KR20010080697A - Icemaker assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

The ice maker assembly is placed in a refrigerator having a freezer compartment, a refrigerating compartment and respective freezer and refrigerating compartment assemblies. The ice maker assembly comprises a conveyor assembly having a flexible conveyor belt with a plurality of individual ice cubes to form individual ice cubes in the freezer compartment. The ice bins are located below the conveyor assembly to store the ice cubes and a fullness sensor is positioned to detect the level of filling of the ice cubes in the ice bins.

Description

Ice Maker Assembly {ICEMAKER ASSEMBLY}

Typically, conventional automatic ice makers in home refrigerators include three major subsystems; A bucket with an ice maker, an auger and an ice crusher and a dispenser inserted in a freezer door that delivers ice to the cup without opening the door.

Ice makers are usually metal molds that produce 6 to 10 ice cubes at a time. The frame is filled with water at one end and the water evenly fills the ice section through the weirs (shallow portions of the splits between each ice section). Generally the amount of mole is controlled by opening the valve on the water supply line for a predetermined period of time. The temperature in the freezer is generally between about -10 ° F and + 10 ° F. The mold is cooled by conduction with freezer air, and the cooling rate is improved by convection of the freezer air, especially when the evaporator fan is operating. A temperature sensing device in thermal contact with the ice cube generates a temperature signal and the controller monitoring the temperature signal indicates when the ice is ready to be removed from the frame. When the ice is ready, the motor in the ice maker angulates the rake. The rake forces the ice cubes off the frame. A heater on the bottom of the mold is operated to dissolve the interface between the ice and the metal mold. When the interface is sufficiently dissolved, the rake can push the ice cube out of the mold. Since the rake pivots on the central axis, the cross-sectional shape of the mold is typically in the shape of an arc so that ice can be pushed out.

After the ice has been extracted, a feeler arm driven by the same motor as the motor that normally drives the rake is lifted out of the storage bucket and lowered into the storage bucket. If the filament arm cannot reach a predetermined low travel set point, it is assumed that the ice bucket is full and the ice maker will stop brewing as more ice is removed from the bucket. When the filler arm reaches the bottom dead center, the freezing cycle is repeated.

An ice storage bucket holds the ice and delivers it to the dispenser in either crushed or full ice form. If the user finds ice in the dispenser, the motor drives an auger that pushes the ice forward in front of the bucket where the grinder is located. The position of the door controlled by the solenoid determines whether the ice cube will pass through the mill and bypass, or will lead to a complete ice cube. The grinder has a set of stationary blades and a rotating blade that breaks each ice cube while crossing each other. The crushed or complete ice cube then falls into the dispenser chute.

The dispenser chute connects the interior of the freezer compartment with the dispenser and has a door that is generally operated by a solenoid and opens when the user finds ice. The dispenser has a switch that the user selects to either crush or complete ice cubes, or to direct water into the glass. The dispenser may have a switch that senses the presence of the glass and activates the auger motor and opens the chute door.

Occasionally, ice cubes stored in storage buckets aggregate into large chunks of ice cubes. Such agglomerated masses are difficult for the grinder to grind, increasing the need for grinding design requirements for the apparatus and sometimes causing damage. In addition, most forms of conventional ice maker systems occupy a significant portion of the freezer compartment volume, typically 25% to 30%.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improved ice maker assemblies.

Summary of the Invention

The ice maker assembly is placed in a refrigerator having a freezer compartment, a refrigerating compartment and respective freezer and refrigerating compartment door assemblies. The ice maker assembly includes a conveyor assembly having a flexible conveyor belt with a plurality of individual ice cubes positioned within the freezer compartment to produce individual ice cubes. A storage bin is located below the conveyor assembly to store the ice cubes, for example in a freezer door, and a fullness sensor is located to determine the fill level of the ice cubes in the ice bins.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to automatic icemakers, and more particularly to an improved icemaker with a conveyor assembly.

1 is a front perspective view of a double door open refrigerator with an access door opened;

2 is a schematic partial measurement side view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a schematic partial measurement side view of one embodiment of a flexible conveyor belt in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a partial schematic view showing another feature of the present invention;

5 is a partial schematic diagram illustrating another feature of the present invention;

6 is a flowchart showing a control structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

7 is a partial schematic diagram illustrating another feature of the present invention;

8 is a partial schematic diagram illustrating another feature of the present invention;

9 is a partial schematic diagram illustrating another feature of the present invention;

10 is a partial schematic diagram illustrating another feature of the present invention;

11 is a partial schematic diagram illustrating another feature of the present invention;

12 is a partial schematic diagram illustrating another feature of the present invention;

Fig. 13 is a partial schematic diagram illustrating another feature of the present invention.

1 is a front perspective view of a side-by-side refrigerator having a freezer compartment 12 and a refrigerating compartment 14. The freezing chamber 12 and the refrigerating chamber 14 are arranged side by side. Both open door refrigerators, such as the refrigerator 10 of FIG. 1, can be purchased from General Electric Company, 40225 Lewisville Appliance Park, Kentucky, USA.

The refrigerator 10 has an outer case 16 and an inner liner 18, 20. The space between the case 16 and the liners 18, 20 and the space between the liners 18, 20 are typically in situ. Filled with foamed-in-place insulation. The outer case 16 is formed by folding a suitable material, such as a pre-painted sheet of steel sheet, into an inverted U-shape to form the top wall and sidewall of the case 16. The lower wall of the case 16 is usually formed separately and attached to the lower frame supporting the side wall and the refrigerator 10. The inner liners 18, 20 are typically molded from a suitable plastic material and form the freezer compartment 12 and the refrigerating compartment 14, respectively. As a variant, the liners 18 and 20 may be formed by bending and welding a suitable metal plate, such as steel. The illustrated embodiment includes two separate liners 18 and 20, which are relatively large capacity units, which add strength and are easy to accommodate manufacturing tolerances. In a small refrigerator, a mullion exists to form one liner and divide the liner into a freezer compartment 12 and a refrigerating compartment 14 between opposite sides of the liner.

A breaker strip 22 extends between the case front flange and the outer front edges of the liners 18, 20. The stopper band 22 is formed of a suitable elastic material, such as an extruded acrylo-butadiene-styrene-based material (commonly referred to as ABS).

The insulation in the space between the liners 18, 20 is covered with another strip of elastic material 24, commonly referred to as distance. The mulch 24 is preferably formed of an extruded ABS material. In a refrigerator with a separate mulch that divides one liner into a freezer compartment and a refrigerating compartment, it will be understood that the front member of the mulberry corresponds to the mulch 24. The stopper band 22 and the mulch 24 form a front face and extend completely vertically about the inner peripheral edge of the case 16 and also between the liners 18, 20. The mulch 24, the insulation between the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment 12, 14, and the partition walls of the liners 18, 20 separating the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment 12, 14 are often referred to collectively as a central far-end wall.

Shelves 26 and drawers 28 are typically provided to support the articles stored in the refrigerator compartment. Similarly, shelf 30, wire basket 32, and the like are provided in freezer compartment 12.

The freezer compartment door 36 and the refrigerating compartment door 38 block access to the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment 12, 14. As shown in FIG. 1, each door 36, 38 is mounted by an upper hinge 40 and a lower hinge (not shown) to rotate about its outer vertical edge between an open position and a closed position. Close the associated storage compartment. The freezer door 36 typically has a plurality of storage shelves 42 and the refrigerating door 38 typically has a plurality of storage shelves 44 and a butter reservoir 46.

As shown in FIG. 2, an ice maker assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is disposed in the freezer compartment 12.

The ice maker assembly 100 includes a conveyor assembly 102, a first motor 104 operatively coupled to the conveyor assembly 102, a second motor operatively coupled to the ice crusher 108 and the auger mechanism 109. 106, a refill valve 110 located adjacent to the conveyor assembly 102, a first ice bin 112, an optional second ice bin 114, and a first motor 104 and a second motor ( And a controller 116 electrically coupled to 106.

The conveyor assembly 102 is located in the freezer compartment 12, typically in the top 118 of the freezer compartment 12 formed by the freezer compartment liner 18, the freezer compartment door 36 and the baffle 117. Conveyor assembly 102 includes at least one front roller 120 and rear roller 122 and a continuous flexible conveyor belt 124 tightly fitted to the front and rear rollers 120, 122. In one embodiment, the flexible conveyor belt 124 is made of a flexible polymer. For example, the flexible conveyor belt 124 may be a thermoplastic elastomer, butyl rubber, chlorobutyl rubber, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, neoprene rubber, polyurethane, modified ethylene-propylene-diene, ethylene-propylene rubber, silicone rubber, or the like. Is prepared. Silicone rubber is particularly preferred.

Multiple individual ice cubes 126 are arranged to create individual ice cubes 128 in or on the conveyor belt 124. Typically, the ice mold 126 is molded directly into the material of the flexible conveyor belt 124. As a variant, the ice cube 126 is made of rigid material and firmly attached to the conveyor belt 124. The rigid material can be, for example, polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon, ABS and the like.

The flexible conveyor belt 124 dimensions may vary depending on the size of the freezer compartment 12 and the desired angular ice 128 yield for each freezer ice maker assembly 100. As shown in FIG. 3, typically, the nominal linear length l of the flexible conveyor belt 124 ranges from about 12 inches to about 18 inches, and the nominal width w is from about 3 inches to about 8 inches. Range between inches, and the nominal depth d ranges from about 0.5 inches to about 1.5 inches.

As described above, the number of independent ice cubes 126 depends on the desired ice making capacity, but the nominal number of the individual ice cubes 126 ranges from about 20 to about 300 and has a nominal number of about 10 to 30 rows ( r) and row (c) having a nominal number of about 2 to about 10. The dimensions of the individual ice cube frame 126 may vary depending on the size of the desired ice cube 128, but the nominal length (x) ranges from about 0.75 inches to about 2 inches, and the nominal width (y) is about 0.5 inches. To 1.5 inches. In addition, various icing shapes can be used, including decorative shapes such as fish, penguins, shells, hemispheres, etc., as well as any conventional shapes.

The first motor 104 (shown in FIG. 2) is operatively coupled to the conveyor assembly 102. When energized, the first motor 104 drives the rear roller 122 (or, alternatively, the front roller 120) to cause the conveyor belt 124 to rotate from rear to front. A portion of the ice cube frame 126 generally faces upward during the formation of the ice cube 128. As the conveyor belt 124 rotates forward over the front roller 120, a portion of the ice cube frame 126 generally faces downward and the angular ice 128 frozen in it first gravity bin 112 due to gravity. Falls into. In one embodiment, the first ice cube reservoir 112 is disposed within the freezing compartment door 36. The first ice bin 112 can be molded directly into the freezer door assembly 36 or the first ice bin 112 can be securely attached or removable to a portion of the freezer door assembly 36. A harvest bar 129 is positioned adjacent the front roller 120 to contact a portion of each angular 128 (as the frost frame 126 rotates forward past the front roller 120). And help separate the ice cubes 128 from the ice cube frame 126.

As shown in FIG. 2, the position of the front roller 120 (when the freezing chamber door 36 is in the closed position) is aligned with the upper portion 130 of the first ice bin 112 so that the conveyor belt 124 As it rotates forward beyond the front roller 120, the ice cubes 128 frozen in the conveyor belt 124 fall on the first ice bin 112 by gravity.

The refill valve 110 is generally located in the freezer compartment 12 such that it is positioned above at least one row 132 of the ice cube 126. The refill valve 110 is actuated when the belt position sensor 133 (optical, mechanical, proximity switch, etc.) generates a signal to the controller 116 indicating that the belt 124 is in the proper position for recharging. In one embodiment, the belt position sensor 133 detects holes drilled in a band extending from the lower web of the conveyor belt 124 past the sidewall of each ice frame 126. An infrared light emitting diode (IR LED) located adjacent to (typically above) the band emits light that reaches the photodiode located below the band only when a hole passes between the two optics. The electronic circuit processes the signal from the photodiode to determine the presence or absence of the hole. If there is a hole between the light emitting diode and the photodiode, the circuit stops the first motor 104 and starts water administration.

Typically, refill valve 110 is located in a machine or machine room (not shown). The outlet tube 134 from the refill valve 110 enters the freezer compartment 12 from the rear wall of the liner 18. Filling tube 136, which is typically connected to outlet tube 134 adjacent rear roller 122, directs water from each portion of belt 124 to each row 132 of ice cube 126.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the refill valve 110 is a dosing mechanism 150 consisting of a rotary multiple valve 152 and an injector housing 154. The dispenser housing 154 consists of a sealed volume of about 10-50 ml divided into the first section 156 and the second section 158 by the flexible diaphragm 160. A tube of the rotary valve 152 connects with a port on each section 156, 158 of the dispenser housing 154. The inlet tube also connects with the rotary valve 152 and the water filter 162, the ice maker filling tube 164, the water distributor tube 166 and the outlet port of the water supply 168.

During the filling cycle, the valve 152 connects the port from the water supply 168 (or, alternatively, the water filter 162 outlet, if used) to the first section 156 of the injector housing 154, and The ice maker filling tube 164 is simultaneously connected to the second section 158 of the dispenser housing 154. The pressure of the water supply 168 pushes the flexible diaphragm 160 to transfer water in the second section 158 of the dispenser housing 154 to the fill tube 164. After the appropriate time for the diaphragm 160 to fully cross the second section 158, the rotary valve 152 moves the water supply 168 (or alternatively the water filter 162 outlet) to the injector housing 154. And a first section 156 of the dispenser housing 154 with an ice maker filling tube 164. Water supply 168 pressure is forced across diaphragm housing 154 to force diaphragm 160 to transfer water in first section 156 of dispenser housing 154 to fill tube 164. Finally, rotary valve 152 is operated to isolate water supply 168 from the system.

A second motor 106 (shown in FIG. 2) is located within the freezer compartment 36 and is operatively coupled to the ice crusher 108, where the ice crusher 108 crushes the ice cube or complete angular ice according to the user's choice. Guide (128). The second motor 106 is selectively controlled by the end user pressing the push button 138, or similar actuating device.

The second ice cube bin 114 is typically removably disposed in the freezer compartment door 36. Since the first icing reservoir 1120 is the primary reservoir, the second icing reservoir 114 is typically selected as a supplemental reservoir. The second ice bin 1140 is typically disposed at the bottom 140 of the freezer compartment 36, below the first ice bin 1120 and the ice crusher 108.

The second ice cube bin 114 is typically removable, and if removed, the space within the freezer compartment door 36 can be used to store other items. A detection sensor 147 is used to prevent the ice maker assembly 100 from sending the ice cubes 128 to the second reservoir 114 when the second reservoir 114 is not in place. In one embodiment, the sensor 147 is a micro switch actuated by a special geometry of the second ice bin 114, such as a pin or tab. As a variant, the sensing sensor 147 is an inductive proximity sensor for sensing a metal insert on the second ice bin 114, or a light for sensing a reflective surface attached to the second ice bin 114. Sensor or the like.

When the fullness in the first ice bin 112 falls below a predetermined fill level, the first motor 104 is energized and an ice-ready sensor 142 is applied to each of the ice cubes 128 to be delivered. The controller 116 generates a signal in which the column 132 is frozen. The first filling sensor 144 disposed in or around the first ice bin 112 generates a signal to the controller 116 that the level of the ice cube in the first ice bin 112 has fallen below a predetermined charge level. Then, the cycle starts and the first motor advances the conveyor belt 124 by one row of the ice tray 126 and the refill valve 110 supplies water to one row of the empty mold 126.

In one embodiment, the ice preparation sensor 142 is a temperature sensor such as a thermistor or thermocouple in sliding contact with the belt 124 near the front roller 120 through which the angular ice 128 is guided. . Depending on the shape of the belt 124 and the airflow of the refrigerator 10, various algorithms may be used to determine ice preparation from the temperature sensor. Time and temperature can be integrated to provide a degree-minute set point over what is known to be ice freezing. As a variant a temperature cutoff can be used below what is known to freeze ice. This temperature cutoff will typically be about 15 ° F.

The other ice preparation sensor 142 depends on the capacity. The capacitive sensor is located under the belt 124 near the front roller 120. The sensor is part of a capacitance bridge circuit. An excitation frequency is applied to the bridge. The bridge is balanced so that the voltage across the bridge is nearly zero when each ice frame 126 is empty. When the water is in each ice frame 126, since the dielectric constant of the water is about 80 times that of air, the capacity value of the ice preparation sensor 142 is greatly increased to unbalance the bridge. Thus, the voltage signal sensed by the controller 116 increases significantly when water is in each ice frame 126. As the water freezes, the dielectric constant decreases to about six times that of air, reducing the bridge's imbalance and reducing the signal sent by the ice preparation sensor 142 to the controller 116. As a variant, if the bridge becomes more unbalanced when the water freezes, the bridge can be balanced so that the output is near zero when the water is in the frame, and a large output indicates that ice is ready.

The second fullness sensor 146 disposed in or around the second ice bins 114 indicates that the controller 116 has dropped the level of the ice cubes 128 in the second ice bins 114 below a predetermined charge level. When a signal is generated, a cycle is initiated and the controller 116 energizes the second motor 106 to rotate the auger mechanism disposed in the first ice cube reservoir 112. Auger mechanism 109 advances angular ice 128 into ice chute 148. The controller generates a signal to prevent the ice chute from guiding the ice cubes 128 to the dispenser and to turn on the classifier 149 which passes the ice cubes 128 to the second ice cube reservoir 114 and that the ice cubes 128 are second ice cubes. Guided to reservoir 114.

In one embodiment, the fullness sensors 144, 146 are weight sensing means such as micro switches. In another embodiment, the fullness sensors 144 and 146 are ultrasonic level detectors.

In the preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the fullness sensors 144, 146 include an ultrasonic transmitter (piezoelectric driver) 175, an ultrasonic receiver (piezoelectric microphone) 177, and a transmitter with a short branch of ultrasonic waves. (short burst) 179 (approximately 100 ms long) and electronic circuitry capable of measuring the time interval between the short branch 179 and the echo 181 received by the receiver 177. This time interval is proportional to the distance between the fullness sensors 144 and 146 and the upper layer of the angular ice 128 and thus can measure the fullness of the angular reservoirs 112 and 114.

In another embodiment, the fullness sensors 144, 146 include an optical proximity switch that senses the fullness of the ice bins 112, 114. The optical switch emits light (usually infrared) and senses the intensity of the light reflected by the photodiode. Strong reflected light indicates that the ice is near or full. Pulse width modulation of the infrared signal can be used to improve the sensitivity of the optical switch.

Because the present invention does not use solenoid valves and does not have any "feeler" to sense whether the ice reservoirs 112, 114 (shown in Figure 2) are full, these two frequently result in frequent repair requests. Can be avoided. Also, since the ice cubes 128 are stored in a bucket protected from defrost air rather than partially dissolving during out of frame, melting of the ice cubes 128 will occur smaller.

In operation, when the system user presses the push button 138, a signal is generated and the controller 116 energizes the second motor 106 and the angular ice 128 is driven by the auger mechanism 109 to allow the first angular reservoir 112 to operate. ) Into a conventional ice dispenser. In most conventional delivery systems, the system user can select the crushed ice or complete ice cube (or water in most systems) to be delivered. When the user selects the crushed ice, the ice cubes 128 are transferred from the first ice cube reservoir 112 to the grinder 108. A second motor 106 operates the grinder 108, a set of rotating and stationary blades crush the ice cubes as the blades pass each other, and the crushed ice is directed to the system user. When the user selects a complete ice cube, the grinder 108 is bypassed and a complete ice cube 128 is delivered to the system user.

An exemplary control logic sequence 200 (initiated at block 201) for the ice maker assembly 100 is shown in FIG. 6. This control logic sequence is input to the controller 116 (shown in FIG. 2), for example, in a memory of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or by another programmable memory.

In block 202 (shown in FIG. 6), the controller 116 monitors the signal generated from the first fullness sensor 144. The controller 116 compares the signal generated from the first fullness sensor 144 with a preset fill level.

If the signal generated by the first fullness sensor 144 is greater than or equal to a predetermined fullness value, then the control sequence proceeds to block 204. However, if the signal generated by the first fullness sensor 144 is less than the predetermined value (indicated that the ice level is low), the control sequence proceeds to block 206.

At block 206, the controller 116 monitors the signal generated from the ice preparation sensor 142. The controller 116 compares a signal generated from the ice preparation sensor 142 with a preset sensor value.

If the signal generated from the ice preparation sensor 142 is outside the preset range, the ice cube 128 does not freeze. If the control sequence proceeds to block 208 and the first motor 104 is off, or is previously turned on, the first motor 104 is turned off and the control sequence returns to the start block 201.

However, if the signal generated from the ice preparation sensor 142 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the ice cube 128 is frozen. The control sequence proceeds to block 208 and the first motor 104 is turned on. When the first motor 104 is energized, the conveyor belt 124 is rotated by one row 132 of the ice cube frame 126 and one row 132 of the ice cube 128 is led to the first ice bin 112. do. The control sequence then returns to block 201 and the sequence starts again.

At block 204, the controller 116 monitors the signal generated from the second fullness sensor 146. The controller 116 compares a signal generated from the second fullness sensor 146 with a preset sensor value.

If the signal generated from the second fullness sensor 146 is lower than the predetermined value (indicating that the ice level is low), the control sequence proceeds to block 210 and the second motor 106 is turned on. When the second motor 106 is energized, the auger mechanism 109 is rotated and the ice cubes 128 are guided from the first ice bins 112 through the transfer chute 148 to the second ice bins 114. The control sequence then proceeds to block 201 and the sequence starts again.

However, if the signal generated from the second fullness sensor 146 is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, the control sequence proceeds to block 210 and if the second motor 106 is off or previously turned on, the second motor ( 106 is turned off and the control sequence returns to block 201.

The ice cube mold 126 disposed in the conveyor belt 124 must be elongated by a large coefficient as the mold 126 moves past each roller 120, 122. Thus, in one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, each ice frame 126 in one row 132 of the flexible conveyor belt 124 is deep and narrow to the adjacent ice cube. It is connected to the weir 220. As weir 220 can be opened without excessively stretching the frame material, as flexible conveyor belt 124 is moved past each roller 120, 122 (shown in FIG. 2), deep and wide The narrow weir 220 substantially increases the flexibility of the conveyor belt 124 and reduces the amount of elongation required. A side view of the deep and narrow weir 220 is shown in FIG. 8. For each ice cube 128 generally one inch on each side, weir 220 typically ranges from about 0.3 inches to about 0.75 inches deep and about 0.06 inches to about 0.25 inches wide. In order to prevent areas where stress is concentrated, the bottom 222 of the weir 220 is preferably semicircular.

One embodiment of an ice cube frame 126 with a fanfold wall 230 is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. When the ice cube 126 is made of a high elastic material (eg, silicone rubber), the mold 126 deforms after passing the front roller 120, so that the ice cube 128 is separated from the mold 126. Tends to be curved inward on the opposite side in response to bending outward on the pair of sides. By this curvature, the ice cubes 128 are not separated but remain.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the material including the wall 230 is formed with intersecting blades 232 coming from both sides so that the path of the continuous material forms a meandering path in the direction in which the frame wall 230 extends. To follow. Depending on the desired amount of elongation, the thickness of the blade 232 may vary. The smaller number of wide blades 232 allows smaller portions of the path to cross the stretching direction, thus receiving less amount of stretching. Many blades cross most of the path in the stretching direction, allowing more material to unfold. In the case of the conveyor belt 124, it is necessary to turn the rollers 120 and 122, so that the necessity of elongation occurs, and the amount of elongation required at the top of the mold 126 is larger than necessary at the bottom. This enables an economical form in which the zigzag depth varies linearly from top to bottom.

Occasionally, the ice cubes 128 will stick to the mold and provide rigidity to the mold 126 so that the ice cubes 128 (shown in FIG. 2) are not separated. According to another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 11, each of the ice cubes 128 in which the circumferential ridge 300 has to be extracted from the ice cubes 128 on the front roller 120 is shown. It is formed to be located below the center 301 of the row 302. While the center of the ice mold 126 passes over the ridge 300, the sides 304 of the mold are restricted to roll in smaller radii between the ridges 300. As a result, the center 301 of the mold 126 is deflected with respect to the side surface 304 and the angular ice 128 (shown in FIG. 2) is extracted.

The icing 128 tends to stick to most of the material and, in the hard frozen state, provides considerable rigidity to any frame in which the icing can be frozen. Because of this, it is difficult to extract the angular ice 128 in the hard frozen state. Ice cubes in automatic ice makers are usually dissolved by heating elements to create a thin film of liquid water between the ice cubes and the mold. This film allows the ice cubes to be easily removed from the mold.

In the present embodiment, the base 306 of the icing die 126 is attached to the conveyor belt 124 on a rigid, planar rectangular region in the region where the side surface 304 of the die 126 contacts the belt 124. It is fixed and somewhat flexible within the center 301 region of the mold 126. The area of the belt 124 between these rectangular areas is flexible. The frame is not connected to the belt 124 at any location except the base 306. Thus, when the row 302 of the mold 126 passes through the front roller 120, the generally wedge-shaped region is opened between adjacent rows because the top of the mold is larger in radius than the base relative to the roller shaft. Due to the rigidity and planarity of the area where the base side 304 is attached to the belt 124 and the flexibility of the belt 124 between these areas, the base areas 306 in adjacent rows naturally have a polygonal shape rather than a circular shape. In a preferred embodiment, such a shape is formed into the roller in an area where the base is rigid and the belt tension is suitable to ensure a tight fit between the polygonal shape of the belt and the polygonal shape in the roller.

In this same embodiment, the area of the roller in contact with the central area of the mold remains in its original cylindrical form. In this embodiment, the circumferential ridge 300 disposed on the roller 120 is in an area below the center 301 of the mold 126. In both embodiments, the roller area below the center 301 of the mold 126 has a radius smaller than the radius at which the center of the mold 301 is unconstrained, and this region must be deformed to move around the roller. do. This deformation will break the bond between the angular ice 128 and the mold 126 and the icy ice 128 will be extracted.

It should be noted that in order to break the bond between the ice cube and its frame, the shear force must continue to be transmitted on the sides of the frame. If the sides of the frame are sufficiently rigid, breakage will occur, but if the sides are too flexible, the deformation resulting from the base may not continue to the top. In this case a stiffener can be incorporated in the side of the mold or along the outer surface. In one embodiment (not shown) an external stiffener is used that acts to harden the edge of the base of the mold (as described above).

Another roller-shaped side view is shown in FIG. 12. 12, a preferred triangular roller shape 400 is shown. Note that each side of triangle 400 is shown with a bump 402 at its center. This is actually a row of bumps and its position corresponds to the center of the angular frame 126 in the row. The ice cube 126 has at least one flexible portion 404 corresponding to where the bump 402 is in contact and the bump 402 can protrude into the mold 126 to extract the ice cube 128 from the mold. Can be. As the heat of the mold 126 advances forward, the bump 402 first contacts the mold 126 during the cycle of moving the heat to the position where the base is vertical.

12, a circular roller (rear roller) is shown on the right side. The advantage of the circular roller is that the diameter can be continuously changed to achieve exactly the desired rate of movement of the belt. Regular polygons with any desired side number can also be used, each of which provides a particular speed of movement.

The belt may be made of one or more materials. As shown in FIG. 13, for example, an inelastic material may be used as the lower web 500, which may be a resilient material forming the longitudinal vertical web 504 and the lateral web 502 forming the sides of the angular ice. Combined with. An advantage of this composition is that the inelastic lower web 500 can be stronger against roller-belt friction and can provide improved life to the belt 124.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalent elements may be substituted with elements thereof without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed herein, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (92)

An ice maker assembly disposed within a refrigerator assembly, A conveyor assembly disposed in a freezer compartment of the refrigerator assembly, the conveyor assembly having at least one front and rear rollers and a continuous flexible conveyor belt tautly fitted with respect to the front and rear rollers, the conveyor belt being multiple to create individual ice cubes. The conveyor assembly having individual ice cubes of At least one ice bins positioned below the conveyor assembly to store the ice cubes; Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 1, The refrigerator assembly is a refrigerator having a freezer compartment and a refrigerating compartment. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 1, The refrigerator is a side-by-side refrigerator Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 1, The continuous flexible conveyor belt is selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic elastomer, butyl rubber, chlorobutyl rubber, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, neoprene rubber, polyurethane, modified ethylene-propylene-diene, ethylene-propylene rubber, and silicone rubber Manufactured Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 1, The continuous flexible conveyor belt has a length in the range of about 12 inches to about 18 inches. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 1, The continuous flexible conveyor belt has a width in the range of about 3 inches to about 8 inches. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 1, The continuous flexible conveyor belt has about 20 to about 300 individual ice cubes. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 1, The continuous flexible conveyor belt has rows of 10 to 30 individual ice cubes. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 1, The ice cubes are made of rigid material and attached to the flexible conveyor belt Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 1, The rigid material is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon, and ABS Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 1, The continuous flexible conveyor belt has individual columns of 2 to 10 angular ice cubes. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 1, A first motor operatively coupled to at least one of the front and rear rollers, wherein the first motor is selectively energized to drive the roller and rotate the belt; Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 1, The fullness of the ice cube in the ice bin is detected by a fullness sensor. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 13, The fullness sensor is a weight sensing means Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 14, The weight sensing means is a microswitch Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 13, The fullness sensor is an ultra sonic detector Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 1, Each ice cube in one row of flexible conveyor belts is connected to each adjacent ice cube with a deep, narrow weir. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 1, The flexible conveyor belt has a fanfold wall with blades intersecting so that the path of continuous material follows a winding path in the direction in which the angular framework should extend. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 1, And further comprising a harvest bar disposed adjacent the front roller to extract angular ice from the ice cube as the mold advances past the front roller. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 1, And a refill valve disposed in said freezer compartment and positioned above at least one of said ice cubes. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 1, And a second motor located within the freezer compartment door and operatively coupled to the ice crusher, wherein the ice crusher selectively crushes the ice cube or guides the complete ice cube. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 1, The second motor is energized through an actuation device Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 1, The at least one ice bin is located within the freezer door of the freezer compartment. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 23, wherein The reservoir is a molded plastic container permanently disposed in the freezer compartment door. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 23, wherein The storage container is a banquet ice container which is removably disposed in the freezer compartment door. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 1, The ice cube conveyor assembly is located at the top of the freezer compartment Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 26, The ice cube conveyor assembly is disposed in the conveyor housing Ice maker assembly. An ice maker assembly disposed in a freezer compartment having a freezer compartment assembly, A conveyor assembly having at least one front and rear roller and a continuous flexible conveyor belt taut about the front and rear rollers, the belt being arranged in a plurality of individual ice cubes to create individual ice cubes. Conveyor assembly having a, A first ice reservoir disposed in an upper portion of the freezing compartment door assembly adjacent to the front roller of the conveyor assembly and alignable with the conveyor assembly to receive angular ice; A first motor operatively coupled to the conveyor assembly to advance the conveyor belt; A controller electrically coupled to the first motor, A second ice bin that is removably disposed at a lower portion of the freezing compartment door assembly and is in various communication with the first ice bin to accommodate the ice cubes from the first ice bin; Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 28, And further comprising a refill valve electrically coupled to the controller for filling each mold with water. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 28, And further comprising a second motor located within the cold stone door and operatively coupled to the ice crusher for selectively crushing the ice cube or guiding the complete ice cube. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 28, Wherein the controller generates a signal for operating the first motor when the fullness sensor is operated in conjunction with the first ice bin. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 28, The flexible conveyor belt is made of a flexible polymer Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 32, The flexible polymer is selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic elastomers, butyl rubbers, chlorobutyl rubbers, natural rubbers, synthetic rubbers, neoprene rubbers, polyurethanes, modified ethylene-propylene-dienes, ethylene-propylene rubbers, and silicone rubbers. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 28, The ice cubes are molded directly into the material of the flexible conveyor belt Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 28, The ice frame is made of rigid material and firmly attached to the conveyor belt Ice maker assembly. 36. The method of claim 35 wherein The rigid material is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon, and ABS Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 28, The nominal linear length l of the flexible conveyor belt is in a range between about 12 inches and about 18 inches. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 28, The nominal width w of the flexible conveyor belt is in a range between about 3 inches and about 8 inches. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 28, The nominal depth d of the flexible conveyor belt is in a range between about 0.5 inches to about 1.5 inches. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 28, The nominal number of the individual ice cubes ranges from about 20 to about 30 Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 28, The nominal number of rows r of the ice cube ranges from about 10 to about 30 Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 28, The nominal number of rows (c) of the ice frame is in the range of about 2 to 10 Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 28, The dimensions of the individual ice cubes include a nominal length (x) in the range of about 0.75 inches to about 2 inches and a nominal width (y) in the range of about 0.5 inches to about 1.5 inches. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 28, The ice cube frame includes a variety of decorative ice cube shapes Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 44, The decorative ice cube shape includes a fish, a penguin, a shellfish, and a hemisphere Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 28, Wherein the first ice cube bin is directly molded into the freezer compartment assembly. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 28, The first ice cube reservoir is firmly attached to the freezer compartment assembly Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 28, Wherein the first ice bin is removably disposed within a portion of the freezer compartment assembly. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 28, And an extraction bar positioned adjacent to the front roller to contact the portion of each ice sheet as the ice frame rotates forward past the front roller to help the ice cube to be extracted from the ice frame. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 29, The refill valve is located above at least one row of the ice tray generally within the freezer compartment. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 29, The refill valve is actuated when a belt position sensor generates a signal to the controller indicating that the conveyor belt is in the proper position for refilling. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 51, wherein The belt position sensor detects a hole drilled in a band extending from the lower web of the conveyor belt past the sidewall of each ice tray. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 52, wherein An infrared emitting diode positioned adjacent to the band emits light reaching the photodiode located below the band only when a hole passes through it. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 53, wherein The controller determines the presence or absence of the aperture by processing the signal from the photodiode and if the aperture is present between the light emitting diode and the photodiode, the controller stops the first motor and executes water administration. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 29, The refill valve is a dosing mechanism consisting of a rotary multiport valve and an injector housing. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 55, The dispenser housing consists of a closed dose of about 10-50 ml divided into a first section and a second section by a flexible diaphragm Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 56, wherein A tube connects the rotary valve with an ice maker filling tube, a water distributor, and a water supply. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 57, The valve simultaneously connects the water supply to the first section of the dispenser housing and the ice maker filling tube to the second section of the dispenser housing during refilling and the pressure of the water supply causes the flexible diaphragm to Push the water in the second section of the dispenser housing to the fryer filling tube and after a suitable time the diaphragm completely crosses the second section, the rotary valve is directed to the water supply to the second section of the dispenser housing. Connect and simultaneously connect the first section of the dispenser housing with the ice maker filling cube and wherein the water supply pressure forces the diaphragm opposite across the dispenser housing to force the first section of the dispenser housing. To transfer the water in the filling tube Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 28, The second ice bin is disposed below the first ice bin in the lower portion of the freezer compartment door. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 28, And a sensing sensor coupled to the second ice bin to prevent the ice maker assembly from sending ice cubes to the second ice bin when the second ice bin is not in place. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 60, The sensing sensor is a microswitch operated by a special geometry of the second ice bin. Ice maker assembly. 62. The method of claim 61, The particular geometry of the second ice bin is a pin or a tab. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 60, The detection sensor is an inductive proximity sensor for detecting a metal insert in the second ice cube storage cylinder. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 60, The detection sensor is an optical sensor for detecting the reflective surface attached to the second ice cube reservoir Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 28, Disposed in or around the first ice bin and generating a signal to the controller that the level of ice in the second ice bin has dropped below a predetermined charge level to initiate a cycle and the controller to energize the first motor. Ice maker assembly. 66. The method of claim 65, When the fullness of the ice cube in the first ice bin falls below a predetermined charge level, the first motor is energized and the ice preparation sensor generates a signal that freezes each row of ice cubes delivered to the controller and the cycle starts. And the first motor advances the conveyor belt by one row of the ice cubes and the refill valve directs water to one row of the empty molds. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 66, wherein The ice preparation sensor is a temperature sensor in sliding contact with the belt and is located adjacent to the front roller to which the ice is guided. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 67 wherein The temperature sensor is a thermistor or thermocouple Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 66, wherein Time and temperature are integrated to provide a degree-minute set point over what is known to be ice freezing. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 66, wherein Temperature cutoff is used below what is known to be frozen Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 70, The temperature cutoff is about 15 ° F Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 66, wherein The ice preparation sensor is an elution sensor located below the belt near the front roller and forms part of a capacitance bridge circuit. Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 72, An excitation frequency is applied to the capacitive bridge, the bridge is balanced so that the voltage across the bridge is nearly zero when each ice cube is empty, and the water is in each ice cube because the water's dielectric constant is about 80 times that of air. When in the framework, the capacity value of the ice preparation sensor is greatly increased to unbalance the bridge, and as the water freezes, the dielectric constant decreases to about six times that of air, reducing the unbalance of the bridge and by the ice preparation sensor To reduce the signal transmitted to the Ice maker assembly. 66. The method of claim 65, The fullness sensor is a weight sensing means Ice maker assembly. The method of claim 74, wherein The weight sensing means is a microswitch Ice maker assembly. 66. The method of claim 65, The fullness sensor is an ultrasonic level detector Ice maker assembly. 77. The method of claim 76, The ultrasonic level detector disposed in or around the second ice reservoir may cause an ultrasonic transmitter, an ultrasonic receiver and the transmitter to emit a short branch of ultrasound and to measure the time interval between the short branch and the echo received in the receiver. And an electronic circuit, the time interval being proportional to the distance between the fullness sensor and the top layer of the ice cube. Ice maker assembly. 66. The method of claim 65, The fullness sensor includes an optical proximity switch that detects the fullness of the second ice cube container. When the optical switch emits light and senses the intensity of the light reflected by the photodiode, the ice is high when the reflected light is high. Instructing you to be close or full. Ice maker assembly. 49. The method of claim 48 wherein And a second fullness sensor disposed in or around the second ice bin and generating a signal to the controller that the level of ice in the second ice bin has dropped below a predetermined charge level initiating a cycle; Energizing the second motor to rotate the auger mechanism disposed in the first ice cube reservoir. Ice maker assembly. 80. The method of claim 79 wherein The controller prevents the ice chute from directing the ice cubes to the dispenser and generates a signal to turn on the classifier that passes the ice cubes through the second ice bin. Ice maker assembly. 80. The method of claim 79 wherein The fullness sensor is a weight sensing means Ice maker assembly. 82. The method of claim 81 wherein The weight sensing means is a microswitch Ice maker assembly. 80. The method of claim 79 wherein The fullness sensor is an ultrasonic level detector Ice maker assembly. 84. The method of claim 83 wherein The ultrasonic level detector disposed in or around the second ice reservoir may cause an ultrasonic transmitter, an ultrasonic receiver and the transmitter to emit a short branch of ultrasound and to measure the time interval between the short branch and the echo received in the receiver. And an electronic circuit, the time interval being proportional to the distance between the fullness sensor and the top layer of the ice cube. Ice maker assembly. 84. The method of claim 83 wherein The fullness sensor includes an optical proximity switch that detects the fullness of the second ice cube container. When the optical switch emits light and senses the intensity of the light reflected by the photodiode, the ice is high when the reflected light is high. Instructing you to be close or full. Ice maker assembly. In the ice maker assembly, Conveyor assembly, A first motor operatively coupled to the conveyor assembly, A second motor operatively coupled to the ice crusher and auger mechanism, A refill valve located adjacent to the conveyor assembly, First ice cube reservoir, A removable second ice bin, A controller electrically coupled to the first motor and the second motor. Ice maker assembly. 87. The method of claim 86, Wherein the conveyor assembly comprises at least one front and rear roller and a continuous flexible belt tightly fitted to the front and rear rollers, wherein the conveyor belt has a plurality of individual ice frames to produce individual ice cubes. Ice maker assembly. 87. The method of claim 86, And a belt position sensor for generating a signal to said controller indicating that said conveyor belt is in a suitable refill position. Ice maker assembly. 87. The method of claim 86, A first fullness sensor disposed in or around the first ice bin and generating a signal to the controller when the level of the ice cube in the first ice bin falls below a predetermined level; Ice maker assembly. 87. The method of claim 86, The controller further includes a second fullness sensor disposed in or around the second ice bin and generating a signal when the level of ice in the second ice bin falls below a predetermined level. Ice maker assembly. 87. The method of claim 86, The controller may further include an ice preparation sensor configured to generate a signal in which each heat of the ice is frozen. Ice maker assembly. In the ice maker assembly, Means for transporting ice, First motor means operatively coupled to the transfer means, Second motor means operatively coupled to the ice crusher means and the auger means, Rechargeable means located adjacent said conveying means, The first ice storage means, Removable second ice storage means, Control means coupled to the first motor means and the second motor means. Ice maker assembly.