U.S. patent application number 13/576162 was filed with the patent office on 2013-03-07 for refrigeration appliance.
This patent application is currently assigned to BSH BOSCH UND SIEMENS HAUSGERATE GMBH. The applicant listed for this patent is Albert Dirnberger, Gerhard Eckl, Norman Koch, Jose Manuel Lamuela Rosano, Gerald Schmidt, Georg Spiessl, Hans Peter Werner. Invention is credited to Albert Dirnberger, Gerhard Eckl, Norman Koch, Jose Manuel Lamuela Rosano, Gerald Schmidt, Georg Spiessl, Hans Peter Werner.
Application Number | 20130055741 13/576162 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44009724 |
Filed Date | 2013-03-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130055741 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dirnberger; Albert ; et
al. |
March 7, 2013 |
REFRIGERATION APPLIANCE
Abstract
A refrigeration appliance includes a carcass having a coolable
freezer compartment. A door leaf is hinged to the carcass and
provided for opening and closing the freezer compartment. Disposed
in the freezer compartment is an ice maker, which includes an ice
production apparatus for producing ice cubes, an ice storage
container for storing the ice cubes, an insulating housing, in
which the ice production apparatus and the ice storage container
are disposed, and which has a dispenser for dispensing ice cubes
stored in the ice storage container, and a sealing apparatus for
opening and closing the dispenser.
Inventors: |
Dirnberger; Albert;
(Neunburg vorm Wald, DE) ; Eckl; Gerhard;
(Leonberg, DE) ; Koch; Norman; (Ebermannsdorf,
DE) ; Lamuela Rosano; Jose Manuel; (Giengen, DE)
; Schmidt; Gerald; (Gerstetten, DE) ; Spiessl;
Georg; (Altendorf, DE) ; Werner; Hans Peter;
(Giengen, DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Dirnberger; Albert
Eckl; Gerhard
Koch; Norman
Lamuela Rosano; Jose Manuel
Schmidt; Gerald
Spiessl; Georg
Werner; Hans Peter |
Neunburg vorm Wald
Leonberg
Ebermannsdorf
Giengen
Gerstetten
Altendorf
Giengen |
|
DE
DE
DE
DE
DE
DE
DE |
|
|
Assignee: |
BSH BOSCH UND SIEMENS HAUSGERATE
GMBH
Munich
DE
|
Family ID: |
44009724 |
Appl. No.: |
13/576162 |
Filed: |
January 21, 2011 |
PCT Filed: |
January 21, 2011 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2011/050791 |
371 Date: |
September 21, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/150 ;
62/344 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25C 5/22 20180101; F25C
2400/10 20130101; F25C 5/185 20130101; F25D 2317/061 20130101; F25C
2500/08 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/150 ;
62/344 |
International
Class: |
F25C 5/18 20060101
F25C005/18; F25D 21/04 20060101 F25D021/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 1, 2010 |
DE |
10 2010 001 464.8 |
Claims
1-10. (canceled)
11. A refrigeration appliance, comprising: a carcass having a
coolable freezer compartment; a door leaf hinged to the carcass and
provided for opening and closing the freezer compartment; and an
ice maker disposed in the freezer compartment, said ice maker
including an ice production apparatus for producing ice cubes, an
ice storage container for storing the ice cubes, an insulating
housing, in which the ice production apparatus and the ice storage
container are disposed, said housing comprising a dispenser for
dispensing ice cubes stored in the ice storage container, and a
sealing apparatus for opening and closing the dispenser.
12. The refrigeration appliance of claim 11, constructed in the
form of a household refrigeration appliance.
13. The refrigeration appliance of claim 11, wherein the housing is
constructed for at least one of thermal insulation and insulation
against moisture.
14. The refrigeration appliance of claim 11, wherein the dispenser
of the housing is configured as an opening in a base of the
housing.
15. The refrigeration appliance of claim 14, wherein the sealing
apparatus is configured in either of two ways, a first way in which
the sealing apparatus is a flap, a second way in which the sealing
apparatus is provided with a seal disposed on a side facing the
opening.
16. The refrigeration appliance of claim 11, further comprising an
anti-freeze unit constructed to prevent freezing of the sealing
apparatus.
17. The refrigeration appliance of claim 16, wherein the dispenser
of the housing is configured as an opening in a base of the
housing, said anti-freeze unit being configured in either of two
ways, a first way in which the anti-freeze unit is configured as a
heating facility disposed in a region of the opening, a second way
in which the anti-freeze unit is configured as a blowing facility
to blow cold air from the freezer compartment into a region around
the sealing apparatus.
18. The refrigeration appliance of claim 16, further comprising a
control apparatus to actuate the anti-freeze unit as a function of
an opening state of the door leaf.
19. The refrigeration appliance of claim 18, wherein the control
apparatus is configured to actuate the anti-freeze unit when the
door leaf is open.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a refrigeration appliance, in
particular a household refrigeration appliance, which has a freezer
compartment, in which an ice maker is disposed.
[0002] U.S. Pat. No. 7,386,992 B2 discloses a household
refrigeration appliance, in the door of which an ice dispenser is
disposed. Disposed within the refrigeration chamber of the
household refrigeration appliance is an ice maker, which is
insulated thermally from the refrigeration chamber and is cooled by
way of a channel connected to a freezer compartment of the
household refrigeration appliance. Ice produced using the ice maker
is transported by means of a conveyor apparatus from the ice maker
apparatus to the ice dispenser.
[0003] EP 1 598 618 A1 discloses a household refrigeration
appliance having a carcass and a door leaf hinged to the carcass,
in which an ice maker is integrated. The ice maker is embodied so
that it is thermally insulated from the environment. The carcass
comprises a guide, which guides cold air by way of openings into
the ice maker when the door leaf is closed. The openings are closed
when the door leaf is open.
[0004] The object of the present invention is to specify a
refrigeration appliance having an ice maker disposed in its freezer
compartment, wherein the risk of the ice cubes produced and stored
in the ice maker clumping is at least reduced.
[0005] The object of the invention is achieved by a refrigeration
appliance, having a carcass with a coolable freezer compartment, a
door leaf hinged to the carcass and provided for opening and
closing the freezer compartment and an ice maker disposed in the
freezer compartment, having an ice production apparatus for
producing ice cubes and an ice storage container for storing the
ice cubes, as well as an insulating housing, which insulates in
particular thermally and/or against moisture, in which the ice
production apparatus and the ice storage container are disposed. A
refrigeration appliance refers in particular to a household
refrigeration appliance, in other words a refrigeration appliance
used for household management in households or possibly also in
catering, serving in particular to store food and/or beverages in
normal household quantities at certain temperatures, for example an
upright freezer or combined fridge/freezer.
[0006] The inventive refrigeration appliance therefore comprises
the ice maker, which is supplied with water by way of a water line
for example, in order to produce ice cubes using its ice production
apparatus and to store them in the ice storage container. The
temperature in the freezer compartment causes the water to freeze,
thereby producing ice cubes. When used as intended, the freezer
compartment is opened from time to time by means of the door leaf,
with the result that the temperature of the freezer compartment
rises due to the ambient temperature of the refrigeration
appliance. Since according to the invention the ice maker or its
ice production apparatus and ice storage container is/are enclosed
by the insulating housing, conditions are created whereby the
temperature, in the ice storage container in particular, fluctuates
less due to an open door leaf. This at least reduces the risk of
the ice cubes stored in the ice storage container clumping. This is
particularly advantageous, if the ice cubes are relatively small,
e.g. have a mass smaller than 5 g.
[0007] The housing of the ice maker can be provided with at least
one opening for the inflow of cold air from the freezer compartment
into the housing. This allows the interior of the housing to be
cooled by the freezer compartment in a relatively simple manner for
the freezing of ice cubes.
[0008] According to one preferred embodiment of the inventive
refrigeration appliance the ice maker has a sealing apparatus for
opening and closing the opening. The sealing apparatus can be
configured for example as a flap, preferably as an
electromechanical flap. The sealing apparatus can be used to
control the passage of air into the interior of the housing.
[0009] The inventive refrigeration appliance can have a control
apparatus for example, which is set up to activate the sealing
apparatus as a function of the opening state of the door leaf. It
is then possible, as in a variant of the inventive refrigeration
appliance, for the sealing apparatus to be closed when the door
leaf is open and opened when the door leaf is closed. This prevents
air heated by the ambient air and/or moisture getting into the
interior of the housing through the opening when the door leaf is
open and thereby heating up the stored ice cubes. This at least
reduces the risk of the stored ice cubes clumping.
[0010] The housing can comprise a dispenser for dispensing ice
cubes stored in the ice storage container. The dispenser is
configured for example as a further opening in the base of the
housing. The ice maker can preferably comprises a further sealing
apparatus for opening and closing the dispenser. The ice dispenser
can therefore be released when required, for example when someone
wants to remove ice cubes from the ice maker or its ice storage
container. The further sealing apparatus is configured as a further
flap for example.
[0011] In order to seal the ice maker and its housing more
effectively against heat and/or moisture when the dispenser is
closed, the further sealing apparatus can be provided with a seal
disposed on the side facing the further opening.
[0012] Any potential freezing up of the sealing device in
particular with its seal can be prevented, if provision is made as
in one embodiment of the inventive refrigeration appliance for it
to comprise means for preventing freezing of the further sealing
apparatus.
[0013] The means for preventing freezing of the further sealing
apparatus can be configured for example as a heating facility in
the region of the further opening. A blowing means is also
suitable, being set up to blow the cold air from the freezer
compartment into the region around the further sealing
apparatus.
[0014] The inventive refrigeration appliance can preferably be set
up so that it actuates the means for preventing freezing of the
further sealing apparatus as a function of the opening state of the
door leaf, in particular so that it only actuates the means for
preventing freezing of the further sealing apparatus when the door
leaf is open.
[0015] It is therefore possible with the inventive refrigeration
appliance to store ice cubes produced by the ice maker, in
particular relatively small ice cubes that are for example smaller
than 5 g, without clumping. In some instances this is achieved by
accommodating the ice maker in a sealed or insulated housing within
the freezer compartment. In some instances the ice maker has
electromechanical flaps to allow the circulation of air cooled by
the freezer compartment into the interior of the housing of the ice
maker. The flaps preferably close when the door leaf of the
refrigeration appliance is opened. It may not be possible for warm
air to penetrate into the interior of the housing as required
through an opening in the housing of the ice maker for a water
inlet, as the connection for water is generally in the form of a
water line. In some instances the flap for opening and closing the
ice cube dispenser of the ice maker can be provided with a seal to
at least reduce any circulation of air through the closed
dispenser. To prevent the seal on the housing freezing up, it is
possible to blow cold air from the freezer compartment for example
onto this region as soon as the door leaf of the refrigeration
appliance is opened. A heating facility is also an option for
preventing the seal freezing up. Frost will then not form in the
region of the seal but at a non-critical point instead.
[0016] In some instances therefore the ice maker comprises the ice
production apparatus and the ice storage container (also referred
to as a hopper or bin), which are disposed in the freezer
compartment in a sealed manner by means of the housing. The ice
production apparatus is preferably one that does not comprise a
heating apparatus and is embodied for example as what is known as a
twister. The housing is preferably sealed against moisture
originating from an open door leaf or produced during a defrost
cycle.
[0017] One advantage of the inventive refrigeration appliance is
that relatively small ice cubes in particular can be stored for
longer without clumping and can thus be moved more easily as
required in the direction of the dispenser by means of a transport
apparatus of the ice storage container.
[0018] An exemplary embodiment of the invention is illustrated by
way of example in the accompanying schematic drawings, in which the
single FIGURE shows a household refrigeration appliance having an
ice maker.
[0019] The FIGURE shows a sectional view of a household
refrigeration appliance in the form of an upright freezer as an
example of a refrigeration appliance 1.
[0020] The refrigeration appliance 1 has a carcass 2, which
delimits a freezer compartment 3. Hinged to the carcass 2 of the
refrigeration appliance 1 is a door leaf 4 and the freezer
compartment 3 can be cooled by a refrigeration apparatus 5 known in
principle to the person skilled in the art. The refrigeration
apparatus 5 is configured for example as a refrigeration circuit
having at least one evaporator and at least one compressor. In the
present exemplary embodiment the refrigeration apparatus 5 has for
example an outlet 5a, by way of which the refrigeration apparatus 5
can blow cooled air into the freezer compartment 3.
[0021] Disposed in the freezer compartment 3 is an ice maker 6.
This has an in particular insulated housing 7, within which an ice
production apparatus 8 and an ice storage container 9 are disposed.
In the present exemplary embodiment the ice storage container 9 is
disposed below the ice production apparatus 8 so that ice cubes
produced by the ice production apparatus 8, which in particular
have a mass smaller than 5 g, drop into the ice storage container
9.
[0022] In the present exemplary embodiment water required to
produce the ice cubes is supplied to the ice production apparatus 8
by way of an inlet 10 disposed in the housing 7, which is connected
for example to a water line (not shown in detail).
[0023] In the present exemplary embodiment the base 11 of the
housing 7 has an opening 11a in its region facing the door leaf 4,
said opening 11a being able to be closed and opened by means of a
flap 12. Ice cubes can drop out of the ice maker 6 through the
opening 11a as required when the flap 12 is open. To transport the
ice cubes in the direction of the flap 12, a transport apparatus 13
is provided in the ice storage container 9, conveying the ice cubes
from the rear region of the ice storage container 9 in the
direction of the flap 12. The transport apparatus 13 comprises a
screw drive for example.
[0024] In the present exemplary embodiment a dispenser apparatus 14
is disposed in the door leaf 4. It comprises an ice dispenser 15
disposed in the outer skin of the door leaf 4 and a channel 16 that
passes through the door leaf 4. When the door leaf 3 is closed, the
channel 16 ends on one side below the flap 12 of the ice maker 6.
The other end of the channel 16 opens into the ice dispenser 15, so
that when the flap 12 is open ice cubes can drop through the base
11 of the ice maker 6 into the channel 16 and be received at the
ice dispenser 15.
[0025] In the present exemplary embodiment the dispenser apparatus
14 has an actuation mechanism (not shown in detail), which is
actuated to open the flap 12, so that the ice cubes can pass from
the ice maker 6 through the channel 16 to the ice dispenser 15.
[0026] To seal the opening 11a in the base 11 more effectively when
the flap 12 is closed, the flap 12 can have a seal (not shown in
detail) on its side facing the base 11 of the housing 7. To at
least reduce the risk of the flap 12 freezing up, particularly when
the door leaf 4 is open, an apparatus (not shown in detail) for
example can be provided, which blows cold air into the region of
the flap 12 when the door leaf 4 is open. However a heating
apparatus (not shown in detail) can also be provided, which heats
the region around the flap 12 when the door leaf 4 is open.
[0027] So that the ice production apparatus 8 can produce ice cubes
from the water flowing through the inlet 10, the interior of the
housing 7 of the ice maker 6 must be cooled correspondingly. For
this purpose at least one opening 17 is provided in one of the
walls of the housing 7 of the ice maker 6, through which the cooled
air from the freezer compartment 3 can flow. The opening 17 can
also be opened and closed for example by means of a further flap
18, to insulate the interior of the ice maker 6 from the freezer
compartment 3.
[0028] In the present exemplary embodiment the flap 18 is an
electromechanical flap 18. This is connected for example by way of
a line (not shown in detail) to a control apparatus 19 of the
refrigeration appliance 1, which for example also activates the
refrigeration apparatus 5, so that the freezer compartment 3
maintains a predefined setpoint temperature at least approximately.
The control apparatus 19 is also set up to open and close the
electromechanical flap 18 as required.
[0029] In the present exemplary embodiment the control apparatus 19
is configured so that it closes the electromechanical flap 18
automatically as soon as the door leaf 4 is opened. The control
apparatus 19 receives information about the opening state of the
door leaf 4 for example from a door opening switch (not shown in
detail). When the door leaf 4 is closed again, the control
apparatus 19 activates the electromechanical flap 18 automatically
so that it opens up the opening 17 again. The control apparatus 19
is therefore set up to activate the electromechanical flap 18 in
such a manner that it closes the opening 17 when the door leaf 4 is
open and opens it up when the door leaf 4 is closed, so that the
interior of the ice maker 6 is cooled by means of the freezer
compartment 3.
LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS
[0030] 1 Refrigeration appliance [0031] 2 Carcass [0032] 2a Base
[0033] 3 Freezer compartment [0034] 4 Door leaf [0035] 5
Refrigeration apparatus [0036] 5a Outlet [0037] 6 Ice maker [0038]
7 Housing [0039] 8 Ice production apparatus [0040] 9 Ice storage
container [0041] 10 Inlet [0042] 11 Opening [0043] 12 Flap [0044]
13 Transport apparatus [0045] 14 Dispenser apparatus [0046] 15 Ice
dispenser [0047] 16 Channel [0048] 17 Opening [0049] 18 Flap [0050]
19 Control apparatus
* * * * *