On-door ice maker cooling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016187035-A1
Application number	US-201514932339-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 4, 2015
Priority date	Dec 3, 2012
Publication date	Jun 30, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a refrigerator cabinet, a refrigerator compartment disposed within the refrigerator cabinet, a refrigerator compartment door for providing access to the refrigerator compartment, an ice maker on the refrigerator compartment door, a thermoelectric cooler associated with the ice maker and operatively connected to the refrigerator compartment door, the thermoelectric cooler having a first side and an opposite second side, and a cooling loop operatively connected to the refrigerator compartment door and configured for cooling the thermoelectric cooler.

First claim

1 - 20 . (canceled)

21 . A refrigerator comprising:
a refrigerator cabinet; a refrigerator compartment disposed within the refrigerator cabinet; a refrigerator compartment door for providing selective access to the refrigerator compartment; an ice maker within the refrigerator compartment; a thermoelectric device associated with the ice maker and operatively connected to the refrigerator compartment door, the thermoelectric device having a warm side and a cool side; a liquid cooling loop comprising a plurality of channels, the liquid cooling loop being operatively connected to the refrigerator compartment door and configured to cool the warm side of the thermoelectric device.

22 . The refrigerator of claim 21 wherein the plurality of channels is substantially parallel.

23 . The refrigerator of claim 21 further comprising liquid cooling media within the cooling loop.

24 . The refrigerator of claim 23 wherein the liquid cooling media comprises at least one of glycol or water.

25 . The refrigerator of claim 21 wherein the cooling loop further provides for heating water to provide heated water.

26 . The refrigerator of claim 25 further comprising a dispenser on the refrigerator compartment door adapted to dispense the heated water.

27 . The refrigerator of claim 21 further comprising an ice storage bucket operatively connected to the refrigerator compartment door and a pathway conveying ice from the ice maker to the ice storage bucket.

28 . The refrigerator of claim 21 further comprising a fluid pump operatively connected to the cooling loop for circulating cooling media through the fluid loop.

29 . The refrigerator of claim 21 further comprising a fan at the refrigerator compartment door for circulating air to and from the refrigerator compartment in manner that alters temperature of the air.

30 . The refrigerator of claim 29 wherein the temperature is reduced.

31 . The refrigerator of claim 29 wherein the temperature is increased.

32 . The refrigerator of claim 31 further comprising a heat sink and wherein the fan circulates the air by the heat sink to increase the temperature of the air.

33 . The refrigerator of claim 21 further comprising a second refrigerator compartment door and wherein the refrigerator compartment door and the second refrigerator compartment door are French doors.

34 . The refrigerator of claim 33 further comprising a freezer compartment disposed below the refrigerator compartment.

35 . The refrigerator of claim 21 further comprising a hinge operatively connected between the refrigerator compartment door and the refrigerator cabinet and wherein the cooling loop contains cooling media, with no cooling media crossing the hinge.

36 . A method of making ice on a door of a refrigerator, the method comprising:
providing a refrigerator comprising (a) a refrigerator cabinet, (b) a refrigerator compartment disposed within the refrigerator cabinet, (c) a refrigerator compartment door for providing access to the refrigerator compartment, (d) an ice maker on the refrigerator compartment door, (e) a thermoelectric cooler associated with the ice maker and operatively connected to the refrigerator compartment door, the thermoelectric cooler having a warm side and a cool side, and (f) a plurality of channels associated with a liquid cooling loop operatively connected to the refrigerator compartment door; cooling a surface associated with the ice maker using the cool side of the thermoelectric cooler; circulating liquid cooling media through the plurality of channels to cool the warm side of the thermoelectric cooler.

37 . The method of claim 36 further comprising cooling water by circulating the liquid cooling media through the liquid cooling loop.

38 . The method of claim 36 further comprising heating water or ice by circulating the liquid cooling media through the liquid cooling loop.

39 . The method of claim 36 wherein the refrigerator further comprises a fan associated with the refrigerator compartment door and further comprising altering temperature in the refrigerator compartment door using the fan.

40 . A refrigerator comprising:
a refrigerator cabinet; a refrigerator compartment disposed within the refrigerator cabinet; a refrigerator compartment door for providing access to the refrigerator compartment; an ice maker on the refrigerator compartment door; a liquid cooled thermoelectric cooler comprising a warm side and a cool side and associated with the ice maker and operatively connected to the refrigerator compartment door; and a transfer plate having a plurality of fins configured to transfer heat from the warm side of the liquid cooled thermoelectric cooler to liquid passing between the plurality of fins.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Boarman Patrick J
• Hortin Gregory Gene
• Thomas Mark E

Classifications

• F25D23/028

  Details · CPC title

• F25B25/005

  using primary and secondary systems · CPC title

• F25B21/02 Primary

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

• F25C5/182

  Ice bins therefor · CPC title

• F25C1/04

  by using stationary moulds · CPC title