[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for automatically and continuously
making ice cubes.
[0002] As is known the presently available apparatus for automatically and continuously
making ice cubes are generally operatively provided with an evaporating assembly,which
is immersed in a water holding small tank,in order to freeze water to form the ice
cube about the bottom lugs or the evaporator.
[0003] As the ice cube has been formed,it is necessary to remove said small tank and,in
the meanwhile, heated fluids,introduced into the bottom lugs,cause the formed ice
cubes to be detached from said bottom lugs.
[0004] The above mentioned prior art apparatus are affected by drawbacks,relating to the
operating steps to be carried out thereby,and, most important, those machines or apparatus
comprise a great number of sensing and driving members,which add to the complexity
or the apparatus structure.
[0005] Yet another problem affecting prior art apparatus is that of detecting the ice amount
which is present in the reserve tank,in order to provide the apparatus with the stop
command,as said ice amount has reached the preset level.
[0006] This control operation is presently carried out by means of thermostatic assemblies,wich
are rather complex,or comparatively high cost and poor reliability.
[0007] Accordingly,the task of the present invention is to overcome the above mentioned
drawbacks,by providing an apparatus for automatically and continuously making ice
cubes which affords the possibility of carrying out the automatic ice making operative
cycles without the need of using complex driving systems,while reducing to a minimum
the level control means.
[0008] Within the scope of the above mentioned task, it is a main object of the present
invention to provide such an apparatus,for making ice cubes,which can be easily fitted
to the user needs,owing to the feature that its ice making capability may be quickly
and easily modified.
[0009] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such an ice making machine
or apparatus including a single driving or operating variably counterweighted member
which,in addition to precisely operating,has a greatly simple structure,thereby remarkably
reducing its making cost.
[0010] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such an apparatus,for automatically
and continuously making ice cubes,which is very safe and reliable in operation.
[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, the above task and objects,as well
as yet other objects,which will become more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by
an apparatus for automatically and continuously making ice cubes,characterized in
that it comprises a thermally insulated supporting frame defining in its inside an
ice collecting vessel, accessible from the outside and overlying a water collecting
tank,a pump for supplying water to an ice making assembly communicating with said
water collecting tank.
[0012] More specifically,the above mentioned ice making assembly comprises an evaporator,which
may be immersed in an ice making small tank supported at one end of a lever mechanism
which is counterweighted,at the other end,by a variable weight small tank provided
with a water discharging siphon member which may be actuated by said pump for driving,with
preset cycles,said lever mechanism.
[0013] Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more
apparent thereinafter from the following detailed description of the subject ice
cube making machine or apparatus, which is illustrated,by way of an exemplary but
not limitative example,in the accompanying drawings, where:
Figs.1,2 and 3 schematically illustrate cross-sectional views of the ice making apparatus
according to the present invention,respectively in its operative steps of supplying
water to the water holding small tank,siphon member actuating and simultaneous lowering
and raising of the tank 23;
Figs.4 and 5 illustrate,on an enlarged scale, the ice making assembly,with the counterweighted
lever mechanism represented in its two end of stroke positions.
[0014] With reference to the above mentioned figures, the ice making apparatus according
to the present invention,comprises an auoter supporting frame, indicated generally
at the reference number 1,which is thermally insulated and defines,in its inside,
an ice collecting vessel 2 which is closed at the top by an upper wall 3 for supporting
the ice making assembly,indicated at the reference number 4 and which will be illustrated
thereinafter.
[0015] The ice collecting vessel 2 overlies a water collecting or holding tank 5,consisting
of a tank body provided with a safety discharging siphon member 6 and a key locking
system indicated at 7 and illustrated in its mounting position.
[0016] The water collecting tank 5 may be manually filled or it may be coupled to the water
supply system,which is controlled by an electric valve 8.
[0017] Moreover,said water collecting vessel 5 is closed at the top by a cover member 10,which
may be located at two different positions.
[0018] In the first position of said cover member, which is illustrated in figure1,the water
collecting tank volume is increased.
[0019] In the other,upturned or reversed position, there is increased the ice collecting
vessel volume and decreased the water collecting tank volume,which position may be
preferably used as the water tank is coupled to the water supply system.
[0020] With the mentioned water collecting tank an immersed pump 11 communicates,the outlet
of which leads to the ice making assembly,as it will become more apparent thereinafter.
[0021] Moreover a sensing member 13 for detecting the presence of water in the water collecting
tank 5 is arranged inside said water tank.
[0022] The ice making assembly,indicated overally at the reference number 4, comprises a
refrigerating system 15,operating either with air or water condensing,which is coupled
to lug evaporator 16,which are preferably made of nickel clad copper.
[0023] The lugs 16 of the evaporator are supported by a supporting frame 17,preferably made
of an optically transparent material,thereto there is coupled a known stirring member
18,operating a stirring blade 19 which sense and adjust the cube thickness.
[0024] Registering abutment members 20 are furthermore provided,which,as it will appear
more clearly thereinafter,adjust the height of said ice cubes.
[0025] The lugs 16 may be introduced into an ice making small tank 21 which is mounted at
one end of a swinging lever 22,said lever being counterweighted, at the other end
thereof,by a variable weight small tank 23.
[0026] The tanks 21 and 23 are swingably mounted with respect to the counterweighted lever
mechanism 22 and the pivot pins thereof are arranged above the centers of gravity
of the small tanks,thereby said tanks are always held,by gravity,in a vertical position.
[0027] The small tank 23 is provided with a siphon member 24 which discharges water downward
to convey the water to the water collecting vessel 5,through the provision of covering
water discharging cup members 26 which are arranged horizontally and vertically,to
recover the water level in the water tank 21.
[0028] Advantageously,the vertically extending cup member 27 may be raised in order to facilitate
the introduction of water into the tank 5.
[0029] The water outlet 12 of the pump discharges into the upper portion of the counterweighted
tank 23 and operates,as it will become more apparent thereinafter,to actuate the siphon
member with preset operating cycles,to discharge water.
[0030] The ice making vessel 21 is provided at the bottom thereof with a projecting portion
30 which will abut,during its swinging movement by the counterweighted lever 22,against
a baffle member 33 provided for defining an opening through the separating wall 3
so as to discharge the ice cubes made in the vessel 2.
[0031] During the upward moving step in the ice making vessel 21,the projecting portion
will abut again against the baffle member 33 to bring it to its closure position.
[0032] The ice making apparatus further comprises an electronic card electric circuit for
controlling the high or low voltage power circuit and the auxiliary circuit,which
is provided with detecting sensors 13 for detecting the presence of water in the water
tank 5,as well as with a display-acoustic assembly 40 arranged on the top cover member
41 closing the bearing frame 1.
[0033] The operation of the ice making apparatus is such that the ice cubes are made as
the ice making tank 21 is arranged in its raised position,by immersing the lugs 16
into said tank.
[0034] At the start of the operation,water is manually introduced both into the tank 21
and in the tank 23.
[0035] Under these conditions,the tank 23 is in its lowered position,while the tank 21 is
in its raised position.
[0036] As about the lugs 16 ice is formed,a friction will be developed against the stirring
blade 19 to the desired ice cube thickness and the stirring movement of the stirring
blade 19 will provide an electric pulse which,for an adjustable time,will operate
the immersed pump 11,located in the vessel 5,which will supply water to the variable
weight tank 23,to actuate the siphon member 25.
[0037] After the set time is lapsed,the pump will be stopped.
[0038] As the siphon member is actuated,the tank 23 will be gradually emptied;as the weight
of this tank 23 becomes smaller than that of the tank 21,said tank 23 will be upward
displaced,while the tank 21 will be lowered by gravity in such a way as to cause the
baffle member 33 to be tilted,with a consequent opening toward the ice vessel.
[0039] The variable weight small tank 23 will be arranged above the small tank 21,thereby
recovering the water level inside the tank 21.
[0040] A position sensor detects the upward position of the variable weight tank 23 and
will actuate,for a time adjustable from 30 to 90s,the hot gas electric or solenoid
valve to cause the ice cubes to detach from the lugs 16,fall onto the baffle member
33 and enter the ice vessel or tank.
[0041] As the defrozing time is lapsed,the pump 11 will be actuated again for supplying
water to the tank 23 to a level unable of operating the siphon member 25.
[0042] The tank 23,the weight of which is now greater than that of the tank 21,will be displaced
downward,while the ice making tank 21 will be displaced upward,so as to abut against
abutment members 20.
[0043] The lugs 16 will be immersed again in the tank 21,where water is present,thereby
starting a new ice making cycle.
[0044] The ice making apparatus will continue to operate to fill the ice vessel in such
a degree that the baffle member 33 will be prevented from recovering to its home position,thereby
preventing the tank 21 to raise;thus the intermediate position sensor of the tanks
will stop the apparatus.
[0045] A further safety stop of the ice making apparatus is caused by the sensor 13,arranged
in the tank 5,which prevents the apparatus from operating as water is lacking.
[0046] From the above disclosure it should be apparent that the invention fully achieves
the intended objects.
[0047] In particular,the fact is to be pointed out that it is possible,in the ice making
apparatus according to the present invention,to drive all the ice making tanks by
very simple means.
[0048] This driving is simply obtained by exploiting the weight variation of the counterweight
tank, by actuating a siphon member.
[0049] The invention,as disclosed,is susceptible to several modifications and variations,all
of which come within the invention scope.
[0050] Moreover,all of the details can be replaced by other technically equivalent elements.
[0051] In practicing the invention,the used materials, provided that they are compatible
with the intended use,may be any,according to requirements.
1- An apparatus for automatically and continuously making ice cubes,characterized
in that it comprises a thermally insulated bearing frame,defining in its inside an
ice collecting vessel,accessible from the outside and overlying a water collecting
water, a pump for supplying water to an ice making assembly communicating inside said
water collecting water, said ice making assembly including an evaporator, effective
to be immersed into an ice making tank supported at one end of a lever mechanism which
is counterweighted,at the other end thereof,by a variable weight tank provided with
a siphon member for discharging water,which can be actuated by said pump for driving,with
a preset driving cycle,said lever mechanism.
2- An apparatus,according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said pump
arranged in said water tank is of the immersed type.
3- An apparatus,according to the preceding claims, characterized in that said water
tank,in the air condenser embodiment thereof, can be selectively coupled to the water
system or filled manually.
4- An apparatus,according to one or more of the preceding claims,characterized in
that said apparatus, in the case of including a water condenser,is provided with
a solenoid valve, in replacement of said pump,while the water collecting water is
transformed into a further volume,for collecting ice,the sensors being omitted.
5- An apparatus,according to one or more of the preceding claims,characterized in
that said water tank is closed at the top by a cover member,which may be arranged
in a first position,in which the volume of said water tank is increased and the volume
of said ice collecting tank is reduced, and in a second position in which the volume
of said ice collecting tank is increased and the volume of said water tank is reduced.
6- An apparatus,according to one or more of the preceding claims,characterized in
that said ice making tank and variable weight tank are pivoted on said lever at a
position higher than their center of gravity,in order to hold the vertical position.
7- An apparatus,according to one or more of the preceding claims,characterized in
that in said apparatus the assembly comprising the tanks 23 and 21 and levers 22
may be easily removed for cleaning purposes,which operation is carried out by raising
the cover member 41 pivoted at the rear.
8- An apparatus,according to one or more of the preceding claims,characterized in
that,upon actuating of the siphon member of the variable weight tank, said variable
tank becomes of smaller weight than the ice making tank,with a consequent lowering
of the ice making tank,which locates under said variable weight tank which, through
said siphon member operates for filling again the ice making tank.
9- An apparatus,according to one or more of the preceding claims,characterized in
that it comprises, on said supporting frame, a separating wall defining a zone for
housing said ice making assembly,in said wall there being provided a swinging baffle
member effective to abut against a projection formed on the ice making tank for tilting
it as said ice making tank is lowered to discharge the ice cubes from the ice vessel.
10-An apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims,characterized in
that,with said ice tank filled by ice,said baffle member prevents the ice making tank
from raising,with a consequent stopping of the apparatus operation.