US 12,305,904 B2
Ice maker with differential sump fill routine
Kevin Knatt, O'Fallon, MO (US)
Assigned to TRUE MANUFACTURING CO., INC., O'Fallon, MO (US)
Filed by True Manufacturing Co., Inc., O'Fallon, MO (US)
Filed on May 10, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/314,887.
Application 18/314,887 is a division of application No. 17/378,997, filed on Jul. 19, 2021, granted, now 11,686,519.
Prior Publication US 2023/0272959 A1, Aug. 31, 2023
Int. Cl. F25C 1/25 (2018.01); F25C 1/12 (2006.01)
CPC F25C 1/25 (2018.01) [F25C 1/12 (2013.01); F25C 2400/14 (2013.01); F25C 2600/04 (2013.01); F25C 2700/04 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An ice maker comprising:
an ice formation device in which to form ice;
a water system comprising a sump for holding water and a pump configured to circulate water from the sump to the ice formation device;
a refrigeration system configured to cool the ice formation device for forming at least some of the water circulated by the water system into ice; and
a control system configured to control the refrigeration system and the water system to conduct ice batch production cycles in which batches of ice are formed in the ice formation device, during each ice batch production cycle, the control system being configured to execute a differential freeze routine in which the control system circulates water from the sump to the ice formation device until water level decreases by a predefined differential amount from a high control water level based on the water level in the sump at a point in time after the sump was filled to a freeze routine starting level;
wherein the control system comprises a controller, a water level sensor configured to output a signal to the controller representative of the water level in the sump, and a temperature sensor configured to output a signal to the controller representative of the temperature of the water in the sump;
wherein during each differential freeze routine, the controller is configured to set the high control water level based on the signal output by the water level sensor and the signal output by the temperature sensor.