Ice Maker Deformable Tray Design for Clear Spherical Ice Production
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ice makers often produce cloudy or opaque ice due to trapped air bubbles, and existing methods to form clear ice are inefficient as they require manual intervention or specific tray designs.
Innovation Solution
An ice maker design featuring a lower tray with a deformable portion that expands outward to accommodate ice growth, allowing for the formation of spherical ice pieces by rotating relative to an upper tray, and includes a heating mechanism to control temperature and expel air bubbles, ensuring clear ice production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If water is frozen in conventional ice trays, then ice pieces are formed, but air bubbles become trapped inside leading to cloudy appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The lower tray is designed with a deformable portion that can dynamically change shape during the freezing process. As ice expands during freezing, the deformable portion moves outward to accommodate the expansion, creating space for air bubbles to escape. This dynamic adaptation allows the formation of clear ice without requiring complex manual intervention or specific rigid tray designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The deformable portion changes its physical state and position in response to the expanding ice. The material properties of the deformable portion allow it to flex and move outward as the ice volume increases during freezing, thereby creating pathways for air bubbles to escape and preventing them from being trapped in the final ice structure.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the lower tray is made rigid to maintain chamber shape, then structural stability is maintained, but ice expansion causes deformation or damage
Solution Approach 1:
The lower tray employs local quality by having most of the tray structure remain rigid to maintain chamber shape, while specifically incorporating a deformable portion that can flex outward. This localized flexibility at the deformable portion allows the tray to accommodate ice expansion without compromising the overall structural stability of the chamber or causing damage to the tray.
Solution Approach 2:
The deformable portion introduces dynamic characteristics to an otherwise static rigid structure. This allows the tray to adapt its shape locally in response to ice expansion forces, preventing stress concentration and potential damage while maintaining the integrity and shape of the ice-making chambers.
3Manufacturing precision
If spherical ice is formed using specially designed trays, then clear ice can be produced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The deformable portion enables the tray to serve itself by automatically adjusting its shape in response to ice expansion. This self-adjusting mechanism eliminates the need for complex external control systems, manual intervention, or elaborate tray designs. The simple yet effective deformable structure allows air bubbles to escape naturally during freezing, producing clear spherical ice with minimal device complexity.
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 clear, transparent ice pieces by allowing air bubbles to escape and accommodating ice expansion, improving the ice-making process efficiency and quality.
Implementation Method 1
based on an outward expansion of the ice piece within the ice making chamber during ice generation, change from a first shape to a second shape
Implementation Method 2
a heater that contacts an outer surface of each of the plurality of lower chamber walls, that is configured to supply heat to the lower portions of the plurality of ice making chambers
Implementation Method 3
Each of the plurality of ice making chambers is configured to: based on rotation of the lower assembly relative to the upper assembly, receive water, and based on joining of the upper portions and the lower portions of the plurality of ice making chambers, generate an ice piece
Data Source
AI summary
An ice maker of a refrigerator includes an upper assembly having an upper tray that defines upper portions of a plurality of ice making chambers as well as a lower assembly located vertically below the upper assembly that is configured to rotate relative to the upper assembly. The lower assembly includes a lower tray that defines lower portions of the plurality of ice making chambers. Each of the plurality of ice making chambers is configured to receive water when the lower assembly rotates relative to the upper assembly and generate an ice piece within when the upper and lower portions of the ice making chambers are joined. The lower tray includes a deformable portion that is configured to, based on an outward expansion of the ice piece within the ice making chamber during ice generation, change from a first shape to a second shape.