Patent ID: 8534088

Claim:
A method of controlling an ice maker, the method comprising: supplying water to an ice tray positioned at an initial position and freezing the water to produce ice; moving the ice tray to an ice separation position and initiating an ice separation cycle, and maintaining the ice tray at the ice separation position until the ice separation cycle is complete, the ice separation cycle comprising: rotating the ice tray such that separated ice falls out of the ice tray by virtue of its own weight; and intermittently heating the ice tray so as to separate the ice from the ice tray, comprising: heating the ice tray for a first time period; stopping the heating of the ice tray for a second time period after heating the ice tray for the first time period; repeatedly and alternately heating the ice tray for the first time period and stopping the heating of the ice tray for the second time period multiple times; and thereafter heating the ice tray for a third time to complete the ice separation cycle; returning the ice tray to the initial position upon completion of the ice separation cycle; and detecting whether the bond between the ice and the ice tray is released by providing a moment sensor to detect a change in a moment applied to the ice tray caused by a weight of the ice.