Patent Application
20230221053
The present subject matter relates generally to ice making appliances, and more particularly to ice making appliances for making multiple large ice pieces.
Ice makers are commonly provided as stand-alone appliances or may be incorporated within larger refrigerated appliances used to store food items in both commercial and residential applications. Typically, such ice makers are configured for the bulk production of ice where e.g., multiple pieces of ice are used to cool the same beverage or used to cool other food items. The individual pieces of ice may have different shapes and are typically relatively smaller in size (e.g., largest dimension of an individual piece might be 2 inches or less, or even 1 inch or less). These bulk ice makers typically do not create multiple, larger pieces or pieces of ice and some do not create pieces that are uniformly of a particular shape such as spherical.
Some consumers may prefer a particular size or shape of ice for certain beverages. For example, in the consumption of some alcohol-based drinks, consumers may prefer to use a single piece of ice for cooling the beverage. Where a glass or metal cup is used, a spherical ice cube having a diameter nearly as large as the opening of the cup may also be preferred. A diameter of e.g., two inches or more may be preferred. While other shapes may also be utilized, a single piece of ice in a spherical shape may melt more slowly that other shapes or multiple pieces of ice, which can mean less dilution of the alcohol-based drink. In addition, certain consumers may also prefer ice that is relatively clear or transparent.
Manually-filled ice molds in particular shapes and sizes are available. These molds may be one or multiple pieces. The consumer manually fills the mold with water and may also have to remove entrapped air. The mold is then placed into a refrigerated space maintained at freezing temperatures. The mold is later removed after enough time has elapsed to freeze the water. The mold may have to be slightly heated and/or flexed to cause the ice to be released from the mold. The process must be manually repeated if the consumer wants additional ice. Drawbacks to the manual process may include spills, difficulties in removing ice from the mold, the rate of ice piece production is limited by the number of molds, and the user must remember to refill the molds each time.
Accordingly, an ice maker that can automatically or repeatedly make larger pieces of ice in a particular shape would be desirable. An ice maker capable of producing multiple large pieces of ice at a time would be particularly beneficial.
Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In one exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, an ice making assembly for a refrigerator appliance is provided. The ice making assembly may include a mold body including an upper portion and a lower portion, the mold body defining a plurality of cavities for the formation of ice shapes, wherein the upper portion defines a plurality of apertures into which water is supplied; a mold frame at least partially surrounding the mold body, wherein the mold body is coupled together via the mold frame; an ejector positioned adjacent to the mold body, the ejector being rotatable together with the mold body and the mold frame between a first position and a second position, wherein the ejector deflects the lower portion toward the upper portion, and wherein the upper portion is separated between the plurality of apertures to define a single aperture when in the second position; and a motor for rotating the mold body, the mold frame, and the ejector between the first position and the second position.
In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, a refrigerator appliance is provided. The refrigerator appliance may include a cabinet comprising a freezer chamber; and an ice making assembly provided within the freezing chamber. The ice making assembly may include a mold body including an upper portion and a lower portion, the mold body defining a plurality of cavities for the formation of ice shapes, wherein the upper portion defines a plurality of apertures into which water is supplied; a mold frame at least partially surrounding the mold body, wherein the mold body is coupled together via the mold frame; an ejector positioned adjacent to the mold body, the ejector being rotatable together with the mold body and the mold frame between a first position and a second position, wherein the ejector deflects the lower portion toward the upper portion, and wherein the upper portion is separated between the plurality of apertures to define a single aperture when in the second position; and a motor for rotating the mold body, the mold frame, and the ejector between the first position and the second position.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures.
Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the present invention.
Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
As used herein, the term “or” is generally intended to be inclusive (i.e., “A or B” is intended to mean “A or B or both”). The phrase “in one embodiment,” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although it may.
The terms “first,” “second,” and “third” may be used interchangeably to distinguish one component from another and are not intended to signify location or importance of the individual components. The terms “upstream” and “downstream” refer to the relative flow direction with respect to fluid flow in a fluid pathway. For example, “upstream” refers to the flow direction from which the fluid flows, and “downstream” refers to the flow direction to which the fluid flows.
Housing 102 defines chilled chambers for receipt of food items for storage. In particular, housing 102 defines fresh food chamber 122 positioned at or adjacent top 104 of housing 102 and a freezer chamber 124 arranged at or adjacent bottom 106 of housing 102. As such, refrigerator appliance 100 is generally referred to as a bottom mount refrigerator. It is recognized, however, that the benefits of the present disclosure apply to other types and styles of refrigerator appliances such as, e.g., a top mount refrigerator appliance or a side-by-side style refrigerator appliance. Consequently, the description set forth herein is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting in any aspect to any particular refrigerator chamber configuration.
Refrigerator doors 128 are rotatably hinged to an edge of housing 102 for selectively accessing fresh food chamber 122. Similarly, freezer doors 130 are rotatably hinged to an edge of housing 102 for selectively accessing freezer chamber 124. To prevent leakage of cool air, refrigerator doors 128, freezer doors 130, or housing 102 may define one or more sealing mechanisms (e.g., rubber gaskets, not shown) at the interface where the doors 128, 130 meet housing 102. Refrigerator doors 128 and freezer doors 130 are shown in the closed configuration in
Refrigerator appliance 100 also includes a dispensing assembly 132 for dispensing liquid water or ice. Dispensing assembly 132 includes a dispenser 134 positioned on or mounted to an exterior portion of refrigerator appliance 100, e.g., on one of refrigerator doors 128. Dispenser 134 includes a discharging outlet 136 for accessing ice and liquid water. An actuating mechanism 138, shown as a paddle, is mounted below discharging outlet 136 for operating dispenser 134. In alternative exemplary embodiments, any suitable actuating mechanism may be used to operate dispenser 134. For example, dispenser 134 can include a sensor (such as an ultrasonic sensor) or a button rather than the paddle. A control panel 140 is provided for controlling the mode of operation. For example, control panel 140 includes a plurality of user inputs (not labeled), such as a water dispensing button and an ice-dispensing button, for selecting a desired mode of operation such as crushed or non-crushed ice.
Discharging outlet 136 and actuating mechanism 138 are an external part of dispenser 134 and are mounted in a dispenser recess 142. Dispenser recess 142 is positioned at a predetermined elevation convenient for a user to access ice or water and enabling the user to access ice without the need to bend-over and without the need to open refrigerator doors 128. In the exemplary embodiment, dispenser recess 142 is positioned at a level that approximates the chest level of a user. According to an exemplary embodiment, the dispensing assembly 132 may receive ice from an icemaker or icemaking assembly 300 disposed in a sub-compartment of the refrigerator appliance 100 (e.g., IB compartment 180).
Refrigerator appliance 100 further includes a controller 144. Operation of the refrigerator appliance 100 is regulated by controller 144 that is operatively coupled to or in operative communication with control panel 140. In one exemplary embodiment, control panel 140 may represent a general purpose I/O (“GPIO”) device or functional block. In another exemplary embodiment, control panel 140 may include input components, such as one or more of a variety of electrical, mechanical or electro-mechanical input devices including rotary dials, push buttons, touch pads, or touch screens. Control panel 140 may be in communication with controller 144 via one or more signal lines or shared communication busses. Control panel 140 provides selections for user manipulation of the operation of refrigerator appliance 100. In response to user manipulation of the control panel 140, controller 144 operates various components of refrigerator appliance 100. For example, controller 144 is operatively coupled or in communication with various components of a sealed system, as discussed below. Controller 144 may also be in communication with a variety of sensors, such as, for example, chamber temperature sensors or ambient temperature sensors. Controller 144 may receive signals from these temperature sensors that correspond to the temperature of an atmosphere or air within their respective locations.
In some embodiments, controller 144 includes memory and one or more processing devices such as microprocessors, CPUs or the like, such as general or special purpose microprocessors operable to execute programming instructions or micro-control code associated with operation of refrigerator appliance 100. The memory can represent random access memory such as DRAM, or read only memory such as ROM or FLASH. The processor executes programming instructions stored in the memory. The memory can be a separate component from the processor or can be included onboard within the processor. Alternatively, controller 144 may be constructed without using a microprocessor (e.g., using a combination of discrete analog or digital logic circuitry; such as switches, amplifiers, integrators, comparators, flip-flops, AND gates, and the like; to perform control functionality instead of relying upon software).
Ice making assembly 200 may include a mold body 204 that defines a chamber or cavity 210 in which liquid (e.g., water) may be supplied to form ice shapes 234 (such as a sphere, as shown in
Ice making assembly 200 may include a mold frame (or mold shell) 260. Mold frame 260 may at least partially surround mold body 204. For instance, mold frame 260 may be coupled to mold body 204 at a plurality of connection points. Accordingly, mold body 204 may be restrained by mold frame 260. As will be explained in more detail below, mold frame 260 and mold body 204 may be collectively rotated (e.g., within freezer chamber 124) by a rotation mechanism or assembly. Mold frame 260 may include an upper mold shell 207 and a lower mold shell 209.
In this exemplary embodiment, mold body 204 is constructed from an upper mold portion 206 and a lower mold portion 208 (
A thermocouple 215 or other temperature sensor may be connected with controller 134 through wires 217 so that the freezing process can be monitored during ice production. Upper mold shell 207 may define an opening 205 through which the upper mold portion 206 extends. Upper mold portion 206 may define an opening 212 to chamber 210. In some embodiments, pleats may be formed about opening 212 and may be uniformly spaced. Accordingly, opening 212 may be selectively enlarged, as will be described in more detail below.
Moreover, chamber 210 formed within mold body 204 may include a first chamber 2101 and second chamber 2102. In detail, as shown in
First chamber 2101 and second chamber 2102 may be connected by a central channel 262. In detail, central channel may be a via or opening that fluidly connects first chamber 2101 and second chamber 2102, such that liquid supplied to first chamber 2101, for example, is subsequently supplied to second chamber 2102. Accordingly, each of first chamber 2101 and second chamber 2102 may be supplied with water via a single opening 212. Further, as shown in the figures, when the chambers are spherical, central channel 262 may be provided at or along a vertically central location within mold body 204. Additionally or alternatively, central channel 262 may be provided at or near a transversally central location within mold body 204.
Mold portions 206 and 208 may be constructed from a flexible or resilient material. In one exemplary aspect, one or both mold portions 206 and 208 are constructed from a silicone rubber. As mentioned above, the pleats may allow the size or diameter of opening 212 to increase as an ice shape 234 is ejected from mold body 204 as will be further explained. In another exemplary aspect, one or both mold portions 206 and 208 are constructed from a flexible and hydrophobic material such as e.g., silicone rubber. The hydrophobic property assists in precluding water from escaping (e.g., through the pleats or between the mold portions 206 and 208) during the filling and freezing processes. A unitary construction may also be used instead of mold portions 206 and 208 in other embodiments of the invention. For instance, upper mold portion 206 and lower mold portion 208 may be formed as a single piece, having one or more openings 212 defined therein.
According to at least one embodiment, upper mold portion 206 may include a first upper mold piece 2061 and a second upper mold piece 2062. As shown in
For example, upper mold portion 206 may define a joint 264 extending, e.g., along the lateral direction L from a first lateral end of mold body 204 to a second lateral end of mold body 204. Joint 264 may be a connection point between first upper mold piece 2061 and second upper mold piece 2062. In detail, when mold body 204 is in a neutral or resting position, first upper mold piece 2061 and second upper mold piece 2062 may contact each other along joint 264. The hydrophobic property of upper mold portion 206 may assist in precluding water escaping via joint 264 (e.g., when mold body 204 is in the neutral position). Joint 264 may further assist in defining each of first chamber 2101 and second chamber 2102. For example, as shown most clearly in
First upper mold piece 2061 may be selectively coupled to second upper mold piece 2062. In detail, first and second upper mold pieces 2061 and 2062 may be coupled to each other at each of the first and second lateral ends. One or more fasteners 213 may penetrate first and second planar portions 266 (e.g., through each of first and second upper mold pieces 2061 and 2062). Accordingly, upper mold portion 206 may be restrained at both lateral ends. Additionally or alternatively, upper mold portion 206 may be a single piece. For instance, each connection point defined at each lateral end of upper mold portion 206 may be formed as a unitary body. Upper mold portion 206 may thus be opened along joint 264. For instance, as will be explained in more detail below, during a harvesting operation, joint 264 may be split to create or define a single aperture 280 at the top of upper mold portion 206 (i.e., two or more openings 212 may be merged or joined to define aperture 280). Advantageously, the formed ice shapes 234 may be easily released from mold body 204.
Mold frame 260 (e.g., upper mold shell 207) may include a first support brace 270 provided at a first lateral end of upper mold shell 207 and a second support brace 272 provided at a second lateral end of upper mold shell 207. First and second support braces 270 and 272 may mirror each other about the transverse direction T. Accordingly, hereinafter, first support brace 270 will be described in detail with the understanding that the description applies to second support brace 272 as well.
As shown particularly in
In the second position, ice shape 234 (or ice shapes) may be fully ejected from mold body 204. Ice shape 234 may be, e.g., ejected into ice bin 202 (e.g., via aperture 280). As shown in
A motor 216 may be used to rotate mold body 204 (and mold frame 260) and an ejector 238 between the first and second positions. Motor 216 may be operated by controller 134. For example, motor 216 may drive gears 244 so as to rotate mold body 204 about axis of rotation A-A between the first and second positions as desired. The direction of rotation of, e.g., a shaft (not shown) from motor 216 may be used to control the direction of rotation of gears 244 and therefore mold 204 as determined by controller 134.
Ejector 238 may be positioned adjacent to mold body 204 and may be rotatable with mold body 204 between the first position and the second position. As will be explained, ejector 238 may be configured to push ice shape 234 out of chamber 210 (e.g., first chamber 2101 and second chamber 2102) through aperture 280 created by splitting open first upper mold piece 2061 and second upper mold piece 2062 during rotation between the first position and the second position. More particularly, ejector 238 configured to move between a retracted position (
Ejector 238 may include a first plunger 2381 and a second plunger 2382. For instance, as shown in
For this exemplary embodiment, movement of ejector 238 (e.g., first plunger 2381 and second plunger 2382) is determined by a cam 218. More particularly, the distal end 240 of first plunger 2381 includes the cam follower or wheel 242 that rides in a slot 222 along an arcuate path 220 defined by cam 218. The slotted, arcuate path 220 may determine the position of ejector 238 as mold 204 and ejector 238 rotate together from the first position to the second position. Moreover, cam 218 may include a first slot 2221 and a second slot 2222. First slot 2221 may interact with first plunger 2381 while second slot 2222 interacts with second plunger 2382. Accordingly, each ejector 238 may be associated with a dedicated slot 222, ensuring smooth and unimpeded operation when moving between the first position and the second position.
An exemplary method of operating ice making assembly 200 will now be set forth using the described exemplary embodiment. One of skill in the art, using the teachings disclosed herein, will understand that other exemplary methods of operation may be use as well.
After chamber 210 has been filled with an appropriate amount of water as previously described, the water is allowed to freeze. During the filling and freezing process, mold body 204 is maintained in the first position as shown in
After a determination has been made that the water has frozen to form ice shape 234, controller 134 may activate motor 216 to begin rotation of mold body 204. As mold body 204 rotates about axis of rotation A-A, head 250 of ejector 238 is forced to press against external surface 214 of lower mold half 208. As mold body 204 rotates, ejector 238 may move through guide 246 along a direction perpendicular to axis of rotation A-A. Rotation forces ejector 238 to so move because cam follower 242 is riding on arcuate path 220. Referring to
While rotation of mold body 204 continues, ejector 238 moves out of a recess 252 formed in lower mold shell 209 and begins to deform flexible mold portions 206 and 208 as depicted in
Upon reaching the second position, second limit switch 228 may be activated as shown in
For the exemplary embodiment described above, mold body 204 and ejector 238 rotate 90 degrees between the first position and the second position. In other embodiments, a different degree of rotation may be used. Additionally or alternatively, gravity and/or the resiliency of lower mold portion 208 may be used to return ejector 238 to the retracted position. A spring that is compressed as ejector 238 is extended may also be used to urge ejector 238 back to its retracted position.
According to the disclosure, an ice making assembly for a refrigerator includes a multi-cavity or chamber ice mold capable of forming a plurality of ice shapes simultaneously. The mold may be formed from a flexible material, such as a silicon. A top portion of the mold may be restrained at either lateral end, forming a joint therebetween. In some embodiments, the top portion of the mold is formed from two separate pieces. The top portion may be at least partially restrained by a mold frame. The mold frame and mold together may be rotated, e.g., by a motor, after ice has formed within the multiple cavities. During rotation, one or more ejectors may press a bottom portion of the mold. Consequently, the formed ice shapes may press against the top portion of the mold, separating the joint between the restrained ends. Since an aperture is formed therebetween, a relatively large opening may be formed in the top portion of the mold. The ice shaped may then be easily ejected from the mold into an ice storage bin.
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
