ICE MAKER FOR FRENCH DOOR BOTTOM MOUNT REFRIGERATOR
A dedicated, hermetically sealed ice maker is provided. The ice maker includes a compartment including an ice tray and an ice bin disposed at least partially in the compartment. A dedicated ice maker circuit is disposed at least partially within the compartment and includes a microcompressor, condenser, expansion device, and evaporated. The dedicated circuit is used to cool air inside the ice maker compartment for forming ice in the ice tray in the compartment and for preventing melting of formed ice cubes in the ice bin. The ice maker may be used within or outside of a refrigerator. When used within the refrigerator, the ice maker will have its own dedicated hermetically sealed unit, including the plurality of thermally insulated walls. The ice maker may also be connected to a dispenser of a refrigerator for dispensing the formed ice.
This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/826,416, filed on Mar. 14, 2013, entitled “ICE MAKER FOR FRENCH DOOR BOTTOM MOUNT REFRIGERATOR,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIn many current bottom mount style refrigerators, cold air from the freezer compartment is used to produce ice in a conventional ice maker located at one of the refrigerator doors. To transfer the cold air from the freezer to the ice maker, air ducts and a fan or fans are used. As such, the overall energy efficiency of the refrigerator is reduced because part of the cold air is used to make ice, and not to cool the freezer compartment.
In addition, the ice making efficiency is reduced due to the heat gained on the air path from the freezer compartment to the ice maker tray. There is also increased condensation at the back panel of the refrigerator due to the ice maker air duct being located close thereto. Another issue can arise if the gaskets installed in the ice box assembly of the ice maker are faulty, and allow air leakage. The cold air from the freezer can leak into the refrigerator compartment, thus having the possibility of freezing the items in the compartment.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a method and apparatus for cooling water in an ice maker to create ice, that does not utilize at or below freezing air from the freezer compartment. There is also a need for a method of making ice that reduces the condensation on the outside of the refrigerator, and reduces the risk of allowing the cold air to leak into other compartments of the refrigerator.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTIONTherefore, it is a primary object, feature, and/or advantage of the present invention to provide an apparatus that overcomes the deficiencies in the art.
It is another object, feature, and/or advantage of the present invention to provide an ice maker with its own dedicated refrigeration circuit to cool water to form ice.
It is yet another object, feature, and/or advantage of the present invention to provide a modular ice maker that can be removed from the refrigerator.
It is a further object, feature, and/or advantage of the present invention to reduce the energy usage for a refrigerator.
It is still another object, feature, and/or advantage of the present invention to increase the ice making efficiency of an ice maker.
It is yet a further object, feature, and/or advantage of the present invention to limit or prevent external condensation of a refrigerator.
It is still a further object, feature, and/or advantage of the present invention to provide an alternative heating source for the flipper mullion region of the refrigerator.
These and/or other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The present invention is not to be limited to or by these objects, features and advantages. No single embodiment need provide each and every object, feature, or advantage.
According to an aspect of the invention, an ice maker is provided. The ice maker includes an ice maker compartment, with an ice tray and ice bin disposed at least partially within the ice maker compartment. A circuit is also disposed at least partially within the compartment, and includes a microcompressor, condenser, expansion device, and evaporator.
According to another aspect of the invention, a refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator includes a refrigerator cabinet, with a door for providing access to a compartment within the refrigerator cabinet. An ice maker is mounted in the compartment, with the ice maker comprising an ice tray and an ice bin. A circuit is disposed within the ice maker for cooling the ice maker, and includes a microcompressor, condenser, expansion device, and evaporator. The ice maker may also be a hermetically sealed unit that can be optionally removed from the refrigerator and used external of the refrigerator.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator includes a refrigerator cabinet, and a door for providing access to a compartment within the refrigerator cabinet. A modular ice maker is mounted on the door, the ice maker comprising a water tray and an ice bin. A circuit is disposed within the ice maker for cooling the ice maker, the circuit comprising a microcompressor, condenser, expansion device, and evaporator. The ice maker is operable both in the refrigerator and outside the refrigerator.
According to still a further aspect of the invention, a refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator includes a refrigerator cabinet, and a door for providing access to a compartment within the refrigerator cabinet. An ice maker is mounted in the compartment and comprises an ice tray and an ice bin. The ice maker is hermetically sealed within the compartment. A circuit is disposed within the ice maker for cooling the ice maker. The circuit comprises a microcompressor, condenser, expansion device, and evaporator.
It should also appreciated that, while the figures show a bottom mount style refrigerator 10, the present invention contemplates that any style of a refrigerator be included as part of the invention. The figures merely depict one example of a type of refrigerator 10 that can be used with the components with the present invention.
Furthermore, the ice maker 24 includes an ice tray 32 and a corresponding ice bin 34 housed within the ice maker compartment 26. The ice tray 32 may be any ice tray used for capturing water in a mold or other member and allowing the water to be cooled to form ice therein. The formed ice of the ice tray 32 may be then distributed as in the direction shown by the arrow 59 shown in
The ice maker 24 of
In operation, water is added to the ice tray 32 to fill the mold of the ice tray 32. The intelligent control 48 activates the ice maker circuit 36 to cool air by the components of the circuit 36. Fans 46 may be added to the circuit 36 to aid in cooling and directing the cooled air therefrom. The cooled air is then directed in the direction of the arrow 56 and passed over the water in the ice tray 32 to remove heat from the water to cool the water to form ice cubes. Once the cubes have been formed in the ice tray 32, the ice tray then dispenses the formed ice cubes in the direction of the arrow 59 and towards the ice bin 34. The cooled air directed over the ice tray 32 may also pass in the direction of the arrow 59 and through the ice bin 34 to keep the temperature in the ice bin 34 at or below freezing, i.e., at or below 0° Fahrenheit, or at least keep the area about the ice at or below freezing during the ice making process. Additionally, this cooled air may be used to prevent the cubes stored in the ice tray 34 from melting or at least to reduce the melting. The air, which is shown by the arrow 58, has then warmed and can be passed back through the ice maker circuit 36 to re-cool said air to again pass through the ice tray 32 and ice bin 34. As noted, the fans 46 can direct the air from the ice bin 34 and through the ice circuit 36 to pass through the microcompressor 38, condenser 40, expansion device 42, and over the evaporator 44 to re-cool the air.
In addition, the ice maker 24 may also include a plurality of ducts, such as an ice tray duct, ice bin duct, and return duct to allow the air to pass through the ice maker compartment 26 to cool the water, to maintain the temperature of the ices, and then be re-cooled through the ice maker 36.
Thus, the ice maker 24 of
Similar to the ice maker shown in
Also shown in
The ice maker 80 operates similar to that of the ice maker shown in
Other components that may be optional for the modular ice maker 80 are shown in
In addition, all embodiments shown and described may be removed from a refrigerator, used in a standalone manner, or moved between appliances or other devices. For example, it is contemplated that the ice maker of the invention be used both in a refrigerator and also in a standalone ice maker, large scale ice maker, and/or commercial ice maker. One example is the use of the ice maker of the present invention with a 50-lb ice making machine. The ice making machine need not be in use at all times. However, when a quantity of ice is desired, the ice maker of the invention could be removed from a refrigerator and place in the ice making machine, and then operated to produce a desired amount of ice. In this instance, the ice making machine would have hook-ups for the electrical and water sources for the ice maker. The ice maker would be used for the sole purpose of filling the ice machine with ice. This could have the benefits of allowing the ice making machine to be selectively operated, which could save a huge amount of energy for a consumer.
In the alternative, the ice maker of the present invention could be added to the ice making machine example of above, with the circuit of the ice maker used to operate the ice making machine. In this instance, the ice making machine would have its own ice making elements, and the circuit of the present invention would provide the cooling cycle to form and maintain the ice of the machine. Again, the circuit of the invention would require less energy to produce the cooled air to form and maintain the ice, which would be a cost benefit for the consumer.
These are but a few examples of the benefits and potential uses of the invention, and are not to be limiting. Other uses for both the ice maker and the circuit are contemplated.
The foregoing description has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list or to limit the invention to precise forms disclosed. It is contemplated that other alternative processes and systems obvious to those skilled in the art or considered included in the invention. The description is merely examples of embodiments. Any of the components and location of any of the components may be varied as required for different models of refrigerators, as well as different sizes of ice makers for use within and outside of the refrigerator. In addition, the ice bin may be removable or stationary within the ice maker. It is understood that any other modifications, substitutions, and/or additions may be made, which are within intended spirit scope of the invention. From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present, accomplishes at least all the stated objectives.
Claims
1. A modular ice maker, comprising:
- an ice maker compartment, said ice maker compartment comprising walls;
- an ice tray and ice bin disposed within the interior of the ice maker compartment;
- the ice bin comprising an auger and a chute configured to aid in dispensing formed ice from the ice bin; and a dedicated circuit disposed in the ice maker compartment, said dedicated circuit comprising a microcompressor, condenser, expansion device, and an evaporator;
- wherein the circuit is configured to cool the ice maker compartment such that it can form and maintain formed ice therein;
- said ice maker being removable from a refrigerator.
2. The modular ice maker of claim 1 that uses a water line in the refrigerator as a water source.
3. The modular ice maker of claim 1 further including a water storing compartment.
4. The modular ice maker of claim 3 whereby the water storing compartment automatically adds water to the ice tray once ice has been formed in the ice tray and dispensed to the ice bin.
5. The modular ice maker of claim 3 whereby the water storing compartment is included in one of the walls of the ice maker compartment.
6. The modular ice maker of claim 3 further including a water pour spout to allow water to be poured into the ice tray.
7. The modular ice maker of claim 1 further including a connection that is connectable to a water source to selectively add water to the ice maker as needed.
8. The modular ice maker of claim 7 whereby the connection is a hose.
9. The modular ice maker of claim 7 whereby the connection is connectable to a sink or a spout.
10. The modular ice maker of claim 1 further comprising an electrical connection that may be connected to a power source in a refrigerator or to a standard housing plugin.
11. The modular ice maker of claim 1 that is removably attached to the interior of a refrigerator.
12. The modular ice maker of claim 11 that is removably attached to the interior of a refrigerator door.
13. The modular ice maker of claim 11 that is removably attached to the interior of the refrigerator with a fastener selected from one or more of the group consisting of hooks, snaps, and adhesives.
14. The modular ice maker of claim 1 whereby the dedicated circuit further includes a plurality of fans.
15. The modular ice maker of claim 1 that is hermetically sealed.
16. A refrigerator, comprising: a refrigerator cabinet; a door for providing access to a compartment within the refrigerator cabinet; an ice maker compartment mounted on the door, the ice maker compartment comprising a water tray and an ice bin, the ice bin having an auger; and a dedicated circuit disposed within the ice maker compartment for cooling the ice maker, the dedicated circuit comprising a microcompressor, condenser, expansion device, evaporator, and fans for directing cooled air over the ice tray; and wherein the circuit is configured to cool the ice maker compartment such that it can form and maintain formed ice therein.
17. The refrigerator of claim 16 whereby the ice maker compartment is hermetically sealed.
18. The refrigerator of claim 16 further including a plurality of ducts to allow the air to pass through the ice maker.
19. The refrigerator of claim 18 whereby the ducts are selected from one or more selected from the group consisting of ice tray ducts, ice bin duct, and return duct.
20. The refrigerator of claim 16 whereby the temperature of the ice bin is maintained at or below freezing.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 3, 2016
Publication Date: Sep 29, 2016
Inventors: Bruno A. Boehringer (Saint Joseph, MI), Roberto H. Pereira (Benton Harbor, MI)
Application Number: 15/173,592