Countertop ice maker appliance and methods of operating the same
AssigneeHaier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
InventorsSrikanth Raavi Venkata, Eric Muzzillo, Samuel Vincent DuPlessis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A countertop ice maker appliance includes a compressor, a condenser, a condenser fan, and a motor assembly. A method of operating the countertop ice maker includes initiating a standard ice making cycle, the standard ice making cycle including a first set of parameters for each of the motor assembly, the compressor, and the condenser fan; receiving, via the user interface, a signal to initiate an adjusted ice making cycle; adjusting the first set of parameters to form a second set of parameters for each of the motor assembly, the compressor, and the condenser fan; and initiating the adjusted ice making cycle according to the second set of parameters.
Claims20
A countertop ice maker appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, the countertop ice maker appliance comprising:
- a cabinet comprising a user interface;
- a casing positioned within the cabinet, the casing including a sidewall defining at least a portion of an interior volume of the casing;
- a sealed refrigeration system comprising a compressor and a condenser, wherein the compressor is a variable speed compressor, the sealed refrigeration system in thermal communication with the casing wherein operation of the sealed refrigeration system at least partially freezes water within the interior volume thereof;
- an auger positioned at least partially within the interior volume of the casing and configured to rotate relative thereto;
- an extruder positioned at an output end of the auger and configured to extrude at least partially frozen water within the interior volume of the casing into formed ice pieces;
- a motor assembly including a variable speed motor that selectively rotates the auger wherein rotation of the auger moves the at least partially frozen water through the extruder thereby extruding the at least partially frozen water into the formed ice pieces;
- a condenser fan to selectively urge a flow of air over the condenser;
- and
- a controller operably coupled with the motor assembly, the compressor, and the condenser fan, the controller configured to perform an operation, the operation comprising:
- initiating a standard ice making cycle, the standard ice making cycle comprising a first set of parameters for each of the motor assembly, the compressor, and the condenser fan, whereby the motor assembly is operated according to the first set of parameters for the motor assembly, the first set of parameters for the motor assembly including a first motor speed of the variable speed motor;
- receiving, via the user interface, a signal to initiate an adjusted ice making cycle;
- adjusting the first set of parameters to form a second set of parameters for each of the motor assembly, the compressor, and the condenser fan;
- and
- initiating the adjusted ice making cycle whereby the motor assembly is operated according to the second set of parameters for the motor assembly, the second set of parameters for the motor assembly including a second motor speed of the variable speed motor greater than the first motor speed wherein rotation of the auger at the second motor speed moves the at least partially frozen water through the extruder at a faster rate than rotation of the auger at the first motor speed.
A method of operating a countertop ice maker appliance, the countertop ice maker appliance comprising a sealed refrigeration system including a compressor and a condenser, the countertop ice maker appliance further comprising a condenser fan, an auger configured to rotate, an extruder positioned at an output end of the auger and configured to extrude at least partially frozen water into formed ice pieces, and a motor assembly including a variable speed motor that selectively rotates the auger wherein rotation of the auger moves the at least partially frozen water through the extruder thereby extruding the at least partially frozen water into the formed ice pieces, the method comprising:
- initiating a standard ice making cycle, the standard ice making cycle comprising a first set of parameters for each of the motor assembly, the compressor, and the condenser fan, whereby the motor assembly is operated according to the first set of parameters for the motor assembly, the first set of parameters for the motor assembly including a first motor speed of the variable speed motor;
- receiving, via a user interface, a signal to initiate an adjusted ice making cycle;
- adjusting the first set of parameters to form a second set of parameters for each of the motor assembly, the compressor, and the condenser fan;
- and
- initiating the adjusted ice making cycle whereby the motor assembly is operated according to the second set of parameters of the motor assembly, the second set of parameters of the motor assembly including a second motor speed of the variable speed motor greater than the first motor speed wherein rotation of the auger at the second motor speed moves the at least partially frozen water through the extruder at a faster rate than rotation of the auger at the first motor speed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.