Linear Release Ice Machine and Method

This invention generally relates to methods and apparatus for making cubed ice in quantities suitable for restaurants, hotels, motels and the like. More particularly, this invention pertains to a method and apparatus for making cubed ice in quantities significantly greater than provided in the prior art with apparatus of the same size.

This application is co-pending with commonly assigned application Ser. No. 827,083, filed Feb. 7, 1986.

The nearest known prior art to the present invention is the method and apparatus disclosed in Lee, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,408 which has common inventorship with the present invention and is commonly assigned with the present invention. The references cited in U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,408 are of note. Lee, et al. disclose ice maker apparatus including a triple walled stationary evaporator drum disposed with a plurality of equally spaced radially outwardly projecting ridges. Evenly distributed water flow over the drum freezes as a layer of ice on the freezing surface of the drum and the ice is intermittenly removed into broken and sized cubes by a sequentially functioning cutter assembly.

Lee, et al. note that prior art ice makers require the provision of some form of heat to the evaporator drum surface in the removal of ice and that such procedure is energy inefficient since a tremendous amount of energy is expended to freeze, heat, and refreeze the surface upon which the ice is formed. While this statement is generally true, the present invention is in exception in that the mass of material to be heated is very small, the heating cycle is very short, and the transition from freezing, to heating, to freezing, is very rapid, as later shown.

The present invention will produce well shaped "dry" cubes of ice and in quantities much greater than the prior art apparatus of equal size as disclosed in the prior patents.

The principle object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for producing cubed ice in a freezing evaporator and storage structure much greater than can be provided by the prior art.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cubed ice making method and apparatus wherein the unit cost for the cubed ice is much less than that of the prior art of comparable size.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for making cubed ice wherein the ice cubes are well formed, frozen, and maintain a good form and shape when going into storage for use.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide ice cube making apparatus which is comparatively simple in structure, yet very good functionally, in freezing the ice cubes and removing the frozen cubes for subsequent storage.

The foregoing and other objects of the present invention are attained by the method of repetitively making discreet blocks of ice which is performed with apparatus having a plurality of adjacently disposed ice freezing pockets formed with a refrigeration evaporator as the base of each pocket of the pockets, horizontally extending and vertically spaced apart evaporator fins as the sides of the pockets, and horizontally moveable vertical plates as the ends of the pockets. A refrigeration apparatus is provided to alternately freeze the refrigeration evaporator of the ice freezing pockets and very quickly and very briefly heat the refrigeration evaporator directly to loosen the ice blocks from the freezing pockets. Apparatus is provided to apply a force to the vertical plates to urge the plates from a first position horizontally toward a second position until the immediate surfaces of the ice blocks are melted and loosened from the freezing pockets. The vertical plates thereon move the ice blocks within the freezing pockets, then are rapidly returned to the first position which ejects the ice blocks completely from the freezing pockets. The heat exchange within each block of the ice blocks is such that the immediate surface of the ice block, which was melted in the ice pocket, refreezes with the heat causing melting being absorbed by the total ice block. The freezing and ejection cycle as described is repetitive and continuous. The refrigerant plates of the evaporator directly form the base of the ice freezing pockets and these plates, along with the sides of the freezing pockets, are the only mass involved for the rapid change in temperature and the brief heating cycle to loosen the ice blocks from the freezer pockets.

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an ice freeze machine unit of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the freezer unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3--3 of Fig. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 4--4 of FIG. 2 and showing a detailed section of the ice freezer elements of a particular sample of the ice freezer pockets and constituent parts thereof;

FIG. 5 is an elongated sectional view taken along the line 5--5 of FIG. 1 and showing a "kicker" embodiment which may be used to assist ice block ejection;

FIG. 6. is a schematic illustration of the refrigeration apparatus of the present invention and showing the reverse cycle feature for rapidly heating, then cooling, the evaporator plate; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of alternate apparatus for removing blocks of ice.

FIG. 1 shows a freezer unit 12 of the present invention and including an ice cube freezing evaporator structure 14, more clearly shown in FIGS. 2-4. Along each side of the evaporator structure 14 is provided a multiplicity of cube ice freezing pockets 16 best shown in FIG. 1.

Vertically spaced and horizontally extending evaporator fins 18 form sides to the pockets 16.

Vertically extending spaced apart movable, plates 20, form the other sides or ends of the freezer pockets 16.

As best shown in FIG. 4, the bottoms or base of the pockets 16 are formed directly by evaporator walls 26. Walls 26 are connected in spaced apart relation to form two flat surfaces as shown. The walls 26, the fins 18, and spacer members 22 as shown are attached together by means of a soldering material 28 such as silver solder, tin or other suitable non-toxic metal alloy.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a chilled water recirculating system including a circulating pump (not shown) is connected through a pipe 34 to a water distribution pipe 36. Pipe 36 has an even distribution of holes along its length which allow passage of an even flow of water down unto a flow distribution plate 38 which evenly carries the flow of water along the top edge of the evaporator structure 14 thereby allowing an even flow of water off the edge of the plate 38 into successive contact with the fins 18 as the water flows from the plate 38 down across the fins 18 into a sump 40.

It is to be noted, with reference to FIG. 4, that the fins 18 may extend outwardly and slightly downwardly from walls 26.

Water from the sump 40 thereon drains through a pipe 42 into the intake of the pump for recirculation. Water which is removed (by its formation into ice) by the evaporator structure 14 is made up from outside the system through a make up pipe (not shown). A float valve (not shown) or similar device provides water through the make up pipe only as needed.

Two rods 46 are disposed along the evaporator structure 14 and are notched to engage each of the movable, vertical plates 20 as shown in FIGS. 1-4. As the rods 46 are moved in different directions, the rods forceably pivot the vertical plates 20 into different angular positions.

Looking now to FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the rods 46 are connected to transfer bars 50 and 52 which in turn, are connected to springs 62 and 66. An actuator solenoid 60 is mounted through the spring 62 to connect to bar 50. A retraction solenoid 64 is connected through the spring 66 to to connect to bar 52. With the linkage arranged as shown, solenoid 60 is first energized through a switch 61, stretching spring 62, and to some extent spring 66, and thereby urges the plates 20 as shown in FIG. 2 to move in horizontal pivoting motion toward solenoid 60.

However, though being urged to move, the plates 20 do not in fact move until such time as the immediate surfaces of ice blocks in the pockets 16 are sufficiently melted loose to respond to the urging of spring 62 and thereby come loose within the pockets. At this time, the plates 20 do pivot from the positions of FIG. 2 toward solenoid 60 and the ice blocks are thereby partially dislodged within pockets 16.

As soon as plates 20 reach a prescribed position (not shown), a micro-switch (not shown) is actuated to open switch 61 and thereby de-energize activator solenoid 60 and to close a switch 651 and thereby energize the retraction solenoid 64.

Solenoid 64 increases the stretch and consequent urging of tension spring 66 while the spring 62 is released. This action serves to abruptly move or "whip" the plates 20 back through the position shown in FIG. 2 to a position toward solenoid 64. This action forceably ejects the ice from the pockets 16 to be received in a storage bin (not shown) under the freezer unit 12. The solenoid 64 is then released and the freezing cycle is resumed.

The refrigeration apparatus is partially shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 and more completely, though schematically, in FIG. 6. As shown, a liquid refrigerant such as "Freon-12" is stored in an accumulator 68 under pressure. The refrigerant is fed through a liquid line 70 through a expansion control valve 72 to a distributor header 74. From the distributor header 74, the refrigerant is fed into several evaporator channels within walls 26 which are arranged along the walls in parallel arrays by means of the spacers 22 as part of the integral structure shown in Fig. 4. The evaporator feeds into a return suction line 76 which is connected to the suction side of a compressor 78. The refrigerant is compressed by the compressor 78 to a high pressure and temperature and discharged through a discharge line 80 into a water cooled condenser 82 which condenses the hot gas back into a liquid which is drained into accumulator 68 for reuse.

A hot gas bypass line 84 is connected from discharge line 80 through a normally closed solenoid valve 86 and a line 88 into the distributor header 74 as shown, or at an equivalent location.

During a freezing cycle of the freezing evaporator structure 14, the refrigerating apparatus, as shown in FIG. 12, operates normally with the walls 26 freezing ice from the water. At a designated interval, 8.5 minutes being an example, the solenoid 86 is actuated by a switch 87, opening the valve and permitting hot gas to go from compressor 78 through line 84 and line 88 directly into the header 74 and the walls 26.

There is little mass to be heated in the freezing evaporator structure 14 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4. The structure is rapidly heated up by this hot gas to the ice melting point of 32.degree. F. The instant that the immediate surface of ice in pockets 16 comes loose, and the plates 20 are moved to the position shown in FIG. 7 to actuate the micro-switch as previously described, the solenoid of the valve 86 is de-energized, stopping the hot gas circulation and allowing the refrigeration apparatus to resume its freezing mode and function.

In the practice of the method and in the operation of the apparatus as above described, the apparatus 12 is supplied with water and turned on to start the refrigeration apparatus. The water sump 40 is filled with water and recirculated by the circulating pump from the pipe 36 down over the fins 18 as the water 30 shown in FIG. 4. The freezing action of the walls 26 first chill the water in the circulating system and then begins to freeze ice within the pockets 16 as previously described.

The refrigeration apparatus is cycled on a designated time period for (a) a reverse cycle to heat the coils 26 and (b) a freezing cycle to freeze ice in the pockets 16.

An electrical system (not shown) actuates the solenoid 60 and the solenoid of the valve 86 and stops the circulating pump after a prescribed time, 8.5 minutes, for example. The vanes 20 are immediately urged to move the ice blocks within the ice pockets 16. Hot gas is being circulated through the coils 26 to heat the pockets to loosen the ice blocks. The pump is off. After a short period, 0.75 to 1.5 minutes being an example, the ice comes loose within the ice pockets 16, the plates 20 are moved to the prescribed position, and the micro-switch is actuated.

Actuation of the micro-switch energizes the retraction solenoid 64, de-energizes the activator coils solenoid 60, de-energizes the solenoid to valve 86 and starts the pump. The solenoid 64 is de-energized shortly after.

With these actions, the ice is ejected into the storage bin and flow of water over the freezer structure 14 is resumed. The refrigeration apparatus again is freezing and the water 30 is again frozen into ice within the freezer pockets 16 for a succeeding 8.5 minutes. This cycle of making and ejecting ice continues so long as water is supplied and the refrigeration apparatus with its electrical controls continue in operation.

An alternate embodiment of the solenoid system of FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown in FIG. 7. As shown, a cam drive unit 94 is connected through a link 92 to the spring 62. At the outer end of the rods 46 the spring 66 is connected to a fixed support member (not shown) and the solenoid 64 is not used. When actuated, the cam drive 94 places tension on the spring 62 to urge the ice loose as previously described. When the ice comes loose, the previously described micro switch system releases the link 92 in cam drive 94, and releasing the spring 62 from tension. The tension placed in spring 66 by spring 62 then pulls the plates 20 and completely ejects the ice blocks as previously described.

It is to be noted that the water coating on the ice blocks, when the blocks are initially broken loose from the freezer pockets 16, quickly becomes "dry". The ice blocks, after ejection from the freezer pockets 16, become dry because the heat in the water phase is quickly absorbed in the remainder of the ice block.

This feature of having dry ice blocks dropping into the freezer storage compartment differs considerably over previous state of the art apparatus where the ice in the storage bin is usually wet, melting, and fusing together.

It is to be noted that changes and modifications of some substance may be made to the embodiment of the invention as herein illustrated and described, all without departing from the purview and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.