EP2370756A1

EP2370756A1 - Ice maker for producing ice and refrigeration device comprising an ice maker

Info

Publication number: EP2370756A1
Application number: EP09747866A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Songtao Lu; Kasim Yazan; Lisheng Zhang
Original assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeraete GmbH
Current assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Priority date: 2008-11-28
Filing date: 2009-11-10
Publication date: 2011-10-05
Also published as: DE102008044178A1; WO2010060787A1; CN102224386A; CN102224386B; RU2011123159A

Abstract

The invention relates to an ice maker for producing ice (69), comprising an ice cube tray that can be filled with water (10) and surrounded by cold air to produce ice and a doctor blade element (35), to which the ice is supplied (69) and which guides the ice (69) into a collection container (13). According to the invention, the doctor blade element (35) and a flow guide element (41) form a structural unit which, together with the base of the ice cube tray (10), delimits a flow chamber (45) for the flow of cold air (I).

Description

Ice maker for the production of ice pieces and refrigeration device with an ice maker

The invention relates to an ice maker for the production of ice pieces according to the preamble of claim 1 and a refrigerator with an ice maker.

Such ice makers can be arranged in a dedicated freezer compartment of a refrigerator, such as a freezer. Ice formation can take place by means of cold air inflow. The cold air can be generated by a switched into the refrigeration circuit evaporator of the refrigerator.

A generic ice maker has an ice bowl which can be filled with fresh water and which can be flowed around with cold air for ice formation. The pieces of ice thus formed in the ice tray can be removed by means of an ejector in a pivoting movement of the ice bowl. The ejector element can be guided past a wiper element, at which the ice pieces are separated from the ejector element and slide off in a collecting container.

In the generic ice maker partial flows, which do not contribute to the cooling of the ice bowl, are discharged unused as leakage currents in the refrigerator interior in the cold air flow around the ice tray. As a result, a cooling efficiency of the ice maker is reduced.

The object of the invention is to provide an ice maker and a refrigeration device that can be configured with it, in which production of ice can be increased in a production-wise simple manner.

The object of the invention is solved by the features of claims 1 and 11. Advantageous developments of the invention are disclosed in the subclaims.

According to the characterizing part of claim 1, the scraper element is designed with a flow guide as a unit that limits a flow space for the cold air flow together with a bottom side of the ice tray. According to the invention, therefore, the scraper element and the flow guide are made in the sense of a component reduction as a common component. Due to the one-piece design, unintended flow gaps between the wiper element and the flow guide element can be at least largely avoided. In addition, a single component simplifies the assembly considerably, whereby the assembly time is shortened and the ice maker is less expensive to produce.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment, it is provided that the assembly of scraper element and flow guide is formed of the same material and in one piece. Such a component can be produced in a particularly precise fit in a simple manner with a variety of functions.

The scraper element can partially cover the upwardly open ice bowl at a distance. During ice production, the pieces of ice formed in the ice tray can be brought from the top of the ice tray onto the wiping element by means of a swiveling ejector. During the pivoting movement, the pieces of ice are still frozen on the ejector. Only when passing the ejector on Abstreiferelement the pieces of ice are separated from the ejector and can slide the pieces of ice in the collecting container arranged underneath.

The upper-side scraper element can form a cross-sectionally U-shaped hollow profile together with the bottom-side flow guide, in which the ice tray is at least partially arranged. The flow space formed between the bottom side of the ice tray and the flow guide element can enclose the ice tray in an airtight manner in accordance with the task.

To provide the abovementioned U-shaped hollow profile, the wiper element can be connected via a connecting wall to the flow guide element arranged beneath the ice tray. The connecting wall limits the flow space on its side opposite the inflow side. Preferably, the ice tray can be supported with one of its longitudinal sides on the connecting wall. In this case, the ice tray may be brought into airtightness with the connecting wall with its longitudinal side in abutment. The flow space can have defined air outlets, which are formed in the scraper element, in the connecting wall and / or in the flow-guiding element. With the air outlets a cold air flow through the flow space is adjustable. In this way, a flow pattern can be adjusted in the flow space, with which an efficient cooling of the bottom of the ice tray can be obtained.

The ice maker usually has an electronic control device with which the ice production is controllable. The control device is usually associated with a temperature sensor, such as a thermostat, with which the actual temperature of the ice tray or the fresh water collected therein is detected. The detected temperature can be compared with a required for ice formation limit temperature. Only when falling below this limit temperature starts the electronic control device ice production.

The temperature sensor is usually provided in the bottom area of the ice tray. So that the temperature sensor can detect the actual temperature of the ice tray, it is important to arrange the temperature sensor outside the flow space. Preferably, the temperature sensor in the longitudinal direction of the ice tray can be spaced apart from the flow guide element via a free air outlet area. The cold air flow is thus diverted past the temperature sensor by the free Luftauslassbereich. A direct action on the temperature sensor with the cold air flow is thus avoided.

For cold air supply of the ice maker whose flow space may be fluidly connected at its inflow side with a cold air duct. The cold air duct may be coupled to a freezer of the refrigerator, which is cooled with an evaporator of the refrigerant circuit of the refrigerator.

To further reduce leakage flows, the flow space in the longitudinal direction of the ice tray can be closed on the face side in each case with an end wall.

The scraper element can be made together with the air guide as a one-piece plastic injection molded part in a common plastic injection molding operation. In the limited by the molds injection molding chamber is thus in a common step, both the wiper element and the air guide formed.

Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Show it:

1 is a partial sectional view of a schematic diagram of a refrigeration device.

2 shows a perspective view of an ice maker in isolation; Fig. 3 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the ice maker;

Fig. 4 in a rear view of the ice maker;

Figure 5 also in a rear view of the air guide element with indicated flow paths. and

Fig. 6 in isolation a plastic injection molded part, in which a scraper element, a connecting wall, an end wall and a flow guide are integrated.

In Fig. 1 a section of a refrigerator with a bottom freezer compartment 1 and an upper compartment 3 is shown in a schematic side sectional view, which are separated by a horizontal partition 5 from each other. The two freezing and partial spaces 1, 3 are closed at the front with a door 4. In the upper subspace 3 an ice maker 7 is provided for the production of ice pieces.

For cooling the freezer compartment 1, an evaporator 9 is provided in a conventional manner, which is exemplarily thermally coupled to the back of the freezer compartment 1 here. The evaporator 9 is part of a refrigerant circuit, not shown here, known per se.

According to FIG. 1, the ice maker 7 has a trough-shaped ice tray 10 in which ice pieces are produced in the manner described below, which can be introduced into a collecting container 13 arranged underneath. The collecting container 13 is as shown in FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrow drawer-like pulled out of the subspace 3 of the refrigerator.

2, the ice maker 7 is shown alone without collecting container 13. Accordingly, a pivotable ejector 15 is disposed in the cavity of the trough-shaped ice tray 10, which can be pivoted about a pivot axis 17. Along the pivot axis 17, the ejector 15 spaced apart partitions 19, which divide the cavity in the ice tray 10 in individual compartments. During the ice production, the pieces of ice frozen onto the intermediate walls 19 of the ejector 15 are removed from the ice tray 10 by a pivoting movement of the ejector 15.

The ejector 15 is connected at its left in Fig. 2 side with an actuator of an electronic control device 21. Behind the electronic control device 21, a connection box 23 is provided, which can be filled via a fresh water supply line with tap water, which can be introduced via an inlet opening 25 in the ice tray 10. The ice tray 10 has on its rear longitudinal side 27 support bracket 29 for attachment to a rear side, shown in FIG. 1 air guide element 31.

According to FIG. 3, the ice tray 10 is covered on its front longitudinal side 33 by means of a scraper element 35. The wiper element 35 has wiper ribs which are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction and which partially project beyond the upper side of the ice tray 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the wiper element 35 on its front side passes over an upper longitudinal edge 37 into a vertical connecting wall 39. According to FIG. 3, the vertical connecting wall 39 separates the ice tray 10 from the upstream collecting container 13. At its lower longitudinal edge 38, the connecting wall 39 merges into a plate-shaped flow guiding element 41 which is spaced from the bottom side of the ice tray 10 in the direction of the rear side Air guide element 31 sloping down obliquely. As is further apparent from FIG. 2, the scraper element 35, together with the connecting wall 39 and the flow-guiding element 41, is formed of the same material and in one piece as a U-shaped hollow profiled part into which the ice tray 10 partially protrudes. The ice tray 10 is supported as shown in FIG. 3 with its front longitudinal wall 33 in a transverse groove 43 of the connecting wall 39.

The connecting wall 39, together with the ice tray 10 and the flow guide 41, defines a flow space 45 which surrounds the ice tray 10 at the front. The flow space 45 is supplied according to FIGS. 1 and 3, starting from the bottom-side freezer compartment 1 of the refrigerator with cold air. The cold air generated in the freezer compartment 1 is introduced via an indicated fan 47 into a supply channel 49 delimited by the air guide element 31 and expelled through a lower outlet opening 51 of the air guide element 31 into the flow space 45 below the ice tray 10.

In the inserted state shown in FIG. 1, the collecting container 13 is coupled to a drive motor 14, which in known manner drives a conveying screw 16 provided in the collecting container 13, which guides the ice pieces to the front of the collecting container 13. At the front end of the screw conveyor pieces of ice are crushed by means not shown knife.

According to FIG. 3, the supply channel 49 of the air guide element 31 is directed vertically upwards and opens into a collecting chamber 53 which is widened in the depth direction x and which is connected to the flow space 45 via the lower outlet opening 51. The flow space 45 is bounded above by the ice tray bottom and by a front longitudinal wall 33 of the ice tray 10.

Above the outflow opening 51 further outflow openings 55, 57 are provided. The outflow openings 51, 55, 57 are dimensioned such that through the lower outflow opening 51, a main flow I of the cooling air flow opens into the lower flow space 45. By contrast, the middle outflow opening 55 directs a first side stream II directly onto the rear longitudinal side 27 of the ice tray 10. A further side stream III is led through the upper outflow opening 57 into a cold air space 59 above the ice tray 10. Therefore, cold air can be directed onto the ice tray 10 on all sides with the main stream I and the two secondary streams II, III. According to FIG. 3, the central outflow opening 55 is arranged in the vertical direction approximately at the same height as the rear longitudinal wall 27 of the ice tray 10, so that the secondary flow II is aligned directly with the ice tray longitudinal wall 10. The outflow opening 57 is spaced from the ice tray 10 by a distance Δh. The outflow opening 55 of the air guide element 31 is formed as shown in FIG. 5 as a horizontal row of holes, the outflow channels are conically widened in the flow direction. In contrast, the outflow opening 57 arranged above it is an elongate transverse slot, downstream of which a deflecting element 62 is connected downstream, which deflects the exiting partial flow III downwards in the direction of the upper side of the ice tray 10. Overall, by means of the two partial flows Il and III in the cooling air space 59 above the ice tray 10, a turbulent flow pattern with turbulence can be generated, which support rapid cooling of the water surface in the ice tray 10.

FIG. 4 shows a rear view of the ice maker 7, in which the flow path of the main flow I of the cold air is shown. Accordingly, the cold air main stream I is first directed in the depth direction x on the horizontal connecting wall 39 and the main flow I is deflected within the flow space 45 in a side direction along the ice tray 10.

From Fig. 4 also shows that the flow guide 41 does not extend along the entire length of the ice tray 10, but only to about half. In the longitudinal direction of the ice tray, therefore, an air outlet region 61 is exposed between the flow guiding element 41 and the opposing control device 21, by means of which the cold air is discharged downwards from the flow space 45.

In the area of the control device 21, according to FIG. 4, a temperature sensor 63 is provided underneath the ice tray 10 on the bottom side, which detects an actual temperature of the ice tray 10 and directs it to the control device 21. The longitudinal side opposite the control device 21 is closed by means of an end wall 65 formed on the flow-guiding element 41, which limits the flow space 45 on the outside. In addition, 39 two air outlets 67 are provided in the connecting wall, can escape through the cold air from the flow chamber 45. The main flow I flowing in via the inflow side into the flow space 45 is thus deflected by means of the end wall 65 and the connecting wall 39 in a lateral direction and discharged downwards via the air outlet region 61. In this way, the temperature sensor 63 is not acted upon directly by the cold air flow, whereby the detected actual temperature would be falsified.

5, the scraper element 35 is shown together with the connecting wall 39, the end wall 65 and the flow guide 41 as a one-piece plastic component, the production technology is easy to produce by injection molding. Apart from the predefined air outlet region 61 and the two air outlets 67 in the front-side connecting wall 39, the component is embodied as fully closed. Leakage flows that do not contribute to ice formation can therefore be reduced.

As is further apparent from FIG. 5, the outlet openings 55, 57 opening into the upper-side cooling-air space 59 or directed directly onto the longitudinal side 27 of the ice tray 10 extend over a length h which is substantially equal to the length I shown in FIG _{2 of} the ice tray 10 corresponds. During operation, therefore, essentially the entire free water surface in the ice tray 10 is cooled via the upper outlet openings 55, 57. In contrast, the length I _{3 of} the lower outlet opening 51 is reduced and adapted approximately to the length of the flow-guiding element 41.

For the start of operation of the ice maker 7, the switch-on of the control device 21 is first pressed in Fig. 2. To fill the ice tray 10, the fresh water cached in the water box 23 is introduced into the ice tray 10 via the feed opening 25. After the formation of ice, a heating element integrated in the ice tray 10 is briefly switched on, whereby the pieces of ice formed in the ice tray 10 are thawed and tilted by means of the ejector 15 in a pivoting movement onto the scraper element 35. By way of example, an ice piece 69 already tilted onto the wiper element 35 is shown in FIG. The scraper element 35 is inclined obliquely downward in the direction of the collecting container 13, so that the pieces of ice scraped off on it can slide into the collecting container 13. LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 freezer compartment 53 collecting space

3 subspace 55, 57 upper outlet openings

5 Partition 59 Cold air space

7 ice maker 61 air outlet area

4 Appliance door 62 deflecting element

9 evaporator 63 temperature sensor

10 ice bowl 65 end wall

13 collection container 67 air outlets

14 Drive motor 69 Ice piece

15 Ejector element Ii Length of the outlet openings

16 screw conveyor 55, 57

17 Swivel axis I ₂ Ice tray length

19 partitions I ₃ length of the lower

21 control device outlet opening 51

23 water tank I main stream

25 inlet opening II, I Il secondary streams

27 rear longitudinal wall of the ice tray 10 X Bautiefenrichtung

29 support angle

31 air guide element

33 front longitudinal wall of the ice tray 10

35 wiper element

37, 38 longitudinal edges

39 connecting wall

41 flow guide

43 transverse groove

45 flow space

47 blowers

49 air supply duct

51 lower outlet opening

Claims

1. Ice maker for the production of pieces of ice (69), with an ice tray (10) which can be filled with water, which can be bypassed with cold air for the formation of ice, and a

Scraper element (35), on which the ice pieces (69) are conveyed and with which the ice pieces (69) can be guided into a collecting container (13), characterized in that the scraper element (35) forms a structural unit with a flow guiding element (41), which together with a bottom side of the ice tray (10) defines a flow space (45) for the cold air flow (I).

2. Ice maker according to claim 1, characterized in that the assembly of scraper element (35) and flow guide (41) of the same material and is integrally formed.

3. ice maker according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the scraper element (35) and the flow guide (41) via a

Connecting wall (39) are interconnected, which limits the flow space (45) on its one side opposite to the inflow side.

4. Ice maker according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the scraper element (35) together with the flow guide (41) forms a cross-sectionally U-shaped hollow profile in which at least partially

Ice tray (10) is arranged.

5. Ice maker according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the scraper element (35), the connecting wall (39) and / or the flow guide (41) at least one air outlet (67), with which the Kaltluftstrmo- tion (I ) is adjustable through the flow space (45).

6. Ice maker according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that in the bottom region of the ice tray (10) with a control device (21) of the ice maker connected temperature sensor (63) is provided.

7. icemaker according to claim 6, characterized in that the

Temperature sensor (63) in a longitudinal direction of the ice tray (10) via a free Luftauslassbereich (61) from the flow guide (41) is spaced apart.

8. Ice maker according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the flow space (45) for cold air supply on its inflow side flow technically with a cold air duct (49) is connectable.

9. Ice maker according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that in the longitudinal direction of the ice tray (10) from the temperature sensor (63) facing away from the end face of the flow space (45) with an end wall (65) is closed.

10. Ice maker according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the scraper element (35) together with the air guide element (41) as a

Plastic injection molded part is made.

1 1. Refrigerating appliance, in particular household refrigerating appliance characterized by an ice maker according to one of claims 1 to 10.

12. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 1 1, characterized in that the ice maker (7) arranged in a freezer compartment of the refrigerator and in the for maintaining the intended temperature of the freezer compartment (1) serving cold air flow is fluidly coupled.