REFRIGERATOR APPLIANCE WITH A CLEAR ICEMAKER

• US 20180209710A1
• Filed: 01/26/2017
• Published: 07/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Inventors: Singh, Anoop, Kulkarni, Ashutosh
• Granted Patent: US 10,571,179 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2341/062 Capillary expansion valves
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 41/37 Capillary tubes
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 41/39 Dispositions with two or more expansion means arranged in series, i.e. multi-stage expansion, on a refrigerant line leading to the same evaporator
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 5/02 arranged in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 1/12 by freezing water on cooled surfaces, e.g. to form slabs
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 1/18 of a particular transparency or translucency, e.g. by injecting air
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 2500/02 Geometry problems
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 17/065 with compartments at different temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/04 with special compartments, e.g. butter conditioners
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2317/061 through special compartments
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2317/062 along the inside of doors

Abstract

A refrigerator appliance includes an icemaker having a mold body that defines an ice cavity. The ice cavity is defined at least in part by a bottom wall positioned at a bottom portion of ice cavity and a back wall positioned at a rear portion of the ice cavity. First and second bottom wall segments are positioned and oriented such that an upper surface of the first bottom wall segment defines a first angle with a front surface of the back wall and such that an upper surface of the second bottom wall segment defines a second angle with the front surface of the back wall.

Claims

1. A refrigerator appliance, comprising:

a cabinet defining a chilled chamber for receipt of food items for storage; and

an icemaker mounted to the cabinet, the icemaker comprising

a mold body defining an ice cavity, the ice cavity defined at least in part by a bottom wall positioned at a bottom portion of ice cavity and a back wall positioned at a rear portion of the ice cavity, the bottom wall having a first bottom wall segment and a second bottom wall segment, the first bottom wall segment positioned proximate the back wall, the first and second bottom wall segments positioned and oriented such that an upper surface of the first bottom wall segment defines a first angle with a front surface of the back wall and such that an upper surface of the second bottom wall segment defines a second angle with the front surface of the back wall, the first angle being less than the second angle; and

a manifold positioned over the ice cavity of the mold body such that water from the manifold is flowable through the ice cavity and over the rear wall of the mold body.

2. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the mold body defines a lateral direction and a transverse direction that are perpendicular, the first bottom wall segment angled relative to the second bottom wall segment such that the upper surface of the first bottom wall segment and the upper surface of the second bottom wall segment defines an offset angle in a plane that is perpendicular to the lateral direction, the offset angle being about one hundred and sixty-five degrees.

3. The refrigerator appliance of claim 2, wherein the first bottom wall segment is positioned between the back wall and the second bottom wall segment along the transverse direction.

4. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the first angle is no greater than one hundred and thirty degrees and no less than eighty degrees.

5. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the second angle is no greater than one hundred and fifty-five degrees and no less than ninety-five degrees.

6. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the mold body further defines a plurality of additional ice cavities, each ice cavity of the plurality of additional ice cavities having a respective first bottom wall segment and a respective second bottom wall segment that are angled relative to each other.

7. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, further comprising a sealed system with an evaporator positioned within the cabinet, the sealed system operable to generate chilled air at the evaporator, the icemaker positioned on a door of the cabinet, the cabinet defining a duct extending between the evaporator and the door of the cabinet such that the chilled air is flowable through the duct towards the icemaker to cool the icemaker.

8. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein further comprising a sealed system positioned within the cabinet, the sealed system having a first evaporator, a second evaporator, a first capillary tube, a second capillary tube and a third capillary tube, the sealed system operable to generate chilled air at the first and second evaporators, the first capillary tube connected in series with the first evaporator, the second and third capillary tubes connected in series with the second evaporator such that the second evaporator is between the second and third capillary tubes, the first capillary tube sized such that the chilled air at the first evaporator is a first temperature during operation of the sealed system, the second capillary tube sized such that the chilled air at the second evaporator is a second temperature during operation of the sealed system, the first temperature being less than the second temperature.

9. The refrigerator appliance of claim 8, wherein the icemaker is positioned on a door of the cabinet, the cabinet defining a duct extending between the second evaporator and the door of the cabinet such that the chilled air from the second evaporator is flowable through the duct towards the icemaker to cool the icemaker, the first evaporator positioned proximate the chilled chamber of the cabinet such that the chilled air from the first evaporator is flowable to the chilled chamber of the cabinet.

10. The refrigerator appliance of claim 8, wherein the sealed system further comprises a compressor, an outlet of the third capillary tube and an outlet of the first evaporator connected to an inlet of the compressor.

11. The refrigerator appliance of claim 10, wherein the third capillary is sized such that a temperature of refrigerant at the outlet of the first evaporator is about a temperature of refrigerant at the outlet of the third capillary during operation of the sealed system.

12. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the icemaker further comprises a water funnel and a pump, the water funnel positioned below the mold body, the water funnel tapered towards a sump of the water funnel, the pump connected to the sump of the water funnel and the manifold such that the pump is operable to flow water from the sump of the water funnel to the manifold.

13. The refrigerator appliance of claim 12, wherein the icemaker further comprises an ice-collector, the ice collector positioned below the second bottom wall segment to receive ice from the ice cavity, the ice collector having a bottom wall sloped towards a collection volume of the ice-collector.

14. The refrigerator appliance of claim 13, wherein an ice inlet of the ice-collector is offset from a water inlet of the water funnel.

15. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the icemaker is positioned within a door of the cabinet.

16. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the back wall is a metal back wall, a rear surface of the metal back wall exposed to an air duct of the icemaker such that the metal back wall is coolable with chilled air in the air duct.

17. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the icemaker further comprises a pump connected to the manifold such that the pump is operable to flow water from a bottom portion of below the mold body to the manifold.

18. A refrigerator appliance, comprising:

a cabinet defining a chilled chamber for receipt of food items for storage, the cabinet having a door and further defining a duct;

a sealed system having an evaporator positioned within the cabinet, the sealed system operable to generate chilled air at the evaporator; and

an icemaker positioned on the door of the cabinet, the duct extending between the evaporator and the door such that the chilled air is flowable through the duct from the evaporator towards the icemaker to cool the icemaker, the icemaker comprising

a mold body defining an ice cavity, the ice cavity defined at least in part by a bottom wall positioned at a bottom portion of ice cavity and a back wall positioned at a rear portion of the ice cavity, the bottom wall having a first bottom wall segment and a second bottom wall segment, the first bottom wall segment positioned proximate the back wall, the second bottom wall segment extending from the first bottom wall segment away from the back wall, the first and second bottom wall segments positioned and oriented such that an upper surface of the first bottom wall segment defines a first angle with a front surface of the back wall and such that an upper surface of the second bottom wall segment defines a second angle with the front surface of the back wall, the first angle being less than the second angle; and

a manifold positioned over the ice cavity of the mold body such that water from the manifold is flowable through the ice cavity and over the rear wall of the mold body.

19. The refrigerator appliance of claim 18, wherein the mold body defines a lateral direction and a transverse direction that are perpendicular, the first bottom wall segment angled relative to the second bottom wall segment such that the upper surface of the first bottom wall segment and the upper surface of the second bottom wall segment defines an offset angle in a plane that is perpendicular to the lateral direction, the offset angle being about one hundred and sixty-five degrees, the first bottom wall segment positioned between the back wall and the second bottom wall segment along the transverse direction.

20. The refrigerator appliance of claim 18, wherein the evaporator is a second evaporator, the sealed system also having a first evaporator, a first capillary tube, a second capillary tube and a third capillary tube, the sealed system operable to generate chilled air at the first and second evaporators, the first capillary tube connected in series with the first evaporator, the second and third capillary tubes connected in series with the second evaporator such that the second evaporator is between the second and third capillary tubes, the first capillary tube sized such that the chilled air at the first evaporator is a first temperature during operation of the sealed system, the second capillary tube sized such that the chilled air at the second evaporator is a second temperature during operation of the sealed system, the first temperature being less than the second temperature, the first evaporator positioned proximate the chilled chamber of the cabinet such that the chilled air from the first evaporator is flowable to the chilled chamber of the cabinet, an inlet of the duct positioned proximate the second evaporator.