GB1003619A - Improvements in ice making apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

1,003,619. Ice-making. WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION. Nov. 11, 1963 [Nov. 13, 1962], No. 44497/63. Heading F4H. Ice making apparatus comprises a mould, a dividing wall in the mould arranged so that part of the ice body formed in the mould is bifurcated, part of the wall being disposed above the mould, and means for moving an ice body from the mould and into contact with said part of the wall. As shown in Fig. 7 the mould comprises cavities 33 defined by partition walls 32, each cavity containing a low dividing wall 34 which is curved upwardly at one end to provide a portion 36 projecting above the height of wall 32. An ejector blade 31 is mounted on a shaft 65 driven by a motor 64 (Fig. 2), for removing ice-bodies I from the mould and directing them against wall portion 36 which prevents the ice-bodies from reentering the mould. A heater 39 is disposed in the walls of the mould. Operation of the icemaker is controlled by a control assembly 30 including a thermostat 43 controlling a switch 44 (Fig. 2), and a cam 47 which is mounted on shaft 65 and comprises a surface 47a arranged to co-operate with a pivoted plate 48, a surface 47b arranged to actuate a switch 55 and a surface 47c arranged to operate a switch 60. Plate 48 is arranged to operate a switch 51 and to rotate a spring biased arm 59 into and out of a collecting bin to sense the level of ice therein. When, initially, water is in the mould the control means are in the states shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and their subsequent operation is as follows. When the water was completely frozen, thermostatic switch 44 closes to energize heater 39 and motor 64, thus causing shaft 65 to rotate. After a few degrees of rotation cam surface 47b moves the movable contact 56 of switch 55 from contact 57 to contact 58 so that the motor 64 is energized independently of switch 44. On further rotation cam 47a pivots plate 48 to swing arm 49 upwardly and to move the movable contact 52 of switch 51 from contact 53 to contact 54 so that heater 39 is now in series with switch 55, switch 51 and switch 44 and is prevented from overheating by the latter. Shaft 65 continues to rotate until blade 31 engages the ice-bodies I when the motor will stall until the bodies are freed from the mould by heater 39 and the blade is free to remove the ice. During the removal, cam 47a pivots plate 48 to lower arm 49 into the collecting bin and if the level of ice therein is below a predetermined value the plate returns to the position of Fig. 3 and switch 51 is thus returned to the position of Fig. 2. After 270 degrees of rotation cam 47c closes switch 60 which is in series with a water-valve solenoid 28, but the latter is not energized at this time due to the short circuit through switches 51 and 44. Subsequently blade 31 rotates so that the ice-bodies are inverted and rest upon the blade and the upper portion 36 of wall 34 and, concurrently, cam 47b repositions switch 55 to the position of Fig. 2, motor 64 remaining energized through switches 51, 44 and 55. The blade 31 is then rotated through the cavities 33 a second time, contact 56 is again moved to contact 58 and contact 52 is again moved to contact 54. Heater 39 will have caused switch 44 to open by this time so that when switch 60 is again closed the solenoid 28 is no longer shortcircuited and operates to admit water to the mould, the switch 60 being opened after a preselected period of time. After a small additional rotation cam 47b moves contact 56 to contact 57 to restore the control to the state of Figs. 2 and 3, whereby a subsequent cycle is initiated on freezing of the water.