Dual Tray Ice Maker Assembly for Transparent Ice Formation Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice makers struggle to produce transparent ice with uniform transparency and efficient ice separation due to inadequate heat transfer management and ice formation direction control.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design featuring a dual tray assembly system where one tray is positioned farther from the heater than the other, with a pusher mechanism to enhance ice separation and a controller to manage heat transfer and ice formation direction, ensuring uniform transparency and easy ice removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a heater is used to heat water during ice making to produce transparent ice, then ice transparency is improved, but heat transfer to adjacent trays causes non-uniform transparency and increased energy consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The ice making system is divided into multiple independent tray assemblies (first tray assembly and second tray assembly), each with its own heating and cooling zones. This segmentation allows independent control of heat transfer to each tray, preventing heat from one tray adversely affecting another tray's ice transparency uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the ice making system are provided with different thermal characteristics. The first tray assembly receives heating from the first heater while the second tray assembly receives cooling from the second cooler, creating localized thermal zones that optimize transparency control for each tray independently.
2Productivity
If both upper and lower cells make ice simultaneously to increase productivity, then ice production quantity is improved, but bubble discharge becomes incomplete resulting in opaque ice
Solution Approach 1:
The ice making process uses periodic sequential operation instead of simultaneous operation. The controller alternates between operating the first heater for the first tray assembly and the second heater for the second tray assembly, allowing each tray to complete its bubble discharge cycle properly while maintaining overall high productivity through alternating production cycles.
3Shape
If ice is made with hemispherical cells to achieve spherical shape, then ice shape convenience is improved, but bubble discharge is hindered reducing transparency
Solution Approach 1:
Different tray assemblies use different cell shape configurations optimized for their specific function. The first tray assembly uses cells with shapes optimized for bubble discharge, while the second tray assembly uses hemispherical cells for spherical ice production, allowing each tray to excel at its primary function without compromising the other.
4Productivity
If the solidification rate is increased to improve productivity, then ice production speed is improved, but convection is insufficient resulting in non-transparent ice
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic alternating operation of two ice making trays, allowing each tray to operate at high solidification rates while the other tray provides thermal buffer capacity. This periodic action maintains sufficient convection time in each tray during its active cycle, ensuring transparency is achieved even at high productivity levels.
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 the production of transparent ice with uniform transparency and facilitates easy ice separation by optimizing heat transfer and ice formation direction, improving the overall ice making process.
Implementation Method 1
a heater; to control the heater... when a heat transfer amount between the cold for cooling the ice making cell and the water of the ice making cell increases, an output of the heater increases, and when the heat transfer amount decreases, an output of the heater decreases
Implementation Method 2
a cooler supplying cold air to the ice making cell
Implementation Method 3
an ice making cell that is a space in which water is phase-changed into ice
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a refrigerator. A refrigerator according to the present invention may comprises a first tray assembly forming one part of ice-making cells, and a second tray assembly forming the other part of same. Following the start of ice making process, so that ice can be produced in the direction of ice-making cells formed by any one tray assembly, from among the first and second tray assemblies, to the ice-making cells formed by the other tray assembly, the other tray assembly comprises a first surface forming a part of the ice-making cells, and a second surface extending from the first surface and supported by at least one surface of the one assembly.