Abstract:
A refrigerator to provide information of completion of an ice making operation performed in an ice making container or ice separating information via an electric unit thereof is provided. Completion of the ice making operation is determined based on a temperature of a storage compartment and/or an ice making time. Providing information of completion of the ice making operation or ice separating information allows a user to easily know completion of the ice making operation so that the user can conveniently separate ice cubes from the ice making container at an appropriate time, and prevents unwanted conglomeration of ice cubes stored in an ice storage container due to insufficient ice making. Further, when the ice cubes are automatically separated from the ice making container, the electric unit of the refrigerator provides information informing the user that an ice separating operation is being performed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2008-0099256, filed on Oct. 9, 2008 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a control method thereof, and, more particularly, to a refrigerator having an icemaker to freeze water into ice cubes and a control method thereof. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Generally, a refrigerator is an apparatus where food in a storage compartment is stored in a frozen or refrigerated state by evaporation heat of a refrigerant undergoing a cooling cycle. The refrigerator has a food storage compartment defined in a body, and the food storage compartment is divided into a freezing compartment in which food is frozen and stored and a refrigerating compartment in which food is refrigerated and stored. The freezing compartment is provided with an icemaker to freeze water into ice cubes using cold air in the freezing compartment. The freezing compartment is further provided with a storage container in which ice cubes made in the icemaker are stored. 
         [0006]    The icemaker may be basically classified into a manual icemaker and an automatic icemaker. In the manual icemaker, ice cubes are separated from an ice making container via rotation of a handle, whereas in the automatic icemaker, ice cubes are separated from an ice making container by inverting the ice making container via rotation of a motor. 
         [0007]    In both the icemakers, ice making is performed immediately after water is fed into the ice making container. After completing the ice making according to the passage of a predetermined time, the ice making container is rotated to put ice cubes in the storage container. 
         [0008]    However, in the case of a refrigerator having the manual icemaker, it is difficult for a user to know when ice making is completed or to know when the user has to perform ice separation. Moreover, if the user performs ice separation prematurely despite insufficient ice making, it causes water remaining in the ice making container to be poured into the storage container in which ice cubes, which are previously made, are stored. Furthermore, in the case of a refrigerator having the automatic icemaker, noises caused upon separation of ice cubes in a state where the user cannot expect when the ice cubes are separated may be unpleasant to the user. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0009]    Aspects and/or advantages will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. 
         [0010]    The foregoing and/or other aspects are achieved by providing a refrigerator, including: a storage compartment to store foodstuffs to be cooled; an ice making container mounted in the storage compartment and configured to an ice making operation; a controller determining whether or not the ice making operation is completed; and an electric unit providing information of completion of the ice making operation or ice separating information when the ice making operation is determined to be completed. 
         [0011]    The refrigerator may further include: an input part receiving a water feed event signal; and a temperature sensor sensing a temperature of the storage compartment, wherein, when the water feed event signal is transmitted from the input part to the controller, the controller determines whether or not the ice making operation is completed based on at least one of an ice making time required to perform the ice making operation and the sensed temperature of the storage compartment. 
         [0012]    The refrigerator may further include: a water feeder to feed water into the ice making container; and a temperature sensor sensing a temperature of the storage compartment, wherein the controller determines whether or not feeding of water is performed, and after completion of feeding of water, determines whether or not the ice making operation is completed based on at least one of an ice making time required to perform the ice making operation and the sensed temperature of the storage compartment. 
         [0013]    The electric unit may include: a sound generator audibly providing information of completion of the ice making operation or ice separating information; and a display visually providing information of completion of the ice making operation or ice separating information. 
         [0014]    The foregoing and/or other aspects are achieved by providing a refrigerator including: a storage compartment to store foodstuffs to be cooled; an ice making container mounted in a storage compartment and configured to perform an ice making operation; a water feeder to feed water into the ice making container; a temperature sensor sensing a temperature of the storage compartment; a controller determining whether or not feeding of water is performed, and after completion of feeding of water, determining whether or not the ice making operation is completed based on at least one of an ice making time required to perform the ice making operation and the sensed temperature of the storage compartment; and an electric unit providing information of completion of the ice making operation or ice separating information when the ice making operation is determined to be completed. 
         [0015]    The refrigerator may further include: a drive unit performing an ice separating operation of the ice making container when the ice making operation is determined to be completed. 
         [0016]    The foregoing and/or other aspects are achieved by providing a refrigerator including: a storage compartment to store foodstuffs to be cooled; an ice making container mounted in the storage compartment and configured to perform an ice making operation; a controller determining whether or not the ice making operation is completed; a drive unit performing an ice separating operation of the ice making container when the ice making operation is determined to be completed; and an electric unit providing ice separating information during implementation of the ice separation operation. 
         [0017]    The foregoing and/or other aspects are achieved by providing a control method of a refrigerator including: feeding water into an ice making container mounted in a storage compartment; performing an ice making operation in the ice making container; determining whether or not the ice making operation is completed; and providing information of completion of the ice making operation or ice separating information when the ice making operation is determined to be completed. 
         [0018]    The determination of completion of the ice making operation may include: sensing a temperature of the storage compartment; and determining completion of the ice making operation based on at least one of the sensed temperature of the storage compartment and an ice making time required to perform the ice making operation. 
         [0019]    The ice making time may start from a time when completion of the feeding of water is determined. 
         [0020]    The feeding of water may include determining whether or not the feeding of water is completed based on the input of a water feed event signal. 
         [0021]    The feeding of water may include determining completion of the feeding of water when a time required to perform the feeding of water passes a preset time. 
         [0022]    The foregoing and/or other aspects are achieved by providing a control method of a refrigerator including: feeding water into an ice making container mounted in a storage compartment; performing an ice making operation in the ice making container; sensing a temperature of the storage compartment; determining whether or not the ice making operation is completed based on at least one of an ice making time required to perform the ice making operation and the sensed temperature of the storage compartment; and providing information of completion of the ice making operation or ice separating information when the ice making operation is determined to be completed. 
         [0023]    The control method may further include: performing an ice separating operation of the ice making container when the ice making operation is determined to be completed. 
         [0024]    The feeding of water may be performed for a preset time. 
         [0025]    The ice making time may start from a time when the feeding of water is completed. 
         [0026]    The temperature of the storage compartment may be a temperature sensed at a position adjacent to the ice making container. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0027]    These and/or other aspects and advantages will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: 
           [0028]      FIG. 1  is an illustration of a refrigerator according to one embodiment; 
           [0029]      FIG. 2  is a detailed illustration of an icemaker provided in the refrigerator according to one embodiment; 
           [0030]      FIG. 3  is a control block diagram of the refrigerator according to one embodiment; 
           [0031]      FIG. 4  is a control flowchart of the refrigerator according to one embodiment; 
           [0032]      FIG. 5  is an illustration of a refrigerator according to another embodiment; 
           [0033]      FIG. 6  is a control block diagram of the refrigerator according to another embodiment; and 
           [0034]      FIG. 7  is a control flowchart of the refrigerator according to another embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0035]    Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below to explain the present invention by referring to the figures. 
         [0036]      FIG. 1  is an illustration of a refrigerator according to one embodiment, and  FIG. 2  is a detailed illustration of an icemaker provided in the refrigerator according to one embodiment. 
         [0037]    The refrigerator includes a body  10  having an open front side, and a storage compartment defined in the body  10 , in which food is stored in a frozen or refrigerated state. The storage compartment is divided into left and right compartments with a partition interposed therebetween. The divided storage compartments include a freezing compartment  11  in which food is frozen and stored and a refrigerating compartment  12  in which food is refrigerated and stored. 
         [0038]    The freezing compartment  11  and refrigerating compartment  12  have open front sides, and doors  13  and  14  are provided, respectively, at the open front sides of the freezing compartment  11  and refrigerating compartment  12  to shield both the freezing and refrigerating compartments  11  and  12  from the outside. An icemaker  20  is built into the freezing compartment  11  to feed ice cubes to a user. 
         [0039]    The icemaker  20  includes an ice making frame  21 , an ice making container  22  received inside the ice making frame  21  in which water is frozen into ice cubes, and an ice separator  23  connected to a rotating shaft of the ice making container  22 . The icemaker  20  further includes an ice storage container  24  installed below the ice making frame  21 , in which ice cubes separated from the ice making container  22  are received. If water fed into the ice making container  22  of the icemaker  20  is completely frozen into ice cubes, the user directly rotates the ice separator  23  to invert the ice making container  22 , allowing the ice cubes to be separated from the ice making container  22  and to be dropped into the ice storage container  24  therebelow. The ice making frame  21  and ice storage container  24  of the icemaker  20  are able to be put into or taken out of the freezing compartment  11  like a drawer. 
         [0040]    Feeding of water into the ice making container  22  of the icemaker  20  may be implemented as the user directly feeds water into the ice making container  22 , or as a water feeder (not shown) is provided above the ice making container  22 . 
         [0041]    In this case, the water feeder (not shown) includes an exterior water source, a water feed tube installed to feed water from the water source into the ice making container  22 , and a water feed valve to control the flow of water fed from the water source, the water feed valve being opened for a preset time to feed a predetermined amount of water into the ice making container  22 . 
         [0042]      FIG. 3  is a control block diagram of the refrigerator according to one embodiment. A control mechanism of the refrigerator includes an input part  110 , a temperature sensor  120 , a controller  130 , a memory  140 , and an electric unit  150 . This will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
         [0043]    The input part  110  is provided at one of the doors  12  and  13  of the refrigerator and is manually operated in such a manner to transmit a signal, input by the user, to the controller  130 . More specifically, if the user manipulates a water feed completion button (not shown) after feeding water into the ice making container  22 , the input part  110  receives a water feed event signal from the user, transmitting the water feed event signal to the controller  130 . 
         [0044]    The temperature sensor  120  is provided in the storage compartment containing the icemaker  20 , i.e. in the freezing compartment  11 . The temperature sensor  120  serves to sense an interior temperature of the freezing compartment  11  and then to transmit the sensed interior temperature of the freezing compartment  11  to the controller  130 . In this case, the interior temperature of the freezing compartment  11  is used to determine whether or not water received in the ice making container  22  is completely frozen into ice cubes. Accordingly, the temperature sensor  120  may be arranged adjacent to the ice making container  22 . 
         [0045]    The controller  130  has a function to count an ice making time from a time when water is completely fed into the ice making container  22 . Accordingly, the controller  130  is able to determine whether or not the water received in the ice making container  22  is completely frozen into ice cubes, on the basis of at least one of the ice making time and the sensed interior temperature of the freezing compartment  11  transmitted from the temperature sensor  120 . 
         [0046]    If the controller  130  determines that the water received in the ice making container  22  is completely frozen into ice cubes, the controller  130  controls operation of the electric unit  150  to provide information of completion of ice making. More specifically, if the controller  130  determines the completion of ice making, the controller  130  controls operations of a display  151  and a sound generator  152  to visually and audibly output ice separating information informing the user that they may now separate ice cubes. 
         [0047]    The memory  140  serves to store data of completion time of ice making corresponding to the interior temperature of the freezing compartment  11 , data of completion time of ice making corresponding to the ice making time, or data of completion time of ice making corresponding to a correlation between the interior temperature of the freezing compartment and the ice making time. That is, the memory  140  stores data to assist the controller  130  to determine completion of ice making. 
         [0048]    The electric unit  150  serves to inform of operating conditions of the refrigerator, and includes the display  151  and sound generator  152 . The display  151  provides information of completion of ice making, in text or icon form, according to an instruction of the controller  130 . The display  151  also provides ice separating information informing the user that the user may now separate the ice cubes. The sound generator  152  outputs a bell sound or melody, for example, according to an instruction of the controller  130 , to allow the user to know the completion of ice making. The sound generator  152  may also output audible ice separating information informing the user that the user may now separate ice cubes. 
         [0049]    In the above description, feeding water into the ice making container  22  by the user is described, but automatically feeding water into the ice making container  22  is also possible. The automatic feeding of water into the ice making container  22  is as follows. 
         [0050]    The refrigerator is provided with a water feeder. Under the control of the controller  130 , the water feeder is operated in such a manner as to feed water into the ice making container  22  for a preset time. If the preset time passes, the controller  130  determines completion of the feeding of water, and counts a time required to perform ice making (i.e. an ice making time). 
         [0051]      FIG. 4  is a control flowchart of the refrigerator according to an embodiment. Now, a control method of the refrigerator by the controller  130 , which is capable of easily recognizing whether or not water received in the ice making container is completely frozen into ice cubes, will be described. 
         [0052]    In the case where the refrigerator is provided with the water feeder, the controller  130  controls the water feeder to feed water into the ice making container for a preset time. If the preset time passes, the controller  130  determines the completion of ice making and counts an ice making time. 
         [0053]    In the case where the refrigerator has no water feeder, if the user manipulates the water feed completion button (not shown) of the input part  110  after directly feeding water into the ice making container  22  (at  301 ), the controller  130  receives a water feed event signal, which informs of the completion of feeding of water, input from the input part  110  (at  302 ), and counts an ice making time while causing the water received in the ice making container  22  to be frozen into ice cubes (at  303 ). 
         [0054]    In this case, the temperature sensor  120  periodically senses the interior temperature of the storage compartment in which the ice making container  22  is provided, i.e. the interior temperature of the freezing compartment  11 . Accordingly, on the basis of at least one of the interior temperature of the freezing compartment  11  periodically transmitted from the temperature sensor  120  and the measured ice making time, the controller  130  determines whether or not the water in the ice making container  22  is completely frozen into ice cubes (at  304 ). 
         [0055]    Here, the interior temperature of the freezing compartment  11  is used to determine whether or not the water received in the ice making container is completely frozen into ice cubes. Accordingly, the interior temperature of the freezing compartment  11  may be sensed at a position adjacent to the ice making container  22 . 
         [0056]    If completion of ice making using the water in the ice making container  22  is determined, the electric unit  150  is controlled to provide information of completion of ice making (at  305 ). That is, the display  151  visually outputs information of completion of ice making, and the sound generator  152  audibly outputs information of completion of ice making. In this case, the display  151  displays information of completion of ice making in text or icon form, and the sound generator  152  outputs a bell sound or melody informing completion of ice making. If ice making is not completed, the process returns to operation  303 . 
         [0057]    As the display  151  and sound generator  152  of the refrigerator output information of the completion of ice making when the water in the ice making container  22  of the icemaker  20  is completely frozen into ice cubes, the user can easily know completion of ice making, and separate the ice cubes at an appropriate time after the icemaker  20  completely freezes the water into the ice cubes. Separating the ice cubes at an appropriate time after completion of ice making can assure convenient separation of ice cubes from the icemaker  20  without a risk of conglomeration of the ice cubes when the ice cubes are stored in the ice storage container. In addition, the appropriate separation of ice cubes is economical because it requires no separate configuration and addition of manufacturing costs therefor. 
         [0058]      FIG. 5  is an illustration of a refrigerator according to another embodiment. 
         [0059]    The body  30  of the refrigerator contains a freezing compartment  31  and a refrigerating compartment. A door  33  is installed at a front side of the freezing compartment  31  to open or close the freezing compartment  31 . An icemaker  40  is provided in the freezing compartment  31 . The freezing compartment  31  is further provided with a water feeder to feed water into the icemaker  40 . 
         [0060]    Here, the water feeder includes an exterior water source, a water feed tube  41  installed to feed water from the water source into an ice making container  42 , and a water feed valve to control flow of water from the water source, the water feed valve being opened for a preset time to feed a predetermined amount of water into the ice making container  42 . 
         [0061]    The icemaker  40  includes the ice making container  42  in which the water fed from the water feed tube  41  is received. In this case, the ice making container  42  is pivotally rotatable by a motor  43 . When the ice making container  42  is inverted by a rotating force of the motor  43 , automatic separation of ice cubes from the ice making container  42  is possible. The icemaker  40  further includes an ice storage container  44  in which ice cubes made in the ice making container  42  are stored, and an ice sensing lever  45  to sense whether or not the ice storage container  44  is full of ice cubes. 
         [0062]      FIG. 6  is a control block diagram of the refrigerator according to another embodiment. A control mechanism of the refrigerator includes a temperature sensor  220 , a controller  230 , a memory  240 , an electric unit  250 , a drive unit  260 , and a water feeder  270 . This will be described with reference to  FIG. 5 . 
         [0063]    The temperature sensor  220  is provided in the storage compartment containing the icemaker  40 , i.e. in the freezing compartment  31 . The temperature sensor  220  senses an interior temperature of the freezing compartment  31  and then transmits the sensed interior temperature of the freezing compartment  31  to the controller  230 . In this case, the interior temperature of the freezing compartment  31  is used to determine whether or not water received in the ice making container  42  is completely frozen into ice cubes. Accordingly, the temperature sensor  220  may be arranged adjacent to the ice making container  42 . 
         [0064]    The controller  230  controls operation of the water feeder  270  to feed water into the ice making container  22  for a preset time. If the preset time passes, the controller  230  determines the completion of feeding of water, and counts an ice making time. Accordingly, the controller  230  is able to determine whether or not the water received in the ice making container  42  is completely frozen into ice cubes on the basis of at least one of the ice making time and the sensed interior temperature of the freezing compartment  31  transmitted from the temperature sensor  220 . 
         [0065]    If it is determined that water received in the ice making container  42  is completely frozen into ice cubes, the controller  230  controls operation of the drive unit  260  to rotate the ice making container  42 , thereby allowing the ice cubes to be automatically separated from the ice making container  42 . Then, the controller  230  controls operation of the electric unit  250 , to provide ice separating information via the electric unit  250 . That is, the controller  230  controls a display  251  and a sound generator  252  to visually and audibly output ice separating information. 
         [0066]    The memory  240  stores data of the completion time of ice making corresponding to the interior temperature of the freezing compartment  31 , data of the completion time of ice making corresponding to the ice making time, or data of the completion time of ice making corresponding to a correlation between the interior temperature of the freezing compartment  31  and the ice making time. That is, the memory  240  stores data to assist the controller  230  to determine the completion of ice making. 
         [0067]    The electric unit  250  provides operating conditions of the refrigerator, and includes the display  251  and sound generator  252 . The display  251  provides ice separating information, in text or icon form, according to an instruction of the controller  230 . The sound generator  252  outputs a bell sound or melody, for example, according to an instruction of the controller  230  to allow the user to recognize implementation of an ice separating operation. 
         [0068]    The drive unit  260  rotates the motor  43  according to an instruction of the controller  230  if the water in the ice making container  42  is completely frozen into ice cubes, to rotate the ice making container  42 , thereby allowing the ice cubes to be automatically dropped into the ice storage container  44 . The water feeder  270  receives water fed from the exterior water source according to an instruction of the controller  230  after separation of ice cubes from the ice making container  42  is completed, to feed the water into the ice making container  42  for a preset time. 
         [0069]      FIG. 7  is a control flowchart of the refrigerator according to another embodiment. Now, a control method of the refrigerator by the controller  230 , which is capable of easily recognizing whether or not an operation to separate ice cubes from the ice making container is being performed, will be described. 
         [0070]    The water feed valve is opened for a preset time to feed water into the ice making container  42  for the preset time (at  401 ). If the preset time passes, the water feed valve is closed and the controller  230  determines completion of feeding of water. From a time when completion of ice making is determined, the controller  230  counts an ice making time while causing the water received in the ice making container  42  to be frozen into ice cubes (at  402 ). 
         [0071]    Subsequently, the temperature sensor  220  periodically senses the interior temperature of the storage compartment in which the ice making container  42  is provided, i.e. the interior temperature of the freezing compartment  31 . Accordingly, on the basis of at least one of the interior temperature of the freezing compartment  31  periodically transmitted from the temperature sensor  220  and the measured ice making time, the controller  230  determines whether or not the water in the ice making container  42  is completely frozen into ice cubes (at  403 ). 
         [0072]    Here, the interior temperature of the freezing compartment  31  is used to determine whether or not the water received in the ice making container  42  is completely frozen into ice cubes. Accordingly, the interior temperature of the freezing compartment  31  may be sensed at a position adjacent to the ice making container  42 . 
         [0073]    When the completion of ice making using the water in the ice making container  42  is determined, the drive unit  260  is operated via rotation of the motor  43  to rotate the ice making container  42 , enabling implementation of an ice separating operation to separate the ice cubes from the ice making container  42 . Then, the electric unit  250  is controlled to provide ice separating information (at  404 ). Specifically, the display  251  displays the ice separating information in text or icon form, and the sound generator  252  outputs a bell sound or melody, for example, informing separation of ice cubes. When it is determined ice making is not completed, the process returns to  402  until the completion of ice making is determined. 
         [0074]    After completion of the ice separating operation, the water feeder  270  again receives water from the exterior water source and feeds the water into the ice making container  42  for a preset time. 
         [0075]    As a result of generating ice separating information via the display and sound generator of the electric unit during separation of ice cubes from the icemaker, the user can easily know that the ice separating operation is being performed. 
         [0076]    As is apparent from the above description, according to one aspect of the present embodiments, if water in an ice making container is completely frozen into ice cubes, an electric unit provided at a refrigerator provides information of completion of ice making and ice separating information, allowing a user to easily know completion of ice making and to separate the ice cubes from the ice making container at an appropriate time upon completion of ice making. This can prevent conglomeration of the ice cubes when the ice cubes are stored in an ice storage container, and also, assures convenient ice separating operation. 
         [0077]    According to another aspect of the present embodiments, during separation of the ice cubes from the ice making container, the electric unit provided at the refrigerator provides ice separating information, allowing the user to easily know that the ice separating operation is being performed. 
         [0078]    Although a few embodiments have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.