Patent ID: 7062925

Claim:
A method of operating an auger ice-making machine having: a refrigeration casing for freezing ice on an inner wall surface of the casing; an auger screw, rotatably disposed inside the casing, for feeding, while scraping, the ice frozen on the casing inner wall surface; a stocker for storing/retaining the ice fed by the auger screw, the stocker being formed with an ice discharge port for discharging the ice to an exterior of the machine by being opened; and stored-ice detection means for detecting a high level, and a low level, of a quantity of ice stored within the stocker, wherein when the stored-ice detection means detects the high level, control means is activated to stop ice-making operation and a measuring timer starts counting; the control means calculates a unit quantity of molten ice per unit time, from a reference storage quantity of ice stored during a time from detection of the low level by the stored-ice detection means to detection of the high level thereby, and from a reference time count by the measuring timer from the stop of the ice-making operation to the detection of the low level by the stored-ice detection means; the control means calculates a total quantity of ice discharge, from a unit quantity of ice discharge per unit time from the ice discharge port, and from an accumulative open-state time of the ice discharge port; and the control means restarts the ice-making operation, provided that an actual ice decrement that is a sum of, a total quantity of molten ice calculated from a current actual time count of the measuring timer and from said unit quantity of molten ice, and said total quantity of ice discharge, has exceeded a previously set initial operating quantity of ice.