Layering of low thermal conductive material on metal tray

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10845111-B2
Application number	US-201916247813-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 15, 2019
Priority date	Dec 13, 2012
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

An ice making assembly within an appliance with a housing having an inlet and an outlet, and a lower portion and an upper portion. The assembly includes a rotatable shroud within the housing with a first slot in air communication with the inlet, and a second slot in air communication with the outlet. A thermoelectric device with a top side and a bottom side, and having a heat sink on the bottom side between the first slot and the second slot. An ice tray disposed above and thermally connected with the top side, a barrier wall within the housing and in contact with the shroud between the lower portion and the upper portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ice making assembly within an appliance, the ice making assembly comprising:
a housing having an inlet and an outlet, and a lower portion and an upper portion;
a shroud rotatably disposed within the housing about an axis and having a first slot in air communication with the inlet, and a second slot in air communication with the outlet;
a thermoelectric device with a top side and a bottom side, the thermoelectric device having a heat sink on the bottom side and disposed between the first slot and the second slot;
an ice tray disposed above and in thermal communication with the top side;
a barrier wall within the housing and in contact with the shroud between the lower portion and the upper portion.

2. The ice making assembly of claim 1 , wherein the shroud oscillates about the axis during an ice making process.

3. The ice making assembly of claim 2 , wherein the first slot maintains communication with the inlet and the second slot maintains communication with the outlet during the ice making process.

4. The ice making assembly of claim 2 , wherein the barrier wall maintains contact with the shroud during the ice making process.

5. The ice making assembly of claim 1 , wherein the ice tray is twistable.

6. The ice making assembly of claim 5 , wherein the ice tray further comprises at least one insulated wall separating adjacent ice wells.

7. The ice making assembly of claim 6 , wherein the ice tray is twisted during an ice harvesting process.

8. The ice making assembly of claim 5 , wherein the shroud rotates such that the ice tray faces the outlet during the harvesting process.

9. A clear ice making assembly comprising:
a housing comprising:
a first air chamber;
a second air chamber;
a barrier wall separating the first air chamber and the second air chamber;
an inlet in the second air chamber; and
an outlet in the second air chamber;

a shroud rotatably disposed within the housing and comprising:
a first slot adjacent to the inlet; and
a second slot adjacent to the outlet;

a thermoelectric device with a cold side and a warm side;
a heat sink on the warm side and disposed between the first slot and the second slot;
an ice tray in thermal communication with the cold side.

10. The clear ice making assembly of claim 9 , wherein the shroud oscillates about an axis during the ice making process.

11. The clear ice making assembly of claim 10 , wherein the first slot remains adjacent the inlet and the second slot remains adjacent the outlet during the ice making process.

12. The clear ice making assembly of claim 10 , wherein the barrier wall maintains contact with the shroud during the ice making process.

13. The clear ice making assembly of claim 9 , wherein the ice tray is twistable.

14. The clear ice making assembly of claim 13 , wherein the ice tray further comprises at least one insulated wall separating adjacent ice wells.

15. The clear ice making assembly of claim 14 , wherein the ice tray is twisted during an ice harvesting process.

16. The clear ice making assembly of claim 15 , wherein the shroud rotates such that the ice tray faces the outlet during the harvesting process.

17. A method of making clear ice, comprising the steps of:
attaching an ice tray within a rotatable shroud within a housing;
filling a twistable ice tray with water;
oscillating the ice tray;
freezing the water within the ice tray by thermally connecting a cold side of a thermoelectric device with a bottom side of the ice tray;
removing heat from a warm side of the thermoelectric device by attaching a heat sink to the warm side and disposing the heat sink between a first slot and a second slot of the shroud;
cooling the heat sink by urging an amount of cooling air through an inlet in the housing, through the first slot in the shroud, through the heat sink, out the second slot in the shroud, and then out an outlet in the housing; and
ensuring the water freezes from the bottom up by preventing the cooling air from reaching a top portion of the ice tray using a barrier wall in contact with the shroud.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising the step of harvesting the clear ice by twisting the ice tray, and rotating the shroud and ice tray such that a top of the ice tray is facing the outlet in the housing.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising the step of storing the ice by locating an ice bin below the outlet in the housing to catch the ice disposed during the harvest step.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the barrier wall maintains contact with the shroud throughout the ice making process.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Boarman Patrick J
• Wohlgamuth Lindsey A

Classifications

• F25C2305/022

  Harvesting ice including rotating or tilting or pivoting of a mould or tray · CPC title

• F25C2305/0221

  rotating ice mould · CPC title

• F25C1/24

  for refrigerators, e.g. freezing trays · CPC title

• F25C1/10

  by using rotating or otherwise moving moulds (F25C1/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F25C1/18 Primary

  of a particular transparency or translucency, e.g. by injecting air · CPC title