Abstract: A refrigerator includes a main body and a storage compartment provided inside the main body. A heater assembly partitions the storage compartment into a first storage compartment and a second storage compartment. The heater assembly includes a first case provided to define a surface of the first storage compartment, a second case coupled to the first case to form an accommodation space with the first case and provided to define a surface of the second storage compartment, a fixing unit formed on at least one of an inner surface of the first case and an inner surface of the second case, and a surface heater fixed to at least one of the inner surface of the first case and the inner surface of the second case by being coupled to the fixing unit. The surface heater includes a film and a heating wire printed on the film.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a refrigerator includes an ice maker tray where ice is formed and an ice removal heater arranged on the outer side of the ice maker tray for melting a side of the ice. The ice maker tray may include an ice removal heater seat for settling the ice removal heater on the outer side of the ice maker tray, and the ice removal heater comprises a plurality of longitudinal portions formed in a direction corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the ice maker tray, and a plurality of bending portions arranged between the plurality of longitudinal portions. The ice maker and refrigerator having the same, which includes an ice removal heater to increase heat transfer efficiency for the ice maker while reducing power consumption of the ice removal heater.

Abstract: A refrigerator having a valve to distribute a refrigerant to a plurality of storage compartments. The valve includes a step motor, a valve plate having at least one inlet and a plurality of outlets, and an opening/closing member rotatably coupled to the valve plate to open or close the plurality of outlets in accordance with a rotating motion thereof. In particular, the opening/closing member has one or more recesses, which are indented from the circumference of the opening/closing member by a predetermined distance, to always open only one of the plurality of outlets. With the above-described configuration, the refrigerator can reduce material costs, and can achieve not only simplified valve control, but also accurate control in temperatures of the plurality of storage compartments.