Dual-Tray Ice Maker with Directional Freezing for Transparent Ice
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice makers in refrigerators produce opaque ice due to uniform freezing, which collects air inside and hinders the creation of transparent ice, especially when water cannot be spilled or sprinkled in sub-zero temperatures.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator with a dual-tray system and a heater adjacent to one tray, allowing controlled ice formation and separation, along with a full ice detection lever, to produce transparent spherical ice by managing heat generation and ice directionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If water is frozen in all directions uniformly in a general refrigerator ice maker, then ice production is simple and efficient, but air is collected inside the ice resulting in opaque ice
Solution Approach 1:
The ice making process is segmented into two distinct phases: first freezing water from the top surface to form an initial ice layer, then continuing freezing from all directions to complete the ice cube. This segmentation allows control over ice formation to achieve transparency while maintaining production efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
Different freezing conditions are applied to different regions of the water during the ice making process. The top surface receives controlled freezing first to form a clear outer layer, while the interior freezes subsequently, creating local quality differences that result in transparent ice with minimal air pockets
2Manufacturing precision
If water is spilled downward or sprinkled upward to grow ice in one direction, then transparent ice can be made, but this method cannot be applied in sub-zero temperature refrigerators where water cannot be spilled or sprinkled
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical action of spilling or sprinkling water is replaced with a controlled water supply system that delivers water to the ice making cell through a water supply hole. This substitution maintains the beneficial effect of directional ice growth for transparency while adapting to the refrigerator environment where water cannot be mechanically spilled
Solution Approach 2:
A water supply hole and controlled water delivery mechanism serve as intermediaries between the water source and the ice making cell. This intermediary system enables precise control over water introduction, allowing directional freezing and transparent ice formation within the constraints of the refrigerator's sub-zero environment
3Productivity
If ice is made at high freezing rate in all directions, then ice production is efficient, but air bubbles are trapped inside making the ice opaque
Solution Approach 1:
The top surface of the water is frozen first as a preliminary action before the bulk of the water freezes from all directions. This preliminary freezing creates a clear outer shell that traps minimal air, while subsequent freezing completes the ice cube at higher rates without compromising overall transparency
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 system enables consistent ice production rates and reliable separation, preventing lumping and ensuring transparent spherical ice is formed efficiently.
Implementation Method 1
a heater adjacent to the first tray rather than the second tray
Implementation Method 2
an ice making cell that is a space in which water is phase-changed into ice by cold air supplied to the storage chamber
Implementation Method 3
water is phase-changed into ice by cold air supplied to the storage chamber
Data Source
AI summary
An ice maker including a first tray configured to form a first portion of an ice-making cell; a second tray configured to form a second portion of the ice-making cell, and capable of moving relative to the first tray; an ice bin configured to store ice separated from the first and second trays; and a full-ice sensing lever configured to move together with the second tray in a predetermined range.