Refrigerator and control method thereof
AssigneeSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
InventorsJin Jeong, Kook Jeong Seo, Bong Su Son, Do Yun Jang, Yeon Woo Cho
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed herein are a refrigerator includes an ice storage, a transfer member, a transfer motor coupled to the transfer member, and a controller configured to control the transfer motor to rotate the transfer member in a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction, wherein the transfer member prevents the ice cubes stored in the ice storage from agglomerating by rotating in the first rotation direction and the second rotation direction. The controller warns a user of agglomeration of the ice cubes stored in the ice storage in response to no rotation of the transfer motor sensed.
Claims18
A refrigerator comprising:
- an ice storage;
- an auger;
- a transfer motor coupled to the auger;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- control the transfer motor to rotate the auger in a first rotation direction for a first transfer time period such that the auger transfers ice cubes stored in the ice storage in an opposite direction from an outlet of the ice storage and a second rotation direction for a second transfer time period such that the auger transfers the ice cubes toward the outlet, where the first transfer time period is longer than or equal to the second transfer time period, where the auger is configured to prevent the ice cubes stored in the ice storage from agglomerating by rotating in the first rotation direction and the second rotation direction, and
- warn, in response to no rotation of the transfer motor sensed, a user of agglomeration of the ice cubes stored in the ice storage.
A method of controlling a refrigerator including an ice storage for storing ice cubes, the method comprising:
- preventing an ice agglomeration by rotating an auger for discharging the ice cubes in a first rotation direction for a first transfer time period such that the auger transfers the ice cubes in an opposite direction from an outlet of the ice storage and a second rotation direction for a second transfer time period such that the auger transfers the ice cubes toward the outlet, where the first transfer time period is longer than or equal to the second transfer time period;
- and
- warning, in response to no rotation of the auger sensed, a user of agglomeration of the ice cubes stored in the ice storage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.