches the target water supply amount.

The water supply amount detector may be disposed to be exposed to the ice making cell. An end of the water supply amount sensing unit may be positioned lower than an upper end of the ice making cell.

After the ice making in the ice making cell is completed, the control unit may control the second tray to move in a forward direction to an ice making position and then in a reverse direction to take out ice from the ice making cell.

The control unit may start water supply after the second tray is moved to the water supply position in the reverse direction after the ice-breaking is completed.

The water supply amount sensing unit may be a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the ice making cell.

After the icebreaking is completed and the second tray moves to the water supply position, the control unit supplies the water supply to the ice making cell by the first reference water supply amount when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor reaches the water supply start temperature. The valve can be controlled.

When the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor reaches the reference temperature, which is the temperature of the image, the control unit may determine that the water supply amount of the ice making cell has reached the target water supply amount.

The water supply amount detector may be a capacitive sensor that outputs different signals according to whether the ice making cell is in contact with water.

When the capacitance sensor contacts water, a first signal may be output, and when the capacitance sensor does not contact water, a second signal may be output.

When the first signal is output from the capacitive sensor, the control unit may determine that the water supply amount of the ice making cell has reached the target water supply amount.

The first reference water supply amount may be 80% or more of the target water supply amount, and the second reference water supply amount may be 20% or less of the target water supply amount. The first reference water supply amount may be 90% or more of the target water supply amount, and the second reference water supply amount may be set in a range of 1% to 10% of the target water supply amount.

The control unit may be configured such that bubbles dissolved in the water inside the ice making cell move from the portion where ice is generated to the liquid water to generate transparent ice. Let the heater turn on.

The controller may control one or more of the cooling power of the cooling air supply means and the heating amount of the heater to vary according to the mass per unit height of water in the ice making cell.

According to the proposed invention, since the cooling air supply means turns on the heater in at least some section while supplying the cold air, the ice-making speed is delayed by the heat of the heater, so that bubbles dissolved in the water inside the ice-making cell are generated at the portion where ice is generated. Clear ice can be created by moving towards liquid water.

In particular, in the case of this embodiment, by controlling one or more of the cooling power of the cooling air supply means and the heating amount of the heater according to the mass per unit height of water in the ice making cell, the overall transparency is uniform regardless of the shape of the ice making cell. Can generate ice.

In addition, in the case of the present embodiment, since water is accurately supplied as much as the target water supply amount, ice having the same shape as the ice making cell can be generated.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the heating amount of the transparent ice heater and/or the cooling power of the cold air supply means are varied in response to the variable heat transfer amount between the water in the ice making cell and the cold air in the storage compartment, thereby generating ice with uniform transparency as a whole. I can.

1 is a view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a perspective view showing an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a perspective view of the ice maker with the bracket removed from FIG. 2;
4 is an exploded perspective view of an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an ice maker when a second tray according to an embodiment of the present invention is positioned at a water supply position.
6 is a control block diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a flowchart illustrating a process of generating ice in an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a diagram for explaining a height reference according to a relative position of a transparent ice heater with respect to an ice making cell.
9 is a view for explaining the output of the transparent ice heater per unit height of water in the ice making cell.
10 is a view showing a state in which water supply is completed at a water supply position.
11 is a view showing a state in which ice is generated at the ice making position.
12 is a view showing a state in which the second tray and the first tray are separated from each other in an eaves process.
13 is a view showing a state in which the second tray has been moved to the moving position during the moving process.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail through exemplary drawings. In adding reference numerals to elements of each drawing, it should be noted that the same elements are assigned the same numerals as possible even if they are indicated on different drawings. In addition, in describing an embodiment of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function interferes with the understanding of the embodiment of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, in describing the constituent elements of the embodiment of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b) may be used. These terms are only used to distinguish the component from other components, and the nature, order, or order of the component is not limited by the term. When a component is described as being "connected", "coupled" or "connected" to another component, that component may be directly connected or connected to that other component, but another component between each component It should be understood that may be “connected”, “coupled” or “connected”.

1 is a view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a refrigerator according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a cabinet 14 including a storage compartment and a door for opening and closing the storage compartment.

The storage chamber may include a refrigerating chamber 18 and a freezing chamber 32. The refrigerating chamber 14 is disposed on the upper side and the freezing chamber 32 is disposed on the lower side, so that each storage compartment can be opened and closed individually by each door.

As another example, a freezing chamber may be disposed on the upper side and a refrigerating chamber may be disposed on the lower side. Alternatively, a freezing compartment may be disposed on one of the left and right sides, and a refrigerating compartment may be disposed on the other side.

In the freezing chamber 32, an upper space and a lower space may be separated from each other, and a drawer 40 capable of drawing in/out from the lower space may be provided in the lower space.

The door may include a plurality of doors 10, 20, and 30 for opening and closing the refrigerating chamber 18 and the freezing chamber 32.

The plurality of doors 10, 20, 30 may include some or all of the doors 10, 20 for opening and closing the storage chamber in a rotating manner, and the door 30 for opening and closing the storage chamber in a sliding manner.

The freezing chamber 32 may be provided to be separated into two spaces, even though it can be opened and closed by one door 30.

In the present embodiment, the freezing chamber 32 may be referred to as a first storage chamber, and the refrigerating chamber 18 may be referred to as a second storage chamber.

An ice maker 200 capable of manufacturing ice may be provided in the freezing chamber 32. The ice maker 200 may be located in the upper space of the freezing chamber 32, for example.

An ice bin 600 in which ice produced by the ice maker 200 is dropped and stored may be provided under the ice maker 200. The user may take the ice bin 600 out of the freezing compartment 32 and use the ice stored in the ice bin 600.

The ice bin 600 may be mounted on an upper side of a horizontal wall that divides the upper space and the lower space of the freezing chamber 32.

Although not shown, the cabinet 14 is provided with a duct for supplying cold air to the ice maker 200. The duct guides the cool air heat-exchanged with the refrigerant flowing through the evaporator toward the ice maker 200.

For example, the duct may be disposed at the rear of the cabinet 14 to discharge cool air toward the front of the cabinet 14. The ice maker 200 may be located in front of the duct.

Although not limited, the outlet of the duct may be provided in at least one of a rear wall and an upper wall of the freezing chamber 32.

Although it has been described above that the ice maker 200 is provided in the freezing compartment 32, the space in which the ice maker 200 can be located is not limited to the freezing compartment 32, and as long as cold air can be supplied, various The ice maker 200 may be located in the space.

2 is a perspective view showing an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ice maker with the bracket removed in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention to be.

5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an ice maker when a second tray according to an embodiment of the present invention is positioned at a water supply position.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5, each component of the ice maker 200 is provided inside or outside the bracket 220, so that the ice maker 200 may constitute one assembly.

The bracket 220 may be installed on an upper wall of the freezing chamber 32, for example.

A water supply unit 240 may be installed above the inner surface of the bracket 220.

The water supply unit 240 is provided with openings at upper and lower sides, respectively, so that water supplied to the upper side of the water supply unit 240 may be guided to the lower side of the water supply unit 240.

The upper opening of the water supply unit 240 is larger than the lower opening, and may limit a discharge range of water guided downward through the water supply unit 240.

A water supply pipe through which water is supplied may be installed above the water supply unit 240.

Water supplied to the water supply unit 240 may be moved downward. The water supply unit 240 prevents water discharged from the water supply pipe from falling from a high position, thereby preventing water from splashing.

Since the water supply unit 240 is disposed below the water supply pipe, water is guided downward without splashing to the water supply unit 240, and even if it is moved downward by a lowered height, the amount of water splashing can be reduced.

The ice maker 200 may include an ice making cell 320a, which is a space in which water is transformed into ice by cold air.

The ice maker 200 includes a first tray 320 forming at least a part of a wall for providing the ice making cell 320a, and a first tray 320 forming at least another part of the wall for providing the ice making cell 320a. It may include a second tray 380.

Although not limited, the ice making cell 320a may include a first cell 320b and a second cell 320c.

The first tray 320 may define the first cell 320b, and the second tray 380 may define the second cell 320c.

The second tray 380 may be disposed to be movable relative to the first tray 320. The second tray 380 may perform linear motion or rotational motion.

Hereinafter, an example in which the second tray 380 rotates will be described.

For example, in the ice making process, the second tray 380 may move with respect to the first tray 320 so that the first tray 320 and the second tray 380 may contact each other.

When the first tray 320 and the second tray 380 contact each other, the complete ice making cell 320a may be defined.

On the other hand, the second tray 380 may move relative to the first tray 320 during the ice-making process after the ice making is completed, so that the second tray 380 may be spaced apart from the first tray 320.

In this embodiment, the first tray 320 and the second tray 380 may be arranged in a vertical direction while the ice making cell 320a is formed.

Accordingly, the first tray 320 may be referred to as an upper tray, and the second tray 380 may be referred to as a lower tray.

A plurality of ice making cells 320a may be defined by the first tray 320 and the second tray 380. In FIG. 4, as an example, three ice making cells 320a are formed.

When water is cooled by cold air while water is supplied to the ice-making cell 320a, ice having the same or similar shape as that of the ice-making cell 320a may be generated.

In this embodiment, for example, the ice making cell 320a may be formed in a spherical shape or a shape similar to a spherical shape.

In this case, the first cell 320b may be formed in a hemispherical shape or a shape similar to that of a hemisphere. In addition, the second cell 320c may be formed in a hemispherical shape or a shape similar to a hemisphere.

Of course, the ice making cell 320a may be formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape or a polygonal shape.

The ice maker 200 may further include a first tray case 300 coupled to the first tray 320.

For example, the first tray case 300 may be coupled to an upper side of the first tray 320.

The first tray case 300 may be manufactured as a separate article from the bracket 220 and may be coupled to the bracket 220 or integrally formed with the bracket 220.

The ice maker 200 may further include a first heater case 280. The first heater case 280 may be provided with a heater 290 for ice breaking. The heater case 280 may be integrally formed with the first tray case 300 or may be formed separately.

The ice-breaking heater 290 may be disposed at a position adjacent to the first tray 320. The ice-breaking heater 290 may be, for example, a wire type heater.

For example, the ice-breaking heater 290 may be installed to contact the first tray 320 or may be disposed at a position spaced apart from the first tray 320 by a predetermined distance.

In either case, the ice-making heater 290 may supply heat to the first tray 320, and heat supplied to the first tray 320 may be transferred to the ice-making cell 320a.

The ice maker 200 may further include a first tray cover 340 positioned below the first tray 320.

The first tray cover 340 has an opening formed to correspond to the shape of the ice making cell 320a of the first tray 320, and thus may be coupled to the lower side of the first tray 320.

The first tray case 300 may be provided with a guide slot 302 inclined at an upper side and vertically extending at a lower side. The guide slot 302 may be provided in a member extending upward of the first tray case 300.

The guide protrusion 262 of the first pusher 260 to be described later may be inserted into the guide slot 302. Accordingly, the guide protrusion 262 may be guided along the guide slot 302.

The first pusher 260 may include at least one extension part 264. As an example, the first pusher 260 may include an extension part 264 provided in the same number as the number of ice-making cells 320a, but is not limited thereto.

The extension part 264 may push ice located in the ice making cell 320a during the ice making process. For example, the extension part 264 may pass through the first tray case 300 and be inserted into the ice making cell 320a.

Accordingly, the first tray case 300 may be provided with a through hole 304 through which a part of the first pusher 260 passes.

The guide protrusion 262 of the first pusher 260 may be coupled to the pusher link 500. At this time, the guide protrusion 262 may be rotatably coupled to the pusher link 500. Accordingly, when the pusher link 500 moves, the first pusher 260 may also move along the guide slot 302.

The ice maker 200 may further include a second tray case 400 coupled to the second tray 380.

The second tray case 400 may support the second tray 380 from a lower side of the second tray 380.

As an example, at least a portion of a wall forming the second cell 320c of the second tray 380 may be supported by the second tray case 400.

A spring 402 may be connected to one side of the second tray case 400. The spring 402 may provide an elastic force to the second tray case 400 so that the second tray 380 may maintain a contact state with the first tray 320.

The ice maker 200 may further include a second tray cover 360.

The second tray 380 may include a peripheral wall 382 surrounding a part of the first tray 320 in a state in contact with the first tray 320.

The second tray cover 360 may surround the peripheral wall 382.

The ice maker 200 may further include a second heater case 420. A transparent ice heater 430 may be installed in the second heater case 420.

The transparent ice heater 430 will be described in detail. In this embodiment, the controller 800 may supply heat to the ice-making cell 320a by the transparent ice heater 430 in at least a portion of the period during which cold air is supplied to the ice-making cell 320a so that transparent ice may be generated. To be able to control.

Due to the heat of the transparent ice heater 430, the ice making speed is delayed so that the bubbles dissolved in the water inside the ice making cell 320a can move from the ice-generating portion to the liquid water. In 200), transparent ice may be generated. That is, air bubbles dissolved in water may be induced to escape to the outside of the ice-making cell 320a or to be collected in a predetermined position in the ice-making cell 320a.

On the other hand, when the cold air supply means 900 to be described later supplies cold air to the ice-making cell 320a, when the ice-forming speed is high, bubbles dissolved in the water inside the ice-making cell 320a are formed at the portion where ice is generated. The transparency of ice generated by freezing without moving toward liquid water may be low.

On the other hand, when the cold air supply means 900 supplies cold air to the ice making cell 320a, if the rate at which ice is generated is slow, the above problem may be solved and the transparency of the generated ice may increase, but the ice making time may take a long time. Problems can arise.

Therefore, to reduce the delay of the ice making time and increase the transparency of the generated ice, the transparent ice heater 430 may provide heat to the ice making cell 320a locally. It can be placed on one side.

Meanwhile, when the transparent ice heater 430 is disposed on one side of the ice making cell 320a, it is possible to reduce the heat from the transparent ice heater 430 easily transferred to the other side of the ice making cell 320a. At least one of the first tray 320 and the second tray 380 may be made of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than metal.

Meanwhile, at least one of the first tray 320 and the second tray 380 may be a resin including plastic so that ice attached to the trays 320 and 380 is separated well during the ice breaking process.

Meanwhile, at least one of the first tray 320 and the second tray 380 may be made of a flexible or flexible material so that the tray deformed by the pushers 260 and 540 during the eaves process can be easily restored to its original shape. have.

The transparent ice heater 430 may be disposed at a position adjacent to the second tray 380. The transparent ice heater 430 may be, for example, a wire type heater.

For example, the transparent ice heater 430 may be installed to contact the second tray 380 or may be disposed at a position spaced apart from the second tray 380 by a predetermined distance.

As another example, the second heater case 420 may not be separately provided, and the toming-bing heater 430 may be installed in the second tray case 400.

In any case, the transparent ice heater 430 may supply heat to the second tray 380, and heat supplied to the second tray 380 may be transferred to the ice making cell 320a.

The ice maker 200 may further include a driving unit 480 providing a driving force. The second tray 380 may move relative to the first tray 320 by receiving the driving force of the driving unit 480.

A through hole 282 may be formed in an extension portion 281 extending downward on one side of the first tray case 300.

A through hole 404 may be formed in the extension part 403 extending to one side of the second tray case 400.

The ice maker 200 may further include a shaft 440 passing through the through holes 282 and 404 together.

Rotating arms 460 may be provided at both ends of the shaft 440, respectively. The shaft 440 may be rotated by receiving a rotational force from the driving unit 480. Alternatively, the rotation arm may be connected to the driving unit 480 and rotated by receiving a rotational force from the driving unit 480. In this case, the shaft 440 may be connected to a rotating arm not connected to the driving unit 480 among the pair of rotating arms 460 to transmit rotational force.

One end of the rotation arm 460 may be connected to one end of the spring 402 so that when the spring 402 is tensioned, the position of the rotation arm 460 may be moved to an initial value by a restoring force.

The driving unit 480 may include a motor and a plurality of gears.

A full ice detection lever 520 may be connected to the driving unit 480. The ice detection lever 520 may be rotated by the rotational force provided by the driving unit 480.

The full ice detection lever 520 may have an overall'U' shape. For example, the ice detection lever 520 includes a first portion 521 and a pair of second portions 522 extending in a direction crossing the first portion 521 at both ends of the first portion 521. ) Can be included.

One of the pair of second portions 522 may be coupled to the driving unit 480, and the other may be coupled to the bracket 220 or the first tray case 300.

The ice detection lever 520 may detect ice stored in the ice bin 600 while being rotated.

The driving unit 480 may further include a cam rotated by receiving rotational power of the motor.

The ice maker 200 may further include a sensor that detects rotation of the cam.

As an example, the cam may be provided with a magnet, and the sensor may be a Hall sensor for sensing magnetism of the magnet during rotation of the cam. Depending on whether the sensor detects a magnet, the sensor may output a first signal and a second signal, which are different outputs. One of the first signal and the second signal may be a high signal, and the other may be a low signal.

The controller 800, which will be described later, may determine the location of the second tray 380 based on the type and pattern of the signal output from the sensor. That is, since the second tray 380 and the cam are rotated by the motor, the position of the second tray 380 may be indirectly determined based on a detection signal of a magnet provided in the cam.

For example, a water supply location and an ice making location to be described later may be classified and determined based on a signal output from the sensor.

The ice maker 200 may further include a second pusher 540. The second pusher 540 may be installed on the bracket 220.

The second pusher 540 may include at least one extension part 544. As an example, the second pusher 540 may include an extension 544 provided in the same number as the number of ice-making cells 320a, but is not limited thereto.

The extension part 544 may push ice located in the ice making cell 320a. For example, the extension part 544 may pass through the second tray case 400 and come into contact with the second tray 380 forming the ice making cell 320a, and the contacted second tray ( 380) can be pressurized.

Accordingly, a hole 422 through which a part of the second pusher 540 passes may be provided in the second tray case 400.

The first tray case 300 may be rotatably coupled to each other with respect to the second tray case 400 and the shaft 440, and thus may be disposed so that the angle changes around the shaft 440.

In this embodiment, the second tray 380 may be formed of a non-metal material. As an example, when the second tray 380 is pressed by the second pusher 540, the second tray 380 may be formed of a flexible or soft material that can be deformed. Although not limited, the second tray 380 may be formed of a silicon material, for example.

Accordingly, while the second tray 380 is pressed by the second pusher 540, the second tray 380 is deformed so that the pressing force of the second pusher 540 may be transmitted to ice. Ice and the second tray 380 may be separated by the pressing force of the second pusher 540.

When the second tray 380 is formed of a non-metallic material and a flexible or soft material, the bonding force or adhesion between ice and the second tray 380 may be reduced, so that ice can be easily separated from the second tray 380 have.

In addition, when the second tray 380 is formed of a non-metallic material and a flexible or soft material, after the shape of the second tray 380 is deformed by the second pusher 540, the second pusher 540 When the pressing force of) is removed, the second tray 380 can be easily restored to its original shape.

As another example, the first tray 320 may be formed of a metal material. In this case, since the bonding force or separation between the first tray 320 and ice is strong, the ice maker 200 of the present embodiment may include at least one of the ice-breaking heater 290 and the first pusher 260. I can.

As another example, the first tray 320 may be formed of a non-metal material. When the first tray 320 is formed of a non-metal material, the ice maker 200 may include only one of the ice-ice heater 290 and the first pusher 260. Alternatively, the ice maker 200 may not include the ice-breaking heater 290 and the first pusher 260. Although not limited, the first tray 320 may be formed of a silicon material, for example. That is, the first tray 320 and the second tray 380 may be formed of the same material.

When the first tray 320 and the second tray 380 are formed of the same material, the first tray 320 and the second tray 380 may be formed of the same material, so that the sealing performance is maintained at a contact portion between the first tray 320 and the second tray 380. The hardness of the first tray 320 and the hardness of the second tray 380 may be different.

In the present embodiment, the second tray 380 is pressed by the second pusher 540 to deform the shape, so that the second tray 380 can be easily deformed, the second tray 380 The hardness of may be lower than that of the first tray 320.

Referring to FIG. 5, the ice maker 200 according to the present embodiment may be designed so that the position of the second tray 380 is different from a water supply position and an ice making position.

For example, the second tray 380 may be formed along a second cell wall 381 defining a second cell 320c among the ice making cells 320a, and along an outer edge of the second cell wall 381. It may include an extending perimeter wall 382.

The second cell wall 381 may include an upper surface 381a. In this specification, the upper surface 381a of the second cell wall 381 may be referred to as the upper surface 381a of the second tray 380.

The upper surface 381a of the second cell wall 381 may be positioned lower than the upper end of the peripheral wall 381.

The first tray 320 may include a first cell wall 321a defining a first cell 320b among the ice making cells 320a.

The first cell wall 321a may include a straight portion 321b and a curved portion 321c. The curved portion 321c may be formed in an arc shape having a center of the shaft 440 as a radius of curvature.

Accordingly, the circumferential wall 381 may also include a straight portion and a curved portion corresponding to the straight portion 321b and the curved portion 321c.

The first cell wall 321a may include a lower surface 321d. In the present specification, it may be referred to that the lower surface 321b of the first cell wall 321a is the lower surface 321b of the first tray 320.

The lower surface 321d of the first cell wall 321a may contact the upper surface 381a of the second cell wall 381a.

For example, in the water supply position as shown in FIG. 5, at least a portion of the lower surface 321d of the first cell wall 321a and the upper surface 381a of the second cell wall 381 may be spaced apart.

In FIG. 5, for example, it is shown that the lower surface 321d of the first cell wall 321a and all of the upper surface 381a of the second cell wall 381 are spaced apart from each other.

Accordingly, the upper surface 381a of the second cell wall 381 may be inclined to form a predetermined angle with the lower surface 321d of the first cell wall 321a.

Although not limited, in the water supply position, the lower surface 321d of the first cell wall 321a may be substantially horizontal, and the upper surface 381a of the second cell wall 381 is the first cell wall ( It may be disposed so as to be inclined with respect to the lower surface 321d of the first cell wall 321a under the 321a).

In the state shown in FIG. 5, the peripheral wall 382 may surround the first cell wall 321a. In addition, an upper end of the peripheral wall 382 may be positioned higher than a lower surface 321d of the first cell wall 321a.

Meanwhile, in the ice making position (see FIG. 11 ), the upper surface 381a of the second cell wall 381 may contact at least a portion of the lower surface 321d of the first cell wall 321a.

The angle formed by the upper surface 381a of the second tray 380 and the lower surface 321d of the first tray 320 at the ice making position is equal to the upper surface 382a of the second tray 380 and the second It is smaller than the angle formed by the lower surface 321d of the 1 tray 320.

In the ice making position, the upper surface 381a of the second cell wall 381 may contact all of the lower surface 321d of the first cell wall 321a.

In the ice making position, an upper surface 381a of the second cell wall 381 and a lower surface 321d of the first cell wall 321a may be disposed to be substantially horizontal.

In this embodiment, the reason why the water supply position of the second tray 380 and the ice making position are different is that when the ice maker 200 includes a plurality of ice making cells 320a, communication between the ice making cells 320a is This is to ensure that water is uniformly distributed to the plurality of ice making cells 320a without forming a water passage for the first tray 320 and/or the second tray 380.

If the ice maker 200 includes the plurality of ice making cells 320a, when a water passage is formed in the first tray 320 and/or the second tray 380, the ice maker 200 The water supplied to is distributed to the plurality of ice making cells 320a along the water passage.

However, when the water is distributed to the plurality of ice making cells 320a, water exists in the water passage, and when ice is generated in this state, ice generated in the ice making cell 320a is generated in the water passage part. Connected by ice.

In this case, there is a possibility that the ice will stick to each other even after the ice is completed, and even if the ice is separated from each other, some of the ice will contain ice generated in the water passage, so the shape of the ice is the shape of the ice making cell. There is a problem different from that.

However, as in the present embodiment, when the second tray 380 is spaced apart from the first tray 320 at the water supply position, the water dropped to the second tray 380 is the second tray. It may be uniformly distributed to the plurality of second cells 320c of 380.

For example, the first tray 320 may include a communication hole 321e. When the first tray 320 includes one first cell 320b, the first tray 320 may include one communication hole 321e.

When the first tray 320 includes a plurality of first cells 320b, the first tray 320 may include a plurality of communication holes 321e.

The water supply unit 240 may supply water to one communication hole 321e among the plurality of communication holes 321e.

In this case, the water supplied through the one communication hole 321e passes through the first tray 320 and then falls into the second tray 380.

During the water supply process, water may fall into any one second cell 320c of the plurality of second cells 320c of the second tray 380. Water supplied to one of the second cells 320c overflows from the one of the second cells 320c.

In the present embodiment, since the upper surface 381a of the second tray 380 is spaced apart from the lower surface 321d of the first tray 320, the water overflowing from the one second cell 320c is 2 It moves to another adjacent second cell 320c along the upper surface 381a of the tray 380. Accordingly, water may be filled in the plurality of second cells 320c of the second tray 380.

In addition, when water supply is completed, a part of the water supplied is filled in the second cell 320c, and another part of the water supplied is filled in the space between the first tray 320 and the second tray 380. I can.

When the second tray 380 moves from the water supply position to the ice making position, water in the space between the first tray 320 and the second tray 380 is uniformly distributed to the plurality of first cells 320b. Can be distributed.

Meanwhile, when a water passage is formed in the first tray 320 and/or the second tray 380, ice generated in the ice making cell 320a is also generated in the water passage portion.

In this case, in order to generate transparent ice, the control unit of the refrigerator performs at least one of the cooling power of the cold air supply unit 900 and the heating amount of the transparent ice heater 430 according to the mass per unit height of water in the ice making cell 320a. When this variable is controlled, at least one of the cooling power of the cold air supply means 900 and the heating amount of the transparent ice heater 430 in the portion where the water passage is formed is controlled to rapidly vary several times or more.

This is because the mass per unit height of water increases several times or more at a portion where the water passage is formed. In this case, reliability problems of parts may occur, and expensive parts having a large width of the maximum and minimum outputs can be used, which may be disadvantageous in terms of power consumption and cost of the parts. As a result, the present invention may require a technique related to the above-described ice making position to generate transparent ice.

The first tray 320 may further include a storage chamber wall 321f disposed along the circumference of the communication hole 321f. The storage chamber wall 321f may define an auxiliary storage chamber. The auxiliary storage room may be located above the ice making cell 320a. The auxiliary storage room serves to prevent water in the ice making cell 320a from overflowing to the outside through the communication hole 321e.

Meanwhile, the refrigerator may further include the second temperature sensor 700 (or an ice making cell temperature sensor). The second temperature sensor 700 may detect a temperature of water or ice of the ice making cell 320a.

The second temperature sensor 700 is disposed adjacent to the first tray 320 and detects the temperature of the first tray 320, thereby indirectly detecting the temperature of water or ice in the ice making cell 320a. Can be detected. Alternatively, the second temperature sensor 700 may be exposed from the second tray 320 to the ice making cell 320a to directly sense the temperature of the ice making cell 320a.

In this embodiment, the temperature of the ice making cell 320a may be the temperature of water, ice, or cold air.

In this embodiment, the second temperature sensor 700 may be used to determine whether the amount of water supplied to the ice making cell 320a reaches a target water supply amount.

The second temperature sensor 700 may be positioned adjacent to an upper end of the ice making cell 320a. An upper end of the ice making cell 320a may be a portion in which the communication hole 321e of the first tray 320 is formed.

The lowermost end of the second temperature sensor 700 may be positioned lower than the upper end of the ice making cell 320a. When the lowermost end of the second temperature sensor 700 is positioned lower than the upper end of the ice making cell 320a, in a state in which water is supplied to the ice making cell 320a as much as the target water supply amount, the uppermost end of the water is It may be lower than the top of the cell (320a).

Since water expands in the process of phase change into ice, if the top of the water supplied is equal to or higher than the top of the ice making cell 320a, a part of the expanded ice is located in the auxiliary storage room. In addition to being not easily separated from the first tray 320, there is a problem that the shape of ice is not the same as that of the ice making cell 320a. However, according to the present invention, such a problem can be prevented in advance.

6 is a control block diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the refrigerator according to the present embodiment may further include a cold air supply means 900 for supplying cold air to the freezing chamber 32 (or ice making cell). The cold air supply means 900 may supply cold air to the freezing chamber 32 by using a refrigerant cycle.

As an example, the cold air supply means 900 may include a compressor for compressing a refrigerant. The temperature of the cold air supplied to the freezing chamber 32 may vary according to the output (or frequency) of the compressor.

Alternatively, the cold air supply means 900 may include a fan for blowing air to the evaporator. The amount of cool air supplied to the freezing chamber 32 may vary according to the output (or rotational speed) of the fan.

Alternatively, the cool air supply means 900 may include a refrigerant valve that controls an amount of refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant cycle.

The amount of refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant cycle is varied by adjusting the opening degree by the refrigerant valve, and accordingly, the temperature of the cold air supplied to the freezing chamber 32 may vary.

Accordingly, in this embodiment, the cold air supply means 900 may include at least one of the compressor, fan, and refrigerant valve.

The refrigerator according to the present embodiment may further include a controller 800 that controls the cold air supply means 900.

In addition, the refrigerator may further include a flow sensor 244 for sensing the amount of water supplied through the water supply unit 240 and a water supply valve 242 for controlling the amount of water supply.

The flow sensor 244 may include an impeller equipped with a magnet, a Hall sensor that senses magnetism of the magnet in a process of rotating the impeller, and a housing in which the impeller is accommodated. When the Hall sensor detects the magnetism of the magnet while the impeller is rotated or the Hall sensor and the magnet are aligned, a first signal may be output from the Hall sensor. When the Hall sensor cannot detect the magnetism of the magnet or the magnet is spaced apart from the Hall sensor by a predetermined distance, a second signal is output from the Hall sensor.

Since the first signal (pulse) is repeatedly output, it is possible to check the water supply amount by counting the number of the first signals. Hereinafter, comparison of the number of pulses of the first signal with the reference number will be described.

The control unit 800 may control the water supply valve 242 using the number of counted first signals.

The controller 800 may control some or all of the ice ice heater 290, the transparent ice heater 430, the driving unit 480, the cold air supply means 900, and the water supply valve 242. .

In this embodiment, when the ice maker 200 includes both the ice-breaking heater 290 and the transparent ice heater 430, the output of the ice-breaking heater 290 and the transparent ice heater 430 The output of may be different.

When the outputs of the ice-breaking heater 290 and the transparent ice-heating heater 430 are different, the output terminal of the ice-breaking heater 290 and the output terminal of the transparent ice heater 430 may be formed in different shapes. , Incorrect connection of the two output terminals can be prevented.

Although not limited, the output of the ice ice heater 290 may be set to be greater than the output of the transparent ice heater 430. Accordingly, ice may be quickly separated from the first tray 320 by the ice-breaking heater 290.

In the present embodiment, when the ice-breaking heater 290 is not provided, the transparent ice heater 430 is disposed adjacent to the second tray 380 described above, or the first tray 320 and It can be placed in adjacent locations.

The refrigerator may further include a first temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the freezing compartment 32. The controller 800 may control the cold air supply means 900 based on the temperature sensed by the first temperature sensor 33.

The controller 800 may determine whether ice making is completed based on the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700. In addition, as described above, the controller 800 may determine whether the water supply amount reaches the target water supply amount based on the temperature detected by the second temperature sensor 700.

When water equal to the target water supply amount is supplied to the ice making cell 320a, the second temperature sensor 700 may contact water. The temperature of the water supplied to the ice making cell 320a is the temperature of the image and may be room temperature or slightly lower than room temperature. Accordingly, the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700 may be higher than the reference temperature, which is the temperature of the image.

On the other hand, when water in an amount less than the target water supply amount is supplied to the ice-making cell 320a, cold air is located in an area equal to the insufficient water supply amount in the ice-making cell 320a. Since the temperature of the cold air is below zero, the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700 in contact with the cold air will be lower than the reference temperature.

Accordingly, when the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700 is equal to or higher than the reference temperature, the controller 800 determines that the water supply amount of the ice making cell 320a has reached the target water supply amount. On the other hand, if the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700 is less than the reference temperature, it is determined that the water supply amount of the ice making cell 320a has not reached the target water supply amount.

7 is a flowchart illustrating a process of generating ice in an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a height reference according to a relative position of a transparent ice heater with respect to an ice making cell, and FIG. 9 is a view for explaining the output of the transparent ice heater per unit height of water in the ice making cell.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a state in which water is supplied as much as the first reference water supply amount at the water supply position, FIG. 11 is a view showing ice generated at the ice making position, and FIG. 12 is a second tray in the ice-making process It is a view showing a state separated from and, FIG. 13 is a view showing a state in which the second tray is moved to the eaves position during the eaves process.

6 to 13, in order to generate ice in the ice maker 200, the control unit 800 moves the second tray 380 to a water supply position (S1).

In the present specification, a direction in which the second tray 380 moves from the ice making position of FIG. 11 to the ice making position of FIG. 13 may be referred to as a forward movement (or forward rotation).

On the other hand, a direction moving from the eaves position of FIG. 13 to the water supply position of FIG. 10 may be referred to as a reverse movement (or reverse rotation).

The movement of the water supply position of the second tray 380 is detected by a sensor (not shown), and when the movement of the second tray 380 to the water supply position is detected, the control unit 800 operates the driving unit 480. Stop.

In a state in which the second tray 380 has been moved to the water supply position, the controller 800 may determine whether the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700 reaches a temperature equal to or less than the water supply start temperature. (S2).

It will be described later, but after the ice-making is completed, the ice-making heater and/or the ice-making heater 430 is operated for ice-making. Heat of the ice-making heater and/or the ice-making heater 430 is provided to the ice-making cell 320a. The temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700 rises to a temperature higher than the image due to the heat provided to the ice making cell 320a.

If the water supply is started immediately after the ice-breaking is completed, the second temperature sensor 700 detects it by the effect of the heat of the heater, even though the water as much as the target water supply amount has not been supplied to the ice making cell 320a. It can be determined that the temperature reached has reached the water supply start temperature.

In this case, when ice making is started in a state in which water less than the target water supply amount is supplied, the completion of ice making may be determined in a state in which the ice is not completely frozen, and the ice does not become transparent.

Accordingly, in the present embodiment, water supply is not started immediately after the ice break is completed, but waits so that the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700 is lowered by cold air. When the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700 decreases to a temperature equal to or lower than the water supply start temperature, water supply may be started. As another example, the water supply may be started when a set waiting time elapses after eave is completed. The set waiting time may be set to a time such that the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700 is sufficiently lowered by cold air. The water supply start temperature may be a temperature lower than the reference temperature. The water supply start temperature may be a sub-zero temperature.

As a result of the determination in step S2, when it is determined that the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700 has reached a temperature equal to or less than the water supply start temperature, the control unit 800 performs the water supply valve ( 242) can be controlled.

In the present embodiment, the first reference water supply amount is smaller than the target water supply amount.

In order for the impeller to rotate within the housing of the flow sensor, there must be a gap between the impeller and the inner peripheral surface of the housing.

When the impeller is rotated, a part of water flows by the impeller, and the other part is bypassed and flows at a distance between the impeller and the inner circumferential surface of the housing.

When the water pressure is higher than the reference water pressure, the amount of water flowing at the interval between the impeller and the inner circumferential surface of the housing is small, so that the number of pulses output in the process of rotating the impeller reaches the reference number corresponding to the target water supply amount, and the water supply valve Even if is turned off, the actual water supply amount becomes almost the same as the target water supply amount.

However, when the water pressure is lower than the reference water pressure, the amount of water flowing in the interval between the impeller and the inner peripheral surface of the housing increases.

In this case, when the number of pulses output in the process of rotating the impeller reaches a reference number corresponding to the target water supply amount and the water supply valve is turned off, the actual water supply amount is greater than the target water supply amount.

If the actual water supply amount is greater than the target water supply amount, the water fills up to a position higher than the communication hole 321e of the ice making cell 320a, so that ice may be generated in the auxiliary storage room or protrude outside the auxiliary storage room during the ice making process. have.

Accordingly, in the present embodiment, taking into account that the refrigerator is installed in an area where the water pressure is low, the first reference water supply amount may be set to be lower than the target water supply amount.

In this case, even if water is supplied as much as the first reference water supply amount while the water pressure is low, the actual water supply amount may be equal to or less than the target water supply amount.

Meanwhile, when a filter provided on a flow path through which water flows is replaced, or at an initial stage of operation after purchasing a refrigerator, the flow path may not be completely filled with water and air may be included.

When water and air are included in the flow path, even if water is supplied by the first reference water supply amount, the actual water supply amount may be smaller than the first reference water supply amount. If the ice-making starts immediately in this state, it may be determined that the ice-making is not completely frozen, and the ice may not become transparent.

The control unit 800 turns on the water supply valve 242 for water supply, and when the number of pulses output from the flow sensor 244 reaches a first reference number corresponding to the first reference water supply amount, the water supply The valve 242 is turned off.

After water is supplied by the first reference water supply amount, the control unit 800 controls the driving unit 480 to move the second tray 380 to the ice making position (S3).

At this time, after the water supply is performed by the first reference water supply amount, the second tray 380 is moved to the ice making position after waiting for a waiting time until water is distributed to the plurality of ice making cells 320a. The drive unit 480 can be controlled.

For example, the control unit 800 may control the driving unit 480 so that the second tray 380 moves in a reverse direction from a water supply position. When the second tray 380 is moved in the reverse direction, the upper surface 381a of the second tray 380 becomes close to the lower surface 321e of the first tray 320.

Then, the water between the upper surface 381a of the second tray 380 and the lower surface 321e of the first tray 320 is divided and distributed into each of the plurality of second cells 320c.

When the upper surface 381a of the second tray 380 and the lower surface 321e of the first tray 320 are completely in close contact with each other, water is filled in the first cell 320b.

The movement of the ice making position of the second tray 380 is detected by a sensor, and when it is sensed that the second tray 380 has moved to the ice making position, the controller 800 stops the driving unit 480 ( S4).

After the second tray 380 is moved to the ice making position, the controller 800 may determine whether the actual water supply amount of the ice making cell 320a has reached a target water supply amount (S5). For example, it may be determined whether the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700 reaches a reference temperature within the set time.

As a result of determination in step S5, when the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700 reaches the reference temperature, it is determined that the actual water supply amount has reached the target water supply amount, and ice making may be started.

On the other hand, as a result of determination in step S5, if the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700 has not reached the reference temperature, the controller 800 may perform additional water supply.

For example, the control unit 800 may control the driving unit 480 to move the second tray 380 to the water supply position (S6).

In the water supply position of the second tray 380, the water supply valve 242 may be controlled so that water supply is performed as much as the second reference water supply amount (S7).

The second reference water supply amount is less than the first reference water supply amount.

The control unit 800 turns on the water supply valve 242 for water supply, and when the number of pulses output from the flow sensor 244 reaches a second reference number corresponding to the second reference water supply amount, the water supply The valve 242 is turned off.

After the water is supplied by the second reference water supply amount, the controller 800 controls the driving unit 480 to move the second tray 380 to the ice making position (S8).

For example, the control unit 800 may control the driving unit 480 so that the second tray 380 moves in a reverse direction from a water supply position.

After the second tray 380 is moved to the ice making position, the controller 800 may determine whether the actual water supply amount of the ice making cell 320a has reached a target water supply amount (S9).

As a result of the determination in step S9, when it is determined that the actual water supply amount of the ice making cell 320a has reached the target water supply amount, the controller 800 starts ice making.

On the other hand, as a result of determination in step S9, if the actual water supply amount of the ice making cell 320a has not reached the target water supply amount, the controller 800 performs additional water supply again.

That is, in the present embodiment, after the first water supply, the additional water supply may be repeatedly performed until the water supply amount of the ice making cell reaches the target water supply amount. In the present specification, the first water supply step may be a basic water supply step. Then, the present invention may include a basic water supply step and one or more additional water supply steps.

Although not limited, the first reference water supply amount may be set to 80% or more of the target water supply amount. The second reference water supply amount may be set to 20% or less of the target water supply amount. While the number of additional water supply decreases as the second reference water supply amount increases, the actual water supply amount after the additional water supply is likely to exceed the target water supply amount.

On the other hand, the smaller the second reference water supply, the more precisely the water supply amount can be adjusted, while the number of additional water supply increases.

In this embodiment, in order to minimize the increase in the number of additional water supply while the actual water supply amount does not exceed the target water supply amount, the second reference water supply amount may be set within a range of 1% to 10% of the target water supply amount. Preferably, the first reference water supply amount may be set to 90% or more of the target water supply amount.

For example, the control unit 800 may control the driving unit 480 so that the second tray 380 moves in a reverse direction from a water supply position.

Ice-making starts while the second tray 380 is moved to the ice-making position (S10).

For example, when the second tray 380 reaches the ice making position, ice making may start. Alternatively, when the second tray 380 reaches the ice-making position and a predetermined time elapses after the water supply is completed, ice-making may start.

When ice making starts, the controller 800 may control the cold air supply means 900 so that cold air is supplied to the ice making cell 320a.

After the ice making starts, the controller 800 may control the transparent ice heater 430 to be turned on in at least a portion of the section while the cold air supply means 900 supplies cold air to the ice making cell 320a. have.

When the transparent ice heater 430 is turned on, since the heat of the transparent ice heater 430 is transferred to the ice making cell 320a, the rate of ice generation in the ice making cell 320a may be delayed.

As in the present embodiment, by the heat of the transparent ice heater 430, the rate of ice generation is increased so that bubbles dissolved in the water inside the ice making cell 320a can move from the portion where ice is generated to the liquid water. By delaying, transparent ice may be generated in the ice maker 200.

During the ice making process, the controller 800 may determine whether the on condition of the transparent ice heater 430 is satisfied (S11).

In this embodiment, the transparent ice heater 430 is not turned on immediately after ice making starts, and the transparent ice heater 430 may be turned on only when the on condition of the transparent ice heater 430 is satisfied (S12).

In general, water supplied to the ice making cell 320a may be water at room temperature or water at a temperature lower than room temperature. The temperature of the water supplied in this way is higher than the freezing point of the water.

Therefore, after the water supply, when the temperature of the water decreases due to the cold air and then reaches the freezing point of the water, the water changes to ice.

In the case of this embodiment, the transparent ice heater 430 may not be turned on before the water changes into ice.

If the transparent ice heater 430 is turned on before the temperature of the water supplied to the ice making cell 320a reaches the freezing point, the speed at which the water temperature reaches the freezing point by the heat of the transparent ice heater 430 becomes slow. As a result, the start of ice formation is delayed.

The transparency of ice may vary depending on the presence or absence of bubbles in the portion where ice is generated after the ice starts to be generated.If heat is supplied to the ice making cell 320a before ice is generated, the above It can be seen that the transparent ice heater 430 operates.

Accordingly, according to the present embodiment, when the transparent ice heater 430 is turned on after the on condition of the transparent ice heater 430 is satisfied, power is consumed due to unnecessary operation of the transparent ice heater 430 Can be prevented.

Of course, even if the transparent ice heater 430 is turned on immediately after the start of ice making, the transparency is not affected, and thus the transparent ice heater 430 may be turned on after the start of ice making.

In this embodiment, the controller 800 may determine that the on condition of the transparent ice heater 430 is satisfied when a predetermined time elapses from a set specific time point. The specific time point may be set to at least one of the time points before the transparent ice heater 430 is turned on. For example, the specific time point may be set as a time point at which the cold air supply means 900 starts to supply cooling power for ice making, a time point at which the second tray 380 reaches the ice making position, a time point at which water supply is completed, etc. .

Alternatively, the controller 800 may determine that the on condition of the transparent ice heater 430 is satisfied when the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700 reaches the on reference temperature.

For example, the on-reference temperature may be a temperature for determining that water has started to freeze at the top side (the communication hole side) of the ice making cell 320a.

When a part of water is frozen in the ice-making cell 320a, the temperature of ice in the ice-making cell 320a is sub-zero.

The temperature of the first tray 320 may be higher than the temperature of ice in the ice making cell 320a.

Of course, although water is present in the ice-making cell 320a, the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700 may be a sub-zero temperature after the ice-making cell 320a starts to generate ice.

Accordingly, in order to determine that ice has started to be generated in the ice making cell 320a based on the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700, the on-reference temperature may be set to a temperature below zero. .

That is, when the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700 reaches the on reference temperature, the on reference temperature is a sub-zero temperature, so the temperature of the ice in the ice making cell 320a is a sub-zero temperature and the on-reference temperature Will be lower than Accordingly, it may be indirectly determined that ice is generated in the ice making cell 320a.

In this way, when the transparent ice heater 430 is turned on, heat from the transparent ice heater 430 is transferred into the ice making cell 320a.

As in the present embodiment, when the second tray 380 is located under the first tray 320 and the transparent ice heater 430 is disposed to supply heat to the second tray 380 In the ice making cell 320a, ice may start to be generated from the upper side.

In this embodiment, since ice is generated in the ice-making cell 320a from the top, air bubbles move downward toward the liquid water in the portion where ice is generated in the ice-making cell 320a.

Since the density of water is greater than that of ice, water or air bubbles may convective in the ice-making cell 320a, and air bubbles may move toward the transparent ice heater 430.

In this embodiment, the mass (or volume) per unit height of water in the ice-making cell 320a may be the same or different depending on the shape of the ice-making cell 320a.

For example, when the ice-making cell 320a is a rectangular parallelepiped, the mass (or volume) per unit height of water in the ice-making cell 320a is the same.

On the other hand, when the ice making cell 320a has a shape such as a spherical shape, an inverted triangle, a crescent shape, etc., the mass (or volume) per unit height of water is different.

If, assuming that the cooling power of the cold air supply means 900 is constant, if the heating amount of the transparent ice heater 430 is the same, the ice per unit height is different because the mass per unit height of water is different in the ice making cell 320a. The rate at which it is generated may vary.

For example, when the mass per unit height of water is small, the rate of ice formation is high, whereas when the mass per unit height of water is large, the rate of ice formation is slow.

As a result, the rate at which ice is generated per unit height of water may not be constant, so the transparency of ice may vary for each unit height. In particular, when the rate of formation of ice is high, bubbles may not move from ice to water, so that ice may contain bubbles, and thus transparency may be low.

That is, the smaller the deviation in the rate of ice formation per unit height of water, the smaller the variation in transparency per unit height of the generated ice.

Accordingly, in this embodiment, the control unit 800, the cooling power of the cold air supply means 900 and/or the heating amount of the transparent ice heater 430 according to the mass per unit height of water of the ice making cell 320a It can be controlled to be variable (S13).

In the present specification, the variable of the cooling power of the cold air supply means 900 may include one or more of variable output of the compressor, variable output of the fan, and variable opening of the refrigerant valve.

In addition, in the present specification, the variable heating amount of the transparent ice heater 430 may mean varying the output of the transparent ice heater 430 or varying the duty of the transparent ice heater 430 .

At this time, the duty of the transparent ice heater 430 means a ratio of the on time to the on time and off time of the transparent ice heater 430 in one cycle, or the on time of the transparent ice heater 430 in one cycle. It may mean a ratio of off time to time and off time.

In this specification, the standard of the unit height of water in the ice-making cell 320a may be different according to a relative position between the ice-making cell 320a and the transparent ice heater 430.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8A, the transparent ice heater 430 may be arranged to have the same height at the bottom of the ice making cell 320a.

In this case, a line connecting the transparent ice heater 430 is a horizontal line, and a line extending in a vertical direction from the horizontal line is a reference of the unit height of water of the ice making cell 320a.

In the case of (a) of FIG. 8, ice is generated and grown from the top to the bottom of the ice making cell 320a.

On the other hand, as shown in (b) of FIG. 8, the transparent ice heater 430 may be arranged to have a different height at the bottom of the ice making cell 320a.

In this case, since heat is supplied to the ice-making cell 320a at different heights of the ice-making cell 320a, ice is generated in a pattern different from that of FIG. 8A.

For example, in the case of (b) of FIG. 8, ice may be generated at a position spaced from the top to the left of the ice making cell 320a, and ice may grow downward to the right where the transparent ice heater 430 is located. .

Accordingly, in the case of (b) of FIG. 8, a line (reference line) perpendicular to the line connecting the two points of the transparent ice heater 430 is the reference of the unit height of the water of the ice making cell 320a. The reference line of FIG. 8B is inclined by a predetermined angle from the vertical line.

FIG. 9 shows the division of the water unit height and the output amount of the transparent ice heater per unit height when the transparent ice heater is disposed as shown in FIG. 8A.

Hereinafter, an example of controlling the output of the transparent ice heater so that the rate of ice generation is constant for each unit height of water will be described.

Referring to FIG. 9, when the ice-making cell 320a is formed in a spherical shape, for example, the mass per unit height of water in the ice-making cell 320a increases from top to bottom, then becomes maximum, and then decreases again. .

As an example, the water (or ice-making cell itself) in the spherical ice-making cell 320a having a diameter of 50 mm is divided into 9 sections (section A through I) with a height of 6 mm (unit height). At this time, it should be noted that there is no limit to the size of the unit height and the number of divided sections.

When the water in the ice making cell 320a is divided by the unit height, the height of each divided section is the same in section A to section H, and section I is lower than the rest of the section. Of course, depending on the diameter of the ice making cell 320a and the number of divided sections, the unit heights of all divided sections may be the same.

Among the many sections, section E is the section in which the mass of each unit height is the maximum. For example, in the section in which the mass of each unit height of water is the maximum, when the ice-making cell 320a has a spherical shape, the diameter of the ice-making cell 320a, the horizontal cross-sectional area or the circumference of the ice-making cell 320a is maximum. Includes phosphorus part.

As described above, assuming that the cooling power of the cold air supply means 900 is constant and the output of the transparent ice heater 430 is constant, the ice generation rate in section E is the slowest, and section A and I The ice formation rate in the section is the fastest.

In this case, there is a problem in that the ice generation rate is different for each unit height, so that the transparency of ice varies according to the unit height, and in a specific section, the ice generation rate is too fast, so that transparency including bubbles is lowered.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the output of the transparent ice heater 430 so that the speed at which ice is generated for each unit height is the same or similar while allowing the air bubbles to move toward the water in the ice generating process. Can be controlled.

Specifically, since the mass of the E section is the largest, the output W5 of the transparent ice heater 430 in the E section may be set to the minimum.

Since the mass of section D is smaller than that of section E, the rate of ice formation increases as the mass decreases, so it is necessary to delay the rate of ice formation.

Accordingly, the output W4 of the toming ice heater 430 in the section D may be set higher than the output W5 of the transparent ice heater 430 in the section E.

For the same reason, since the mass of section C is smaller than the mass of section D, the output (W3) of the transparent ice heater 430 of section C is set higher than the output (W4) of the transparent ice heater 430 of section D. I can.

In addition, since the mass of the section B is smaller than the mass of the section C, the output W2 of the transparent ice heater 430 of the section B may be set higher than the output W3 of the transparent ice heater 430 of the section C. .

In addition, since the mass of section A is smaller than the mass of section B, the output W1 of the transparent ice heater 430 in section A may be set higher than the output W2 of the transparent ice heater 430 in section B. .

For the same reason, since the mass per unit height decreases from the E section to the lower side, the output of the transparent ice heater 430 may increase from the E section to the lower side (see W6, W7, W8, and W9). .

Accordingly, looking at the output change pattern of the transparent ice heater 430, after the transparent ice heater 430 is turned on, the output of the transparent ice heater 430 may be gradually reduced from the first section to the middle section.

The output of the transparent ice heater 430 becomes the minimum in the intermediate section in which the mass per unit height of water is the minimum.

From the next section of the intermediate section, the output of the transparent ice heater 430 may be increased stepwise again.

It is also possible to set the output of the transparent ice heater 430 in two adjacent sections to be the same according to the shape or mass of ice generated. For example, it is possible that the output of section C and section D is the same. That is, the output of the transparent ice heater 430 may be the same in at least two sections.

Alternatively, the output of the transparent ice heater 430 may be set to the minimum in a section other than the section in which the mass per unit height is the smallest.

For example, the output of the transparent ice heater 430 in the D section or the F section may be the minimum. The output of the transparent ice heater 430 in section E may be equal to or greater than the minimum output.

In summary, in this embodiment, the initial output of the transparent ice heater 430 may be maximum. During the ice making process, the output of the transparent ice heater 430 may be reduced to a minimum output of the transparent ice heater 430.

The output of the transparent ice heater 430 may be gradually decreased in each section, or the output may be maintained in at least two sections.

The output of the transparent ice heater 430 may be increased from the minimum output to the end output. The end output may be the same as or different from the initial output.

In addition, the output of the transparent ice heater 430 may be gradually increased in each section from the minimum output to the end output, or the output may be maintained in at least two sections.

Alternatively, the output of the transparent ice heater 430 may be the end output in a section before the last section among a plurality of sections. In this case, the output of the transparent ice heater 430 may be maintained as the end output in the last section. That is, after the output of the transparent ice heater 430 becomes the end output, the end output may be maintained until the last section.

As the ice making is performed, the amount of ice in the ice making cell 320a decreases, so if the transparent ice heater 430 continues to increase until the output reaches the last section, heat supplied to the ice making cell 320a is Water may be present in the ice-making cell 320a even after the end of the last section.

Accordingly, the output of the transparent ice heater 430 may be maintained as the end output in at least two sections including the final angle section.

By controlling the output of the transparent ice heater 430, the transparency of ice becomes uniform for each unit height, and bubbles are collected in the lowermost section. Thus, when viewed as a whole, air bubbles may collect in localized portions and the rest of the ice may become entirely transparent.

As described above, even if the ice-making cell 320a is not in a spherical shape, transparent ice is generated when the output of the transparent ice heater 430 is varied according to the mass of each unit height of water in the ice-making cell 320a. can do.

The heating amount of the transparent ice heater 430 when the mass per unit height of water is large is smaller than the heating amount of the transparent ice heater 430 when the mass per unit height of water is small.

For example, while maintaining the same cooling power of the cold air supply means 900, the heating amount of the transparent ice heater 430 may be varied so as to be inversely proportional to the mass of each unit height of water.

In addition, transparent ice may be generated by varying the cooling power of the cold air supply means 900 according to the mass of each unit height of water.

For example, when the mass of water per unit height is large, the cooling power of the cool air supply means 900 may be increased, and when the mass per unit height is small, the cooling power of the cold air supply unit 900 may be decreased.

For example, while maintaining a constant heating amount of the transparent ice heater 430, the cooling power of the cold air supply means 900 may be varied in proportion to the mass per unit height of water.

Looking at the cooling power variable pattern of the cold air supply means 900 in the case of generating spherical ice, the cooling power of the cold air supply means 900 may be gradually increased from the first section to the middle section during the ice making process.

The cooling power of the cold air supply means 900 becomes maximum in the middle section in which the mass of water per unit height is the minimum.

From the next section of the intermediate section, the cooling power of the cold air supply means 900 may be gradually decreased.

Alternatively, transparent ice may be generated by varying the cooling power of the cold air supply means 900 and the heating amount of the transparent ice heater 430 according to the mass of each unit height of water.

For example, the cooling power of the cold air supply means 900 may be varied in proportion to the mass per unit height of water, and the heating amount of the transparent ice heater 430 may be varied in inverse proportion to the mass per unit height of water.

As in the present embodiment, when one or more of the cooling power of the cold air supply means 900 and the heating amount of the transparent ice heater 430 are controlled according to the mass of each unit height of water, the rate of ice generation per unit height of water is substantially The same or may be maintained within a predetermined range.

Meanwhile, the control unit 800 may determine whether ice making is complete based on the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700 (S14). When the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700 reaches an end reference temperature, the controller 800 may determine that ice making is complete.

When it is determined that the ice making is completed, the control unit 800 may turn off the transparent ice heater 430 (S15).

For example, when the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700 reaches a first reference temperature, the controller 800 may determine that ice making is complete and turn off the transparent ice heater 430.

At this time, in the case of the present embodiment, since the distance between the second temperature sensor 700 and each ice making cell 320a is different, in order to determine that ice generation has been completed in all the ice making cells 320a, the controller 800 The ice-making may start after a predetermined time elapses from the time when it is determined that the ice-making is complete or when the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700 reaches a second reference temperature lower than the first reference temperature.

When the ice making is completed, the controller 800 operates at least one of the ice ice heater 290 and the transparent ice heater 430 for ice ice removal (S16).

When at least one of the ice ice heater 290 and the transparent ice heater 430 is turned on, heat from the heater is transferred to at least one of the first tray 320 and the second tray 380 so that ice is transferred to the ice. It may be separated from one or more surfaces (inner surfaces) of the first tray 320 and the second tray 380.

In addition, heat from the heaters 290 and 430 is transferred to a contact surface between the first tray 320 and the second tray 380, so that the lower surface 321d of the first tray 320 and the second tray ( It is in a state that can be separated between the upper surfaces 381a of 380.

When at least one of the ice-breaking heater 290 and the transparent ice-ice heater 430 is operated for a set time, or when the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 700 is greater than or equal to the off reference temperature, the controller 800 The on heaters 290 and 430 are turned off.

Although not limited, the off reference temperature may be set as the temperature of the image.

The control unit 800 operates the driving unit 480 so that the second tray 380 moves in a forward direction (S17).

As shown in FIG. 12, when the second tray 380 is moved in the forward direction, the second tray 380 is spaced apart from the first tray 320.

Meanwhile, the moving force of the second tray 380 is transmitted to the first pusher 260 by the pusher link 500. Then, the first pusher 260 descends along the guide slot 302, so that the extension part 264 passes through the communication hole 321e, and presses the ice in the ice making cell 320a. do.

In the present embodiment, in the ice breaking process, ice may be separated from the first tray 320 before the extension part 264 presses the ice. That is, ice may be separated from the surface of the first tray 320 by the heat of the heated heater.

In this case, the ice may move together with the second tray 380 while being supported by the second tray 380.

As another example, even if the heat of the heater is applied to the first tray 320, there may be a case where ice does not separate from the surface of the first tray 320.

Accordingly, when the second tray 380 moves in the forward direction, there is a possibility that ice may be separated from the second tray 380 in a state in which the ice is in close contact with the first tray 320.

In this state, in the process of moving the second tray 380, the extension part 264 passing through the communication hole 320e presses the ice in close contact with the first tray 320, so that the ice It may be separated from the first tray 320.

The ice separated from the first tray 320 may be supported again by the second tray 380.

When ice moves together with the second tray 380 while being supported by the second tray 380, the ice may be caused by its own weight even if no external force is applied to the second tray 380. It can be separated from the tray 250.

If, in the process of moving the second tray 380, even if ice does not fall from the second tray 380 due to its own weight, the second tray 380 is moved by the second pusher 540 as shown in FIG. 13. When is pressurized, ice may be separated from the second tray 380 and may fall downward.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, while the second tray 380 moves, the second tray 380 comes into contact with the extension 544 of the second pusher 540.

When the second tray 380 is continuously moved in the forward direction, the extension part 544 presses the second tray 380 to deform the second tray 380, and the extension part ( The pressing force 544 is transmitted to the ice so that the ice may be separated from the surface of the second tray 380.

Ice separated from the surface of the second tray 380 may fall downward and be stored in the ice bin 600.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, a deformed position by which the second tray 380 is pressed by the second pusher 540 may be referred to as an eave position.

Meanwhile, in a home in which the second tray 380 moves from the ice making position to the ice ice position, whether or not the ice bin 600 is full may be detected.

As an example, when the ice-cold detection lever 520 is rotated together with the second tray 380 and the ice-cold ice detection lever 520 interferes with the rotation of the ice-cold ice detection lever 520 , It may be determined that the ice bean 600 is in a full ice state. On the other hand, if the rotation of the ice-cold detection lever 520 is not interfered with by ice while the ice-cold detection lever 520 is rotated, it may be determined that the ice bin 600 is not in a full ice state.

After the ice is separated from the second tray 380, the controller 800 controls the driving unit 480 to move the second tray 380 in the reverse direction (S18).

Then, the second tray 380 moves from the eaves position to the water supply position.

When the second tray 380 moves to the water supply position of FIG. 10, the control unit 800 stops the driving unit 480.

If the second tray 380 is spaced apart from the extension part 544 while the second tray 380 is moved in the reverse direction, the deformed second tray 380 may be restored to its original shape. have.

In the process of moving the second tray 380 in the reverse direction, the moving force of the second tray 380 is transmitted to the first pusher 260 by the pusher link 500, and the first pusher 260 Rises, and the extension part 264 is removed from the ice making cell 320a.

Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, the cooling power of the cooling air supply means 900 may be determined in response to the target temperature of the freezing chamber 32. The cold air generated by the cold air supply means 900 may be supplied to the freezing chamber 32.

Water in the ice making cell 320a may be converted into ice by heat transfer of the cold supplied to the freezing chamber 32 and water from the ice making cell 320a.

In this embodiment, the heating amount of the transparent ice heater 430 for each unit height of water may be determined in consideration of a predetermined cooling power of the cooling air supply means 900.

In the present embodiment, the heating amount of the transparent ice heater 430 determined in consideration of the predetermined cooling power of the cooling air supply means 900 is referred to as a reference heating amount. The size of the standard heating amount per unit height of water is different.

However, when the amount of heat transfer between the cold in the freezing compartment 32 and the water in the ice making cell 320a is varied, if the heating amount of the transparent ice heater 430 is not adjusted to reflect this, the transparency of ice per unit height There are different problems.

In this embodiment, when the heat transfer amount of cold air and water is increased, for example, the cooling power of the cooling air supply means 900 is increased, or air having a temperature lower than the temperature of the cold air in the freezing chamber 32 to the freezing chamber 32 May be supplied.

On the other hand, when the heat transfer amount of cold air and water is decreased, for example, the cooling power of the cooling air supply means 900 is reduced, or air having a temperature higher than the temperature of the cold air in the freezing chamber 32 is supplied to the freezing chamber 32. It may be the case.

For example, the target temperature of the freezing chamber 32 is lowered, the operating mode of the freezing chamber 32 is changed from the normal mode to the rapid cooling mode, the output of at least one of the compressor and the fan is increased, or the refrigerant valve When the opening degree is increased, the cooling power of the cooling air supply means 900 may be increased.

On the other hand, the target temperature of the freezing chamber 32 is increased, the operating mode of the freezing chamber 32 is changed from the rapid cooling mode to the normal mode, the output of at least one of the compressor and the fan is decreased, or the opening degree of the refrigerant valve is When it is reduced, the cooling power of the cooling air supply means 900 may be reduced.

When the cooling power of the cold air supply means 900 is increased, the temperature of the cold air around the ice maker 200 decreases, thereby increasing the rate of ice generation.

On the other hand, when the cooling power of the cold air supply means 900 decreases, the temperature of the cold air around the ice maker 200 increases, so that the rate of ice generation is slowed and the ice making time is lengthened.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when the amount of heat transfer of cold and water is increased so that the ice making speed can be maintained within a predetermined range lower than the ice making speed when ice making is performed with the transparent ice heater 430 turned off, transparent ice The heating amount of the heater 430 may be controlled to increase.

On the other hand, when the heat transfer amount of the cold air and water is decreased, the heating amount of the transparent ice heater 430 may be controlled to decrease.

In the present embodiment, when the ice-making speed is maintained within the predetermined range, the ice-making speed is slower than the speed at which the bubbles move in the portion where ice is generated in the ice-making cell 320a, so that there are no bubbles in the portion where ice is generated. Will not be.

When the cooling power of the cold air supply means 900 is increased, the heating amount of the transparent ice heater 430 may be increased. On the other hand, when the cooling power of the cold air supply means 900 is reduced, the heating amount of the transparent ice heater 430 may be reduced.

Hereinafter, a case where the target temperature of the freezing chamber 32 is changed will be described as an example.

The control unit 800 may control the output of the transparent ice heater 430 so that the ice making speed of the ice can be maintained within a predetermined range regardless of the variation of the target temperature of the freezing chamber 32.

For example, ice making starts, and a change in the amount of heat transfer between cold and water may be detected. For example, it may be detected that the target temperature of the freezing chamber 32 is changed through an input unit (not shown).

The control unit 800 may determine whether the heat transfer amount of cold air and water is increased. For example, the control unit 800 may determine whether the target temperature is increased. When the target temperature is increased, the control unit 800 may decrease a predetermined reference heating amount of the transparent ice heater 430 in each of the current section and the remaining section. Until the ice making is completed, the heating amount of the transparent ice heater 430 can be controlled to vary for each section. On the other hand, when the target temperature is decreased, the controller 800 may increase the reference heating amount of the transparent ice heater 430 predetermined in each of the current section and the remaining section. Until the ice making is completed, the heating amount of the transparent ice heater 430 for each section can be controlled to be variable. In this embodiment, the reference heating amount to be increased or decreased may be predetermined and stored in the memory.

According to the present embodiment, by increasing or decreasing the reference heating amount for each section of the transparent ice heater in response to the variable heat transfer amount of cold and water, the ice making speed of ice can be maintained within a predetermined range, There is an advantage that the transparency becomes uniform.

Another embodiment will be described.

In the above embodiment, it is determined whether the water supply amount of the ice making cell has reached the target water supply amount based on the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor. have.

For example, the water supply amount sensing unit may be a capacitive sensor. A signal (first signal) output from the water supply amount detection unit when the water supply amount detection unit contacts water, and a signal (second signal) output from the water supply amount detection unit when the water supply amount detection unit does not contact water different. Accordingly, when the first signal is output from the water supply amount detecting unit, the control unit may determine that the water supply amount of the ice making cell has reached the target water supply amount.

In order for the water supply amount detection part to contact water, the water supply amount detection part may be exposed to the ice making cell. An end of the water supply amount sensing unit in contact with water may be positioned lower than an upper end of the ice making cell.

In the present specification, the second temperature sensor may also be referred to as a water supply amount sensing unit.

Claims (15)

A storage room in which food is stored;
Cold air supply means for supplying cold air to the storage chamber;
A first tray forming a part of an ice making cell, which is a space in which water is phase-changed into ice by the cold air;
A second tray that forms another part of the ice-making cell and is connected to a driving unit so that it may contact the first tray during an ice-making process and spaced apart from the first tray in an ice-making process;
A water supply valve controlling the flow of water supplied to the ice making cell;
A water supply amount detection unit for sensing the water supply amount of the ice making cell;
A heater positioned adjacent to at least one of the first tray and the second tray; And
And a control unit for controlling the heater and the driving unit,
The control unit controls the water supply valve to supply water to the ice making cell by a first reference water supply amount for water supply of the ice making cell at a water supply position of the second tray,
After completion of water supply by the first reference water supply amount, the second tray is moved to an ice-making position, and it is determined whether the water supply amount of the ice-making cell reaches a target water supply amount by the water supply amount detecting unit,
When the water supply amount of the ice-making cell reaches the target water supply amount, the control unit starts ice-making, and if the water supply amount of the ice-making cell does not reach the target water supply amount, the second tray is moved back to the water supply position, and the first reference water supply amount A refrigerator that controls the water supply valve to supply water by a smaller second reference water supply amount. The method of claim 1,
After the water supply is completed by the second reference water supply amount, the control unit moves the second tray to the ice-making position after completing water supply by the first reference water supply amount, and the water supply amount of the ice-making cell by the water supply amount detection unit A refrigerator that determines whether the target water supply has been reached. The method of claim 2,
When the water supply amount of the ice making cell reaches the target water supply amount, the control unit starts ice making,
If the water supply amount of the ice-making cell does not reach the target water supply amount, the refrigerator repeatedly performs additional water supply equal to the second reference water supply amount until the water supply amount of the ice-making cell reaches the target water supply amount. The method of claim 1,
A refrigerator disposed to expose the water supply amount detection unit to the ice making cell. The method of claim 1,
An end of the water supply amount sensing unit is located lower than an upper end of the ice making cell. The method of claim 1,
The control unit controls the second tray to move in a forward direction to an ice-making position and then in a reverse direction to take out ice from the ice-making cell after the generation of ice in the ice-making cell is completed,
The controller starts water supply after the second tray is moved to the water supply position in the reverse direction after the ice-breaking is completed. The method of claim 6,
The water supply amount sensing unit is a refrigerator that is a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the ice making cell. The method of claim 7,
After the icebreaking is completed and the second tray moves to the water supply position, the control unit supplies the water supply to the ice making cell by the first reference water supply amount when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor reaches the water supply start temperature. Refrigerator controlling the valve. The method of claim 7,
When the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor reaches a reference temperature, which is the temperature of the image, the controller determines that the water supply amount of the ice making cell has reached a target water supply amount. The method of claim 1 or 6,
The water supply amount detection unit is a refrigerator that is a capacitive sensor that outputs different signals according to whether the ice making cell is in contact with water. The method of claim 10,
When the capacitive sensor contacts water, a first signal is output,
When the capacitive sensor does not contact water, a second signal is output,
When the first signal is output from the capacitance sensor, the control unit determines that the amount of water supplied to the ice making cell has reached a target amount of water. The method of claim 1,
The first reference water supply amount is 80% or more of the target water supply amount, and the second reference water supply amount is 20% or less of the target water supply amount. The method of claim 12,
The first reference water supply amount is 90% or more of the target water supply amount, and the second reference water supply amount is in the range of 1% to 10% of the target water supply amount. The method of claim 1,
The control unit may be configured such that bubbles dissolved in the water inside the ice making cell move from the portion where ice is generated to the liquid water to generate transparent ice. A refrigerator that turns on the heater. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the controller controls at least one of a cooling power of the cooling air supply means and a heating amount of the heater to vary according to a mass per unit height of water in the ice making cell.

Images