Patent Publication Number: US-8973391-B2

Title: Refrigerator

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2011-0147530, filed on Dec. 30, 2011 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a refrigerator having a direct-cooling type ice maker directly contacted by a refrigerant pipe. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In general, a refrigerator is an apparatus configured to store foods fresh by having a storage compartment capable of storing foods and a cooling air supplying apparatus capable of supplying a cool air to the storage compartment. A refrigerator may be provided with an ice maker capable of generating ice. 
     Methods for cooling an ice maker include an indirect-cooling type configured in a way to cool an ice maker by guiding a cool air which is generated at an evaporator at an outside of an ice making compartment through a transport duct to the ice making compartment, and a direct-cooling type configured in a way to directly cool an ice maker with a cool air at an inside of an ice making compartment by additionally installing a heat exchanger at an inside of the ice making compartment. 
     In particular, as one of the direct-cooling methods, a refrigerant pipe is configured to make direct contact with an ice making tray of an ice maker so that the ice making tray may serve as a heat exchanger without having a separate heat exchanger. 
     The ice making method using the direct-cooling type ice maker, which is configured to serve as a heat exchanger by having a refrigerant pipe directly contacted to the ice maker, may perform a cooling at a faster speed than other ice making methods. However, a process in disposing and fixing a portion of the refrigerant pipe at an inside an ice making compartment in order for the refrigerant pipe to make contact with an ice making tray is needed, as a frost may form frequently as a result of the difference in temperature at an inside of the ice making compartment. 
     SUMMARY 
     Therefore, it is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide a structure of an auger motor assembly, with respect to the installation of an auger motor configured to drive an auger at an inside of an ice making compartment having a direct-cooling type ice maker, an ice making compartment fan configured for the air of an ice making compartment to flow, and a solenoid valve configured to select whether ice is crushed, the auger motor assembly configured to be easily installed and having a slim ice making compartment therein. 
     It is another aspect of the present disclosure to provide a structure of an auger motor assembly having a drain hose to discharge defrost water, which is guided through a drain duct, to an outside of the ice making compartment. 
     Additional aspects of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure. 
     In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a refrigerator includes a body, a storage compartment, an ice making compartment, a cool air supplying apparatus, an air duct, an ice maker, an ice bucket and an auger motor assembly. The storage compartment may be provided thereto with an open front surface and have the open front surface opened/closed by a door. The ice making compartment may be formed at an inside of the body while being divided from the storage compartment. The cool air supplying apparatus may have a compressor, a condenser, an expansion apparatus, an evaporator, and a refrigerant pipe, and at least a portion of the refrigerator pipe may be disposed at an inside of the ice making compartment so that a cooling energy is supplied to the ice making compartment. The air duct may have a heat insulation member to surround the refrigerant pipe in the ice making compartment, and an inside flow path to form at least a portion of a flow path of cool air circulating at an inside of the ice making compartment. The ice maker may have an ice making tray to make contact with the refrigerant pipe in the ice making compartment to directly receive the cooling energy from a refrigerant pipe at the ice making compartment, an ejector to separate ice from the ice making tray, and a drain duct to guide defrost water of the ice making tray. The ice bucket may have an ice storage space to store the ice separated from the ice making tray, an auger to move the ice stored at the ice storage space to an ice discharging hole, an ice crushing apparatus to crush the ice, and an ice making compartment cover to open/close the open front surface of the ice making compartment. The auger motor assembly may have an auger motor to drive the auger, an ice making compartment fan to flow the air at the ice making compartment, a solenoid valve to select whether ice is crushed through the ice crushing apparatus, and a drain hose to guide the water that is guided through the drain duct to an outside of the ice making compartment. The auger motor assembly may be integrally assembled as a single entity including the auger motor, the ice making compartment fan, the solenoid valve, and the drain hose, and may be inserted into an inside of the ice making compartment in a sliding manner through the open front surface of the ice making compartment or may be withdrawn to an outside of the ice making compartment through the open front surface of the ice making compartment in a sliding manner. 
     The drain hose may be disposed at one side of the auger motor. 
     The solenoid valve may be disposed at a front of the auger motor. 
     The ice making compartment fan may be disposed at an upper side of the auger motor. 
     The ice making compartment fan may be disposed in a way that a rotational shaft thereof is positioned in a vertical direction. 
     The ice making compartment fan and the auger motor may be provided while having a distance thereinbetween, and an air inflow space may be formed between the ice making compartment fan and the auger motor for the air to inflow to the ice making compartment fan. 
     An entry of the inside flow path may be formed at a lower surface of the air duct, and an exit of the inside flow path may be formed at a front surface of the air duct, and the air duct may take the air in from the lower side and discharge the air to the front. 
     The auger motor assembly may be mounted at a lower side of the air duct, and the air drafted through the ice making compartment fan may be introduced to the entry of the inside flow path of the air duct. 
     A drain heater may be installed at an outer circumferential surface of the drain hose to prevent the drain hose from being frozen. 
     The refrigerator may further include an ice making compartment discharging flow path to guide the water discharged from the ice making compartment to an evaporation dish provided at a lower portion of the body. The drain hose of the auger motor assembly may be connected to the ice making compartment discharging flow path as the auger motor assembly is mounted at the ice making compartment, and the defrost water of the ice making tray may be guided to the evaporation dish by sequentially passing through the drain duct, the drain hose, and the ice making compartment discharging flow path. 
     The auger motor assembly may include an optical sensor to detect whether the ice bucket is filled with ice. 
     The auger motor assembly may be inserted into an inside of the ice making compartment in a sliding manner through the open front surface of the ice making compartment and mounted at a lower side of the air duct, after the air duct is installed at the ice making compartment. 
     The ice bucket, after the auger motor assembly is inserted into the inside of the ice making compartment in a sliding manner through the open front surface of the ice making compartment and is mounted at the lower side of the air duct, may be mounted at a front of the auger motor assembly and the ice making compartment cover of the ice bucket closes the open front surface of the ice making compartment, thereby sealing the ice making compartment. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a refrigerator includes a body, a storage compartment, an ice making compartment, a cool air supplying apparatus, an air duct, an ice maker, an ice bucket, and an auger motor assembly. The storage compartment may be provided thereto with an open front surface and have the open front surface opened/closed by a door. The ice making compartment may be formed at an inside of the body while being divided from the storage compartment. The cool air supplying apparatus may have a compressor, a condenser, an expansion apparatus, an evaporator, and a refrigerant pipe. At least a portion of the refrigerator pipe may be disposed at an inside of the ice making compartment so that a cooling energy is supplied to the ice making compartment. The air duct may have a heat insulation member to surround the refrigerant pipe in the ice making compartment, and an inside flow path to form at least a portion of a flow path of cool air circulating at an inside of the ice making compartment. The ice maker may have an ice making tray to make contact with the refrigerant pipe in the ice making compartment to directly receive the cooling energy from the refrigerant pipe in the ice making compartment, an ejector to separate ice from the ice making tray, and a drain duct to guide defrost water of the ice making tray. The ice bucket may have an ice storage space to store the ice separated from the ice making tray, an auger to move the ice stored at the ice storage space to an ice discharging hole, an ice crushing apparatus to crush the ice, and an ice making compartment cover to open/close the open front surface of the ice making compartment. The auger motor assembly may have an auger motor to drive the auger, an ice making compartment fan to flow the air at the ice making compartment, a solenoid valve to select whether ice is crushed through the ice crushing apparatus, and a drain hose to guide the water that is guided through the drain duct to an outside of the ice making compartment. A drain hose accommodating unit accommodating the auger motor, a solenoid valve accommodating unit accommodating the solenoid valve, a drain hose accommodating unit accommodating the drain hose, and a fan bracket unit at which the ice making compartment fan is installed may be coupled to each other and may be integrally formed. 
     The solenoid valve accommodating unit may be coupled to a front of the auger motor accommodating unit, and the drain hose accommodating unit may be coupled to one side of the auger motor accommodating unit. 
     At least a portion of the drain hose accommodating unit may be positioned higher than the auger motor accommodating unit, and the fan bracket unit may be coupled to an upper portion of the drain hose accommodating unit so that the fan bracket unit is spaced apart from the auger motor accommodating unit. 
     The fan bracket unit may be spaced apart from the auger motor accommodating unit, and an air inflow space may be formed between the fan bracket unit and the auger motor accommodating unit for the air to flow into the ice making compartment fan installed at the fan bracket unit. 
     The drain hose accommodating unit may include a drain hose accommodating unit at which the drain hose is accommodated, and a heat insulation member configured to thermally insulate the drain hose. 
     As described above, an auger motor assembly may be formed by integrally assembling an auger motor configured to drive the auger, an ice making compartment fan to flow the air at the ice making compartment, a solenoid valve configured to select whether ice is crushed, and a drain hose configured to guide the defrost water to an outside the ice making compartment as a single entity. 
     In addition, as an ice making compartment wall is installed at an inner case of a refrigerator and an ice making compartment is formed, an auger motor assembly is inserted into an inside the ice making compartment through an open front surface of the ice making compartment, and thus an auger motor, an ice making compartment fan, a solenoid valve, and a drain hose may be installed at an inside the ice making compartment, thereby enhancing an assembly quality of the ice making compartment. 
     In addition, in a case of a repair or a replacement of a component such as an auger motor, an ice making compartment fan, a solenoid valve, and a drain hose, the auger motor assembly may be entirely withdrawn in a sliding manner to an outside of an ice making compartment through an open front surface of the ice making compartment to perform the repair or the replacement of the component, thereby enhancing an after-service quality. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and/or other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a side cross-sectional view of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a drawing explaining a process of installing an auger motor assembly at an ice making compartment of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a side cross-sectional view illustrating the components of the ice making compartment of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view illustrating the components of the ice making compartment of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating an assembly of an auger motor and a fan of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view illustrating an assembly of an auger motor and a fan of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view illustrating an ice maker of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view illustrating an ice making tray of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state of ice formed at the ice making tray of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view illustrating the ice making tray of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view illustrating a structure of the ice making compartment of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view illustrating a driving apparatus of the ice maker of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 14  is a side view illustrating a driving module of the ice maker of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 15  is a drawing illustrating an inside the driving module of the ice maker of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 16  is a rear view illustrating the driving module of the ice maker of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. 
       FIG. 1  is a front view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure,  FIG. 2  is a side cross-sectional view of a refrigerator of  FIG. 1 , and  FIG. 3  is a drawing explaining a process of installing an auger motor assembly at an ice making compartment of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
     As illustrated on  FIGS. 1 to 3 , a refrigerator  1  according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is composed of by including a body  2 , storage compartments  10  and  11  to store foods refrigerated or frozen, an ice making compartment  60  to generate ice, and a cooling air supplying apparatus  50  to supply cool air to the storage compartments  10  and  11 , and to the ice making compartment  60 . 
     The body  2  includes an outer case  4  forming an exterior, an inner case  3  forming the storage compartments  10  and  11  and the ice making compartment  60 , and an insulation material  5  foamed in between the outer case  4  and the inner case  3 . 
     The storage compartments  10  and  11  are provided with an open front surface thereof, and may be divided into an upper side refrigerating compartment  10  and a lower side freezing compartment  11  by a horizontal partition  6 . The horizontal partition  6  may include an insulation material to block the heat exchange of the refrigerating compartment  10  and the freezing compartment  11 . 
     The refrigerating compartment  10  may be provided therein with a shelf  15  to place food thereon and to divide the storage compartment into an upper space and a lower space. The open front surface of the refrigerating compartment  10  may be opened/closed by a pair of doors  12  and  13  rotatively hinge-coupled to the body  2 . The doors  12  and  13  may be provided thereto with handles  16  and  17  to open each of the doors  12  and  13 . 
     The doors  12  and  13  as such may be provided thereto with a dispenser  20  through which the ice generated may be withdrawn out from an outside without having to open the doors  12  and  13 . The dispenser  20  may be composed by including a withdrawal space  24  from which ice may be withdrawn, a lever  25  configured to choose whether the ice is to be withdrawn, and a chute  22  configured to guide the ice withdrawn through an ice withdrawal hole  21  which is adjacent to an ice discharging hole  402  of an ice bucket  400 , which are to be described later. 
     The open front surface of the freezing compartment  11  may be opened/closed by a sliding door  14  configured to be inserted into the freezing compartment  11  in a sliding manner. The rear surface of the sliding door  14  may be provided with a storage box  19  integrally formed thereto to store foods. The sliding door  14  may be provided thereto with a handle  18  to open/close the sliding door  14 . 
     Meanwhile, as illustrated on  FIG. 2 , the refrigerator  1  includes a cool air supplying apparatus  50  capable of supplying cool air to the storage compartments  10  and  11 , and to the ice making compartment  60 . The cool air supplying apparatus  50  may include a compressor  51  to compress a refrigerant using a high pressure, a condenser  52  to condense the compressed refrigerant, expansion apparatuses  54  and  55  to expand the refrigerant using a low pressure so that the refrigerant may be easily evaporated, evaporators  34  and  44  to generate cool air by evaporating the refrigerant, and a refrigerant pipe  56  to guide the refrigerant. 
     The compressor  51  and the condenser  52  may be disposed at a machinery room  70  provided at a lower portion of a rear of the body  2 . In addition, each of the evaporators  34  and  44  may be disposed at a refrigerating compartment cool air supplying duct  30  provided at the refrigerating compartment  10  and at a freezing compartment cool air supplying duct  40  provided at the freezing compartment  11 . Thus, the refrigerating compartment  10  and the freezing compartment  11  may be independently cooled. 
     The refrigerating compartment cool air supplying duct  30  includes an intake hole  33 , a cool air discharging hole  32 , and a draft fan  31 , and may circulate a cool air at an inside the refrigerating compartment  10 . In addition, the freezing compartment cool air supplying duct  40  includes an intake hole  43 , a cool air discharging hole  42 , and a draft fan  41 , and may circulate a cool air at an inside the freezing compartment  11 . 
     Meanwhile, a portion  57  of the refrigerant pipe  56  is extendedly disposed at an inside the ice making compartment  60  to cool the ice making compartment  60 . As such, a refrigerant pipe  57  extendedly disposed at an inside the ice making compartment  60  will be hereafter called the ice making compartment refrigerant pipe  57 . 
     The refrigerant pipe  56  may be configured in a way that the refrigerant flows through the ice making compartment  60 , then the refrigerating compartment  10 , and through the freezing compartment  11 , or may be diverged at one point for the refrigerant to flow through the refrigerating compartment  10  and the freezing compartment  11  excluding the ice making compartment  60 , and the divergent point may be provided with a changing valve  53  installed thereto to change the flow of the refrigerant. 
     Although to be described later, the refrigerator  1  according to the present disclosure may directly supply cooling energy as the ice making compartment refrigerant pipe  57  disposed at an inside the ice making compartment  60  is being contacted at an ice making tray  340  of an ice maker  300 . 
     Meanwhile, the ice making compartment  60  may be provided at an inside the body  2  in a way to be divided from the storage compartments  10  and  11 . The open front surface of the ice making compartment  60  may be closed by an ice making compartment cover  404  of the ice bucket  400 , which will be described later. 
     The ice making compartment  60  may be provided at an upper portion of a one side of the refrigerating compartment  10 , and may be formed in a way to be divided from the refrigerating compartment  10  by an ice making compartment wall  61 . As illustrated on  FIG. 3 , the ice making compartment wall  61  includes a horizontal wall  62  and a vertical wall  63 , and may include an insulation material  64  to block the heat exchange of the ice making compartment  60  and the refrigerating compartment  10 . 
     The ice making compartment wall  61  may be installed to the inner case  3  of the body  2  through an insertion-coupling structure or through a screw-coupling structure. In addition, an ice making compartment wall  31  may be assembled to the inner case  3  of the body  2  before the insulation material  5  is foamed in between the inner case  3  of the body  2  and the outer case  4 . 
     As illustrated on  FIG. 2 , the ice making compartment  60  as such is provided therein with an automatic ice making assembly  100  to generate ice. The automatic ice making assembly  100  may include an air duct  200  configured to insulate the ice making compartment refrigerant pipe  57  and to form a portion of the flow path of the cool air at an inside the ice making compartment  60 , the ice maker  300  to store the ice generated at the ice maker  300 , and an auger motor assembly  500  to operate an auger  403  that moves ice. Hereinafter, the structure of the automatic ice making assembly as such will be described in detail. 
       FIG. 4  is a side cross-sectional view illustrating the components of the ice making compartment of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 5  is a perspective view illustrating the components of the ice making compartment of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating an assembly of an auger motor and a fan of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view illustrating an assembly of an auger motor and a fan of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 8  is a perspective view illustrating an ice maker of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 9  is a perspective view illustrating an ice making tray of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state of ice formed at the ice making tray of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view illustrating the ice making tray of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view illustrating a structure of the ice making compartment of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 13  is a perspective view illustrating a driving apparatus of the ice maker of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 14  is a side view illustrating a driving module of the ice maker of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 15  is a drawing illustrating an inside the driving module of the ice maker of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 , and  FIG. 16  is a rear view illustrating the driving module of the ice maker of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
     First, by referring to  FIGS. 4 to 5 , the air duct  200  of the automatic ice making assembly  100  may include an insulation material  201  provided to insulate the ice making compartment refrigerant pipe  57  from an outside by surrounding the ice making compartment refrigerant pipe  57 , a fastening member  205  configured to fasten the ice making compartment refrigerant pipe  57  to the ice making compartment  60 , and an inner flow path  202  configured to form a portion of a flow path of the cool air at an inside of the ice making compartment  60 . 
     The insulation material  201  is configured to surround the ice making compartment refrigerant pipe  57 , and may insulate the ice making compartment refrigerant pipe  57  and at the same time prevent the deformation such as bending of the ice making compartment refrigerant pipe  57 . The fastening member  205  is coupled to the inner case  3  of the body  2  and may fasten the ice making compartment refrigerant pipe  57 . The air duct  200  as such may be installed at the inner case  3  of the body  2  before the ice making compartment wall  61  is assembled to the inner case  3  of the body  2 . 
     Meanwhile, an entry  203  of an inside flow path  202  is formed at a lower surface of the air duct  200 , and an exit  204  of the inside flow path  202  is formed at a front surface of the air duct  200 , so that the air duct  200  may discharge cool air to a front by intaking the air from a lower side. The flow of the cool air at an inside the ice making compartment  60  will be described later. 
     The ice maker  300  of the automatic ice making assembly  100  may include an ice making tray  340  at which water is actually supplied and ice is generated, an ejector  310  separating the ice from the ice making tray  340 , a drain duct  330  to guide the excess water flowing over from the ice making tray  340  or the defrost water of the ice making tray  340 , and a driving apparatus  600  to drive the ejector  310 . 
     The lower portion of the ice making tray  340  may be provided with a refrigerant pipe contacting unit  361  ( FIG. 12 ) formed along a longitudinal direction thereto, and the refrigerant pipe contacting unit  361  is provided with a shape of a groove at which the ice making compartment refrigerant pipe  57  may be installed thereto, so that the ice making compartment refrigerant pipe  57  may be directly contacted. 
     In addition, the ice making tray  340  may be formed with a material having high thermal conductivity such as aluminum, and a lower portion of the ice making tray  340  may be provided with a plurality of heat exchanging ribs  360  ( FIG. 12 ) formed thereto so that the heat-exchanging performance may be enhanced by increasing the contact area with air. 
     Thus, the ice making tray  340  may perform a function as a heat exchanger, and may cool the water accommodated at an ice making space  349  ( FIG. 9 ). 
     Meanwhile, as illustrated on  FIGS. 9 to 12 , the ice making tray  340  includes the ice making space  349  at which water may be supplied and ice may be generated. The ice making space  349  may be formed by a bottom unit  341  having a shape of a circular arc with a predetermined radius. In addition, the ice making space  349  may be divided into a plurality of unit ice making spaces  349   a  and  349   b  by a plurality of partition wall units  342  that are protruded from the bottom unit  341  toward an upper side thereof. However, for the sake of convenience, marks are assigned only to the two units of the plurality of unit ice making spaces  349   a  and  349   b.    
     The partition wall unit  342  may be provided with a communicating unit  344  formed thereto, and the communicating unit  344  is configured to communicate adjacent unit ice making spaces  349   a  and  349   b  to each other among the plurality of unit ice making spaces so that the water introduced through a water supply hole  346 , which is formed at a one longitudinal side of the ice making tray  340 , may be supplied to all of the plurality of unit ice making spaces  349   a  and  349   b.    
     In addition, a derailment prevention wall  343  extended toward an upper side thereof may be formed at one width side of the ice making tray  340 , so that the ice formed at the ice making space  349  from freefalling and at the same time the ice may be guided to a slider  350  ( FIG. 12 ). 
     Meanwhile, the ice making tray  340 , in a case when the water exceeding the predetermined amount is supplied to the ice making space  349 , may further include an opening hole unit  345  to discharge the excess water. The opening hole unit  345  may be consecutively formed at the bottom unit  341  and the derailment prevention wall  343 , and may be formed at an upper portion of a certain one  349   a  of the plurality of the unit ice making spaces  349   a  and  349   b  in a communicating manner. 
     Under the structure as such, the water exceeding the predetermined amount may be discharged to an outside the ice making tray  340  through the opening hole unit  345 , and the ice generated through the ice making tray  340  may not exceed a certain size. Thus, in a case when the ice is separated at the ice making tray  340 , the phenomenon of the ice separating interfered by having the ice stuck at an ice making tray fixing apparatus  320  or at the ice making compartment wall  61  may be prevented. 
     As the ice making tray  340  is disposed in an inclined manner so that one end portion in a longitudinal direction thereof, that is, the one end portion to which the water supply hole  346  is formed, may be positioned at a relatively higher position than the other end portion in a longitudinal direction thereof, the opening hole unit  345  is desired to be formed closer to the other end portion of the ice making tray  340  than the one end portion of the ice making tray  340  to which the water supply hole  346  is formed. In addition, the opening hole unit  345  is desired to be formed at a higher position than the communicating unit  344  so that water may be supplied to all of the unit ice making spaces  349   a.    
     The water discharged through the opening hole unit  345  as such freefalls to the drain duct  330  that is disposed at a lower side of the ice making tray  340 . The drain duct  330  is disposed in a modestly inclined manner so that the water falling through the opening hole unit  345  may flow to a guide unit  331  that is formed at one longitudinal end portion of the drain duct  330 . In addition, the guide unit  331  may guide the water that is discharged through the opening hole unit  345  to a drain hose  540  ( FIG. 4 ) of the auger motor assembly  500 , which will be described later. 
     Meanwhile, as unit ices  380   a  and  380   b  ( FIG. 10 ) generated at the unit ice making spaces  349   a  and  349   b  are generated while linked to each other by the communicating unit  344 , the ice making tray  340  of the refrigerator  1  according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may further include a plurality of cutting ribs  347  configured to crush the link. For the sake of convenience, the unit ices  380 A and  380 B are only provided with marks on the drawing. 
     The cutting rib  347  ( FIG. 11 ) is protruded from the partition wall unit  342  toward an upper side thereof, and may be formed in a way to be contacted at the derailment prevention wall  343 . That is, with respect to the communicating unit  344 , a portion of the partition wall unit  342  adjacent to the derailment prevention wall  343  is referred to as a first partition wall unit ( 342   a  in  FIG. 11 ), and a portion of the partition wall unit  342  positioned opposite of the derailment prevention wall  343  is referred to as a second partition wall unit ( 342   b  in  FIG. 11 ), and the cutting rib  347  may be formed in a way to be extended from the first partition wall unit  342   a  toward an upper side thereof. 
     The cutting rib  347  may crush the link among the unit ices  380   a  and  380   b  as the ejector  310  lifts the ice  380  at the ice making space  349  as the ejector  310  rotates. Thus, the phenomenon, that is, the ice being stuck, that may develop by the link among the unit ices  380   a  and  380   b  during a deicing process may be prevented, and the unit ices  380   a  and  380   b  may be separated at a designated position without being interfered by each other. 
     As for the cutting rib  347  as such, the height to the upper edge of the cutting rib  347  is desired to be larger than the half the height to the upper edge of the partition wall unit  342 . Meanwhile, the ice making tray  340  including the bottom  341 , the derailment prevention wall  343 , the plurality of partition wall units  342 , and the plurality of cutting ribs  347  may be integrally molded at a single mold. 
     In addition, the ice making tray  340  may be provided with an ice separating heater  370 , which is configured to heat the ice making tray  340  installed thereto, so that the ice  380  may be easily separated from the ice making tray  340  during the ice separating process. The ice separating heater  370  may be disposed in a way to be accommodated in a deicing heater contacting unit  362  which is formed in a shape of a groove at a lower portion of the ice making tray  340 . 
     Meanwhile, the ejector  310  configured to separate the ice  380  from the ice making tray  340  may include a rotating shaft  311  and a plurality of ejector pins  312  protruded from the rotating shaft  311 . The ejector pin  312  may rotate while having the rotating shaft  311  as a center and separate the ice  380  from the ice making space  349 . 
     Meanwhile, a front end portion in a longitudinal direction of the ice making tray  340  is provided with a driving apparatus  600  providing a rotational force to the ejector  310  and having electro-motion members configured to control a water supply process, an ice-making process, and an ice-transporting. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 13 to 16 , the driving apparatus  600  may include a driving apparatus case  610  having an open front surface thereof and an inside space, a cover  613  to cover the open front surface of the driving apparatus case  610 , and a driving module  620  which may be attached/detached at the inside space of the driving apparatus case  610 . 
     The driving module  620  is a single entity module including an ice separating motor  650  configured to generate a rotational force to rotate the ejector  310 , a circuit board  640  configured to control the ice-making process, and an electro-motion member to deliver the rotational force of the ice separating motor  650  to the ejector  310 , and the components of the driving module  620  as such may be accommodated at a driving module case  630 . 
     The driving module case  630  may be provided thereof with an open front surface, and the open front surface may be covered by the cover  633 . The driving module  620  may be inserted in a sliding manner to an inside space of the driving apparatus case  610  through an open front surface of the driving apparatus case  610 , and inversely, the driving module  620  may be withdrawn in a sliding manner through the open front surface of the driving apparatus case  610  to be separated from the inside space of the driving apparatus case  610 . 
     Each of the driving module case  630  and the driving apparatus case  610  may be provided with coupling holes  631  and  611  into which a coupling member  632  each may be inserted, respectively, so that the driving module  620  may be fixedly coupled at an inside the driving apparatus case  610 . At this time, the coupling member  632  may also be easily coupled to the coupling holes  631  and  611  through the open front surface of the driving apparatus case  610 . 
     The electro-motion member of delivering the rotational force of the ice separating motor  650  to the ejector  310  may be a structure having a plurality of gears. That is, the electro-motion member may include a driving gear  660  coupled to the rotational shaft of the ice separating motor  650 , a driven gar  664  coupled to the rotational shaft  311  of the ejector  310 , and at least one electro-motion gear  661 ,  662 ,  663 , and  664  coupled in an interlocked manner in between the driving gear  660  and the driven gear  665 . 
     At this time, the electro-motion gears  661 ,  662 ,  663 , and  664  may be composed by including large-size gears  661   a ,  662   a    663   a , and  664   a  each configured to receive rotational force, and small-size gears  661   b ,  662   b ,  663   b , and  664   b  each configured to deliver the rotational force, so that the rotational force may be delivered to the ejector  310  by reducing the rotational speed of the ice separating motor  650 . Each of the small-size gears  661   b ,  662   b , and  663   b  may be provided with a smaller radius and circumference compared to each of the large-size gears  661   a ,  662   a , and  663   a.    
     That is, the driving gear  660  is interlocked to the large-size gear  661   a  of the first electro-motion gear  661 , the small-size gear  661   b  of the first electro-motion gear  661  is interlocked to the large-size gear  662   a  of the second electro-motion gear  662 , the small-size gear  662   b  of the second electro-motion gear  662  is interlocked to the large-size gear  663   a  of the third electro-motion gear  663 , the small-size gear  663   b  of the third electro-motion gear  663  is interlocked to the large-size gear  664   a  of the fourth electro-motion gear  664 , and the small-size gear  664   b  of the fourth electro-motion gear  664  is interlocked to the driven gear  665 . 
     Here, the driven gear  665  and the small-size gear  664   b  of the fourth electro-motion gear  664  that is interlocked to the driven gear  665  may be disposed at an outside the driving module case  630 . Thus, a rotational shaft  313  of the ejector  310  may be coupled to the driven gear  665  at an outside the driving module case  630 . 
     At this time, the rotational shaft of the driven gear  665  may be provided on a same line of the rotational shaft  313  of the ejector  310 , and the driven gear  665  may be provided with a connecting bar  670  protruded therefrom along the axial direction and having an insertion groove  672  so that the rotational shaft  313  of the ejector  310  may be insertedly coupled to the insertion groove  671 . 
     Thus, the rotational shaft  313  of the ejector  310  is insertedly coupled to the insertion groove  671  of the driven gear  665 , and may rotate along with the driven gear  665 . 
     Meanwhile, the driving module case  630  of the driving module  620  is formed using heat insulation material to prevent the components, such as the ice separating motor  650  and the printed circuit board  640  accommodated in the driving module case  630 , from being defrosted due to the cool air of outside 
     Under the structure as such, as the driving module  620  is insertedly mounted at an inside of the driving apparatus case  610  in a sliding manner and the rotational shaft  313  of the ejector  310  is insertedly coupled to the insertion groove  671  of the driving module  620 , the assembly of the driving apparatus  600  is completed, and thus the assembly quality of the driving apparatus  600  may be enhanced and a single driving module  620  may be used for other refrigerators by standardizing components. 
     Meanwhile, the ice maker  300  may further include the drain duct  330  disposed at a lower side of the ice making tray  340 , and configured to form a portion of the cooling air flow path of the ice making compartment  60  in between the ice maker  300  and the ice making tray  340 , and at the same time, collect and guide the water discharged as a result of the excess supply of water at the ice making tray  340  and the defrost water of the ice making tray  340 . 
     As previously described, the drain duct  330  may be disposed in a modestly inclined manner so that the water collected may flow to the guide unit  330  formed at one end portion of a lengthwise direction of the drain duct  330 . 
     The drain duct  330  may be provided with an ice separating heater fixing unit  332  configured to support the ice separating heater  370  and closely attach the ice separating heater  370  to the ice separating heater contacting unit  362  of the ice making tray  340  and a refrigerant pipe fixing unit  333  configured to support the ice making compartment refrigerant pipe  57  and closely attach the ice making compartment refrigerant pipe  57  to the refrigerant pipe contacting unit  361  of the ice making tray  340 , and the ice separating heater fixing unit  332  and the refrigerant pipe fixing unit  333  may be protruded toward an upper side of the drain duct  330 . 
     The ice separating heater fixing unit  332  may be formed with the material having high thermal conductivity such as aluminum, so that the heat of the ice separating heater  370  may be guided to the drain duct  330 , thereby preventing the formation of frost at the drain duct  330 . 
     The refrigerant pipe fixing unit  333  may include an elastic unit  334  formed with rubber material and a pressurizing unit  335  to pressurize the ice making compartment refrigerant pipe  57 . The elastic unit  334  is configured to make direct contact with the ice making compartment refrigerant pipe  57  so that the ice making compartment refrigerant pipe  57  may be closely attached to the refrigerant pipe contacting unit  361  of the ice making tray  340 . 
     The elastic unit  334  is formed with rubber material, and thus may prevent the ice making compartment refrigerant pipe  57  from being damaged at the time when the elastic unit  334  makes contact with the ice making compartment refrigerant pipe  57 . In addition, as the elastic unit  334  is provided with a low thermal conductivity, the cool energy is prevented from being delivered to the elastic unit  334  from the ice making compartment refrigerant pipe  57 , and thus the formation of frost at the drain duct  330  may be prevented. 
     Meanwhile, the automatic ice making assembly  100  may further include an ice storage space  401  configured to store the ice generated at the ice making tray  340 , the ice bucket  400  having the auger  403  configured to move the stored ice to a discharging hole  402  at a front, and the auger motor assembly  500  configured to drive the auger  403  of the ice bucket  400 . 
     The ice bucket  400  may further be provided with an ice crushing apparatus  405  configured to crush the ice moved to a front by the auger  403  and the ice making compartment cover  404  configured to cover the open front surface of the ice making compartment  60 . 
     The ice crushing apparatus  405  includes an ice crushing blade  406  configured to crush ice by rotating along with the auger  403  and a supporting member  407  disposed at a lower side of the ice crushing blade  406  and configured to support the ice so that the ice may be crushed. The supporting member  407  may be connected to the solenoid valve  530  of the auger motor assembly  500  by the connecting member  408 . 
     As the solenoid valve  530  is operated in upward and downward directions, the connecting member  408  eccentrically rotates, and the supporting member  407  may be moved either to support or not to support the ice. 
     Meanwhile, the auger motor assembly  500  may include an auger motor  510  configured to generate rotational force, a flange  512  coupled to the auger  403  to deliver the rotational force of the auger motor  510  to the auger  403 , the solenoid valve  530  capable of selecting whether ice is crushed through the ice crushing apparatus  405 , an ice making compartment fan  520  capable of having the air inside the ice making compartment  60  to flow, and the drain hose  540  to guide the water guided through the guide unit  331  of the drain duct  330  to an outside the ice making compartment  60 . 
     In particular, the auger motor assembly  500  may be integrally formed as the above components are entirely assembled together. That is, as illustrated on  FIGS. 6 to 7 , the auger motor assembly  500  includes an auger motor accommodating unit  511 , a solenoid valve accommodating unit  531  configured to accommodate the solenoid valve  530 , a drain hose accommodating unit  541  to accommodate the drain hose  540 , and a fan bracket unit  521  at which the ice making compartment fan  520  is installed, and each accommodation unit may be either integrally formed or separately formed, and may be coupled to each other. 
     At this time, as the solenoid valve accommodating unit  531  is provided at a front of the auger motor accommodating unit  511 , the solenoid valve  530  may be disposed at a front of the auger motor  510 , the drain hose  540  may be disposed at one side of the auger motor  510  as the drain hose accommodating unit  541  is provided at one side of the auger motor accommodating unit  511 , and the ice making compartment fan  520  may be disposed at an upper side of the auger motor  510  as the fan bracket unit  521  is provided at an upper side of the auger motor accommodating unit  511 . 
     A portion of the drain hose accommodating unit  541  is positioned higher than the auger motor accommodating unit  511 , and the fan bracket unit  521  may be coupled to an upper portion of the drain hose accommodating unit  541 . 
     In addition, the auger motor accommodating unit  511  and the fan bracket unit  521  are provided while having a distance thereinbetween, and an air inflow space  550  may be formed between the auger motor accommodating unit  511  and the fan bracket unit  521  so that air may inflow to the ice making compartment fan  520 . In addition, the ice making compartment fan  520  may be disposed at a lower side of the entry  203  of the inner flow path  202  of the air duct  200 , which is described previously. 
     Thus, the cool air at an inside the ice making compartment  60  may flow the inside the ice making compartment  60  by following an arrow illustrated on  FIG. 4 . That is, the air discharged from the air duct  200  passes through the space in between the ice making tray  340  and the drain duct  330  and exchanges heat with around the ice making compartment refrigerant pipe  57  or the ice making tray  340 , and the cool air having the heat exchanged passes through the ice crushing apparatus  405  and the ice storage space  401 , and then may be introduced to the air duct  200  again. 
     According to the flow of the cool air at an inside the ice making compartment  60  as such, the cool air may be evenly delivered to the surrounding the ice discharging hole  402  of the ice bucket  400  and the ice storage space  401 . 
     Meanwhile, as illustrated on  FIG. 7 , the fan bracket unit  521  may be provided therein with a sealing member  522  to prevent the cool air from leaking. In addition, the drain hose accommodating unit  541  may include an accommodating space  544  to accommodate the drain hose  540  and a heat insulation member to surround the accommodating space  544 . 
     The entry  543  of the drain hose  540  is provided at a lower side of the guide unit  331  of the drain duct  330 , which is described previously, and may receive the water freefalling from the guide unit  331  and guide the water to an ice making compartment discharging flow path  560  ( FIG. 1 ) at an outside. The ice making compartment discharging flow path  560  is connected to an evaporation dish  570  provided at the machinery room  70 , and may evaporate the water discharged. 
     The drain hose  540  as such may be provided with a drain heater  542  installed thereto to prevent the drain hose  540  from freezing. 
     In addition, the auger motor assembly  500  may include a temperature sensor  590  to measure the temperature at an inside the ice making compartment  60  and an optical sensor  580  to detect whether the ice bucket  400  is full with ice. The temperature sensor  590  and the optical sensor  580  may be provided at the solenoid valve accommodating unit  531  formed at a front of the auger motor assembly  500 . 
     The optical sensor  580  may be either an emitter or a receiver, and the other one may be provided at the driving apparatus  600  of the ice making apparatus  300 . 
     Meanwhile, the auger motor assembly  500  as such, as illustrated on  FIG. 3 , may be installed at an inside the ice making compartment  60  by being inserted thereinto in a sliding manner, and inversely, the auger motor assembly  500  may be separated by being withdrawn in a sliding manner. Thus, the components of the auger motor assembly  500 , which are described previously, may be easily installed at an inside the ice making compartment  60 , and a repair or a replacement of a compartment may be easily performed by separating the auger motor assembly  500  from the ice making compartment  60 . 
     Although a few embodiments of the present disclosure 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 disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.