Refrigerator

Abstract

A refrigerator may include: a first tray forming a part of ice-making cells; a second tray forming the other part of the ice-making cells; a heater for supplying heat to the ice making cells; a cooler for supplying cold to a storage compartment; and a control unit for controlling the heater and the cooler. The operation modes of the refrigerator include a first mode and a second mode. The control unit may control so that either or both of the amounts of cooling by the cooler and the amount of heating by the heater vary in the first mode and the second mode.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A refrigerator comprising:
 a storage chamber;   a cooler configured to supply cold to the storage chamber; and   an ice maker comprising:   a first tray assembly including a first tray;   a second tray assembly including a second tray;   a cell in which liquid is phase-changed into ice, the first tray including a first portion of the cell and the second tray including a second portion of the cell;   a liquid supply outlet configured to supply the liquid to the cell;   a heater case in which a heater is installed, the heater supplying a heat to the cell in at least partial section while the cold is supplied to the cell;   a bracket defining at least a portion of a space that accommodates the first tray assembly and the second tray assembly,   wherein an operation mode of the refrigerator includes a first mode and a second mode, the first mode being a first transparent ice mode, and the second mode being a second transparent ice mode,   wherein a transparency of the ice in the first transparent ice mode is higher than transparency of the ice in the second transparent ice mode,   wherein a cooling output of the cooler in the first mode is greater than a cooling output of the cooler in the second mode,   wherein, when the cell is divided into unit height of the cell, the cell includes a first section defining an upper portion of the cell, a second section defining a lower portion of the cell, and a third section disposed between the first section and the second section,   wherein the first section is disposed nearer than the second section to the liquid supply outlet,   wherein a mass per unit height of the liquid in the first section is less than a mass per unit height of the liquid in the third section, and a mass per unit height of the liquid in the second section is less than the mass per unit height of the liquid in the third section, and   wherein the cold is supplied to the cell through an opening formed in the bracket.   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein a set temperature of the storage chamber is increased in order to reduce the cooling output of the cooler. 
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein a set temperature of the storage chamber is reduced in order to increase the cooling output of the cooler. 
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein a set temperature of the storage chamber in the second mode is greater than a set temperature of the storage chamber in the first mode. 
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein a heating amount of the heater in the first mode is different from a heating amount of the heater in the second mode. 
     
     
         6 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the first tray assembly includes a first tray case. 
     
     
         7 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the second tray assembly includes a second tray case. 
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator of  claim 7 , wherein the heater case is integrally formed with the second tray case or is separately provided to be coupled to the second tray case. 
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator of  claim 6 , wherein the first tray case includes the first tray supporter and the first tray cover, the first tray supporter and the first tray being integrally provided or coupled to each other with each other after being manufactured in separate configurations. 
     
     
         10 . The refrigerator of  claim 9 , wherein the first tray cover is manufactured as a separate part from the bracket and then is coupled to the bracket or integrally formed with the bracket. 
     
     
         11 . A refrigerator comprising:
 a storage chamber;   a cooler configured to supply cold to the storage chamber; and   an ice maker comprising:   a first tray assembly including a first tray;   a second tray assembly including a second tray;   a cell in which liquid is phase-changed into ice, the first tray including a first portion of the cell and the second tray including a second portion of the cell;   a liquid supply outlet configured to supply the liquid to the cell;   a heater case in which a heater is installed, the heater supplying a heat to the cell in at least partial section while the cold is supplied to the cell,   a bracket defining at least a portion of a space that accommodates the first tray assembly and the second tray assembly,   wherein an operation mode of the refrigerator includes a first mode and a second mode, the first mode being a transparent ice mode, and the second mode being a non-transparent ice mode,   wherein a cooling output of the cooler in the first mode is greater than a cooling output of the cooler in the second mode,   wherein, when the cell is divided into unit height of the cell, the cell includes a first section defining an upper portion of the cell, a second section defining a lower portion of the cell, and a third section disposed between the first section and the second section,   wherein the first section is disposed nearer than the second section to the liquid supply outlet,   wherein a mass per unit height of the liquid in the first section is less than a mass per unit height of the liquid in the third section, and a mass per unit height of the liquid in the second section is less than the mass per unit height of the liquid in the third section, and   wherein the cold is supplied to the cell through an opening formed in the bracket.   
     
     
         12 . The refrigerator of  claim 11 , wherein a set temperature of the storage chamber is increased in order to reduce the cooling output of the cooler. 
     
     
         13 . The refrigerator of  claim 11 , wherein a set temperature of the storage chamber is reduced in order to increase the cooling output of the cooler. 
     
     
         14 . The refrigerator of  claim 11 , wherein a set temperature of the storage chamber in the second mode is greater than a set temperature of the storage chamber in the first mode. 
     
     
         15 . The refrigerator of  claim 11 , wherein a heating amount of the heater in the first mode is different from a heating amount of the heater in the second mode. 
     
     
         16 . A refrigerator comprising:
 a storage chamber;   a cooler configured to supply cold to the storage chamber; and   an ice maker comprising:   a first tray assembly including a first tray;   a second tray assembly including a second tray;   a cell in which liquid is phase-changed into ice, the first tray including a first portion of the cell and the second tray including a second portion of the cell;   a liquid supply outlet configured to supply the liquid to the cell;   a heater case in which a heater is installed, the heater supplying a heat to the cell in at least partial section while a cold is supplied to the cell;   a bracket defining at least a portion of a space that accommodates the first tray assembly and the second tray assembly; and   an ice bin provided in the storage chamber and configured to store the ice made in the cell,   wherein an operation mode of the refrigerator includes a first mode and a second mode, the first mode being a non-full ice mode, and the second mode being a full ice mode,   wherein the ice bin is in a full ice state in the full ice mode, and the ice bin is in a non-full ice state in the non-full ice mode,   wherein a cooling output of the cooler in the first mode is greater than a cooling output of the cooler in the second mode,   wherein, when the cell is divided into unit height of the cell, the cell includes a first section defining an upper portion of the cell, a second section defining a lower portion of the cell, and a third section disposed between the first section and the second section,   wherein the first section is disposed nearer than the second section to the liquid supply outlet,   wherein a mass per unit height of the liquid in the first section is less than a mass per unit height of the liquid in the third section, and a mass per unit height of the liquid in the second section is less than the mass per unit height of the liquid in the third section, and   wherein the cold is supplied to the cell through an opening formed in the bracket.   
     
     
         17 . The refrigerator of  claim 15 , wherein a set temperature of the storage chamber is increased in order to reduce the cooling output of the cooler. 
     
     
         18 . The refrigerator of  claim 15 , wherein a set temperature of the storage chamber is reduced in order to increase the cooling output of the cooler. 
     
     
         19 . The refrigerator of  claim 15 , wherein a set temperature of the storage chamber in the second mode is greater than a set temperature of the storage chamber in the first mode. 
     
     
         20 . The refrigerator of  claim 15 , wherein a heating amount of the heater in the first mode is different from a heating amount of the heater in the second mode.