An ice maker appliance includes a mold body configured for receiving liquid water and for forming ice from the liquid water within the mold body and a collection tray below the mold body along a vertical direction. The collection tray defines an internal volume. The collection tray is positioned and configured to capture and retain an escaped portion of the liquid water from the mold body in the internal volume of the collection tray.

In a refrigerator, a cam of a cam gear rotating by a driving motor is provided with a structure protruding from an edge portion of a cam gear to a center, thereby increasing the thickness of a cam surface. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the magnitude of force directly transferred from the cam gear to a magnet lever.

A method of controlling a refrigerator includes detecting opening/closing of an ice dispensing duct, through which ice is taken out, and storing an opening time of the ice dispensing duct per time interval. Each time interval is classified as a use time when the opening time of the ice dispensing duct is equal to or greater than a reference time and each time interval is classified as a non-use time when the opening time of the ice dispensing duct is less than the reference time.

A method of operating a dispenser system of a refrigerator appliance includes storing a custom dispenser setting for the dispenser system. The method may also include recognizing a user at the refrigerator appliance or receiving an input with the dispenser system and determining a time when the input is received. The method then includes applying the custom dispenser setting. The custom dispenser setting may be applied based on the recognized user and/or the determined time. The method further includes dispensing one or more objects from the dispenser system according to the applied custom dispenser setting.

An ice making system includes: a tank that stores a medium to be cooled; an ice making machine that cools the medium and makes ice; a pump that circulates the medium between the tank and the ice making machine; a de-icing mechanism that performs a de-icing operation of heating and melting the medium in the ice making machine; and a control device that controls operations of the ice making machine, the pump, and the de-icing mechanism. The ice making machine includes: a cooling chamber in which the medium is cooled; a blade mechanism that rotates in the cooling chamber and disperses the ice; a detector that detects a locked state of the blade mechanism; and a first temperature sensor that is disposed at a discharge port of the cooling chamber and detects a temperature of the medium discharged from the cooling chamber.

An ice making system includes: a tank that stores a medium to be cooled; an ice making machine that cools the medium and makes ice; a pump that circulates the medium between the tank and the ice making machine; a de-icing mechanism that performs a de-icing operation of heating and melting the medium in the ice making machine; and a control device that controls operations of the ice making machine, the pump, and the de-icing mechanism. The ice making machine includes: a cooling chamber in which the medium is cooled; a blade mechanism that rotates in the cooling chamber and disperses the ice; a detector that detects a locked state of the blade mechanism; and a first temperature sensor that is disposed at a discharge port of the cooling chamber and detects a temperature of the medium discharged from the cooling chamber.

In a refrigerator, a cam of a cam gear rotating by a driving motor is provided with a structure protruding from an edge portion of a cam gear to a center, thereby increasing the thickness of a cam surface. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the magnitude of force directly transferred from the cam gear to a magnet lever.

A solid-production system for producing a solid on demand is provided herein. In some aspects, the solid-production system includes a conveying mechanism; a fluid-dispensing mechanism; a pressure plate arranged to urge the fluid mold into interaction with a cooling block to form a solid; a solid-dispensing mechanism arranged to dispense the solid loosened by a solid ejector to a user; and processing circuitry configured to implement a master state machine, and slave state machines for respective ones of the fluid-dispensing mechanism, conveying mechanism, pressure plate and solid-dispensing mechanism, wherein the master state machine is configured to send commands to the slave state machines based on states of the slave state machines, and the slave state machines are configured to execute the commands to control the respective ones of the conveying mechanism, fluid-dispensing mechanism, pressure plate, and solid-dispensing mechanism.

In a refrigerator, a cam of a cam gear rotating by a driving motor is provided with a structure protruding from an edge portion of a cam gear to a center, thereby increasing the thickness of a cam surface. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the magnitude of force directly transferred from the cam gear to a magnet lever.

The invention is a means of regulating how much snow is produced by a snowmaking machine based on the moisture in the environment. It utilizes a moisture sensor (such as a soil sensor), and a processor measures the resistance to determine how much snow should be made. The snow maker then receives this information and adjusts the quantity of snow that it produces. By using this invention, the value of water will be maximized and the snow will be made with the greatest efficiency.