Refrigerator

Abstract

A refrigerator including a freezing chamber, a freezing chamber door, an ice making device provided in the freezing chamber and making ice, and a dispenser part provided with an ice outlet and discharging the ice made in the ice making device to an external side of the refrigerator. The dispenser part includes an ice lever selectively operating a supply and a stoppage of ice, a cover member moving between a closing position closing the ice outlet and an opening position opening the ice outlet in cooperation with the ice lever, a cover opening and closing sensor sensing opening and closing of the cover member, and a display part displaying a signal corresponding to the opening and closing of the cover member, from the cover opening and closing sensor. The refrigerator is capable of sensing the opening state of a cover accurately and reducing loss of energy.

1 . A refrigerator comprising 
 a freezing chamber having a freezing chamber door;    an ice making device positioned in the freezing chamber and making ice; and    a dispenser part including an ice outlet and discharging the ice made in the ice making device to an external side of the refrigerator, 
 wherein the dispenser part comprises: 
 an ice lever selectively operating a supply and a stoppage of ice,  
 a cover member moving between a closing position closing the ice outlet and an opening position opening the ice outlet in cooperation with the ice lever,  
 a cover opening and closing sensor sensing opening and closing of the cover member, and  
 a display part displaying a signal corresponding to the opening and closing of the cover member, from the cover opening and closing sensor.  
 
   
   
   
       2 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a warning part to inform a user of the signal; and    a controller controlling the warning part to operate when the cover opening and closing sensor senses the opening of the cover member for over a predetermined time.    
   
   
       3 . The refrigerator according to  claim 2 , further comprising a delay part delaying closing of the cover member for a predetermined delaying time when the ice lever is press-removed to stop supplying the ice after the ice is discharged from the dispenser part, 
 wherein the controller controls delaying operating of the warning part to be delayed for the predetermined delaying time.    
   
   
       4 . The refrigerator according to  claim 3 , wherein the display part comprises a display.  
   
   
       5 . The refrigerator according to  claim 4 , wherein the warning part comprises an acoustic warning device and/or a visual warning device.  
   
   
       6 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the cover opening and closing sensor comprises a light sensing device.  
   
   
       7 . The refrigerator according to  claim 2 , wherein the cover opening and closing sensor comprises a light sensing device.  
   
   
       8 . The refrigerator according to  claim 3 , wherein the cover opening and closing sensor comprises a light sensing device.  
   
   
       9 . The refrigerator according to  claim 4 , wherein the cover opening and closing sensor comprises a light sensing device.  
   
   
       10 . The refrigerator according to  claim 5 , wherein the cover opening and closing sensor comprises a light sensing device.  
   
   
       11 . A refrigerator comprising a freezing chamber having a door, and an ice making device installed in the freezing chamber, to make ice, the refrigerator comprising: 
 a dispenser part to receive ice from ice making device and comprising: 
 an outlet to discharge the ice to an external side of the refrigerator,  
 a lever to selectively supply ice to the external side of the refrigerator through the outlet,  
 a cover to open and close the outlet in cooperation with the lever,  
 a sensor to sense the opening and closing of the cover, and  
 a display to display a signal corresponding to the opening and closing of the cover sensed by the sensor.  
   
   
   
       12 . The refrigerator of  claim 11 , further comprising a warning part comprising an audio device or visual device to transmit the signal sensed by the sensor, to thereby warn a user of the opening of the cover.  
   
   
       13 . The refrigerator of  claim 12 , wherein the cover moves between a first position corresponding to the opening of the cover and a second position corresponding to the closing of the cover.  
   
   
       14 . The refrigerator of  claim 11 , wherein the sensor senses the opening of the cover and the opening of the door of the freezing chamber.  
   
   
       15 . The refrigerator of  claim 11 , wherein the cover is rotatably coupled with the outlet.  
   
   
       16 . The refrigerator of  claim 13 , further comprises a controller which determines whether a predetermined time period passes after the sensor senses that the cover is in the first position, and operates the warning part when the predetermined time period passes.  
   
   
       17 . The refrigerator of  claim 16 , wherein the predetermined time period is set in advance by the user.