Ice maker with capacitive water level sensing
AssigneeTrue Manufacturing Co., Inc.
InventorKevin KNATT
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ice maker comprising a refrigeration system, a water system, and a control system. The control system includes a controller comprising a processor and a water level sensor. The water level sensor is adapted to externally sense a capacitance corresponding to a sump water level. The controller is adapted to control the operation of the refrigeration system and the operation of the water system based upon the sump water level and to detect one or more failure modes of the water system based upon the sump water level.
Claims26
An ice maker for forming ice using a refrigerant capable of transitioning between liquid and gaseous states, the ice maker comprising:
- (i) a refrigeration system comprising a compressor, a condenser, a thermal expansion device, an evaporator assembly, a freeze plate thermally coupled to the evaporator assembly, and a hot gas valve;
- (ii) a water system comprising a water pump, a water distribution tube, a purge valve, a water inlet valve, and a sump located below the freeze plate adapted to hold water;
- and
- (iii) a control system comprising a processor and a water level sensor, wherein the water level sensor is adapted to externally sense a capacitance from the water in the sump, wherein the sensed capacitance corresponds to a water level in the sump and wherein the controller is adapted to control the operation of the refrigeration system and the operation of the water system based upon the water level in the sump and to detect one or more failure modes of the water system based upon the water level in the sump.
A method of controlling an ice maker, the ice maker comprising (i) a refrigeration system comprising a compressor, a condenser, a thermal expansion device, an evaporator assembly, a freeze plate thermally coupled to the evaporator assembly, and a hot gas valve, (ii) a water system comprising a water pump, a water distribution tube, a purge valve, a water inlet valve, and a sump located below the freeze plate adapted to hold water, and (iii) a control system comprising a controller comprising a processor and a water level sensor, wherein the water level sensor is adapted to externally sense a capacitance from the water in the sump, wherein the sensed capacitance corresponds to a water level in the sump and wherein the controller is adapted to control the operation of the refrigeration system and the operation of the water system based upon the water level in the sump and to detect one or more failure modes of the water system based upon the water level in the sump, the method comprising:
- measuring the water level in the sump during a sensible cooling cycle to determine if the water level is varying beyond an acceptable range;
- and
- detecting a leak failure mode if the water level in sump varies beyond the acceptable range during the sensible cooling cycle.
A method of controlling an ice maker, the ice maker comprising (i) a refrigeration system comprising a compressor, a condenser, a thermal expansion device, an evaporator assembly, a freeze plate thermally coupled to the evaporator assembly, and a hot gas valve, (ii) a water system comprising a water pump, a water distribution tube, a purge valve, a water inlet valve, and a sump located below the freeze plate adapted to hold water, and (iii) a control system comprising a controller comprising a processor and a water level sensor, wherein the water level sensor is adapted to externally sense a capacitance from the water in the sump, wherein the sensed capacitance corresponds to a water level in the sump and wherein the sensed capacitance corresponds to a water level or a scale amount within the sump, the method comprising:
- measuring the scale amount in the sump;
- and
- determining the need for a cleaning cycle based on the measured amount of scale.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.