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EP0627603A1 - A refrigerator with an improved device for producing ice - Google Patents

A refrigerator with an improved device for producing ice Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0627603A1
EP0627603A1 EP94107716A EP94107716A EP0627603A1 EP 0627603 A1 EP0627603 A1 EP 0627603A1 EP 94107716 A EP94107716 A EP 94107716A EP 94107716 A EP94107716 A EP 94107716A EP 0627603 A1 EP0627603 A1 EP 0627603A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
tray
container
tank
valve
liquid
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP94107716A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Duilio Besson
Oscar Patron
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Electrolux Zanussi Elettrodomestici SpA
Original Assignee
Electrolux Zanussi Elettrodomestici SpA
Zanussi Elettrodomestici SpA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Electrolux Zanussi Elettrodomestici SpA, Zanussi Elettrodomestici SpA filed Critical Electrolux Zanussi Elettrodomestici SpA
Publication of EP0627603A1 publication Critical patent/EP0627603A1/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
    • F25C1/00—Producing ice
    • F25C1/04—Producing ice by using stationary moulds
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
    • F25C1/00—Producing ice
    • F25C1/22—Construction of moulds; Filling devices for moulds
    • F25C1/25—Filling devices for moulds
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
    • F25C2305/00—Special arrangements or features for working or handling ice
    • F25C2305/022—Harvesting ice including rotating or tilting or pivoting of a mould or tray
    • F25C2305/0221—Harvesting ice including rotating or tilting or pivoting of a mould or tray rotating ice mould

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a refrigerator, particularly for household use, equipped with an improved device for producing ice.
  • the invention relates particularly to a type of refrigerator containing at least one tray disposed in a unit with very low temperature and intended to be filled and to hold water to be transformed into a plurality of cubes or small pieces of ice.
  • Refrigerators are known in which ice is prepared simply by filling a suitably shaped tray with water manually and inserting it in a space with a temperature sufficiently lower than 0°C. This method, which was widely used as the household refrigerator began to spread, now tends to be replaced by a more automatic method so as to spare the user the work of filling the ice tray every time it is emptied, which involves the risk of spilling water in the ice unit leading to the formation of thick "soles" of ice.
  • Household refrigerators have therefore become known wherein ice is prepared by one or more trays equipped with a plurality of hollows being filled with water coming from the household water mains and channeled onto the tray by means of a pressure pipe equipped with an expedient solenoid valve.
  • the pressure of the water mains can vary between very high values, and if the loading of the ice tray is effected too soon, as usually happens, one encounters a number of disadvantages well known to the expert in the field and also to the simple user, which need not be specified here for the sake of brevity.
  • the devised solution fundamentally consists in providing a tank and a container with fixed and gauged volume, naturally in addition to the conventional ice tray; the tank is used for containing and keeping an amount of water sufficient for several loads of the ice tray, and the container is inserted between the tank and the tray for dosing the correct amount of water to flow in for each load of the ice tray.
  • the device comprising ice tray 1, some conventional elements 2 for collecting the water to be transformed into ice and belonging to the tray, ice unit 3 containing the tray, tank 4, container 5 with a gauged volume, pipe 4a for conveying water from the tank to container 5, pipe 4a to be closed by valve 6, pipe 5a to be closed by valve 7 for conveying water from container 5 to the tray, vertical pipe 8 connected at one end to the inside volume of container 5 and open at the other end which is located at a level higher than maximum level 8a reachable by the water in tank 4, and switch 9 that is driven in the position of maximum rotation (end-stop) of the tray.
  • Switch 9 drives both valve 6 and valve 7 with expedient delays and via known control and timing means not shown.
  • the operation of the device is as follows. After filling tank 4 by means of filler 15, the user rotates tray 1 until it overturns completely. At the end of its rotation the tray hits a mechanical stop that, according to a known technique, deforms the tray to the point of ejecting the ice cubes from their respective hollows and making them drop onto the bottom of the ice unit.
  • switch 9 gives rise to pulse T1 that, when transmitted to a suitable control unit not shown, produces after waiting period P1 command H at time T2 for opening valve 6 of pipe 4a to let water flow from tank 4 into container 5, whose inside volume is selected such that the water contained therein fills tray 1 completely but without overflowing.
  • Waiting period P1 is selected to permit a safe and definite return, with an adequate safety margin, of tray 1 to its position of rest where it is ready to receive the water to be transformed into ice.
  • Command H for opening valve 6 lasts until time T3, and period T3 - T2 is selected to permit the complete filling of container 5. At time T3 valve 6 is closed again. To avoid any constructional and functional complication as far as possible, the admission of water from tank 4 to container 5 takes place by gravity, so that the container will be positioned below the lower level of tank 5.
  • the device may be an escape valve equipped with a float that closes the escape when the water reaches the maximum level within the container, or vertical escape pipe 8 which is preferably thin but not capillary and whose upper opening is higher than maximum level 8a of the water in tank 4.
  • tank 4 causes little variation in the level of water within pipe 8 and therefore very little variation in the amount of liquid suppliable by the container for each discharge given the reduced diameter of pipe 8.
  • valve closes again and the production of ice in the tray begins automatically along with the wait for the beginning of a new cycle.
  • An improvement in the present invention consists in producing signal M to the outside which is acoustic or preferably optical and intermittent, starting at time T4 and lasting a certain predetermined period, with the purpose of signaling that the ice phase has just started for a new load of water in the tray so that it is not yet possible to empty the tray to have ice cubes.
  • interception valves 6 and 7 may be very simple valves with thermal operation, of wax or synthetic resin or the like. This permits maximum simplicity and reliability of operation, together with total quietness.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Production, Working, Storing, Or Distribution Of Ice (AREA)
  • Table Equipment (AREA)
EP94107716A 1993-06-04 1994-05-18 A refrigerator with an improved device for producing ice Withdrawn EP0627603A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT93PN000036A IT1268524B1 (it) 1993-06-04 1993-06-04 Apparecchio frigorifero con dispositivo perfezionato di produzione del ghiaccio
ITPN930036 1993-06-04

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0627603A1 true EP0627603A1 (en) 1994-12-07

Family

ID=11394804

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP94107716A Withdrawn EP0627603A1 (en) 1993-06-04 1994-05-18 A refrigerator with an improved device for producing ice

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0627603A1 (it)
IT (1) IT1268524B1 (it)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
ES2137796A1 (es) * 1995-12-12 1999-12-16 Fernandez Juan Ruiz Instalacion para fabricacion de cubitos de hielo.

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1870370A (en) * 1930-11-29 1932-08-09 Marchaut Pierre Jean Automatically supplied mold with controlled release for the production of ice blocks
US3908391A (en) * 1974-11-07 1975-09-30 William L Wulke Portable ice cube maker
US4909039A (en) * 1988-03-12 1990-03-20 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Ice maker of refrigerators and method of detecting water unsupplied condition of an ice tray of the ice maker

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1870370A (en) * 1930-11-29 1932-08-09 Marchaut Pierre Jean Automatically supplied mold with controlled release for the production of ice blocks
US3908391A (en) * 1974-11-07 1975-09-30 William L Wulke Portable ice cube maker
US4909039A (en) * 1988-03-12 1990-03-20 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Ice maker of refrigerators and method of detecting water unsupplied condition of an ice tray of the ice maker

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
ES2137796A1 (es) * 1995-12-12 1999-12-16 Fernandez Juan Ruiz Instalacion para fabricacion de cubitos de hielo.

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
IT1268524B1 (it) 1997-03-04
ITPN930036A0 (it) 1993-06-04
ITPN930036A1 (it) 1994-12-04

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): BE DE ES FR GB IT NL

17P Request for examination filed

Effective date: 19941117

17Q First examination report despatched

Effective date: 19951121

RAP1 Party data changed (applicant data changed or rights of an application transferred)

Owner name: ELECTROLUX ZANUSSI ELETTRODOMESTICI S.P.A.

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN

18D Application deemed to be withdrawn

Effective date: 19960402