Refrigerator

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a cabinet forming a storage space; a door opening and closing the storage space; and an ice maker making ice, in which the ice maker includes a first tray formed of a metal material and having a plurality of first tray cells continuously formed; a second tray having a plurality of second tray cells formed to open and close the first tray and to form cells for making ice by contacting the first tray cells; and a heater heating the first tray for ice separation, and the first tray has a heater groove formed therein that extends past the plurality of first tray cells and is recessed to accommodate the heater, and a further recessed spacing part is formed in the heater groove to partially space apart between the heater and the inner surface of the heater groove.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A refrigerator comprising:
 a cabinet forming a storage space;   a door opening and closing the storage space; and   an ice maker making ice,   wherein the ice maker includes:
 a first tray formed of a metal material and having a plurality of first tray cells continuously formed, 
 a second tray having a plurality of second tray cells configured to open and close the first tray and to form cells for making ice by contacting the first tray cells, and 
 a heater arranged to pass through a perimeter of the plurality of first tray cells, and 
   wherein a length of the heater passing through first tray cells located at both ends of the first tray among the plurality of first tray cells is longer than a length of the heater passing through first tray cells located at the center of the first tray among the plurality of first tray cells, and   wherein an amount of heat provided to each of the first tray cells is uniform.   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 ,
 wherein a heater groove is formed in the first tray, which extends along the perimeter of a plurality of the first tray cells and in which the heater is accommodated, and   wherein a further recessed spacing part is formed in the heater groove arranged in some of the first tray cells among the plurality of the first tray cells so as to partially space apart between the heater and the inner surface of the heater groove.   
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator of  claim 2 ,
 wherein the heater grooves arranged in each of the plurality of first tray cells are formed differently from each other, and   wherein the spacing part is formed in some of the heater grooves arranged in the plurality of first tray cells, the length of which is relatively long.   
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator of  claim 3 ,
 wherein the spacing part is formed long in proportion to the length of the heater groove.   
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator of  claim 3 ,
 wherein the spacing part is formed with a width that is large in proportion to the length of the heater groove.   
     
     
         6 . The refrigerator of  claim 3 ,
 wherein the spacing part extends along the heater groove and is partially formed within the heater groove.   
     
     
         7 . The refrigerator of  claim 2 ,
 wherein the spacing part is formed in the heater groove arranged in the first tray cell on both ends of the plurality of first trays.   
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator of  claim 7 ,
 wherein a plurality of the first tray cells are formed continuously in a left and right direction and arranged in a plurality of rows in a front and rear direction.   
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator of  claim 2 ,
 wherein a coupling part is formed in which a water supply part to which water is supplied is connected to one of the plurality of first tray cells,   wherein the heater groove is formed by bypassing the coupling part, and   wherein the spacing part is formed in the heater groove.   
     
     
         10 . The refrigerator of  claim 2 ,
 wherein all the contact areas between the heater grooves and the heaters arranged in the plurality of first tray cells are the same.   
     
     
         11 . The refrigerator of  claim 2 ,
 wherein the spacing part is formed in a heater groove in which an angle from the center of the first tray cell to both ends of the heater groove is 180° or more.   
     
     
         12 . The refrigerator of  claim 2 ,
 wherein the width of the heater groove is formed to a size corresponding to the diameter of the heater,   wherein the spacing part is further recessed downward from the bottom of the heater groove, and   wherein the width of the spacing part is formed to be smaller than the diameter of the heater.   
     
     
         13 . The refrigerator of  claim 2 ,
 wherein the spacing part is recessed into both sides facing each other of the heater groove.   
     
     
         14 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the heater is arranged to pass through each of the plurality of first tray cells in succession.   
     
     
         15 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the distance from the center of the plurality of first tray cells to the heater passing through the first tray cells is spaced in proportion to the length of the heater passing through the first tray cells.   
     
     
         16 . The refrigerator of  claim 15 ,
 wherein, based on the center of the first tray, the spacing distance of the heater passing through the first tray cells arranged on both ends thereof is greater than the spacing distance of the heaters passing through the first tray cells arranged at the center of the first tray.   
     
     
         17 . The refrigerator of  claim 16 ,
 wherein, based on the center of the first tray, all the spacing distances of the heaters passing through the first tray cells arranged between the first tray cells arranged on both ends thereof are the same.   
     
     
         18 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the ice maker is provided on the rear surface of the door.   
     
     
         19 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the door includes an ice making chamber, which is an insulated space to which cold air from the evaporator is supplied, and   wherein the ice maker is provided inside the ice making chamber.   
     
     
         20 . The refrigerator of  claim 19 ,
 wherein a dispenser is provided on the door from which ice made in the ice maker is extracted.