Icemaker with swing tray

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9599389-B2
Application number	US-201514590089-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 6, 2015
Priority date	Jun 22, 2011
Publication date	Mar 21, 2017
Grant date	Mar 21, 2017

Abstract

A clear ice making system and method utilizes an ice forming tray pivotally connected to opposing side walls of an icemaker housing. Ice forming fingers of a dedicated evaporator extend into fluid within the ice forming tray, and are cooled by communication with the refrigerant circulating system of the refrigerator. A motor oscillates the ice forming tray about a longitudinal axis at a frequency of about 0.4-0.6 hertz as fluid channels freezes on the ice forming fingers over time, forming clear ice pieces. During an ice dispensing event, the motor pivots the ice making tray about the longitudinal axis such that fluid remaining within the ice making tray drains into a fluid reservoir below. The ice forming fingers are then heated to release the clear ice pieces for transfer from the fresh food compartment to the freezer compartment of the refrigerator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet including a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment;
a refrigerant circulating system; and
a clear ice making system comprising:
a housing including at least bottom and opposing side walls;
an ice forming tray including a bottom portion, defined by a substantially smooth, continuous arcuate inner wall, and opposing, longitudinally spaced side portions, said ice forming tray being mounted in the cabinet for pivotal movement about a longitudinal axis;
a motor connected to the ice forming tray;
a motor controller configured to operate the motor to oscillate the ice forming tray about the longitudinal axis during an ice making event and to pivot the ice forming tray from a first, ice forming position to a second, ice dispensing position during an ice dispensing event, wherein oscillating the ice forming tray includes rotating the ice forming tray about the longitudinal axis; and
an evaporator member including refrigerant inlet and outlet lines in communication with the refrigerant circulating system, the evaporator member further including a plurality of ice forming fingers extending into the ice forming tray when the ice forming tray is in an ice forming position.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising: at least one fluid inlet line exposed to the ice forming tray for directly introducing water to the ice forming tray.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein the at least one fluid inlet line constitutes two separate inlet lines directly exposed to the ice forming tray.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the clear ice making system further comprises:
a fluid reservoir located below the ice forming tray; and
a pump connected to the fluid reservoir for providing water from the fluid reservoir to the ice forming tray.

5. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the pump is mounted on the back wall of the housing through a mounting bracket.

6. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the clear ice making system further comprises:
an ice storage bucket located in the freezer compartment; and
an ice transfer chute located beneath an ice slide, wherein the housing is located within the fresh food compartment, and the ice transfer chute is adapted to transfer clear ice pieces dispensed from the clear ice making system from the fresh food compartment to the freezer compartment.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the clear ice making system further comprises:
a fluid reservoir located below the ice forming tray; and
an ice slide positioned between the ice forming tray and the fluid reservoir, the ice slide including drain apertures therein in fluid communication with the fluid reservoir.

8. The refrigerator of claim 7 , wherein the housing further comprises mounting flanges located on each of the opposing side walls of the housing, the mounting flanges engaging the ice slide to hold the ice slide at a downwardly sloping acute angle such that clear ice pieces released from each of the plurality of ice forming fingers during the ice dispensing event are guided by gravity down the ice slide for storage within the refrigerator.

9. The refrigerator of claim 7 , wherein the ice slide slopes downwardly sloping from a back wall of the housing beneath the ice forming tray.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the housing further comprises mounting flanges extending substantially perpendicularly from respective opposing side walls of the housing, wherein the housing is mounted to a top wall portion of the fresh food compartment through the mounting flanges.

11. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the motor controller is configured to operate the motor to oscillate the ice forming tray about the longitudinal axis at a frequency of 0.4-0.6 Hz.

12. A method of forming clear ice pieces within a refrigerator with an ice making system including a housing with at least bottom and opposing side walls, an ice forming tray defined by a substantially smooth, continuous arcuate inner wall and mounted for pivotally movement about a longitudinal axis relative to the housing, and an evaporator member including a plurality of ice forming fingers, the method comprising:
supplying water to the ice forming tray with the ice forming tray in an ice forming position and the ice forming fingers of the evaporator member extending into the ice forming tray;
oscillating the ice forming tray about the longitudinal axis, causing the ice forming fingers to move through the water, wherein oscillating the ice forming tray includes rotating the ice forming tray about the longitudinal axis; and
cooling the plurality of ice forming fingers such that clear ice pieces form on the plurality of ice forming fingers over a period of oscillation time.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the step of supplying water to the ice forming tray includes pumping water from a fluid reservoir to at least one fluid inlet line for directly introducing the water to the ice forming tray.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein supplying the water to the ice forming tray includes supplying the water through at least two separate inlet lines directly exposed to the ice forming tray.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
rotating the ice forming tray from the ice forming position to an ice dispensing position wherein water remaining in the ice forming tray, after the clear ice pieces form, drains from the ice forming tray; and
heating the plurality of ice forming fingers to partially melt the clear ice pieces formed on the plurality of ice forming fingers to release the clear ice pieces from the plurality of ice forming fingers.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
transferring the clear ice pieces down a sloped upper surface of an ice slide located below the ice forming tray.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
draining water, through drain apertures formed in the ice slide, to a fluid reservoir.

18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
transferring the clear ice pieces, released from the plurality of ice forming fingers, across the ice slide and through an ice transfer chute, to an ice storage bucket.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the housing and evaporator member are located within a fresh food compartment of the refrigerator and the ice storage bucket is located in a freezer compartment of the refrigerator, and the ice transfer chute transfers the clear ice pieces released from the plurality of ice forming fingers through a wall separating the fresh food and freezer compartments to the ice storage bucket.

20. The method of claim 12 , wherein the ice forming tray is oscillated about the longitudinal axis at a frequency of 0.4-0.6 Hz.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Bortoletto Anderson
• Chase Kevin M
• Koenigsknecht Tony L
• Voglewede Ronald L
• Young Matthew E

Classifications

• F25C2700/12

  Temperature of ice trays · CPC title

• F25C1/10

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

• F25C1/24

  for refrigerators, e.g. freezing trays · CPC title

• F25C1/20 Primary

  by agitation · CPC title

• F25C2305/022

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