IP Library Granted Patent US 50,302
Granted Patent E1
US 50,302 · App. 17/940,149 · Granted Feb 18, 2025

Ice-making tray and refrigerator comprising same

Inventors: Jin Jeong (Yongin-si, KR); Bong su Son (Cheonan-si, KR); Do Yun Jang (Busan, KR); Jae Min Lee (Suwon-si, KR)
Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
F25C1/24F25C1/18F25C1/243F25C5/08F25C5/22F25D11/022F25D21/14F25C2400/06F25C2400/14F25C2700/12
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 50,302
App. No.
17/940,149
Granted
Feb 18, 2025
Kind
E1
Abstract

An ice-making tray according to the concept of the present invention is capable of making ice at high speed and improving the transparency of ice by providing a second tray having ice cells for storing ice-making water to be coupled, in an overlapping manner, to the upper surface of a first tray which is in contact with a refrigerant pipe. The first tray may be formed of an aluminum material, the second tray may be formed of a plastic material, and the first tray formed of an aluminum material can efficiently function as a heat exchanger of an ice-making space due to having high thermal-conductivity. In the second tray, a fixing part for fixing the ice-making tray inside the ice-making space, a shaft accommodating part for accommodating the rotation shaft of an ejector, a temperature sensor accommodating part for accommodating a temperature sensor, and an air insulating part for insulating the ice-making tray and an ice separating motor may be formed integrally.

Claims (27)

1. A refrigerator comprising:

a main body;

an ice-making chamber formed in the main body;

a refrigerant pipe in which a refrigerant flows;

an ice-making chamber fan configured to forcibly flow air in the ice-making chamber; and

an ice-making tray which stores ice-making water and generates ice,

wherein the ice-making tray includes:

a first tray having a refrigerant pipe accommodating recess which accommodates the refrigerant pipe; and

a second tray having at least one ice-making cell which stores the ice-making water, and coupled to overlap a top surface of the first tray, and

at least one heat-transfer-area-reducing through hole is formed in the refrigerant pipe accommodating recess of the first tray to decrease a heat transfer area between the first tray and the refrigerant pipe such that a cooling speed of the first tray is reduced.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the second tray is formed of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the first tray.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein cooling energy in the refrigerant pipe sequentially passes through the first tray and the second tray, and is transmitted to the ice-making water stored in the at least one ice-making cell.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein at least one ice-making cell accommodating recess which is provided to correspond to the at least one ice-making cell and accommodates the at least one ice-making cell is formed in the first tray.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein at least one heat exchanging rib protrudes at the first tray to expand an area through which heat transfers from the first tray to air in the ice-making chamber, and to facilitate cooling of the air in the ice-making chamber.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the second tray includes a fastener which fixes the ice-making tray in the ice-making chamber.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein the fastener includes a groove coupled to a hook provided at a ceiling of an inner box of the ice-making chamber.

8. The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein the fastener includes a mount which is put on and supported by a support provided in the ice-making chamber.

9. The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein the fastener is formed at an upper outside of the ice-making cell of the second tray.

10. The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein an upper side of the ice-making cell of the second tray is open.

11. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the second tray includes a water supply hole through which water is supplied to the ice-making chamber.

12. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the first tray and the second tray respectively include a first coupler and a second coupler which are respectively coupled to each other.

13. The refrigerator of claim 12 , wherein the first coupler and the second coupler are respectively provided at sides of the first tray and the second tray, and are elastically coupled to each other.

14. The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising:

an ejector which rotates to separate ice in the ice-making cell; and

an ice separating motor which supplies a rotational force to the ejector,

wherein the second tray includes an air insulator which insulates the ice-making tray from the ice separating motor.

15. The refrigerator of claim 14 , wherein the air insulator includes an air accommodating cavity in which air is accommodated, and an air accommodating cavity wall protruding from the second tray such that the air accommodating cavity is formed.

Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2013-0123551 · Oct 16, 2013 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation 15029703
Reissue 16058104 · Aug 8, 2018
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