US2826899A - Ice-maker bin control - Google Patents

Description

Mam}! 1958 G. MUFFLY 2,826,899

ICE-MAKER BIN CONTROL Filed July 20, 1953 INVENTOR. -4. @127??? My f 770F/YIKS.

United States Patent This invention relates to ice-making machines in which ice cubes or small ice pieces of any shape are produced and stored with a control responsive to the volume of ice in storage.

In previous applications of mine I have disclosed various means for stopping the production of ice in response to the accumulation of a given quantity or" ice in storage, particularly in my application Serial No. 200,736, originally filed July 30, 1934, now U. S. Patent No. 2,291,826, issuedAugust 4, 1942, and in application 237,629, filed October 29, 1938, now U. S. Patent No. 2,359,780, issued October 10, .1944. In the former the response was to temperature and in the latter to weight of ice in storage. The present invention is an improvement on the earlier of these patients, which employed the temperature method of obtaining the desired response to an increase in the volumeof stored ice to cause the machine to stop making ice, but goes farther in making the method more dependable and in minimizing heat leakage to the control bulb.

Considerable trouble has been experienced in obtaining close control of the volume of ice in storage bins by means of thermally responsive controls due to the fact that the ice cubes, flakes or other small pieces have a tendency to pile up in a haphazard manner in the bin, leaving voids where the pieces of ice form arches which prevent or minimize contact of ice with the bulb or other the'rmo sensitive element of the control. This is more troublesome in machines which store the ice dry, i. e. not in flotation, since there is no cold water stored with the ice to make contact with the control bulb.

I have found that this trouble can be overcome by the use of a greatly elongated control bulb arranged to provide a control band around the bin or ice chute, or one extending for a considerable distance along one side of the bin, but only when the volatile charge of the control is closely limited so that any one short portion of the elongated bulb or tube will contain all of the liquid portion of the volatile charge of the control.

This general principle of making a control respond to the colder of two bulbs or to the coldest portion of an extended tube was disclosed in my application No. 37,789, originally filedAugust 26, 1935, now U. S. Patent No. 2,349,367, issued May 23, 1944. In this issued patent two distinct bulbs operate alternately in regular sequence to take over control for the purpose of regulating the size of ice pieces formed, whereas in the present invention there is one elongated bulb which acts as an infinite number of bulbs of varying lengths and positions along the tube, and the use is to control total quantity-of'ice' rather than the size of ice pieces,

The one continuous tube and its vapor charge act to provide a control eifect superior to that obtainable by the ice that point then becomes the bulb which stops the machine on this particular bin-full of ice.

An object of the present invention is to insure against thetrouble experienced with present ice makers wherein the machine fails to cut out and the ice storage bin is A' further object'is to provide a thermosensitive element of greatly elongated form containing a limited charge so that any portion of it may serve as the bulb of the control.' V A An additional object is to provide a control bandresponsive to the drop of temperature caused by contact of ice with it at any point along its length.

Another object isto provide an adjustable chute with a therr'nosensitive tu'be'responding to ice in any one of .two or more portable ice containers in which the outlet end at the chute may be located.

A still further object is to provide a guard which not only protects the sensitive element from damage but holds it away from the metal liner of the ice storage bin so that it is more responsive to ice temperature.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a general view showing the ice storage bin in section and other parts of the ice maker diagrammatically.

.Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of Fig. 1 on the 7 line 22 thereof, showing the shield and sensitive element. I H

Figure 3 shows a modified form of the shield for use in connection with a removable ice storage bin.

Figure 4 is a plan view showing the use of an articulated or-flexible tubular extension of the ice delivery chute'for selective {delivery of ice to one of two or more I portable bins. t

Figure 5 is a detail of the outlet end of the ice delivery tube seen in Fig.. 4. r

In Figure 1 the ice-making and ice releasing apparatus is seen at 10 and the bin or storage compartment is shown in section as 12. This ice maker may be of any type suitable for the production of ice in small pieces, as shown by my own or other patents. The evaporator or low side of the refrigerating system is concealed within the ice maker 10. The high side of the refrigerating system includes the motor-compressor unit 14 and the condenser 16. The unit 14 is controlled by the thermostatic switch 18 actuated by the bellows 19 to stop the compressor and consequently the production of ice in response to a drop of temperature of the tube 20 at its coldest point back of the shield 22, which supports and protects it. This shield is provided with several spring clips 24 which hold the tube 20 in the channel 26 of with a top contour 38), making contact at one or more to cause'th'ermostatic switch 18 to reclose, starting the use of a large number of small bulbs. Any small bulb or. r all small bulbs might be bridged over by the ice and therefore fail to stop the machine when the bin is full to overflowing. The one long tube is, however, certain to make contact with ice at some point along its length, and

points with the shield 22, .thus the switch 18 is open.

When some of this ice has been removed or its volume has been reduced by, meltage the contact of ice with shield 22 is.lost or, reduced so that tube 20 warms up production of more ice. The tube 2t] and an expansible chamber of the control 18 contain a closely limited charge of volatile fluidsuch that all of the liquid portion of the charge may be contained within a short portion of the tube 20 when this portion is cooled to approximately 32 F. by the contact of ice with the shield 22. This coldest portion of the tube 20, which may be at any position back of the shield 22, then becomes the temper-' ature-responsive'portion of the tube which takes over control of the switch 18. )When little or no ice touchesthe shield 22 the tube 20 warms up throughout its length to a temperature at which the control switch 18 recloses to start the production of more ice.

An importantfeatureof this. invention .is,1tl1e..;use of a relativelydong sectionof the tube.20,Yto serve.,as .the control .bulbfiaud the location of this tube,.section,.along one or more sides of'the interior of the,,bin.,12 at a level to provide for stoppingthe delivery of. ice to-thisbin when ice contacts a part only of the length of .theshield 22. The bulb section of tube 20 should have a length at least as great as half of one horizontalinside dimension of the bin.

Another feature is-that the tube 20 is removablyheld in a protected position, .back of the shield.22 and out of direct contact with the metal lining of the bin '12. This location insures more immediate response to an increase in the supply of ice in storage, regardless of ambient temperatures. The use of a long section of tubing, any portion of which may serve as the bulb of the control, insures against the danger that the bulb mayfail to be cooled bythe ice due to accidental voids in the ice which often bridge over a bulb or a short section of tubing.

The shield22 is so formed that it can not trap water nor small pieces of ice, being preferably welded along its upper edgeto the liner of the'tank 12 and open at its lower edge.

Figure Zrequires no explanation other than to say that it is an'enlarged detail of Fig. l to-showone of the spring clips 24 and tube 20 more clearly.

Figure 3 shows an optionalarrangement inwhich the bin 12' is removable, preferably-being on casters'or provided with handles for portability. The tube 20 is 'in thiscase mounted on a straight molding 22 supported by a pivoted bracket 23 which is adapted to be tiltedto'the dotted position by removal of the bin 12' and to be tilted back to operating position by replacement of the same or a similarportable bin. In order-to keep the machine from operating while there is no bin in position "to receivethe ice, I have shown theswitch 18 as beingof the mercury bulb type, mounted on the bracket 23 so that it opens, to break the circuit when tilted-by removal j of the bin 12'.

Figure 4 shows an adjustable ice chute extension'33 madeof flexible or articulated conduit and so mounted on chute 32 as to be downwardly inclined when delivering. ice to any one of two or more portable bins 1 2'. The extension 33- may be made of spirally wound-flexible metal tube, of rubber or plastichose, or of sections of rigid tubing so articulated as-toprovidethedesired degree-of flexibility. The outletend of extension 33 is encircled by and formed to protect theportion oftube 20 which'serves as'thebulb. "T he opposite end of tube 20 is connected with the switch 18, as in=Fig. 1. In this modification, too, the bulb" portion of thetube'20-is made longer'than one half iof one of the horizontal inside dimensions of the :bin 12'. Also, the:tube 20 in conformance=with the general principleshereinabove explained is supportedvout of. direct thermah contactrwith the walls-ofthe bins 12.

.When the'bin 12 fills,with ice some part of the bulb must be'cooled by ice bothinside and outside'of the extension 33, thus stoppingthe machine until 33 is'moved toranothenbinnotyetfilled. The length, angle and degree of. flexibility. of extension 33are so proportioned that its delivery end rests in anyone of: the bins 12 at the desiredcutvofflevel forstopping ice delivery-to that-bin when the binis full.

in case all of the bins 12' are removed at one-time the extension 33 is hung up by meansof'theloop 34 (Fig. 5.) on either a fixed support or on a hook such as 36 of Fig. l or 36' of-Figoil. "Iheportion'o'f-the weight fixed support. The mercury switch 38 is in this case mounted on the tube 33 so that it is closed when the tube end rests in one of the bins and is open when the end of tube 33 is raised to hang it up. The switch 38 is connected in series with the switch 18 or 18 so that the lifting of the end of 33 stops the machine in case it is operating.

It will be seen from Fig. '5 that the tube 20 will be cooled by ice on whichthe end of tube 33. rests, by ice blocking the outlet of tube 33, or by ice within the outlet end of tube 33 which is blocked therein by ice previously deliveredzfrom the tube and notfalling away therefrom.

t Regardless of the accidental piling up of ice as the bin is nearly filled and the accidental positions assumed by the pieces of ice thereby stopped within the end of tube 33, there will always be some part of the bead enclosing the tube in direct contact with ice. This is the part of rtube .20 which acts as the control fbulb at the completion of each filling of the bin.

'Whiletube 20 is disposed horizontally in Figures 1, 2 and 3 and therefore its effective portion is always at substantially one level, it is seen that the bulb portionof "tube 20 in Figs. 4 and 5 islocated between wider but rather close limits as to level of ice accumulation relative to.the size of the bin. In this connection attention is called tothe fact that the short segment of the circular endgportion of'tube 20 which is;at the lowest temperature ;will be-thesegment which acts asthe bulb at the com pletion of each filling of a bin with ice. This bulb" portion of. tube 20 will tend to benear the lower part of the end of tube 33, but may sometimes be at one side of or even near the top of the outlet end of tube 33. Stoppage of ice production will always occur within the two .limits of height of ice accumulation in the bin defined by the lowest and the highest of the levels at which a portion of the tube 20 can act as the bulb of the control. This applies not only to the portion of tube20 surrounding the end of tube 33 but to the horizontal portions of tube 20 in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, which need not 40 be exactly horizontal.

.I claim:

.1. In an ice-making machine adapted for producing small pieces of ice, a bin arranged to receive said ice as produced, and a movable thermostatic control comprising-a thermally responsive portion adapted to extend into said bin when in an-operative position and to shut the machine off upon movement to its second position where 'it ,does not extend into said'bin.

.2. In an ice-making machine adapted for producing small pieces of ice, provision for location of a plurality of portable bins in positions to receive said ice, an adjustable chute forselectively delivering ice from said machineto one oranother of said bins, and a thermostatic control for said machine having a thermally responsive element attached to said chuteat its delivery end in position to respondto an accumulation of ice incontact with the said delivery end of. the chute.

'3. .Inan ice-making machine adapted for producing small pieces of ice, provision for location of a plurality of portable .bins in positions to receive said ice, an adjustable chute for selectively delivering ice from said machine to one ortanother of said bins, and a thermostatic control for said machine having a thermally responsive element of curved tubular formattached to and at least partly surrounding the (delivery end of said chute, said element being responsive to .a temperature dropcaused by an accumulation of ice which .tends to block the outlet end of the chute and .such response stopping the delivery of ice to the'bin which has just been filled.

'4. In an automatic icemaker designed to provide ice in.small pieces, a bin to which ice is delivered by .said ice maker forstorage, and a .control for .said ice maker comprising a thermally responsive .element movable into and out of said bin, said controlbeingresponsive to temperature changes of said element when the element is located within the bin and non-responsive thereto when the element is located outside of said bin.

5. In an automatic ice maker designed to produce ice in small pieces, a plurality of bins removably located in positions such that ice may be delivered to any of them by said ice maker, moveable chute means for selectively directing the delivery of ice to one or another of said bins, and a control having a sensing element mounted on said chute means for regulating the operation of said ice maker in response to changes in the quantity of ice in whichever bin said chute means is then in position to deliver ice.

6. An ice making machine designed for the production of ice in small pieces, a storage compartment to which ice is delivered by said machine, a control for stopping the delivery of ice to said compartment, means forming an expansible chamber of said control for actuating it, a tubular extension connected with said chamber and forming therewith a gas-tight enclosure including a portion of said extension located in said compartment, and a charge of volatile fluid filling said enclosure mainly in its vapor phase under such pressure that a small part only of said portion of the tubular extension will be filled with the condensate of said fluid when said part is at a temperature of 32 F. and the balance of said enclosureis Warmer than 32 F., said portion being located within the compartment with its length so disposed as to include a range of heights within which the filling of said compartment is limited.

7. In an ice-making machine, a chute adapted for adjustment to selectively deliver ice from said machine to any one of a plurality of ice storage bins simultaneously associated therewith in ice-receiving positions, and a control for said machine having a thermally responsive element mounted on said chute adjacent its outlet end, whereby the control responds to ice quantity variations in one and then in .another of said bins in accordance with the adjustment of said chute.

8. In an ice making machine, means for producing and releasing small pieces of ice, a bin for the storage of said released ice, and a control for regulating ice production, said control including a tubular thermally responsive extension adapted to be placed within said bin and having an active length greater than one half of an inside horizontal dimension of the bin, said control and extension constituting a gas-tight enclosure with a closely limited charge of volatile fluid filling said enclosure mainly in its vapor phase under such pressure that a small part only of said portion of the tubular extension will be filled with the condensate of said fluid when said part is at a temperature of 32 F. and the balance of said enclosure is warmer than 32 F., thus causing said machine to stop producing ice until the temperature of said portion rises above 32 F.

9. A machine for producing ice in small pieces, an ice storage bin associated with said machine to receive ice therefrom, and a thermostatic control for regulating the production of ice to fill said bin, said control including an expansible chamber and a tubular extension thereof having a thermally responsive portion connected therewith to complete an enclosure, said portion having an active length greater than one half of an inside horizontal dimension of said bin, a charge of volatile fiuid filling said enclosure entirely in its vapor phase at such density that a small part only of said portion of the tubular extension will be filled with the condensate of said fluid when such part is cooled to approximately 32 F.

10. In an ice-making machine designed to produce small pieces of ice, a bunker to which ice is delivered by said machine for storage, and a control for said machine including a pressure-responsive chamber and 'a tubular extension of which a part serves as a thermally responsive element located in said bunker where it will be in heat exchange with the ice stored therein when the ice quantity approaches the capacity of said bunker, said chamber and extension forming a vapor-tight enclosure in which there is a charge of volatile fluid mainly in its vapor phase under such pressure that a small part only of said portion of the tubular extension will be filled with the fluid in its liquid phase and that in its coldest part when such part is cooled to approximately 32 F., whereby the contraction of said chamber operates said control to stop the machine in response to the cooling of a relatively small portion of said element at any section of its length, the length of said element being several times the average length of said pieces of ice and over half of a horizontal inside dimension of said bunker.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,077,820 Arp Apr. 20, 1937 2,123,019 Olson July 5, 1938 2,291,826 Muflly Aug. 4, 1942 2,336,092 Grooms Dec. 7, 1943 2,359,780 Mufliy Oct. 10, 1944 2,449,132 Lucia Sept. 14, 1948 2,459,337 Raney Jan. 18, 1949 2,526,262 Munshower Oct. 17, 1950 2,583,294 Erickson Jan. 22, 1952 2,656,686 Bayston Oct. 27, 1953 2,682,155 Ayres June 29, 1954 2,717,495 Anderson Sept. 13, 1955 2,717,498 Shagalofi Sept. 13, 1955 2,747,375 Pichler May 29, 1956 OTHER REFERENCES Frigidaire Service Tech. Talk, volume H, Number 12, December 1951.

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