Lg Electronics Inc.

Kyung-Han Jeong

Dong-Hoon Lee

Yong-Su Kim

Myung Ryul Lee

Seung-Hwan Oh

In Chul Jeong

Sang-Oh Kim

Kwang-Ha Suh

Wook-Yong Lee

An ice detecting apparatus for an ice maker provided in a refrigerator includes an ice maker, and an ice detecting sensor attached to the ice maker and detecting an amount of ice collected in an ice container. The ice detecting sensor includes at least one optical transmitter or emitter provided on one side of the ice maker and at least one receiver at another side of the ice maker. The optical transmitter and receiver are separated by a prescribed distance and, at least one heater is provided to generate heat to be transferred to at least one of the optical transmitter or receiver.

Refrigerator and ice maker with optical sensor to detect ice level

An ice detecting apparatus for a refrigerator the apparatus includes an ice maker, an ice container to collect ice made by the ice maker, and an ice detecting sensor to detect an amount of ice stored in the ice container. The ice detecting sensor has a transmitter module provided on one side of the ice maker and a receiver module provided on another side of the ice maker. The transmitter module is separated by a prescribed distance from the receiver module. At least one of the transmitter module or receiver module includes at least one optical element and at least one heater, and the heater is made of an electroconductive heating material.

An apparatus for purifying water comprises: an ice making unit configured to make introduced water into ice cubes, and to store the ice cubes; a cold water unit configured to generate cold water by receiving the ice cubes made by the ice making unit; and a cooling unit configured to supply cold air to the ice making unit. Firstly, since cold water is generated by using ice cubes made by the ice making unit, may be solved the conventional problem that the ice cubes cling to each other due to contact with the cold water. Secondly, the ice making unit, the cold water unit, etc. may be installed so as to be stacked with each other in upper and lower directions, the apparatus for purifying water may have a slim configuration.

Apparatus for purifying water

Disclosed are an ice bin installed in a refrigerator or the like and a refrigerating machine having the same. One auger having spiral transfer wings rotates to transfer ice cubes that are introduced between the transfer wings, which allows a constant amount of ice or an amount of ice selected by a user to be dispensed. In addition, a shutter is disposed at a lower side of the auger to define a dispensing space, which may reduce a length of a casing in a depth direction and, thereby, result in a reduced size of the ice bin.

Ice dispensing technology

An ice detecting apparatus for a refrigerator having an ice maker includes an ice detecting sensor which determines whether or not an ice storage container which receives and stores ice made by the ice maker is full or nearly full of ice based on pulses transmitted from and received by transmitting and receiving units. The ice detecting sensor includes a transmitting unit to transmit one or more pulses and a receiving unit to detect the pulses transmitted from the transmitting unit. A controller is operably coupled to the transmitting and receiving units to determine whether the storage container is full or nearly full based on pulses detected by the receiving unit among one or more pulses transmitted by the transmitting unit. The controller also determines whether or not external light has been introduced into the ice maker based on the pulses detected by the receiving unit.

Ice detecting apparatus of ice maker for refrigerator and ice detecting method thereof

A method of determining a amount of ice collected in a storage container of a refrigerator, the ice being discharged into the storage container by an ice maker having an ice detecting sensor with a heater, the method comprises determining whether or not the ice storage container is full or nearly full of ice by turning on the detecting sensor for a prescribed period of time. In one embodiment, the heater is turned on while the determining step is preformed. In an alternative embodiment, the heater is continuously maintained in an 'ON' state.

Ice detecting method and apparatus for a refrigerator

A method of detecting an amount of ice stored in a storage bin made by an ice maker of a refrigerator, the method comprises applying heat to the ice detecting sensor of the ice maker, detecting an amount stored in the storage bin, and controlling heat application according to the detected amount. The ice maker has an ice detecting sensor attached thereto. A sensor heater provides the heat.

Ice amount detecting method of ice detecting apparatus of ice maker for refrigerator

A refrigerator having a basket lift apparatus comprises: a body having cooling chambers for storing food; a basket arranged at the lower cooling chamber to be slidable back and forth and having a door at a front side thereof; a lifting frame arranged at a rear surface of the door to be movable up and down and on which the basket is positioned; and a driving unit for lifting the lifting frame, wherein the lifting frame is composed of a first frame connected to the rear surface of the door to be movable up and down, a second frame extended from an end of the first frame with an inclination angle, and a third frame horizontally extended from an end of the second frame and on which the basket is positioned. In the refrigerator, the basket is attached or detached to or from the lifting frame more easily.

Refrigerator having basket lift apparatus

A refrigerator having a basket lift apparatus comprises: a body having cooling chambers for storing food; a basket accommodated in the cooling chamber arranged at a lower portion of the body in a slidable manner back and forth; a basket lift apparatus installed at the basket, for lifting the basket when the basket is drawn out; and a break unit for locking the basket when the basket is lifted to the maximum and thereby preventing the basket from being descended. When the basket is lifted to the maximum, a driving motor is locked thereby to prevent the basket from being descended.

A refrigerator having a basket lift apparatus comprises: a body having cooling chambers for storing food; a basket accommodated in the cooling chamber arranged at a lower portion of the body in a slidable manner; a lifting unit for lifting the basket when the basket is drawn out of the cooling chamber; and a damping unit installed at the lifting unit, for absorbing an impact generated when the basket lifted by the lifting unit is descended. When the basket is descended, a damping force is generated thereby to absorb an impact due to a drastic descent of the basket.

A refrigerator having a basket lift apparatus comprises: a body having cooling chambers for storing food; a basket arranged at the lower cooling chamber arranged at a lower portion of the body to be movable back and forth, and having a door at a front side thereof; a lifting frame arranged at a rear surface of the door to be movable up and down and on which the basket is placed; a driving arm roll-motioned at a lower surface of the lifting frame and hinge-connected to the door, for lifting the lifting frame; a driving unit for rotating the driving arm; and a locking unit installed at the lifting frame, for maintaining a lifted state of the basket by locking the driving arm when the lifting frame is lifted up.

A refrigerator having a basket lift apparatus comprises: a body having cooling chambers for storing food; a basket accommodated in the cooling chamber in a slidable manner; and a basket lift apparatus installed at the basket and lifting the basket when the basket is drawn out of the cooling chamber. When the basket is drawn out of the lower cooling chamber, the basket is lifted by using the basket lifting apparatus thereby to enhance the user's convenience.

Disclosed is a refrigerator having a basket lift apparatus capable of improving convenience for a user by lifting up a basket when the basket disposed at a lower portion of a body is opened. The refrigerator comprises: a refrigerator body having cooling chambers for storing food items; a frame slidingly received in a cooling chamber disposed at a lower portion of the body; a basket put on the frame and storing food items; a door positioned at the front of the frame and hingedly connected to the frame; a first link, one side of the first link being rotatably connected to the basket or the frame and the other side being slidably coupled with the frame or the basket; a second link disposed across the first link, one side of the second link being rotatably connected to the basket or the frame and the other side being slidably coupled with the frame or the basket; and a link drive unit connected to the first link or the second link and driving the link to allow the basket to ascend with respect to the frame.

Growing community of inventors

Seoul, South Korea

Kyung-Han Jeong