Ice maker with ice bin level control

Abstract

A clear ice maker unit has a clear ice maker mechanism with a cascading water evaporator configured to make clear ice during ice making cycles. A controller uses fuzzy logic to control the clear ice maker and determine whether to initiate a next ice making cycle based on input signals from a thermistor in the ice storage bin. The controller will prevent initiation of an ice making cycle when the ice bin is at or below a threshold temperature. The controller will also prohibit ice making when the ice bin is at or below a second, slightly higher temperature for more than a prescribed period of time. In this way, the clear ice maker can recognize an uneven distribution of ice and maintain an optimal amount of ice in the bin.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. 60 / 862,340 filed on Oct. 20, 2006, and entitled “Ice Maker with Ice Bin Level Control,” hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH[0002]Not applicable.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]The present invention relates to the manufacture of ice, and particularly to automated clear ice maker units.[0004]A conventional ice maker forms ice cubes by depositing water in a mold attached to an evaporator and allowing the water to freeze in a sedentary state. Such an approach results in clouded ice cubes resulting from air and impurities present within the frozen water.[0005]It is also known to form ice by flowing water over a freezing surface to allow the air and impurities to separate from the water before freezing layer-by-layer to form the ice cube. This eliminates the clouding associated with sede...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009]The present invention provides a clear ice maker with a controller that can determine improperly stacked ice.

[0017]In another aspect, the present invention provides a clear ice maker unit with a cabinet defining an ice maker chamber and an ice storage bin. The ice maker includes a clear ice maker mechanism disposed in the ice maker chamber and capable of cascading water over a vertically disposed evaporator during a plurality of ice making cycles, each ice making cycle resulting in the production of a quantity of clear ice. A controller is configured to control the clear ice maker, the controller configured to determine whether to initiate a next ice making cycle. A sensor is connected to the controller and disposed in the ice storage bin for sensing a bin temperature. The controller is configured to prevent the initiation of the next ice making cycle when the bin temperature is not above a first temperature and is less than or equal to a second temperature for a prescribed time period, wherein the second temperature is greater than the first temperature.

Problems solved by technology

Such an approach results in clouded ice cubes resulting from air and impurities present within the frozen water.

Overfilling the ice bin can cause ice to spill out of the ice maker when the ice maker door is opened.

Overfilling the ice bin can also lead to ice building up in the ice making assembly which can result in water traveling down the built-up ice into the ice bin thereby melting the ice stored therein.

If the ice bin is not refrigerated, a thermostat located in the ice bin can interrupt the power supply to the ice making assembly when the thermostat drops below a certain temperature.

Thus, the amount of ice produced and the amount of ice stored in the bin is negatively impacted.

Images