Water supply control apparatus for ice maker and method thereof
AssigneeLG Electronics Inc.
InventorsWook Yong LEE, Eui Yeop CHUNG
Life of this patent
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Abstract
There is provided a water supply control apparatus for an ice maker and method thereof. In the apparatus and method, an ejector pushes out ice, a sensor detecting portion is formed on the ejector, and at least two sensors detect a sensor transit time for the sensor detecting portion to travel from one of the sensors to the other. Therefore, an adequate amount of water can be supplied to the ice maker to make ice with a desired size regardless of the variation in the water pressure of a water inlet line from a household water source.
Claims20
A water supply control method for an ice maker, comprising:
- comparing a first time necessary for actually ejecting ice and a second time that is previously set, when ejecting ice by a moving member;
- and
- repeating an ice making operation and the ice ejecting operation after reducing the amount of water supply in a first condition when the first time is longer than the second time or after increasing the amount of the water supply in a second condition when the first time is not longer than the second time.
A water supply control method for an ice maker, comprising:
- comparing a first time necessary for actually ejecting ice and a second time that is previously set, when ejecting ice by a moving member;
- determining whether the sign of a subtraction value obtained by subtracting the second time from the first time is changed when compared with the sign of the preceding subtraction value;
- and
- fixing a current water supply time if the subtraction value is changed, reducing the amount of water supply if the subtraction value is not changed and the first time is longer than the second time, and increasing the amount of the water supply if the subtraction value is not changed and the first time is not longer than the second time.
A water supply control apparatus for an ice maker, comprising:
- an ice making portion in which ice is made;
- an ejector movably installed to eject the ice;
- sensing member detecting a travel time for traveling a predetermined positions of the ejector;
- and
- a controller controlling the amount of water supply to the ice making portion in accordance with a travel time necessary for the ejector to pass through the sensing member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.