REFRIGERATION APPLIANCE

Abstract

A refrigeration appliance includes a carcass having a coolable freezer compartment. A door leaf is hinged to the carcass and provided for opening and closing the freezer compartment. Disposed in the freezer compartment is an ice maker, which includes an ice production apparatus for producing ice cubes, an ice storage container for storing the ice cubes, an insulating housing, in which the ice production apparatus and the ice storage container are disposed, and which has a dispenser for dispensing ice cubes stored in the ice storage container, and a sealing apparatus for opening and closing the dispenser.

Description

The invention relates to a refrigeration appliance, in particular a household refrigeration appliance, which has a freezer compartment, in which an ice maker is disposed.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,386,992 B2 discloses a household refrigeration appliance, in the door of which an ice dispenser is disposed. Disposed within the refrigeration chamber of the household refrigeration appliance is an ice maker, which is insulated thermally from the refrigeration chamber and is cooled by way of a channel connected to a freezer compartment of the household refrigeration appliance. Ice produced using the ice maker is transported by means of a conveyor apparatus from the ice maker apparatus to the ice dispenser.

EP 1 598 618 A1 discloses a household refrigeration appliance having a carcass and a door leaf hinged to the carcass, in which an ice maker is integrated. The ice maker is embodied so that it is thermally insulated from the environment. The carcass comprises a guide, which guides cold air by way of openings into the ice maker when the door leaf is closed. The openings are closed when the door leaf is open.

The object of the present invention is to specify a refrigeration appliance having an ice maker disposed in its freezer compartment, wherein the risk of the ice cubes produced and stored in the ice maker clumping is at least reduced.

The object of the invention is achieved by a refrigeration appliance, having a carcass with a coolable freezer compartment, a door leaf hinged to the carcass and provided for opening and closing the freezer compartment and an ice maker disposed in the freezer compartment, having an ice production apparatus for producing ice cubes and an ice storage container for storing the ice cubes, as well as an insulating housing, which insulates in particular thermally and/or against moisture, in which the ice production apparatus and the ice storage container are disposed. A refrigeration appliance refers in particular to a household refrigeration appliance, in other words a refrigeration appliance used for household management in households or possibly also in catering, serving in particular to store food and/or beverages in normal household quantities at certain temperatures, for example an upright freezer or combined fridge/freezer.

The inventive refrigeration appliance therefore comprises the ice maker, which is supplied with water by way of a water line for example, in order to produce ice cubes using its ice production apparatus and to store them in the ice storage container. The temperature in the freezer compartment causes the water to freeze, thereby producing ice cubes. When used as intended, the freezer compartment is opened from time to time by means of the door leaf, with the result that the temperature of the freezer compartment rises due to the ambient temperature of the refrigeration appliance. Since according to the invention the ice maker or its ice production apparatus and ice storage container is/are enclosed by the insulating housing, conditions are created whereby the temperature, in the ice storage container in particular, fluctuates less due to an open door leaf. This at least reduces the risk of the ice cubes stored in the ice storage container clumping. This is particularly advantageous, if the ice cubes are relatively small, e.g. have a mass smaller than 5 g.

The housing of the ice maker can be provided with at least one opening for the inflow of cold air from the freezer compartment into the housing. This allows the interior of the housing to be cooled by the freezer compartment in a relatively simple manner for the freezing of ice cubes.

According to one preferred embodiment of the inventive refrigeration appliance the ice maker has a sealing apparatus for opening and closing the opening. The sealing apparatus can be configured for example as a flap, preferably as an electromechanical flap. The sealing apparatus can be used to control the passage of air into the interior of the housing.

The inventive refrigeration appliance can have a control apparatus for example, which is set up to activate the sealing apparatus as a function of the opening state of the door leaf. It is then possible, as in a variant of the inventive refrigeration appliance, for the sealing apparatus to be closed when the door leaf is open and opened when the door leaf is closed. This prevents air heated by the ambient air and/or moisture getting into the interior of the housing through the opening when the door leaf is open and thereby heating up the stored ice cubes. This at least reduces the risk of the stored ice cubes clumping.

The housing can comprise a dispenser for dispensing ice cubes stored in the ice storage container. The dispenser is configured for example as a further opening in the base of the housing. The ice maker can preferably comprises a further sealing apparatus for opening and closing the dispenser. The ice dispenser can therefore be released when required, for example when someone wants to remove ice cubes from the ice maker or its ice storage container. The further sealing apparatus is configured as a further flap for example.

In order to seal the ice maker and its housing more effectively against heat and/or moisture when the dispenser is closed, the further sealing apparatus can be provided with a seal disposed on the side facing the further opening.

Any potential freezing up of the sealing device in particular with its seal can be prevented, if provision is made as in one embodiment of the inventive refrigeration appliance for it to comprise means for preventing freezing of the further sealing apparatus.

The means for preventing freezing of the further sealing apparatus can be configured for example as a heating facility in the region of the further opening. A blowing means is also suitable, being set up to blow the cold air from the freezer compartment into the region around the further sealing apparatus.

The inventive refrigeration appliance can preferably be set up so that it actuates the means for preventing freezing of the further sealing apparatus as a function of the opening state of the door leaf, in particular so that it only actuates the means for preventing freezing of the further sealing apparatus when the door leaf is open.

It is therefore possible with the inventive refrigeration appliance to store ice cubes produced by the ice maker, in particular relatively small ice cubes that are for example smaller than 5 g, without clumping. In some instances this is achieved by accommodating the ice maker in a sealed or insulated housing within the freezer compartment. In some instances the ice maker has electromechanical flaps to allow the circulation of air cooled by the freezer compartment into the interior of the housing of the ice maker. The flaps preferably close when the door leaf of the refrigeration appliance is opened. It may not be possible for warm air to penetrate into the interior of the housing as required through an opening in the housing of the ice maker for a water inlet, as the connection for water is generally in the form of a water line. In some instances the flap for opening and closing the ice cube dispenser of the ice maker can be provided with a seal to at least reduce any circulation of air through the closed dispenser. To prevent the seal on the housing freezing up, it is possible to blow cold air from the freezer compartment for example onto this region as soon as the door leaf of the refrigeration appliance is opened. A heating facility is also an option for preventing the seal freezing up. Frost will then not form in the region of the seal but at a non-critical point instead.

In some instances therefore the ice maker comprises the ice production apparatus and the ice storage container (also referred to as a hopper or bin), which are disposed in the freezer compartment in a sealed manner by means of the housing. The ice production apparatus is preferably one that does not comprise a heating apparatus and is embodied for example as what is known as a twister. The housing is preferably sealed against moisture originating from an open door leaf or produced during a defrost cycle.

One advantage of the inventive refrigeration appliance is that relatively small ice cubes in particular can be stored for longer without clumping and can thus be moved more easily as required in the direction of the dispenser by means of a transport apparatus of the ice storage container.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying schematic drawings, in which the single FIGURE shows a household refrigeration appliance having an ice maker.

The FIGURE shows a sectional view of a household refrigeration appliance in the form of an upright freezer as an example of a refrigeration appliance 1.

The refrigeration appliance 1 has a carcass 2, which delimits a freezer compartment 3. Hinged to the carcass 2 of the refrigeration appliance 1 is a door leaf 4 and the freezer compartment 3 can be cooled by a refrigeration apparatus 5 known in principle to the person skilled in the art. The refrigeration apparatus 5 is configured for example as a refrigeration circuit having at least one evaporator and at least one compressor. In the present exemplary embodiment the refrigeration apparatus 5 has for example an outlet 5a, by way of which the refrigeration apparatus 5 can blow cooled air into the freezer compartment 3.

Disposed in the freezer compartment 3 is an ice maker 6. This has an in particular insulated housing 7, within which an ice production apparatus 8 and an ice storage container 9 are disposed. In the present exemplary embodiment the ice storage container 9 is disposed below the ice production apparatus 8 so that ice cubes produced by the ice production apparatus 8, which in particular have a mass smaller than 5 g, drop into the ice storage container 9.

In the present exemplary embodiment water required to produce the ice cubes is supplied to the ice production apparatus 8 by way of an inlet 10 disposed in the housing 7, which is connected for example to a water line (not shown in detail).

In the present exemplary embodiment the base 11 of the housing 7 has an opening 11a in its region facing the door leaf 4, said opening 11a being able to be closed and opened by means of a flap 12. Ice cubes can drop out of the ice maker 6 through the opening 11a as required when the flap 12 is open. To transport the ice cubes in the direction of the flap 12, a transport apparatus 13 is provided in the ice storage container 9, conveying the ice cubes from the rear region of the ice storage container 9 in the direction of the flap 12. The transport apparatus 13 comprises a screw drive for example.

In the present exemplary embodiment a dispenser apparatus 14 is disposed in the door leaf 4. It comprises an ice dispenser 15 disposed in the outer skin of the door leaf 4 and a channel 16 that passes through the door leaf 4. When the door leaf 3 is closed, the channel 16 ends on one side below the flap 12 of the ice maker 6. The other end of the channel 16 opens into the ice dispenser 15, so that when the flap 12 is open ice cubes can drop through the base 11 of the ice maker 6 into the channel 16 and be received at the ice dispenser 15.

In the present exemplary embodiment the dispenser apparatus 14 has an actuation mechanism (not shown in detail), which is actuated to open the flap 12, so that the ice cubes can pass from the ice maker 6 through the channel 16 to the ice dispenser 15.

To seal the opening 11a in the base 11 more effectively when the flap 12 is closed, the flap 12 can have a seal (not shown in detail) on its side facing the base 11 of the housing 7. To at least reduce the risk of the flap 12 freezing up, particularly when the door leaf 4 is open, an apparatus (not shown in detail) for example can be provided, which blows cold air into the region of the flap 12 when the door leaf 4 is open. However a heating apparatus (not shown in detail) can also be provided, which heats the region around the flap 12 when the door leaf 4 is open.

So that the ice production apparatus 8 can produce ice cubes from the water flowing through the inlet 10, the interior of the housing 7 of the ice maker 6 must be cooled correspondingly. For this purpose at least one opening 17 is provided in one of the walls of the housing 7 of the ice maker 6, through which the cooled air from the freezer compartment 3 can flow. The opening 17 can also be opened and closed for example by means of a further flap 18, to insulate the interior of the ice maker 6 from the freezer compartment 3.

In the present exemplary embodiment the flap 18 is an electromechanical flap 18. This is connected for example by way of a line (not shown in detail) to a control apparatus 19 of the refrigeration appliance 1, which for example also activates the refrigeration apparatus 5, so that the freezer compartment 3 maintains a predefined setpoint temperature at least approximately. The control apparatus 19 is also set up to open and close the electromechanical flap 18 as required.

In the present exemplary embodiment the control apparatus 19 is configured so that it closes the electromechanical flap 18 automatically as soon as the door leaf 4 is opened. The control apparatus 19 receives information about the opening state of the door leaf 4 for example from a door opening switch (not shown in detail). When the door leaf 4 is closed again, the control apparatus 19 activates the electromechanical flap 18 automatically so that it opens up the opening 17 again. The control apparatus 19 is therefore set up to activate the electromechanical flap 18 in such a manner that it closes the opening 17 when the door leaf 4 is open and opens it up when the door leaf 4 is closed, so that the interior of the ice maker 6 is cooled by means of the freezer compartment 3.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

• 1 Refrigeration appliance
• 2 Carcass
• 2a Base
• 3 Freezer compartment
• 4 Door leaf
• 5 Refrigeration apparatus
• 5a Outlet
• 6 Ice maker
• 7 Housing
• 8 Ice production apparatus
• 9 Ice storage container
• 10 Inlet
• 11 Opening
• 12 Flap
• 13 Transport apparatus
• 14 Dispenser apparatus
• 15 Ice dispenser
• 16 Channel
• 17 Opening
• 18 Flap
• 19 Control apparatus

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A refrigeration appliance, comprising:

a carcass having a coolable freezer compartment;

a door leaf hinged to the carcass and provided for opening and closing the freezer compartment; and

an ice maker disposed in the freezer compartment, said ice maker including an ice production apparatus for producing ice cubes, an ice storage container for storing the ice cubes, an insulating housing, in which the ice production apparatus and the ice storage container are disposed, said housing comprising a dispenser for dispensing ice cubes stored in the ice storage container, and a sealing apparatus for opening and closing the dispenser.

12. The refrigeration appliance of claim 11, constructed in the form of a household refrigeration appliance.

13. The refrigeration appliance of claim 11, wherein the housing is constructed for at least one of thermal insulation and insulation against moisture.

14. The refrigeration appliance of claim 11, wherein the dispenser of the housing is configured as an opening in a base of the housing.

15. The refrigeration appliance of claim 14, wherein the sealing apparatus is configured in either of two ways, a first way in which the sealing apparatus is a flap, a second way in which the sealing apparatus is provided with a seal disposed on a side facing the opening.

16. The refrigeration appliance of claim 11, further comprising an anti-freeze unit constructed to prevent freezing of the sealing apparatus.

17. The refrigeration appliance of claim 16, wherein the dispenser of the housing is configured as an opening in a base of the housing, said anti-freeze unit being configured in either of two ways, a first way in which the anti-freeze unit is configured as a heating facility disposed in a region of the opening, a second way in which the anti-freeze unit is configured as a blowing facility to blow cold air from the freezer compartment into a region around the sealing apparatus.

18. The refrigeration appliance of claim 16, further comprising a control apparatus to actuate the anti-freeze unit as a function of an opening state of the door leaf.

19. The refrigeration appliance of claim 18, wherein the control apparatus is configured to actuate the anti-freeze unit when the door leaf is open.