Patent Application
20250146727
The present disclosure relates generally to a device for metering an amount of dispensed fluid, in particular a self-metering valve for supplying water to an icemaker.
Known ice makers typically rely on a timed dispense of water to fill an ice cube mold with the proper volume of water. The consistency of the fill often depends on the pressure of the water supply, which may vary depending on the water source, the water provider, or the plumbing at the installation site of the ice maker. Although water pressure design standards exist, the water pressure in many domestic settings falls above or below the design range. The result is either overfilling or underfilling the ice cube mold.
Improper ice cube mold fills, either over or under the anticipated volume, can cause poor quality ice production or inefficient ice production, leading to consumer dissatisfaction. Accordingly, improvements to metering of water volume for ice makers may be desirable. In particular, water metering devices for ice makers that supply a volume of water independent of the supply water pressure may be particularly useful.
Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, may be apparent from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In one exemplary aspect, a fluid metering system for an ice making assembly defining an axial direction, a radial direction, and a circumferential direction is presented. The fluid metering system comprises a housing comprising a perimetral wall defining a chamber and a flange dividing the chamber into an upper chamber and a lower chamber, the flange defining a vent hole. A float is constrained for axial displacement within the lower chamber between a lowered position in which the float is spaced apart from the flange and a raised position in which the float engages the flange. A supply conduit provides fluid communication between the lower chamber and a water supply, and a delivery conduit provides fluid communication between the lower chamber and an ice mold, with a supply valve fluidly coupled to the supply conduit between the lower chamber and the water supply and a delivery valve fluidly coupled to the delivery conduit between the lower chamber and the ice mold. A controller is in operative communication with the supply valve and the delivery valve, the controller configured to operate the delivery valve to a closed position and operate the supply valve to an open position to allow a fluid volume to flow from the water supply to the lower chamber, wherein the fluid volume moves the float to the raised position and the fluid volume is defined within the lower chamber by the housing, the float, and the flange. The controller is further configured to operate the supply valve to a closed position and operate the delivery valve to an open position to allow the fluid volume to flow from the lower chamber to the ice mold.
In another exemplary aspect, a refrigerator appliance is presented, the refrigerator comprising a fluid metering system for dispensing fluid to an ice making assembly. The fluid metering system comprises a housing comprising a perimetral wall defining a chamber, and a flange dividing the chamber into an upper chamber and a lower chamber, the flange defining a vent hole. A float is constrained for axial displacement within the lower chamber between a lowered position in which the float is spaced apart from the flange and a raised position in which the float engages the flange. a supply conduit provides fluid communication between the lower chamber and a water supply and a delivery conduit provides fluid communication between the lower chamber and an ice mold. The fluid metering system further comprises a supply valve fluidly coupled to the supply conduit between the lower chamber and the water supply, a delivery valve fluidly coupled to the delivery conduit between the lower chamber and the ice mold, and a controller in operative communication with the supply valve and the delivery valve. The controller is configured to operate the delivery valve to a closed position and operate the supply valve to an open position to allow a fluid volume to flow from the water supply to the lower chamber. The controller is further configured to operate the supply valve to a closed position and operate the delivery valve to an open position to allow the fluid volume to flow from the lower chamber to the ice mold, wherein the lower chamber, the float in the raised position, and the flange define the fluid volume.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures.
Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the present invention.
Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
As used herein, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third” may be used interchangeably to distinguish one component from another and are not intended to signify location or importance of the individual components. The terms “includes” and “including” are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.” Similarly, the term “or” is generally intended to be inclusive (i.e., “A or B” is intended to mean “A or B or both”). In addition, here and throughout the specification and claims, range limitations may be combined and/or interchanged. Such ranges are identified and include all the sub-ranges contained therein unless context or language indicates otherwise. For example, all ranges disclosed herein are inclusive of the endpoints, and the endpoints are independently combinable with each other. The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Approximating language, as used herein throughout the specification and claims, may be applied to modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term or terms, such as “generally,” “about,” “approximately,” and “substantially,” are not to be limited to the precise value specified. In at least some instances, the approximating language may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring the value, or the precision of the methods or machines for constructing or manufacturing the components and/or systems. For example, the approximating language may refer to being within a 10 percent margin, i.e., including values within ten percent greater or less than the stated value. In this regard, for example, when used in the context of an angle or direction, such terms include within ten degrees greater or less than the stated angle or direction, e.g., “generally vertical” includes forming an angle of up to ten degrees in any direction, e.g., clockwise or counterclockwise, with the vertical direction V.
The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” In addition, references to “an embodiment” or “one embodiment” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although it may. Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” or “an embodiment” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. Moreover, each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Cabinet 102 defines chilled chambers for receipt of food items for storage. In particular, cabinet 102 defines fresh food chamber 122 positioned at or adjacent top 104 of cabinet 102 and a freezer chamber 124 arranged at or adjacent bottom 106 of cabinet 102. As such, refrigerator appliance 100 is generally referred to as a bottom mount refrigerator. However, the inventive aspects of the present disclosure apply to other types and styles of refrigerator appliances, such as e.g., a top mount refrigerator appliance, a side-by-side style refrigerator appliance, a single door refrigerator appliance, etc. Consequently, the description set forth herein is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting in any aspect to any particular configuration.
Refrigerator doors 128 are rotatably hinged to an edge of cabinet 102 for selectively accessing fresh food chamber 122. In addition, a freezer door 130 is arranged below refrigerator doors 128 for selectively accessing freezer chamber 124. Freezer door 130 is coupled to a freezer drawer (not shown) slidably mounted within freezer chamber 124. Refrigerator doors 128 and freezer door 130 are shown in the closed configuration in
Referring again to
Dispensing assembly 140 includes an ice dispenser 144 including a discharging outlet 146 for discharging ice from dispensing assembly 140. An actuating mechanism 148, shown as a paddle, is mounted below discharging outlet 146 for operating ice or water dispenser 144. In alternative exemplary embodiments, any suitable actuating mechanism may be used to operate ice dispenser 144. For example, ice dispenser 144 can include a sensor (such as an ultrasonic sensor) or a button rather than the paddle. Discharging outlet 146 and actuating mechanism 148 are an external part of ice dispenser 144 and are mounted in dispenser recess 142. In contrast, inside refrigerator appliance 100, refrigerator door 128 may define an icebox 150 (
As further shown in
Appliance 100 may further include or be in operative communication with a processing device or a controller 164 that may be generally configured to facilitate appliance operation. In this regard, control panel 160, user input devices 162, and display 166 may be in communication with controller 164 such that controller 164 may receive control inputs from user input devices 162, may display information using display 166, and may otherwise regulate operation of appliance 100. For example, signals generated by controller 164 may operate appliance 100, including any or all system components, subsystems, or interconnected devices, in response to the position of user input devices 162 and other control commands. Control panel 160 and other components of appliance 100 may be in communication with controller 164 via, for example, one or more signal lines or shared communication busses. In this manner, Input/Output (“I/O”) signals may be routed between controller 164 and various operational components of appliance 100.
As used herein, the terms “processing device,” “computing device,” “controller,” or the like may generally refer to any suitable processing device, such as a general or special purpose microprocessor, a microcontroller, an integrated circuit, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a logic device, one or more central processing units (CPUs), a graphics processing units (GPUs), processing units performing other specialized calculations, semiconductor devices, timers, etc. In addition, these “controllers” are not necessarily restricted to a single element but may include any suitable number, type, and configuration of processing devices integrated in any suitable manner to facilitate appliance operation. Alternatively, controller 164 may be constructed without using a microprocessor, e.g., using a combination of discrete analog and/or digital logic circuitry (such as switches, amplifiers, integrators, comparators, flip-flops, AND/OR gates, and the like) to perform control functionality instead of relying upon software. The controller 164 may also include one or more timers configured to operate various systems on a timed schedule or send various operating commands after an elapsed time period.
Controller 164 may include, or be associated with, one or more memory elements or non-transitory computer-readable storage mediums, such as RAM, ROM, EEPROM, EPROM, flash memory devices, magnetic disks, or other suitable memory devices (including combinations thereof). These memory devices may be a separate component from the processor or may be included onboard within the processor. In addition, these memory devices can store information and/or data accessible by the one or more processors, including instructions that can be executed by the one or more processors. It should be appreciated that the instructions can be software written in any suitable programming language or can be implemented in hardware. Additionally, or alternatively, the instructions can be executed logically and/or virtually using separate threads on one or more processors.
For example, controller 164 may be operable to execute programming instructions or micro-control code associated with an operating cycle of appliance 100. In this regard, the instructions may be software or any set of instructions that when executed by the processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations, such as running one or more software applications, displaying a user interface, receiving user input, processing user input, etc. Moreover, it should be noted that controller 164 as disclosed herein is capable of and may be operable to perform any methods, method steps, or portions of methods as disclosed herein. For example, in some embodiments, methods disclosed herein may be embodied in programming instructions stored in the memory and executed by controller 164.
The memory devices may also store data that can be retrieved, manipulated, created, or stored by the one or more processors or portions of controller 164. The data can include, for instance, data to facilitate performance of methods described herein. The data can be stored locally (e.g., on controller 164) in one or more databases and/or may be split up so that the data is stored in multiple locations. In addition, or alternatively, the one or more database(s) can be connected to controller 164 through any suitable network(s), such as through a high bandwidth local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN). In this regard, for example, controller 164 may further include a communication module or interface that may be used to communicate with one or more other component(s) of appliance 100, controller 164, an external appliance controller, or any other suitable device, e.g., via any suitable communication lines or network(s) and using any suitable communication protocol. The communication interface can include any suitable components for interfacing with one or more network(s), including for example, transmitters, receivers, ports, controllers, antennas, or other suitable components.
As depicted in
Generally, water supply conduit 172 is configured for refilling resilient ice mold 174 (which may include multiple mold cavities 176) to a predetermined level. In embodiments in which resilient ice mold 174 includes multiple mold cavities 176, water supply conduit 172 may supply a precise amount of water to fill the cavities 176 evenly and without overflowing any of the cavities 176. In accordance with exemplary aspects of the present subject matter, a precise fill dispensing assembly may be provided upstream of ice making assembly 170 to provide fixed or controlled volume of water to ice making assembly 170.
As shown, fluid metering system 200 includes a housing 206 including a perimetral wall 208 defining a chamber 210. For this embodiment, chamber 210 of housing 206 is cylindrical, but other shapes may be used in other embodiments without departing from the present disclosure. As a cylindrical housing 206, in the present embodiment, the housing 206 defines an axial direction A, a radial direction R generally perpendicular to the axial direction A, and a circumferential direction C. The system 200 is oriented such that the axial direction A is generally parallel to the vertical direction V of the refrigerator appliance 100. A flange 212 divides the chamber 210 into an upper chamber 214 and a lower chamber 216. The flange 212 defines a vent hole 218 which places the upper chamber 214 in fluid communication with the lower chamber 216. In some embodiments, a vent tube 220 provides fluid communication between the upper chamber 214 and the external atmosphere 222. The external atmosphere 222 is an atmosphere external to the housing 206 and may also be external to the cabinet 102.
A float 224 is disposed in the lower chamber 216 and constrained for axial displacement between a lowered position spaced apart from the flange 212 and a raised position in which the float 224 engages the flange 212. In particular, in the raised position, float 224 contacts the vertically lower (i.e., bottom) surface of the flange 212 and blocks, or substantially blocks, fluid communication between the upper chamber 214 and the lower chamber 216. As illustrated in
In the exemplary embodiment of
In some embodiments, the perimeter 232 of float 224 includes one or more radial notches 234 (two shown in
In the illustrative embodiment of
As further illustrated in
In embodiments, a position sensor 238 may be provided to sense the presence of the float 224 at the flange 212 (i.e., at the raised position) and communicate a position sensor signal to the controller 164. The sensor may be any suitable sensor capable of sensing the presence of float 224 at the flange, for example a hall effect sensor. The sensor may be inoperable communication with the controller 164 to provide a signal to the controller 164 indicating the float 224 is at the flange 212. The controller may use the signal form the position sensor 238 in operating the supply and delivery valves 252, 262.
According to the illustrated embodiment of
Now that the construction of fluid metering system 100 and the configuration of controller 164 according to exemplary embodiments have been presented, an exemplary method 300 of operating the fluid metering system will be described. Referring to
At 304, in response to the signal received at 302, the controller 164 operates the supply and delivery valves 252, 262 to positions facilitating the flow of water to the lower chamber 216. The controller 164 provides a signal to operate the delivery valve 262 to a closed position and the supply valve 252 to an open position, allowing a flow of water from the water supply 202 into the chamber 210, specifically the lower chamber 216. The delivery valve 262 in the closed position prevents water from flowing out of the lower chamber 216 causing the water level in the lower chamber to rise.
The water volume flowing into the lower chamber moves the float 224 to the raised position. At 306, the full metered volume of water is detected in the lower chamber. Controller 164 is configured to sense the vent hole 218 is sealed and the lower chamber 216 is filled with the water volume to be dispensed. In some embodiments, the sensor 238 detects the presence of the float and communicates a signal to the controller 164 indicating that the float 224 is positioned against the flange 212. In other embodiments, a timer in the controller 164 operates the supply valve 152 to an open condition for a predetermined period of time. The predetermined period of time may be calculated or empirically derived to allow a desired volume of water to flow into the lower chamber 216, filling the lower chamber. In other embodiments, a flow detector may be fluidly coupled to the supply conduit 252 and in operative communication with the controller 164. When the lower chamber is filed and the float seals the vent hole 218, the flow of water in the supply conduit will be reduced to a lower limit, for example the flow will cease. At the lower limit of water flow, the flow detector may signal the controller that the metered volume of water is present in the lower chamber 216.
As the lower chamber 216 fills with water from supply conduit 250, the float 224 is moved to the raised position and contacts the vertically lower (i.e., bottom) surface of the flange 212. The sealing portion 228 of the float 224 blocks, or substantially blocks, fluid communication between the upper chamber 214 and the lower chamber 216 at the vent hole 218. Thus the float 224 seals the vent hole 218 in the flange 212 and the metered fluid volume (i.e., the volume to be dispensed) is defined within the lower chamber by the housing 206, the float 224, and the flange 212.
As the float 224 moves to the raised position, air contained in the chamber vertically above the float is compressed. In some embodiments, the upper chamber 214 is sufficiently large that the anticipated water pressure from the supply conduit 250 will compress the air above the float 224 and pressurize the upper chamber 214 when the float 224 is in the raised position. In other embodiments, a vent tube 220 provides fluid communication between the upper chamber and an atmosphere external to the chamber 210 (i.e., the atmosphere outside of the cabinet 102). As the float 224 rises, the air above the float is forced into the upper chamber 214 and exhausts through the vent tube 220 to the atmosphere.
At 308, the controller positions the supply and delivery valves 252, 262 to deliver the metered water volume, for example to the ice making assembly 170, or other downstream assembly 204. To facilitate supply of the metered volume of water, the controller 164 operates the supply valve to a closed position, isolating the fluid metering system 200 from the water supply 202. The controller then operates the delivery valve 262 to the open position, dispensing the metered volume of water contained in the lower chamber 216 to the downstream assembly 204.
In some embodiments, a single metered water flow provides a desired volume of water to the downstream assembly 204. In other embodiments, multiple metered water volumes may be necessary to provide the desired volume of water. In embodiments including an ice making assembly 170, dispensing multiple metered water volumes to the resilient ice mold 174 may be used to achieve desired ice characteristics.
At any point during the fill and dispense cycle described above, the controller may energize the UV light source 240 to illuminate the chamber 210. The UV light source 240 may continuously or intermittently illuminate some or all of the fluid metering system 200 under the instruction of the controller 164.
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.
