Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ICE MAKING ASSEMBLY FOR REFRIGERATOR
Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ice making assembly for use
in a refrigerator, and in particul~~r relates to the use of a baffle
positioned in the air flow cooling stream to improve the ice making
s process.
Background of the Invention
In the modern domestic refrigerators it is common to provide an
ice making assembly in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator.
The ice making assembly includes a water reservoir into which water
io is supplied. The water is then chilled to form ice pieces. The ice
pieces or cubes, are then moved to a storage bin where they are held
until the user accesses ice from the refrigerators through an ice
dispenser typically mounted through the door of the refrigerator.
When a user obtains ice through the ice dispenser in the door of
is the refrigerator, a button is usually pressed which controls the delivery
of the ice from the storage bin to tile user. Also, this action controls
the making of ice in the ice making assembly. When a user requires
substantial amounts of ice from the refrigerators, the ice storage bin
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may not hold sufficient amounts of ice to meet the demands of the
user. Accordingly, the user has to wait for the ice making device to
make more ice. The time required t:o make ice is a dependent upon the
temperature of water being filled into the ice making reservoir and of
s the temperature of the cooling air passing over the ice in the of the
water reservoir. Currently, it may take as long as 3 hours for the ice
maker to form ice pieces for delivery to a user.
Currently, in many ice making assembly, air flow is through the
ice making machine above the water reservoir. Consequently, the heat
io exchange between the air flow and water is limited to the passage of
air over the water because the air passes directly out of the ice forming
chamber. In this type of ice making assembly, there is a need to
improve the cooling or freezing efficiency of the ice maker without
increasing the energy consumed by it the ice maker.
is SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to improve the efficiency of the ice making process
within an ice making assembly, the present invention incorporates the
use of an air flow deflection baffle located within the ice making
assembly. The air flow baffle is positioned across an outlet opening in
Zo the ice forming chamber. The baffle acts to redirect air normally
passing out of the outlet opening back into the ice forming chamber
and over the water seated in the water reservoir so as to increase the
heat exchange between the water being chilled and the coolant air flow
within the ice forming chamber. The use of the this air flow baffle
Zs results in increasing the speed at which the ice pieces are formed
without requiring additional energy. In particular, where the ice
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normally takes about 3 hours to be formed, the process now takes
about 25% less time with the use of the baffle of the present invention.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention there is
provided an ice making assembly for use in a refrigerator having a
s freezer compartment. The ice making assembly has an ice forming
chamber positioned in the freezer compartment adjacent a rear wall of
the freezer compartment. The ice forming chamber has a water
reservoir for receiving water, at least one air inlet passage and an
outlet opening for permitting cool air flow to pass through the ice
io forming chamber, over the water reservoir, chilling the water into ice
pieces, and out the outlet opening. The ice forming chamber has an
ice displacing device for displacing the ice pieces from the water
reservoir and moving the ice pieces out of the ice forming chamber
through the outlet opening. The ice making assembly has an ice
is storage bin positioned in the freezer compartment forward of and
adjacent to the ice forming chamber. The ice storage bin has a first
end in air flow communication with the outlet opening so that the air
flow and ice pieces passing through the outlet opening pass into the
ice storage bin. The ice storage bin has a discharge opening at a
ao second end opposite the first end for discharging ice pieces from the
ice making assembly. The ice storage bin has a transport device for
moving ice pieces from the first end to the second end and out the
discharge opening. The ice making assembly has the improvement of
a baffle positioned across the ice forming chamber at the outlet
Zs opening and extending downward to partially close the outlet opening
and to redirect a portion of the air flow normally exiting the outlet
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opening back into the ice forming chamber and over the water
reservoir.
Advantage is found by using the baffle because the baffle
redirects air flow back over the water to be chilled thereby increasing
s the heat exchange between the air flow and water without increasing
the energy requirements to effect this heat exchange. The improved
heat transfer quickens the freezing of the water into ice pieces or
cubes.
In the preferred embodiment, the baffle is mounted to and
io extends downwardly from a top wall of the freezer compartment.
Alternatively, the baffle extends downwardly from the ice making
assembly when the ice making assembly has a top wall. The baffle is
preferably slanted from the vertical back towards the outlet opening of
the ice making chamber to increase the redirection of the air flow back
i s into the ice forming bin and over the water to be chilled. The baffle is
preferably slanted by an angle of about 5° to redirect the air flow and
still maintain an effective partial closure for the air outlet opening.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a better understanding of the nature and objects of the
Zo present invention reference may be had to the following detailed
description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying
diagrammatic drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is a side sectional view of an ice making assembly
housed within the freezer compartment of a refrigerator; and,
Zs Figure 2 is a front sectional view taken at lines 2-2 of Figure 1
showing the construction of the baffle across the outlet opening of the
ice forming chamber.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 there is shown a refrigerator 10
comprising a cabinet 12 having a freezer compartment 14 closed by a
door 16. The door 16 includes a through the door ice dispenser (not
s shown) through which ice is discharged from the freezer compartment
14 to a user. Refrigerator 10 as shown is a top mount refrigerator.
Alternatively, refrigerator 10 can be a side-by-side refrigerator with of
the freezer compartment 14 located beside a refrigerator or fresh food
compartment. Door 16 has a handle 18 mounted to the outer metallic
io casing 20 of the door 16. The cabinet 12 comprises an outer metal
wall 26 and an interior plastic liner wall 28 having a rear wall 30 and
an upper or top wall 32.
An ice making assembly 34 is mounted within of the freezer
compartment 14. The ice making assembly 34 has an ice forming
is chamber 36. The ice forming chamber 36 is positioned within the
freezer compartment 14 in front of the rear liner wall 30 and below of
the top liner wall 32.
The ice forming chamber 36 has a water reservoir 38 running
across the width of the chamber. The water reservoir 38 includes a
Zo series of semicircular recessed slots into which water 40 is filled. The
ice forming chamber 36 includes air inlet passages 42 extending
through of the rear liner wall 28. A rear wall passage 29 extends
behind the ice making chamber 36 down the refrigerator cabinet to the
location of the of evaporator housing and evaporator coils where the
as air in the refrigerator it is normally cooled.
Coolant air as shown by arrow 46 enters the ice forming
chamber 36 through the air inlet passages 42. The coolant air 46
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passes over the water 40 in the forth ice pieces 48. The coolant air 46
then passes out of the ice forming chamber 36 through a outlet
opening 44.
The ice forming chamber 36 has an ice displacing device SO for
s displacing the ice pieces 48 from the water reservoir 38. The ice
displacing device 50 moves the ice pieces 48 out of the ice forming
chamber 36 through the outlet opening 44. The ice to displacing
device 50 comprises a series of finger like baffles 51 which are
rotatable about axis 53. As the baffle 51 is rotated it forces the ice
io pieces 48 out of the water reservoir 38 through the opening 44 and into
an ice storage bin 52.
The ice storage bin 52 is positioned in the freezer compartment
14 forward of an adjacent to the ice forming chamber 36. The ice
storage bin 52 has a first end 54 in air flow communication with the
is outlet opening 44 of the ice forming chambers 36. This permits cool
air flow from circulating out of the ice forming chamber 36 and into
the storage bin 52 so as to maintain ice pieces 48 located in the storage
bin 52 frozen. The ice storage bin 52 has a discharge opening 58
located at the second end 60 oppasite to the first end 54. The ice
Zo storage bin 52 further includes a transport device 62 which is in the
form of a rotating coil which has a spiral shape to move the ice
particles 48 from the first end 54 to the second end 60 and out the
discharge opening 58.
The ice making assembly further includes an air deflection
2s baffle 70 positioned across the ice forming chamber 36 at the outlet
opening 44. The baffle 70 extends downwardly from the top wall 32
of the freezer compartment 14. The; baffle is L-shaped and has a first
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leg 72 of the L adapted to be mounted to the freezer liner wall 32. The
second leg L of the baffle is a relatively flat portion 74 that extends
downwardly into and across the outlet opening 44 of the ice forming
chamber 36. The baffle flat leg 74 is slanted forward towards the ice
s forming chambers 36 by an angle cx of approximately 5 degrees from
the vertical. The second baffle leg 74 is a relatively flat sided surface
that faces the outlet opening 44. The baffle partially closes the outlet
opening 44 and acts to redirect a portion of the air flow 46 within the
ice forming chamber 36 back into the ice forming chamber 36 and
io across the water 40 contained in reservoir 38. This redirection of the
air flow 46 by the baffle 70 increases the heat exchange between the
air flow 46 and the water 40 without increasing the energy
requirements of the refrigerator to improve this heat exchange
function. The improved heat change quickens the freezing of the
is water 40 into ice pieces or ice cubes 48.
As is apparent from the foregoing disclosure, various other
embodiments and alterations and modifications which may differ from
the embodiments disclosed may be readily apparent to one skilled in
the art. It should be understood that the scope of the patent shall be
Zo defined by the claims and those embodiments which come within the
scope of the claims that follow.
