ICE MAKER ASSEMBLY

Abstract: An ice maker assembly and method of assembling the same wherein the electrical connections between electrical struc­ ture carried by the mold (11) and an intermediate support (18), and contacts carried by a control means (17) also mounted to the sup­ port (18) are made solely as an incident of the assembly of the mold (11), support (18) and control means (17). In the illustrated embodi­ ment, the assembly is effected along a single axle. Illus­ tratively, the electrical components so connected include a heater (13) carried by the mold (11), a thermostat (36) carried by the sup­ port (18) for thermal transfer association with the mold (11) in the assembled arrangement of the structure, and a grounding pin (33) carried by the mold (11). The support (18) is provided with suitable openings (31, 32, 35, 39) for passing electrical connection components therethrough to have automatic electrical connection with complementary contact elements (47, 48, 49, 51) carried by the control means (17). The assembled support (18) and control mechanism (17) may be removed as a unit from the mold (11) to provide access to the mold heater (13) and thermostat (36) for facilitated replacement.

Description: This invention relates to an ice maker such as for use in domestic refrigerators and the like. In one form of ice maker, an ice mold and associated mechanism is mounted in the freezer compartment of a domestic refrigerator/freezer apparatus. An excellent example of such an ice maker is illustrated in U.S. Letters Patent 3,276,225. Such ice makers are provided with resistance heaters for heating the mold upon completion of the forming of the ice bodies therein so as to permit freeing of the ice bodies therefrom for dispensing automatically to a subjacent collecting bin. One end of the mold is mounted to a support portion of a control housing. Projecting ends of the mold heaters extend through the support to within the housing where terminating wire leads are attached for connection to other components, as illustrated in Figure 4 of US-A-3,276,225. A thermal overload protection thermostat is mounted to the support for thermal transfer contact with the end wall of the mold. Conventionally, the thermostat is secured to the support by a bracket retained thereto by a screw passing through an eyelet connected to a ground wire, and also threaded into the mold for grounding the mold concurrently. A pair of limit switches are actuated by a cam driven by a drive motor, as illustrated in Figure 15 of Patent US-A-3,276,255. As shown, these elements are mounted to the inside surface of a plate covering the support. Power is provided to the control mechanism through a wiring harness by means of hand-secured electrical connectors, screw terminals, and conventional threaded wire nuts. Such electrical connections are relatively expensive and time consuming, and because of the complexity of the circuitry, errors in effecting such connections occur from time to time in manufacture. Further, if the thermostat or motor requires replacement, the motor and switch assembly must first be removed and the wiring disconnected to permit the desired replacement. If the mold heater requires replacement, the motor and switch assembly must first be removed, and the support separated from the mold to provide access to the heater. This effectively constitutes a disassembly of the entire ice maker. The present invention comprehends an improved ice maker assembly which permits facilitated and economical manufacture of the ice maker and facilitated replacement of the electrical components when necessary. According to the present invention there is provided an ice maker assembly which comprises: an ice mould; electrically operable means carried by the ice mould; mechanically operable means carried by the ice mould; a control housing provided with a support having an aperture; control means provided in the control housing; electrical control means carried by the support; mechanical control means carried by the support; and connecting means attached to the electrically operable means characterised in that the connecting means are so positioned as to extend through the aperture in the support and connect with the electrical control means, and the mechanically operable means are positioned so as to connect to the mechanical control means, as a consequence of assembling the ice maker assembly by connecting the ice mould to the support of the control housing. The assembly of the ice maker assembly may be effected by automated assembly techniques, and more specifically, the interconnections of the electrical components may be effected as an incident of the assembly of the mechanical components of the ice maker. Reversely, replacement of the electrical components may be readily effected without the need for complete disassembly of the ice maker. Preferably the electrically operable means include a mold heater and the connecting means between the mold heater carried by the ice maker mold, first electrical contact means and the electrical control means,e.g. power supply terminals, carried by the control housing, contact means, in turn carried by the support to which one end of the mold is connected, are connected as an incident of the mounting of the mold to the support as a result of the extension of the first electrical contact means, e.g.terminals, on the mold heater through suitable openings in the mold support wall. The mechanically operable means may include an ice ejection means. The present invention may also include the provision of a further aperture or recess in the support wall in which a sensor such as a mold thermal overload thermostat is mounted. Means can be provided for biasing the thermostat outwardly from the support wall or into facial abutment with the end of the mold connected to the support so as to have thermal transfer association with the mold as an incident of the mounting of the mold to the support. The thermostat may also be provided with third electrical contact means, e.g.terminals, which project inwardly through openings in the support wall to make electrical contact with fourth electrical contact means, e.g. terminals, on the control housing. An earth pin may be mounted on the mold and may also extend through an opening in the support wall to provide an earthed connection between the mold and earth means associated with the control means. An end connector of a wiring harness may be mounted on the support to extend though the wall so as to have electrical connection, via fifth electrical contact means, with complementary sixth electrical contact means, e.g. terminals on the control means, also as an incident assembly of the apparatus. Fastening means may be provided for securing the control means and support as a unit to the end of the mold, permitting the control means and support to be removed as a unit by simple axial withdrawal from the projecting terminals of the mold heater, ie. the first electrical contact means. Thus, the mold heater may be readily replaced upon such removal of the assembled control means and support and the apparatus reassembled with the terminals of the replacement mold heater brought through the openings in the support into automatic electrical connection engagement with the terminals in the control means housing, ie. the second electrical contact means. Similarly, upon removal of the control means and support from the end of the mold, the thermostat may be replaced by axial withdrawal from the recess. The replacement thermostat terminals are automatically connected to the terminals in the control means, ie. the fourth electrical contact means, upon installation of the replacement thermostat in the recess by the extension of the terminals thereof through the associated openings in the support wall. The ice maker assembly may further include drive means mounted on the control means and a load associated with the ice mold which may be driven by the drive means, and means for connecting the drive means to the load as an incident of assembly of the ice maker.; The method of assembling an ice maker according to the present invention includes the steps of forming a support having a wall provided with spaced first and second through openings, the wall defining an inner surface and an outer surface defining an outwardly opening recess therein, providing a sensor in the recess, the sensor defining an inner portion, and an outer portion adjacent the outer surface, the sensor having third electrical contact means projecting inwardly from the inner portion through the first through opening, providing an ice mold having an inner surface adjacent the support wall outer surface, the sensor outer surface abutting the ice mold inner surface, the ice mold having first electrical contact means extending from the inner surface through the support wall second through opening, and providing control means juxtaposed to the support wall inner surface, the control means having second electrical contact means positioned to mate with the first electrical contact means, and fourth electrical contact means positioned to mate with the third electrical contact means as an incident of assembly of the ice maker. An ice level sensing arm is, preferably provided for sensing the level of ice bodies made by the ice maker assembly and being collected in a collecting bin for automatically terminating operation of the ice maker when the level reaches a preselected level therein. In the present invention, the ice level sensing or shutoff arm includes an end portion extending through an opening in the support wall and connected to the operator for the shutoff switch carried by the control means. Thus, the removal of the assembled control means and support automatically disconnects the end of the shutoff arm, and the replacement thereof on the end of the mold automatically reconnects the end of the shutoff arm to the switch operator. Thus, the invention comprehends an improved simplified mounting arrangement, permitting automatic electrical connection for facilitated manufacture and servicing in a novel and simple manner. Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein: FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of an ice maker assembly embodying the invention; FIGURE 2 is an elevation of the control means taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1; FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary section taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Figure 2; and FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary section taken substantially along the line 4-4 of Figure 2. In the illustrative embodiment of the present invention as disclosed in the drawing, an ice maker assembly generally designated 10 embodying the invention is shown, in Figure 1, to comprise an ice maker mold 11 having an end portion 12. A U-shaped mold heater 13 is mounted on the mold. Each end of mold heater 13 is provided with an outwardly projecting male terminal 14. A rotatable ejector 15 is driven by a drive motor 16 of a control mechanism 17 removably secured to a support wall 18 cooperatively defining therewith a housing generally designated 19. An ice stripper 20 is mounted on the mold for cooperation with the ejector in harvesting the ice bodies from the mold after they are first loosened therefrom by energization of the heater 13. A U-shaped shutoff arm 21 is provided for sensing the level of ice bodies collected in a receptacle (not shown) subjacent the ice maker and includes an outer inturned end 22 pivotally mounted on a water inlet element 23 removably carried on an outer end portion 24 of the mold. An inner turned end 25 of the shutoff arm 21 extends through an opening in support wall 18 to be driven by the control mechanism 17 in effecting the automatic level sensing operation of the mechanism in the conventional manner. The ice maker assembly further includes a wiring harness 26 having an outer connector 27 for receiving electrical power for operating the mechanism. The opposite end of the harness is provided with a female connector 28 which projects through an opening 31 in the support wall 18. As further shown in Figure 1, support wall 18 further defines a pair of spaced through openings 32 for passing the inner ends and terminals 14 of the mold heater 13 therethrough. A grounding pin 33 is pressed into the inner end portion 12 of mold 11 in a suitable recess 34 thereof to extend through a through opening 35 in the support wall 18, as an incident of the assembly of the mold to the support wall. A mold temperature-responsive thermostat 36 is removably mounted in an outwardly opening recess 37 in the support wall 18 and includes a pair of male terminals 38 projecting through a pair of through openings 39 in the support wall at the inner end of the recess 37. Thermostat 36 is resiliently biased outwardly into facial engagement with the end portion 12 of mold 11 when the mold is assembled to the support 18, thereby providing improved heat transfer contact between the thermostat and mold end portion. At the same time, the mold end portion urges the thermostat firmly into the recess 37 for desired disposition of the terminals 38 in extension through the openings 39. For details of the thermostat mounting, reference is made to US-A-4,649,712. A pair of screws 40 extend through the support wall 18 into threaded holes 41 in the end portion 12 of the mold for securing the mold to the support wall 18. A pair of openings 42 are provided in the outer wall 43 of the control mechanism 17 to permit threading of screws 40 into and from threaded openings 41 therethrough. Screws 44 extend through wall 43 into threaded holes 45 in the support wall 18 for removably securing the control mechanism to the support wall. When so secured, openings 42 register with the screws 40, permitting the assembled control mechanism 17 and support wall 18 to be maintained as a unit while permitting removal of the mold from the support wall to expose the mold heater and thermostat 36, as for replacement thereof. Referring to Figure 2, the interconnection between the elements extending inwardly through the support wall 18 into association with control mechanism 17 are illustrated in greater detail. Thus, the end 25 of shutoff arm 21 is removably received within a recess 3 of a shutoff switch on actuator 46 mounted on the inner surface of the control mechanism wall 43. Heater terminals 14 are electrically connected to the female contacts 47 of control mechanism 17 solely as an incident of the mounting of the mold 11 on the housing 19, comprising the control mechanism 17 mounted on support 18. Similarly, thermostat terminals 38 are electrically connected to the female contacts 48 of control mechanism I? solely as an incident of the mounting of the thermostat in the recess 37 of support wall 18, with the control mechanism 17 mounted on the support wall. Ground pin 33 is electrically connected to the female contact 49 solely as an incident of the mounting of the mold 11 on the support wall 18, with the control mechanism 17 mounted thereon. The female contacts 50 of harness connector 28 are electrically connected to male terminals 51 of the control mechanism solely as an incident of the snap-fit mounting of connector 28 to the support wall 18, with the control mechanism 17 mounted thereto. Illustrative arrangements of the electrical connections are illustrated in greater detail in Figures 3 and 4, it being understood that any suitable electrically connecting means which may be connected axially may be utilized within the scope of the invention. As further shown in Figure 1, the ice ejector 15 includes an end portion 52, which is mechanically connected to the control mechanism 17 as an incident of the mounting of the mold 11 to the support 18, with the control mechanism 17 mounted thereto. The novel arrangement of the ice maker assembly according to the present invention facilitates the use of automated equipment in the assembly thereof. Thus, the mold assembly, including the heater 13, water inlet element 23, ice ejector 15, and ice stripper 20 assembled thereto, is mounted on the support wall 18, with the thermostat 36 installed in the recess 37 of the support wall. The control mechanism may be mounted on the support wall prior to the mounting of the mold and thermostat thereto, or may be mounted on the support wall subsequently thereto, as desired. In either method of assembly, the electrical connections are made solely as an incident of the assembly of the mold, support wall, and control mechanisms. As indicated above, the provision of the openings 42 in the control mechanism wall 43 permits the replacement of the heater and thermostat, as desired, without the need for disassembly of the control mechanism from the support wall 18 by providing suitable access to the screws 40 removably mounting the support wall 18 on the end portion 12 of mold 11.

Claims: An ice maker assembly which comprises: an ice mould; electrically operable means carried by the ice mould; mechanically operable means carried by the ice mould; a control housing provided with a support having an aperture; control means provided in the control housing; electrical control means carried by the support; mechanical control means carried by the support; and connecting means attached to the electrically operable means characterised in that the connecting means are so positioned as to extend through the aperture in the support and connect with the electrical control means, and the mechanically operable means are positioned so as to connect to the mechanical control means, as a consequence of assembling the ice maker assembly by connecting the ice mould to the support of the control housing. An ice maker assembly according to claim 1, wherein the electrically operable means includes a mould heater. An ice maker assembly according to claim 2, wherein the connecting means includes first electrical contact means connected to the heater and the electrical control means includes second electrical contact means connected to the first electrical contact means, the first and second electrical contact means being interconnected as a consequence of the assembly of the ice maker assembly. An ice maker assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the mechanically operable means includes an ice ejection means. An ice maker assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the support has a wall juxtaposed to the ice mould, which wall is provided with a sensor which is biased into contact with the ice mould, and wherein the connecting means further includes third electrical contact means extending from the sensor and the electrical control means further includes fourth electrical contact means characterised in that the arrangement is such that the third and fourth electrical contact means are positioned so as to interconnect as a consequence of the assembly of the ice maker assembly. An ice maker assembly according to claims 5, wherein the sensor is contained in a recess provided in the wall which recess opens towards the ice mould. An ice maker assembly according to claims 5, wherein the sensor is received in a further aperture provided in the wall. An ice maker assembly according to claim 5, 6, or 7, wherein the sensor is a thermostat. An ice maker assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the ice mould is provided with an earth pin extending through yet a further aperture in the support and the electrical control means includes earthing means characterised in that the arrangement is such that the earth pin is positioned so as to connect with the earthing means as a consequence of the assembly of the ice maker assembly.

Inventors: PADDOCK, STEPHEN W., TATE, RALPH JR.
Applicants: WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION
Application year: 1986
Main classification: F25C1
IPC codes: F25C5, F25C1