Ice Maker Dual-Tray Assembly for Clear Ice Formation
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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.
Innovation Solution
An ice maker design featuring a dual assembly system with a flexible upper and lower tray, where the lower tray is configured to rotate relative to the upper tray, allowing water to fill and freeze in a way that minimizes air bubble entrapment, forming clear, transparent ice pieces by utilizing a deformable portion to accommodate ice expansion and a support structure to restrict outward expansion.
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 made of flexible material that can dynamically change shape during the ice making process. The tray expands outward to accommodate ice volume increase and then contracts to release the ice, creating movement that prevents air bubble entrapment and promotes clear ice formation
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible lower tray changes its physical state and shape parameters during operation. It transitions from a contracted state during water filling to an expanded state during freezing to accommodate ice growth, then contracts again for ice release. This parameter change enables the tray to adapt to ice expansion while maintaining ice transparency
2Stability of the object's composition
If the lower tray is made rigid to maintain chamber shape, then structural stability is achieved, but ice expansion causes deformation or damage
Solution Approach 1:
The lower tray is constructed from flexible material that can deform and expand outward to accommodate ice growth. This flexibility allows the tray to maintain chamber shape stability while adapting to ice expansion forces, preventing deformation or damage to the tray structure
Solution Approach 2:
The lower tray dynamically adjusts its shape during the freezing process, expanding outward to accommodate increasing ice volume. This dynamic adaptation maintains both chamber shape stability and tray durability by allowing controlled deformation that reverses when ice is released
3Manufacturing precision
If the lower assembly rotates to join with the upper assembly, then ice making chambers are formed, but the mechanism increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The lower assembly rotates relative to the upper assembly during the ice making process, dynamically forming the complete ice making chambers. This rotational movement is a simple mechanical action that enables precise chamber formation without requiring complex mechanisms, as the trays are brought together through controlled rotation
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 design effectively produces clear, transparent ice by allowing air bubbles to escape and accommodating ice expansion, resulting in a more efficient and transparent ice formation process.
Implementation Method 1
a lower tray that is made of a flexible material, that is configured to contact the water received through the water receiving hole
Implementation Method 2
Each of the plurality of ice making chambers is configured to: based on rotation of the lower assembly to a first position relative to the upper assembly, receive water through the water receiving hole; and based on joining of the upper portions and the lower portions of the plurality of ice making chambers at a second position different from the first position, generate an ice piece within an ice making chamber among the plurality of ice making chambers
Data Source
AI summary
An ice maker includes an upper assembly having an upper tray that defines upper portions of a plurality of ice making chambers. The ice maker also includes a lower assembly that is located vertically below the upper assembly and configured rotate relative to the upper assembly. The lower assembly includes a lower tray that defines lower portions of the plurality of ice making chambers, and a lower support that is configured to receive the lower tray and restrict an outward expansion of the lower portions of the plurality of ice making chambers. The lower tray includes a lower tray body configured to hold a first volume of water, and a circumferential wall that extends upward from the lower tray body and is configured to hold a second volume of water above the first volume of water.