EP2494286A2

EP2494286A2 - Refrigeration device comprising an ice maker

Info

Publication number: EP2494286A2
Application number: EP10770803A
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: 2010-10-19
Publication date: 2012-09-05
Anticipated expiration: 2030-10-19
Also published as: WO2011051143A2; WO2011051143A3; DE102009046034A1; EP2494286B1; CN102741628A

Abstract

A refrigeration device has an ice maker (37) which comprises at least one tray (1) that is held such that it can be swiveled about an axis (23) and that is subdivided into a plurality of compartments (2) to produce one chunk of ice each and at least one collection container (56) for ice produced in the at least one tray. The ice maker can be removed from the refrigeration device while the collection container remains in the device.

Description

Refrigerating appliance with ice maker

The present invention relates to a refrigerator with an icemaker, which has at least one divided into several compartments for the production of each piece of ice, pivotable about an axis tray, and at least one receptacle for ice cream produced in the at least one tray.

Such a refrigeration device is known from DE 10 2006 017 804 A1. This known

Refrigeration device has a compartment divided into several compartments, and the icemaker is locked to struts that extend across one of these compartments. While it is possible, when not in use, to dislodge the icemaker from the struts and stow it away from the refrigerator, storage space is needed that is scarce and precious in most kitchens. In addition, the removal of the icemaker leaves annoying holes in a compartment-closing flap. If the space obtained by the expansion of the ice maker is to be used to accommodate small-scale refrigerated goods, there is a risk that this falls out through the holes. Although it would be possible in principle, together with the expansion of the icemaker and the flap to replace a flap without holes, but this would increase the footprint even more, since a flap must be stored outside the unit, and with the installation and removal of the Ice maker associated effort would be greatly increased.

Object of the present invention is to provide an icemaker, the at

Disassembly is removable and its storage outside the refrigerator requires little space.

The object is achieved in that in a refrigerator of the type defined in the icemaker does not include the collection container, ie the collection container and the icemaker are separate units. Accordingly, the icemaker is removable from the refrigeration device while retaining the collection container therein. The per se designed for the storage of small pieces of ice cubes collection is suitable for distant icemaker also for the storage of other small-sized refrigerated goods. A frame in which the tray is pivotally supported about said axis is suitably part of the ice maker and with this on and off. A bearing, which connects the tray to the frame, therefore does not need to be disassembled for the removal of the icemaker. According to a first preferred embodiment, the ice maker is attached to a door of the refrigerator. In such an icemaker can serve as a catch container, a door rack, which, when the icemaker is removed, serves in a conventional manner for the accommodation of kleinteiligem refrigerated goods. According to a second preferred embodiment, an upwardly open compartment may be provided on a housing mounted on the door, which accommodates the icemaker.

The housing may further comprise at least one compartment from which the collecting container can be pulled out.

To be able to use not only the receptacle, but also the upwardly open compartment when the icemaker is removed, a bottom plate instead of the icemaker in the housing can be inserted. According to a third preferred embodiment, the collecting container is in a

Extensible drawer integrated, which can be housed in a conventional manner in a body of the refrigerator.

The icemaker is conveniently inserted in the same drawer.

Since the dimensions of such an extension box are usually larger than those of an ice maker, the drawer is preferably divided into two compartments, one of which receives at least the collection container and possibly also the icemaker. A wall between the two compartments is preferably lower than outer walls of the pull-out box, so that, if necessary, even bulky items to be cooled can be placed bridging the wall in the pull-out box when the icemaker is removed. Also in the drawer a bottom plate can be inserted instead of the icemaker in order to efficiently use the space made free by the icemaker.

The collecting container is in turn expediently pulled out of the drawer.

To avoid sloshing of water from the tray when it is moved, for example, together with the door or the drawer, exterior walls of the tray should be expediently significantly higher than partitions between the individual compartments of the tray.

Preferably, the height of a portion of at least one of the outer walls projecting above the intermediate walls is at least one third of the height of the intermediate walls.

To avoid spilling over or splashing of water further contributes when the portion of the outer wall projecting above the intermediate walls is concavely curved on the inside and / or if it partially overhangs inwards.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures. Show it:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an ice maker for use in

a refrigeration device according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, sectional view of a tray of the ice maker of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 second embodiment of the ice maker;

FIG. 4 shows a section through the ice maker of FIG. 3; FIG.

FIG. 5 shows a second section through the ice maker of FIG. 3; FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the

ice machine;

Fig. 7 is a section through an ice maker according to a fourth

design;

Fig. 8 is an interior view of a refrigerator door with a mounted thereon

Ice maker according to a first embodiment of the invention;

9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 of a refrigerator door according to a second

Embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a housing connecting the icemaker to the door in the embodiment of Fig. 9;

Fig. 1 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to a third

Embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 12 shows a schematic partial section of an extracting box of the refrigerating appliance shown in FIG. 11; FIG. and

13 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to a fourth

Embodiment of the invention.

1 shows a perspective view of an ice maker for use in a refrigerator according to the invention. The ice maker has a rectangular, open top and bottom frame 39 in which two trays 1 are suspended pivotally about an axis 23 extending in the longitudinal direction of the frame 39. The trays are in one

horizontal position suitable for the production of ice. The

Pivoting movement of the trays 1 is driven by a hand-operated lever 20 which acts on two mutually facing end faces 5 of rotatably interconnected trays. Facing away from each other end faces 5 of the trays 1 each carry a projecting in the direction of the axis 23 pin 22 which abuts when tilting the trays on inclined surfaces 48 of the frame 39. In this stop position are Tray 2 of the tray with its open sides turned down, and by the lever 20 defined by the projections 22 and the inclined surfaces 48

Stop position is pivoted out, the trays 1 are wound in itself, the compartments 2 are deformed, and pieces of ice formed in them are pushed out and fall over the open bottom of the frame 39 out of the icemaker.

2 shows an enlarged partial view of one of the one-piece injection-molded from a moderately elastic plastic tray 1. The tray 1 comprises in a conventional manner, two rows of integrally interconnected compartments 2. The upper edges of partitions that extend between adjacent compartments 2, have each at their intersections or at their ends upwardly open notches 4. To facilitate the release of the finished pieces of ice from the compartments 2, these are in their

Inside free of sharp edges and have a continuously decreasing cross-section downwards. The intermediate walls 3 and end and longitudinal sides 5, 6 each pass over continuously curved sections 7 in bottom surfaces 8 of the compartments 2.

The slope of the end walls 5 increases continuously from top to bottom, and at least above the intermediate walls 3, the side walls 5 extend vertically. The longitudinal walls 6, however, are divided vertically into three successive sections. In a lower portion 9 takes as in the case of the end walls 5 the

Wall slope from bottom to top continuously to. It reaches its highest value at a height of the notch 4 extending horizontal edge 10. Above this edge 10 is followed by a middle portion 1 1, which is less steep than that

adjacent lower wall section 9. The middle section 11 and an upper section 12 merge into one another via a continuous curvature. In the upper portion 12, the longitudinal wall is similar steep as in its lower portion 9; it may even, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, overhang inwards.

Since the ice maker tray 1 is made of an elastic plastic, the overhang of the portions 12 does not affect the ability to manufacture the tray 1 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. The cross-sectional shape of the longitudinal walls 6 serves to protect against overflow and splashing of water, if the tray 1 acting transversely to the longitudinal walls 6 Acceleration is exposed. If such in Fig. 2 as arrow a shown

Acceleration on the tray 1, collected in the compartments 2 contained water on the side facing away from the viewer longitudinal wall 6. By first there meets the relatively weak rising middle section 1 1, it is not abruptly delayed, but continuously deflected upward. This reduces the risk of splashing. If the acceleration of the tray 1 is so strong that the rising water on the rear side wall 6 rises above its upper edge, it gets through the overhang of the upper portion 12 a forward, back to the compartments 2 of the tray 1 impulse, so that if the acceleration is only a short time, it falls back into a compartment 2 instead of overcoming the longitudinal wall 6.

The combined height of middle and upper sections 11 and 12, which provides effective protection against spilling, depends on the accelerations to which the tray is exposed during operation and the duration of its impact; in practice it is between one third and two thirds of the height of the lower section 9.

FIG. 3 shows a first development of the ice maker from FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 shows a cross section of the development. The walls of the frame 39 are extended here in comparison to those of FIG. 1 upwards to accommodate two metering 49 positively, among which the trays 1 are completely hidden. The metering containers 49 are provided with calibration marks 50 which mark an upper and lower limit of a permissible water level in the metering container 49. The calibration marks 50 are set so that the amount of water defined by them is sufficient to fill the compartments 2 of the respectively underlying tray 1 so far that the respective deepest points of the notches 4, but not the upper edges of the intermediate walls 3 are flooded.

A normally closed drainage opening 51 extends in a slot shape in the longitudinal direction of the frame 39 over a series of trays 2 of the tray 1. Thus, when the drain 51 is opened, all of these trays 2 are filled at the same time, and when they are full they fill with the above Notches 4 overflowing water and the other compartments 2 of the tray. 1

Fig. 4 shows a section through the ice maker of Fig. 3 in a parallel to an end wall of the frame 39, by one of the trays 1 and the drain 51 of the above lying Dosierbehälters 49 extending plane. A plate-shaped, across the

4 slotted closing body 52 is slidably guided in a tightly closing gap 53 at the bottom of the dosing 49 and is located on a drain 51 surrounding the valve seat of the dosing 49 tightly. A lower end of the closing body 52 is supported on the upper edge of a longitudinal wall 6 of the tray 1. 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 may be formed.

The ice maker tray 1 is pivotally suspended in the frame 39 about an axis 23 extending in its longitudinal direction. 4, the upper edges of the side walls 5, 6 and the intermediate walls 3 are horizontal, and the slot 55 of the closing body 52 does not overlap with the drain 51. By a user after filling one or both metering 49 presses the closing body 52 opposite longitudinal wall 6 down, the tray 1 pivots in a filling position shown as a dashed outline, in which the closing body 52 is shifted so far up that its slot 55th 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. 4, frozen drops can not completely block the drain 51. A resulting from the eventual presence of such drops uneven distribution of the effluent water has no effect, as on the notches 4, a balance of the water level between all compartments 2 takes place.

Fig. 5 shows a section through the ice maker of Fig. 4 along a to a

Narrow side of the frame 39 parallel, through the gap of the lever 20 extending plane. To see is the pivot axis 23, via which the two trays 1 are rigidly interconnected, 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 1 in turn, as in the case of FIG. 1 limited by pins 22, facing away from the lever 20 End faces 5 of the trays 1 and abut in a position shown in Fig. 5 as a dashed outline position from above against inclined surfaces 48 on the two narrow sides of the frame 39. If the lever 20 is pressed beyond this position, 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 contact of the lever 20 with a longitudinal wall of the frame 39 or, in the case shown in Fig. 5, with a buffer 38 mounted in a gap 36 (see Fig. 3) between the metering tanks 49 limits the possible distortion of the trays 1 and prevents a permanent

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

Design. The trays 1, their suspension in the frame 39 and the manner of their operation by means of the lever 20 is the same as in the first two

Configurations. At a head end of the frame 39 is a tray 60 for a

Dosing 61 recessed. The dosing container 61 can be placed in the compartment 60 with sufficient play in order to be able to easily detach and remove it from the compartment 61 even when it is selectively frozen thereon. The dosing 61 is with

Calibration marks 50 provided that correspond to the target filling amount of each of the trays 1. 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 smaller compartment 60 and in the compartment 60 a metering container 61 could be provided with half the calibration volume, which would have to be emptied twice in a tray 1, 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 the ice maker of Fig. 6. At a distance from the tray 1, which is large enough to the

Not to hinder pivotal movement in the demolding shown in turn 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. 3, has a drain 51 in the form of an elongated slot extending over a series of compartments 2. By placing the drain 51 so that it can only drain into the compartments 2, it is precluded that water is spilled during filling and frozen in a place where it is the pivoting mobility of the tray 1 handicapped. 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 an interior view of a door of a refrigerator, such as a

Household freezer according to a first embodiment of the invention. The door 14 has a known construction with an outer skin 15 formed of sheet metal, a deep-drawn plastic inner wall 16 and one of outer skin 15 and

Inner wall 16 enclosed, filled with heat-insulating resin foam gap. On the inner wall 16, a large flat projection 17 is tightened, which engages in the closed position of the door to an interior of a refrigerator unit, not shown in the figure. At the projection 17 two bars 64 are deep-drawn in a conventional manner. Conventionally, such spars 64 on the doors of refrigerators are used to suspend fixtures such as door bins, butter compartments, or the like.

Here at the spars 64 a designated 37 ice maker is suspended. In the

Representation of Figure 8 is the ice maker of Fig. 3; however, it should be understood that any other of the above-described icemakers could be similarly mounted to the door 14.

At a short distance below the ice maker 37, a receptacle 56 is suspended from the bars 64, fall into the finished pieces of ice from the ice maker 37 when its lever 20 is pivoted high and the trays 1 wound therein. The distance between the receptacle 56 is just large enough that the

Collecting container 56 can be lifted and suspended from the bars 64, without dismounting the icemaker 37 at the same time. It can also be made so large that individual pieces of ice can be gripped through the gap between collecting container 56 and ice maker 37. Just like the collecting container 56, the ice maker 37 is detachable from the bars and can be removed completely from the freezer when not in use. The receptacle 56 can remain in the freezer without the ice maker 37, so that no storage space outside the device is required for its placement. If the Ice maker 37 is removed, the collecting container 56 in the same way as a

conventional door storage box of a refrigerator useful to accommodate small-sized refrigerated goods therein.

9 shows an interior view of a freezer door according to a second embodiment of the invention. The structure of the door 14 is the same as described with reference to FIG. 7. A housing 57 is mounted in any manner on the inner wall 16 of the door 14. The housing 57 is shown in Fig. 10 in section. An icemaker 37, which in turn may be any of those described with reference to FIGS. 1-6, is positively plugged into an open top of the housing 57, and the frame 39 of the icemaker 37 rests on webs 43 extending from Walls 58, 59 of the housing 57 project inwardly. Below the webs 43 two laterally open compartments 65 are formed in the housing 57, in each of which a collecting container in the form of a drawer 45 is pulled out or herausschwenkbar housed to ice pieces from the

Ice maker 37 to catch.

If the ice maker 37 shown schematically as a dotted outline in FIG. 10 is removed from the housing 57, a bottom plate 66 can be placed on the webs 43 in its place, as indicated in FIG. 10 by a dot-dashed outline. The bottom plate 66 and the towering parts of the walls 58, 59 form a storage box, which can be used for small-scale refrigerated goods, and also the drawers 45 are, if there are no pieces of ice, usable for different types of refrigerated goods.

Fig. 1 1 shows a perspective view of a refrigerator body 41 with a

Ice maker, this time, representative of all others, that of Fig. 7. A

Pull-out box 40 is shown in a largely pulled out of the body 41 position. A extending in the width direction of the pull-out box rear wall 46 whose height is less than that of the outer walls of the pull-out box 40 divides the pull-out box 40 in a front compartment 42 of relatively shallow depth and a lying behind main compartment 47. Width and depth of the tray 42 correspond to Dimensions of the frame 39 of the ice maker 37. Inwardly projecting from the walls of the tray 42 narrow horizontal webs 43 support the frame 39 so that the top of the ice maker 37 with the upper edges of the outer walls of the tray 42 flush concludes. 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. In order to use the ice maker, it is sufficient to pull it out so far that the dosing 61 can be removed to fill with this the two trays 1 and push the drawer back to let the water in the trays 1 freeze. After freezing the water, the lever 20 is pivoted up and pulled forward. The pieces of ice ejected by the resulting distortion of the trays 1 fall into the drawer 45 and can be removed therefrom. Since the pull-out box 40 does not have to be pulled out further than the rear wall 46 of the front compartment 42 for filling, the main compartment 47 located behind it remains protected against the entry of warm and moist outside air.

If, as shown in FIG. 11, the rear wall 16 does not extend over the webs 43, the frame 39 expediently has steps 70 at its lower edge, as indicated in FIG. 12, so that the ice maker 37 is enclosed in one of the webs 43 Opening 44 of the tray 42 can engage positively.

Instead of the ice maker 37, an insert 67 is placeable on the upper edge of the rear wall 46 and the webs 43, as shown in Fig. 12. The insert 67 has a bottom plate 66 which separates the drawer 45 from the main compartment 47 enlarged by the absence of the ice maker 37. Two downwardly projecting webs 68 betray the insert 67 on the rear wall 46, so that it can not slip off of the rear wall 46 opposite web 43; An upwardly projecting web 69 may be provided on the insert 67 to prevent deposited on the bottom plate 66 small-sized items to be cooled down when pulling the pull-out box 40 over the rear edge of the bottom plate.

An alternative embodiment of a refrigeration device 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 a longitudinal side of an extraction box 40, and below the icemaker 37 in the compartment 42 extends a narrow but deep drawer 45 for collecting the finished ice. Although the frame 39 of the ice maker 37 and the receiving compartment 42 per se are rectangular, the icemaker is positionable on the tray 42 only in one orientation, with the main compartment 47 facing the lever 20. 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 of the ice maker 37, the drawer 40 need not be completely pulled out; it is sufficient to pull it out so far that each lying on a tray 1 wells 63 of the lid 62 are far enough free to comfortably water

infuse.

In an ice maker with two trays 1, as shown in Fig. 13, the drawer 40 must be pulled out much more than half its depth to fill the rear tray 1 can. In order to reduce the required for filling displacement of the pullout box 40, it may therefore be appropriate in the embodiment of FIG. 13 to equip the icemaker with a single instead of two trays 1 and the lever 20 for pivoting and twisting of the tray 1 at the to Tray 60 of the dosing tank 61 adjacent narrow side wall 5 of this tray 1 to install.

Again, the icemaker is interchangeable with an insert 67. The shape of this insert 67 is the same as described above with respect to FIGS. 11 and 12.

Claims

Refrigerating appliance, in particular household refrigerating appliance, with an ice maker (37) which has at least one tray (1) divided into several compartments (2) for the production of each piece of ice and pivotable about an axis, and at least one collecting container (45; 56) for in the at least one tray (1) generated ice, characterized in that the ice maker (37) with the whereabouts of the collecting container (45; 56) can be removed from the refrigeration device in the refrigeration device.

Refrigerating appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that the ice maker (37) comprises a frame (39) in which the tray (1) is pivotally supported.

Refrigerating appliance according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the ice maker (37) is attached to a door (14) of the refrigerating appliance.

Refrigerating appliance according to claim 3, characterized in that the collecting container (56) is a door rack.

Refrigerating appliance according to claim 3, characterized in that a door-mounted housing (57) has an upwardly open compartment which receives the ice maker (37).

Refrigerating appliance according to claim 3, characterized in that a door-mounted housing (57) has at least one compartment (65) from which the collecting container (45) can be pulled out.

Refrigerating appliance according to claim 5 or 6, characterized by a bottom plate (66) which can be inserted instead of the ice maker (37) in the housing (57).

Refrigerating appliance according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the

Collecting container (45) is integrated in a drawer (40).

9. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 8, characterized in that the ice maker (37) in the drawer (40) is inserted.

10. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 9, characterized in that the drawer (40) is divided into two compartments (42, 47), one of which receives at least the collecting container (45).

1 1. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 10, characterized in that a wall (46)

between the two compartments (42, 47) is lower than outer walls of the pull-out box (40).

12. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 9, 10 or 1 1, characterized by a bottom plate (66) which can be inserted instead of the ice maker (37) in the drawer (40).

13. Refrigerating appliance according to one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that the collecting container can be pulled out of the drawer.

14. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tray (1) has a plurality of intermediate walls (3) separate compartments (2) and outer walls (5, 6) and that the height of the intermediate walls (3) towering portion (1 1, 12) at least one of the outer walls (6) at least one

Third of the height of the intermediate walls (3) amounts to.

15. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 14, characterized in that over the

Partitions (3) upstanding portion (1 1, 12) is concavely curved inside.

16. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that over the intermediate walls (3) upstanding portion (1 1, 12) partially overhangs inwards.