Cooling system for ice maker

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016109166-A1
Application number	US-201514980072-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 28, 2015
Priority date	Dec 13, 2012
Publication date	Apr 21, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An ice maker having an ice tray horizontally suspended within a housing and a drive body rotatably coupled to a transverse axis of the ice tray and configured to oscillate the ice tray about the transverse axis. The cold side of a thermoelectric device is thermally coupled with a bottom surface of the ice tray, and a hot side opposes the cold side. A barrier extends around the periphery of the ice tray within the housing, and separates the housing into a first chamber and a second air chamber. A heat sink is thermally coupled with the hot side of the thermoelectric device and extends into the second air chamber. An intake duct member is coupled with the housing proximate the second air chamber, and is configured to dispense a cold air flow over the heat sink. The barrier restricts the cold air flow from entering the first chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An ice maker comprising:
an ice tray horizontally suspended within a housing; an electrical drive body rotatably coupled to a transverse axis of the ice tray, wherein the drive body is configured to oscillate the ice tray about the transverse axis relative to the housing; a thermoelectric device that has a cold side thermally coupled with a bottom surface of the ice tray to freeze water retained therein and a hot side opposing the cold side; a barrier extending from the housing and surrounding a periphery of the ice tray to define a first air chamber above the ice tray and a second air chamber below the ice tray; a heat sink thermally coupled with the hot side of the thermoelectric device and extending within the second air chamber; and an intake duct member coupled with the housing proximate the second air chamber, wherein the intake duct member is configured to dispense a cold air flow over the heat sink, and wherein the barrier is configured to restrict the cold air flow from entering the first air chamber.

2 . The ice maker of claim 1 , further comprising:
a shroud member coupled with the ice tray and spanning beneath the heat sink, wherein the shroud member is configured to maintain contact with the barrier to restrict the cold air flow from entering the first air chamber when the ice tray oscillates.

3 . The ice maker of claim 1 , further comprising:
an exhaust duct member coupled with the housing proximate the second air chamber, and wherein the exhaust duct member receives the cold air flow after it flows over the heat sink.

4 . The ice maker of claim 1 , further comprising:
a shroud member coupled with the ice tray and spanning beneath the heat sink, wherein the shroud member includes an curved exterior surface radially spaced from the transverse axis of the ice tray; and an exhaust duct member coupled with the housing proximate the second air chamber for receiving the cold air flow after it flows over the heat sink.

5 . The ice maker of claim 4 , wherein the intake duct member includes a vent opening that has an edge portion abutting the shroud member; and wherein the shroud member includes an air passage that is configured to align with the vent opening.

6 . The ice maker of claim 5 , wherein the air passage of the shroud member is configured to slide in alignment with the vent opening when the ice tray oscillates from a first position to a second position, wherein the air passage aligns with an upper section of the vent opening in the first position, and wherein the air passages aligns with a lower section of the vent opening in the second position.

7 . The ice maker of claim 1 , wherein the drive body is configured to rotate the ice tray to a harvest position having at least a portion of the heat sink rotated into the first air chamber.

8 . The ice maker of claim 1 , wherein the first air chamber has an air temperature warmer than the second air chamber.

9 . An ice maker for an appliance comprising:
an exterior housing; an ice tray suspended within the housing and having a plurality of water wells disposed along a transverse axis of the ice tray; an electrical drive body rotatably coupled to the ice tray, wherein the drive body is configured to oscillate the ice tray about the transverse axis; a thermoelectric device that has a cold side thermally coupled with a bottom surface of the ice tray to freeze water retained in the water wells and a hot side opposing the cold side; a heat sink thermally coupled with the hot side of the thermoelectric device that includes a plurality of metal fins extending from the hot side; and a shroud member coupled with the ice tray and spanning beneath the heat sink, wherein the shroud member abuts the housing about a periphery of the ice tray to define a first air chamber above the ice tray and a second air chamber below the ice tray, and wherein the shroud is configured to restrict cold air flow in the second chamber from entering the first air chamber.

10 . The ice maker of claim 9 , further comprising:
an intake duct member coupled with the housing proximate the second air chamber, wherein the intake duct member is configured to dispense a cold air flow over the heat sink.

11 . The ice maker of claim 10 , further comprising:
an exhaust duct member coupled with the housing proximate the second air chamber, wherein the exhaust duct member receives the cold air flow after it flows over the heat sink.

12 . The ice maker of claim 11 , further comprising:
a barrier extending from the housing to abut the shroud member along opposing longitudinal edges of the ice tray, wherein the shroud member is shaped to maintain contact with the barrier when the ice tray oscillates.

13 . The ice maker of claim 12 , wherein the shroud member includes a curved exterior surface radially spaced from the transverse axis of the ice tray.

14 . The ice maker of claim 15 , wherein the drive body is configured to rotate the ice tray to a harvest position having at least a portion of the heat sink rotated into the first air chamber, and wherein the ice tray is configured to release ice in the wells in the harvest position.

15 . The ice maker of claim 11 , wherein the intake duct member includes a vent opening; and wherein the shroud member includes an air passage that is configured to align with the vent opening.

16 . The ice maker of claim 14 , wherein the air passage of the shroud member is configured to slide in alignment with the vent opening when the ice tray oscillates from a first position to a second position, wherein the air passage aligns with an upper section of the vent opening in the first position, and wherein the air passages aligns with a lower section of the vent opening in the second position.

17 . An ice maker for an appliance comprising:
an ice tray rotatably coupled within a housing; a thermoelectric device that has a cold side thermally coupled with a bottom surface of the ice tray and a hot side opposing the cold side; a heat sink thermally coupled with the hot side of the thermoelectric device; a barrier extending from the housing and abutting longitudinal edge portions of the ice tray to define a first air chamber above the ice tray and a second air chamber below the ice tray; an intake duct member coupled with the housing proximate the second air chamber, wherein the intake duct member is configured to dispense a cold air flow over the heat sink, and wherein the first air chamber includes warmer air than the second air chamber to form at least one clear ice piece in the ice tray.

18 . The ice maker of claim 17 , further comprising:
an exhaust duct member coupled with the housing proximate the second air chamber, and wherein the exhaust duct member receives the cold air flow after it flows over the heat sink.

19 . The ice maker of claim 17 , wherein the housing is positioned on a door of the appliance enclosing at least a portion of a refrigerator compartment of the appliance.

20 . The ice maker of claim 17 , wherein the first air chamber has an air temperature at least 10 degrees F. warmer than the second air chamber.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Boarman Patrick J
• Thomas Mark E

Classifications

• F25D2317/063

  with air guides · CPC title

• F25D2317/061

  through special compartments · CPC title

• F25D2317/062

  along the inside of doors · CPC title

• F25B21/02 Primary

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

• F25C1/10

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