A refrigerator utilizes a dual direction ice maker capable of overlapping multiple ice production cycles in time to accelerate ice production and/or routing ice to multiple storage bins.

An ice maker includes an ice tray, an ejector configured to rotate with respect to the ice tray and cause rotation of ice pieces, and a motor configured to drive the ejector to rotate relative to the ice tray. The ice tray includes a first guide rib located at a lower portion of the ice tray and configured to exchange heat with cool air supplied from a cool air inlet, and a second guide rib located at the lower portion of the ice tray and arranged at a center region of the lower portion of the ice tray. The ice tray defines a first area including the first guide rib, and a second area including both of the first and second guide ribs, where the first area of the ice tray is located closer to the cool air inlet than the second area.

An automatic descale and sanitize process for an ice maker which requires less user intervention and time. During descaling, a main water reservoir of an ice maker sump is filled with water to a descale water level and mixes with a cleaner placed in the main water reservoir. The water/cleaner mixture is pumped through the ice maker to descale the water system and freeze plate. During sanitizing, the sump is filled with water to a sanitize water level, above the descale water level, and mixes with sanitizer placed in a sanitizer reservoir of the sump. The water/sanitizer mixture is pumped through the ice maker to sanitize the water system and freeze plate. During descaling, the sanitizer placed in the sanitizer reservoir does not come into contact with the water in the main water reservoir. After the descale and sanitize process, the ice maker can return to making ice.

Disclosed are an ice maker, which can make ice with high transparency. The ice maker includes an ice making container configured to be filled with ice-making water; a heating ice-separator comprising a heating rod extended from above a water surface of the ice-making water into the ice making container so as to be immersed in the ice-making water and configured to transfer heat to the ice-making water, and a rotary shaft connecting with the heating rod, extended to traverse an upper portion of the ice making container, and configured to rotate the heating rod to be separated from the ice making container; and a heater configured to supply heat to the heating rod. By using the heater, the ice maker can not only make the ice with the high transparency, but also make ice-separation structure be simplified.

An ice maker includes an ice tray configured to receive water, where the ice tray includes a plurality of partition ribs that partition an inner space of the ice tray into a plurality of cells, an ejector that is configured to rotate relative to the ice tray, that is configured to cause rotation of ice pieces in a rotation direction relative to the ice tray, and that is configured to discharge the ice pieces from the ice tray, and a motor configured to drive the ejector to rotate in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction. The ice tray further includes a protrusion portion that is located at each cell, that protrudes from a lower surface of each cell, and that extends along the lower surface of each cell in a direction corresponding to the rotation direction of the ice pieces relative to the ice tray.

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 heats the medium and melts the ice 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 that cools the medium, an inflow port through which the medium flows into the cooling chamber, and a discharge port through which the medium is discharged from the cooling chamber. The control device activates the de-icing mechanism when a pressure difference between a pressure of the medium at the inflow port and a pressure of the medium at the discharge port exceeds a predetermined value.

An ice maker for forming ice having a refrigeration system, a water system, and a control system. The refrigeration system includes a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator. The water system includes a water filter and a sump to hold water to be made into ice. The control system includes a controller adapted to determine a baseline freeze time, a baseline harvest time, and/or a baseline fill time after an initial set of ice making cycles and is further adapted to compare subsequent harvest times, freeze times, and/or fill times to the baseline freeze, harvest, and/or fill times to determine whether the ice maker needs maintenance. If controller determines that ice maker needs maintenance, controller can push a notification to a portable electronic device connected to the ice maker.

A refrigerator appliance, as disclosed herein, may include a cabinet, a door, a dispensing assembly, an ice-making assembly, and an ice storage bin. The door may define a dispenser recess having a transverse opening extending vertically from a top recess end to a bottom recess end and laterally from a first recess side to a second recess side. The dispensing assembly may be positioned within the dispenser recess and define an ice delivery passage. The ice-making assembly may be attached to the cabinet. The ice storage bin may include a bin body defining a storage cavity. The bin body may be selectively mounted to the door within the dispenser recess to receive ice from the dispensing assembly. The bin body may extend vertically from the top recess end to the bottom recess end and laterally from the first recess side to the second recess side.

Disclosed is a system of controlling an ice maker. The system includes: an ice making part producing ice; a water reservoir provided with a pump, and storing water supplied from outside and providing the water supplied from outside to the ice making part or draining the water outside; and a controller. In particular, when an accumulated number of ice making cycles of the ice making part reaches a predetermined number of ice making cycles, the controller drains the water stored in the water reservoir, and controls a drainage time during which the water is drained on the basis of the predetermined number of ice making cycles, such that the water stored in the water reservoir is drained.

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a heating control method, a heating control device, and an ice maker. The heating control method comprises: determining that the ice maker is in an ice-making operation state; acquiring a first heating strategy of a target part of the ice maker according to a preset first heating strategy acquisition rule, based on ambient parameter information of an ambient in which the target part of the ice maker is located; and heating the target part based on the first heating strategy. Through the embodiments of the present disclosure, the problem that the deicing heating control technology of the ice maker in the prior art has high energy consumption is solved, and the beneficial effect of precise and low-energy deicing heating control on the ice-prone parts of the ice maker is achieved.