Double-Row Barrel Ice Maker with Upward Ejection to Reduce Seal Wear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice makers struggle to produce barrel-shaped ice reliably due to premature wear of seals caused by the movement of piston-based ejection mechanisms, which leads to leakage and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
An ice maker design featuring a mold body with cylindrical mold cavities and an ejector assembly comprising pads that move vertically to eject ice, with a solid and continuous floor surface to prevent leakage, and a motor-operated mechanism to facilitate the ejection of ice without damaging the seals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a piston-based ejection mechanism is used to eject ice from mold cavities, then ice can be harvested from the mold cavities, but the seals wear out prematurely causing leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the piston and seal components from the ejection mechanism. Instead of using a piston that passes through sealed openings in the mold cavity floor, the invention uses ejector pads that push ice from below through openings in the mold cavity floor after freezing, eliminating the need for seals that would wear during repeated ejection cycles
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional ejection approach by having ejector pads push ice upward from the floor of the mold cavity rather than having a piston push from the top. This reversal allows the ejection surface to be open rather than sealed, eliminating the wear problem associated with seals
2Object-affected harmful factors
If seals are placed at piston locations to prevent water leakage, then water containment is improved, but the seals wear out prematurely
Solution Approach 1:
The patent completely removes seals from the system by eliminating the piston mechanism. Water containment is achieved through the mold cavity structure itself and the positioning of ejector pads, rather than relying on seals that would wear and fail
Solution Approach 2:
The ejector pads are designed as simple, replaceable components without seals, accepting that they may wear or become damaged but eliminating the need for expensive seal replacement and the complexity of sealed piston mechanisms
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 design effectively produces cylindrical barrel ice while minimizing seal wear and leakage, ensuring reliable and efficient ice harvesting.
Implementation Method 1
The motor is operable to move the plurality of ejector pads upward generally along the vertical direction from the low position to a high position proximate the opening of each corresponding mold cavity
Implementation Method 2
To produce ice, liquid water is directed to the ice maker and frozen
Data Source
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AI summary
An ice maker (160) includes a mold body (170) with two rows of mold cavities (200) defined in the mold body (170). The ice maker (160) also includes an ejector assembly (180) having a plurality of ejector pads (210) corresponding to the mold cavities (200). The ejector pads (210) are movable between a low position proximate to the floor (202) of a corresponding mold cavity (200) and a high position proximate the opening of each corresponding mold cavity (200). The ejector pads (210) are operable to eject ice from the mold cavities (200) when the ejector assembly (180) moves from the low position to the high position. A related refrigerator appliance (100) is also provided.