Refrigerator

• US 9,200,828 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2008
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Mitchell, Alan Joseph, Junge, Brent Alden
• Primary Examiner(s): Bradford, Jonathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARTIN, ELIZABETH J
• Application Number:
  US12/268,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20100115985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,577 Days
• Field of Search: 624/07, 624/05, 624/13, 624/26
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 5/22 particularly adapted for household refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 17/065 with compartments at different temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 21/08 by electric heating

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a main body defining a compartment, the compartment having an access opening, a first wall and a heat exchanger supported by the first wall; a refrigeration system containing therein a working medium and including an evaporator which is disposed outside of the compartment for cooling the compartment; a door supported by the main body for selectively closing at least part of the access opening of the compartment; and a sub-compartment on the door and including a second wall with an opening. The heat exchanger is coolable by the working medium. The heat exchanger and the second wall are positioned so that when the door is in a closed position, the heat exchanger is exposed to an interior of the sub-compartment through the opening.

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising:

a main body defining a compartment, the compartment having an access opening, a first wall and a heat exchanger supported by the first wall;

a refrigeration system containing therein a working medium, the refrigeration system comprising an evaporator disposed outside of the compartment for cooling the compartment, a condenser, and a fluid connection for circulating the working medium, the fluid connection comprising bent sections which are disposed between the evaporator and the condenser and are thermally coupled to the heat exchanger so that when passing through the bent sections, the working medium cools the heat exchanger;

a door supported by the main body for selectively closing at least part of the access opening of the compartment;

a sub-compartment on the door, the sub-compartment comprising a second wall having an opening; and

an icemaker disposed in the sub-compartment,

wherein the heat exchanger and the second wall are positioned so that when the door is in a closed position, the heat exchanger is exposed to an interior of the sub-compartment through the opening,

wherein the heat exchanger is spaced apart from and has no direct contact with the icemaker when the door is in the closed position to convectively cool the icemaker, and

wherein the heat exchanger comprises a heat-exchanging plate comprising a first surface facing the second wall when one of the doors is in the closed position and a second surface opposite the first surface, the second surface forming a plurality of receiving channels for receiving the respective bent sections.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a gasket supported by one of the first wall and the second wall, wherein when the door is in the closed position, the gasket substantially sealingly surrounds the heat exchanger and the opening.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the bent sections are directly connected to the heat exchanger.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3, further comprising a fan disposed between the heat exchanger and the icemaker when the door is in the closed position for facilitating heat exchange between air in the interior of the sub-compartment and the heat exchanger.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the plurality of receiving channels are substantially semi-spherical in cross-section.

6. A refrigerator comprising:

a main body defining a first compartment and a second compartment, the first compartment having an access opening, a first wall and a heat exchanger supported by the first wall;

a refrigeration system containing therein a working medium, the refrigeration system comprising an evaporator which is disposed in the second compartment for cooling the first compartment and the second compartment, a condenser, and a fluid connection for transferring the working medium from the evaporator to the condenser, the fluid connection comprising bent sections which are disposed between the evaporator and the condenser and are thermally coupled to the heat exchanger so that when passing through the bent sections, the working medium cools the heat exchanger;

a door supported by the main body for selectively closing at least part of the access opening of the first compartment;

a sub-compartment on the door, the sub-compartment having a second wall having an opening; and

an icemaker disposed in the sub-compartment,

wherein the heat exchanger and the second wall are positioned so that when the door is in a closed position, the heat exchanger is exposed to an interior of the sub-compartment through the opening,

wherein the heat exchanger is spaced apart from and has no direct contact with the icemaker when the door is in the closed position to convectively cool the icemaker, and

wherein the heat exchanger comprises a heat-exchanging plate comprising a first surface facing the second wall when one of the doors is in the closed position and a second surface opposite the first surface, the second surface forming a plurality of receiving channels for receiving the respective bent sections.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6, further comprising a gasket supported by one of the first wall and the second wall, wherein when the door is in the closed position, the gasket substantially sealingly surrounds the heat exchanger and the opening.

8. The refrigerator of claim 6, further comprising a fan for facilitating heat exchange between air in the interior of the sub-compartment and the heat exchanger.

9. The refrigerator of claim 8, wherein the first compartment further has a louvered cover which covers the heat exchanger and supports the fan.

10. The refrigerator of claim 8, wherein the sub-compartment further has a louvered fan bracket which covers the opening and on which the fan is mounted.

11. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein the bent sections are directly connected to the heat-exchanging plate.

12. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the bent sections are attached to the second surface.

13. The refrigerator of claim 6, further comprising a defrost heater thermally coupled to the heat-exchanging plate.

14. The refrigerator of claim 13, wherein the main body further comprises a drain tube for directing defrost water away from the heat-exchanging plate.

15. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein the plurality of receiving channels are substantially semi-spherical in cross-section.

16. A refrigerator comprising:

a main body defining an upper compartment and a lower compartment, the upper compartment having a frontal access, a first sidewall and a heat-exchanging plate supported by the first sidewall;

a refrigeration system containing therein a refrigerant, the refrigeration system comprising an evaporator which is disposed in the lower compartment for cooling the upper compartment and the lower compartment, a condenser, and a fluid connection for transferring the refrigerant from the evaporator to the condenser, the fluid connection comprising bent sections which are disposed between the evaporator and the condenser and are thermally coupled to the heat-exchanging plate so that when passing through the bent sections, the refrigerant cools the heat-exchanging plate;

a pair of doors supported by the main body for selectively closing the frontal access of the upper compartment;

a sub-compartment on one of the doors and substantially disposed in the upper compartment when the one of the doors is in a closed position, the sub-compartment comprising a second sidewall having an opening; and

an icemaker disposed in the sub-compartment,

wherein the heat-exchanging plate is coolable by the refrigerant,

wherein the heat-exchanging plate and the second wall are positioned so that when the one of the doors is in the closed position, the heat-exchanging plate is exposed to an interior of the sub-compartment through the opening,

wherein the heat-exchanging plate is spaced apart from and has no direct contact with the icemaker when the one of the doors is in the closed position to convectively cool the icemaker, and

wherein the heat-exchanging plate comprises a first surface facing the second sidewall when one of the doors is in the closed position and a second surface opposite the first surface, the second surface forming a plurality of receiving channels for receiving the respective bent sections.

17. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the heat-exchange plate comprises a metal plate.

18. The refrigerator of claim 17, wherein the upper compartment is a fresh food compartment.

19. The refrigerator of claim 18, wherein the lower compartment is a freezer compartment.

20. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the bent sections are directly connected to the heat-exchanging plate.

21. The refrigerator of claim 20, wherein a plurality of projections extend outward from the first surface.

22. The refrigerator of claim 21, wherein the projections comprise first projections and second projections which project further away from the first surface than the first projections.

23. The refrigerator of claim 21, wherein the projections comprise fins.

24. The refrigerator of claim 16, further comprising a foil defrost heater which overlays the bent portions to the second surface.

25. The refrigerator of claim 24, wherein the heat-exchanging plate further comprises a lower end, the refrigerator further comprising a drain tube operatively connected to the lower end of the heat-exchanging plate for directing defrost water away from the heat-exchanging plate.

26. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the sub-compartment further comprises a gasket surrounding the opening, and wherein when the one of the doors is in the closed position, the gasket touches the first sidewall to substantially sealingly surround the heat-exchanging plate.

27. The refrigerator of claim 16, further comprising a fan for facilitating heat exchange between air in the interior of the sub-compartment and the heat-exchanging plate.

28. The refrigerator of claim 27, wherein the sub-compartment further has a louvered fan bracket which covers the opening and on which the fan is mounted.

29. The refrigerator of claim 27, wherein the upper compartment further has a louvered cover which is spaced from and covers the heat-exchanging plate.

30. The refrigerator of claim 29, wherein the fan is mounted on the louvered cover.

31. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the plurality of receiving channels are substantially semi-spherical in cross-section.