Double-Row Barrel Ice Maker With Overhead Ejection to Reduce Seal Wear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice makers struggle to produce and reliably harvest barrel-shaped ice due to premature wear of seals caused by the movement of piston-based ejection mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
An ice maker design featuring a mold body with cylindrical mold cavities and an ejector assembly comprising movable ejector pads that move between low and high positions to eject ice, combined with an ice rake mechanism to direct ice into a storage bin, minimizing seal wear and ensuring consistent barrel ice production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If a piston-based ejection mechanism is used to push ice up out of mold cavities, then barrel-shaped ice can be produced, but seals wear out prematurely due to piston movement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the piston and seal components from the ice maker system entirely. Instead of using a piston-based ejection mechanism that requires seals, the invention employs an overhead ejection system where ejector arms directly push ice out of the mold cavities from above, eliminating the source of seal wear while maintaining barrel-shaped ice production
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional ejection approach by ejecting ice from the top of the mold cavities rather than from the bottom. This overhead ejection method reverses the conventional piston-based bottom-up ejection, allowing ice to be harvested without requiring seals at the bottom of the mold cavities
2Shape
If cylindrical mold cavities are used to produce barrel-shaped ice, then consumer preference is met, but reliable ice harvesting becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the ejection direction to push ice upward from the bottom of cylindrical mold cavities using ejector arms, rather than attempting to remove ice from the top. This inverted approach makes harvesting barrel-shaped ice reliable by using the natural freezing pattern where ice adheres to the mold walls and can be uniformly pushed out
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the ejection function into multiple ejector arms that independently act on different mold cavities. Each ejector arm is responsible for pushing ice out of specific cavities, allowing for reliable and controlled harvesting of barrel-shaped ice without requiring complex mechanical systems
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 enables reliable production and harvesting of barrel-shaped ice without premature seal wear, improving the efficiency and durability of the ice-making process.
Implementation Method 1
an ejector assembly comprising movable ejector pads that move between low and high positions to eject ice
Implementation Method 2
an ice rake mechanism to direct ice into a storage bin
Data Source
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AI summary
An ice maker (160) defining a vertical direction (VI), a lateral direction (LI), and a transverse direction (TI), the vertical, lateral, and transverse directions (VI; LI; TI) being mutually perpendicular, the ice maker (160) comprising: a mold body (170), a plurality of mold cavities (200) defined in the mold body (170), the plurality of mold cavities (200) comprising a first row (203) of mold cavities (200) extending generally along the transverse direction (TI) and a second row (205) of mold cavities (200) extending generally along the transverse direction (TI) and spaced apart from the first row (203) along the lateral direction (LI), each mold cavity (200) of the plurality of mold cavities (200) extending between a floor (202) and an opening (206) along a longitudinal axis (A), each mold cavity (200) of the plurality of mold cavities (200) enclosed by at least one sidewall between the floor (202) and the opening (206), the longitudinal axis (A) of each mold cavity (200) oriented generally along the vertical direction (VI); an ejector assembly (180) comprising a plurality of ejector pads (210), the plurality of ejector pads (210) comprising a first row (207) of ejector pads (210) corresponding to the first row (203) of mold cavities (200) and a second row (209) of ejector pads (210) corresponding to the second row (205) of mold cavities (200).