This invention relates generally to refrigerators, and more particularly, to ice making function in such refrigerators.
Some known refrigerators include a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment. Such a refrigerator also typically includes a refrigeration circuit including a compressor, evaporator, and condenser connected in series. An evaporator fan is provided to blow air over the evaporator, and a condenser fan is provided to blow air over the condenser.
In operation, when an upper temperature limit is reached in the freezer compartment, the compressor, evaporator fan, and condenser fan are energized. Once the temperature in the freezer compartment reaches a lower temperature limit, the compressor, evaporator fan, and condenser fan are de-energized.
An icemaker may be located in the freezer compartment and operable to make ice cubes. A primary mode of heat transfer for making ice is convection. Specifically, by blowing cold air over an icemaker mold body, heat is removed from water in the mold body. As a result, ice is formed in the mold. Typically, the cold air blown over the icemaker mold body is first blown over the evaporator and then over the mold body by the evaporator fan.
Heat transferred in a given fluid due to convection can be increased or decreased by changing a film coefficient. The film coefficient is dependent on fluid velocity and temperature. With a high velocity and low temperature, the film coefficient is high, which promotes heat transfer and increasing the ice making rate. Therefore, when the refrigeration system is activated, i.e., when the compressor, evaporator fan, and condenser fan are on, ice is made at a quick rate as compared to when the refrigeration is inactivated. Specifically, the air is not as cold and the air velocity is lower when the system is inactivated as compared to when the system is activated.
User demand for ice, however, is not related to the state of the refrigeration system. Specifically, a user may have a high demand for ice at a time in which the system in inactivated or may have no need for ice at a time at which the system is activated. Therefore, ice may be depleted during a period of high demand for ice by a user and the refrigeration system may not necessarily respond to the user demand by making ice more quickly.
In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a refrigerator that includes a refrigerator compartment that is operable to form ice at a first rate during normal operation, and at a second, faster, rate upon demand for additional ice. More specifically, and in an exemplary embodiment, the refrigerator includes a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment. The refrigerator also includes a refrigeration circuit having a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator connected in series. A condenser fan is positioned to blow air over the condenser and an evaporator fan is positioned to blow air over the evaporator. The icemaker is located in the freezer compartment and positioned so that the evaporator blows air over an ice mold of the icemaker.
The refrigerator also includes a control coupled to a user interface and to the evaporator fan. The control includes a processor, and the processor is programmed to control energization of the evaporator fan upon selection of an ice rate booster mode at the user interface. By operating the evaporator fan and/or freezer compartment temperature to blow air over the ice mold upon command at the user interface, ice can be formed at a faster rate to satisfy the ice needs of the user. Such operation is more responsive to user needs than systems in which the ice forming rate is not responsive to user inputs.