Refrigerator

Abstract

A refrigerator includes: a storage chamber configured to store food; a cooler configured to supply cold into the storage chamber; a tray defining an ice making cell, which is a space in which water is phase-changed into ice by the cold; a water supply part configured to supply the water into the ice making cell; a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of the water or the ice within the ice making cell; a heater configured to supply heat into the ice making cell; and a controller configured to control the heater. The controller controls the heater to be turned on in at least partial section while the cooler supplies the cold so that bubbles dissolved in the water within the ice making cell moves from a portion, at which the ice is made, toward the water that is in a liquid state to make transparent ice. The controller variably controls the heating amount of the heater so that a rate at which the water inside the ice making cell is made into ice during an ice making process is maintained within a predetermined range that is lower than an ice making rate when ice making is performed while the heater is turned off. When a defrosting start condition is satisfied in the ice making process, the controller performs a defrosting process and reduces the amount of cold supply of the cooler.

1 . A refrigerator comprising:
 a storage chamber configured to store food;   a cooler configured to supply cold into the storage chamber;   a first tray defining a first portion of a cell, which is a space in which liquid is phase-changed into ice by the cold;   a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of the liquid or the ice within the cell; and   a heater configured to supply heat into the cell,   wherein the heater is turned on only when a turn-on condition of the heater is satisfied, the turn-on condition of the heater being satisfied when a temperature sensed by the temperature sensor reaches a turn-on reference temperature,   wherein, after the turn-on condition of the heater is satisfied, a heating amount of the heater is variably controlled so that a rate at which the liquid inside the cell is made into the ice during an ice making process is maintained within a predetermined range that is lower than an ice making rate when ice making is performed while the heater is turned off, the ice making process having a plurality of sections, and the heater being controlled to be operated with an initial heating amount corresponding to each section of the plurality of sections,   wherein, after the heating amount of the heater is variably controlled, the heater is turned off when a turn-off condition of the heater is satisfied, the turn-off condition of the heater being satisfied when the heater operates for a predetermined time, and   wherein, when a defrosting start condition is satisfied in one section of the plurality of sections, an amount of the cold, which is supplied by the cooler, is reduced, and the initial heating amount of the heater in the one section is reduced.   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein when the defrosting process is completed, the heating amount of the heater is controlled to be changed to the heating amount of the heater in the one section. 
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sections is divided based on a predetermined time. 
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sections is divided based on a temperature sensed by the temperature sensor. 
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein, after the heater is turned off, an ice separation process starts when a condition for start of the ice separation process is satisfied. 
     
     
         6 . The refrigerator of  claim 5 , wherein, the ice separation process starts when a certain amount of time has passed while the heater is tuned off. 
     
     
         7 . The refrigerator of  claim 5 , wherein, the ice separation process starts when a temperature sensed by the temperature sensor reaches a reference temperature while the heater is tuned off. 
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator of  claim 5 , further comprising an ice separation heater, wherein, when the condition for start of the ice separation process is satisfied, the ice separation heater is turned on. 
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a second tray defining a second portion of the cell, the second tray being disposed to be relatively movable with respect to the first tray;   a first tray case having a portion surrounding the first tray.   
     
     
         10 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a second tray defining a second portion of the cell;   a second tray case having a portion surrounding the second tray; and   a first tray case having a portion surrounding the first tray.   
     
     
         11 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a second tray defining a second portion of the cell;   a pusher including at least one column to separate the ice from the first portion of the cell during an ice separation process, the pusher receiving a power of a driver; and   a first tray case having a portion surrounding the first tray.   
     
     
         12 . The ice maker of  claim 11 , wherein the column is provided as a shape of a bar. 
     
     
         13 . The ice maker of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a second tray defining a second portion of the cell;   a second tray case having a portion surrounding the second tray, the second tray case including a second tray cover and a second tray supporter; and   a heater case in which the heater is installed,   wherein the heater case is integrally formed with the second tray supporter or is separately provided to be coupled to the second tray supporter.   
     
     
         14 . A refrigerator comprising:
 a storage chamber configured to store food;   a cooler configured to supply cold into the storage chamber;   a first tray defining a first portion of a cell, which is a space in which liquid is phase-changed into ice by the cold;   a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of the liquid or the ice within the cell; and   a heater configured to supply heat into the cell,   wherein the heater is turned on only when a turn-on condition of the heater is satisfied, the turn-on condition of the heater being satisfied when a temperature sensed by the temperature sensor reaches a turn-on reference temperature,   wherein, after the turn-on condition of the heater is satisfied, a heating amount of the heater is variably controlled so that a rate at which the liquid inside the cell is made into the ice during an ice making process is maintained within a predetermined range that is lower than an ice making rate when ice making is performed while the heater is turned off, the ice making process having a plurality of sections, and the heater being controlled to be operated with an initial heating amount corresponding to each section of the plurality of sections,   wherein, after the heating amount of the heater is variably controlled, the heater is turned off when a turn-off condition of the heater is satisfied, the turn-off condition of the heater being satisfied when a temperature sensed by the temperature sensor is equal to or higher than a turn-off reference temperature, and   wherein, when a defrosting start condition is satisfied in one section of the plurality of sections, an amount of the cold, which is supplied by the cooler, is reduced, and the initial heating amount of the heater in the one section is reduced.   
     
     
         15 . The refrigerator of  claim 14 , when the defrosting start condition is not satisfied in the ice making process in the one section, the initial heating amount of the heater is controlled to be maintained in the one section,
 wherein the one section is a first section when an initial heating amount of the heater in a second section of the plurality of sections is less than the heating amount of the heater in the first section when the defrosting process starts in the first section, the heating amount of the heater in the first section is controlled to be changed to the initial heating amount in the second section, the second section being a section of the plurality of sections after the first section during the ice making process.   
     
     
         16 . The refrigerator of  claim 14 , wherein the one section is a first section when the initial heating amount of the heater in a second section of the plurality of sections is less than the heating amount of the heater in the first section when the defrosting process starts in the first section, the heating amount of the heater in the first section is controlled to be changed to the initial heating amount in the second section, the second section being a section of the plurality of sections prior to the first section during the ice making process. 
     
     
         17 . The refrigerator of  claim 14 , wherein the defrosting process is completed, the heating amount of the heater is controlled to be changed to the initial heating amount of the heater in the one section. 
     
     
         18 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sections is divided based on a predetermined time. 
     
     
         19 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sections is divided based on a temperature sensed by the temperature sensor. 
     
     
         20 . A refrigerator comprising:
 a storage chamber configured to store food,   a cooler configured to supply cold into the storage chamber;   a first tray defining a portion of a cell, which is a space in which liquid is phase-changed into ice by the cold;   a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of the liquid or the ice within the cell; and   a heater configured to supply heat into the cell,   wherein the heater is turned on only when a turn-on condition of the heater is satisfied,   wherein, after the turn-on condition of the heater is satisfied, a heating amount of the heater is variably controlled so that a rate at which the liquid inside the cell is made into the ice during an ice making process is maintained within a predetermined range that is lower than an ice making rate when ice making is performed while the heater is turned off, the ice making process having a plurality of sections, and the heater being controlled to be operated with an initial heating amount corresponding to each section of the plurality of sections,   wherein the plurality of sections is divided based on a temperature sensed by the temperature sensor, and the heating amount of the heater is controlled to vary in the plurality of sections during the ice making process,   wherein, after the heating amount of the heater is variably controlled, the heater is turned off when a turn-off condition of the heater is satisfied, and   wherein, when a defrosting start condition is satisfied in one section of the plurality of sections, an amount of the cold, which is supplied by the cooler, is reduced, and the initial heating amount of the heater in the one section is reduced.