621 results about "Icemaker" patented technology

An ice dispensing system is provided for a refrigerator having a bottom freezer. The system includes an ice maker in the freezer compartment and an ice bucket in the refrigerator compartment. A shuttle carries ice from the ice maker to the bucket through a tube extending upwardly through the dividing wall between the freezer and refrigerator compartments. The bucket includes an auger in communication with an ice dispensing opening in the refrigerator door for ice on demand by a user. The shuttle is raised and lowered by a motor-driven cable.

The icemaker presented here may use a microcontroller, and solid state refrigeration and heat transfer elements to create ice cube qualities ranging from “clear ice” to “fast ice” in a smooth, user selectable continuum. In one embodiment, this may be accomplished by fitting a standard, high production volume icemaker mold with (1) thermoelectric coolers operated in a controlled fashion to heat or cool the mold, (2) a mold temperature sensor (such as a thermistor), and (3) a microcontroller to monitor the process and to adjust the growth rate of ice forming in the mold by adjusting heat transfer rates to optimize particular cooling phases.

In accordance with the present disclosure, an icemaker combination assembly is provided and comprises a refrigerator having a freezer compartment and a fresh food compartment. The freezer compartment can have a freezer door assembly and the fresh food compartment can have a fresh food door assembly. The icemaker combination further comprises a first icemaker having a first ice cube storage bin disposed within the freezer compartment and a second icemaker having a second ice cube storage bin disposed within the fresh food compartment. The first and second icemakers having a production activation level selected from the group consisting of the first icemaker active only, the second icemaker active only, the first and the second icemakers both active, and the first and the second icemakers both inactive. The first and second icemakers can selectively and simultaneously produce and independently store ice.

An improved icemaker is provided for a refrigerator. The improvements include tilting the ice mold to assure that the ice cavity nearest the thermostat is filled with water; controlling air flow to the mold to promote rapid freezing of water in the mold cavities; raising the perimeter walls of the mold to minimize water spillage; and providing hooks on the mold for routing electrical wires.

In the related art refrigerator, its structure for supplying water to a dispenser and water tank was complicated. In addition, since an icemaker is installed in a refrigerating chamber of the refrigerator, there is a problem in that the water supplied into the icemaker is frozen. Furthermore, if the icemaker is installed in the freezing chamber of the refrigerator in which the refrigerating chamber is formed at a lower portion thereof and a refrigerating chamber is formed at an upper portion thereof, there is another problem in that it is difficult to control the temperature in the refrigerating chamber or ice-making capability of the icemaker is lowered. The present invention is directed to a refrigerator. According to an aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems, there is provided a refrigerator including a refrigerating chamber formed at a relatively upper portion of a refrigerator body and a freezing chamber formed at a relatively lower portion of the refrigerator body, which comprises an ice-making chamber which is partitioned in the refrigerating chamber by means of insulating walls and includes an icemaker for making ice and an ice storage for storing the ice made in the icemaker, a first heat exchanger for generating cold air to regulate the temperature in the ice-making chamber, and a second heat exchanger for generating cold air to regulate the temperature in the freezing and refrigerating chambers, wherein the first and second heat exchanger are components of a heat exchange cycle. According to the refrigerator of the present invention so configured, there are advantages in that the temperature in the refrigerating chamber can be accurately controlled, the loss of cold air can be minimized and the structures for supplying water into the icemaker and the dispenser can be simplified.

A refrigerator/freezer with an ice maker having an ice cube tray in which are formed multiple ice cube recesses. The ice cube tray is movable between a fill position and a harvest position. The ice cube tray has a composite construction comprising a base layer and a top layer, with the base layer being made of a flexible material and the top layer being made of a low friction material. The ice cubes are harvested by deflecting or deforming the ice cube recesses to expel the ice cube therefrom when the tray is moved into the harvest position.

A refrigerator icemaker assembly includes a bin having a bottom wall, as well as first and second pairs of opposing side walls. One of the first pair of opposing side walls includes an opening within which is movably mounted a coupler. The coupler is provided with a recessed portion having formed therein an aperture and a cog member. An auger is rotatably mounted in the bin and includes a first end portion that extends through the aperture of the coupler. A drive member extends into the coupler and drives the auger in a first direction to dispense ice cubes and in a second direction to dispense crushed ice. The driver engages with the cog member when being rotated in the first direction and directly engages the first end of the auger when being driven in the second direction.

A control system for an icemaker for an ice/beverage dispenser is responsive to both a sensed level of ice in an ice bin of the dispenser and to a customer ice usage profile to operate the icemaker at such times as to build ice for the ice bin just before and in sufficient time and quantity to meet an anticipated demand for ice. The control system may be programmed manually or automatically through use of adaptive algorithms, with ice usage patterns that identify the days and times of day when demands for ice will occur, and the control system then operates the icemaker in accordance with such ice usage patterns.

Disclosed is an ice supply system provided at a door and freezer in a refrigerator. The ice supply system of the refrigerator of the present invention includes an icemaker, a container, a crusher and an ice discharger. The icemaker produces the ice by using cool air of the freezer and drops the ice to a lower part of thereof. The container is provided at a lower part of the icemaker, enabling to be inserted into and withdrawn from the door. In this case, the container includes an open top, a first opening provided at a side thereof, a transfer device rotating and transferring the ice to the first opening, and an outlet for discharging the ice. The crusher crushes the ice transferred by the transfer device and the ice discharger is provided for discharging the ice to an ice chute provided at the door by controlling an opening and closing amount of the outlet.