Refrigerator and ice making method therefor

Abstract

A refrigerator and an ice making method therefor is disclosed. The refrigerator comprises a refrigerator body, a storage space defined in the refrigerator body, a door that opens and closes the storage space, an ice making unit that makes ice cubes, a cool air producing unit that cools air inside a cooling duct to produce cool air, and a cool air circulation unit that supplies the cool air from the cool air producing unit to the ice making unit and discharges air from the ice making unit to the cool air producing unit.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A refrigerator, comprising:
 a refrigerator body;   a storage space defined in the refrigerator body;   a door that opens and closes the storage space;   an ice making unit operable to make ice cubes;   a cool air producing unit operable to cool air inside a cooling duct to produce cool air; and   a cool air circulation unit operable to supply the cool air from the cool air producing unit to the ice making unit and to discharge air from the ice making unit to the cool air producing unit.   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the cool air producing unit comprises:
 a cooling duct through which the air flows;   an evaporation coil wound around the cooling duct wherein the air is cooled by a heat exchanging operation between the air and a refrigerant;   a compressor configured to compress the refrigerant discharged from the evaporation coil to transform the refrigerant to a high temperature and high pressure gas refrigerant;   a condenser configured to condense the gas refrigerant to change the gas refrigerant to a high pressure liquid refrigerant; and   an expansion valve configured to perform adiabatic expansion of the liquid refrigerant and supply the refrigerant to the evaporation coil.   
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the ice making unit comprises:
 an ice making cabinet defining an ice making space;   an ice maker configured to produce the ice cubes using the cool air; and   an ice bank configured to store the ice cubes.   
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the cool air circulation unit includes:
 an inlet hole disposed on an upper part of the ice making unit wherein the cool air flows from the cooling duct into the ice making unit;   an outlet hole disposed on a lower part of the ice making unit wherein air is discharged from the ice making unit into the cooling duct; and   a circulation fan that circulates the cool air from the inlet hole to the outlet hole.   
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator according to  claim 2 , wherein the cool air producing unit further comprises:
 an evaporator that cools air inside at least one of a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment through a heat exchanging operation between the air and the refrigerant;   a branch line that supplies the liquid refrigerant processed by the expansion valve to the evaporation coil or to the evaporator; and   a control valve that controls a flowing direction of the liquid refrigerant inside the branch line.   
     
     
         6 . The refrigerator according to  claim 2 , wherein the cool air producing unit is disposed in the refrigerator body. 
     
     
         7 . The refrigerator according to  claim 3 , wherein the ice making unit is disposed on a refrigerator compartment door of the refrigerator. 
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the cooling duct is disposed in the refrigerator body, and the ice making unit is disposed on a refrigerator compartment door of the refrigerator, and wherein   the cooling duct couples with the ice making unit when the refrigerator compartment door is closed.   
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator according to  claim 2 , wherein the evaporation coil functions as an evaporator of a refrigeration cycle, and cools the cooling duct through heat conduction. 
     
     
         10 . An ice making method for a refrigerator, the method comprising:
 cooling air using a cooling duct to produce cool air;   supplying the cool air to an ice making unit to make ice cubes;   discharging air from the ice making unit to the cooling duct; and   cooling the discharged air again in the cooling duct.   
     
     
         11 . The ice making method according to  claim 10 , wherein the cooling of the air using the cooling duct to produce the cool air comprises flowing the air through a cooling path of the cooling duct for a predetermined period of time, and is thereby cooled to a predetermined temperature or lower. 
     
     
         12 . An apparatus, comprising:
 an ice making unit that makes ice cubes;   a cooling duct;   a cool air producing unit configured to cool air inside the cooling duct; and   a cool air circulation unit that supplies the cool air from the cooling duct to the ice making unit and discharges air from the ice making unit to the cooling duct.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein the cool air producing unit comprises:
 an evaporation coil wound around the cooling duct wherein the air is cooled by a heat exchanging operation between the air and a refrigerant;   a compressor configured to compress the refrigerant discharged from the evaporation coil to change the refrigerant to a high temperature and high pressure gas refrigerant;   a condenser configured to condense the gas refrigerant to change the gas refrigerant to a high pressure liquid refrigerant; and   an expansion valve configured to perform adiabatic expansion of the liquid refrigerant and supply the refrigerant to the evaporation coil.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein the ice making unit comprises:
 an ice making cabinet defining an ice making space;   an ice maker configured to form the ice cubes using the cool air; and   an ice bank configured to store the ice cubes.   
     
     
         15 . The apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein the cool air circulation unit comprises:
 an inlet hole disposed on an upper part of the ice making unit such that the cool air flows from the cooling duct into the ice making unit;   an outlet hole disposed on a lower part of the ice making unit such that air is discharged from the ice making unit into the cooling duct; and   a circulation fan that circulates the cool air from the inlet hole to the outlet hole.   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein the cool air producing unit further comprises:
 an evaporator that cools air inside at least one of a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment through a heat exchanging operation between the air and the refrigerant;   a branch line that supplies the liquid refrigerant processed by the expansion valve to the evaporation coil or to the evaporator; and   a control valve that controls a flowing direction of the liquid refrigerant inside the branch line.   
     
     
         17 . The apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein the cool air producing unit is disposed in a refrigerator body. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein the ice making unit is disposed in a refrigerator compartment door of a refrigerator. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein
 the cooling duct is disposed in a refrigerator body, and the ice making unit is disposed on a refrigerator compartment door of a refrigerator, and wherein   the cooling duct couples with the ice making unit when the refrigerator compartment door is closed.   
     
     
         20 . The apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein the evaporation coil functions as an evaporator of a refrigeration cycle, and cools the cooling duct through heat conduction.