U.S. patent application number 11/882300 was filed with the patent office on 2009-02-05 for packable ice level sensing architecture.
This patent application is currently assigned to ZIPPY TECHNOLOGY CORP.. Invention is credited to Chia-Hsin Hsu, Chun-Chuan Liu, Tsui-Jung Su.
Application Number | 20090031736 11/882300 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40336845 |
Filed Date | 2009-02-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090031736 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Su; Tsui-Jung ; et
al. |
February 5, 2009 |
Packable ice level sensing architecture
Abstract
A packable ice level sensing architecture, mounted on an ice
maker, for detecting an ice amount of the ice maker is disclosed.
The packable ice level sensing architecture includes a sensing
component and a limit structure linked to the sensing component.
The sensing component is mounted at one side of the ice maker
through a pivot, wherein the sensing component is foldable toward
the ice maker through taking the pivot as an axle, so that the
sensing component can have a sensing position and a packed position
corresponding to the ice maker. The limit structure has a limit
component linked to the pivot for limiting the sensing component at
the sensing position or the packed position, and the sensing
component can produce a pulling stroke, corresponding to the ice
maker, for releasing a limiting relationship between the limit
component and the pivot.
Inventors: |
Su; Tsui-Jung; (Taipei
Hsien, TW) ; Hsu; Chia-Hsin; (Taipei Hsien, TW)
; Liu; Chun-Chuan; (Taipei Hsien, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Joe McKinney Muncy
PO Box 1364
Fairfax
VA
22038-1364
US
|
Assignee: |
ZIPPY TECHNOLOGY CORP.
|
Family ID: |
40336845 |
Appl. No.: |
11/882300 |
Filed: |
July 31, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/137 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25C 1/04 20130101; F25C
5/187 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/137 |
International
Class: |
F25C 1/00 20060101
F25C001/00 |
Claims
1. A packable ice level sensing architecture, mounted on an ice
maker, for detecting an ice amount of the ice maker, comprising: a
sensing component, mounted at one side of the ice maker through a
pivot, wherein the sensing component is foldable toward the ice
maker through taking the pivot as an axle, so that the sensing
component has a sensing position and a packed position
corresponding to the ice maker; and a limit structure, having a
limit component linked to the pivot for limiting the sensing
component at the sensing position or the packed position.
2. The sensing architecture as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ice
maker has a clip for clipping the pivot of the sensing component so
as to mount the sensing component at one side of the ice maker.
3. The sensing architecture as claimed in claim 2, wherein the clip
has an internal diameter larger than the pivot, so as to provide
the sensing component, corresponding to the ice maker, a pulling
stroke for releasing a limiting relationship between the limit
component and the pivot.
4. The sensing architecture as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
pivot and the limit component respectively have corresponding
engaging structures and at the contacting ends thereof for mutual
engagement.
5. The sensing architecture as claimed in claim 4, wherein the
engaging structure of the pivot is a convex edge and the engaging
structure of the limit component is a concave edge corresponding to
the convex edge.
6. The sensing architecture as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
sensing component at least has a sensing blade.
7. The sensing architecture as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
pivot has at least a pulling region thereon for limiting the
pulling stroke.
8. The sensing architecture as claimed in claim 7, wherein a first
rejecting portion is further included in the pulling region and a
first flexible element is located between the first rejecting
portion and the clip.
9. The sensing architecture as claimed in claim 7, wherein the
limit structure further includes a releasing component, whose one
end is penetrated through a through hole on the limit component and
then connected to the pivot.
10. The sensing architecture as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
releasing component has a second rejecting portion mounted at the
other end thereof, and between the second rejecting portion and the
releasing component, a second flexible element is further mounted.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention is related to a sensing architecture
for sensing an ice amount in an ice maker, and more particularly to
a packable ice level sensing architecture.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Generally, in an auto ice making system, the ice maker will
continuously make ice and store the ice in an ice box. However, if
the ice amount exceeds the capacity of the ice box, the excess ice
might move out of the ice box and wet the surroundings or might
accumulate too much so as to disable the ice sweep device and
damage the structure. Therefore, an ice level detecting
architecture in the ice maker, as shown in FIG. 1, is disclosed.
The ice level detecting architecture is installed on the ice maker
1 for detecting the real ice level of the ice stored in an ice
storage 2 and includes a detecting frame mounted above the ice
storage 2, wherein the detecting frame has, mounted thereon, a
transmission shaft 3, a detecting portion 4 connected to the
transmission shaft 3, an electric motor 5 and a linkage mechanism
6. The electric motor 5 is installed inside the ice maker 1 and the
linkage mechanism 6 is located between the electric motor 5 and the
transmission shaft 3, thereby the linkage mechanism 6 may conduct
the electric motor 5 to output power to move the transmission shaft
3 so as to drive the detecting portion 4 to produce a detecting
stroke, which is located inside the ice storage 2 and has a return
position and a sensing position, so that the detecting portion 4
can accurately decide the real ice level of the ice stored in the
ice storage. Within the moving range of the linkage mechanism 6, a
turn on/off switch is mounted, so that when the detecting portion 4
detects an excess ice amount, the linkage mechanism 6 may drive the
transmission shaft 3 to interrupt the ice maker 1, so as to prevent
the ice from accumulating in the ice storage 2.
[0003] However, the detecting portion 4 is a structure upwardly
protruded on the ice maker 1, so that when the detecting
architecture is assembled on the ice maker 1 and packaged, this
protruded structure will increase the package volume, or might
easily be damaged owing to an accidental collision during
transportation so as to raise the defective rate. Besides, since
the detecting architecture can be regarded as an extending design
of the power on/off switch, when there is no need to detect the ice
level, an error contact to the detecting portion 4 by the user
still might erroneously actuate the ice making device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The object of the present invention is to avoid the
detecting architecture mounted on the ice maker from being damaged
by accidental collision during manufacturing or transportation, and
on the other hand, to prevent an erroneous contact to the ice
making device, which is linked to the power on/off switch, when
there is no need to detect the ice level.
[0005] For achieving the object described above, the present
invention provides a packable ice level sensing architecture,
mounted on an ice maker, for detecting an ice amount of the ice
maker. The packable ice level sensing architecture includes a
sensing component and a limit structure linked to the sensing
component. The sensing component is mounted at one side of the ice
maker through a pivot and at least has a sensing blade, wherein the
sensing component is foldable toward the ice maker through taking
the pivot as an axle, so that the sensing component can have a
sensing position and a packed position corresponding to the ice
maker. The limit structure has a limit component linked to the
pivot, and the pivot and the limit component respectively have
corresponding engaging structures at the contacting ends thereof
for mutual engagement, so as to limit the sensing component at the
sensing position or the packed position. Moreover, the pivot of the
sensing component is connected to the ice maker through a clip on
the ice maker, wherein the clip has an internal diameter larger
than the pivot, so as to provide the sensing component,
corresponding to the ice maker, a pulling stroke for releasing a
limiting relationship between the limit component and the pivot,
and the pivot has at least a pulling region thereon for limiting
the pulling stroke. Furthermore, a first rejecting portion is
further included in the pulling region and a first flexible element
is located between the first rejecting portion and the clip, so
that through the first flexible element, the pivot can be tightly
jointed with the limit component without force applying so as to
stabilize the position of the sensing component.
[0006] In the present invention, the originally protruded ice level
sensing architecture on the ice maker can be folded to reduce the
occupied volume, as under the non-detecting state, so as to avoid
the damage caused from erroneous collision or the error power
on/off caused by user's erroneous contact.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages
of this invention will be more readily appreciated as the same
becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed
description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, wherein:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a three-dimensional
appearance of a conventional ice level detecting architecture;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a three-dimensional
appearance of an ice maker with a packable ice level sensing
architecture in a preferred embodiment according to the present
invention;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the structural
decomposition of an ice maker with a packable ice level sensing
architecture in a preferred embodiment according to the present
invention;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the partial magnification
of a pair of corresponding engaging structures in a packable ice
level sensing device of an ice maker according to the present
invention;
[0012] FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the section of an ice
maker with a packable ice level sensing architecture in a preferred
embodiment according to the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing the decomposition of an
ice maker with a packable ice level sensing architecture in another
preferred embodiment according to the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the section of an ice
maker with a packable ice level sensing architecture in another
preferred embodiment according to the present invention; and
[0015] FIGS. 8A and 8B are schematic views showing moving actions
of an ice maker with a packable ice level sensing architecture
according to the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0016] Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, which are respectively a
three-dimensional appearance drawing and a structural decomposition
drawing of a preferred embodiment according to the present
invention. As shown, the present invention provides a packable ice
level sensing architecture, mounted on the ice maker for detecting
the ice amount made by the ice maker. The ice maker include an ice
tray 11 for freezing the water in ice cubes, and an ice blade 12
mounted on the ice tray 11 for sweeping off the ice cubes.
Moreover, a control structure 13 is mounted at one side of the ice
tray 11 for driving the ice blade 12, and, inside the control
structure 13, an electric motor 14 and a linkage device 15 located
between the electric motor 14 and the ice blade 12 are further
included, wherein the linkage device 15 can drive the ice blade 12
to actuate an ice sweeping stroke. Furthermore, the packable ice
level sensing architecture according to the present invention has a
sensing component 20, which is mounted aside the ice maker through
a pivot 21, and is mounted onto the ice tray 11 through the pivot
21 being clipped by a clip 16, which is located on the ice tray 11.
Here, the position of the pivot 21 is not limited. The sensing
component 20 has at least a sensing blade 22, which can be driven
by the pivot 21 linked to the linkage device 15 to generate a
detecting stroke for detecting the ice level. The sensing component
20 and the ice blade 12 can detect the abnormal condition and
control the power on/off of the ice maker through the linkage
device 15.
[0017] The packable ice level sensing architecture further includes
a limit structure 30 having a limit component 30, which is linked
to the linkage device 15 and is connected with the pivot 21,
wherein the pivot 21 and the limit component 31 respectively have
corresponding engaging structures 212 and 311 at the contacting
ends thereof for mutual engagement. As shown in FIG. 4, for
example, the engaging structure 212 of the pivot 21 can be a convex
edge and the engaging structure 311 of the limit component 31 can
be a concave edge corresponding thereto, so that the convex edge of
the engaging structure 212 can be embedded into the concave edge of
the engaging structure 311, thereby engaging the pivot 21 of the
sensing component on the limit component 31. Besides, the clip 16
has an internal diameter larger than the pivot 21, so that it can
provide the sensing component 21, corresponding to the ice tray 11
of the ice maker, a pulling stroke for releasing the limiting
relationship between the limit component 31 and the pivot 21,
wherein the pivot 21 has at least a pulling region 211 for limiting
the pulling stroke thereon, so as prevent the sensing component
from coming off the clip 16.
[0018] For stabilizing the engagement between the sensing component
20 and the limit component 31, as shown in FIG. 5, which is a
sectional drawing showing a preferred embodiment according to the
present invention, the pivot 21 further includes a first rejecting
portion 213 in the pulling region 211 and a first flexible element
42 is located between the first rejecting portion 213 and the clip
16, wherein the first flexible element 42 can provide the sensing
component 20 a tight engagement with the limit component 31, so
that the sensing component 20 can be stabilized at a sensing
portion or a packed position, thereby preventing the sensing
component from easily coming off the limit component 31 owing to a
mechanical shock or artificial contact, and thus, the sensing
component 20 can be moved between the sensing portion and the
packed position randomly.
[0019] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, which
are respectively a decomposition drawing and a sectional drawing of
a preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the
limit structure 30 further includes a releasing component 32, whose
one end is penetrated through a through hole 312 on the limit
component 31 and then connected to the pivot 21. When the sensing
component 20 enters the pulling stroke, the limiting relationship
between the limit component 31 and the pivot 21 has to be released
by disengaging the engaging structures 212 and 311. Under
releasing, the sensing component 20 can be rotated to move to the
sensing position and the packed position, and for avoiding the
sensing component 20 from randomly coming off the limit component
31, the releasing component 32 has a second rejecting portion 321
mounted at the other end thereof, and between the second rejecting
portion 321 and the releasing component 32, a second flexible
element 41 is further mounted, so that even without forcing, the
pivot 21 of the sensing component 20 also can be tightly engaged
with the limit component 31 and located at the sensing position or
the packed position.
[0020] Followings describe the detailed moving actions of the ice
level sensing architecture according to the present invention.
Please refer to FIG. 5, FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B, which are schematic
views showing decomposed moving actions according to a preferred
embodiment of the present invention. When the sensing component 20
is positioned at the sensing position, as shown in FIG. 5, the
sensing blade 22 of the sensing component 20 which is linked to the
control structure 13 may execute the ice level sensing. When it
doesn't need the function of ice level sensing and wants to locate
the sensing component 20 to the packed position, a force in a
direction opposite to flexibility direction of the first flexible
element 42 (or in another embodiment, a force in a direction
opposite to flexibility direction of the second flexible element
41) should be applied to the sensing component 20, and then, the
sensing component 20 will enter the pulling stroke so as to depart
from the limit component 31, as shown in FIG. 8A. The sensing
component 20 departed from the limit component 31 can be folded and
moved toward the ice maker so as to locate at the packed position,
as shown in FIG. 8B. When finishing the folding of the sensing
component and removing the applied force, the engaging structure
212 of the pivot 21 will again engage with the engaging structure
311, so as to stabilize the sensing component 20 at the packed
position and also prevent the sensing component 20 from randomly
moving between the packed position and the sensing position. As the
sensing component 20 is folded to locate at the packed position,
the volume of the sensing blade 22 protruded out of the ice maker
can be significantly reduced, so that the accidental collision or
contact from the user which might damage or erroneously actuate the
sensing component can be avoided.
[0021] In the aforesaid, the packable ice level sensing
architecture according to the present invention utilizes the pivot
21 of the sensing component 20 to enter a pulling stroke,
corresponding to the limit component 31 of the limit structure 30,
for departing therefrom, so as to fold back the sensing blade 22
protruded out of the ice maker. The sensing component 20 can be
selected to stabilize at the sensing position or the packed
position. When it needs to detect the ice level, the sensing
component 20 is adjusted to the sensing position for performing the
ice-sensing function, and if there is no need to sense the ice
level, the sensing component 20 can be adjusted to locate at the
packed position, so that the occupied volume can be reduced during
transportation or the damage caused from erroneous collision can be
avoided. Besides, locating the sensing component at the packed
position also can reduce the possibility that the user erroneously
contacts the sensing blade 22 which will move the linkage device 15
so as to erroneously actuate the ice maker.
[0022] It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous
characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been
set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of
the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is
illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in
matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the
principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the
broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are
expressed.
* * * * *