Abstract:
An ice making assembly includes an ice maker including a mold body defining a one or more compartments for forming ice cubes therein, a harvesting assembly removes an ice cube from the compartment, and one or more bimetallic elements. Each bimetallic element is configured with a respective one of the compartments so that when energized the bimetallic element deforms with a portion moving in a direction so as to assist in removing an ice cube from the compartment. Related refrigeration appliances are also disclosed.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The subject matter disclosed herein is related generally to ice making assemblies having bimetallic actuating elements and related refrigeration appliances. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    In a refrigeration appliance such as a refrigerator or freezer, several systems have been proposed for cooling of an ice maker within the refrigerator or freezer cabinet. In some systems, the ambient air within a freezer is chilled to a temperature low enough to form the ice. In other systems, known as directly cooled systems, a cooling loop for the ice maker is added to typical the refrigeration loop. The ice maker cooling loop can be routed through the mold body of the ice maker, thereby directly cooling the ice maker to increase the rate at which ice can be formed in the ice maker. 
         [0003]    Often, a heating device of some sort is provided to help remove ice cubes from the mold compartments in which they are formed. An electrical strip heater can be used beneath the mold for example to heat the mold generally, thereby slightly melting the ice cubes and allowing them to be removed by arms of a harvester. In some devices, warm refrigerant can also be passed through the ice maker mold when ice cubes are ready for harvest to melt the cubes slightly. 
         [0004]    However, applying enough heat to fully melt the surface of an ice cube to allow it to be removed from the mold compartment requires a given amount of energy for the heating. Heating ice cubes causing such melting is in some ways inherently inefficient (energy needed to freeze; then more energy needed to melt). Also, regardless of energy issues, slightly melted ice cubes may refreeze in undesirable ways in the cold environment, for example sticking to the ice maker or ice cube bucket, or to each other in the ice maker or ice cube bucket causing clogs. Accordingly, an alternate system of removing ice cubes from compartments in the ice cube mold, addressing one or more of the above issues or others would be welcome. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    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. 
         [0006]    According to certain aspects of the disclosure, an ice making assembly includes an ice maker including a mold body defining a one or more compartments for forming ice cubes therein, a harvesting assembly removes an ice cube from the compartment, and one or more bimetallic elements. Each bimetallic element is configured with a respective one of the compartments so that when energized the bimetallic element deforms with a portion moving in a direction so as to assist in removing an ice cube from the compartment. Various options and modifications are possible. 
         [0007]    According to certain other aspects of the disclosure, a refrigeration appliance includes a refrigerated cabinet, an ice maker within an interior of the refrigerated cabinet including a mold body defining a one or more compartments for forming ice cubes therein, a harvesting assembly removes an ice cube from the compartment, and one or more bimetallic elements. Each bimetallic element is configured with a respective one of the compartments so that when energized the bimetallic element deforms with a portion moving in a direction so as to assist in removing an ice cube from the compartment. Again, various options and modifications are possible. 
         [0008]    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. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    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, in which: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  provides a front view of a refrigeration appliance with its doors closed; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  provides a front view of the refrigeration appliance of  FIG. 1  with its doors opened; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  provides a schematic side view of one ice making assembly in a refrigeration appliance according to certain aspects of the present disclosure; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  provides a schematic end view of the ice making assembly of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  provides a schematic side close up view of an ice making cavity showing a bimetallic strip in an unactuated state; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  provides a schematic side close up view of an ice making cavity showing a bimetallic strip in one actuated state; 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  provides a schematic side close up view of an ice making cavity showing an alternate bimetallic strip heating structure in an actuated state; 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  provides a schematic side close up view of an ice making cavity showing another alternate bimetallic strip in an actuated state; 
           [0018]      FIG. 9  provides a schematic side close up view of an ice making cavity showing yet another alternate bimetallic strip in an unactuated state; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 10  provides a schematic side view of an alternate ice making assembly with a bimetallic strip in an unactuated state; 
           [0020]      FIG. 11  provides a schematic side view of the assembly of  FIG. 10  with the mold in an inverted state; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 12  provides a schematic side view of the assembly of  FIG. 10  with the mold in an inverted and deformed state. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0022]    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 or spirit 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. 
         [0023]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary refrigeration appliance  10  depicted as a refrigerator in which ice-making assemblies in accordance with aspects of the present invention may be utilized. It should be appreciated that the appliance of  FIG. 1  is for illustrative purposes only and that the present invention is not limited to any particular type, style, or configuration of refrigeration appliance, and that such appliance may include any manner of refrigerator, freezer, refrigerator/freezer combination, and so forth. 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , the refrigeration appliance  10  includes a fresh food storage compartment  12  and a freezer storage compartment  14 , with the compartments arranged side-by-side and contained within an outer case  16  and inner liners  18  and  20  generally molded from a suitable plastic material. In smaller refrigerators  10 , a single liner is formed and a mullion spans between opposite sides of the liner to divide it into a freezer storage compartment and a fresh food storage compartment. The outer case  16  is normally formed by folding a sheet of a suitable material, such as pre-painted steel, into an inverted U-shape to form top and side walls of the outer case  16 . A bottom wall of the outer case  16  normally is formed separately and attached to the case side walls and to a bottom frame that provides support for refrigerator  10 . 
         [0025]    A breaker strip  22  extends between a case front flange and outer front edges of inner liners  18  and  20 . The breaker strip  22  is formed from a suitable resilient material, such as an extruded acrylo-butadiene-styrene based material (commonly referred to as ABS). The insulation in the space between inner liners  18  and  20  is covered by another strip of suitable resilient material, which also commonly is referred to as a mullion  24  and may be formed of an extruded ABS material. Breaker strip  22  and mullion  24  form a front face, and extend completely around inner peripheral edges of the outer case  16  and vertically between inner liners  18  and  20 . 
         [0026]    Slide-out drawers  26 , a storage bin  28  and shelves  30  are normally provided in fresh food storage compartment  12  to support items being stored therein. 
         [0027]    In addition, at least one shelf  30  and at least one wire basket  32  are also provided in freezer storage compartment  14 . 
         [0028]    The refrigerator features are controlled by a controller  34  according to user preference via manipulation of a control interface  36  mounted in an upper region of fresh food storage compartment  12  and coupled to the controller  34 . As used herein, the term “controller” is not limited to just those integrated circuits referred to in the art as microprocessor, but broadly refers to computers, processors, microcontrollers, microcomputers, programmable logic controllers, application specific integrated circuits, and other programmable circuits, and these terms are used interchangeably herein. 
         [0029]    A freezer door  38  and a fresh food door  40  close access openings to freezer storage compartment  14  and fresh food storage compartment  12 . Each door  38 ,  40  is mounted by a top hinge  42  and a bottom hinge (not shown) to rotate about its outer vertical edge between an open position, as shown in  FIG. 1 , and a closed position. The freezer door  38  may include a plurality of storage shelves  44  and a sealing gasket  46 , and fresh food door  40  also includes a plurality of storage shelves  48  and a sealing gasket  50 . 
         [0030]    The freezer storage compartment  14  may include an automatic ice maker  52  and a dispenser  54  provided in the freezer door  38  such that ice and/or chilled water can be dispensed without opening the freezer door  38 , as is well known in the art. Doors  38  and  40  may be opened by handles  56  is conventional. A housing  58  may hold a water filter  60  used to filter water for the ice maker  52  and/or dispenser  54 . 
         [0031]    As with known refrigerators, the refrigeration appliance  10  also includes a machinery compartment (not shown) that at least partially contains components for executing a known vapor compression cycle for cooling air. The components include a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator connected in series as a loop and charged with a refrigerant. The evaporator is a type of heat exchanger which transfers heat from air passing over the evaporator to the refrigerant flowing through the evaporator, thereby causing the refrigerant to vaporize. The cooled air is used to refrigerate one or more refrigerator or freezer compartments via fans. Also, a cooling loop can be added to directly cool the ice maker to form ice cubes, and a heating loop can be added to help remove ice from the ice maker, as discussed below. Collectively, the vapor compression cycle components in a refrigeration circuit, associated fans, and associated compartments are conventionally referred to as a sealed system. The construction and operation of the sealed system are well known to those skilled in the art. 
         [0032]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , ice maker assembly  70  includes an ice maker  72  mounted on a plate  74 . Plate  74  may be a directly cooled plate for chilling water in compartments  76  of mold body  78 , or simply a bottom part of the mold body/ice maker assembly. Ice maker assembly  70  can be mounted as shown to inner liner wall  20  of freezer compartment  14  backed by insulation  73 , although it could be mounted in other locations in any refrigerated compartment. Ice maker  72  makes a number of ice cubes  100  at a time automatically from a water source. Ice maker  72  may therefore make 6-8 cubes per cycle, and over 100 ice cubes per day, for example, in ice cube mold compartments  76  formed within mold body  78 . 
         [0033]    Ice cubes  100  are dumped periodically into an ice bucket assembly (not shown) in a conventional fashion, for example by virtue of an ice harvesting assembly. In  FIG. 3 , harvesting assembly includes a harvester  80  wherein relative rotation between the harvester  80  and mold body  78 /compartments  76  extracts ice cubes  100 . As shown, harvester  80  includes a motor  82  for moving rod  86  and tines  84  relative to the compartments  76 . 
         [0034]    However, it should be recognized that the moving portion and fixed portion could be reversed. That is, mold body  78  and compartments  76  may be moved by a motor relative to a fixed harvester  80 . Or, both could be moved. Also, the rod and tines could also be replaced by other structures, shafts, threaded members, etc. Therefore, relative rotation of some sort can be achieved to assist in removing ice cubes  100  from compartments  76 . Also, an alternate harvesting assembly without a rod/tine harvester is described below with reference to  FIGS. 10-12 . 
         [0035]    Ice maker  72  also includes a water source  88  for filling compartments  76  once emptied. Ice maker  72  may be connected to a controller  90 , which may be a dedicated controller or which may comprise controller  34  mentioned above. 
         [0036]    If plate  74  is a cooling plate, it may be made of a substance that readily transmits thermal energy. For example, cooling plate  74  may be a metal such as aluminum with a large area of contact  92  with mold body  78  so as to maximize heat transfer from the mold body to the cooling plate to make ice. 
         [0037]    Plate  74  may be removably attached to ice maker  72  with fasteners  94  such as screws. Plate  74  may also be mounted to a surface such as inner liner wall  20  with additional fasteners  96  and a bracket  98 , although the plate could be attached to the inside of the refrigerated compartment in various ways, either removably or permanently. As shown in  FIG. 4  (not in  FIG. 3 , for clarity), a drain pan  81  and drain tube  83  may be employed in case of condensation or melting from ice maker  72 , for example from ice cube harvesting or defrosting. 
         [0038]    Plate  74  may have an optional heat exchange tube  101  within it (see  FIG. 4 ) to provide heating or cooling to the plate and in turn mold body  78  to form ice or to help harvest ice cubes  100 , respectively. Therefore, tube  101  can be a portion of the vapor compression refrigerant cycle, as described below, carrying refrigerant at a temperature lower than the mold body  78  to draw heat from the mold body to make ice. Tube  101  may also carry warmer refrigerant in some situations to provide a short heating of the mold body  78  to assist in removing ice cubes  100  once formed from individual mold compartments  76  if desired. Tube  101  can also carry an electrical resistance heating strip  102  within it, whether plate is directly cooled or not, for assisting in removal of ice cubes. Heating strip  102  can have various other orientations and locations within or adjacent plate  74 , if desired. Alternatively (not shown), one tube for cold refrigerant and another for warm refrigerant could be provided through plate  74 . It should therefore be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to any type of ice maker, whether environmentally cooled or directly cooled. 
         [0039]      FIGS. 5 and 6  show a close up diagrammatical view of one ice cube compartment  76  within mold body  78 . As shown, bimetallic element is provided in the form of a strip  110  comprising two metal portions  112 , 114  is located along an edge of compartment  76 . Element  110  could have various shapes other than a strips, as shown, so no limitation as to shape should be implied by use of the term “element.” Element  110  could be made of various combinations of metals such as copper and steel, brass and steel, etc. A non-stick coating such as Teflon could be applied to bimetallic element  110  to prevent the ice cubes from sticking to it. Bimetallic element  110  can be oriented with the metal that undergoes greater elongation when energized in contact with compartment  76  or ice cube  100 . 
         [0040]    A source of electrical heating  116  is schematically shown within mold body  78 . Heat source  116  may be elements  102  used to heat mold body and melt ice cube  100 , or heat source may be a separate smaller heat source dedicated to element  110  either as a supplement to or substitution for elements  102 . Using a separate heat source  116  may allow for a lower total energy usage for ice cube harvesting and/or less undesired refreezing, as mentioned above, as either less or no melting of the ice cubes is required for removal from compartments  76 . 
         [0041]      FIG. 5  shows ice cube  100  before activation of heat source  116  so that bimetallic element  110  is not deformed into compartment  76 .  FIG. 6  shows ice cube  100  after bimetallic element  110  has deformed due to activation of heat source  116 . In this embodiment, ends  118  of the depicted strip  110  are fixed at points  120  to mold body  78 , and a center portion  122  raises upward to lift ice cube  100  slightly within compartment  76  when heat source  116  is activated. 
         [0042]      FIG. 7  shows a modified structure, wherein a bimetallic element  110  is heated by one or both of two different structures. First, heating source  116  as shown includes a direct electrical connection to bimetallic element  110 . Also, instead of or in addition to using a dedicated heating source for bimetallic element  110 , the bimetallic element can be heated by refrigerant tubes  101  and/or strips  102  used to heat mold body  78  for ice harvesting. Upon heating by any of such elements, bimetallic element  110  still provides an upward lift to ice cube  100 , as above. 
         [0043]      FIG. 8  shows a bimetallic element in the form of a strip  110  similar to that of  FIG. 4 , but attached in a different way. As shown, bimetallic element  110  is fixed in place at one or more central points  120 . When activated, ends  118  move upward to assist in harvesting of ice cube  100 . Various other orientations and points of fixture could be employed. 
         [0044]    As shown in  FIG. 9 , bimetallic element  110  is mounted in a cantilevered fashion at point  120 . Also, a contact element  124  for lifting ice cube  100  is provided atop bimetallic element  110 . Therefore, unlike in the previous embodiments, in the embodiment of  FIG. 9  bimetallic element  110  does not contact ice cube  100  directly. 
         [0045]      FIG. 10  shows an alternate embodiment in which mold body  278  is rotatable via motor  282  to invert the mold body ( FIG. 11 ) for dumping ice. Before, during, or after such inversion, bimetallic element  210  can be activated to assist in removing the ice cubes  100 . If desired, mold body  278  may be made of deformable material, so that a bending, twisting, etc. may be applied by motor  282 , appropriate stops  283 , etc., to assist in removing ice cubes ( FIG. 12 ). The bending may be applied before, during or after activation of bimetallic element  210 . Bimetallic element  210  may include any of the arrangements, shapes, options, etc., described herein. Therefore, the harvesting assembly of this embodiment includes the motor and structure for inverting the mold body, and may also include the optional materials for allowing the bending of the mold body. No movable rod or tines need move through compartments  176 , as above. 
         [0046]    In view of the above, it should be clear that it is possible to have alternate shapes and orientations for element  110 / 210 , points  120 , contact element  124 , etc. Bimetallic element  110 / 210  could be rectangular, circular, rounded, or any other shape. Also, element  110 / 210  could be coextensive with the surface of compartment  76 / 276 , recessed, extended, etc. Element  110 / 210  can be mounted to mold body  78 / 278  by one or more points at ends, centrally, cantilevered, or any other fashion. Element  110 / 210  need only provide some sort of force assist to remove ice cube  100 . Element  110 / 210  could therefore be used in combination with various mechanical linkages, plungers, hinges, cantilevers, spring elements, etc., as desired. Although element  110 / 210  has been shown in described at times as a strip herein, various other shapes and orientations are possible. Further, other locations within compartment  76 / 276  are possible, and more than one discrete element  110 / 210 , either separate or linked, could be employed. 
         [0047]    Accordingly, various options and modifications to the above structures can be employed, and combinations of features of the above bimetallic element and its related structures, heating source, mold bodies, etc. can be envisioned in view of the present disclosure. An ice maker with a bimetallic element for assisting in ice harvesting can be practiced in many ways. The ice maker and element may therefore be useful in more readily removing ice for harvest, preventing refreezing of ice cubes together, and/or preventing ice cubes from freezing to the ice maker itself or other cold surfaces. Energy use may be reduced as well by eliminating or limiting the amount of melting needed to harvest the ice cubes. 
         [0048]    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.