Ice-machine rotatable assembly and housing, an ice-machine rotatable assembly, an ice-machine, and associated methods
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice-machine designs with rotatable members, such as splasher-type machines, face difficulties in removing the rotatable assembly for cleaning, repair, and replacement due to complex mechanical configurations and the need to maintain low temperatures and cleanliness.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates elongate slots and slide plates in the housing that allow the rotatable member to be easily positioned and secured, with bearings and connecting parts that facilitate movement and securement, enabling straightforward disassembly and reassembly of the splasher assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the rotatable member is mechanically coupled to the housing using bearings and complex mounting structures, then the rotatable member can be securely mounted and rotated, but it becomes difficult to remove the rotatable assembly for cleaning, repair, and replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into a fixed portion and a removable portion that can be separated. The rotatable member assembly is mounted in the removable portion, which can be detached as a unit from the fixed housing. This segmentation allows the rotatable assembly to be easily removed for cleaning, repair, or replacement while maintaining secure mounting during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable member assembly is extracted as a separate, removable component from the housing. The removable portion of the housing is designed to be detachably connected to the fixed portion, allowing the entire rotatable assembly to be taken out as a unit without dismantling the entire ice machine.
2Reliability
If the rotatable member extends through the housing wall with complex sealing arrangements, then the housing can maintain low temperature and prevent fluid leakage, but the structure becomes more complex and harder to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented into fixed and removable portions with a simplified interface. The removable portion contains the rotatable member and can be detached without complex sealing arrangements, reducing overall structural complexity while maintaining leakage prevention through the design of the removable connection interface.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the entire housing removable or using complex seals throughout, the invention inverts the approach by making only a specific portion (containing the rotatable member) removable. This simplifies the sealing requirements to just the interface between fixed and removable portions.
3Strength
If the ice-machine is designed as a integrated unit, then structural strength and sealing are maintained, but maintenance requires dismantling the entire machine
Solution Approach 1:
The ice-machine is segmented into a fixed housing portion and a removable housing portion that can be detached from each other. The fixed portion maintains structural strength and sealing, while the removable portion provides access to the rotatable member assembly for maintenance without requiring dismantling of the entire machine.
Solution Approach 2:
The removable portion of the housing is extracted as a separate serviceable unit that can be detached for maintenance activities. This allows technicians to access and service the rotatable member assembly without disassembling the entire ice-machine, while the fixed housing portion maintains its structural integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
An ice-machine rotatable assembly and housing, comprising a first side wall defining a first elongate slot extending from an edge of the first side wall, and the rotatable assembly comprising: a rotatable member configured to move liquid toward an ice former mounted with respect to the housing. The rotatable member including a first connecting part towards a first end of the rotatable member; and a first slide plate having a rail and a first side panel extending along a length of the rail of the first slide plate. The rail of the first slide plate being configured to be at least partially received by the first elongate slot, wherein: the first connecting part of the rotatable member is moveable along the elongate slot to position the rotatable member in the installed position. The first slide plate is mountable with its rail at least partially received by the first elongate slot.