Ice machine and method for control thereof
AssigneeScotsman Ice Systems
InventorsDavid Brett Gist, Matthew Allison, Andy Pichotta, Chris J. Teal, Tim Bethuy
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Abstract
An ice machine and method for control thereof. The method has various features including control of upload/download of software and data, control of ice cube detection of falling pieces as well as a bin full condition, logging of machine cycle counts, electrical load run times, error codes linked to accumulated run time of the ice machine, of program style and display of error codes and verification of program styles.
Claims10
A method for controlling an ice machine having an optical detector that detects ice cubes when in a field of vision thereof, said method comprising:
- (a) illuminating said optical detector with a periodic optical signal;
- (b) providing a plurality of samples of an output signal of said optical detector;
- and
- (c) comparing a difference between at least a first one and a second one of said plurality of samples with a threshold to detect said ice cubes when in said field of vision.
An ice machine comprising:
- an ice machine system;
- and
- an electronic controller for controlling said ice machine system to make ice cubes;
- said electronic controller including a ice machine program that operates said ice machine system to perform operations that comprise:
- (a) illuminating said optical detector with a periodic optical signal;
- (b) providing a plurality of samples of an output signal of said optical detector;
- and
- (c) comparing a difference between at least a first one and a second one of said plurality of samples with a threshold to detect said ice cubes when in said field of vision.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.