On-door ice maker cooling

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a refrigerator cabinet, a refrigerator compartment disposed within the refrigerator cabinet, a refrigerator compartment door for providing access to the refrigerator compartment, an ice maker on the refrigerator compartment door, a thermoelectric cooler associated with the ice maker and operatively connected to the refrigerator compartment door, the thermoelectric cooler having a first side and an opposite second side, and a cooling loop operatively connected to the refrigerator compartment door and configured for cooling the thermoelectric cooler.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A refrigerator comprising:
 a refrigerator cabinet having a refrigerator cabinet and a refrigerator compartment door;   an ice maker within the refrigerator compartment;   a thermoelectric device including a warm side and a cold side operably connected to the refrigerator compartment door; the thermoelectric device thermally associated with the ice maker; and   a liquid cooling loop operatively connected to the refrigerator compartment door and having a plurality of channels;   wherein the liquid cooling loop is configured to cool the warm side of the thermoelectric device.   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of channels are substantially parallel. 
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator of  claim 1  further comprising liquid cooling media within the cooling loop. 
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator of  claim 3  wherein the liquid cooling media comprises at least one of glycol or water. 
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator of  claim 1  wherein the cooling loop further provides for heating water to provide heated water. 
     
     
         6 . The refrigerator of  claim 5  further comprising a dispenser on the refrigerator compartment door adapted to dispense the heated water. 
     
     
         7 . The refrigerator of  claim 1  further comprising an ice storage bucket operatively connected to the refrigerator compartment door and a pathway conveying ice from the ice maker to the ice storage bucket. 
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator of  claim 1  further comprising a fluid pump operatively connected to the cooling loop for circulating cooling media through the fluid loop. 
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator of  claim 1  further comprising a fan at the refrigerator compartment door for circulating air to and from the refrigerator compartment in manner that alters temperature of the air. 
     
     
         10 . The refrigerator of  claim 9  wherein the temperature is reduced. 
     
     
         11 . The refrigerator of  claim 9  wherein the temperature is increased. 
     
     
         12 . The refrigerator of  claim 11  further comprising a heat sink and wherein the fan circulates the air by the heat sink to increase the temperature of the air. 
     
     
         13 . The refrigerator of  claim 1  further comprising a second refrigerator compartment door and wherein the refrigerator compartment door and the second refrigerator compartment door are French doors. 
     
     
         14 . The refrigerator of  claim 13  further comprising a freezer compartment disposed below the refrigerator compartment. 
     
     
         15 . The refrigerator of  claim 1  further comprising a hinge operatively connected between the refrigerator compartment door and the refrigerator cabinet and wherein the cooling loop contains cooling media, with no cooling media crossing the hinge. 
     
     
         16 . A method of making ice on a door of a refrigerator, the method comprising:
 cooling a surface of an ice maker disposed on a refrigerator door by using a cool side of a thermoelectric cooler that is thermally connected to the ice maker and is disposed on the refrigerator door;   circulating liquid cooling media through a liquid cooling loop thermally associated with the thermoelectric cooler, the liquid cooling loop having plurality of channels to cool a warm side of the thermoelectric cooler.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  further comprising cooling water by circulating the liquid cooling media through the liquid cooling loop. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16  further comprising heating water or ice by circulating the liquid cooling media through the liquid cooling loop. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the refrigerator further comprises a fan associated with the refrigerator compartment door and further comprising altering temperature in the refrigerator compartment door using the fan. 
     
     
         20 . A refrigerator comprising:
 a cabinet having a door and a refrigerator compartment;   an ice maker on door;   a liquid cooled thermoelectric cooler with a warm side and a cool side and thermally associated with the ice maker and operatively connected to the refrigerator compartment door; and   a heat transfer plate having a plurality of fins configured to transfer heat from the warm side of the liquid cooled thermoelectric cooler to liquid passing between the plurality of fins.