Refrigerator with ice mold chilled by air exchange cooled by fluid from freezer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9383128-B2
Application number	US-201213691883-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2012
Priority date	Dec 3, 2012
Publication date	Jul 5, 2016
Grant date	Jul 5, 2016

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 flow pathway is connected in communication between the cold side of the thermoelectric device and the icemaker. A fan is operatively positioned to move air from the fresh food compartment across the warm side of the thermoelectric device. A pump moves fluid from the cold side of the thermoelectric device to the icemaker. Cold air, such as from the refrigerator compartment, is used to dissipate heat from the warm side of the thermoelectric device for providing cold fluid to and for cooling the ice mold of the icemaker.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator that has a fresh food compartment, a freezer compartment, and a door that provides access to the fresh food compartment, the refrigerator comprising:
an icemaker mounted remotely from the freezer compartment, the icemaker including an ice mold;
an air supply pathway in communication between the icemaker and the fresh food compartment;
a fan positioned to move air from the fresh food compartment through the air supply pathway;
a thermoelectric device positioned in the fresh food compartment in communication with the air supply pathway, said thermoelectric device mounted remotely from the ice mold; and
a flow pathway in communication between the thermoelectric device and the freezer compartment.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 further comprising an air return pathway in communication between the icemaker and the thermoelectric device for exhausting air from the icemaker to the thermoelectric device.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein the air supply pathway comprises an air flow loop in communication between the icemaker and the thermoelectric device.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein the flow pathway comprises a fluid loop in communication between the thermoelectric device and the freezer compartment for supplying cold fluid to the thermoelectric device.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein the flow pathway comprises a fluid loop in communication between the thermoelectric device in the fresh food compartment and a heat exchanger in a freezer evaporator.

6. 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
the thermoelectric device in thermal communication between the insulated compartment and the freezer compartment for supplying cold air to the insulated compartment.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein the air supply pathway is in communication between the ice mold in the fresh food compartment and the thermoelectric device for supplying cold air to the ice mold.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1 further comprising a secondary heat exchange interface in the flow pathway from the freezer compartment for supplying cold to the thermoelectric device in the fresh food compartment.

9. The refrigerator of claim 1 further comprising an air return pathway in communication between the icemaker and the fresh food compartment for exhausting air from the icemaker to the fresh food compartment.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1 further comprising an air return pathway in communication between the icemaker and the freezer compartment for exhausting air from the icemaker to the freezer compartment.

11. 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
the air supply pathway in communication between the fresh food compartment and the insulated compartment for supplying air to the insulated compartment.

12. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein the icemaker is mounted on the fresh food compartment door.

13. The refrigerator of claim 1 further comprising:
a water reservoir or line connected in fluid communication with the icemaker; and
the air supply pathway in communication between the fresh food compartment and the water reservoir or line for chilling the water supplied to the icemaker.

14. The refrigerator of claim 13 further comprising a water dispenser in fluid communication with the water reservoir or line for dispensing chilled water from the water dispenser.

15. A refrigerator that has a fresh food compartment, a freezer compartment, and a door that provides access to the fresh food compartment, the refrigerator comprising:
a thermoelectric device disposed in the fresh food compartment;
an air supply pathway between the thermoelectric device and an icemaker, said air supply pathway for supplying cold air to an ice mold in the icemaker, said icemaker mounted remotely from the freezer compartment, and said thermoelectric device mounted remotely from the ice mold; and
a fluid supply pathway between the thermoelectric device and the freezer compartment for supplying cold fluid to the thermoelectric device.

16. The refrigerator of claim 15 further comprising:
an insulated compartment;
an ice storage bin in the insulated compartment positioned to receive ice harvested from the ice mold; and
the thermoelectric device in the thermal communication between the insulated compartment and the freezer compartment for supplying cold air to the insulated compartment.

17. A refrigerator that has a fresh food compartment, a freezer compartment, and a door that provides access to the fresh food compartment, the refrigerator comprising:
an icemaker mounted remotely from the freezer compartment, the icemaker including an ice mold;
an air pathway in communication between the icemaker and the fresh food compartment;
a thermoelectric device positioned in the fresh food compartment in communication with the air pathway, said thermoelectric device mounted remotely from the ice mold; and
a fluid flow pathway in communication between the thermoelectric device and the freezer compartment.

18. The refrigerator of claim 17 further comprising a fan positioned to move air from the thermoelectric device through the air pathway to the icemaker.

19. The refrigerator of claim 18 wherein the air pathway comprises an air supply pathway in communication between:
a. an insulated compartment on the fresh food compartment door; and
b. an ice mold in the insulated compartment on the fresh food compartment.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Boarman Patrick J
• Hortin Gregory Gene

Classifications

• F25B21/02

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

• F25C5/182

  Ice bins therefor · CPC title

• F25C5/005

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F25D17/065 Primary

  with compartments at different temperatures · CPC title

• F25C1/04 Primary

  by using stationary moulds · CPC title