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.

A refrigerator comprising a refrigerator body provided with a refrigerating compartment, an ice maker, an ice-making air duct, a first fan assembly disposed in the ice-making air duct and an ice maker evaporator is disclosed. The ice-making air duct comprises an air inlet duct and an air return duct, which are both disposed in a foaming layer of the refrigerating compartment, and one ends thereof close to the ice maker extend into a foaming layer on a door body of the ice maker. The first fan assembly is detachably disposed in the air return duct, and may be integrally disassembled from and installed in the air return duct. The ice maker evaporator is disposed between the air inlet duct and the air return duct and at the side far away from the ice maker.

A refrigerator comprising a refrigerator body provided with a refrigerating compartment, an ice maker, an ice-making air duct, a first fan assembly disposed in the ice-making air duct and an ice maker evaporator is disclosed. The ice-making air duct comprises an air inlet duct and an air return duct, which are both disposed in a foaming layer of the refrigerating compartment, and one ends thereof close to the ice maker extend into a foaming layer on a door body of the ice maker. The first fan assembly is detachably disposed in the air return duct, and may be integrally disassembled from and installed in the air return duct. The ice maker evaporator is disposed between the air inlet duct and the air return duct and at the side far away from the ice maker.

An ice-making device in a refrigerator including water blocking walls configured to prevent water supplied to an ice tray from straying outside the ice tray. The ice-making device includes an upper frame and a lower frame. A water supply port is disposed in a rear wall of the upper frame and configured to supply water to an ice tray between the upper frame and the lower frame. An upper sidewall protrudes downward from the upper frame. A main water-blocking rib protrudes from the rear wall and configured to prevent water supplied from the water supply port from straying along the upper sidewall. An auxiliary water-blocking rib protrudes from the upper sidewall and can further prevent the water supplied from the water supply port from straying along the upper sidewall.

An ice-making device in a refrigerator including water blocking walls configured to prevent water supplied to an ice tray from straying outside the ice tray. The ice-making device includes an upper frame and a lower frame. A water supply port is disposed in a rear wall of the upper frame and configured to supply water to an ice tray between the upper frame and the lower frame. An upper sidewall protrudes downward from the upper frame. A main water-blocking rib protrudes from the rear wall and configured to prevent water supplied from the water supply port from straying along the upper sidewall. An auxiliary water-blocking rib protrudes from the upper sidewall and can further prevent the water supplied from the water supply port from straying along the upper sidewall.

A refrigerator includes an ice-making unit disposed in the door and can make ice through direct cooling by a refrigerant without using cold air flow. A cold air generation system operates to circulate the refrigerant for supplying a cold air flow for the refrigerator. A refrigerant pipe is installed in the refrigerator main body to branch off some refrigerant from the cold air generation system. An ice-making pipe is installed within the ice-making unit and receives the refrigerant from the refrigerant pipe. Water freezes into ice through heat transfer between the ice-making unit and the ice-making pipe containing refrigerant. A soft pipe is disposed around a hinge shaft of the refrigerator main body and the door and configured to interconnect the ice-making pipe and the refrigerant pipe in a twistable manner.

A refrigerator includes an ice-making unit disposed in the door and can make ice through direct cooling by a refrigerant without using cold air flow. A cold air generation system operates to circulate the refrigerant for supplying a cold air flow for the refrigerator. A refrigerant pipe is installed in the refrigerator main body to branch off some refrigerant from the cold air generation system. An ice-making pipe is installed within the ice-making unit and receives the refrigerant from the refrigerant pipe. Water freezes into ice through heat transfer between the ice-making unit and the ice-making pipe containing refrigerant. A soft pipe is disposed around a hinge shaft of the refrigerator main body and the door and configured to interconnect the ice-making pipe and the refrigerant pipe in a twistable manner.

An ice-making device for a refrigerator including a duct providing a cold air flow path under an ice tray in which water turns into ice pieces. Uneven portions extending in a direction differing from a flow direction of cold air are formed at a lower surface of the ice tray. The duct may have a wavy surface. The surface features of the ice tray and the duct can advantageously increase contact area and contact time between cold air and the ice tray, thereby increasing the heat exchange efficiency between cold air and water contained in the ice tray.

A water switch assembly for a nugget ice making assembly is provided. The ice making assembly includes a hollow auger rotatably mounted within a reservoir and configured for extruding ice. The water switch assembly includes a water supply pipe that extends vertically through the center of the ice making auger and reservoir. The water switch assembly is in fluid communication with a water inlet and includes a capacitance probe for measuring the water level in the reservoir. In this manner, the water switch assembly is configured to control the flow of water to the reservoir in response to the water level measured by the capacitance probe.

A water switch assembly for a nugget ice making assembly is provided. The ice making assembly includes a hollow auger rotatably mounted within a reservoir and configured for extruding ice. The water switch assembly includes a water supply pipe that extends vertically through the center of the ice making auger and reservoir. The water switch assembly is in fluid communication with a water inlet and includes a capacitance probe for measuring the water level in the reservoir. In this manner, the water switch assembly is configured to control the flow of water to the reservoir in response to the water level measured by the capacitance probe.