Clear ice maker with warm air flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice makers produce cloudy ice due to trapped air, which affects the taste and appearance of beverages, and current methods to produce clear ice are costly and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
An ice making apparatus with a horizontally suspended ice tray and a thermally coupled cold plate that uses a warm air flow over the ice tray to expel air bubbles, combined with a rocking motion to form clear ice pieces without the need for a drain.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional freezing methods are used, then ice cubes are produced quickly and simply, but the ice cubes are cloudy due to trapped air
Solution Approach 1:
The ice maker tray is designed to rock back and forth during the freezing process. This dynamic motion causes water to slosh and air bubbles to escape from the freezing water, resulting in clear ice cubes without requiring complex drainage systems or additional components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the temperature parameters during the freezing process. Warm air is directed onto the ice tray during freezing to control the freezing rate and facilitate air bubble escape, while cold air is used during storage. This parameter variation enables clear ice production with simple apparatus.
2Manufacturing precision
If processing techniques are used to produce clear ice, then ice clarity is improved, but the cost and complexity of the system increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rocking motion of the ice tray automatically facilitates air bubble escape during freezing. The system uses the natural physical processes of water freezing and air bubble rising, combined with simple tray movement, to achieve clear ice without requiring expensive processing equipment or complex additional systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The design extracts and removes air bubbles from the freezing water through the rocking motion. By causing the water to move and freeze from the bottom up, air bubbles are naturally expelled from the ice cube formation process, achieving clear ice without complex filtration or processing systems.
3Productivity
If air bubbles are trapped in ice cubes, then the freezing process is simple, but the taste and appearance of beverages are degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The rocking motion dynamically disrupts the freezing process to allow air bubbles to escape. The tray moves back and forth, causing water to slosh and air bubbles to rise and escape from the freezing water, while still maintaining efficient freezing through controlled warm and cold air exposure.
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 effectively produces clear ice by allowing air bubbles to escape, resulting in clearer ice pieces that enhance the taste and appearance of beverages, while eliminating the need for costly processing techniques.
Implementation Method 1
A cooling source is thermally coupled to a bottom surface of the cold plate and configured to freeze water in the ice tray
Implementation Method 2
An air conduit is positioned above the ice tray and coupled with an exterior air source, wherein the air conduit is configured to dispense a warm air flow over the ice tray
Data Source
AI summary
An ice-making apparatus for an appliance having a housing with an interior volume and an ice tray horizontally suspended in the interior volume. The ice tray has a cold plate with a top surface and a bottom surface and a containment wall surrounding an edge portion of the cold plate to retain water. A cooling source is thermally coupled to the bottom surface of the cold plate. An intake conduit extends into the interior volume over the ice tray and is configured to draw ambient air into the interior volume over the ice tray, and the ambient air is above freezing.