Patent Application
20170030625
The present subject matter relates to an icemaker assembly, and more particularly to systems and methods for regulating an amount of ice made by an icemaker assembly.
Various icemaker designs have been proposed for refrigeration appliances such as commercial or home refrigerators and/or freezers. In certain automatic icemakers, water is provided from an external source to a chilled ice cube mold. Once the water freezes into ice, the ice cubes in the mold are harvested and the cycle is repeated. Ice cube removal can be assisted by a brief heating of the mold to separate the ice cubes from the mold, if desired. Often, a sensor is present to detect an ice level in the ice bucket as ice builds up in the ice bucket as the cycle progresses. If the ice level in the bucket reaches a certain predetermined amount (i.e., the ice bucket is full), the cycle is halted until ice is removed from the ice bucket thereby lowering the ice level. In many refrigeration appliances, this cycle repeats automatically until the ice level sensor indicates a full ice bucket.
Such ice making techniques may be wasteful and/or inefficient. For instance, one or more users of a refrigeration appliance may not require an amount of ice corresponding to a full ice bucket at all times of the day. In such instances, ice may go unused and may remain in the ice bucket for substantial periods of time. In this manner, ice that is made earlier will generally be located towards the bottom of the ice bucket and dispensed before fresher ice that is made later. Accordingly, a user may not receive fresh ice when requesting ice from the icemaker. Additionally, large amounts of ice that accumulate towards the bottom of the ice bucket may often fuse together and clog the icemaker. Thus there is a need for an improved icemaker assembly that can regulate an amount of ice created based at least in part on a user's needs and/or past interactions with the icemaker assembly.
Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
One example aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a computer-implemented method of regulating the operation of an icemaker. The method includes receiving, by one or more computing devices, one or more signals indicative of icemaker activity over one or more time periods. The method further includes determining, by the one or more computing devices, a usage profile associated with the icemaker based at least in part on the one or more received signals. The usage profile is associated with an amount of ice to be made by the icemaker. The method further includes controlling by the one or more computing devices, the operation of the icemaker such that the icemaker makes ice in accordance with the usage profile.
Another example aspect of the present disclosure is directed to an icemaker assembly for an appliance. The icemaker assembly includes an ice cube mold configured to form ice cubes, a water valve configured to provide water to the ice cube mold, an ice cube storage bin associated with the ice cube mold configured to receive ice cubes from the ice cube mold, an ice cube storage bin sensor configured to sense an ice cube level in the ice cube storage bin, and one or more controllers associated with the icemaker assembly. The one or more controllers are configured to control an amount of ice cubes formed by the ice cube mold by receiving one or more signals indicative of icemaker assembly activity during one or more time periods. The one or more controllers are further configured to control an amount of ice cubes formed by the ice cube mold by determining a usage profile associated with the icemaker. The usage profile is associated with an amount of ice to be made by the icemaker assembly. The one or more controllers are further configured to control an amount of ice cubes formed by the ice cube mold by controlling the operation of the icemaker assembly such that the icemaker assembly makes ice in accordance with the usage profile.
Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a system for controlling the operation of an icemaker. The system includes one or more processors and one or more memory devices. The one or more memory devices store computer-readable instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform operations. The operations include receiving one or more signals indicative of activity of an icemaker assembly during one or more time periods. The icemaker assembly is configured to make an amount of ice and store the ice in an ice storage bin. The operations further include determining a usage profile associated with the icemaker assembly based at least in part on the one or more received signals. The usage profile is associated with an amount of ice to be made by the icemaker assembly. The operations further include controlling the operation of the icemaker assembly such that the icemaker assembly makes ice in accordance with the usage profile.
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, in which:
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.
Example embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to regulating an operation of an icemaker assembly. In particular, an icemaker assembly can be controlled based at least in part on one or more previous interactions with the icemaker assembly. For instance, activity associated with an icemaker assembly during one or more time periods can be monitored and used to determine a usage profile associated with the icemaker assembly. The monitored activity can include a number of icemaker cycles performed by the icemaker over one or more time periods. The monitored activity can further include a number of instances in which ice is dispensed by a dispenser associated with the icemaker (e.g. responsive to a user request for ice), and/or a time during which ice is dispensed by the dispenser. The time can correspond to an accumulated time in which ice is dispensed over one or more time periods. The one or more time periods can correspond to one or more hours, days, weeks, etc.
The usage profile associated with the icemaker can correspond to an amount of ice to be made by the icemaker at various times. The usage profile can be determined based at least in part on the monitored activity, and can be determined to reflect previous interactions of one or more users with the icemaker (e.g. previous ice request patterns). For instance, based on the monitored activity, it can be determined that, on average, between about 50 and 80 ice cubes are dispensed by a refrigeration appliance per day. In particular, the number of ice cubes and/or amount of ice (e.g. in the instance wherein crushed or shaved ice is dispensed) can be estimated based at least in part on the monitored activity. For instance, the number of ice cubes can be estimated based at least in part on the number of cycles performed by the icemaker, the number of instances in which ice was dispensed and/or the accumulated time during which ice was dispensed. In example embodiments, the number of ice cubes can further be determined by variations in the level of ice in the ice bucket. For instance, in some scenarios, a user may receive ice directly from the ice bucket, and not through the dispenser.
The usage profile can reflect an amount of ice. As another example, the usage profile may include different amounts of ice for different days and/or times of day. For instance, monitored activity may indicate that very little ice is dispensed by the dispenser during work hours on weekdays. Accordingly, the usage profile can provide for a corresponding amount of ice to be made during such times to reflect such general patterns. The usage profile can be implemented by one or more controllers associated with the refrigeration appliance, which can control an amount of ice made by the icemaker based at least in part on the usage profile.
Referring to
A breaker strip 22 extends between a case front flange and outer front edges of inner liners 18 and 20. The breaker strip 22 is formed from a suitable resilient material, such as an extruded acrylo-butadiene-styrene based material (commonly referred to as ABS). The insulation in the space between inner liners 18 and 20 is covered by another strip of suitable resilient material, which also commonly is referred to as a mullion 24 and may be formed of an extruded ABS material. Breaker strip 22 and mullion 24 form a front face, and extend completely around inner peripheral edges of the outer case 16 and vertically between inner liners 18 and 20.
Slide-out drawers 26, a storage bin 28 and shelves 30 are normally provided in fresh food storage compartment 12 to support items being stored therein. In addition, at least one shelf 30 and at least one wire basket 32 are also provided in freezer storage compartment 14.
The refrigerator features can be controlled by a controller 34 according to user preference via manipulation of a control interface 36 mounted in an upper region of fresh food storage compartment 12 and coupled to the controller 34. As used herein, the term “controller” is not limited to just those integrated circuits referred to in the art as microprocessor, but broadly refers to computers, processors, microcontrollers, microcomputers, programmable logic controllers, application specific integrated circuits, and other programmable circuits, and these terms are used interchangeably herein.
A freezer door 38 and a fresh food door 40 close access openings to freezer storage compartment 14 and fresh food storage compartment 12. Each door 38, 40 is mounted by a top hinge 42 and a bottom hinge (not shown) to rotate about its outer vertical edge between an open position, as shown in
The freezer storage compartment 14 may include an automatic icemaker 52 and a dispenser 54 provided in the freezer door 38 such that ice and/or chilled water can be dispensed without opening the freezer door 38, as is well known in the art. Doors 38 and 40 may be opened by handles 56 is conventional. A housing 58 may hold a water filter 60 used to filter water for the icemaker 52 and/or dispenser 54.
As with known refrigerators, the refrigerator 10 also includes a machinery compartment (not shown) that at least partially contains components for executing a known vapor compression cycle for cooling air. The components include a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator connected in series as a loop and charged with a refrigerant. The evaporator is a type of heat exchanger which transfers heat from air passing over the evaporator to the refrigerant flowing through the evaporator, thereby causing the refrigerant to vaporize. The cooled air is used to refrigerate one or more refrigerator or freezer compartments via fans. Also, a cooling loop can be added to direct cool the icemaker to form ice cubes, and a heating loop can be added to help remove ice from the icemaker. Collectively, the vapor compression cycle components in a refrigeration circuit, associated fans, and associated compartments are conventionally referred to as a sealed system. The construction and operation of the sealed system are well known to those skilled in the art.
As shown, ice dispenser system includes an icemaker assembly 72, an ice bucket assembly 74, and a dispensing motor assembly 76. These elements are mounted to a housing 78 attached to door 38.
Icemaker 72 may be an automatic icemaker that makes a number of ice cubes at a time automatically from a water source. Icemaker 72 may therefore make 6-8 cubes per cycle, for instance, using ice molds 80. Ice cubes are dumped periodically into ice bucket assembly 74 in a conventional fashion. A feeler arm 82 may be provided as a shut off in case ice bucket assembly becomes full or clogged. Accordingly, if an ice cube level in bucket assembly reaches feeler arm 82 causing it to move, then icemaker 72 may be automatically shut off. Similarly, if a user manually moves the feeler arm 82 to the shut off position icemaker 72 may shut off Therefore, icemaker 72 as described is conventional and any variety of automatic icemakers for supplying ice bucket assembly 74 could be used. In alternative embodiments, icemaker 72 may include one or more sensors configured to detect a level of ice within ice bucket assembly 74. When the detected level reaches a threshold level, icemaker 72 may be automatically shut off.
Ice bucket assembly 74 includes an ice bucket 84 having a base 86 with an opening 88 in it for dispensing ice when desired by a user. Ice bucket assembly 74 may further include a rotatable internal arm 90 for assisting in moving ice cubes down and through opening 88 when desired and for breaking up and clumped together ice cubes. A motor (not shown) located within dispensing motor assembly 76 has a drive mechanism 92 which engages a complimentary receiver 94 in ice bucket assembly 74 for rotating arm 90 within ice bucket 84.
Typically, a cover such as plate 96 is provided to shield the motor from moisture above and within ice bucket 94. Plate 96 has an opening 98 corresponding to opening 88 at the base of ice bucket 84. A trap door 100 may be provided in housing 78, either spring loaded to a closed position to be opened by the gravitational force of dispensed ice cubes or mechanically opened for dispensing. Trap door 100 keeps cold air in the freezer compartment 14.
When a user operates a button 99 or paddle (not shown) within dispenser 54 indicating a desire for ice cubes, trap door 100 can open or be opened, the motor can operate internal arm 90 (or auger or other device) within ice bucket 84, etc., to dispense ice to a user. As indicated above, various configurations and locations for these items are possible, and use of various conventional designs for in-door and in-compartment icemakers and buckets are possible.
Icemaker 74, its water source (not shown), and all moving parts described above may be connected to a controller such as controller 34 or a separate controller within refrigeration appliance 10.
In particular, controller(s) 204 can include any number of control devices. In one implementation, for example, controller(s) 204 can include one or more processor(s) and associated memory device(s) configured to perform a variety of computer-implemented functions and/or instructions (e.g. performing the methods, steps, calculations and the like and storing relevant data as disclosed herein). The instructions when executed by the processor can cause the processor to perform operations, including providing control commands to various aspects of refrigeration appliance 10.
As used herein, the term “processor” refers not only to integrated circuits referred to in the art as being included in a computer, but also refers to a controller, a microcontroller, a microcomputer, a programmable logic controller (PLC), an application specific integrated circuit, and other programmable circuits. The processor is also configured to compute advanced control algorithms and communicate to a variety of Ethernet or serial-based protocols (Modbus, OPC, CAN, etc.). Additionally, the memory device(s) may generally comprise memory element(s) including, but not limited to, computer readable medium (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), computer readable non-volatile medium (e.g., a flash memory), a floppy disk, a compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM), a magneto-optical disk (MOD), a digital versatile disc (DVD) and/or other suitable memory elements. Such memory device(s) may generally be configured to store suitable computer-readable instructions that, when implemented by the processor(s), configure controller 104 to perform the various functions as described herein.
Refrigeration appliance 10 can further include a communication system 206 configured to facilitate communication with server 210 and user device 220 via a network 230. Server 210 can include one or more computing devices configured to communicate with refrigeration appliance 10 and/or user device 220 over network 230. As an example, server 210 can be one or more server computing devices. In the instance that a plurality of server computing devices are used, the server computing devices can be arranged according to any suitable computing architecture, including sequential computing architectures, parallel computing architectures, or combinations thereof. User device 220 can be a smartphone, tablet, wearable computing device, laptop computer, personal computer or any other suitable mobile computing device capable of being carried by a user while in operation).
Network 230 can be any type of communications network, such as a local area network (e.g., intranet), wide area network (e.g., Internet), or some combination thereof and can include any number of wired or wireless links. In general, communication between the server 118 and observing entities 112 and 114 can be carried via any type of wired and/or wireless connection, using a wide variety of communication protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, HTTP, SMTP, FTP), encodings or formats (e.g., HTML, XML), and/or protection schemes (e.g., VPN, secure HTTP, SSL).
In example embodiments, icemaker 74 can be controlled to make ice in accordance with a usage profile. The usage profile can correspond to one or more previous interactions between refrigeration appliance 10 and one or more users. In particular, the usage profile can be determined to reflect an amount of ice typically dispensed by refrigeration appliance 10 over one or more time periods. For instance, the usage profile can be determined at least in part from one or more signals indicative of the amount of cycles performed by icemaker 74 during one or more time periods, the number of instances in which ice is dispensed by a dispenser associated with refrigeration appliance 10 over one or more time periods, and/or an accumulated amount of time in which ice is dispensed by the dispenser over one or more time periods. It will be appreciated that various other suitable signals can be used without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure.
The usage profile can be determined by controller(s) 204 or by one or more remote computing devices (e.g. server 210) configured to communicate with refrigeration appliance 10. In the instance wherein the usage profile is determined by server 210, controller(s) 204 may be configured to receive one or more signals indicative of icemaker activity, as described above, and provide the one or more signals to server 210, for instance, via network 230. Server 210 may then determine a usage profile for icemaker 84 based at least in part on the received signals, and provide the usage profile to refrigeration appliance 10.
In further embodiments, icemaker 74 can be controlled such that a maximum amount of ice is stored in refrigeration appliance 10 (e.g. in an ice bucket, such as ice bucket 84). For instance, responsive to a user request, a maximum ice mode can be implemented. During the maximum ice mode, icemaker 74 may not make ice in accordance with the usage profile. In this manner, during the maximum ice mode, the operation of icemaker 74 can be controlled such that ice is made at an increased rate until ice bucket 84 is full of ice. As indicated above, a feeler arm, such as feeler arm 82, can be configured to determine when the ice in ice bucket 84 reaches a maximum level. In alternative embodiments, one or more sensors can be used to determine when the ice reaches a maximum level. During the maximum ice mode, and responsive to the level of ice in ice bucket 84 falling below the maximum level, additional ice can be made to refill ice bucket 84 to the maximum level.
When the maximum ice mode ends, icemaker 84 can resume making ice in accordance with the usage profile. In example embodiments, the maximum ice mode can end upon the expiration of a predetermined time period. The predetermined time period can be set by a user, or can be a determined by controller(s) 204, such that the maximum ice level only lasts for some predetermined time period. In further embodiments, the maximum ice mode may be ceased responsive to a user interaction, for instance, with user device 220 and/or a user interface panel associated with refrigeration appliance 10.
At (302), method (300) can include receiving one or more signals indicative of one or more user interactions with an icemaker. An icemaker can dispense ice responsive to a user interaction with the icemaker indicative of a request for ice. As indicated above, the one or more received signals can be indicative of a number of instances in which the icemaker dispenses ice, a number of ice cycles performed by an icemaker, and/or an accumulated amount of time during which the icemaker dispenses ice. The received signals can correspond to one or more time periods. For instance, the received signals can correspond to one or more hours, days, weeks, etc.
At (304), method (300) can include determining a usage profile for the icemaker. The usage profile can be determined based at least in part on the one or more received signals. The usage profile can correspond to an amount of ice to be made by the icemaker during various time periods. The usage profile can reflect one or more previous interactions between one or more users and the icemaker. For instance, if a refrigerator user lives alone, and generally works from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on weekdays (and thereby requests little ice during these times), the usage profile can indicate that a small amount of ice should be made during these times. If the user is generally home on weekends (and requests more ice), then the usage profile can indicate that an increased amount of ice should be made on weekends to accommodate the increased amount of ice generally requested by the user. As another example, if the user generally sleeps through the night, the usage profile can indicate that a small amount of ice should be made at night.
In example embodiments, the usage profile can be determined during an initial time period. In particular, the initial time period can correspond to a time period immediately following an initial activation of a refrigeration appliance. For instance, the initial time period can be a period of 10 days after a user activates the refrigeration appliance for the first time. The usage profile can be determined based on icemaker activity during the initial time period.
The usage profile can include upper and lower bounds of icemaker activity. The upper and lower bounds can fluctuate over various time periods to reflect the typical ice request patterns of one or more users associated with the refrigeration appliance. Once a usage profile is determined, user interactions with the icemaker can be monitored to determine if the usage profile should be updated. In particular, if an amount of ice requested by a user falls outside of the bounds of the usage profile, the usage profile can be updated based on the variation in activity. The updated usage profile may include adjusted upper and lower bounds. In this manner, the usage profile can adapt to changing user patterns and/or variations in icemaker activity.
At (306), method (300) can include controlling the operation of the icemaker such that the icemaker makes ice in accordance with the usage profile. In particular, one or more control commands can be sent to the icemaker. The one or more control commands can be indicative of an amount to ice to be made at various times. In particular, the amount of ice to be made by the icemaker can be determined based on the usage profile. The amount of ice to be made can further be based on a level of ice currently being stored by a refrigeration appliance. For instance, if there is a sufficient level of ice already being stored by the refrigeration appliance to accommodate the usage profile, no additional ice may be made. The icemaker can then be configured to operate in accordance with the one or more control commands.
As described above, the icemaker can be further configured to make ice in accordance with a maximum ice mode. For instance,
At (404), method (400) can include determining a time to initiate the maximum ice mode. In particular, if no time is specified along with the maximum ice mode request, the determined time may correspond to the current time. However, if a time is specified with the request, the determined time can correspond to an amount of time for which it takes the icemaker to make enough ice to reach a maximum level of ice in an ice bucket. The time it takes to fill an ice bucket to a maximum level of ice can depend on, for instance, the rate at which ice is made, the number of ice cubes made per icemaker cycle, the size of the ice bucket, an amount of ice currently in the ice bucket, etc. For instance, if an icemaker requires 2 hours to fill an ice bucket at a certain rate, the determined time can be a time corresponding to approximately 2 hours before the specified time.
At (406), method (400) can include controlling the operation of the icemaker such that the icemaker begins making ice at the determined time. The icemaker can then make ice until the ice in the ice bucket reaches a maximum level. In alternative embodiments, the operation of the icemaker can be controlled such that, at the determined time, the icemaker increases a rate at which it makes ice. In this manner, the determined time can correspond to an amount of time it takes for the icemaker to fill the ice bucket at the increased rate.
At (408), method (400) can include controlling the operation of the icemaker such that, while operating in accordance with the maximum ice mode, and when the level of ice in the ice bucket falls below the maximum level, the icemaker makes additional ice to refill the ice bucket to the maximum level. In this manner, while the maximum ice mode is implemented, a maximum level of ice can be maintained in the ice bucket.
At (410), method (400) can include receiving a signal indicative of a request to end the maximum ice mode. For instance, in continuing the above example, when the party ends, the user may request that maximum ice mode is ceased (e.g. through interaction with the user device and/or the user interface panel located on the refrigeration appliance). In alternative embodiments, as indicated above, the maximum ice mode can end upon the expiration of a predetermined time period. The time period can be chosen by a user, for instance, to correspond to an amount of time the maximum amount of ice will be needed, or the time period may be predetermined by a controller, such as controller(s) 204.
At (412), method (400) can include, responsive to receiving the request to exit the maximum ice mode, controlling the operation of the icemaker such that the icemaker resumes making ice in accordance with the usage profile. Continuing the above example, once the party ends, the user may require less ice than during the party. In this manner, the icemaker can resume making ice at a rate consistent with the user's previous patterns.
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 languages of the claims.
