EP2494288B1 - Ice maker - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an ice maker for a refrigeration device, in particular a household refrigerating appliance, with a tray pivotally and twistably suspended in a frame about an axis. Such an icemaker is off, for example DE 41 13 767 A1 known. The tray of this conventional ice maker is filled with water in a horizontal position, here referred to as the freezing position, and after freezing it is pivoted to a demolding position with its top facing downwards. By a pivot drive on a first end face of the tray engages while a projection of an opposite end face abuts against a stop of the frame in the demolding position, the tray can be deformed or twisted after reaching the Entformstellung in itself, whereby expelled the resulting ice cubes in his subjects become. To twist the tray, a considerable torque may be required because the ice contained in the compartments also contributes to the rigidity of the tray. Accordingly vigorously, a motor must be dimensioned, which drives the movement of the tray. Such a motor is expensive and takes up space in the refrigerator, which is lost as storage for refrigerated goods.

US 4,332,146 A discloses an ice maker according to the preamble of claim 1. It is an object of the present invention to provide an icemaker in which a small drive torque is sufficient to safely demould finished ice.
The object is achieved by the tray is coupled to a drive via a transmission with position-dependent variable transmission ratio in an ice maker with at least one in a frame about an axis pivotally and twistably suspended tray, wherein the drive comprises a handle. Such a transmission can reduce the difference between the torques required to drive the pivoting movement and to twist the tray. Therefore, the maximum torque to be applied for demolding can be reduced in comparison with a drive acting directly on the axis of the tray, without necessarily increasing the rotational travel to be covered by the drive.
Preferably, the transmission is an unevenly translating transmission, such as a four-bar linkage or the like.

Because the maximum torque to be applied is reduced to a value that can be applied by a user with low body forces without difficulty, a motor is replaced by a manual drive via a handle. This saves both considerable costs and space in the refrigeration device.
In a position of the transmission in which the tray is twisted, the gear ratio should be higher than in a non-wound position.
It is also advantageous if the transmission ratio increases with increasing distortion of the tray in order to keep the increase of the torque required for twisting on the drive low.
According to a first preferred embodiment, the gear of the ice maker may comprise a lever which is pivotable about an axis offset to the pivot axis of the tray and is in contact with a surface of the tray in force.
The handle can represent a free end of this lever.
The freedom of rotation of the lever is preferably smaller than that of the tray, to make it easier for a user to apply the required rotation to the drive without having to engage in the meantime. A small freedom of movement of the lever can also simplify the construction of a housing of the ice maker, since no large, stability affecting housing opening is required, in which the lever is movable.
In a substantially cuboid or box-shaped ice maker, the freedom of movement of the handle can be expediently limited to the top of the box or cuboid. This allows convenient operation of the icemaker by access from above. In addition, the ice can be removed quickly and conveniently by the user supporting the thumb of a hand on one edge of the icemaker and with the other fingers, the handle engages and pulls to the flank.

Preferably, the handle is received in a recess at the top of the ice maker; By avoiding the handle over the cuboid or box shape is avoided, the placement of the icemaker is simplified in a refrigerator. Thus, the ice maker can be mounted approximately immediately below a horizontal surface in the interior of a refrigerator, such as under the ceiling, under a refrigerated goods or under a horizontal evaporator, or if it is placed freely in the refrigerator, other refrigerated goods can be stacked on it.

A variability of the transmission ratio can be achieved in particular in that a contact point at which touch the lever and the surface is radially movable on the surface of the tray. By having the contact point farther from the axis of the tray while applying a high torque to the tray than when applying a low torque, the force acting in the point of contact can be kept small, which reduces the contact point loading requirements and also frictional wear between the levers and reduce surface area.

According to a second preferred embodiment, the transmission comprises interacting wheels or wheel segments with complementary non-circular rolling circles. In particular, the rolling circles may take the form of Archimedean spirals.

A container for finished ice is preferably releasably attached to an underside of the frame. If the collection container is in place, the pieces of ice displaced from the tray during demolding may fall directly into it; However, in the case of lack of space in the refrigerator, the ice maker is also usable without the collecting container.

A top of the frame conveniently carries a lid. The lid prevents the spread of water vapor from the tray in the vicinity of the icemaker and thus prevents unwanted frost formation.

If a depression draining into the tray is formed in the lid, the tray can be filled with water without removing the lid.

The ice maker preferably has a removable measuring container whose capacity corresponds to that of the at least one tray or an integral fraction of the capacity of the at least one tray. By using the measuring container to fill the tray, the user can be sure that the tray will be filled with the correct amount of water, even though he can not see any or all trays of the tray when filling.

Particularly preferably, the ice maker in a household refrigeration appliance is applicable and operable.

Fig. 1

eine perspektivische Ansicht eines erfindungsgemäßen Eisbereiters;

Fig. 2

eine auseinander gezogene Ansicht des Eisbereiters aus Fig. 1;

Fig. 3

eine Ansicht eines Haushaltskältegeräts mit daran montiertem Eisbereiter;

Fig. 4

einen Querschnitt des Eisbereiters gemäß einer ersten Ausgestaltung;

Fig. 5

einen Querschnitt des Eisbereiters gemäß einer zweiten Ausgestaltung; und

Fig. 6

einen Querschnitt des Eisbereiters gemäß einer dritten Ausgestaltung.

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

a perspective view of an ice maker according to the invention;

Fig. 2

an exploded view of the ice maker Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 3

a view of a household refrigerator with mounted ice maker;

Fig. 4

a cross section of the ice maker according to a first embodiment;

Fig. 5

a cross section of the ice maker according to a second embodiment; and

Fig. 6

a cross section of the ice maker according to a third embodiment.

The in Fig. 1 and 2 illustrated icemaker has a substantially cuboid, open at the top and bottom, molded plastic frame 1. A lid 2, which closes the open top of the frame 1, has two from above into the frame 1 engaging walls 3, 4, in which Bearing for yourself between the walls 3, 4 extending, is held about an axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the ice maker pivotable tray 5. The molded of an elastic plastic tray 5 is divided in a conventional manner into a plurality of compartments 6, which are provided to receive freezing water. Partitions between the compartments 6 are also provided in known and not shown manner at their upper edges with notches to allow an overflow from a compartment 6 in an adjacent, as soon as in one compartment 6, the water level rises above the lowest point of such a notch , A target filling amount of the tray 5 is set so that all compartments 6 communicate with each other via notches.

Above the tray 5 a basin 7 is recessed in the lid 2. A drain 8 of the basin 7 ends above the compartments 6 of the tray 5, so that water poured into the basin 7 safely enters the compartments 6. The drain 6 may have a plurality of openings over different compartments 6 to ensure a rapid flow of water. The cross-section of each such opening is smaller than that of the compartments 6 interconnecting notches, so that via one of these openings water can not flow into a compartment 6 faster than it can escape to neighboring compartments via the notches. This ensures that the tray 5 can not overflow as long as the filled amount of water does not exceed its capacity.

Instead of discrete, each opening into a single compartment 6 openings, the drain can also be designed as a slot extending over several compartments 6. This has the advantage of reducing the likelihood of blockage by frozen water in the outflow.

Adjacent to the basin 7, a recess 9 is provided at the top of the lid 2, in which a slider 10 is housed. The slider is used for pivoting and twisting of the tray 5, as will be explained in more detail later. In his in Fig. 1 and 2 shown rest position, the slider is not on the top of the lid over.

Between the recess 9 and a front edge 11 of the lid 2, a recess 12 is formed, which is provided to receive a measuring cup 13. The The shape of the recess 12 is substantially complementary to that of the measuring cup 13 to substantially positively receive it when not in use, except for a finger recess 14 which is recessed from the front edge 11 to facilitate a user grasping a side wall 15 of the measuring cup 13 when it is placed in the recess 12.

The capacity of the measuring cup 13 corresponds to that of the tray 5. Therefore, it is sufficient to fill the tray 5 with water, the measuring cup 13 once to fill exactly and to empty it into the basin 7.

To save space, it would also be conceivable to set the volume of the measuring cup 13 as one n-th of the volume of the tray 5, where n is a small natural number. It would then be filled n times to fill the tray 5 of the measuring cup 13 and emptied into the basin 7.

The frame 1 comprises two longitudinal walls 16, a rear wall 17 and an end wall 18 which, when the ice maker is mounted in a refrigeration appliance, faces the door thereof. At an upper edge of the longitudinal walls 16 outwardly projecting horizontal webs 19 form a support surface for the lid 2. An upwardly and forwardly open concavity 20 of the end wall 18 is complementary to the downwardly open, hollow front edge 11 of the lid 2 to a undercut recess on which a user can pack the whole ice maker on the one hand and pull out of the refrigerator or can lift the lid 2 from the withdrawn icemaker by attacking from below, over the cavity 20, at the edge 11.

At a lower edge of each longitudinal wall 16, a cross-sectionally C-shaped profile 21 is formed. The profiles 21 limit facing grooves. These C-profiles 21 and their grooves are dimensioned to slidably receive webs 22, which are integrally formed on upper edges of side walls 23 of a substantially box-shaped collecting container 24.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a refrigerator, such as a household freezer, which is equipped with the above-described ice maker. A storage chamber of the freezer is in a conventional manner in several subjects 25 divided, of which the upper can be closed by a flap 26, while in the lower compartments 25 pull-out boxes 27 can be accommodated. One of the flaps 26 is shown in the open position, and in the rear compartment 25 of the icemaker 28 is housed. On a ceiling 29 of the compartment 25, two extending in the depth direction L-profiles 30 are fixed, of which in the view of Fig. 3 one is hidden by the icemaker 28. Horizontal legs of the two L-profiles 30 form bearing surfaces on which the webs 19 of the frame 1 slidably rest in the depth direction. By engaging the gripping clam 31 formed by the concavity 20 and the front edge 11 of the lid 2, a user may prefer the ice maker 28 latched in an engaged stop position to overcome a low resistance, depending on how far the icemaker is pulled out , remove the measuring cup 13, actuate the slide 10 or pour water into the basin 7 can.

The collecting container 24 is provided on its underside with a handle recess 32. It is easier to move in the C-profiles 21 of the frame 1 than the entire ice maker 28 on the L-profiles 30, so that when pulling on the collecting container 24, the frame 1 remains at rest.

The ice maker 28 can be withdrawn as a whole from the L-profiles 30, so that it stows when not in use outside the freezer and thus freed up space can be used elsewhere. Due to the same dimensions of the webs 19 and 22, it is also possible to suspend the collecting container 24 to the L-profiles 30 directly and by itself. Thus, by removing only the frame 1 and the lid 2, much of the space occupied by the icemaker 28 in the compartment 25 can be freed, but finished ice cubes will still have a fixed place in the receptacle 24 therein.

Of course, the ice maker 28 can also be placed freely in one of the compartments 25 or in one of the pull-out boxes 27. It is conceivable, in particular, to divide a compartment for a drawer into a compartment which receives the ice maker in a form-fitting manner and gives it stability when force is exerted on the slide 10 for removal from the mold.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic section through the ice maker 28 along a plane which extends transversely to the pivot axis of the tray 5 through the recess 9. It can be seen here that the slider 10 is part of a one-armed lever 33 which is pivotable about an axis 35 which is displaced parallel to the pivot axis 34 of the tray 5 and extends through a slot 36 at the bottom of the recess 9. Both axes 34, 35 are fixed to the between the tray 5 and the lever 33 extending wall 4. The lever 33 is shown in two positions, a rest position inclined to the right, in which it rests against a stop at the right end of the slot 36, and a position for removal to the left pivoted position. Accordingly, the tray 5 is shown in two positions, the horizontal freezing position and the opposite of about 150 ° counterclockwise pivoted Entformstellung. The tray 5 is acted upon by a spring, not shown, in the direction of the freezing position.

One of a viewer facing the end face of the tray 5 in the direction of the axis 34 projecting pin 46 is supported on a flank 47 of the lever 30 from. When the lever is pivoted from the rest position to the left, it drives via the pin 46, a pivoting movement of the tray 5, in which the pin 46 moves on a drawn as a dotted line arc. The contact point between the pin 46 and the lever 30 moves in the course of this movement along the flank 46 initially from the axis 35 and later, when the lever 30 has passed the vertical position, back in the direction of the axis 35th

The pivotal movement of the tray 5 ends when a projection 48 on the side facing away from the viewer end face of the tray 5 abuts against a projecting from the wall 3 stop 39. When this happens, the pin 46 has left the substantially radially to the axis 35 aligned edge 47 of the lever 30 and is about to transition to a second edge 49 which spans with the flank 47 at an obtuse angle. The less the direction of the flank 49 deviates from a circle struck about the axis 35, the lower is the torsion of the tray 5 achieved by a given rotation of the lever 30, and the smaller is the torque required to achieve the twisting. The direction of the flank 49 can be adapted to the rigidity of the tray 5, that the force that the User must exert on the slider 10 for twisting the tray 5, not much larger than the previously required for pivoting.

Fig. 5 shows in one too Fig. 4 analog section a second embodiment of the ice maker. The pin 46 is here replaced by a wing 37 extending in the axial direction, transverse to the cutting plane of the observer or the wall 4 facing end face of the tray over the wall 4 of time and by the above-mentioned return spring against a shoulder 38 of Lever 33 is held pressed.

When a user pivots the lever 33 in a counterclockwise direction, the shoulder 38 presses against the blade 37 and the tray 5 pivots counter to the force of the spring counterclockwise. In this case, the shoulder 38 moves on a path drawn as a dot-dashed sheet. On a first piece of this web, the distance of the shoulder 38 from the pivot axis 34 decreases even further, so that only a small deflection of the lever 33 is required to pivot the tray 5 so far that the openings of the compartments 6 point downwards ,

In a second in Fig. 5 shown position of the lever 33, the tray 5 is pivoted relative to the freezing position by about 150 ° counterclockwise, and facing away from the lever 33 front side of the tray 5 abuts against a stop 39, from the rear wall 3 of the lid 2 forth forward projects. If the lever 33 is pulled beyond the position shown in the counterclockwise direction, the lever 33 facing the end face of the tray 5, and the shoulder 38 slides on the wing 37 to the outside. Since the side facing away from the lever 33 front side of the tray 5 can no longer follow the rotation, this is subject to an increasing distortion, through which the finished pieces of ice are forced out of the compartments 6. The further the lever 33 is pulled, the greater the distance of its shoulder 38 from the pivot axis 34, and the greater the torque that the user can exert on the tray 5. As a result, it requires little effort to twist the tray 5 so far that all finished pieces of ice are reliably ejected. By either the lever 33 abuts the left end of the slot 36 or the blade 37 meets an upper edge 40 of the wall 4, the achievable twisting of the tray 5 is limited to an extent that excludes a plastic deformation safe.

Fig. 6 shows you one Fig. 4 analog section according to a third embodiment of the invention. The lever 33 is here rotatably connected to a first wheel 50, which is toothed like a gear on a part 51 of its circumference, in which this part 51, however, does not have the shape of a circle, but that of an Archimedean spiral. The spiral extends here over an angle of about 60 °: the teeth of the peripheral part 51 mesh with those of a part 53 of a second wheel 52, which is rotatably connected to the tray 5. Also, the part 53 has the shape of an Archimedean spiral, the slopes of the two spirals are coordinated so that their teeth remain in each position in mutual engagement. According to the transmission ratio between the two spirals, the second extends over a significantly larger angle than the first, here about 180 °. The two wheels 50, 52 form a gear whose transmission ratio in the illustrated rest position of the lever 33 and in the freezing position of the tray is initially significantly greater than 1, so that the tray rotates rapidly in an initial phase of its movement, and with increasing deflection of the Lever 33 is always smaller and eventually less than 1, so that the force required to twist the tray without effort can be exercised.

Claims (15)

1. Ice maker having at least one tray (5) suspended in a pivotable and twistable manner in a frame (1) about an axis (34), wherein the tray (5) is coupled to a drive (10) by way of a transmission (33, 46, 47, 49; 33, 37, 38; 33, 50-53) with a gear ratio which is variable as a function of the position, characterised in that the drive comprises a handle (10).
2. Ice maker according to claim 1, characterised in that in a position of the transmission in which the tray (5) is twisted, the gear ratio is higher than in a non-twisted position, so that the difference between the torques required to drive the pivot motion and to twist the tray (5) is reduced.
3. Ice maker according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the transmission ratio increases with an increased twisting of the tray (5).
4. Ice maker according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the transmission comprises a lever (33), which can be pivoted about an axis (35) which is offset with respect to the pivot axis (34) of the tray (5) and is in contact with a surface (46; 37) of the tray (5) in a manner so as to transmit force.
5. Ice maker according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the handle (10) forms a free end of the lever (33).
6. Ice maker according to claim 5, characterised in that the freedom of movement of the handle (10) is restricted to the top face of the ice maker.
7. Ice maker according to claim 6, characterised in that the handle is received in a depression (9) on the top face of the ice maker.
8. Ice maker according to one of the preceding claims 4 to 7, characterised in that the freedom of rotational movement of the lever (33) is less than that of the tray (5).
9. Ice maker according to one of the preceding claims 4 to 8, characterised in that a contact point, at which the lever (33) and the surface (37) touch, is radially moveable on the surface (37) of the tray (5).
10. Ice maker according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the transmission comprises wheels (50, 52) which interact with one another or wheel segments (51, 53) with complementary noncircular pitch circles.
11. Ice maker according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that a collecting vessel (24) is fastened detachably to a lower side of the frame (1).
12. Ice maker according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that a top face of the frame (1) supports a cover (2).
13. Ice maker according to claim 12, characterised in that a depression (7) which drains into the tray (5) is formed in the cover (2).
14. Ice maker according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises a removable measuring vessel (13), the holding capacity of which corresponds to that of the at least one tray (5) or an integral fraction of the holding capacity of the at least one tray (5).
15. Refrigeration appliance, in particular household refrigeration appliance, according to one of claims 1 to 14.

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