Robertshaw Controls Company

Robert E Orner

Roger P Sepso

Aurelio V Cassarino

A control device, refrigerator system utilizing the control device and methods of making the same are provided, the control device comprising a housing having a valve seat and having an inlet and an outlet interconnected together by the valve seat, a movable valve member carried by the housing and being adapted to open and close the valve seat by being respectively moved to an open position thereof and a closed position thereof, and a shape memory unit carried by the housing and being operatively interconnected to the valve member to move the valve member to one of the positions thereof by the unit sensing a temperature above a first temperature and to move the valve member to the other of the positions thereof by the unit sensing a temperature below a second temperature, the shape memory unit comprising a shape memory wire having opposed ends interconnected to the housing and having an intermediate portion thereof operatively interconnected to said valve member.

Control device having a shape memory wire, refrigerator system utilizing

A control device, refrigerator system utilizing the control device and methods of making the same are provided, the control device comprising a housing having a valve seat and having an inlet and an outlet interconnected together by the valve seat, a movable valve member carried by the housing and being adapted to open and close the valve seat by being respectively moved to an open position thereof and a closed position thereof, a coiled compression shape memory spring carried by the housing and being operatively interconnected to the valve member to move the valve member to one of the positions thereof by the spring axially expanding from a closed coil bound condition thereof upon the spring sensing a temperature above a first temperature and to move the valve member to the other of the positions thereof by the spring axially contracting into the closed coil bound condition thereof upon the spring sensing a temperature below a second temperature, and an electrically operated heater having at least a portion thereof disposed within the coils of the spring when the spring is in the closed coil bound condition thereof so as to heat the spring to a temperature above the first temperature when the heater has been energized for a certain time period.

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Stratford, CT, United States of America

Robert E Orner