A COOLING DEVICE

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling device comprising an ice tray that is used for providing clear ice.

[0002] In traditional cooling devices or ice making machines called "icemakers", ice is provided by using mains water. Mains water is not pure and also contains air bubbles, minerals and dust particles, as well as some chemical substances such as chlorine. All these factors adversely affect the taste or smell of a beverage when ice is used to cool the beverage. Therefore, usage of clear ice, which is pure, tasteless and odorless also has an aesthetic appearance, is preferred. In the state of the art, various methods are developed for providing clear ice.

[0003] In the state of the art United States of America Patent No US6357720, an ice tray is explained wherein the bottom is covered with waterproof but air permeable material, thus air bubbles in the water are removed and clear ice is provided.

[0004] By filling the inside of an ice tray with various insulation materials, the heat transfer is not entirely prevented since these materials also have a heat transfer coefficient. Yet, insulation is very important for providing clear ice by the method identified as "semi-freezing". In this method, when water is frozen in an ice tray that is entirely insulated, the upper portion of the water freezes earlier and if the freezing process is completed only after the upper portion freezes without allowing all of the water to freeze, clear ice is provided in this frozen upper portion. In this method, if the insulation is deficient, the upper portion as well as the lower portion of the water is frozen.

[0005] The aim of the present invention is the realization of a cooling device comprising an ice tray that enables clear ice to be provided.

[0006] The cooling device realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention, explicated in the first claim and the respective claims thereof, comprises an ice tray, the portion of which, wherein the receptacles remain in the body, is insulated by vacuum and a vacuum mechanism that has a pump enabling the creation of vacuum in the body by evacuating the air in the body, a control card controlling the operation of the pump and a vacuum line, one end of which is connected to the pump and the other end to the air outlet hole.

[0007] Thus, by means of the vacuum mechanism, the insulation of the ice tray is provided by the realization of the vacuuming process in a controlled fashion. Hence, only the water filled into the receptacles is provided to freeze from the top by eliminating the contact of the receptacle walls remaining in the body with the cold air is enabled by entirely preventing the heat transfer.

[0008] In an embodiment of the present invention, the vacuum mechanism is stopped at the end of a certain time period determined by the producer that guarantees the formation of ice.

[0009] In another embodiment of the present invention, the cooling device furthermore comprises a sensor detecting the formation of ice. When the generation of ice is completed, the control card is triggered by the sensor and the vacuum mechanism is shut off automatically.

[0010] In another embodiment of the present invention, the vacuum mechanism comprises preferably a pressure sensor measuring the pressure in the body.

[0011] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the cooling device comprises an outlet line, one end of which is opened into the body and the other end to the atmosphere, and a valve located on this outlet line. The valve controlled by the user or automatically, allows air at a higher temperature than the ambient temperature of the ice tray into the body, enabling the ice adhered to the walls of the receptacles to be removed from the receptacles more easily. Accordingly, both the formation of clear ice and the easy removal of the ice from the receptacle are provided.

[0012] By means of the present invention, clear ice is provided simply by the semi-freezing method whilst an effective insulation is being provided.

[0013] A cooling device realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where:

[0014] Figure 1 - is the perspective view of a cooling device.

[0015] Figure 2 - is the schematic view of an ice tray. [0016] The elements shown in the figures are numbered as follows:

[0017] 1. Cooling device

[0018] 2. Cabinet

[0019] 3. Door

[0020] 4. Ice tray

[0021] 5. Body

[0022] 6. Receptacle

[0023] 7. Vacuum mechanism

[0024] 8. Pump

[0025] 9. Vacuum line

[0026] 10. Control card

[0027] 11. Outlet line

[0028] 12. Valve

[0029] The cooling device (1) of the present invention comprises a cabinet (2) wherein items to be cooled are stored, a door (3) enabling the user access into the cabinet (2) and a body (5) disposed therein and an ice tray (4) on the body (5) having more than one receptacle (6) wherein water is filled and the top of which is open (Figure 1).

[0030] The cooling device (1) furthermore comprises an ice tray (4), the body (5) of which is insulated by a vacuum such that the water in the receptacle (6) will be provided to freeze from the top and the portion wherein the receptacles (6) remain such that it will surround the walls of the receptacle (6), and a hole located on the body (5) and a vacuum mechanism (7) evacuating the air in the body (5) by connecting to the hole, thus enabling the creation of vacuum in the body (5) (Figure 2).

[0031] The ice tray (4) is produced by embedding the receptacles (6) on the body (5), which is an empty, preferably quadrilateral box. The portions of the receptacles (6) which are embedded onto the body (5) are insulated from the ambient heat by the air between the walls of the receptacles (6) and the walls of the body (5) being vacuumed by means of the vacuum mechanism (7). In this case, the water filled into the receptacles (6) starts freezing from the top and the freezing speed of the water decreases as approached to the base of the receptacles (6). Thus, clear ice is provided at the upper portion of the receptacle (6) while at the lower portion only water remains.

[0032] In this embodiment of the present invention, the vacuum mechanism (7) comprises a pump (8), a control card (10) controlling the operation of the pump (8) and the valve (12) and a vacuum line (9), one end of which is connected to the pump (8) and the other end to the hole. The ice tray (4) is disposed into the cabinet (2) and water is filled into the receptacles (6) on the ice tray (4). The vacuum mechanism (7) is operated when ice is desired to be provided. In this embodiment, when the cooling process starts, the pump (8) is operated by the control card (10) and the creation of vacuum in the body (5) is provided evacuating the air inside the body (5) out of the body (5) by means of the vacuum line (9). Since the inside of the body (5), that is the space between the wall of the receptacles (6) and the wall of the body (5) is vacuumed, the heat transfer between the cabinet (2) and the body (5) is at a minimum level and the walls of the receptacles (6) are least affected by the cold air in the cabinet (2). When the cooling process starts, since only the upper portion of the water filled into the receptacle (6) contacts the cold air, the water starts freezing from the top. Since the walls of the receptacles (6) are insulated by vacuum, the cold air does not reach the water contacting the walls and the water in this portion either does not freeze at all or takes a long time to freeze. Accordingly, clear ice can be provided more easily and faster by providing a more efficient heat insulation by vacuum.

[0033] In an embodiment of the present invention, the vacuum mechanism (7) is stopped at the end of a certain time period - a certain time period guaranteeing the formation of ice - determined by the producer.

[0034] In another embodiment of the present invention, the cooling device (1) furthermore comprises a sensor detecting the formation of ice in the ice tray (4). The formation of ice in the ice tray (4) is controlled by means of the sensor. When the formation of ice is completed, the control card (10) is triggered by the sensor and the vacuum mechanism (7) is shut off.

[0035] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the cooling device (1) furthermore comprises a pressure sensor disposed in the body (5) and measuring the pressure value in the body (5).

[0036] The temperature of the water filled into the receptacles (6) and the pressure values measured by the pressure sensor are measured during the ice making process and times such as the cooling time, the operating time of the vacuum mechanism (7) are determined according to these values. The control card (10) operates the vacuum mechanism (7) according to these data. In this embodiment, when the cooling process starts, the pump (8) is operated by the control card (10) and the creation of vacuum in the body (5) is provided evacuating the air inside the body (5) out of the body (5) by means of the vacuum line (9). The pump (8) is stopped at the end of the time period determined for the ice making process or when the cooling process is completed.

[0037] In another embodiment of the present invention, the cooling device (1) comprises an outlet line (11), one end of which is opened into the body (5) and the other end to a warmer ambient inside or outside the cabinet (2), and a valve (12) located on the said outlet line (11), controlling the warm air inlet into the body (5). The valve (12) can be controlled by the user as well as automatically. Once the formation of ice is completed, the valve (12) is opened by the user or automatically and the air that is warmer than the ambient, wherein the ice tray (4) is situated, is received into the body (5) through the outlet line (11). The warm air filled into the body (5) contacts the walls of the receptacles (6) and thus enables the ice that may be adhered to the walls to be melt and the ice to be removed from the receptacle (6) more easily.

[0038] By means of the present invention, clear ice is enabled to be provided in an easy and fast way by an effective insulation being provided.