Refrigerator with ice mold chilled by fluid exchange from thermoelectric device with cooling from fresh food compartment of freezer compartment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10655901-B2
Application number	US-201715682712-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 22, 2017
Priority date	Dec 3, 2012
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

A refrigerator that has a fresh food compartment, a freezer compartment, and a door that provides access to the fresh food compartment is disclosed. An icemaker is mounted remotely from the freezer compartment. The icemaker includes an ice mold. A thermoelectric device is provided and includes a warm side and an opposite cold side. A fluid pathway is connected in communication between the cold side of the thermoelectric device and the icemaker. A pump moves fluid from the cold side of the thermoelectric device to the icemaker. Cold fluid or air may be taken from the freezer compartment to dissipate heat from the warm side of the thermoelectric device for providing cold fluid to and for cooling the ice mold or cool/warm fluid to other cooling or warming applications in the refrigerator compartment or on the refrigerator compartment door.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator with an in-door icemaker comprising:
a freezer compartment;
a fresh food compartment;
a door for providing selective access to the fresh food compartment;
an icemaker mounted on the door, the icemaker including an ice mold;
a thermoelectric device comprising a first side and a second side disposed in the fresh food compartment;
a first liquid refrigerant loop comprising a fluid supply pathway abutting and in thermal communication with the first side of the thermoelectric device and the ice mold;
a second liquid refrigerant loop comprising a fluid supply pathway abutting and in thermal communication with the second side of the thermoelectric device and the freezer compartment;
wherein the refrigerator further comprises an icemaking mode wherein the first side is a cold side and the second side is a warm side;
wherein when the refrigerator is in the icemaking mode, heat is transferred from the ice mold to the first side via a first liquid circulating through the first liquid refrigerant loop, and heat is transferred from the second side to the freezer compartment via a second liquid circulating through the second liquid refrigerant fluid loop.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the first liquid refrigerant loop further comprises a fluid return pathway in thermal communication between the icemaker and the cold side of the thermoelectric device when in the icemaking mode.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the fluid supply pathway of the second liquid refrigerant loop is in thermal communication between the warm side of the thermoelectric device and the freezer compartment when in the icemaking mode.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the second liquid refrigerant loop further comprises a heat exchanger within the freezer compartment and in thermal communication with the warm side of the thermoelectric device when in the icemaking mode.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1 further comprising:
an insulated compartment on the door;
an ice storage bin in the insulated compartment positioned to receive ice harvested from the ice mold; and
wherein the fluid supply pathway of the first liquid refrigerant loop is in thermal communication with the insulated compartment and the cold side of the thermoelectric device when in the icemaking mode.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising an ice harvesting mode.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein when in the ice harvesting mode the first side is a warm side and the second side is a cold side.

8. The refrigerator of claim 7 , wherein when the refrigerator is in the ice harvesting mode, heat is transferred from the first side to the ice mold via the first liquid circulating through the first liquid refrigerant loop.

9. A refrigerator comprising:
a fresh food compartment;
a freezer compartment;
a door that provides access to the fresh food compartment;
an icemaker comprising an ice mold mounted on the door;
a first fluid loop in fluid communication with the icemaker;
a second fluid loop in fluid communication with the freezer compartment; and
a thermoelectric device disposed in the fresh food compartment abuts and is in thermal communication with the first fluid loop and the second fluid loop such that in an icemaking mode heat is transferred from the ice mold to a first side of the thermoelectric device via the first fluid loop and from a second side of the thermoelectric device to the second fluid loop; and
wherein heat is removed from the second fluid loop within the freezer compartment.

10. The refrigerator of claim 9 , wherein the first fluid loop further comprises a liquid refrigerant supply pathway and a liquid refrigerant return pathway in communication between the icemaker and the first side of the thermoelectric device.

11. The refrigerator of claim 9 , wherein the second fluid loop further comprises at least one flow pathway in communication between the fresh food compartment and the freezer compartment.

12. The refrigerator of claim 9 further comprising:
an insulated compartment on the door;
an ice storage bin in the insulated compartment positioned to receive ice harvested from the ice mold; and
wherein the first fluid loop is in thermal communication with the insulated compartment and the first side of the thermoelectric device for chilling the insulated compartment when in the icemaking mode.

13. The refrigerator of claim 9 , wherein the second fluid loop further comprises a liquid refrigerant supply pathway from the freezer compartment providing a thermal influence on the second side of the thermoelectric device when in the icemaking mode.

14. The refrigerator of claim 9 , further comprising an ice harvesting mode.

15. The refrigerator of claim 14 , wherein when in the ice harvesting mode the first side is a warm side and the second side is a cold side.

16. The refrigerator of claim 15 , wherein when the refrigerator is in the ice harvesting mode, heat is transferred from the first side to the ice mold via a first liquid circulating through the first fluid loop.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Boarman Patrick
• Culley Brian
• Hortin Gregory

Classifications

• F25D17/065

  with compartments at different temperatures · CPC title

• F25D2323/021

  French doors · CPC title

• F25D11/02

  with cooling compartments at different temperatures · CPC title

• F25B21/02 Primary

  using Peltier effect; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effect · CPC title

• F25C1/00 Primary

  Producing ice (F25C3/00 takes precedence) · CPC title