US2026227A - Method and apparatus for refrigeration - Google Patents

Description

w. s. FORAKER IETHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REFRIGERATION Filed Nov. 26, 1952 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 I Dec. 31, 1935; w. s. FORAKER IETHOD AND APPARATUS FDR REFRIGERATION Filed Nov. 26, 1932 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 -INVENTOR Dec. 31, 1935.

W. S. FORAKER METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REFRIGERATION Filed No v. 26, 1932 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 .26 71 flggtlo;

Dec. 3l, 1935., w. s. FORAKER METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REFRIGERATION- 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Nov. 26, 1932 fig.]2.

Dec. 31, 1935,.

- W. S. FORAKER METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REFRIGERATION Filed Nov. 26, 1952 7 Sheets-Shet 7 INVENTOR Patented Dec. 31, 1935 UNITED STATES mrmon AND arraas'rus Foa mater-manor:

William 8. Foraker, Zanesville, Ohio Application November as, 1932, Serial No. 644,442.

15 Claims. (01. ac-105) My invention relates to the art of refrigeration and, more particularly, to an automatic ice machine and refrigerator involving novel methods of freezing and cooling.

The art of refrigeration in general and the design and construction of domestic refrigerating units in particular-have been brought to a high state of perfection by developments of recent years. Domestic units, however, are still 1:) far from being fully automatic in regard to the manufacture of ice.. The present practice requires that freezing trays be manually removed from the unit, filled with water and replaced therein for freezing. The removal of the ice :5 from the trays is another step which involvesconsiderable inconvenience and, on the whole, it may be said that the manufacture of ice in domestic refrigerating units of present design is a matter of considerable annoyance to the aver- 20 age user. A further objection is that the user mustexaminethetraysfrequentlytoseeifthe ice is fully frozen, if it is desired to manufacture a considerable amount of ice efliciently from the standpoint of the time consumed. These same :5 objections apply to the present commercial ice making machines wherein ice in small cubes is j manufactured.

The present domestic refrigerators and commercial ice making machines, such as those 39 above referred to, are further objectionable in thatperiodicallyitisnecessarytoshutoifthe.

freezing and cooling apparatus and defrost the same.- This is considerable nuisance and renders the refrigeration inoperative for-.a period 35 oftime.

By, my invention I provide an apparatus including a novel method of freezing which renders the manufacture of ice in domestic or commercial units of the above character entirely automatic.

BymyinventionIalsoprovidenovelmeans for refrigerating the interior of the cabinet of the refrigerator which obviates the necessity of periodically defrosting the a .4 N;

tus. This novel refrigerating apparatus for cooling the cabinet may be used in combination with the automatic freezing apparatus above referred to or may be used independently thereof. Likewise the automatic freezing apparatu'smnd the 150 novel-method of mav'be used. independently of the for refrigerating the cabinet, and in many mercial ice making machines of the above rep, ferred 'to character, is generally independently 00 MI instanceasuch as com;-

In accordance with my invention, I provide a freezingplate or zone in the refrigerator, and

pass a travelling belt carrying ice molds over the plate or through the freezing zone. Automatic means for driving the belt and for filling iii the molds are provided and the travel of the belt automatically discharges the ice from the molds.

The invention utilizes standard compressing and control equipment and can, therefore, be

readily incorporated in present designs of refrigerating units. In addition to the automatic freezing mechanism, 1 provide means for cooling the interior of the refrigerating cabinet.

For a complete understanding of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings illustrating a present'preferred embodiment of the invention, although it is to be understood that numerous changes in construction and operation described may be made without departing from the scope of my broader claims. In'the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly broken away, of a domestic refrigerating unit with the invention incorporated therein;

Figure 2 is a partial vertical sectional view taken through the unit on a plane parallel to its rearwall; f

Figure 3 is a partial sectional view along the line III-III of Figure 2;

Figure '4 is a partial sectional view taken along the line IVIV of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a view showin a detail of the construction illustrated in Figures 3 and 4; Figure 6 is a sectional view through the unit taken on a plane perpendicular to that of the section of Figure 2 andsubstantially along the line VI-VI thereof;

Figure '7 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the piping'for conducting. the refrigerant throug the freezing plate;

Figure 8 is a partial front elevation to enlarged scale, with parts in section, of the cabinet cooling coil;

Figure 9 is a sectional view along the line 13-11! of Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a partial plan view of the traveling belt having ice molds formed thereon;

Figure 11 is a diagrammatic view of the circulating system isolated from the remainder of control apparatus for automatically operating into the chamber.

.is for the purpose of permitting the introduction of liquid refrigerant into the coils 26 and the vertlcally in the lid l8, 36. Aistrip 4! adjustably secured in a recess in the freezing mechanism.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, a domestic refrigerating unit l0 comprises a suitably insulated cabinet ll, a door I2 hinged thereto and a cover l3 for enclosing the compressing and control mechanism. Within the cabinet II, a storage space M is provided with shelves l5. A cooling'or chilling coil for the storage space is indicated generally at l6. Apparatus for automatically freezing ice is located in the top of the cabinet and is indicated generally at H.

Referring now to Figure 2, the cabinet H has an insulated lid by a gasket i9 for carrying the refrigerating mechanism proper. The refrigerating apparatus includes a compressor 20 and a float valve 2! for compressing the refrigerant and supplying it to an evaporating chamber 22 (see also Figure 6). The compressor and float valve are of standard construction. A conduit 23 permits vapor to be drawn from the chamber 22 for compression while a conduit 24 delivers liquid refrigerant from the compressor to the chamber under control of the float valve 2|.

A freezing plate 25 extends over a substantial portion of the inside area of the cabinet adjacent the lid is. This plate comprises molded insulating material having embedded therein a plurality of coils 26 for circulating refrigerant, and a sheet metal cover which is in intimate contact with the coils. The insulation also extends under the chamber 22 and'around a portion of the coil I6. It will'be understood that the naturally accumulating frost on the coils may,be used as insulation for the coils. The arrangement of the coils chamber 22 may best be observed in Figure 7. It will be noted that one end of each of the coils 26 enters the chamber adjacent the bottom thereof while the other end projects upwardly This arrangement, of course,

removal of refrigerant vapor therefrom.

Bearing brackets 21 and 28 depending from the lid l8 support shafts 29 and 30'adjacent the ends of the. freezing plate 25. A guiding drum or sheave 3| is mounted on the shaft 29 and a driving sprocket 32 on the shaft 30. A continuous belt 33 having mold forming partitions 34 extends around the drum 3| and the sprocket 32, having suitable holes for engagement with the teeth of the latter. The belt 33 is'substantially as wide as the interior of the cabinet I I is deep. The belt is preferably made of somewhat flexible material. a fabric belt having a rubber top made integral therewith, the rubber top forming the ice cube molds. Figure 10 shows a plan viewof a portion of the belt, and Figure 6 shows a transverse section thereof. Y I

A ratchet wheel 35 is fixed to the-shaft 30 (see Figures 3 and 4). the shaft 30 and carries a yoke 31 having a pawl 38 cooperating with the ratchet wheel. A rack 39 f'ormed at the lower end of a rod 40Vslidable meshes with the pinion the rod 40 has turned out fingers 42 and 43 for engaging with the movable central contact of a switch for a p p se to be described later.

The rod 40 is actuated by an expansible metal I8 removably supported thereon 26 with respect to the I prefer to use' A pinion 36 is rotatable on' bellows 45. The bellows 45 is adapted to be extended under the pressure of water from any suitable source and tends to return the rod to the position illustrated in Figure 14, upon relief of the pressure which extends it. Water is 5 supplied to the bellows 45 througha conduit 46 connected in any desired manner to a source of water, for example. to a municipal supply. The conduit 46 may extend downwardly through the upper part of the unit and around the chilling 10 or cooling coil l6 for the purpose of pre-cooling it before it enters the molds. It then extends upwardly to a 3-way valve 41 having an operating solenoid 4B. As will be apparent from the showing of Figure 2, the plunger of the valve 41, 5 when raised, establishes connection between the two lateral ports thereof, whereas, when it is lowered, it connects the right hand and the bottom ports and cuts off the left hand port from the other ports. A conduit 49 extends through 3 the lid Hi from the bottom port of the valve 41 to a jet pipe 50 extending the depth of the cabinet and having holes for delivering water into a series of aligned individual molds for ice cubes constituting a portion of the belt 33. 25 v "ative position. In FiguresZ and 4 the rod 40 is 86 in an intermediate position of its upward stroke while in Figure 14 it is'shown at the upper end of the stroke. t

When it is desired to start the automatic operation of the freezing and delivering mecha- 40 nism, a switch 5|, normally held open, is closed by turning a knob 52 on the front of the cover I3. The knob is connected by a friction clutch 52a to a ratchet wheel 54 rotatable on the knob shaft. Rotation of the knob shaft in the proper 45 directionmoves a finger 56 out of engagement with the moving contact of the switch 5|. The latter thereby completes a circuit from a current source, indicated as a battery 51, for the solenoid 48 of the valve 41. The circuit for the solenoid 50 48' is completed through a back contact 58 of a resetting relay 59. The angle through which the knob 52 is turned determines the amount of ice which will be delivered by the apparatus before it automatically stops. The knob is gradually reset, by means to be explained shortly, and the return of the finger 5B subsequently opens the switch 5| to suspend further automaticoperation of the delivery mechanism.

The energization of the solenoid 48 raises the 6 plunger of the valve 41. As previously explained, this closes the bottom port of the valve and connects two lateral ports whereby water under the pressure maintained inthe conduit 46 flows through the valve into the bellows 45. Incidentally, the water flowing through the valve is cooled because the conduit 46 for a-considerable portion of its length is in close proximity to the cooling coil l6. The admission of water under pressure to the bellows 45 caus'es the latturns the shaft 30 and advances the belt 33 a 76 armature of the relay distance equal to the center to center spacing of the molds formed therein. As the rod 45 reaches the lower'limit of its movement, the upper finger 42 on the strip "4| carried thereby engages the moving contact of the switch 44 to cause it to engage the bottom contact and complete a circuit therethrough from the battery 51 and through the switch 5| to the resetting relay 59. The energization of the relay 59 opens the circuit permits the plunger of the valve. 41 to drop. The 59 when operated, is latched up'by the armature of an unlatching relay 50. The closing of the front contact 5| of the relay 59 completes a circuit for the solenoid 52 having an operating pawl 55 en'- gaging the ratchet wheel 54 to reset the latter and its shaft one step. The solenoid 52 remains energized and the pawl 55 is elevated until the unlatching relay 50 is energized.

When the plunger of the valve" drops, the closing tendency of the bellows 45' forces therefrom through 49 and the pipe 50 which delivers the required amount of water to each of-a series of molds across" the width of the belt 33.

The raising of the rod 40 causes the bottom finger 43 of the. strip 4| to engage the moving "switch 5|.

- number of molds have been filled with water,

contact of the switch 44 and move it into engagement with the upper contact to complete. a circuit through the switch 5| fonthe -unlatch.,. ing relay 50. This circuit includes alternatively; f

a manual switch'53 or an automatic switch 54. The freeze switch 54 is closed by the expansion of the water in freezing to ice. The switch extends downwardly from the lid l8, between adjacent columns ofmolds,'as shown in Figures 2 and 14. If it is assumed that the device is being placed in operation for the first time, the molds preceding those filled with water on the first operation will switch 54, therefore, will not be closed. In the starting period, therefore, the switch 53 must be manually closed for a short time. The relay 55, when energized, releases the armature of the relay 59 and breaks the circuit for the magnet 52. The pawl 55 the next resetting step. The operation of t e 'u'nlatching relay reestablishes the circuit for the magnet 45 through the back contact 55 of the relay 59- and the The operating cycle above described is then repeated a suflicient number of times to charge a number of the transverse rows of molds on the belt 33. with water.. When the required the switch 53 is opened. As an alternative, the

switch-53 may be left closed during the starting periodand the knob 52 set so that only the required number of molds will be filled with water before suspending the preliminary opera-'- tion. It will be obvious that the continued resetting of the ratchet-wheel .54 by the solenoid 52 eventually opens the circuit for the magnet 48 at the switch 5|, after which the operation of the system is precluded.- V

Under eitherof the above j conditions, the switch 53 is opened after the'preliminary operation to fill; the first few molds. When the 1 water in the molds first filled freezes into'ic the switch 54 closes. A final operation of the unlatching relay 50 then takes place if it has not alreaiv been effected by leaving the switch 55 closed. The water in the molds thus filled is.

forthe solenoid '48 and water the valve into the conduit.

obtainedbymerelyturning be empty and the freeze Q ure 2,

r then drops to re engage the ratchet wheel '54 f theupperportionof then from m I W's-1 period is comparaflvely short. because'of the intimate contact of the molds freezing plate.

When the waterin theinitially charged molds has been fronen, further operation of the mech- .5 anismmaybecausedbyagainturningtheknob 52 and completing the circuit through the switch Since the switch 53 has been opened. after thefillingoperationandremainsopen, the operation of the mechanism will only take place aftertheknob 52 hasbeen turned and when. cubeshavebemtrozenandarereadytobedischarged. If the cubes in the molds adjacent the switch 54 are not fmzen, the switch will remain open and the operation of the apparatus automatically interrupted until freezing has taken place, at which time operation will autocommence if the switch 5| remains closed. Thus, cubes will be discharged, if desired, immediate y upon freezing and repeatedflo examination of the trays or molds to determine when the cubs are frozen eliminated. When the cubes are frozen the switch 54 is automatimay be automatically the knob to'indicate the number of cubes desired. This number will be delivered and the apparatus will automatically stop and no more will be delivered untiltheknobilisagainturned. Itwillbe apparent the operations, once the molds naveiyb en filled. will be absolutely automatic of the knob 52 the only operation necessaryinordertoobtainanydesirednumber'of cubosg- The knob 52 may have a pointer thereon and a dial adjacent thereto to indicate theammmttheknobistobeuunedtoobtain a given number of cubes.

The usual knob for controlling the temperature of the cabinet may also be provided as shown in figure L As will be apparent from the showingof Figthe eml'walls of the. ice-cube molds are distortedastheypassarolmdthedrumih This facilitates the discharge of the cubes from the traveling belt. An tip-turned portion 55 of the liningofthembinet ll engagesthe icecubesto force them trun the molds. The cabinet being adjacent the discharge end is curved to engage one edge of the cubes being discharged to facilitate the leverage action on the cubes. The successive positions ofthecubesastheyare discharged from the molds are illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 2. A suitable receptacle may be placed in the cabinet I! to receive 55 the cube: as they are desired.

The cooling unit for the cabinet proper is best i1lustratedinFigures1,8,9and 11. Thelining of the cabinet II is curved from the backwallthereottoformachamberfl forthego cabinet cooling unit. Holes 59 in the chamber The an stood,ofcourse.that

'coihasshowninfigm'e landzextendsaboveu operation by efiecting a any other suitable appa- .ratusmaybesubstitutedforthebrine tankto the level of the liquid in the chamber. In'this way a continuous supply of liquid refrigerant to the cooling coil I6 is insured and the vaporization of the liquid in the coil absorbs the heat from the contents of the cabinet. The vapor formed in the coil is removed by the compressor unit which communicates with the vaporizing chamber 22.

In the bottom of the chamber 68 a sump I2 is provided for collecting any condensate forming on the cabinet cooling unit. Troughs l3rdisposed beneath portions of the water conduit 46 deliver any moisture condensing thereon to the sump. The water conduit 46 includes a Venturl section 14 having an inlet port controlled by a ball valve 15. The ball valve is adapted to be opened by the suction created by water flowing through the venturi. The water flowing through the venturi also draws the condensate from the sump into the water llneuntil the valve I5 is closed-by cessation of flow through the line 46.

The operation of the compressor 20 is controlled in accordance with the temperature of the brine tank in the cabinet II. The temperature of the tank, of course, is controlled by the temperature of the cabinet. A tube i6 terminating on top of the brine tank 10 contains an expansible liquid and communicates with a metallic bellows 11. Upon a predetermined rise in the temperature of the exterior of the brine tank, the liquid in .the tube 16 expands to operate the bellows TI and 'close a switch 18 for starting the compressor motor. When the temperature of the tank has been sufficiently lowered, the inherent retractive effect of the bellows opens the switch upon suitable contraction of the thermally responsive liquid in the tube 16.

A suitable temperature differential between the brine tank and the freezing plate or zone will be maintained. This differential will be determined by relative areas and circulation of air thereover. This permits the use of a single vaporizing chamber for both the brine tank and freezing plate or zone. When the temperature of the tank reaches its predetermined highest temperature, the switch J8 will be closed and the compressor started. This predetermined temperature will be sufficiently high to permit defrosting of the cooling apparatus, thus giving a defrosting cycle which eliminates the necessity of shutting down-the refrigerator to defrost the apparatus. Due to the temperature difierential between the brine tank and the freezing plate or zone, the temperature in the latter will always be sufilciently low to cause freezing, and temperature control of both the tank and the freezing plate or zone efiected by one apparatus.

.Holes 8| may be provided in the top lining of the cabinet to permit limited circulation of air around the freezing apparatus to prevent-contamination or collection of food odors which might affect the quality of the ice cubes.

- It will be apparent from the foregoing explanation of the invention that it provides for the manufacture of any desired number of ice cubes in the ordinary domestic 'or commercial ice making refrigerator under automatic control... The invention is particularly adaptable to domestic refrigerators as designed at present, but also has a further field of usefulness in-small I automatic ice making machines fordomestic or other purposes. The ice making apparatus, ob-

viously, may be employed independently of the cooling cabinet of the ordinary domestic refrigerator. General advantages "of the invention such as certainty of operation, simplicity of control and the fact that the operation is entirely automatic, will be apparent without further mention.

Although I have illustrated and described herein but a single present preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be clear that numerous changes in the embodiment described may be made without departing from the spirit of the 10 invention'or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim;

1. Ice making apparatus comprising a freezing zone, means for circulating refrigerant therethrough, a mold movable through said zone, an 15 expansible chamber for moving said mold, and a valve for admitting fiuid under pressure to said chamber, said chamber being effective to discharge its exhaust fluid through said valve into said mold. 20

2. Ice making apparatus comprising a freezing zone, a mold-carrying belt traversing said zone,

a hydraulic motor for advancing said belt, and a valve for adm'itting water to said motor to operate the belt and for delivering the water ex- 25 hausted from the motor to a. mold on said belt.

3. Ice making apparatus comprising a freezing zone, a mold adapted to travel thereacross, a hydraulic motor which advances said mold, a. valve for admitting water to the motorand deso livering the water exhausted from the motor to said mold, and means operated by said motor for controlling said valve.

4. In an ice making apparatus, the combination with a freezing plate, a mold movable there- 35 across, automatic means for moving the mold across the plate and filling it with water, means operated by the mold moving means for causing a repetition of the moving and filling cycle, and means actuated by the freezing of the water in 40 the mold for causing continued operation of said filling and moving me 5. In a refrigerator, a storage cabinet,,a cooling coil therefor, a freezing zone, a continuous mold movable therethrough, and automatic 45 means including a dial switch for moving the mold and charging it with water.

6. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cone tinuous belt, molds carried thereon, and means for automatically charging the molds with 50 water and moving them across the freezing plate including a control valve and a hydraulic motor,

andmeans controlled by said motor for suspending operattlon of the valve after a predetermined number of operations thereof. 55

7. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination with a freezing zone, a mold movable therealong, and means ,for filling and moving said molds, of means including an electrically actuated relay controlled by the mold moving means 0 v for preventing further operation thereof.

'8. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination with a freezing zone, a mold movable there.-

. retracting hydraulic motor and a uni-directional drive actuated thereby for advancing said belt.

10. In a refrigerating, device, the combination with a freezing zone, and a continuous moldcarrying belt extending therethrough, of a selfretracting hydraulic motor, a unidirectional drive actuated thereby for advancing said belt,

and a valve for controlling the admission of fluid 5 under pressure to the motor' and eifective to divert the exhaust therefrom to the molds on said belt.

11. In a refrigerating device, the combination with a continuous mold-carrying belt, a uni- 10 directional drive therefor and a self-retracting hydraulic motorfor actuating the 'drive, of a' valve effective in one position to connect the motor to a source of water pressure and, in the other, to deliver water from the motor to the 15 molds of said belt and electromagnetic means to operate said valve. Y

12. Ice making apparatus comprising a freezing plate, a mold, means including ahydraulic motor for moving the mold over said plate in a 20 step-by-step manner, and means controlled by said motor for supplying water to said mold.

13. In a refrigerating device, a continuous mold carrying belt, means for supplying water to the molds on the belt, means for freezing the water in the molds, and electrically actuated means including a motor and control system 5 therefor for moving the belt past said freezing apparatus in a step-by-step manner.

14. Ice making apparatus comprising a freezing zone, a mold movable through said zone, and electrically actuated means including a valve, a 10 dial switch and a motor element for supplying water to said mold and for moving the mold through said zone.

15. Ice making apparatus comprising a con;- tinuous mold carrying belt, freezing apparatus, 15 and electrically actuated means including a dial switch and a motor element for moving said belt past said freezing apparatus and for substantially simultaneously supplying water to the molds on the belt. i 20 WILLIAM S. FORAKER.

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