Refrigerator

Abstract

A refrigerator comprising an ice maker. The ice maker comprises: a housing providing an ice making space, a tray disposed in the ice making space and including a plurality of ice making cells, and a temperature sensor part disposed at the tray and configured to measure a temperature in the tray. The the plurality of ice making cells are provided in an odd number of columns greater than or equal to three, and the temperature sensor part is disposed (i) at a middle column among the columns, (ii) between ice making cells that are adjacent to each other, and (iii) below the tray.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A refrigerator comprising an ice maker, the ice maker comprising:
 a housing providing an ice making space;   a tray disposed in the ice making space and including a plurality of ice making cells; and   a temperature sensor part disposed at the tray and configured to measure a temperature in the tray,   wherein the plurality of ice making cells are provided in an odd number of columns greater than or equal to three, and   wherein the temperature sensor part is disposed (i) at a middle column among the columns, (ii) between ice making cells that are adjacent to each other, and (iii) below the tray.   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensor part comprises:
 a temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature, and   a first insulation material disposed between the temperature sensor and the tray.   
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator of  claim 2 , wherein the housing comprises an inlet configured to receive cold air to flow into the ice making space, and
 wherein the tray is configured to receive the cold air received at the inlet.   
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator of  claim 3 , wherein a lower end of the inlet is disposed above an upper end of the tray. 
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator of  claim 2 , wherein the temperature sensor part further comprises a second insulation material disposed below the temperature sensor. 
     
     
         6 . The refrigerator of  claim 2 , wherein the temperature sensor part further comprises a guide disposed below the temperature sensor and configured to receive a wire connected to the temperature sensor. 
     
     
         7 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the tray comprises a sensor accommodation part that accommodates the temperature sensor part, and
 wherein a distance between ice making cells in the sensor accommodation part is greater than a distance between ice making cells in another portion in the tray.   
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator of  claim 7 , wherein the sensor accommodation part comprises a hook protruding downward from a lower portion of the tray and coupled to the temperature sensor part. 
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator of  claim 7 , wherein the housing comprises an inlet configured to receive cold air to flow into the ice making space, and
 wherein a distance between the sensor accommodation part and a first end of the tray is greater than a distance between the sensor accommodation part and a second end of the tray, the first end of the tray being closer to the inlet than the second end of the tray.   
     
     
         10 . The refrigerator of  claim 9 , wherein the distance between the sensor accommodation part and the first end of the tray is 60% to 90% of a distance between the first end of the tray and the second end of the tray. 
     
     
         11 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the tray further comprises a rotation shaft disposed at a first end of the tray and rotatably coupled to a rotation hole provided at the housing. 
     
     
         12 . The refrigerator of  claim 11 , wherein the ice maker further comprises an ice removal motor part mounted in the housing, coupled to a second end of the tray, and configured to rotate the tray with respect to the rotation shaft. 
     
     
         13 . The refrigerator of  claim 12 , wherein the tray further comprises a tray ice removal stopper protruding from the first end of the tray, and
 wherein the housing further comprises a housing ice removal stopper configured to, based on the tray being rotated, contact the tray ice removal stopper.   
     
     
         14 . An ice maker comprising:
 a housing providing an ice making space;   a tray disposed in the ice making space and including a plurality of ice making cells; and   a temperature sensor part disposed at the tray and configured to measure a temperature in the tray,   wherein the plurality of ice making cells are provided in an odd number of columns greater than or equal to three, and   wherein the temperature sensor part is disposed (i) at a middle column among the columns, (ii) between ice making cells that are adjacent to each other, and (iii) below the tray.   
     
     
         15 . The ice maker of  claim 14 , wherein the temperature sensor part comprises:
 a temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature, and   a first insulation material disposed between the temperature sensor and the tray.   
     
     
         16 . The ice maker of  claim 15 , wherein the housing comprises an inlet configured to receive cold air to flow into the ice making space,
 wherein the tray is configured to receive the cold air received at the inlet, and   wherein a lower end of the inlet is disposed above an upper end of the tray.   
     
     
         17 . The ice maker of  claim 15 , wherein the temperature sensor part further comprises a second insulation material disposed below the temperature sensor. 
     
     
         18 . The ice maker of  claim 15 , wherein the temperature sensor part further comprises a guide disposed below the temperature sensor and configured to receive a wire connected to the temperature sensor. 
     
     
         19 . The ice maker of  claim 14 , wherein the tray comprises a sensor accommodation part that accommodates the temperature sensor part,
 wherein a distance between ice making cells in the sensor accommodation part is greater than a distance between ice making cells in another portion in the tray,   wherein the housing comprises an inlet configured to receive cold air to flow into the ice making space,   wherein a distance between the sensor accommodation part and a first end of the tray is greater than a distance between the sensor accommodation part and a second end of the tray, the first end of the tray being closer to the inlet than the second end of the tray, and   wherein the distance between the sensor accommodation part and the first end of the tray is 60% to 90% of a distance between the first end of the tray and the second end of the tray.   
     
     
         20 . The ice maker of  claim 14 , wherein the tray further comprises a rotation shaft disposed at a first end of the tray and rotatably coupled to a rotation hole provided at the housing,
 wherein the ice maker further comprises an ice removal motor part mounted in the housing, coupled to a second end of the tray, and configured to rotate the tray with respect to the rotation shaft,   wherein the tray further comprises a tray ice removal stopper protruding from the first end of the tray, and   wherein the housing further comprises a housing ice removal stopper configured to, based on the tray being rotated, contact the tray ice removal stopper.