Ice maker and refrigerator comprising same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ice makers in refrigerators produce opaque ice due to trapped air and rapid freezing, making it difficult to achieve transparent ice, especially since water cannot flow or be sprinkled in sub-zero temperatures.
Innovation Solution
An ice maker design featuring a first and second tray with a heater embedded in one or both, allowing ice to grow from the bottom up or top down, with a pusher mechanism to separate ice, and an additional heater for efficient ice separation, ensuring uniform freezing and reducing heating deviations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If water is frozen in all directions using conventional ice makers, then freezing speed is fast, but air is trapped inside and opaque ice is generated
Solution Approach 1:
The ice making process is segmented into directional freezing stages. The freezing chamber is divided into regions with different cooling intensities, allowing ice to form first at the bottom and grow upward in a controlled manner, preventing air entrapment while maintaining efficient freezing speed.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the freezing chamber are assigned different thermal properties. The bottom region has higher cooling capacity to initiate ice formation, while upper regions have progressively lower cooling capacity, creating a temperature gradient that enables unidirectional freezing and transparent ice formation.
2Manufacturing precision
If water flows from top to bottom or is sprinkled from bottom to top to make transparent ice, then ice can grow in one direction, but this cannot be implemented in sub-zero temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical water flow system is replaced with a thermal field control system. Instead of relying on gravity-driven water flow that fails in sub-zero conditions, the invention uses controlled thermal gradients and phase change mechanisms to achieve unidirectional freezing, maintaining transparency without requiring water flow in frozen conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the controlling parameter from mechanical flow to thermal gradient. By precisely controlling temperature distribution and phase change rates, the system achieves unidirectional ice growth in sub-zero environments without requiring water to remain liquid for flow.
3Ease of operation
If a heater is used to separate ice from trays, then ice separation is achieved, but temperature fluctuations occur and energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heater operates periodically rather than continuously. Heating is applied in controlled cycles during the ice making process to prevent ice adhesion to trays, and then turned off during the separation phase. This periodic operation reduces overall energy consumption while maintaining effective ice separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The heater performs preliminary heating during the ice making process to prevent ice from adhering to the tray surfaces. By pre-heating the tray surfaces before complete freezing occurs, the system eliminates the need for intensive heating during separation, reducing total energy consumption.
4Manufacturing precision
If multiple heaters are used to heat different portions of ice making cells, then uniform heating is achieved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
A single heater structure is designed to perform multiple functions: it heats different portions of the ice making cell at different times, controls temperature gradients, and prevents ice adhesion. This multi-functional heater reduces component count and complexity while maintaining heating uniformity through intelligent control.
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 design enhances ice quality by reducing temperature fluctuations, improving transparency, and maintaining a spherical shape, while also reducing energy consumption and material costs through efficient contact heat transfer and integrated heater placement.
Implementation Method 1
a heater configured to be disposed on the first tray or the second tray
Implementation Method 2
a cooler configured to supply cold air to the storage chamber, a first tray configured to define a portion of an ice making cell that is phase-changed by the cold air
Data Source
AI summary
An ice maker comprises: a first tray forming a part of an ice-making cell; a second tray forming another part of the ice-making cell; and a heater arranged on the first tray or the second tray, wherein the heater operates during a period when cold air is supplied for the purpose of freezing ice.