Ice Chute Rib Structure for Reliable Ice Block Discharge
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing ice discharging structure in automatic ice making machines faces issues where ice blocks get caught due to surface tension between the ice chute and separator, leading to deformation and water scattering, resulting in inefficient ice production and storage.
Innovation Solution
The structure incorporates a rib on the inner face of the separator and/or the end face of the ice chute, ensuring a line or point contact to minimize surface tension and prevent ice making water scattering, allowing reliable discharge of ice blocks regardless of their weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the ice chute end face is in tight contact with the separator inner face to prevent water scattering, then water containment is improved, but ice blocks get caught due to surface tension
Solution Approach 1:
The separator is divided into a body portion and a protruding portion that extends toward the ice chute. This segmentation allows the protruding portion to make contact with the ice chute end face, creating a seal to prevent water scattering, while the body portion remains separated from the ice chute, allowing ice blocks to pass through without being caught by surface tension.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the separator have different spatial relationships with the ice chute. The protruding portion is positioned to contact the ice chute end face for water sealing, while the body portion is positioned away from the ice chute to avoid interfering with ice block discharge. This local differentiation of spatial quality resolves the contradiction between water containment and ice block discharge.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the separator is positioned close to the ice chute to prevent water scattering, then water containment is improved, but lightweight ice blocks cannot push the separator open
Solution Approach 1:
The separator is segmented into a body portion and a protruding portion. The protruding portion contacts the ice chute end face to prevent water scattering, while the body portion is positioned away from the ice chute. This segmentation reduces the contact area between the separator and ice chute, thereby reducing the surface tension force that prevents the separator from opening, allowing lightweight ice blocks to successfully push the separator open.
Solution Approach 2:
The separator exhibits local quality differentiation where the protruding portion is positioned close to the ice chute for water sealing, while the body portion is positioned away from the ice chute. This local positioning reduces the overall force required to open the separator, enabling lightweight ice blocks to discharge successfully while still preventing water scattering at the critical contact point.
3Reliability
If the separator is positioned away from the ice chute to allow easy discharge, then ice block discharge is improved, but ice making water scatters to the outside
Solution Approach 1:
The separator is segmented into a body portion and a protruding portion. The body portion is positioned away from the ice chute to allow easy ice block discharge, while the protruding portion extends toward and contacts the ice chute end face to prevent water scattering. This segmentation allows both functions to coexist without interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The separator exhibits local quality differentiation in its spatial positioning relative to the ice chute. The body portion is positioned away from the ice chute to facilitate ice block discharge, while the protruding portion is positioned close to the ice chute end face to prevent water scattering. This local differentiation of position allows the separator to simultaneously achieve both discharge reliability and water containment.
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
This configuration effectively prevents ice making water from scattering during the ice making operation and ensures reliable discharge of ice blocks, maintaining the expected shape and preventing water shortages, even for lightweight blocks.
Implementation Method 1
the surface tension exerted on the ice making water W getting through the gap is relatively strong, so that the end face 22a of the ice chute 22 sometimes sticks to the inner face 14a of the separator 14
Implementation Method 2
an evaporation pipe 20 communicating with a refrigerating system (not shown) is meanderingly arranged in tight contact so as to cool the ice making chamber 18 forcibly by circulating a coolant therethrough
Implementation Method 3
A part of the ice making water W is cooled on the inner surface of the ice making chamber 18 to start freezing in layers
Implementation Method 4
the pumping motor 40 is configured so as to send ice making water W by pressure to the sprinkler 26 through a discharge pipe 44
Data Source
AI summary
An ice discharging structure of an ice making mechanism for discharging an ice block from the ice making mechanism reliably regardless of the weight of the ice block.An ice making mechanism of an ice making machine comprises an ice making section case in which an opening closed by a separator openably and closably is provided. The ice making section case comprises an ice chute inclined downward to the opening of the ice making section case, provided between an ice making section 16 and a sprinkler, for leading an ice block fallen from an ice making chamber to the opening. On an end face of the ice chute, a first rib is horizontally provided in a width direction of the end face, and a top thereof is in line contact with an inner face of the separator.