Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Masao Aono

Koji Yamada

Tetsuo Kimoto

Hiroshi Kanaoka

An ice maker equipped in a refrigerator includes a sealed water tank, a water reservoir supplied with water from the water reservoir by the effect of a difference between water heads until the water reaches a predetermined water level, every time the level of the water reserved therein is decreased below the predetermined water level, a measuring vessel communicated to the water reservoir through a relatively small water path so that the water is supplied thereto from the water vessel by way of the difference in the water heads until the water level corresponding to the water level in the water reservoir is reached therein, the measuring vessel having a lid portion disposed so as to horizontally partition the interior of the measuring vessel at a water level position, an ice tray disposed in the ice-making compartment, and a pump for supplying the ice tray with the water reserved in the measuring vessel.

Refrigerator with an automatic ice maker

A method of detecting water unsupplied condition of an ice tray of a refrigerator ice maker includes steps of measuring the temperature of the ice tray after the water supply operation of water supply means to the ice tray is executed and determining that the water has not been supplied to the ice tray, where the measured temperature is below a predetermined reference value. An ice maker of a refrigerator includes an ice tray which is supplied with water, which is refrigerated by an evaporator so that ice is made, ice removing means for removing ice from the ice tray, water supply means for supplying water to the ice tray every time the ice is removed from the ice tray, a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the ice tray, and determination circuit means for comparing the temperature of the ice tray sensed by the temperature sensor with the predetermined reference value and determining that the water has not been supplied to the ice tray, where the temperature of the ice tray sensed by the temperature sensor is below the predetermined reference value.

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Mishima, Japan

Masao Aono