EP2494283A2

EP2494283A2 - Refrigeration device and corresponding ice maker

Info

Publication number: EP2494283A2
Application number: EP10770805A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Christoph Becke; Max Eicher; Frank Eisele; Ralph Staud; Thomas Tischer
Original assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeraete GmbH
Current assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Priority date: 2009-10-27
Filing date: 2010-10-22
Publication date: 2012-09-05
Also published as: WO2011051171A3; WO2011051171A2; DE102009046030A1

Abstract

An ice maker comprises at least one tray that is subdivided into a plurality of compartments to produce one chunk of ice each and a dosing container having a reference volume which corresponds to the total of the volumes of the compartments or to an integer fraction of said volume.

Description

Refrigerating appliance and ice maker for it

The present invention relates to an ice maker for use in a refrigerator, in particular a household refrigerator. It also relates to a refrigeration device, in which such an icemaker is used.

Ice makers in the form of flat trays, in which several are filled with water to produce each piece of ice fillable compartments are known per se. Such a tray can be filled with water outside of a refrigerator and placed in the refrigerator to freeze the water. However, the handling of such trays is cumbersome and requires a high level of attention, because when a filled tray is transported to the refrigerator, there is a high risk that water spills over, and to freeze the water must be an exactly horizontal, secure footprint for the tray Refrigeration device are available. Although it is possible to reduce the risk of overspill by keeping the level of the tray low, each tray usually needs to be filled one at a time, which is cumbersome and time consuming.

In a built-in refrigeration device tray eliminates the problem of transport and the search for a suitable space for the tray in the refrigerator. The filling of the tray is not relieved, however, since a ceiling of the refrigerator, refrigerated goods carriers or the like mounted inside thereof make it difficult to access the tray from above and accurately recognize the water level therein. When the filled

Water volume is too low, the ice making is inefficient, because the tray is only used incompletely. If the filled amount of water is too large, so that the water level rises above the intermediate walls between the compartments of the tray, a coherent, at best with difficulty demoldable block of ice is obtained. In the worst case, the tray overflows and water freezes at another, inappropriate location of the refrigerator. The object of the present invention is to provide an ice maker which can be quickly and reliably filled with the correct filling quantity or a refrigeration device in which such an ice maker can be used. The object is achieved, on the one hand, by providing an ice maker with at least one tray subdivided into several compartments for producing one piece of ice with a dosing container which has a calibration volume corresponding to the common volume of the compartments or an integral fraction of this volume. Thus, the required amount of water can be quickly and accurately metered by one or more times filling the dosing tank.

The dosing can be connected via at least one controllable drain with the subjects. Such a dosing can be solid, at least in normal use of the ice maker not to be removed part of the icemaker.

Preferably, the outflow is controllable by the position of the at least one tray, in particular by the at least one tray between a

Freezing position, in which the drain is closed, and a filling position, in which the drain is open, is pivotable about an axis. Thus, the dosing can be filled up to a calibration mark while the tray is in the freezing or any other than the filling position, and after correct filling of the dosing the tray is pivoted to the filling position to drain the contents of the dosing into the compartments , For controlling the drain, a valve is preferably provided with a valve seat and a closing body which is movable in contact with the at least one tray between a position sealing the valve seat and an open position. Preferably, the metering container is arranged to cover the compartments. It is particularly expedient if the metering container forms a ceiling of a housing surrounding at least one tray. Such a housing prevents the spread of water vapor from the subjects in the rest of the refrigerator and thus an undesirable frost formation outside the icemaker.

According to an alternative embodiment, the dosing can be removed from a chamber of the ice maker. Such a dosing can outside the

Icemaker, for example, at a faucet, and is, since he is not the Flat shape of a tablet generally needs to be more convenient and safe to carry than a water-filled tray.

Again, the tray may be surrounded by a housing to limit the spread of water vapor outside the icemaker.

In order to facilitate the filling of the compartments, preferably a basin with at least one outflow into the compartments is formed in a ceiling of such a housing. In particular, the basin may be inserted into a side walls of the housing forming frame.

In order to accelerate the filling process and to minimize the likelihood of freeing the drain, it is expedient if the outflow opens into several compartments in parallel, regardless of whether the partitions between the compartments have notches which, when a desired water level in the compartments is reached connect with each other or not.

The task is solved by another by a refrigeration device, in particular a

Domestic refrigerating appliance equipped with an ice maker of the type described above.

The icemaker can be mounted on a door of the refrigeration device. This has the advantage that it is always easily accessible when the door is open for filling or for taking out finished ice.

When the icemaker is mounted in a body of the refrigerator, it is preferably extractable, on the one hand, to improve accessibility, on the other hand, in order to be able to otherwise use space between a rear of the icemaker and the rear wall of an interior of the carcass.

In such a retractable ice maker, it is expedient if the chamber which receives the dosing, in the withdrawal direction in front of the at least one tray is arranged so that it can be easily removed for filling. To fill the tray, it is sufficient if this or an over the tray extending basin is only partially exposed, so that water can be poured into it.

Such a removable ice maker can be conveniently integrated into a drawer of the refrigerator.

A container for ice pieces is then advantageously in turn from the

Pull out drawer. Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following

Description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures.

Show it:

1 is a partial perspective view of a door of a refrigerator with a

Ice maker according to a first embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a tray of the ice maker;

Fig. 3 shows a first cross section through the ice maker, the tray in a

Filling position and a freezing position shows;

4 shows a second section through the ice maker showing the freezing position and a demolding position of the tray;

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of a door-mounted ice maker according to a second embodiment of the invention;

6 shows an ice maker according to a third embodiment; FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the ice maker of FIG. 6; FIG.

8 is a perspective view of a refrigerator body with the

Ice maker of Fig. 6; and 9 is a perspective view of a second refrigeration device with the

Ice maker of FIG. 6.

Fig. 1 is an interior view of a door 14 of a refrigerator, e.g. one

Household freezer. The door 14 has a known per se structure with an outer skin 15 formed of sheet metal, a deepened plastic inner wall 16 and enclosed by the outer skin 15 and inner wall 16, filled with heat-insulating synthetic resin foam gap. On the inner wall 16, a large flat projection 17 is tightened, which engages in the closed position of the door 14 in an interior of a refrigerator, not shown in FIG. At the projection 17, three arms 18 are formed during deep drawing of the inner wall 16, each holding a tray 1 by two.

One of the two trays 1 is shown in Fig. 2 in a perspective view and in section. The tray 1 comprises, in a manner known per se, two rows of compartments 1 integrally connected to one another. The upper edges of intermediate walls 3 which extend between adjacent compartments 2 have notches 4 which are open at the top at their points of intersection or at their ends. If the tray is filled with a nominal filling amount of water, the water level in the tray is equal to the notches 4, so that the subjects 2 via the notches 4 communicate with each other and adjusts the same water level in all compartments 2.

In order to facilitate demolding of the finished pieces of ice, the compartments 2 inside are free of sharp edges and have a downwardly continuously decreasing cross-section. The partition walls 3 and side walls 5, 6 go over each

continuously curved sections 7 in bottom surfaces 8 of the compartments via.

The slope of the narrow side walls 5 increases continuously from bottom to top, and at least above the intermediate walls 3, the narrow side walls 5 extend vertically. The long side walls 6, however, are divided vertically into three successive sections. As can be seen most clearly in the section of Fig. 3, in a lower portion 9, the wall slope increases continuously from bottom to top. It reaches its highest value at a height of the notches 4 extending horizontal edge 10. Above this edge 10, a middle closes Section 1 1, which is less steep than the adjacent lower wall portion 9. The middle portion 1 1 and an upper portion 12 go over a continuous

Curvature into each other. In the upper portion 12, the side wall 6 is similarly steep as in the lower portion 9. It can even, as shown in Fig. 2 and 3, inwards

overhang.

The fact that the ice maker tray is made of an elastic plastic does not affect the superiority of the portions 12 the possibility of making the tray as a molded part. A one-piece mold used for molding the inner surfaces of the tray 1 may be forcibly demolded after injection molding with elastic deformation of the portions 12.

When the icemaker is subjected to an abrupt acceleration or deceleration, particularly when opening and closing the door 14, the water in the compartments 2 does not immediately follow the acceleration or deceleration. If for example a

2 acts on the tray 1, the water shifts against the direction of the arrow a and accumulates at the side facing away from the viewer long side wall 6. The rising water meets there first on the relatively slightly rising middle Section 1 1. It is therefore not abruptly delayed, but continuously deflected upward. This reduces the risk of splashing. If the acceleration of the tray is too strong, so that the ascending water on the left side wall 6 rises above its upper edge, it gets through the overhang of the upper portion 12 a directed in the direction of the arrow a pulse, so that when the acceleration a only a short time, falls into the subject 2, instead of the

Sidewall 6 to overcome. The combined height of the middle and upper sections, which provides effective protection against spills, depends on the expected accelerations and the duration of their impact; in practice it is between one and two thirds of the height of the lower section 9.

By the side walls 5, 6 are extended beyond the intermediate walls 3 upwards, the capacity of the tray 1 is significantly larger than that of a tray, in which the upper edges of outer and intermediate walls are approximately equal. The tray 1 should not be filled to the top of its side walls 5, 6, on the one hand, because then a security against spilling during opening and closing the door 14 is not given, on the other hand, because then a single, over all subjects 2 extending and would be obtained only with great difficulty to demolding block of ice.

For a proper functioning of the ice maker, it is therefore important that exactly that amount of water is poured into a tray 1, which has a water level between the respective lowest point of the notches 4 and an upper edge of the

Partitions 3 results.

In order to enable a fast and safe filling with exactly this amount of water, a dosing 49 is mounted above each tray 1. The metering containers 49 are provided with calibration marks 50, which have upper and lower limits of permissible

Mark the water level in the dosing tank 49. The calibration marks 50 are set so that the amount of water defined by them is sufficient to flood the respective deepest points of the notches 4 in the trays 1, but not the upper edges of the intermediate walls 3.

A normally closed drainage opening 51 extends in a slot shape in the width direction of the door above all the compartments 2 of the row immediately adjacent to the door. Thus, when the drain 51 is opened, all these compartments 2 are filled at the same time, and as soon as they are full, the compartments 2 of the row facing away from the door 14 also fill with the water flowing over the notches 4.

3 shows a section through the ice maker in a plane perpendicular to the door 14 and passing through one of the trays 1 and the drain 51. A plate-shaped, slotted transversely to the cutting plane of FIG. 3 closing body 52 is slidably guided in a tightly closing gap 53 at the bottom of the dosing 49 and abuts a valve 51 surrounding the valve seat of the dosing 49. A lower end of the closing body 52 is supported on the upper edge of the door-near longitudinal wall 6. To ensure that the closing body 52 does not slip off the longitudinal wall 6, between both a play-containing tongue and groove engagement, here in the form of a top edge of the longitudinal wall. 6 encompassing groove 54 of the closing body 52, be formed. The icemaker tray is pivotally suspended on the arms 18 about an axis 23 parallel to the door 14 (Figure 1). In a shown in Fig. 3 by solid lines freezing position of the tray 1, the upper edges of the outer walls 5, 6 and

Partitions 3 horizontally, and the slot 55 of the closing body 52 does not overlap with the drain 51. By a user after filling one or both dosing 49 pushes away from the door 14 longitudinal wall 6 downwardly pivots the tray 1 in a dashed outline illustrated filling position in which the closing body 52 is shifted so far up that its slot 55 overlaps with the drain 51. In this position, the water flows from the metering 49 into the compartments 2. Due to the large length of the drain 51 transverse to the sectional plane of FIG. 3, individual frozen drops may not completely block the drain 51. A resulting from the eventual presence of such drops uneven distribution of

effluent water has no effect, since over the notches 4 a balance of the water level between all compartments 2 takes place. Referring again to Fig. 1, a lever 20 is seen in a gap between the two trays 1, which is suspended in front of a collecting container 56 suspended from the door 14

hangs.

Fig. 4 shows a section through the ice maker along a transverse to the door 14 through the gap of the lever 20 extending plane. You can see the axis 23, through which the two trays 1 are rigidly connected together, and a second, parallel to the axis 23, the trays 1 connecting axis 25 about which the lever 20 is pivotable. When the lever 20 is pivoted about the axis 25 in a clockwise direction, a projection 28 of the lever 20 abuts against a web 29 extending between the two trays 1. A further pivoting of the lever 20 is possible from this position only together with the trays 1 about the axis 23. The pivoting freedom of the trays in turn is limited by pins 22 which protrude from the side facing away from the lever 20 narrow side walls 5 of the trays 1 and abut in a position shown in Fig. 4 as a dashed outline position from above against the trays 1 supporting arms 18. If the lever 20 is pressed beyond this position in the direction of the door 14, this leads to a distortion of the trays 1, whereby the compartments 2 warp and the pieces of ice contained therein are pressed out. The pieces of ice fall into the collecting container 56 arranged underneath. The contact of the lever 20 with the door 14 or, in the case shown in Fig. 4, with a mounted in a gap 36 between the dosing 49 buffer 38, limits the possible distortion of the trays 1 and prevents permanent deformation of the trays 1 before.

5 shows a development of the embodiment described above in a view analogous to FIG. 1. The metering containers 49, the trays 1 and the lever 20 are the same as described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. A housing 57 with a main wall 58 parallel to the door 14 and perpendicular flanks 59 is provided for concealing on the inner wall 16 at least the trays 1 and, in the case shown here, also the outer walls of the dosing containers 49. The housing 57 may, for example, be attached to the arms 18 or the metering containers 49 in any suitable manner. Preferably, the attachment should be releasable by the user to expose the trays 1, if necessary, and e.g. to be able to liberate them from their mobility restricting ice. Collecting container 56 for finished pieces of ice, as shown in Fig. 5, can be pulled out of the housing 57 or pulled out in the form of drawers. At the lower edges of the main wall 58 and flanks 59 can not be seen in Fig. 5, in the assembled state of the housing 57 to the projection 15 of the door extending base plate to the interior of the ice maker in operation substantially against the remaining interior of the To seal the refrigerator and thus prevent moisture from the icemaker to increased frost formation in the

Interior leads.

The collecting container 56 is present twice in the embodiment of FIG. 5 and in each case assigned to one of the trays 1. Thus, space for the depending lever 20 can be kept free between the two receptacles 56, and it is possible to unfold one of the receptacles 56 without having to swing the lever 20 up.

Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of an ice maker according to a third

Embodiment of the invention. A rectangular frame 39 open at the top and bottom surrounds two ice maker trays 1 of the same type as described above. The trays 1 are suspended on arms 18 with top oblique surfaces 48, and a lever 20 for pivoting the trays 1 hangs down over a longitudinal wall of the frame 39. At a head end of the frame 39, a compartment 60 for a dosing 61 is recessed. The dosing tank 61 is provided with calibration marks 50 which correspond to the desired filling quantity of a Trays 1 correspond. By a single emptying of the dosing container 61 in a tray 1 this is therefore completely filled. In order to reduce the space requirement of the ice maker, a dosing with half calibration volume could be provided, which would be emptied twice in a tray 1 as a result, to fill it completely; because of the extra work for the user, this variant is not preferred.

Fig. 7 shows a cross section through a further developed embodiment of

At a distance from the tray 1, which does not hinder its pivotal movement in the demolding shown in turn as a dashed outline, a lid 62 is inserted with a basin-like recess 63 from above into the frame 39. The basin-like depression 63, like the dosing vessel 49 of FIG. 1, has a drain 51 in the form of an elongated slot extending over a series of compartments 2. By the drain 51 is placed so that it can dehydrate only in the compartments 2, it is impossible that water is spilled during filling and freezes in a place where it obstructs the pivoting movement of the tray 1. In addition, the lid 62 prevents the escape of moisture from the icemaker and thus limits the formation of frost in a surrounding the icemaker interior of the refrigerator. FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a refrigerator body 41 with the ice maker of FIG. 7. A pull-out box 40 is largely in one of the body 41

pulled out position shown. A rear wall 46 extending in the width direction of the pull-out box 40 divides the pull-out box 40 into a relatively small depth front pocket 42 and a main pocket 47 lying behind it. The width and depth of the pocket 42 correspond to the dimensions of the frame 39. From the walls of the pocket 42 inside projecting narrow horizontal webs 43 support the frame 39 so that the outer edge of the lid 62 flush with the upper edges of the walls of the tray 42. Below the webs 43 a collecting container for finished pieces of ice in the form of a drawer 45 is arranged, which is pulled out of the latter on the front side of the pull-out box 40. To use the ice maker, it is therefore sufficient, the

Extract drawer 40 so far that the dosing 61 can be removed to fill with this the two trays 1 and after freezing the water in trays 1 the lever 20 hochzuschwenken and preferable. The by the resulting distortion of the trays 1 ejected pieces of ice fall into the drawer 45 and can be removed through this.

Since the pull-out box 40 does not have to be pulled further than the back wall 46 of the front compartment 42, the main compartment 47 located behind it remains protected against the entry of warm and moist outside air.

An alternative embodiment of a refrigerator with an ice maker mounted in an extract box 40 is shown in FIG. Here, the icemaker is housed in a compartment 42 partitioned off on one longitudinal side of the drawer 40 and under the icemaker extends a narrow but deep drawer 45 for catching the finished ice.

Although the frame 39 of the icemaker and the tray receiving it 42 are rectangular in nature, the icemaker is placeable in the tray 42 only in one orientation, with the lever 20 hanging in the main compartment 47. In this orientation, the dosing container 61 is located directly on the front edge of the pull-out box 40, so that the latter must be pulled out so far only to remove the dosing container 61, that the dosing container 61 is exposed. To fill the trays 1, they do not need to be completely uncovered; it suffices that the recesses 63 of the cover 62, each lying above a tray 1, can be exposed so far that water can be poured in conveniently.

In an ice maker with two trays, as shown in Fig. 6, the drawer 40 must be pulled out by much more than half its depth to fill the rear tray 1 can. In order to reduce the required displacement of the pull-out box 40, it may therefore be expedient in the embodiment of FIG. 9 to equip the icemaker with a single instead of two trays 1 and a lever for pivoting and twisting the tray 1 to the tray 60th adjacent narrow side wall 5 of this tray 1 to install.

Claims

Ice maker with at least one tray (1) subdivided into several compartments (2) for the production of each piece of ice, characterized by a metering container (49; 61) with a calibration volume corresponding to the common volume of the compartments (2) or an integral fraction of this volume equivalent.

Ice maker according to claim 1, characterized in that the metering container (49) is connected to the compartments (2) via at least one controllable drain (51).

Ice maker according to claim 2, characterized in that the outflow (51) can be controlled by the position of the at least one tray (1).

Ice maker according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that at least one tray (1) between a freezing position, in which the outflow (51) is closed, and a filling position, in which the outflow (51) is open, about an axis ( 23) is pivotable.

Ice maker according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the drain (51) comprises a valve with a valve seat and a closing body (52) in contact with the at least one tray (1) between a sealing position on the valve seat and an open position is movable.

Ice maker according to one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the metering container (49), the compartments (2) is arranged overlapping.

Ice maker according to one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the metering container (49) forms a ceiling of the at least one tray (1) surrounding the housing (57).

8. Ice maker according to claim 1, characterized in that the dosing container (61) can be removed from a chamber (60) of the ice maker.

9. ice maker according to claim 1 or 8, characterized in that in a ceiling of the at least one tray (1) surrounding the housing (39, 62) a basin (63) with at least one in the compartments (2) emptying outflow (51) is formed.

10. ice maker according to claim 9, characterized in that the basin (63) in a side walls of the housing (57) forming the frame (39) is inserted.

1 1. Ice maker according to one of claims 2 to 7, 9 or 10, characterized in that the outflow (51) opens into a plurality of compartments (2) in parallel.

12. Refrigerating appliance, in particular domestic refrigeration appliance, with an ice maker according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the ice maker is mounted on a door (14) of the refrigeration device.

13. Refrigerating appliance, in particular domestic refrigeration appliance, with an ice maker according to one of claims 1 to 1 1, characterized in that the ice maker is removably mounted in a body (41) of the refrigerator.

14. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 13, as far as dependent on claim 8, characterized

in that the chamber (60) is arranged in the withdrawal direction in front of the at least one tray (1).

15. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the ice maker is integrated in a drawer (40).

16. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 15, characterized in that a collecting container (45) for pieces of ice from the drawer (41) can be pulled out.