An ice maker assembly is disposed in the ice compartment of a refrigerator, the ice maker assembly including an ice maker tray/evaporator having an evaporator cooling tube which is in direct contact with an ice maker tray portion, and a tray temperature sensor for sensing a temperature of the ice maker tray portion. A controller is configured to control ice making, ice harvesting, and ice maintenance based on the temperature sensed by the tray temperature sensor. The tray temperature sensor is the only temperature sensor used to control ice making, ice harvesting, and ice maintenance. Alternatively, an additional temperature sensor can be disposed inside an ice maker assembly gear box for sensing a temperature of a housing of the gear box. In that case, the tray temperature sensor and the additional temperature sensor are the only temperature sensors used to control ice making, ice harvesting, and ice maintenance.

An ice maker for a refrigerator includes: an upper assembly including an upper tray forming an upper chamber, which is a portion an ice chamber, and having an upper opening, and a temperature sensor configured to sense temperature of the ice chamber in contact with the upper tray; and a lower assembly being rotatable with respect to the upper assembly and having a lower tray forming a lower chamber that is another portion of the ice chamber, in which a contact portion between the temperature sensor and the upper tray is positioned closer to a contact surface of the upper tray and the lower tray than the upper opening.

A refrigerator includes a main body defining a storage compartment, a door, an ice making device, a water tank disposed for supplying water into the ice making device, and an ice bin to receive and store ice pieces made in the ice making device. The ice making device includes an ice making tray having ice making chambers configured to be filled with water for making the ice pieces, and an ejector extending from an upper central portion of the ice making tray in a longitudinal direction of the ice making tray to pass through both ends of the ice making tray. The ejector is configured to be maintained in a fixed state during water supply, ice making, and ice separation processes, and the ice making tray is configured to rotate at an angle of about 360° in one direction with respect to the ejector.

A cooling device including a freezing cycle including a compressor, a condenser, a pressure reducing means, and an evaporator is provided. In the cooling device, the condenser includes a first condenser and a second condenser independent from each other, the second condenser being positioned at a downstream side of the first condenser in a refrigerant channel, and the first condenser and the second condenser are connected to each other through a dew condensation preventing pipe.

The present disclosure relates to a method of controlling an ice-detaching temperature of an icemaker, including a first step of performing an ice-making operation in an ice-making unit, and counting a required ice-making time period from a starting point in time of the ice-making operation to an end point in time of the ice-making operation; a second step of acquiring the counted required ice-making time period, and acquiring an ambient temperature from an external temperature sensor; a third step of determining a variable ice-detaching time period, depending on the acquired ambient temperature and the acquired required ice-making time period; and a fourth step of using the determined ice-detaching time period to perform an ice-detaching operation. Ice of a cold plate is completely separated from the cold plate during an ice-detaching operation under conventional temperature conditions and even under harsh environments, preventing icemaker failure and increasing ice-making capacity.

An ice piece making assembly and a refrigeration appliance containing the ice piece making assembly is disclosed. The ice making assembly produces ice pieces by directional freezing and includes: an ice piece forming tray having a motor engaging end, a distal end, a first side, a second side and a bottom surface, a plurality of ice piece making compartments divided by divider walls, and a plurality of heat sinks engaged to the bottom surface of the ice making compartments and deliver defrost water to a drain or defrost water catch tray positioned at at least one of the distal end and the motor engaging end; and an ice piece forming tray canopy spaced a distance above the ice piece forming tray wherein the ice piece forming tray canopy comprises a heater and a temperature sensor.

An ice making assembly includes an ice mold defining a mold cavity and a refrigeration loop having an evaporator in thermal communication with the ice mold. A compressor is operably coupled to the refrigeration loop for circulating a flow of refrigerant through the refrigerant loop to cool the evaporator and the ice mold. After ice is formed, a flow regulating device may divert a portion of the flow of refrigerant around the condenser through a bypass conduit to slowly increase a temperature of the refrigerant within the evaporator.

An ice maker includes an ice tray with partitioned spaces for receiving ice-making water, an ejector for ice-separating an ice in the ice tray, a detector unit for detecting at least one of a position of the ejector and a temperature of the ice tray, a control box provided to be opposite to the ice tray and including a printed circuit board and a motor for driving the ejector therein, and a planar heater provided in the ice tray and including a heating element of a metal thin film and an insulating member to wrap the heating element such that the planar heater is pressured by virtue of an instrument provided in the ice tray to be bonded to or in closely contacted with the ice tray.

A portable apparatus for rapidly freezing a freezable liquid to form at least one frozen object includes a fluid intake in which the freezable liquid is introduced and a freeze chamber that receives the freezable liquid from the fluid intake. The freeze chamber includes a freeze block that includes at least one cell in which the at least one frozen object is formed. A cooling system circulates refrigerant to the freeze block to facilitate cooling of the freeze block. The freeze block is formed of a heat transfer material such that heat from the freezable liquid added to the at least one cell is transferred to the freeze block whereupon said heat is transferred to the refrigerant flowing through the evaporator coil of the freeze block, thereby resulting in cooling of the freeze block. The freeze block is configured and the refrigerant is selected such that the freeze chamber is maintained at a temperature of below 0° F. and preferably below at least about −10.0° F. or −20° F.

In a method for controlling an ice maker, a motor rotates an ejector finger relative to an ice tray in a first direction and in a second direction opposite the first direction to discharge ice from the ice tray. When an error condition occurs, the ice maker enters a first error mode, during which an ice maker heater is turned on until the temperature of the ice tray reaches a predetermined temperature or until an ice maker heater error correction time elapses. When the ejector finger is at a home position, the motor rotates in the second direction until the ejector finger is not at the home position or for a first predetermined number of steps, whichever occurs first, and then rotates in the first direction until the ejector finger is at the home position.