Refrigerator With Ice Maker And High Humidity Compartment

Abstract

A refrigerator has a high humidity compartment the bottom of which is formed by a pan carrying a film of ice water supplied by the melting of ice cubes in the storage bin of an ice maker. The storage bin has a perforated bottom which drains onto the pan. Refrigerated air in large quantities is used to maintain a below freezing temperature in the freezing compartment and in smaller quantities to maintain the low humidity compartment at above freezing temperatures. The high humidity compartment is cooled through its walls to keep its temperature slightly above freezing.

Description

A refrigerator in a modern home is expected to provide an extensive variety of refrigerating services such as storage at 0.degree. to 10.degree. F., low humidity storage at 34.degree. to 38.degree. F., and automatic ice making and ice storing. One of the problems of ice storage is the acquisition of taste upon the surface of the ice by prolonged exposure to the air in the refrigerator. Another problem is the drying of uncovered or unprotected food in the above freezing storage compartment.

It is an object of this invention to provide in a refrigerator a single forced air cooling system which will minimize the undesirable taste and sticking of ice cubes in storage and which by the accomplishment of the foregoing will provide in an additional compartment a high humidity ambient to minimize evaporation from foods therein.

It is another object of this invention to provide a refrigerator having an ice maker and above and below freezing compartments with an arrangement for allowing the slow melting of ice in the ice storage bin to minimize the sticking of ice therein and to use the drainage from the bin for humidifying an additional compartment maintained between 34.degree. and 38.degree. F.

Further objects and advantages will become more apparent from the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator with the door omitted showing one form of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line 2--2 thereof; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section taken along line 3--3 in FIG. 1 and including the door.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 an insulated refrigerator cabinet including an insulated top outer wall 20 and an insulated bottom wall 22, insulated side walls 24 and 26, and an insulated rear wall 28. Extending horizontally across the mid portion of the cabinet is a shallow generally flat pan 30 having a low up-turned rim 32 extending around its periphery which extends substantially to the side wall 26 and the rear wall 28. This pan 30 may be made of suitable metal or plastic having relatively good heat conduction properties. On the left side above the pan 30 there is provided a short vertical insulated wall 34 extending upwardly to a horizontal insulated wall 36 which extends to the side wall 26. The walls 34 and 36 extend substantially to the rear wall 28 and the wall 36 extends from the wall 34 to the side wall 26. This provides a small above freezing high humidity compartment 38 which is bounded by the walls 34, 36, 26, 28 and the pan 30. Another above freezing compartment 40 is provided below the pan 30 between the side walls 24 and 26 and the rear wall 28 and the bottom wall 22. A below freezing compartment 42 is provided between the insulated walls 34 and 36, the side walls 24 and 26, and the top wall 20.

In the compartment 42 between the vertical wall 34 and the side wall 24 above the pan 30 there is Kniffin an automatic ice maker 44 including a control and power portion 46 and an invertible ice tray freezing portion 48 which is operated by the power portion 46 and an ice storage container portion 50 located beneath the ice tray portion 48 which has a bottom 51 provided with drainage holes to permit the draining of ice water which is melted from the ice therein. This water carries away most of the taste from the surface of the ice. The ice maker may be of any suitable type. One example of a suitable ice maker is illustrated in the Kniffing U.S. Pat. No. 3,308,631 issued Mar. 14, 1967. As illustrated in said patent, the ice maker may be provided with a suitable automatically controlled water supply and automatic control for the freezing of the ice in the ice maker freezing tray 48 and for the disengagement and release of the ice from the tray 48 and the dumping of the tray full of ice into the bin 50.

Between the rear of the bin 50 and the rear wall 28 there is provided a centrifugal fan housing 52 having in its front wall an inlet opening 53. Within the housing 52 is a centrifugal fan rotor 54 driven by an electric motor 56 which protrudes from the rear wall 28. The fan has an upwardly discharging outlet in the housing 52. Above the housing 52 is a vertically finned refrigerant evaporator 58 which receives the air from the outlet of the housing 52. The evaporator 58 is enclosed by a shield 60 upon the front and right side thereof. The left side of the evaporator is located adjacent the side wall 24. The shield 60 at the top is provided with a side outlet 62 and a front outlet 64 through which is delivered the air cooled by the evaporator.

The top of the compartment 40 is provided with a horizontal baffle 68. Above this baffle 68 there extends a vertical tube 66 extending to the front opening of the housing 52 of the centrifugal fan. Air from the compartment 40 flows around the edges of the baffle 68 and thence between this baffle and the bottom of the pan 30 to the tube 66, thereby absorbing any moisture collecting on the bottom of the pan. This tube has a front portion which extends up along the rear wall of the bin 50 so as to restrict the circulation of freezing air around the bin 50. Some air from the compartment 40 may also flow between the refrigeration door 41 and an offset front edge portion 33 of the pan 30 and around the bin 50 (FIG. 3) to the inlet opening 53 of the housing 52 to keep the bin slightly above water freezing temperatures such as 33.degree. F. A greater volume of air is drawn from the compartment 42 around the ice tray 48 and into the opening of the housing 52 to freeze the water in the ice tray. Along the side wall 24 there is provided a series of horizontal bars 70 of heavy wire which provide a path for air flow to a downwardly extending tube 72 extending down beneath the baffle 68 to a horizontally extending deflector or tube 74 which discharges cool air into the top of the compartment 40 in sufficient quantities to keep the compartment 40 slightly above water freezing temperature such as 34.degree. to 38.degree. F. Suitable baffling or duct sizing may be used to achieve the desired division of air flow. Horizontal wire bars 75 are also provided over the ice making tray 48 to prevent packages from resting on the ice tray and to allow freezing air flow over the ice tray 48.

REfrigerant which evaporates in the evaporator 58 is drawn through the suction line 76 to the sealed motor compressor unit 78 which compresses and discharges the compressed refrigerant to a condenser 80. The condensed refrigerant is forwarded to a restrictor supply conduit 82 to the inlet of the evaporator 58. The refrigerating system preferably is provided with a suitable control system, not shown, for maintaining the evaporator 58 at temperatures of about -10.degree. to -15.degree. F. The duct 72 and the wall 34 may be provided with slide rails 84 and 86 cooperating with a bin support flange 87 to restrict the flow of cold air from the compartment 42 around the bin 50 so that the bin has a greater portion of air from the compartment 40 flowing around it so as to keep the temperature of the bin just slightly above water freezing temperature. The slow melting of the surface of the ice prevents the sticking of the ice cubes and also removes taste or odor or other contaminates on the surface of the ice cubes or pieces of ice and allows drainage through holes in the bottom 51 of the bin onto the pan 30.

A space is provided beneath the wall 34 and between it and the pan 30 as to allow the ice water to flow beneath the wall 34 on the pan 30 into the high humidity compartment 38. Here the pan exposes substantially the entire bottom of the compartment 38 to the melted ice water so as to maintain a high humidity area therein. The compartment 38 may be provided with one or more wire shelves 88 above the pan 30 to support food stuff thereon. The compartment 38 is cooled by heat transfer with the ice making system. More particularly, heat transfers through the insulated walls 34 and 36. In addition to humidifying compartment 38, a small amount of cooling is also provided by the ice water in pan 30 which is supplied by the melting of the ice in the ice storage bin 50. The pan 30 forms a divider to effectively seal compartment 38 from the rest of the refrigerator. For instance, compartment 38 may be sealed by a separate door at the front thereof or by a seal 77 on the outside refrigerator door 41 at the level of the pan 30. The bottom of partition 34 cooperates with the melted ice water in pan 30 by submergence therein to seal compartment 38 from the ice maker 44.

The low humidity compartment 40 is adequately cooled to temperatures between 34.degree. to 38.degree..degree. F. by the circulation of cool air from the discharge tube 74 through the compartment around the baffle 68 into the inlet tube 66. The below freezing compartment 42 is adequately cooled to temperatures of 0.degree. to 10.degree. F. by air circulation from the outlets 62 and 64 through the compartment around the freezing tray 48 into the inlet 53 of the fan housing 52. This circulation also keeps the ice trays 48 well below water freezing temperatures such as 10.degree. F. The heat transfer through the walls or partitions surrounding the compartment 38 together with the melted ice water in pan 30 keeps this compartment at temperatures between about 34.degree. and 38.degree. F.

The pan 30 is provided at the rear with an overflow drain 90 which flows down into a shallow pan 92 located above the sealed motor compressor unit 78 and the condenser 80. The heat given off by the sealed motor compressor unit 78 and condenser 80 evaporates any of the overflow in the pan so it can prevent an excessive amount of water accumulating in the pan 92. The variety of refrigeration services afforded by this invention includes a high humidity storage compartment and taste-free ice. The action of the melting ice provides the ice water used to both humidify and partially cool compartment 38. Moreover, melting the surface of ice stored in bin 50 flushes away food odors absorbed by the ice and maintains the ice at approximately 132.degree. F. so that ice cubes or pieces will hot stick together.

Claims

We claim:

1. A refrigerator including a cabinet having insulated outer walls, partitions within said cabinet dividing said cabinet into a below freezing compartment and an above freezing high humidity compartment, an icemaker within the cabinet including an ice freezing portion and an ice storing portion, wherein the improvement comprises means for cooling said below freezing compartment and said ice freezing portion to below water freezing temperatures and said ice storing portion and said high humidity compartment to slightly above water freezing temperatures, and means for draining ice water from said ice storing portion and conducting said ice water to said high humidity compartment, said last named means including means for distributing and retaining said ice water in exposed fashion throughout a substantial area of said high humidity compartment, the partition separating said compartments together with the exposed ice water in said high humidity compartment providing sufficient heat transfer to keep said high humidity compartment cooled to slightly above water freezing temperatures.

2. A refrigerator including a cabinet having insulated outer walls, partitions within said cabinet dividing said cabinet into a below freezing compartment and an above freezing high humidity compartment, refrigerant evaporating means normally maintained at below freezing temperatures, an icemaker within the cabinet including an ice freezing portion and an ice storing portion, wherein the improvement comprises means for circulating air in sufficient quantity from said below freezing compartment into heat transfer with said evaporating means and thence to said below freezing compartment and into heat transfer with said ice freezing portion and said ice storing portion to keep said below freezing compartment and said ice freezing portion substantially below water freezing temperatures and to keep said ice storing portion at slightly above water freezing temperatures, and means for draining ice water from said ice storing portion and conducting said ice water to said high humidity compartment, said last named means including means for distributing and retaining said ice water in exposes fashion throughout a substantial area of said high humidity compartment, the partition separating said compartments together with the exposed ice water in said high humidity compartment providing sufficient heat transfer to keep said high humidity compartment cooled to slightly above water freezing temperatures.

3. A refrigerator including a cabinet having insulated outer walls, partitions within said outer walls dividing said cabinet into a below freezing compartment and an above freezing high humidity compartment and an above freezing low humidity compartment, refrigerant evaporating means normally maintained at below freezing temperatures, an icemaker within the cabinet including an ice freezing portion and an ice storing portion, wherein the improvement comprises means for circulating air in sufficient quantity from said below freezing compartment and said low humidity compartment into heat transfer with said evaporating means and thence to said below freezing compartment and said low humidity compartment and into heat transfer with said ice freezing portion and said ice storing portion to keep said below freezing compartment and said ice freezing portion substantially below water freezing temperatures and to keep said low humidity compartment and said ice storage portion at slightly above water freezing temperatures, one of said partitions including means for draining ice water from said ice storing portion and conducting said ice water to said high humidity compartment, said last named means including means for distributing said ice water in exposed fashion throughout a substantial area of said high humidity compartment, the partitions separating said high humidity compartment from said below freezing compartment and said low humidity compartment together with the exposed ice water in said high humidity compartment having sufficient heat conducting capacity to keep said high humidity compartment slightly above water freezing temperatures, said one of said partitions at least partially defining an air passage portion of said means for circulating air to convey air from said above freezing low humidity compartment into heat transfer relationship with said means for distributing ice water.

4. A refrigerator including a cabinet having insulated outer walls, partitions within said outer walls dividing said cabinet into a below freezing compartment and an above freezing high humidity compartment and an above freezing low humidity compartment, refrigerant evaporating means normally maintained at below freezing temperatures, an icemaker within the cabinet including an ice freezing portion and an ice storing portion, wherein the improvement comprises means for circulating air in sufficient quantity from said below freezing compartment and said low humidity compartment into heat transfer with said evaporating means and thence to said below freezing compartment and said low humidity compartment and into heat transfer with said ice freezing portion and said ice storing portion to keep said below freezing compartment and said ice freezing portion substantially below water freezing temperatures and to keep said low humidity compartment and said ice storage portion at slightly above water freezing temperatures, one of said partitions including means for draining ice water from said ice storing portion and conducting said ice water to said high humidity compartment, said last named means including means for distributing said ice water in exposed fashion throughout a substantial area of said high humidity compartment, the partitions separating said high humidity compartment from said below freezing compartment and said low humidity compartment together with the exposed ice water in said high humidity compartment having sufficient heat conduction capacity to keep said high humidity compartment slightly above water freezing temperatures, said means for distributing said ice water comprising the bottom of said high humidity compartment and being defined by an open-top pan for receiving said ice water from said ice storing portion.

5. A refrigerator including a cabinet having insulated outer walls, partitions within said outer walls dividing said cabinet into a below freezing compartment and an above freezing high humidity compartment and an above freezing low humidity compartment, refrigerant evaporating means normally maintained at below freezing temperatures, an icemaker within the cabinet including an ice freezing portion and an ice storing portion, wherein the improvement comprises means for circulating air in sufficient quantity from said below freezing compartment and said low humidity compartment into heat transfer with said evaporating means and thence to said below freezing compartment and said low humidity compartment and into heat transfer with said ice freezing portion and said ice storing portion to keep said below freezing compartment and said ice freezing portion substantially below water freezing temperatures and to keep said low humidity compartment and said ice storage portion at slightly above water freezing temperatures, means for draining ice water from said ice storing portion and conducting said ice water to said high humidity compartment, the partitions separating said high humidity compartment from said below freezing compartment having insulating properties, the partition separating said high humidity compartment from said low humidity compartment being of good heat conducting material in heat transfer relationship with air circulating from said low humidity compartment.