JP2003511650A - Ice maker - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: An ice maker is placed in a refrigerator having a freezer compartment, a fresh food compartment, and a door assembly for the freezer and fresh food, respectively. An ice maker (100) is disposed within a freezer compartment (12) and has a plurality of individual ice cube molds (126) for making individual ice cubes. It has a conveyor assembly (102) with a conveyor belt (124). An ice cube storage bin (112) is located below the conveyor assembly to store the ice cubes (128), and a clogging sensor (144) provides a fill level for the ice cubes in the ice cube storage bins. It is arranged to judge.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

[Related application]

This application was filed on Oct. 4, 1999 by Teman Voorhees and Shapiro in US Patent Application No. 60/1 entitled "Ice Maker".
No. 58629, No. 60/158630, No. 60/158563, No. 6
Claims priority under 0/158633, 60/158634 and 60/158636.

[0002]

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to automatic icemakers, and more specifically to improved icemakers with conveyor assemblies.

[0003]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The usual automatic ice makers in a typical household refrigerator are ice makers, augers.
And a bucket with an icebreaker, and a dispenser that is inserted into the freezer door to allow ice to be delivered to the cup without opening the door.

Ice makers are usually metal molds that make six to ten ice cubes at a time. When the mold is filled with water from one end, the water evenly fills the ice cube portion through the weir that connects the portions (the shallow portion that divides between the cube portions). The amount of water is usually controlled by opening the valve of the water supply pipe for a predetermined time. The temperature in the freezer compartment is typically about -10 ° F to about +
Between 10 ° F. The mold is cooled via conduction by the freezer air and the cooling rate is increased by convection of the freezer air, especially when the evaporator fan is operating. A temperature sensing device in thermal contact with the ice cube mold produces a temperature signal and a controller monitoring the temperature signal indicates when the ice is complete and ready to be removed from the mold. When the ice cube is complete, the motor in the ice maker drives the rake to move angularly. The rakes are pressed against the cubes and push them out of the mold. The heater at the bottom of the mold is turned on to melt the interface between the ice and the metal mold. When the interface melts sufficiently, the rake can push the cube out of the mold. Since the rake rotates about a central axis, the mold cross-section is typically arcuate so that ice can be extruded.

After capturing the ice, the feel arm, which is usually driven by the same motor as the rake, is lifted from and lowered into the storage bucket. If the arm does not reach the intended low stroke set point, the ice bucket is assumed to be full and the ice maker will not make ice until more ice is removed from the bucket. When the feel arm returns to its low stroke set point, the ice making cycle is repeated.

An ice storage bucket holds the ice and carries it to the dispenser, either in a crushed cube or in a cube that remains cubic. When the user asks the dispenser for ice, the motor drives the auger, which pushes the ice to the front of the bucket where the shredder is located. The position of the door, controlled by the solenoid, determines whether the cube passes through the crusher or by-passes it and is delivered to the top of the cube. The crusher has a set of stationary and rotating vanes that crush the cube as the vanes pass each other. Then, the crushed or cube-shaped cubes fall into the dispenser chute.

A dispenser chute connects the interior of the freezer with the dispenser and has a door, usually solenoid operated, which opens when the user asks for ice. The dispenser has switches that allow the user to select the crushed or cube-shaped cubes or water to dispense into the cup. The dispenser senses the presence of a cup,
It may have a switch that opens the chute door as well as starts the auger motor.

[0008] In some cases, the ice cubes stored in the storage bucket melt into a large mass of cubes. The lumps thus melted become more difficult for the ice crusher to crush, the crushing design condition as a mechanism is increased, and in some cases, damage is caused. In addition, the design of a typical ice-making device is a significant part of the freezer volume,
Typically 25% -30% is used.

[0009]   Therefore, there is a need in the art for improved ice makers.

[0010]

[Outline of the Invention]

The ice maker is located in a refrigerator with a freezer compartment, a fresh food compartment and a freezer and fresh food door assembly, respectively. The ice maker has a conveyor assembly located in the freezer compartment and having a flexible conveyor belt with a number of individual ice cube molds for making individual ice cubes. An ice cube storage bin is located below the conveyor assembly, for example in the freezer door,
An ice cube is stored and a jam sensor is arranged to determine the fill level of the ice cube in the ice cube storage bin.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a side-by-side refrigerator 10 having a freezer compartment 12 and a fresh food compartment 14. The freezer compartment 12 and the fresh food compartment 14 are arranged side by side. A side-by-side refrigerator, such as refrigerator 10, is commercially available from General Electric Company at 40225 Appliance Park, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.

The refrigerator 10 has an outer case 16 and inner liners 18 and 20. The space between the case 16 and the liners 18 and 20, and the spaces between the liners 18 and 20 are typically filled with foamed insulation at that location. Normally, outer case 16
Bends a sheet of suitable material, such as prepainted steel, into an inverted U-shape to form the top and side walls of the case 16. Usually, the bottom wall of the case 16 is formed separately, and is attached to the side wall and the bottom frame that serves as a supporting portion of the refrigerator 10. Inner liners 18 and 20 are typically molded of a suitable plastic material to form freezer compartment 12 and fresh food compartment 14, respectively. Alternatively, liners 18 and 20 may be formed by bending and welding sheets of a suitable metal such as steel. The illustrated embodiment has two separate liners 18 and 20 due to the relatively large capacity of the device, with separate liners providing increased strength and within manufacturing tolerances. It's even easier to keep. In smaller refrigerators, one liner is formed and a vertical divider is spanned between the sides of the liner, dividing it into a freezer compartment 12 and a fresh food compartment 14.

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

The insulation in the space between the liners 18 and 20 is covered by another strip 24 of elastic material commonly referred to as a vertical partition. Vertical partition 24 is preferably formed of an extruded ABS material. It will be appreciated that in a refrigerator having a separate vertical divider that divides the integral liner into a freezer and a fresh food compartment, the front member of this vertical divider corresponds to the vertical divider 24. The breaker strips 22 and the vertical partitions 24 form the front surface and extend vertically around the entire inner peripheral edge of the case 16 and between the liners 18 and 20. The vertical partition 24, the insulation between the compartments 12 and 14 and the separating wall of the liners 18 and 20 separating the compartments 12 and 14 may be collectively referred to as the central vertical partition wall.

Generally, the fresh food compartment 14 is provided with shelves 26 and drawers 28 to support the items stored therein. Similarly, the freezer compartment 12 includes shelves 30 and wires.
A basket 32 and the like are provided.

Freezer door 36 and fresh food door 38 close the access openings of the freezer compartment and fresh food compartments 12 and 14, respectively. Each door 36 and 38 is attached by an upper hinge 40 and a lower hinge (not specifically shown), between its open position and its closed position shutting off the associated storage compartment, as shown in FIG. Rotate around the vertical edge of. Typically, the freezer door 36 includes a plurality of storage shelves 42.
The fresh food door 38 typically has a plurality of storage shelves 44 and butter storage bins 46.

In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG.
00 is arranged.

An ice maker 100 includes a conveyor assembly 102, a first motor 104 drivingly coupled to the conveyor assembly 102, a second motor 106 drivingly coupled to the ice crusher 108 and an auger mechanism 109, a conveyor assembly 102. Refill valve 1 located adjacent to
10, having a first ice cube storage bin 112, an optional second ice cube storage bin 114, and a controller 116 electrically coupled to the first motor 104 and the second motor 106. There is.

A conveyor assembly 102 is disposed within the freezer compartment 12, typically within the upper portion 118 of the freezer compartment 10 bounded by the freezer liner 18, the freezer door 36 and the baffle 117. Conveyor assembly 102 includes at least front roller 120 and rear roller 122 and front and rear rollers 120 and 12.
A flexible continuous conveyor belt 124 tensioned about 2. In one embodiment, flexible conveyor belt 124 is made of a flexible polymer. In the illustrated example, the flexible conveyor belt 124 includes thermoplastic elastomer, butyl rubber, chlorobutyl rubber, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, neoprene rubber, polyurethane, modified ethylene propylene diene, ethylene propylene rubber,
Made of silicone, rubber, etc. Silicone rubber is particularly preferred.

To make the individual ice cubes 128 therein, a conveyor belt 124
A number of individual ice cube molds 126 are located in or on the. Typically, the ice cube mold 126 is a flexible conveyor belt 1
Molded directly into 24 materials. In another embodiment, ice cube mold 126 is made of a rigid material and is secured to conveyor belt 124. This rigid material may be, for example, polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon, ABS or the like.

The dimensions of the flexible conveyor belt 124 may vary depending on the dimensions of the freezer compartment 12 and the desired ice cube 128 output for each freezer ice maker 100. Typically, the flexible conveyor belt 124 has a nominal linear length (l) in the range of about 12 inches to about 18 inches and a nominal width (w) of about 3 inches to about 8 inches. Inches, with a nominal depth (d) in the range of about 0.5 inches to about 1.5 inches, which is shown in FIG.

As mentioned previously, the number of separate ice cube molds 126 is related to the desired ice making capacity, but the nominal number of individual ice cube molds 126 is about 20.
To about 300, which divides into a nominal number of rows (r) in the range of about 10 to about 30 and a nominal number of columns (c) in the range of about 2 to about 10. The size of the individual ice cube mold 126 depends on the size of the desired ice cube 128, but has a nominal length (x) of about 0.75 inch to about 2 inch and a nominal width (y). Is in the range of about 0.5 inch to about 1.5 inch. In addition, in addition to the usual shapes, a variety of cube molds can be used, including decorative shapes such as fish, penguins, scallops, hemispheres and the like.

A first motor 104 (FIG. 2) is drivingly coupled to the conveyor assembly 102. When energized, the first motor 104 drives the rear roller 122 (or alternatively the front roller 120), causing the conveyor belt 124 to rotate from rear to front.
While forming the ice cube 128, a portion of the ice cube mold 126
Is generally positive. As the conveyor belt 124 rolls forward over the front rollers 120, a portion of the ice cube mold 126 is generally facing downwards, in which the frozen ice cube 128 is gravitated by the first ice cube 128.
Delivered into cube storage bin 112. In one embodiment, the first ice cube storage bin 112 is located within the freezer door 36. First ice
The cube storage bin 112 may be molded directly into the freezer door assembly 36, the first ice cube storage bin 112 may be affixed to the freezer door assembly 36, or It may be detachably arranged in a part. An uptake bar 129 is positioned adjacent to the front roller 120 and contacts a portion of each ice cube 128 (when the ice cube mold 126 rotates forward over the front roller 120) to contact the ice cube 128. Helps be ejected from the ice cube mold 126.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the position of the front rollers 120 (when the freezer door 36 is in the closed position) is such that the top 1 of the first ice cube storage bin 112 is located.
Aligned with 30, the ice cube 128 frozen in the conveyor belt 124 as the conveyor belt 124 rolls forward over the front roller 120.
Are forced by gravity into the first ice cube storage bin 112.

A refill valve 110 is located in the freezer compartment 12 generally above the ice cube mold 126 in at least one and typically in one row 132. The refill valve 110 is used when the belt position sensor 133 (optical, mechanical proximity switch, etc.) issues a signal to the controller 116 indicating that the belt 124 is in the correct position for refilling. Operated. In one embodiment, belt position sensor 133 detects holes drilled into the band from the lower web of conveyor belt 124 past the sidewalls of each ice cube mold 126. An IR-LED (Infrared Light Emitting Diode) located adjacent to the band, typically above it, emits light that reaches a photodiode located below the band in two ways. Only when the holes pass between the optical devices. An electronic circuit processes the signal from the photodiode to determine if a hole is present. If there is a hole between the LED and the photodiode, the circuit will stop the first motor 104 and start dispensing water.

The refill valve 110 is typically located inside a machine or mechanical compartment (not shown). Outlet tube 134 from refill valve 110 enters freezer compartment 12 from the rear wall of liner 18. A fill tube 136 connected to the outlet tube 134 delivers water to a portion of the belt 124, typically a row 132 of ice cube molds 126 adjacent the rear roller 122, respectively.

In one embodiment, the refill valve 110 includes a rotary multi-port valve 15 as shown in FIG.
2 and a measuring device housing 154. The meter housing 154 includes a first portion 156 and a second portion 158 with a flexible membrane 154.
It is composed of a sealed volume of about 10-50 ml (milliliter).
The tubing for the rotary valve 152 is connected to ports on each portion 156 and 158 of the meter housing 154. The pipe for the inlet also connects the rotary valve 152, the outlet port of the water filter 162, the ice making filling pipe 164, the water dispenser pipe 166 and the water source 158.

During the fill cycle, valve 152 allows port (or, alternatively, from) water source 168 to
The outlet of the water filter 162, if used, is connected to the first portion 156 of the scale housing 154 and at the same time the ice filling tube 164 is connected to the second portion 158 of the scale housing 154. The pressure of the water source 168 pushes the flexible membrane 160, expelling the water in the second portion 158 of the meter housing 154 and filling the tube 164.
After an appropriate length of time for the membrane 160 to completely traverse the second portion 158, the rotary valve 152 causes the water source 168 (or, alternatively, the outlet of the water filter 162) to move to the second side of the meter housing 154. Of the scale housing 154 and at the same time move the first portion 156 of the scale housing 154 to connect with the ice filling tube 164. The pressure of the water source 168 forces the membrane 160 back into the meter housing 154,
The water in the first portion 156 of the meter housing 154 is drained to the fill tube 164. Finally, the rotary valve 152 moves to isolate the water source 168 from the device.

A second motor 106 (FIG. 2) is located in the freezer door 36 and is drivingly coupled to the ice breaker 108. The ice crusher 108 crushes the ice cube 128 or sends it as it is without crushing it, depending on the user's selection. The end user selectively controls the second motor 106 via a push button 138 or similar actuating device.

A second ice cube storage bin 114 is typically removably disposed within the freezer door 36. The second ice cube storage bin 114 is typically an optional auxiliary storage bin because the first ice cube storage bin 112 is the primary ice storage bin. The second ice cube storage bin 114 is typically located in the lower portion 140 of the freezer door 36, below the first ice cube storage bin 112 and below the shredder 108. Is.

The second ice cube storage bin 114 is typically removable, so that when removed, that space within the door 36 can be used to store other items. . A detection sensor 147 is used to prevent the ice maker 100 from sending the ice cube 128 to the second ice cube storage bin 114 when the second ice cube storage bin 114 is not in place. There is. In one embodiment, the detection sensor 147 includes a second ice cube storage bin 11 such as a pin or a ledge.
4 is a microswitch operated by the special geometrical features of 4. Alternatively, the detection sensor 147 may be an inductive proximity sensor that detects metal inserted in the second ice cube storage bin 114, or the second ice cube storage bin 1
It may be an optical sensor or the like that detects the reflecting surface adhered to 14.

When the degree of clogging of the ice cube 128 in the first ice cube storage bin 112 falls below a preset fill level, the first motor 104.
Is activated and the ice completion sensor 142 causes the ice
It signals the controller 116 that the cube 128 has frozen. First
A first blockage sensor 144 located in or around the ice cube storage bin 112 of the first ice cube storage bin 112 causes the level of the ice cubes 128 in the first ice cube storage bin 112 to exceed a preset fill level. If a down signal is generated to the controller 116, the cycle is initiated and the first motor 104 advances the conveyor belt 124 by a complete row 132 of ice cube molds 126 and fills. The valve 110 delivers water to a row of empty molds 126.

In one embodiment, the ice completion sensor 142 is a temperature sensor such as a thermistor or thermocouple in sliding contact with the belt 124 adjacent the front roller 120 to which the ice cube 128 is delivered. Depending on the design of the belt 124 and the air flow rate of the refrigerator 10, various algorithms can be used to determine the completion of ice from the temperature sensor. The time and temperature can be integrated to produce a frequency-minute set point beyond which ice is known to freeze. Alternatively, a temperature cutoff below which ice is known to be frozen can be used. This temperature cutoff is typically about 15 ° F.

Another ice completion sensor 142 is based on capacitance. A capacitance sensor is located below the belt 124 near the front roller 120. This sensor is part of a capacitive bridge circuit. The excitation frequency is applied to the bridge. When each ice cube mold 126 is empty, the bridges are balanced so that the voltage across the bridge is near zero. Each ice cube mold 126
When there is water in the ice, the capacitance reading of the ice completion sensor 142 increases significantly because the permittivity of water is about 80 times that of air and the bridge becomes unbalanced. Thus, the voltage signal sensed by the controller 116 causes the water cubes 12
At 6, it increases significantly. When the water freezes, the permittivity drops to about 6 times that of air, reducing the imbalance of the bridge and reducing the ice completion sensor 142 to the controller 11.
The signal sent to 6 is reduced. Alternatively, the bridge may be balanced so that the power is close to zero when water is present in the mold, in which case the bridge becomes more unbalanced as the water freezes, A large output indicates that the ice is complete.

A second jam condition sensor 146 located in or around the second ice cube storage bin 114 provides a preset level of the ice cubes 128 in the second ice cube storage bin 114. If the controller 116 is signaled to have dropped below the fill level, the cycle is initiated and the controller 116 energizes the second motor 106 into the first ice cube storage bin 112. The placed auger mechanism 109 is rotated. Auger mechanism 109 advances ice cube 128 to ice chute 148. The controller generates a signal to switch the diverter 149 to prevent the ice chute from delivering the ice cube 148 to the dispenser and the ice cube 148 passes to the second ice cube storage bin 114. And the ice cube 148 is delivered to the second ice cube storage bin 114.

In one embodiment, the clogging sensors 144 and 146 are means for determining weight, such as microswitches. In another embodiment, clogging sensors 144 and 1
46 is an ultrasonic level detector.

In the preferred embodiment, clogging sensors 144 and 146 are ultrasonic transmitters (piezo drivers) 175, ultrasonic receivers (piezo microphones) 177, and short ultrasonic waves, as shown in FIG. Burst 179 (approximately 100 microseconds long)
Can be generated by the transmitter, and a short burst 179 and receiver 177 can be generated.
Is composed of an electronic circuit capable of measuring the time between the return echoes 181 received by the. This time is proportional to the distance between the clogging sensors 144 and 146 and the top layer of the ice cube 128, and is therefore a measure of the clogging of the ice cube storage bins 112 and 114.

In another embodiment, clogging sensors 144 and 146 comprise optical proximity switches that detect the clogging of ice cube stocks 112 and 114. An optical switch emits light (typically IR) and a photodiode is used to detect the intensity of the reflected light. A high intensity of reflected light indicates that the ice is in close proximity or full. Pulse width modulation of the IR signal can be used to increase the sensitivity of the optical switch.

The present invention does not use solenoid valves, but ice cube storage bins 112 and 114.
It has no "feel" to determine if (Fig. 2) is full, thus avoiding the two most frequent causes of service calls. Further, melting of the ice cube 128 is unlikely because the ice cube 128 does not partially melt upon release from the mold and is stored in a bucket protected from defrost air.

In operation, when the system user presses pushbutton 138, a signal is generated that causes controller 116 to energize second motor 106 and cause ice cube 128 to move by auger mechanism 109 to the first position. Ice cube storage bin 112
From a regular ice dispenser. As with most conventional delivery devices, the system user has the choice to deliver either crushed ice or rounded-up cubes (or water for most devices). Can be done. If the user selects crushed ice, the ice cube 128 is sent from the first ice cube storage bin 112 to the ice breaker 108. The second motor 106 is the ice breaker 10.
Activating eight, several sets of rotating and immobile vanes crush the ice cubes as they pass each other, and the crushed ice is delivered to the system user.
If the user selects the Marunouma Ice Cube, bypass the ice breaker 108,
The Marunouma Ice Cube 128 is sent to the system user.

An example control logic sequence 200 (starting at block 201) for the ice maker 100 is shown in FIG. This control logic sequence is based on an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).
Of memory or other programmable memory device into controller 116 (FIG. 2).

At block 202 (FIG. 6), the controller 116 causes the first jam sensor 14
4. Monitor the signal generated by 4. The controller 116 compares the signal generated by the first jam condition sensor 144 with a preset jam condition value.

If the signal generated by the first jam condition sensor 144 is greater than or equal to the preset jam condition value, the control sequence proceeds to block 204. However, if the signal generated by the first jam sensor 144 is less than a preset value (which indicates low ice), the control sequence is block 2
Proceed to 06.

At block 206, the controller 116 monitors the signal generated by the ice completion sensor 142. Controller 116 compares the signal generated by ice completion sensor 142 to a preset sensor value.

If the signal generated by the ice completion sensor 142 is outside the preset range, the ice cube 128 is not frozen. The control sequence proceeds to block 208 and the first motor 104 remains off. Alternatively, if previously on, the first motor is turned off and control sequence returns to start block 201.

However, if the signal generated by the ice completion sensor 142 is greater than or equal to the preset value, the ice cube 128 is frozen. The control sequence proceeds to block 208 and the first motor 204 is turned on. When the first motor 204 is energized, the conveyor belt 124 rotates one complete row 132 of ice cube molds 126 minutes, and the complete row 132 of ice cubes 128 rotates into the first ice cube 128. Delivered to cube storage bin 112. Thereafter, the control sequence returns to block 201, where the sequence is restarted.

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

If the signal generated by the second jam sensor 146 is lower than the preset value (indicating low ice), 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 106 rotates, causing the ice cube 128 to be dispensed from the first ice cube storage bin 112 and through the chute 148 to the second ice cube storage bin 114. Sent to. Thereafter, the control sequence returns to block 201, where the sequence is restarted.

However, if the signal generated by the second jam sensor 146 is greater than or equal to the preset value, the control sequence proceeds to block 210,
If the second motor 106 remains off, or was previously on, then the second motor 106 is turned off and the control sequence returns to block 201.

The ice cube mold 126 located in the conveyor belt 124 must extend a large percentage as the mold 126 passes over each roller 120, 122. Therefore, in one embodiment, the flexible conveyor belt 1
Each ice cube mold 126 in one row 132 of 24 is shown in FIGS.
A deep and narrow weir 220 connects the adjacent ice cube molds, as shown in FIG. The weir 220 can be opened without excessive stretching of the mold material as the flexible conveyor belt 124 passes over each roller 120, 122 (FIG. 2) so that the deep, narrow weir 220 is The compliance of the flexible conveyor belt 124 is substantially increased, reducing the amount of stretch required. A side view of the deep and narrow weir 220 is shown in FIG. Roughly speaking, in an ice cube 128 measuring 1 inch on a side, the cough 220 has a depth of about 0.3 inch to 0.75.
It is typically in the range of inches and has a width of about 0.06 inches to about 0.25 inches. The bottom of the cough 220 is preferably semi-circular to prevent areas of concentrated stress.

An example ice cube mold 126 having a bookbinding wall 230 is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. When the ice cube mold 126 is made of a highly elastic material (such as silicone rubber), when the mold 126 is deformed, it passes through the front roller 120 and then releases the frozen ice cube 128. Mold 1
26 has a tendency to bend outward on one pair of sides and bend inward on the opposite side. This bending causes the ice cube 128 to be captured instead of released.

Thus, in this embodiment, the material comprising the wall 230 is cast to have alternating blades 232 coming in from both sides so that there is a continuous passage of material through the wall 230 of the mold. Try to follow the meandering path in the direction it should stretch. The thickness of blade 232 can vary depending on the amount of elongation desired. A smaller number and wider blades 232 will result in a greater proportion of the passageways transverse to the direction of elongation, and thus less elongation. With a larger number of vanes, the majority of the passageways are transverse to the direction of elongation, and thus more material can be straightened. In the case of conveyor belt 124, the need for stretching is due to roller 12
The amount of elongation required at the top of the mold 126 is greater than that required at the bottom, resulting from the need to orbit around 0,122. This allows for an economical design where the zigzag depth changes linearly from top to bottom.

Occasionally, the ice cube 128 sticks to the mold, causing the mold 126 to be rugged so that the ice cube 128 (FIG. 2) does not separate. In another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 11, the front roller 120 is circumferentially oriented so that it is below the center 301 of each row 302 of ice cubes 128 into which the ice cubes 128 are projected. To form a ridge 300. As the center 301 of the ice cube mold 126 passes over the ridges 300, the mold side surfaces 304 are constrained to roll with a smaller radius between the ridges 300. As a result, the mold 1
The center 301 of the 26 flexes against the side 304 and the ice cube 128 (FIG. 2)
Is thrown out.

The ice cube 128 has a tendency to stick to most materials, and in the hard, frozen state, it makes any mold to which it freezes and sticks fairly sturdy. This can make it difficult to throw the ice cube 128 in a hard, frozen state. The ice cubes of automatic ice makers are usually melted by heating elements to create a thin film of liquid water between the ice cube and the mold. This film facilitates removal of the ice cube from the mold.

In this embodiment, the bottom 306 of the ice cube mold 126 is the mold 126.
Is fixed to the conveyor belt 124 in a rectangular area that is tough and flat in the area where the side surface 304 of the belt contacts the belt 124, and these areas are fixed to the mold 1.
There is some flexibility in the region of the center 301 of 26. The area of belt 124 between these rectangular areas is flexible. The mold does not connect to the belt 124 anywhere except the bottom 306. Thus, as the mold 126 of row 302 passes around the front roller 120, the top of the mold is at a much larger radius with respect to the roller axis than the bottom, thereby allowing for a gap between adjacent rows. Wedge-shaped area opens in the whole.
Due to the toughness and flatness of the areas where the bottom sides 304 are attached to the belt 124 and the flexibility of the belt 124 between these areas, the bottom areas 306 of adjacent rows are naturally not circular. In an area where the bottom is tough, in the preferred embodiment, one tries to follow a polygon and forms such a shape on the roller to adjust the tension of the belt so that the polygon of the belt and that of the roller fit tightly together. Guarantee to.

In this same embodiment, the area of the roller that contacts the central area of the mold is still in the original cylindrical shape. In this embodiment, the roller 120 is provided with a circumferential ridge 300 in the region below the center 301 of the mold 126. In both embodiments, the area of the roller below the center 301 of the mold 126 has a larger radius than the radius through which the center 301 of the mold passes in the unstressed state and around the roller. In order to pass through, it must be transformed. This deformation breaks the bond between the ice cube 128 and the mold 126 and ejects the ice cube 128.

Note that in order to break the bond between the ice cube and its mold, shear forces must propagate across the sides of the mold. This can happen if the sides of the mold are sufficiently rigid, but if they are too flexible, the deformations there may not propagate completely to the top. In this case, the reinforcing material can be incorporated into the side surface of the mold or along the outer surface thereof. One embodiment (not shown) uses an outer stiffener, which also helps to reinforce the bottom edge of the mold (as previously described).

A side view of another form of roller is shown in FIG. In this figure, a preferred roller triangle 400 is shown. 40 rises in the middle of each side of the triangle 400
Note that 2 is shown. This is actually one row of excitement,
The position corresponds to the center of the ice cube mold 126 in the row. The ice cube mold 126 has at least a flexible portion 404 corresponding to where the ridges 402 contact them, so that the ridges 402 project into the mold 126 and throw the ice cubes 128 therefrom. You can get out. As a row of molds 126 advances, the ridges 402 first contact the molds 126 during the cycle of advancing this row to a bottom-bottom position.

In FIG. 12, a circular roller (rear roller) is also shown on the right side. The advantage of circular rollers is that the diameter can be varied continuously in order to achieve exactly the desired speed of movement of the belt. A regular polygon with any desired number of sides may be used, any of which will provide a particular velocity of motion.

The belt can be made of more than one type of material. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, an inelastic material can be used for the lower web 500, which web forms the lateral web 502 as well as the vertical vertical web 5 that forms the sides of the ice cube.
Bonded to the elastic material forming 04. The advantage of such a composite structure is that the non-elastic lower web 500 can be made more resistant to friction between the roller and the belt and the belt 124 can have a longer life. .

Although the present invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made and the element replaced with equivalents without departing from the scope of the invention. See. Furthermore, various modifications may be made to adapt a particular case or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope of the invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but that the invention includes all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims.

[Brief description of drawings]

[Figure 1]   The front side perspective view of a side-by-side type refrigerator with an entrance door opened.

[Fig. 2]   1 is a side view schematically showing a part of a refrigerator including an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of a portion of a flexible conveyor belt according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 4]   3 is a schematic view showing another aspect of the present invention.

[Figure 5]   7 is a schematic view showing still another aspect of the present invention.

[Figure 6]   6 is a flowchart showing one control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 7]   3 is a schematic view showing another aspect of the present invention.

[Figure 8]   3 is a schematic view showing another aspect of the present invention.

[Figure 9]   3 is a schematic view showing another aspect of the present invention.

[Figure 10]   3 is a schematic view showing another aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 11   3 is a schematic view showing another aspect of the present invention.

[Fig. 12]   3 is a schematic view showing another aspect of the present invention.

[Fig. 13]   3 is a schematic view showing another aspect of the present invention.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (31) Priority claim number 60 / 158,630 (32) Priority date October 8, 1999 (October 8, 1999) (33) Priority claiming countries United States (US) (31) Priority claim number 60 / 158,634 (32) Priority date October 8, 1999 (October 8, 1999) (33) Priority claiming countries United States (US) (81) Designated countries EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, I T, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE), AU, BR, C N, JP, KR, MX (72) Inventor Shapiro and Andrew Philip             United States, 12160, New York,             Niskayuna, Morning Side Aveni             View 1086 (72) Inventor Wolheath, Yale Bruce             United States, 12160, New York,             Thronesville, Box 56, Art De             No. 1 (72) Inventor Whipple, Walter, The Third             United States, 12010, New York,             Amsterdam, Church Street,             No. 185 (72) Inventor Shaffer, Timothy Scott             United States, 40031, Kentucky,             Le Grandunge, Grand Villa Dry             No. 1904 (72) Inventor Null, William Merritt, Jr.             United States, 40220, Kentucky,             Louisville, Lantern Light Parkow             No. 8900

Claims (92)

[Claims] 1. An ice maker arranged in a freezer assembly, wherein at least a front roller and a rear roller, and the front and rear rollers are arranged in a freezer section of the freezer assembly. A conveyor assembly having a flexible continuous conveyor belt tensioned around a
A conveyor assembly having a number of individual ice cube molds for the belt to make individual cubes, and at least one ice cube located below the conveyor assembly for storing the ice cubes An ice maker having a cube storage bottle. 2. The ice maker according to claim 1, wherein the freezer assembly is a refrigerator having a freezer compartment and a fresh food compartment. 3. The ice maker according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerator is a side-by-side refrigerator. 4. The flexible continuous conveyor belt comprises a thermoplastic elastomer,
Butyl rubber, chlorobutyl rubber, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, neoprene rubber,
The ice maker according to claim 1, wherein the ice maker is made of the group consisting of polyurethane, modified ethylene-propylene-diene, ethylene-propylene-rubber and silicone-rubber. 5. The ice maker of claim 1 wherein said flexible continuous conveyor belt has a length in the range of about 12 inches to about 18 inches. 6. The ice maker of claim 1, wherein said flexible continuous conveyor belt has a width in the range of about 3 inches to about 8 inches. 7. The ice maker of claim 1 wherein said flexible continuous conveyor belt has from about 20 to about 300 individual ice cube molds. 8. The ice maker of claim 1 wherein said flexible continuous conveyor belt has about 10 to about 30 individual rows of ice cube molds. 9. The ice cube mold is made of a rigid material,
The ice maker of claim 1 mounted on the flexible continuous conveyor belt. 10. The ice maker of claim 1, wherein the rigid material is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon and ABS. 11. The ice maker of claim 1 wherein said flexible continuous conveyor belt has about 2 to about 10 discrete rows of ice cube molds. 12. Further comprising a first motor drivingly coupled to at least one of the front or rear roller, the first motor driving the roller to rotate the belt. The ice maker according to claim 1, which can be selectively activated. 13. The ice maker according to claim 1, wherein the degree of clogging of the ice cube in the ice cube storage bin is detected by a degree of clogging sensor. 14. The ice maker according to claim 13, wherein the clogging degree sensor is a means for determining a weight. 15. The ice maker according to claim 14, wherein the means for determining the weight is a microswitch. 16. The ice maker according to claim 13, wherein the clogging degree sensor is an ultrasonic level detector. 17. The ice cube mold in one row of the flexible conveyor belt is connected to each adjacent ice cube mold by a deep and narrow weir. Ice machine. 18. The flexible conveyor belt has a booklet-shaped well with alternating blades, and a passage of continuous material follows a serpentine passage in a direction that stretches the ice cube mold. The ice maker according to claim 1, 19. Further comprising an uptake bar located adjacent to said front roller to take in an ice cube from said ice cube mold as said die moves over a front roller. Item 1. The ice maker according to item 1. 20. The ice maker of claim 1, further comprising a refill valve located within the freezer compartment and above at least one of the ice cube molds. 21. A second motor disposed in the freezer door and drivingly coupled to the ice breaker, wherein the ice breaker selectively crushes an ice cube or rolls. The ice maker according to claim 1, wherein said ice cube is delivered. 22. The second motor is biased via an actuator.
The described ice maker. 23. The ice maker of claim 1, wherein said at least one ice cube storage bin is located within a freezer door of said freezer compartment. 24. The ice maker of claim 23, wherein said storage bin is a molded plastic bin permanently disposed within said freezer door. 25. The ice maker according to claim 23, wherein said storage bin is a party ice container removably disposed within said freezer door. 26. The ice maker of claim 1, wherein the ice cube conveyor assembly is located in the upper portion of the freezer compartment. 27. The ice maker of claim 26, wherein said ice cube conveyor assembly is located within a conveyor housing. 28. An icemaker disposed in a freezer compartment having a freezer door assembly, wherein the icemaker is disposed in the freezer compartment and includes at least a front roller and a rear roller, and the front and rear rollers. A conveyor assembly having a flexible continuous conveyor belt tensioned around side rollers, the belt assembly comprising a number of individual ice cubes for making individual ice cubes therein. A conveyor assembly having a mold and disposed in an upper portion of the freezer door assembly adjacent the front roller of the conveyor assembly for receiving an ice cube from the conveyor assembly. A first ice cube storage bin, which may be aligned with the conveyor assembly, and a first drivingly coupled to the conveyor assembly for advancing the conveyor belt. A motor, a controller electronically coupled to the first motor, and removably disposed in a lower portion of the freezer door assembly to provide the first ice cube storage bin. A second ice cube storage bin variably in communication with the first ice cube storage bin for receiving ice cubes from the ice maker. 29. The ice maker of claim 28, further comprising a refill valve electronically coupled to the controller for filling each mold with water. 30. Further comprising a second motor disposed in the freezer door, the second motor drivingly coupled to the ice breaker, the ice breaker selectively breaking the ice cube. 29. The ice maker according to claim 28, which is delivered as it is or as it is. 31. The ice maker of claim 28, wherein said controller generates a signal to energize said first motor when a jam sensor is activated for said first ice cube storage bin. vessel. 32. The ice maker of claim 28, wherein the flexible conveyor belt is made of a flexible polymer. 33. The flexible polymer is a thermoplastic elastomer, butyl rubber, chlorobutyl rubber, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, neoprene rubber, polyurethane, modified ethylene propylene diene, ethylene propylene rubber, and 33. An ice maker according to claim 32, made of the group consisting of silicone rubber. 34. The ice maker of claim 28, wherein the ice cube mold is molded directly into the material of the flexible conveyor belt. 35. The ice maker according to claim 28, wherein said ice cube mold is made of a rigid material and is secured to said conveyor belt. 36. The ice maker according to claim 35, wherein said rigid material is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon and ABS. 37. The nominal linear length (l) of the flexible conveyor belt.
29. The ice maker according to claim 28, wherein is in the range of about 12 inches to about 18 inches. 38. The ice maker of claim 28, wherein said flexible conveyor belt has a nominal width (w) in the range of about 3 inches to about 8 inches. 39. The nominal depth (d) of the flexible conveyor belt is about 0.5.
29. The ice maker of claim 28, which is in the range of inches to about 1.5 inches. 40. The ice maker of claim 28, wherein the nominal number of said ice cube molds is in the range of about 20 to about 300. 41. The ice maker of claim 28, wherein the nominal number of rows of said ice cube mold is in the range of about 10 to about 30. 42. The ice maker of claim 28, wherein the nominal number of rows of said ice cube mold is in the range of about 2 to about 10. 43. The dimensions of the individual ice cube molds are within the range of about 0.75 inch to about 2 inch nominal length (x) and about 0.5 inch to about 1.5 inch. 29. The ice maker according to claim 28, including the nominal width (y) of. 44. The ice maker of claim 28, wherein said ice cube mold is configured in the form of various decorative cubes. 45. The ice maker of claim 44, wherein the shapes of the decorative cubes include fish, penguins, scallops and hemispheres. 46. The ice maker of claim 28, wherein said first ice cube storage bin is molded directly into said freezer door assembly. 47. The ice maker of claim 28, wherein said first ice cube storage bin is secured to said freezer door assembly. 48. The ice maker of claim 28, wherein said first ice cube storage bin is removably disposed within a portion of said freezer door assembly. 49. Further comprising an uptake bar disposed adjacent to the front roller, wherein each ice cube mold of the ice cube mold is rotated forward when the ice cube mold is rotated over the front roller. 29. Contacting a portion to assist in ejecting the ice cube from the ice cube mold.
The described ice maker. 50. The ice maker of claim 29, wherein the refill valve is located within the freezer compartment such that the refill valve is generally located above at least one row of the ice cube mold. 51. The refill valve is activated when a belt position sensor issues a signal to the controller indicating when the conveyor belt is in the correct position for refill. The described ice maker. 52. The ice maker according to claim 51, wherein said belt position sensor detects a hole drilled in a band passing from a lower web of said conveyor belt past a side wall of a respective ice cube mold. 53. An infrared light emitting diode disposed adjacent to the band,
53. The ice maker according to claim 52, which emits light reaching a photodiode below the band only when a hole passes between them. 54. The controller processes a signal from the photodiode to determine if the hole is present and if the hole is between the light emitting diode and the photodiode. 54. The ice maker according to claim 53, wherein the control device stops the first motor to start water amount distribution. 55. The ice maker according to claim 29, wherein the refill valve is a metering mechanism including a rotary multi-port valve and a meter housing. 56. The meter housing comprises a sealed volume of about 10-50 ml divided by a flexible membrane into a first portion and a second portion.
The ice maker according to item 5. 57. The ice maker according to claim 56, wherein a pipe connects the rotary valve, the ice making filling pipe, the moisture feeding pipe and the water source. 58. The valve connects the water source to the first portion of the scale housing and simultaneously connects the ice making fill tube to the second portion of the scale housing during refilling. Suitable for the pressure of the water source to push the flexible membrane to push the water in the second portion of the meter housing to the fill tube, where the membrane completely traverses the second portion. After a length of time, the rotary valve connects the water source to the second portion of the meter housing and at the same time connects the first portion of the meter housing to the ice fill tube. So that the pressure of the water source forces the membrane to move backwards within the meter housing to push water in the first portion of the meter housing into the fill tube. Claim 57 On-board ice maker. 59. The ice maker of claim 28, wherein the second ice cube storage bin is located in the lower portion of the freezer door below the first ice cube storage bin. . 60. Further, a detection sensor is coupled to the second ice cube storage bin such that the ice maker has the second ice cube storage bin when the second ice cube storage bin is not in place. 29. The ice maker according to claim 28, which prevents the delivery of ice cubes to the storage bottle. 61. The detection sensor is a microswitch actuated by a special geometric feature of the second ice cube storage bin.
The described ice maker. 62. The ice maker of claim 61, wherein the particular geometric feature of said second ice cube storage bin is a pin or ledge. 63. The ice maker according to claim 60, wherein said detection sensor is an inductive proximity sensor for detecting metal inserted in said second ice cube storage bin. 64. The ice maker according to claim 60, wherein said detection sensor is an optical sensor for detecting a reflecting surface adhered to said second ice cube storage bin. 65. The preset level of ice cubes located in or around the first ice cube storage bin to initiate a cycle. A first jam sensor for producing a signal to the control signal that the temperature has dropped below a specified fill level,
29. The ice maker according to claim 28, wherein the control device energizes the first motor. 66. When the degree of clogging of ice cubes in the first ice cube storage bin falls below a preset fill level, the first motor is energized and the ice completion sensor is delivered. A signal is issued to the controller that each row of the ice cube to be frozen has been frozen, a cycle has begun, and the first motor has been operated on for one complete row of the ice cube mold. 66. The ice maker according to claim 65, wherein a conveyor belt is advanced and said refill valve delivers water to a row of empty molds. 67. The ice maker according to claim 66, wherein said ice completion sensor is a temperature sensor in sliding contact with said belt and located adjacent said front roller to which an ice cube is delivered. 68. The temperature sensor is a thermistor or a thermocouple.
The described ice maker. 69. The ice maker of claim 66, wherein time and temperature are integrated to generate a frequency-minute set point above which ice is known to freeze. 70. The ice maker of claim 66 using a temperature cutoff below which ice is known to freeze. 71. The ice maker of claim 70, wherein said temperature cutoff is about 15 ° F. 72. The ice maker according to claim 66, wherein the ice completion sensor is a capacitance sensor located below the belt near the front roller and forming a portion of a capacitance bridge circuit. . 73. An excitation frequency is applied to the capacitive bridge, the bridge having substantially zero voltage across each ice cube when the ice cubes are empty, and each ice cube mold When there is water in the water, since the dielectric constant of water is about 80 times that of air, the capacitance reading of the ice completion sensor rapidly increases and the bridge is unbalanced. 73. When the water freezes, the permittivity drops to about six times that of air, the bridge imbalance is reduced, and the signal sent from the ice completion sensor to the controller is reduced. Ice machine. 74. The ice maker according to claim 65, wherein the clogging degree sensor is a means for determining a weight. 75. The ice maker according to claim 74, wherein the means for determining the weight is a microswitch. 76. The ice maker according to claim 65, wherein the clogging degree sensor is an ultrasonic level detector. 77. The ultrasonic level detector is an ultrasonic transmitter, an ultrasonic receiver,
And an electronic circuit capable of generating a short burst of ultrasonic waves in the transmitter and measuring the time between the short burst and the return echo received by the receiver, the time being 77. An ice maker according to claim 76, which is proportional to the distance between the jam sensor and the top layer of the ice cube. 78. The clogging degree sensor detects a clogging degree of the second ice cube storage bin when the optical switch sends light and detects a reflected light intensity using a photodiode. 66. The ice maker according to claim 65, comprising an optical proximity switch such that the high intensity of the reflected light indicates that the ice is very close or full. 79. Further, disposed in or around the second ice cube storage bin such that the ice level in the second ice cube storage bin is below a preset fill level to initiate a cycle. A second jam sensor for generating a signal to the controller that the controller energizes the second motor and is disposed in the first ice cube storage bin. 49. The ice maker according to claim 48, wherein the auger mechanism is rotated. 80. The controller generates a signal to switch a redirector,
81. An ice maker according to claim 79, wherein the ice chute prevents the ice cubes from being delivered to the dispenser and allows the ice cubes to pass to the second ice cube storage bin. 81. The ice maker according to claim 79, wherein said clogging degree sensor is means for determining a weight. 82. The ice maker according to claim 81, wherein the means for determining the weight is a microswitch. 83. The ice maker according to claim 79, wherein the clogging degree sensor is an ultrasonic level detector. 84. The ultrasonic level detector can generate an ultrasonic transmitter, an ultrasonic receiver, and a short burst of ultrasonic waves in the transmitter, and the short burst and the receiver can receive the ultrasonic burst. And an electronic circuit capable of measuring the time between the returned echoes, the time being proportional to the distance between the jam sensor and the uppermost layer of the ice cube. 83. Ice maker. 85. The clogging sensor detects clogging of the second ice cube storage bin and detects reflected light intensity using a photodiode when the optical switch emits light. 84. The ice maker according to claim 83, wherein the ice maker comprises a light proximity switch that causes the high intensity of the reflected light to indicate that the ice is very close or full. 86. A conveyor assembly,   A first motor drivingly coupled to the conveyor assembly;   A second motor drivingly coupled to the ice breaker and auger mechanism;   A refill valve disposed adjacent to the conveyor assembly,   The first ice cube storage bin,   A removable ice cube storage bin,   A controller electrically coupled to the first motor and the second motor; Ice machine with. 87. The conveyor assembly includes at least front and rear rollers and a flexible continuous conveyor belt tensioned about the front and rear rollers. 87. The ice maker of claim 86, wherein the belt has a number of individual ice cube molds for making individual cubes therein. 88. The ice maker according to claim 86, further comprising a belt position sensor that provides a signal to said controller indicating that said conveyor belt is in the correct refill position. 89. The level of ice cubes disposed in or around the first ice cube storage bin has dropped below a preset level. 87. The ice maker of claim 86, further comprising a first jam condition sensor that sometimes provides a signal to the controller. 90. When placed in or around the second ice cube storage bin, the level of the ice cubes in the second ice cube storage bin drops below a preset level. 87. The ice maker according to claim 86, further comprising a second clogging condition sensor that produces a signal to the controller. 91. The ice maker of claim 86, further comprising an ice completion sensor that provides a signal to the controller that each row of the ice cube has been frozen. 92. Means for transporting ice,   First motor means drivingly coupled to said ice carrying means,   Second motor means drivingly coupled to the ice breaking means and the auger means;   Refilling means disposed adjacent to the ice carrying means,   A first means of storing ice,   A removable second means for storing ice;   Control means coupled to the first motor means and the second motor means, Ice machine with.