Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
  • F25C5/00—Working or handling ice
  • F25C5/20—Distributing ice
  • F25C5/22—Distributing ice particularly adapted for household refrigerators
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
  • F25C2500/00—Problems to be solved
  • F25C2500/08—Sticking or clogging of ice
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D21/00—Defrosting; Preventing frosting; Removing condensed or defrost water
  • F25D21/04—Preventing the formation of frost or condensate
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D23/00—General constructional features
  • F25D23/12—Arrangements of compartments additional to cooling compartments; Combinations of refrigerators with other equipment, e.g. stove
  • F25D23/126—Water cooler
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D2400/00—General features of, or devices for refrigerators, cold rooms, ice-boxes, or for cooling or freezing apparatus not covered by any other subclass
  • F25D2400/02—Refrigerators including a heater

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an ice dispenser for a refrigerator as well as a flap which can be used on such an ice dispenser.
• an ice dispenser In refrigerators with built-in ice maker an ice dispenser generally comprises a guided through a housing wall, in particular the door, the refrigerator passage whose outer end is closed by a flap to prevent when not in use, hot air passes through the passage into the interior of the refrigerator. Even if the passage through the flap is closed, the ice dispenser generally represents a weak point in the insulation of the refrigerator. Therefore, its exposed on the outside of the device parts are usually colder than the ambient temperature of the device. As a result, moisture in the air condenses and forms condensation or even frost. Uncontrolled dripping sweat water is generally disturbing for the user. If the donor is constantly moist due to the condensation, this promotes the growth of bacteria, and odor and hygiene problems can occur. If frost is deposited directly on an edge of the discharge opening that is touched by the flap, the flap may freeze so that ice can no longer be dispensed.
• Such a heater may be stationarily located adjacent to the dispensing opening or movably on the flap.
• a stationary heater is known, for example, from US Pat. Nos. 3,640,088 and 5,442,933. If such a heater is disposed between a fixed outer skin of the refrigerator housing and a Isolierschaum Mrs behind it, the distance of the heater from the edge of the discharge opening is quite large, and a high heating power is required to prevent freezing. This heat output affects the energy efficiency of the device. In addition, in case of failure of the heater repair is hardly possible economically.
• a heater attached to the outside of the skin may be placed closer to the edge of the dispensing opening, such heating is generally visible or touchable to the user, which is undesirable or even dangerous.
• a heater behind conceal a cover but this in turn requires a higher heat output.
• US 5 269 154 A discloses an ice dispenser in which the flap is provided with a heater.
• the heater is designed as a foil heater, which is inserted between a fixed outer wall of the shell and the output opening facing insulation layer.
• foil heater is able to prevent condensation on the outside of the flap, but it is because it is separated from the edge of the discharge opening by the insulating layer, poorly suited to prevent freezing of the flap.
• Object of the present invention is to provide an ice dispenser or a flap for that are simple and inexpensive to implement and reliably prevent condensation.
• the heating loop at its ends is preferably integrally connected to two of the outside of the flap adjacent heating conductors.
• the heating receiving channels are preformed on a filled with insulating material carrier body of the flap.
• the carrier body may be a shell which is open toward the inside of the flap, so that the insulating material accommodated in the shell faces the discharge opening.
• a channel receiving the heating loop expediently runs on one edge of the shell, whereas a channel receiving the heating conductor preferably runs on a bottom of the shell.
• the assembly of the flap is particularly simple when a heating loop receiving channel is open to the periphery of the flap.
• a heating conductor receiving channel is preferably open to the outside of the flap. On the one hand, this makes the laying of the heating conductors easy; on the other hand, the heat output from the heating conductors to the insulating material is lower than in the case of a channel open towards the inside of the flap.
• the heating conductor receiving channel preferably forms a closed loop and a branch crossing the loop.
• Subject of the invention is also a flap for an ice dispenser, in particular for an ice dispenser of the type defined above, which has a carrier body in the form of a shell, in the shell recorded insulation material and a heater, wherein the heater has a running at one edge of the shell heating loop and on the ground the shell extending heating conductor comprises.
• Figure 1 is a schematic section through a refrigerator, which is equipped with an ice dispenser according to the invention.
• Fig. 2 is a schematic side view of the dispenser
• Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the flap of the dispenser
• FIG. 4 shows the heating of the flap shown in FIG. 3;
• FIG. 5 shows a section through the flap of Fig. 3.
• FIG. 6 shows a section analogous to FIG. 5 through a flap according to a second embodiment of the invention
• FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the carrier body of a flap according to a third embodiment of the invention.
• the refrigerator shown in a schematic section in Fig. 1 has a heat-insulating body 1 and a door 2 defining an interior space.
• the interior space 3 is cooled by an evaporator which is accommodated in an evaporator chamber 4 divided off in the upper region of the body 1.
• An automatic ice maker 5 is arranged in the immediate vicinity of the evaporator chamber 4 in the interior 3. Under the icemaker 5, a collecting container 6 is mounted, which catches ice pieces 5 produced by the ice maker. A screw conveyor 7 at the bottom of the collecting container 6 is used to convey ice pieces to a discharge opening 8 at the door near the end of the collecting container. 6
• a niche 12 is formed, from which a top wall is located below the discharge opening 8 of the collecting container. Through this wall extends a tube or funnel-shaped passage, also referred to as an ice chute 9.
• the ice chute 9 is hermetically sealed at its lower end by a heat-insulating flap 18, so that no hot air from the niche 12 can pass through the ice chute 9 of the refrigerator.
• Fig. 2 shows a section through the lower portion of the ice chute 9 and its surroundings with the flap 18 closed.
• the flap 18 is accommodated in a recess 20 of the door 2, which opens down into the niche 12. It comprises an insulating body 22 of substantially flat-cylindrical shape, the structure of which will be explained in more detail below.
• the body 22 is in the position shown close to an outlet opening 23 of the ice slide 9 shown in section.
• the body 22 is latched by means of integrally formed hooks 24 on a plate 25 which is integral with a transverse to the cutting plane 26 shaft.
• the shaft 26 is driven by means, not shown, known to those skilled in the art, such as a motor or solenoids to temporarily open the flap 18 for removing ice.
• a cold water dispenser 27 is attached at the side facing away from the ice chute 9 of the shield 25 at the side facing away from the ice chute 9 of the shield 25, a cold water dispenser 27 is attached.
• This includes, as can be seen in particular in the exploded view of FIG. 3, from top to bottom of a nipple 28 to which a with a recessed into the door 2 tank 14 connected flexible rubber hose 29 is attached, one piece with the shield , a downwardly open cup 30 receiving a lip valve 31, and a flange 32 provided with an external thread for screwing thereto a cap 33 fixing the lip valve 31 in the cup 30.
• the body 22 of the flap 18 is substantially formed by a molded plastic shell 35, the bottom 36 and wall 37 are shown in Fig. 3.
• an insulating body of a closed-cell foam is housed in the remote from the viewer interior of the shell.
• channels 38, 39 are recessed.
• the channel 38 is circular and concentric with the bottom 36; the channel 39 intersects the channel 38 diametrically and with one of its ends 40 reaches the edge of the bottom 36.
• the two channels 38, 39 form a shape similar to the letter ⁇ . From the point 40, a channel 41 extends over the wall 37 to the inside of the flap 18 facing the ice chute 9.
• a further channel 42 open in the radial direction is bounded by two webs 43, 44 ,
• the web 43 is formed integrally with the wall 37; the web 44 can also with the wall 37 in one piece be, or he may be part of an elastic sealing ring, which serves to seal the flap 18 at the edge 23.
• a heating wire 45 is laid, which is not shown in Fig. 3, to represent the channels more clearly.
• the heating wire 45 is shown in Fig. 4 separated from the shell 35. It comprises a loop 46, which is closed to an almost complete circle and fills the channel 42, and adjoining heating conductor sections 47, 48, 49, which respectively extend along the channels 41, 38 and 39, respectively.
• the heat conductor sections 48, 49 distribute heat on the outside of the flap 18 and prevent condensation there, and on the other hand, the loop 46, the inside of the flap limited heated to the immediate vicinity of the edge 23 of the ice slide 9, both the condensation on the outside of the Damper and the freezing of the flap reliably prevented.
• a simple and quick installation of the heating wire 45 can be done by first a middle portion of the heating wire 45 is inserted into the channel 42 at a channel 41 diametrically opposite point, from there the two halves of the heating wire
• Fig. 5 shows a central section through the flap 18 along a plane perpendicular to the channel 39 extending level u. a. shows an insulating foam body 50 filling the interior of the shell 35.
• the inner side of the flap adjacent web 44 is formed here by a glued sealing ring made of rubber.
• the shell 35 can be slipped over a sleeve 51 and latched to the web 43, which closes the channel 42.
• FIG. 6 shows a modified embodiment of the shell 35 in a similar to Fig. 5 section, wherein the foam body 50 is omitted.
• the course of the channels 38, 39 at the bottom 36 of the shell 35 is the same as shown in Fig. 4.
• the loop 46 receiving channel 42 is open to the inside of the flap and covered by a sealing ring 53.
• a cutout 52 is formed in the wall 37 of the shell 35, through which the heating wire 45 extends from the channel 38 to the channel 42.
• Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the shell 35, in which the channels 38, 39, 42 are all open to the inside of the flap.
• the outside of the flap or the bottom 36 of the shell 35 heated conductor sections 48, 49 are protected from contact if the bottom of the shell is not covered by a shield 25, as shown in Fig. 2, but the Shell 35 is connected, for example via a laterally molded, supply lines of the heating wire 45 receiving stem 54 with the shaft 26.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Thermal Sciences (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Devices That Are Associated With Refrigeration Equipment (AREA)
• Resistance Heating (AREA)
• Cold Air Circulating Systems And Constructional Details In Refrigerators (AREA)
• Production, Working, Storing, Or Distribution Of Ice (AREA)
• Catching Or Destruction (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

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Family Applications (1)

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• 2006
  • 2006-11-07 DE DE202006017016U patent/DE202006017016U1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 2007
  • 2007-10-29 ES ES07821960T patent/ES2341679T3/es active Active
  • 2007-10-29 EP EP07821960A patent/EP2087300B1/fr active Active
  • 2007-10-29 WO PCT/EP2007/061602 patent/WO2008055798A2/fr active Application Filing
  • 2007-10-29 AT AT07821960T patent/ATE462944T1/de active
  • 2007-10-29 DE DE502007003354T patent/DE502007003354D1/de active Active
  • 2007-10-29 CN CN2007800414024A patent/CN101535744B/zh active Active

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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