Apparatus for preserving bulk ice
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current ice preservation technologies are noisy, expensive, and inefficient, causing ice cubes to stick together due to vibration motors, leading to suboptimal drying quality and requiring installation in isolated areas, while also wasting energy and water.
Innovation Solution
A bulk ice preserver with a silent, rotation-based ice cube drying system that prevents ice cubes from sticking by rotating them within a compartment, eliminating the need for vibrator motors and allowing for synchronized ice production and storage, featuring a static or forced cold unit, motor with double direction of rotation, sensors, and a drainage tray.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If vibrator motors are used to prevent ice cubes from sticking together, then ice cubes are kept separate, but the unit produces excessive noise requiring installation in isolated areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the vibrator motor component entirely from the system. Instead of extracting and isolating the noisy element, the invention replaces the vibration-based separation mechanism with a rotation-based system that inherently produces no noise, thus eliminating the harmful noise factor while maintaining ice cube separation functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the mechanical vibration system with a rotational mechanical system. The rotation system uses a rotating tray or drum that gently tumbles ice cubes through a controlled mechanical motion, replacing the high-frequency vibration mechanism with a lower-frequency rotational motion that achieves the same separation effect without generating excessive noise.
2Reliability
If vibrator motors are used to dry ice cubes, then ice cubes are prevented from sticking, but the mechanism is complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the complex vibrator motor assembly and its associated control mechanisms from the drying system. By eliminating this complex subsystem, the invention simplifies the overall device structure while maintaining effective ice cube drying through the rotation mechanism that exposes ice cubes to ambient air circulation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using vibration to achieve drying and separation, the patent inverts the approach by using rotation to achieve the same objectives. The rotation system tumbles ice cubes in a manner that promotes air circulation around each cube, achieving drying and separation through the opposite mechanical action of what conventional systems use.
3Shape
If ice cubes are not quickly stored below zero after discharge, then they maintain size, but moisture on their exterior causes them to stick together and form blocks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary drying action to ice cubes immediately after discharge from the ice maker. The rotation system begins drying ice cubes right away, removing moisture from their surfaces before they can accumulate and cause sticking. This preliminary moisture removal prevents the harmful effect of ice cube adhesion while maintaining cube integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotation-based drying system operates continuously to maintain a steady state of moisture removal from ice cubes. By providing continuous gentle tumbling and air exposure, the system ensures that moisture is constantly being removed from ice cube surfaces, preventing accumulation and sticking throughout the storage period without interruption.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides higher-quality, noise-free ice preservation, enabling installation in any location, reducing energy and water consumption, and increasing market accessibility by optimizing costs and size, ensuring 100% ice usage and faster return on investment.
Implementation Method 1
A motor with double direction of rotation causes the rotation of the rod that is joined to the drying receptacle towards both sides in order to rotate the ice drying receptacle to ensure that the ice cubes in its interior turn over one another
Implementation Method 2
This tray has a resistor to melt the pieces of ice and prevent the water from freezing and blocking the drain of the tray
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A bulk ice preserver with an ice drying and storage compartment (3) which has a static cold unit (11) and an attachment element (4) for attaching the ice drying receptacle (5) to the drying and storage compartment (3). The fastening element (4) is actuated by a motor (6) to produce the rotation of the ice drying receptacle (5) and can be aided by sensors (7) to control the rotation of the ice drying receptacle (5). The compartment also has a waste collection tray (8) with a resistor (9) for thawing and evacuating the remains of the drying process through the drain (16), and various ice discharging doors (12). Additionally, the ice preserver has an automaton or similar (15) connected to the ice maker (1), to the motor (6), to the sensors and to the resistor (9).