Clear ice maker with varied thermal conductivity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9599388-B2
Application number	US-201213713296-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2012
Priority date	Dec 13, 2012
Publication date	Mar 21, 2017
Grant date	Mar 21, 2017

Abstract

A clear ice maker assembly for an appliance includes an ice tray rotatably coupled with a housing and horizontally suspended within an interior volume of the housing. The ice tray includes a metallic ice forming plate with a bottom surface, a substantially planar top surface and an edge portion. A containment wall extends upward from the top surface along the edge portion. A grid having at least one dividing wall extends across the top surface between the containment walls. A fluid line extends into the housing and supplies water to the top surface of the ice tray to be retained by the containment wall and the grid. A cooling source is thermally coupled to the bottom surface of the ice forming plate. The containment wall and the grid have a material with a lower thermal conductivity than the ice forming plate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ice maker apparatus for an appliance comprising:
a housing defining an interior volume;
an ice tray rotatably coupled with the housing and including a metallic ice forming plate that has a bottom surface, a substantially planar top surface, and integrally defined metallic upstanding edges around the perimeter of the metallic ice forming plate;
a containment wall that extends upward from the substantially planar top surface and along the upstanding edges of the metallic ice forming plate, and a grid that has at least one dividing wall that extends across the top surface between the containment wall on opposing sides of the metallic ice forming plate; wherein the containment wall includes a vertically angled longitudinal slot at a lower edge that receives the upstanding edges of the metallic ice forming plate such that the upstanding edges are positioned within the containment wall;
a fluid line extending into the interior volume of the housing and having an outlet positioned above the ice tray and configured to dispense water over the top surface of the metallic ice forming plate to be retained by the containment wall and the grid; and
a cooling source thermally coupled to the bottom surface of the metallic ice forming plate to freeze the water into a layer of ice on the ice forming plate, wherein the containment wall and the grid have a material with a lower thermal conductivity than the metallic ice forming plate, and wherein at least one substantially clear ice piece is formed in the ice tray.

2. The ice maker apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the containment wall and the grid include a polymeric material with a low thermal conductivity relative to the metallic ice forming plate.

3. The ice maker apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the grid includes a sidewall that extends upward from the top surface of the metallic ice forming plate and is disposed over a lower portion of the containment wall, and wherein the grid includes a polymeric material.

4. The ice maker apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the grid includes a sidewall disposed over a lower portion of the containment wall and couples with the at least one dividing wall on opposing sides of the metallic ice forming plate, and wherein the grid is removably engaged with the metallic ice forming plate and configured to rotatably raise away from the metallic ice forming plate to release the at least one substantially clear ice piece.

5. The ice maker apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cooling source includes a thermoelectric device having a first side engaged with the bottom surface of the metallic ice forming plate and a second side engaged with a heat sink, and wherein the thermoelectric device is configured to transfer heat from the first side to the second side.

6. The ice maker apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a heating source operably coupled with an upper portion of the grid, wherein the heating source is configured to heat a surface region of the water contained in the ice tray, and wherein the heating source is deactivated when ice begins to form proximate the upper portion of the grid.

7. The ice maker apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a lower portion of the housing includes an ice storage receptacle positioned below the ice tray and configured to receive the at least one substantially clear ice piece and store the same at a temperature below freezing.

8. The ice maker apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a thermoelectric device that includes a first side engaged with the bottom surface of the metallic ice forming plate and a second side engaged with heat sink, wherein the thermoelectric device is configured to transfer heat from the first side to the second side.

9. The ice maker apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an electrical drive body rotatably coupled between the housing and the ice tray, wherein the drive body is configured to oscillate the ice tray in a rocking cycle about a transverse axis of the ice tray to release gas from the water.

10. The ice maker apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an inlet aperture in the housing above the ice tray, wherein the inlet aperture is coupled with a warm air source and configured to dispense warm air over the water retained in the ice tray.

11. An ice maker assembly for an appliance comprising:
an ice tray horizontally suspended within a door of the appliance and including:
a metallic ice forming plate that has a bottom surface, a top surface, and integrally defined upstanding edges around the perimeter of the metallic ice forming plate;
a polymeric containment wall that is formed around the upstanding edges and upward from the top surface and along the upstanding edges; and
a grid that has a rectangular grid shape and extends across the top surface and between the containment wall on opposing sides of the metallic ice forming plate; wherein the containment wall extends above a top of the grid; and wherein the containment wall includes a vertically angled longitudinal slot at a lower edge that receives upstanding edges of the metallic ice forming plate within the containment wall; and
a cooling source thermally coupled to the bottom surface of the metallic ice forming plate to freeze water against the top surface, wherein the containment wall and the grid have a material with a lower thermal conductivity than the metallic ice forming plate, and wherein at least one substantially clear ice piece is formed in the ice tray.

12. The ice maker assembly of claim 11 , further comprising:
an electrical drive body rotatably coupled to the ice tray, wherein the drive body is configured to oscillate the ice tray in a rocking cycle about a transverse axis of the ice tray to release gas from the water.

13. The ice maker assembly of claim 11 , further comprising:
an air source and configured to dispense ambient air over the ice tray to agitate water retained by the containment wall, wherein the ambient air is received from an area external to the appliance.

14. The ice maker assembly of claim 11 , further comprising:
a fluid line that has an outlet positioned above the ice tray and configured to dispense water over the top surface of the metallic ice forming plate to be retained by the containment wall and the grid.

15. The ice maker assembly of claim 11 , further comprising:
a housing surrounding the ice tray and cooling source that includes a door liner having a cavity and a cover pivotally coupled with a periphery of the cavity to enclose the cavity.

16. The ice maker assembly of claim 11 , wherein the grid is removably engaged with the metallic ice forming plate and configured to rotatably raise away from the metallic ice forming plate to release the at least one substantially clear ice piece, and wherein the grid includes a polymeric material.

17. The ice maker assembly of claim 11 , wherein the cold source includes a thermoelectric device having a first side engaged with the bottom surface of the metallic ice forming plate and a second side engaged with a heat sink, and wherein the thermoelectric device is configured to transfer heat from the first side to the second side.

18. An ice maker assembly for an appliance comprising:
a housing surrounding an interior volume;
an ice tray rotatably coupled with the housing and horizontally suspended within the interior volume and including:
a metallic ice forming plate that has a bottom surface, a top surface, integrally defined metallic upstanding edges around the perimeter of the metallic ice forming plate, and a cavity in the top surface;
a containme

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Boarman Patrick J
• Culley Brian K

Classifications

• F25C2305/022

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

• F25C5/005

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F25B21/02

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

• F25C1/10

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

• F25C1/20 Primary

  by agitation · CPC title