Direct cooling ice maker

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11022358-B2
Application number	US-201916710250-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2019
Priority date	Dec 22, 2017
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

A refrigeration appliance includes a fresh food compartment for storing food items in a refrigerated environment having a target temperature above 0° C., a freezer compartment for storing food items in a sub-freezing environment having a target temperature below 0° C., a system evaporator for providing a cooling effect to at least one of the fresh food compartment and the freezer compartment, and an ice maker disposed within the fresh food compartment for freezing water into ice pieces. The ice maker includes an ice mold with an upper surface comprising a plurality of cavities formed therein for the ice pieces, a heater disposed on the ice mold and an ice maker refrigerant tube abutting at least one lateral side surface of the ice mold and cooling the ice mold to a temperature below 0° C. via thermal conduction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigeration appliance comprising:
a fresh food compartment for storing food items in a refrigerated environment having a target temperature above 0° C.;
a freezer compartment for storing food items in a sub-freezing environment having a target temperature below 0° C.;
a system evaporator for providing a cooling effect to at least one of the fresh food compartment and the freezer compartment; and
an ice maker disposed within the fresh food compartment for freezing water into ice pieces, the ice maker comprising:
an ice mold with an upper surface comprising a plurality of cavities formed therein for the ice pieces,
a heater disposed on the ice mold;
an ice maker refrigerant tube abutting at least one lateral side surface of the ice mold and cooling the ice mold to a temperature below 0° C. via thermal conduction; and
a retention device that is secured to the ice mold and which applies a retaining force against the ice maker refrigerant tube to thereby bias the ice maker refrigerant tube into abutment with the lateral side surface.

2. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 , wherein the ice maker refrigerant tube includes a first leg and a second leg abutting opposite lateral side surfaces of the ice mold.

3. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 , wherein the at least one lateral side surface of the ice mold includes recessed grooves extending along a longitudinal length of the ice mold for receiving the ice maker refrigerant tube, wherein the ice maker refrigerant tube is at least partially recessed into the at least one lateral side surface of the ice mold.

4. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the ice maker refrigerant tube extends away from the ice mold and includes a plurality of cooling fins thereon.

5. The refrigeration appliance of claim 4 , further comprising a fan adapted to convey air across the plurality of cooling fins to thereby provide a cooling airflow throughout the ice maker.

6. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 , further comprising a water fill cup formed integrally with the ice mold as a monolithic body, wherein the ice mold and the water fill cup both comprise a metal material.

7. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 , further comprising:
an ice box evaporator disposed within the ice maker and configured for supplying cooling air to an ice bin of the ice maker, wherein the ice box evaporator is connected to an outlet of the ice maker refrigerant tube.

8. The refrigeration appliance of claim 7 , further comprising:
a centrifugal fan for conveying air from the ice bin of the ice maker, over the ice box evaporator and back to the ice bin.

9. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 , wherein the retention device is a retention clip.

10. A refrigeration appliance comprising:
a fresh food compartment for storing food items in a refrigerated environment having a target temperature above 0° C.;
a freezer compartment for storing food items in a sub-freezing environment having a target temperature below 0° C.;
a system evaporator for providing a cooling effect to at least one of the fresh food compartment and the freezer compartment;
an ice maker disposed within the fresh food compartment for freezing water into ice pieces, the ice maker comprising:
an ice mold with an upper surface comprising a plurality of cavities formed therein for the ice pieces; and
an ice maker refrigerant tube for cooling the ice mold to a temperature below 0° C. via thermal conduction;

a valve comprising:
an inlet;
a first outlet connected to an inlet of the ice maker refrigerant tube; and
a second outlet connected to a bypass line around the ice maker refrigerant tube,
wherein the inlet of the valve is connected to the first outlet of the valve when the valve is in a first position such that a refrigerant flows through the ice maker refrigerant tube and the system evaporator, in that order, and
wherein the inlet of the valve is connected to the second outlet of the valve when the valve is in a second position such that the refrigerant flows through the bypass line and the system evaporator, in that order; and

an ice box evaporator disposed in the bypass line,
wherein when the valve is in the first position the refrigerant flows only through the ice maker refrigerant tube and the system evaporator, in that order and when the valve is in the second position the refrigerant flows only through the ice box evaporator and the system evaporator, in that order.

11. The refrigeration appliance of claim 10 , wherein the ice maker refrigerant tube abuts at least one lateral side surface of the ice mold.

12. The refrigeration appliance of claim 10 , wherein the ice mold includes at least one passage extending through the ice mold adjacent a lateral side surface of the ice mold for conveying a refrigerant there through.

13. The refrigeration appliance of claim 10 , wherein the system evaporator is a fresh food evaporator or a freezer evaporator.

Assignees

• Electrolux Home Prod Inc

Inventors

• Shi Zhuochen
• Mccollough Thomas

Classifications

• F25D11/022 Primary

  with two or more evaporators · CPC title

• F25C2400/14

  Water supply · CPC title

• F25D11/02

  with cooling compartments at different temperatures · CPC title

• F25D2317/061

  through special compartments · CPC title

• F25C5/22

  particularly adapted for household refrigerators · CPC title