US20160370062A1

US20160370062A1 - Refrigerator and method of manufacturing ice maker therefor

Info

Publication number: US20160370062A1
Application number: US14/840,036
Authority: US
Inventors: Sung Jin Yang
Original assignee: Dongbu Daewoo Electronics Corp
Current assignee: WiniaDaewoo Co Ltd
Priority date: 2015-06-17
Filing date: 2015-08-30
Publication date: 2016-12-22
Also published as: KR101705661B1; CN106257213A; KR20160149093A

Abstract

According to an embodiment, an ice maker comprises: a main body having a cooling space supplied with the cold air generated by a cooling module; an ice making assembly comprising an ice tray arranged in the cooling space to generate ice, a cold air guide module disposed at a lower side of the ice tray and configured to guide the cold air supplied from the cooling module to the lower side of the ice tray, and a rotation module configured for rotating at least one of the ice tray and rotating an ejector for ejecting the ice from the ice tray; an ice bucket disposed at a lower side of the ice making assembly configured to receive the ice from the ice tray; and a full ice detection module. The full ice detection module comprises a first sensor coupled to a lower portion of the rotation module and a second sensor coupled to a lower portion of the cold air guide section, and detecting whether or not the ice bucket is full of the ice by operative interconnection of the first and second sensors.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2015-0086161, filed Jun. 17, 2015, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a refrigerator and a method of manufacturing an ice maker therefor.

BACKGROUND

A refrigerator is an appliance for storing food at low temperature, and may store food in a frozen or refrigerated state according to the type of food.
The interior of the refrigerator is cooled by continuously supplied cold air, and the cold air is generated through heat exchange with refrigerant by a refrigeration cycle performing a compression-condensation-expansion-evaporation process. The cold air supplied into the refrigerator is evenly transferred to the interior of the refrigerator by convection and thus the food in the refrigerator may be maintained at a desired temperature.
The refrigerator typically has a rectangular main body which is open at a front surface thereof. The main body may have a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber therein. The front surface of the main body may be disposed with a refrigerating chamber door and a freezing chamber door, for selectively opening a portion of the refrigerator. The refrigerator may include a plurality of drawers, shelves, and storage boxes, etc., in order to optimally store various foods in an internal storage space of the refrigerator.
Conventionally, a top-mount type refrigerator, in which a freezing chamber is located in the upper portion and a refrigerating chamber is located in the lower portion, has been used. In recent years, a bottom-freezer type refrigerator, in which a freezing chamber is located in the lower portion, has been also developed in order to increase user convenience.
The bottom-freezer type refrigerator has an advantage in that it is convenient for a user to frequently utilize a refrigerating chamber since it is located in the upper portion and the relatively less used freezing chamber is located in the lower portion. However, the bottom-freezer type refrigerator is inconvenient for user access to ice in the freezing chamber because the user has to bend over to access the freezing chamber.
In order to resolve this problem, another bottom-freezer type refrigerator in which a dispenser for getting ice is disposed in the refrigerating chamber door located at the upper portion of the refrigerator has been recently developed. In this case, an ice maker may be disposed in the refrigerating chamber door or within the refrigerating chamber.
The ice maker may include an ice making assembly which generates ice and includes an ice tray, an ice bucket which stores the generated ice, and a transfer assembly which transfers the ice stored in the ice bucket to a dispenser.
Specifically, the ice made by the ice making assembly may be dropped, into and be collected in, the ice bucket located beneath the ice tray. The conventional ice maker includes a detection lever, a sensor, or the like capable of detecting whether or not the amount of ice collected in the ice bucket exceeds a predetermined amount. The ice maker may be controlled such that the ice maker is stopped when the amount of ice exceeds the predetermined amount.
However, since the conventional detection lever (or sensor) has a very limited ability to detect ice, there is a problem in that the amount of ice collected in the ice bucket is not accurately detected.
In addition, the sensor is mounted to the ice maker equipped with a plurality of components in a small space, and the ice maker is complicated to manufacture.

SUMMARY

Therefore, embodiments of the present invention address and solve the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator including an ice maker capable of accurately detecting whether or not an ice bucket is full of ice.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing an ice maker for a refrigerator, in which a full ice detection module is readily mounted to the ice maker.
According to an embodiment, what is described is a refrigerator comprising: a case having a food storage space; a cooling module configured for generating cold air and comprising a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator; a door disposed on the case to shield the food storage space; and an ice maker disposed in at least one of the food storage space and the door, wherein the ice maker comprises: a main body having a cooling space supplied with the cold air generated by the cooling module; an ice making assembly comprising an ice tray arranged in the cooling space to generate ice, a cold air guide section disposed at a lower side of the ice tray and configured to guide the cold air supplied from the cooling module to the lower side of the ice tray, and a rotation module configured for rotating at least one of the ice tray and an ejector for ejecting the ice from the ice tray; an ice bucket disposed at a lower portion of the ice making assembly and configured to receive the ice (e.g., dropped) from the ice tray; and a full ice detection module comprising a first sensor mounted to a lower portion of the rotation module and a second sensor mounted to a lower portion of the cold air guide module, and detecting whether or not the ice bucket is full of ice by optical and/or operative interconnection of the first and second sensors.
Further, wherein the first sensor is inserted into a first mounting portion disposed in the lower portion of the rotation module, and the second sensor is inserted into a second mounting portion disposed in the lower portion of the cold air guide section.
Further, wherein the first and second sensors are mounted at diagonal points on a rectangular portion of a plane formed by a back surface of the ice tray.
Further, wherein the cold air is supplied into the cooling space through a discharge duct, and the cold air guide module extends from at least one surface of the discharge duct.
Further, wherein the cold air guide module comprises: a first cold air guide member extending from an upper surface of the discharge duct; and a second cold air guide member extending from a lower surface of the discharge duct, and wherein the second cold air guide member is spaced apart from a back surface of the ice tray, so that a cold air movement passage is formed between the back surface of the ice tray and an upper surface of the second cold air guide member.
Further, wherein, the first sensor is a light-emitting sensor and the second sensor is a light-receiving sensor.
According to an embodiment, what is described is a method of manufacturing an ice maker for a refrigerator, comprising: manufacturing an ice maker comprising an ice making assembly, an ice bucket, and a transfer assembly; mounting a first sensor of a full ice detection module for detecting whether the ice bucket is full of ice, to a lower portion of a rotation module of the ice making assembly, and mounting a second sensor of the full ice detection module to a lower portion of a cold air guide module of the ice making assembly; adjusting a position of the first sensor mounted to the rotation module and a position of the second sensor mounted to the cold air guide module, wherein the first sensor is optically and/or operatively coupled to the second sensor; and assembling the transfer assembly to one side of the ice bucket and assembling the ice making assembly to an upper side of the ice bucket.
Further, wherein, an ice tray for accommodation of water or ice is disposed at an upper side of the cold air guide module; and the first and second sensors are mounted at diagonal points of a rectangular portion of a plane formed by a back surface of the ice tray.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating an ice maker in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the ice maker in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a planar cross-sectional view conceptually illustrating the ice maker in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of manufacturing the ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In certain embodiments, detailed descriptions of relevant constructions or functions well known in the art may be omitted to avoid obscuring appreciation of the disclosure.
FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating an ice maker in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the ice maker in FIG. 2.
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the refrigerator 1 according to the embodiment may include a case 2 defining an external structure and/or appearance thereof, a barrier which divides a food storage space and partitions the case 2 into an upper refrigerating chamber R and a lower freezing chamber F, refrigerating chamber doors 3 disposed at both front edges of the case 2 to selectively open and close the refrigerating chamber R by rotation thereof, and a freezing chamber door 5 which functions as a front opening portion of the freezing chamber F. Although an ice maker 10 is illustrated as being disposed at one side of an upper portion of the refrigerating chamber R in the embodiment, this is by way of example only. Alternatively, the ice maker 10 may be installed at a different position in the refrigerating chamber R or in a different place such as the refrigerating chamber door 3.
The ice maker 10 disposed in the refrigerator 1 is capable of detecting whether or not an ice bucket 320 is full of ice. The ice maker 10 may include a main body 100, a cooling section (not shown), an ice making assembly 200, an ice bucket 320, a transfer assembly 400, and a full ice detection module 500.
The main body 100 of the ice maker 10 has a cooling space 105 in which ice may be generated. The ice making assembly 200 is disposed at an upper side in the cooling space 105 and the ice bucket 320 may be arranged at a lower side of the ice making assembly 200.
The cooling module functions to generate cold air and supply the cold air to an ice tray 210. The cooling module includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator, etc. which perform a cooling cycle. The cooling module generates cold air by exchanging heat between a refrigerant and air as is well known. Cold air may be supplied to the ice tray 210 through a discharge duct 310 and a cold air guide module 220 by a blower or the like.
The ice making assembly 200 includes an ice tray 210 which receives water, a cold air guide module 220 which guides the flow of cold air such that the cold air supplied from the cooling module moves along a back surface of the ice tray 210, and a rotation module 230 which rotates the ice tray 210 to drop the ice into the ice bucket 320.
The ice tray 210 provides a space in which water supplied from a water supply pipe (not shown) or the like is cooled to produce ice, and has a plurality of ice forming spaces formed on an upper surface thereof to accommodate water. The forming spaces may have various shapes according to the shape of ice to be made, and the number of forming spaces may vary.
The ice tray 210 may be made of metal having high thermal conductivity, e.g., aluminum. The ice tray 210 may improve a heat exchange rate between water and cold air due to high thermal conductivity. Consequently, the ice tray 210 serves as a type of heat exchanger. Although not illustrated, the back surface of the ice tray 210 may be provided with cooling ribs or the like for increasing surface area contact with the cold air.
The cold air guide module 220 functions to guide the cold air supplied from the cooling module to the lower side of the ice tray 210. The cold air guide module 220 is coupled to the discharge duct 310 to form a passage through which the cold air is supplied from the cooling module. The cold air guide module 220 includes cold air guide elements 221 and 222 coupled to at least one surface of the discharge duct 310, and includes a first cold air guide element 221 extending from an upper surface of the discharge duct 310 and a second cold air guide element 222 extending from a lower surface of the discharge duct 310.
The first cold air guide element 221 is coupled between the upper surface of the discharge duct 310 and a bracket 221 to which the ice tray 210 is mounted. The second cold air guide element 222 extends from the lower surface of the discharge duct 310 and is spaced apart from the back surface of the ice tray 210. Thus, a cold air passage 225 for cold air flow is formed between the back surface of the ice tray 210 and an upper surface of the second cold air guide element 222.
The cold air guided by the cold air guide elements 221 and 222 flows toward the back surface of the ice tray 210, and exchanges heat with the ice tray 210 so that the water present in the ice tray 210 is transformed into ice.
The ice made in the above manner is dropped into the ice bucket 320 disposed beneath the ice tray 210 by the rotation module 230. Specifically, the upper surface of the ice tray 210 may be turned toward the ice bucket 320 by rotation of a rotary shaft 234, and the ice tray 210 may be twisted (e.g., distorted) by contact with a fixed element (not shown) when rotating beyond a specific angle. Consequently, through the twisting of the ice tray 210, ice in the ice tray 210 is dropped into the ice bucket 320.
In addition, a plurality of ejectors (not shown) may be disposed in a longitudinal direction of the rotary shaft 234 so ice is ejected from the ice tray 210 by rotation of the ejectors, without the rotation of the ice tray 210. The rotary shaft 234 is driven by an ice maker driving module 232, and the ice maker driving module 232 is coupled in the ice making space 105 by an ice maker fixture 233.
Moreover, the ice tray 210 may be equipped with a deicing heater 231 which heats a surface of the ice tray 210 during or before rotation of the rotary shaft 234. Ice is separated from the ice tray 210 in a manner that melts the surface of the ice in the ice tray 210 with heat from the deicing heater 231.
The transfer assembly 400 transfers ice toward an ice discharge module 600, and may include an auger 410 and an auger motor 420. The auger 410 is a rotatable element having blades in a screw or spiral form, and is rotated by the auger motor 420. The auger 410 is disposed in the ice bucket 320. Ice collected in the ice bucket 320 may be inserted between the blades of the auger 410 to be transferred toward the ice discharge module 600 by rotation of the auger 410. The auger motor 420 is disposed in an auger motor housing 430.
The ice discharge module 600 is connected to a dispenser (not shown) disposed in one of the refrigerating chamber doors 3, and the ice transferred by the transfer assembly 400 is supplied to a user through the dispenser according to an activation thereof by the user. Although not illustrated, the ice discharge module 600 has a cutting element for cutting ice into a predetermined size.
FIG. 4 is a planar cross-sectional view conceptually illustrating the ice maker in FIG. 2.
Referring to FIG. 4, the full ice detection module 500 detects that ice is collected in the ice bucket 320 beyond a certain extent, that is, detects whether the ice bucket 320 is full of ice. The full ice detection module 500 includes a pair of first and second sensors 510 and 520, which are mounted to the rotation module 230 and the cold air guide section 220, respectively. The sensors 510 and 520 may be photo sensors such as infrared sensors, and may be configured as a light-emitting sensor and a light-receiving sensor for instance.
The light-emitting sensor is a sensor configured for emitting light which may be blocked by ice, and the light-receiving sensor is a sensor configured for detecting light. When light emitted from the light-emitting sensor is not received by the light-receiving sensor, it may be determined that a blocking material, namely ice, is present in a path of light. In an exemplary embodiment, the first sensor 510 is a light-emitting sensor and the second sensor 520 is a light-receiving sensor which are described below.
The heights (e.g., y-axis coordinates) at which the first and second sensors 510 and 520 of the full ice detection module 500 are mounted to the rotation module 230 and the cold air guide module 220 vary according to the limited amount of ice which may be accommodated in the ice bucket 320 (hereinafter, referred to as the “predetermined limited capacity”). The first and second sensors 510 and 520 of the full ice detection module 500 are coupled to the rotation module 230 and the cold air guide module 220 at the relevant heights.
The first sensor 510 may be mounted to a lower portion of the ice maker fixture 233 of the rotation module 230 located at one side along the longitudinal direction (x-axis direction) of the ice tray 210. The first sensor 510 may be mounted to the ice maker fixture 233 through a first mounting portion 511 disposed in the ice maker fixture 233. The first mounting portion 511 may have a groove into which the first sensor 510 is inserted therein.
The second sensor 520 are coupled to the other side of the lower portion of the second guide member 222 along the longitudinal direction of the ice tray 210. The second sensor 520 is coupled to the second guide member 222 through a second mounting portion 521 disposed in the second guide member 222. The second mounting portion 521 may have a groove into which the second sensor 520 is inserted therein.
Although the structures in which the first sensor 510 is coupled to the rotation member 230 and the second sensor 520 is coupled to the cold air guide section 220 have been described with respect to the above described embodiment, the positions of the first and second sensors 510 and 520 may be reversed.
The first and second sensors 510 and 520 are mounted at diagonal points on a rectangular portion of a plane (e.g., x-z plane) formed by the back surface of the ice tray 210. That is, the first and second sensors 510 and 520 are mounted at different points on the z-axis. For example, a distance between the first and second sensors 510 and 520 in the z-axis direction may correspond to the width (e.g., z-axis length) of the cold air guide module 220.
Hereinafter, the operation and results or functions of the ice maker 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the ice maker 10 according to an embodiment, cold air generated through the compressor, the condenser, the expansion valve, and the evaporator is supplied to the cooling space 105 via the discharge duct 310. The cold air freezes water placed in the ice tray 210 disposed in the cooling space 105. In this case, since the cold air guide module 220 is connected to the discharge duct 310 and extending therefrom, the cold air discharged from the discharge duct 310 moves along the cold air guide module 220.
Referring to FIG. 2, the cold air enters between the first cold air guide element 221 and the second cold air guide element 222 and then moves along the cold air passage 225 formed between the back surface of the ice tray 210 and the second guide element 222. The cold air exchanges heat with the back surface of the ice tray 210 while moving along the back surface of the ice tray 210, and cools water in the ice tray 210 so as to form ice. The ice made in the ice tray 210 is dropped downward by rotation of the rotary shaft 234 and may be collected in the ice bucket 320 arranged beneath the ice tray 210.
As ice is generated, the amount of ice collected in the ice bucket 320 may exceed a predetermined limited capacity of the ice bucket 320. In this case, the full ice detection module 500 detects whether or not the amount of ice collected in the ice bucket 320 exceeds the predetermined limited capacity of the ice bucket 320.
The first sensor 510 may constantly or periodically emit light, and the light emitted from the first sensor 510 reaches the second sensor 520 located on the diagonal path. When the light passing through the diagonal path is received by the second sensor 520, the amount of ice collected in the ice bucket 320 may be determined to be less than the predetermined limited capacity of the ice bucket 320.
When ice is accumulates in the ice bucket 320 and exceeds a predetermined height, e.g., to the detection height of the full ice detection module 500, light emitted from the first sensor 510 hits the ice and the light is not received by the second sensor 520. Accordingly, a control unit (not shown) determines whether the ice bucket 320 is full of ice. Then, the control unit stops the driving of the rotation module 230 and stops and/or pauses the operation of the components for manufacturing ice.
In the ice maker 10 according to an embodiment, when the full ice detection section 500 is disposed on the back surface of the cold air guide module 220, the lower region of the ice tray 210 overlaps with the lower region of the cold air guide module 220. Therefore, the full ice detection section 500 may effectively detect the ice dropped from the ice tray 210.
In addition, since the first and second sensors 510 and 520 of the full ice detection section 500 are disposed at the diagonal points in the ice tray 210, a detection region for ice detection is enlarged as compared to a case where the first and second sensors 510 and 520 of the full ice detection section 500 are mounted in a linear section.
Moreover, since a mechanical full ice detection structure such as a detection lever is replaced with the full ice detection module 500 according to the embodiment, the number of parts and assembly processes may be reduced and thus manufacturing costs are reduced.
Furthermore, since the detection region for detecting whether the ice bucket is full of ice is enlarged, factors contributing to malfunction due to full ice detection errors are reduced, and thus the ice maker has improved reliability.
Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing the ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of manufacturing the ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, the above-mentioned ice maker 10 comprises the ice making assembly 200, the ice bucket 320, and the transfer assembly 400. In order to manufacture the ice maker 10 according to an embodiment, the ice making assembly 200, the ice bucket 320, and the transfer assembly 400, which constitute the ice maker 10, are individually manufactured in the known manner (S100). The first sensor 510 of the full ice detection module 500 for detecting whether the ice bucket 320 is full of ice is mounted to the lower portion of the rotation module 230 of the ice making assembly 200, and the second sensor 520 of the full ice detection section 500 is mounted to the lower portion of the cold air guide module 220 of the ice making assembly 200 (S200).
In this case, the first and second sensors 510 and 520 are mounted at the diagonal points on a rectangular portion of the plane formed by the back surface of the ice tray 210. The position of the first sensor 510 mounted to the rotation module 230 and the position of the second sensor 520 mounted to the cold air guide module 220 may be adjusted such that the first sensor 510 is optically and/or operatively coupled to the second sensor 520 (S300). That is, the positions of the first and second sensors 510 and 520 may be adjusted such that light emitted from the first sensor 510 is received by the second sensor 520.
When the position adjustment of the first and second sensors 510 and 520 is completed, the transfer assembly 400 is assembled to one side of the ice bucket 320 and the ice making assembly 200 is assembled to the upper side of the ice bucket 320 (S400). The ice maker 10 manufacture may be completed by additionally assembling the main body 100, the ice discharge module 600, etc., to form the ice maker 10.
The first and second sensors 510 and 520 of the full ice detection module 500 according to the embodiment are mounted to the ice making assembly 200 and manufactured as a single assembly. Thus, the full ice detection module 500 is mounted to the ice making assembly 200 before the assemblies forming the ice maker 10 are assembled to each other. That is, since the full ice detection section 500 components including the pair of sensors 510 and 520 and is mounted to the single assembly, the full ice detection section 500 may be easily mounted without interference with the other assemblies.
In addition, the process of adjusting the positions of the first and second sensors 510 and 520 in order to optically and/or operatively interconnect the first and second sensors 510 and 520 as light-emitting and light-receiving sensors may be easily performed.
In accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a refrigerator including an ice maker capable of accurately detecting whether or not an ice bucket is full of ice is provided.
In addition, a method of manufacturing the ice maker for the refrigerator is provided, in which a full ice detection module is easily mounted to the ice maker.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. More particularly, various variations and modifications are possible in constituent elements of the embodiments. In addition, it is to be understood that differences relevant to the variations and modifications fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure defined in the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:

a case comprising a food storage space;

a cooling module configured to generate cold air;

a door disposed on the case to seal the food storage space; and

an ice maker installed in at least one of the food storage space and the door, wherein the ice maker comprises:

a main body having a cooling space for receiving the cold air generated by the cooling module;

an ice making assembly comprising: an ice tray disposed in the cooling space to generate ice, a cold air guide module disposed at a lower side of the ice tray and configured to guide the cold air supplied from the cooling module to the lower side of the ice tray; and a rotation module configured for rotating at least one of the ice tray and an ejector for ejecting the ice from the ice tray;

an ice bucket disposed at a lower side of the ice making assembly to receive the ice from the ice tray; and

a full ice detection module comprising a first sensor coupled to a lower portion of the rotation module and a second sensor coupled to a lower portion of the cold air guide module, and detecting whether or not the ice bucket is full by operative interconnection of the first and second sensors.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the first sensor is inserted into a first mounting portion disposed in the lower portion of the rotation module and the second sensor is inserted into a second mounting portion disposed in the lower portion of the cold air guide module.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the first and second sensors are coupled at diagonal points on a rectangular portion of a plane formed by a back surface of the ice tray.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the cold air is supplied into the cooling space through a discharge duct, and the cold air guide module extends from at least one surface of the discharge duct.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the cold air guide module comprises:

a first cold air guide member extending from an upper surface of the discharge duct; and

a second cold air guide member extending from a lower surface of the discharge duct, and

wherein the second cold air guide member is spaced apart from a back surface of the ice tray, wherein a cold air movement passage is formed between the back surface of the ice tray and an upper surface of the second cold air guide member.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the first sensor is a light-emitting sensor and the second sensor is a light-receiving sensor.

7. A method of manufacturing an ice maker for a refrigerator, the method comprising:

manufacturing an ice making assembly, an ice bucket, and a transfer assembly forming an ice maker;

coupling a first sensor of a full ice detection module to a lower portion of a rotation module of the ice making assembly;

coupling a second sensor of the full ice detection module to a lower portion of a cold air guide module of the ice making assembly, wherein the full ice detection module is configured for detecting whether the ice bucket is full;

adjusting a position of the first sensor coupled to the rotation module and a position of the second sensor coupled to the cold air guide module, wherein the first sensor is operatively coupled to the second sensor; and

assembling the transfer assembly to a side of the ice bucket and assembling the ice making assembly to an upper side of the ice bucket.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

disposing an ice tray at an upper side of the cold air guide module; and

coupling the first and second sensors at diagonal points on a rectangular portion of a plane formed by a back surface of the ice tray.

9. An apparatus comprising:

an ice maker comprising:

a main body having a cooling space for receiving cold air generated by a cooling module;

an ice bucket disposed at a lower side of the ice making assembly to receive ice from the ice tray; and

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first sensor is inserted into a first mounting portion disposed in the lower portion of the rotation module and the second sensor is inserted into a second mounting portion disposed in the lower portion of the cold air guide module.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first and second sensors are coupled at diagonal points on a rectangular portion of a plane formed by a back surface of the ice tray.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the cold air is supplied into the cooling space through a discharge duct, and the cold air guide module extends from at least one surface of the discharge duct.

13. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the cold air guide module comprises:

a second cold air guide member extending from a lower surface of the discharge duct, and wherein the second cold air guide member is spaced apart from a back surface of the ice tray, wherein a cold air movement passage is formed between the back surface of the ice tray and an upper surface of the second cold air guide member.

14. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first sensor is a light-emitting sensor and the second sensor is a light-receiving sensor.