Patent Publication Number: US-11639821-B2

Title: Control logic for compact ice making system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application is a Divisional Application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/643,591, filed Jul. 7, 2017, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure relates generally to a refrigerator appliance and to an ice making system disposed in a dedicated ice compartment of the refrigerator appliance. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to the control logic for controlling a compact ice making system for use in a slimline ice compartment having a side-by-side ice maker and ice bucket. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In general, refrigerator appliances, such as for household use, typically have a bulky ice compartment for making and storing ice located within the fresh food compartment. The ice compartment assembly has an over-under arrangement where the ice maker is positioned on top and the ice bucket is located underneath the ice maker within the ice compartment. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     On the other hand, making the ice compartment and bucket larger especially in the vertical height direction takes up too much volume in the fresh food compartment, thereby making it less desirable to customers/users. In this regard, customers/users want to maximize the volume of the fresh food compartment for the storage of fresh food items. Making the ice compartment taller also limits a design to be used only on taller doors (for example, it would not be useable in models with more than 1 drawer and two doors), and/or require the ice and water dispenser to be positioned at a lower position which is not ergonomically optimum for customers/users. 
     An apparatus consistent with the present disclosure is directed to a self-contained, dedicated compartment for producing and storing ice, without using cold air that is produced outside of the ice compartment and then ducted to and from the ice compartment. 
     An apparatus consistent with the present disclosure is directed to a slimline ice compartment which takes up less volume in the fresh food compartment and results in faster ice production. 
     An apparatus consistent with the present disclosure results in a significant reduction of the internal volume that the ice compartment takes up inside the fresh food compartment, as it combines an ice tray and an evaporator into an over-molded, single piece with the bottom of the ice maker (a metallic tray portion) also acting as an evaporator for the ice compartment. This in turn eliminates the need for an additional evaporator to cool the air inside the insulated ice compartment. 
     An apparatus consistent with the present disclosure results in a much higher ice production, as the evaporator cooling tube is in direct contact with the ice maker tray portion of the ice maker tray/evaporator, and this in turn reduces the time to fill the ice bucket. In particular, the ice maker tray/evaporator of the present disclosure freezes the water in the mold cavities very fast, since the ice maker tray portion temperature runs as cold as the refrigerant is evaporated. 
     An apparatus consistent with the present disclosure is directed to a slimline ice compartment having a side-by-side ice maker and ice bucket. 
     An apparatus consistent with the present disclosure is directed to control logic for controlling the compact ice making system disposed inside the slimline ice compartment. The control logic can be divided into three main blocks: 1) ice making; 2) ice harvesting; and 3) ice maintenance. 
     According to one aspect, the present disclosure provides a refrigerator including a fresh food compartment; a freezer compartment; an ice compartment disposed in the fresh food compartment; an ice maker assembly disposed in the ice compartment, the ice maker assembly including an ice maker tray/evaporator having an evaporator cooling tube which is in direct contact with an ice maker tray portion; a tray temperature sensor for sensing a temperature of the ice maker tray portion; an ice bucket for storing ice, the ice bucket being disposed in the ice compartment; and a controller configured to control ice making, ice harvesting, and ice maintenance based on the tray temperature sensed by the tray temperature sensor, wherein the tray temperature sensor is the only temperature sensor used to control ice making, ice harvesting, and ice maintenance. 
     According to another aspect, the ice maker assembly and the ice bucket are arranged side-by-side in a horizontal direction within the ice compartment. 
     According to another aspect, no portion of the ice bucket is located below the ice maker assembly when the ice maker assembly is projected downward in a vertical height direction. 
     According to another aspect, the ice compartment is disposed in an upper corner of the fresh food compartment. 
     According to another aspect, the refrigerator is a French door-bottom mount configuration having the fresh food compartment on top and the freezer compartment below the fresh food compartment. 
     According to another aspect, the ice compartment is disposed in an upper left hand corner of the fresh food compartment. 
     According to another aspect, the ice bucket is removably mounted in the ice compartment. 
     According to another aspect, the ice compartment has a thin dimension in a vertical height direction H of approximately 5.6 inches±2.0 inches, and wherein the ice compartment has a horizontal width W of approximately 10.4 inches±2.0 inches. 
     According to another aspect, the ice bucket has a front cover, and the front cover has an opening in a bottom portion for discharging pieces of ice. 
     According to another aspect, the fresh food compartment includes a door, and further comprising an ice chute for an ice dispenser and being disposed in the door, the ice chute being configured to communicate with the opening in the front cover via an ice chute extension. 
     According to another aspect, the evaporator cooling tube is formed of at least one of copper or a copper alloy. 
     According to another aspect, the ice maker tray portion is formed of at least one of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. 
     According to another aspect, a bottom portion of the ice maker tray/evaporator includes evaporator fins which extend downward substantially vertically. 
     According to another aspect, an air handler is disposed at a rear portion of the ice compartment behind the ice bucket. 
     According to another aspect, the air handler comprises an air passage having a motor driven fan disposed therein, wherein an inlet of the motor driven fan communicates with an airflow passage under the ice maker tray/evaporator, such that the motor driven fan creates a suction and draws cool air from the ice maker tray/evaporator and discharges the cool air through the air passage and to the ice bucket to prevent any ice pieces in the ice bucket from melting. 
     According to another aspect, the evaporator cooling tube is die cast over-molded inside the ice maker tray portion to form a one piece unit, such that the evaporator cooling tube is in direct contact with the ice maker tray portion. 
     According to another aspect, the tray temperature sensor is attached to at least one of the ice maker tray portion or a lower evaporator portion of the ice maker tray/evaporator. 
     According to another aspect, the tray temperature sensor is disposed on an outer portion of a gear box of the ice maker assembly and facing the ice maker tray/evaporator. 
     According to another aspect, the tray temperature sensor is the only temperature sensor located in the ice compartment. 
     According to another aspect, the tray temperature sensor comprises a thermistor. 
     According to another aspect, the during ice making, a refrigerant valve directs refrigerant in a liquid state through the evaporator cooling tube that is in direct contact with the ice maker tray portion, and the motor driven fan circulates air through the airflow passage under the ice maker tray/evaporator and discharges the cool air through the air passage of the air handler and to the ice bucket. 
     According to one aspect, the present disclosure provides a refrigerator comprising: a fresh food compartment; a freezer compartment; an ice compartment disposed in the fresh food compartment; an ice maker assembly disposed in the ice compartment, the ice maker assembly including an ice maker tray/evaporator having an evaporator cooling tube which is in direct contact with an ice maker tray portion, and a gear box for housing gears and a motor for driving a rotatable shaft for ice ejector fingers; a tray temperature sensor for sensing a temperature of the ice maker tray/evaporator; an additional temperature sensor which is at least one of disposed inside the gear box for sensing a temperature of a housing of the gear box, or disposed in a body of an electric motor driven fan which is disposed in the ice compartment; an ice bucket for storing ice, the ice bucket being disposed in the ice compartment; and a controller configured to control ice making, ice harvesting, and ice maintenance based on the temperature of the ice maker tray/evaporator sensed by the tray temperature sensor and based on the temperature of the housing of the gear box sensed by the additional temperature sensor, wherein the tray temperature sensor and the additional temperature sensor are the only temperature sensors used to control ice making, ice harvesting, and ice maintenance. 
     According to another aspect, the housing of the gear box is plastic and the additional temperature sensor senses a temperature of the plastic housing of the gear box. 
     According to another aspect, the additional temperature sensor is built into the body of the electric motor driven fan. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
       The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
         FIG.  1    illustrates a fragmentary front perspective view of a French door-bottom mount style refrigerator with the doors open to reveal the slimline ice compartment according to an exemplary embodiment consistent with present disclosure; 
         FIG.  2    is an exploded perspective view of the complete ice maker/ice bucket/ice compartment assembly according to an exemplary embodiment consistent with present disclosure; 
         FIG.  3 A  is a top view of the complete ice maker/ice bucket/ice compartment assembly according to an exemplary embodiment consistent with present disclosure; 
         FIG.  3 B  is an exploded perspective view of the ice maker assembly according to an exemplary embodiment consistent with present disclosure; 
         FIG.  4 A  is a fragmentary cutaway side elevational view showing the complete ice maker/ice bucket/ice compartment assembly according to an exemplary embodiment consistent with present disclosure; 
         FIG.  4 B  is a fragmentary side elevational view showing the exterior of the ice compartment inside the refrigerator compartment according to an exemplary embodiment consistent with present disclosure; 
         FIG.  5    is an exploded perspective view of a U-shaped ice compartment assembly according to an exemplary embodiment consistent with present disclosure; 
         FIG.  6    is a perspective view of the ice maker assembly according to an exemplary embodiment consistent with present disclosure; 
         FIGS.  7 A,  7 B, and  7 C  are various perspective views of the ice maker assembly showing the air flow and the evaporator fins according to an exemplary embodiment consistent with present disclosure; 
         FIGS.  8 A,  8 B, and  8 C  are various views of the ice maker assembly being mounted to the foamed-in bracket according to an exemplary embodiment consistent with present disclosure; 
         FIG.  9    is an illustration of a controller showing the control logic for controlling the ice maker system according to an exemplary embodiment consistent with present disclosure; 
         FIG.  10    shows a freezer compartment/icemaker refrigerant circuit according to an exemplary embodiment consistent with present disclosure; 
         FIG.  11    shows an exploded perspective view of the cube/crush DC motor and reed switch assembly according to an exemplary embodiment consistent with present disclosure. 
         FIGS.  12 A,  12 B,  12 C, and  12 D  show various views of ice bucket and ice gate assembly according to an exemplary embodiment consistent with present disclosure; and 
         FIGS.  13 A,  13 B, and  13 C  show various views of a portion of the ice maker assembly to illustrate the use of two thermistors. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     The exemplary embodiments set forth below represent the necessary information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the invention and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure and the accompanying claims. 
     Moreover, it should be understood that terms such as top, bottom, front, rearward, upper, lower, upward, downward, and the like used herein are for orientation purposes with respect to the drawings when describing the exemplary embodiments and should not limit the present invention. Also, terms such as substantially, approximately, and about are intended to allow for variances to account for manufacturing tolerances, measurement tolerances, or variations from ideal values that would be accepted by those skilled in the art. 
       FIG.  1    illustrates a front perspective view of a French door-bottom mount style refrigerator  100  with the doors open to reveal the slimline ice compartment  200  according to an exemplary embodiment consistent with present disclosure. More specifically, the refrigerator  100  includes an insulated body having a freezer compartment  101  (bottom mount style) covered by a freezer door  102 , and a fresh food compartment  103  (also referred to as a refrigerator compartment  103 ) located above the freezer compartment  101  and having two refrigerator doors  104  and  105  (French door style) which are shown in the open position. While two refrigerator doors are shown, clearly a single refrigerator door could be used, or more than two doors such as with door-in-door configurations. The shelves and food racks have been removed from inside the fresh food compartment  103  and from the inside of the refrigerator doors  104  and  105  for ease of understanding. The left door  104  includes a projecting housing portion  106  on the inner liner and which accommodates a water and ice dispenser assembly (not visible) accessible by the user on the front side of the door  104 . An opening  107  of a dispenser ice chute (not visible) for guiding ice to the dispenser is arranged at the top of the projecting housing portion  106 . As will be described in more detail below, the dispenser ice chute communicates with an opening in a front cover of the ice bucket via an ice chute extension  108 . The inner liner side walls of the fresh food compartment  103  include protrusions  109  for supporting shelving (not shown). The right door  105  includes projections  110  for supporting door racks (not shown). Also shown in  FIG.  1    are air openings  111  for cold air to enter into the fresh food compartment  103  (see the smaller elongated slots) and an opening  111 ′ for return air to exit the fresh food compartment  103  (see the larger square opening on the bottom left). The freezer compartment is typically set at −18° C. or colder, and the fresh food compartment is typically set in a range of 1° C. to 4° C. 
     The slimline ice compartment  200  is disposed in an upper left hand corner of the fresh food compartment  103 . The slimline ice compartment  200  can be located at other positions within the fresh food compartment  103 , in one of the refrigerator doors  104 ,  105 , or even in the freezer compartment  101  if desired, especially in a side-by-side freezer/refrigerator configuration. The slimline ice compartment  200  has a thin dimension in a vertical height direction H of approximately 5.6 inches±2.0 inches and has a horizontal width W of approximately 10.4 inches±2.0 inches. 
       FIG.  2    is an exploded perspective view of the complete ice maker/ice bucket/ice compartment assembly  200 A (hereinafter referred to as “the complete ice maker compartment assembly  200 A”) according to an exemplary embodiment consistent with present disclosure. More specifically, the complete ice maker compartment assembly  200 A includes an ice maker assembly  210 , an air handler/auger motor assembly  220 , an ice compartment housing assembly  230 , a cube/crush DC motor and reed switch assembly  240 , and the ice bucket assembly  250 .  FIG.  3 A  is a top view of the complete ice maker compartment assembly  200 A according to an exemplary embodiment consistent with present disclosure. Aspects of each of the individual assemblies  210 - 250  will be discussed in more detail below in connection with the remaining drawings. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  2 ,  3 A, and  3 B , the ice maker assembly  210  (which includes an ice maker  211 ) and the ice bucket assembly  250  (which includes an ice bucket  251 ) are arranged side-by-side or next to each other in a horizontal direction within the ice compartment housing assembly  230 . In other words, no portion of the ice bucket  251  is located below the ice maker  211  when the ice maker  211  is projected downward in a vertical height direction. 
     With reference to the exploded view of  FIG.  3 B , the ice maker assembly  210  includes an ice maker tray/evaporator  212  having an evaporator cooling tube  213  (formed of at least one of copper or a copper alloy, for example) which is, for example, die cast over-molded inside an ice maker tray portion  212 A (formed of at least one of aluminum, an aluminum alloy, or other die cast alloys, for example), such that the evaporator cooling tube  213  is embedded in and thus in direct contact with the ice maker tray portion  212 A so as to form the ice maker tray/evaporator  212  as a one piece unit. Preferably, but not necessarily, the evaporator cooling tube  213  is formed of copper and the ice maker tray portion  212 A is formed of aluminum. Alternatively, the ice maker tray/evaporator  212  is made in two halves. The evaporator cooling tube  213  has an evaporator tube inlet  214 A with a capillary connection (i.e., the end is swaged and connected to a capillary tube), and an evaporator cooling tube outlet (suction tube)  214 B. 
     As shown in  FIG.  10   , the evaporator cooling tube  213  (see  FIG.  3 B ) is connected in a refrigerant circuit  500 . The refrigerant circuit  500  includes the ice maker tray/evaporator  212  connected by the evaporator cooling tube outlet (suction tube)  214 B in series with a freezer compartment evaporator  504  which is in turn connected to an accumulator  505 , a compressor  506 , a condenser  507 , and a drier  508 , and then connects to the evaporator tube inlet  214 A having the capillary connection. The refrigerant circuit  500  also includes a bypass line  509  with capillary tube  510  and a refrigerant valve  511  which is located prior to the evaporator tube inlet  214 A with the capillary connection in order to bypass the ice maker tray/evaporator  212  and communicate the refrigerant to the freezer compartment evaporator  504 . The evaporator tube inlet  214 A and the evaporator cooling tube outlet  214 B are joined to the foamed-in refrigerator cabinet tubes (which are disposed in the insulated space at the rear of the refrigerator  100 ) by brazing or by a lock ring. The fresh food compartment  103  can use cold air selectively ducted by a damper  512  in a cold air supply  513  from the freezer compartment  101  and returned in a warm air return  514  (see  FIG.  10   ), or can be part of a separate, independent refrigerant circuit having its own compressor, condenser, drier, capillary tube, and evaporator. 
     With reference to  FIGS.  2 ,  3 A,  3 B,  6 , and  7 C , the ice maker tray portion  212 A of the ice maker tray/evaporator  212  includes a mold with a plurality of cavities  212 ′ for receiving water for making ice pieces (see  FIG.  3 B ). The ice maker tray/evaporator  212  includes molded evaporator fins F (see  FIG.  7 C ) extending vertically downward from the bottom thereof and into an airflow passage P under the ice maker tray/evaporator  212 . The evaporator fins F preferably extend down very close to the bottom surface of a form-fitted metal  219 D which forms a defrost tray to avoid ice building up on the defrost tray at  219 D (see  FIG.  7 C ). Also, freezing the water in the plurality of cavities  212 ′ from bottom to top is desirable as most of the salts dissolved as precipitates as the water temperature is brought down will be away from the ice tray surfaces thereby reducing accumulation (scale buildup) on the bottom of the ice tray, which in turn can cause problems of ejecting the ice pieces as the refrigerator appliance ages and/or if used in hard water regions. 
     As best shown in  FIGS.  3 A,  3 B,  4 A,  6 ,  7 B, and  7 C , an ice maker guard  215  is fastened to the side of the ice maker tray/evaporator  212  facing the ice bucket  251 . The ice maker guard  215  includes a plurality of projections or fingers  215 ′. Ejector fingers  216  are arranged on a rotatable shaft  216 ′ and are movable in spaces between the projections  215 ′. An ice maker bracket  217  is disposed above the mold with a plurality of cavities  212 ′ and includes a water fill cup  217 ′ for directing water into the cavities  212 ′. The ice maker bracket  217  is attached via fasteners (for example, four screws S) to the ice maker tray/evaporator  212 . The ice maker bracket  217  also includes a plurality (for example three) of mounting hooks H 1  on a top surface thereof for engaging corresponding mounting members M 1  formed in a foamed-in bracket B which is part of the refrigerator structure (see  FIGS.  8 A,  8 B, and  8 C ). The mounting hooks H 1  allow the ice maker assembly  210  to be easily assembled to an inner top wall or liner  103 ′ of the fresh food compartment  103  via the foamed-in bracket B as shown in  FIGS.  8 A- 8 C .  FIG.  7 B  shows a wire harness WH for connecting the ice maker assembly  210  to the refrigerator  100 . The wire harness WH may be connected to corresponding connectors (not shown) in, for example, the inner top wall  103 ′ of the fresh food compartment  103  at a location within the ice compartment  200 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  3 B , a defrost heater DH in the form of a loop is disposed under the ice maker tray/evaporator  212  and is operative to heat the ice maker tray/evaporator  212  during a harvest mode to release the pieces of ice for harvesting the pieces of ice and also serves to prevent any ice or frost buildup on the ice maker tray/evaporator  212  including underneath the same including on the evaporator fins F and on form-fitted metal  219 D of the defrost tray (see  FIG.  7 C ). The defrost heater DH can be easily replaced when service is required. 
     As best shown in  FIGS.  2 ,  3 A,  3 B,  6 ,  8 A, and  13 A- 13 C , a gear box  218  is positioned at a front end portion (facing the front of the refrigerator) of the ice maker tray/evaporator  212  and includes gears (see  FIG.  13 C ) and a motor (not shown) for driving the rotatable shaft  216 ′ and the bail arm or optical sensor system (not shown) that senses the amount of ice pieces in the ice bucket  251 . A temperature or tray sensor such as a thermistor T is disposed on an outer portion of the gear box  218  facing the ice maker tray/evaporator  212  (see  FIG.  3 B ). Alternatively, the thermistor T can be disposed directly on the ice maker tray/evaporator  212  (see  FIG.  10   , and also see thermistor T 1  as discussed below with respect to  FIGS.  13 A,  13 B, and  13 C ). In this regard, there is no air temperature control inside the slimline ice compartment  200 , rather the ice maker tray/evaporator  212  and an electric motor driven fan  222  (discussed in more detail below) within the ice compartment  200  are controlled using the thermistor T which directly monitors the ice/ice maker tray/evaporator  212  temperatures to cycle the motor driven fan  222  and bi-stable refrigerant valve  511  “ON” and “OFF” in order to keep the temperature inside the ice compartment  200  within established limits. 
     Moreover, instead of just the one thermistor T, an additional temperature sensor may be disposed inside the gear box  218  and sense the temperature of a plastic housing of the gear box  218 . In particular,  FIGS.  13 A,  13 B, and  13 C  show various views of a portion of the ice maker assembly  210  to illustrate the use of two thermistors T 1  and T 2 .  FIG.  13 A  is a schematic drawing showing the general locations of the thermistors T 1  and T 2  with respect to the gear box  218  (although both thermistors T 1  and T 2  are shown with broken lines in  FIG.  13 A  as they are covered by the gear box  218 ). As best shown in  FIG.  13 B , the tray thermistor T 1  extends from the gear box and the wires TW are routed inside the gear box  218 . As shown in  FIG.  13 C , the tray thermistor T 1  is inserted inside the ice maker tray/evaporator  212  in order to sense the temperature of the ice maker tray/evaporator  212  (note that in  FIG.  13 C , a portion of the gear box  218  is removed for ease of understanding). The additional sensor T 2  is disposed on the inside of the gear box  218  at a location as shown, for example but not limited to, in  FIG.  13 A , and senses the temperature of the plastic gear box housing  218 ′. The additional sensor T 2  may be disposed next to an optical sensor (not shown) for sensing the ice level in the ice bucket  251 . The optical sensor may be attached, for example, to the gear box  218  and be snapped in as separate part. Still further, the additional temperature sensor may be built into a body of the electric motor driven fan  222  (see the additional temperature sensor T 2 ′ (e.g., a thermistor) in  FIG.  3 A ). 
     As best shown in  FIGS.  2 ,  3 B,  6 ,  7 A- 7 C, and  8 A , a drain assembly  219  having insulation  219 A and  219 A′ (formed from, for example, expanded polypropylene (EPP)), a metal (for example, aluminum) drain plate  219 B, and a collar  219 C is positioned under and attached with the ice maker tray/evaporator  212 . While the metal drain plate  219 B is shown in  FIG.  3 B  as a flat metal plate, it can also be form-fitted to the insulation  219 A to form the defrost tray as shown at  219 D in  FIG.  7 C . The drain assembly  219  is configured with an angle toward the rear so as to drain any water from a defrost mode of the ice maker assembly  210  away from a rear end portion (see  FIGS.  6  and  7 C ) of the ice maker assembly  210  and communicates with tubing (not shown) which in turn communicates with an evaporation tray (not shown) in a machine room of the refrigerator  100 . The drain assembly  219  also cooperates with the bottom of the ice maker tray/evaporator  212  to form the airflow passage P under the ice maker tray/evaporator  212  and through the evaporator fins F. 
     With reference to  FIGS.  2 ,  3 A, and  4 A , the air handler/auger motor assembly  220  is disposed at the rear portion of the slimline ice compartment  200 . The air handler/auger motor assembly  220  includes an air guide AG with an air passage  221  having the electric motor driven fan  222  disposed therein. Although the electric motor driven fan  222  is shown with a vertical orientation, the electric motor driven fan  222  can also be oriented horizontally in a vertical portion of the air passage  221 . The air passage  221  is located at an upper portion of the air handler/auger motor assembly  220 . The air passage  221  communicates with a rear end portion P 2  (see  FIGS.  6  and  7 B ) of the airflow passage P under the ice maker tray/evaporator  212 . An inlet of the electric motor driven fan  222  communicates with the airflow passage P under the ice maker tray/evaporator  212  and through the evaporator fins F such that the electric motor driven fan  222  creates a suction and draws cool air from the ice maker tray/evaporator  212  and discharges the cool air through the air passage  221  and either over or around the ice bucket  251  to prevent the ice pieces from melting. The cool or cold air that circulates inside the ice compartment  200  is only required to keep the ice compartment  200  cold enough to prevent ice stored in the ice bucket  251  from melting which is normally below −3° C. and preferably, but not necessarily, around −5° C. The air passage  221  makes a substantially 90 degree turn and widens prior to emptying into the ice bucket  251 . An auger motor  223  is located at a lower portion of the air handler/auger motor assembly  220 . The auger motor  223  includes a motor shaft  224  that is connected via a coupler  225  to an auger member  226  such as a coiled auger wire or tube or the like. The other end of the auger member  226  is connected to an auger drum  226 ′ which guides the ice pieces to the crushing blades and the opening in the front cover which are discussed later. 
     The air handler/auger motor assembly  220  includes a plurality (for example four) of mounting hooks H 2  on the top surface  227  (see  FIG.  2   ) for engaging corresponding mounting members M 2  (shown schematically in  FIGS.  8 A and  8 B ) formed in the foamed-in bracket B which is part of the refrigerator structure for mounting the air handler/auger motor assembly  220  to the fresh food compartment  103 . The air handler/auger motor assembly  220  may also include one or more vertical mounting plates  228  with fastener holes  229  (see  FIG.  2   ) for further mounting the air handler/auger motor assembly  220  to an inner back wall or liner  103 ″ of the fresh food compartment  103  via fasteners such as screws (not shown). 
     As best shown in  FIGS.  2 ,  4 B, and  5   , one embodiment of the ice compartment housing assembly  230  is formed by a U-shaped, insulated housing  231  that cooperates with the inner top wall  103 ′ and the inner back wall  103 ″ of the fresh food compartment  103 . As best shown in  FIG.  4 B , the U-shaped, insulated housing  231  is contoured to fit the shape of the inner top wall  103 ′ and an inner back wall  103 ″ of the fresh food compartment  103 . The U-shaped, insulated housing  231  includes a U-shaped outer wall  232 , a U-shaped insulation  233  (formed of, for example, expanded polypropylene (EPP), expanded polystyrene (EPS), vacuum insolated panel (VIP)), a U-shaped inner wall  234 , a gasket  235  that is disposed between an edge of the U-shaped, insulated housing  231  and the inner top wall  103 ′ and the inner back wall  103 ″ of the fresh food compartment  103 , and a housing collar  236  that is disposed on an open front portion of the U-shaped, insulated housing  231 , the housing collar  236  having an opening  236 ′ therein for receiving the ice bucket  251 . The gasket  235  may be an extruded gasket formed from, for example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) that is rubberized, and that is inserted into a groove that is formed along the edge of the U-shaped, insulated housing  231 . The U-shaped, insulated housing  231  includes an inner L-shaped positioning wall PW (see  FIG.  5   ) for positioning the U-shaped, insulated housing into position over the ice maker assembly  210 . The U-shaped, insulated housing  231  also includes locating extensions E (for example, two extensions E) extending from a lower rear portion of the edge, the locating extensions E being configured to fit into a bracket (not shown) positioned in the inner back wall  103 ″ of the fresh food compartment  103 . Moreover, the housing collar  236  having the opening  236 ′ therein for receiving the ice bucket  251  further includes a plurality of fastener holes  238  configured to receive fasteners (for example, three screws, not shown) for fastening the U-shaped, insulated housing  231  to the inner top wall  103 ′ of the fresh food compartment  103 . With such a construction, the U-shaped, insulated housing  231  is slid into position in the upper left hand corner of the fresh food compartment  103  and over the ice maker assembly  210  and then held in place by the locating extensions E at the lower rear portion and the fasteners in the holes. The insulated housing  231  is not limited to a U-shape and can also be other shapes such as, for example, L-shaped. 
     With reference to  FIGS.  2 ,  3 A,  4 A,  11 , and  12 A- 12 C , the cube/crush DC motor and reed switch assembly  240  is disposed within the ice compartment housing assembly  230  at a location in front of the ice maker assembly  210  and is mounted, for example, to a back wall of the housing collar  236  or similar. The cube/crush DC motor and reed switch assembly  240  is used to control whether cubed or crushed ice is delivered to the user. More specifically, the ice bucket or bin  251  has an ice bucket outlet opening  252  (seen from bottom in  FIGS.  12 B and  12 D ) in a front cover C through which ice pieces are delivered, as will be described in more detail below. As shown in  FIGS.  12 A and  12 C , the ice bucket outlet opening  252  has an ice gate  253  that pivots, such that the ice gate  253  opens or closes. When the ice gate  253  is closed (see  FIGS.  12 C and  12 D ), it forces the ice pieces, such as in the shape of cubes, towards a plurality of crushing blades  254  (for example, when “crushed” ice is selected by the user). On the other hand, when “cubed” ice is selected by the user, the ice gate  253  opens (see  FIGS.  12 A and  12 B ) thus allowing the ice cubes to come out through the ice bucket outlet opening  252  missing the crushing blades. The default position for the ice gate  253  is closed, and this minimizes any ice cubes from falling out through the ice bucket opening  252  when the user pulls out the ice bucket  251 . This also prevents the user from touching the blades while pulling out the ice bucket  251 . The pivoting of the ice gate  253  is carried out by a rod  253 ′ (see  FIGS.  12 A and  12 C ) that engages into an actuator head that is controlled by a cube/crush DC reversible motor  255  (for example, a 12 volt DC reversible electric motor as shown in  FIG.  11   ) that moves up (closing the ice gate  253 ) and down (opening the ice gate  253 ). The rod  253 ′ passes through an opening  258 ′ in the housing collar  236  (see  FIG.  2   ). The ice bucket assembly  250  has a magnet  258  disposed on a gate cover  259  of the front cover C of the ice bucket assembly  250  and that interfaces with a reed switch  260  that is assembled on a motor bracket  255 ′ of the cube/crush DC reversible motor  255  (see  FIGS.  2  and  11   ). Accordingly, when the ice bucket  251  with front cover C is removed from the opening  236 ′ in the housing collar  236  of the ice compartment  200 , the reed switch  260  opens the circuit thereby disabling: any ice dispensing, the ice maker  211 , and the electric motor driven fan  222 . This in turn prevents any ice harvesting while the ice bucket  251  is not present, and also minimizes moisture ingress inside the ice compartment  200 . Once the ice bucket  251  is placed back into the ice compartment housing assembly  230 , the normal operation is resumed. 
     With reference to  FIGS.  2 ,  3 ,  4 A,  12 B, and  12 D , the ice bucket assembly  250  includes the ice bucket or bin  251  for storing ice pieces and in which the auger member  226  is disposed, and the front cover C. As noted above, the ice bucket  251  is removably mounted in the slimline ice compartment  200 . As shown in  FIG.  4 A , in one embodiment, an inner side wall  265  of the ice bucket  251  is formed with a plurality of through-holes or slots  266  which allow the air that has cooled the ice to exit the ice bucket  251  and enter at a front end portion P 1  of the airflow passage P under the ice maker tray/evaporator  212  to be cooled again (see  FIGS.  7 A and  7 B ). As noted above, the front cover C has the ice bucket outlet opening  252  on the bottom through which ice pieces are delivered when a user dispenses ice pieces. The ice bucket outlet opening  252  cooperates with the ice chute extension  108  to deliver ice pieces to the dispenser when the door  104  is in a closed position. The interface between the ice bucket outlet opening  252  and the top of the ice chute extension  108  can be sealed with a gasket, have a partial or open gasket, or have no gasket at all. In the latter two cases, some air is permitted to move between the fresh food compartment  103  and the ice compartment  200  by moving into the region inside the ice chute extension  108  and through the ice bucket outlet opening  252  and into the ice compartment  200  and vice versa. 
       FIGS.  12 B and  12 D  show that the bottom of the front cover C also includes a gripper recess G for the user to insert their fingers to pull and remove the ice bucket  251  or return the same into position. The hollow inside of the front cover C includes insulation, and the insulation may entirely fill the inside of the front cover C. Alternatively, the lower region around the ice bucket outlet opening  252  may be free of any insulation. 
       FIG.  9    is an illustration of a controller  400  showing the control logic for controlling the ice maker system according to an exemplary embodiment consistent with present disclosure. More specifically, the controller  400  may be formed by a dedicated control board (for example, a computer processor or microprocessor and including suitable memory for storing various information) for the ice making system and includes a plurality of user selection modes  402  that may be disposed, for example, on a control panel on the front of the refrigerator. The user selection modes  402  include, but are not limited to, an ice maker ON/OFF  404 , ice cube size  406  (for example, volume of water, 3 preset times/sizes), service mode  408 , fast ice  410 , Sabbath mode  412 , showroom mode  414 , and ice maker testing mode  416 . 
     Under the service mode  408 , error modes  418  are included. The error modes  418  can include a number of error situations  420  including but not limited to the following: thermistor on tray—open; thermistor on tray—short; overload thermal protection—open; overload thermal—short; ejector fingers—position not making it home; ejector fingers—position not making it to harvest; bail arm—empty all the time; bail arm—full all the time; fan locked rotor/stalled; fan—open circuit; defrost heater—open/short; volumetric fill—no pulses counted; and communication with main refrigerator board after POR (power outage reset). 
     In connection with the ice maker ON/OFF mode  404 , when the ice maker  211  is OFF as at  422 , the controller  400  monitors the transition as at  424 . On the other hand, when the ice maker  211  is turned ON, the controller  400  is configured to control ice making  426 , ice harvesting  428 , and ice maintenance  430 , as well as monitor transition as at  432 . The controller  400  is configured to control ice making, ice harvesting, and ice maintenance based on the temperature sensed by the at least one tray temperature sensor T. 
     During the ice making mode, the refrigerant valve  511  (see  FIG.  10   ) directs the refrigerant in a liquid state through the evaporator cooling tube  213  that is in direct contact with the ice maker tray portion  212 A. A water fill valve (not shown) that is located in the water fill tube that connects to the connection WF (see  FIG.  8 B ) is opened in order to fill the cavities  212 ′ with water and then is closed after a predetermined period of time (e.g., 5 seconds) has elapsed. Further, the electric motor driven fan  222  circulates air by drawing air through the evaporator fins F in the airflow passage P under the ice maker tray/evaporator  212  to cool the air in the ice compartment  200  to prevent the ice pieces in the ice bucket  251  from melting. 
     During the ice harvesting mode, once the water in the individual cavities  212 ′ is frozen, which is determined by the tray temperature sensor (e.g., thermistor) T that continuously senses the icemaker tray/evaporator  212  until a predetermined temperature (e.g., ≤−14° C.) is reached, the refrigerant valve  511  is then switched so as to bypass or divert the refrigerant gas to, for example, the freezer evaporator  504  and then the defrost heater DH is turned “ON”. Once a predetermined temperature is reached, the defrost heater DH is turned “OFF” and the ejector fingers  216  are rotated by the shaft  216 ′ to scoop out the ice pieces (for example, ice cubes) from the tray cavities  212 ′. During the harvesting process, the defrost heater DH is cycled ON and OFF as necessary to maintain the ice maker temperature within predetermined range. After a complete turn of 360 degrees of the ejector fingers, the defrost heater DH is switched OFF and the cycle is restarted with water by the water fill valve (see connection WF for a water fill tube in  FIG.  8 B ) filling the cavities  212 ′ and the refrigerant valve  511  redirecting the refrigerant to the ice maker tray/evaporator  212 . 
     During the ice maintenance mode, there is no air temperature control sensor inside the ice compartment  200 . Once the ice level detection, for example a bail arm or optical sensor system (not shown) detects that the ice bucket  251  is full, the ice maker  211  stops ice production and the controller  400  now operates in the ice maintenance mode to maintain the ice compartment at a temperature just cold enough to prevent the ice from melting (e.g., around −5° C.). The ice compartment  200  temperature is maintained by cycling the bi-stable refrigerant valve  511  which directs the refrigerant through the ice maker tray/evaporator  212  combined with the cycling of the electric motor of the electric motor driven fan  222 . The logic controlling rate and duration at which the bi-stable refrigerant valve  511  and fan motor of electric motor driven fan  222  are cycled ON and OFF relies upon temperature readings from the ice tray thermistor T 1 , in conjunction with an additional temperature sensor T 2  which may be inside the housing of the gear box  218  or built into a body of electric motor driven fan  222 . There is no sensor to directly monitor the temperature of the air within the ice compartment. Alternatively, the controller  400  can maintain the ice compartment  200  temperature within established thresholds just by using the ice maker tray portion temperature sensor T by itself, without any additional temperature sensor. 
     Note that at times the system of the present disclosure is described as performing a certain function. However, one of ordinary skill in the art would know that the program is what is performing the function rather than the entity of the system itself. 
     Although aspects of one implementation of the present disclosure are depicted as being stored in memory, one skilled in the art will appreciate that all or part of systems and methods consistent with the present invention may be stored on or read from other non-transitory computer-readable media, such as secondary storage devices, like hard disks, floppy disks, and CD-ROM, or other forms of a read-only memory (ROM) or a random access memory (RAM) either currently known or later developed. Further, although specific components of the system have been described, one skilled in the art will appreciate that a system suitable for use with the methods and systems consistent with the present disclosure may contain additional or different components. 
     The present invention has substantial opportunity for variation without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. For example, while  FIG.  1    shows a French door-bottom mount (FDBM) style refrigerator, the present invention can be utilized in FDBM configurations having one or more intermediate compartments (such as, but not limited to, pullout drawers) that can be operated as either fresh food compartments or freezer compartments and which are located between the main fresh food compartment and the main freezer compartment, a side-by-side refrigerator where the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment are disposed side-by-side in a vertical orientation, as well as in other well-known refrigerator configurations, such as but not limited to, top freezer configurations, bottom freezer configurations, and the like. Also, while the slimline ice compartment is shown in the fresh food compartment, the slimline ice compartment could be disposed in a freezer compartment. 
     Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention. All such improvements and modifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein and the claims that follow.