Refrigerator
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice makers produce opaque ice due to incomplete discharge of bubbles during the ice-making process, resulting in reduced transparency and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design featuring a first and second tray assembly, where the second tray is closer to the heater, with a pusher mechanism and deformation resistance reinforcement parts to guide ice formation and separation, ensuring uniform transparency and shape consistency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If water is cooled simultaneously in upper and lower cells to make spherical ice, then ice production efficiency is improved, but bubble discharge is incomplete resulting in opaque ice
Solution Approach 1:
The ice making process is divided into two distinct stages: first forming ice from the top surface downward, then forming ice from the bottom surface upward. This segmentation allows bubbles to be systematically discharged during the first stage while maintaining production efficiency through the second stage.
Solution Approach 2:
The top surface ice formation is performed as a preliminary action before bottom surface freezing. This preliminary freezing action creates an initial ice layer that facilitates subsequent bubble discharge and enables the bottom surface freezing to proceed efficiently.
2Manufacturing precision
If heater heating amount is increased to maintain solidification rate when water volume is reduced, then transparent ice can be made, but ice making time increases reducing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The heater operates in periodic cycles rather than continuously. The heater is activated during specific periods when water volume decreases and adjusts or stops heating when sufficient water remains, optimizing both transparency and efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating control system uses feedback from water volume detection to adjust heater operation. When water volume is sufficient, heating is reduced or stopped; when volume decreases, heating is increased to maintain solidification rate and transparency.
3Productivity
If tray assembly is positioned closer to heater for efficient heating, then heat transfer to adjacent ice making cells increases causing non-uniform transparency
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful thermal effect on adjacent cells is extracted and isolated by positioning the tray assembly such that heat transfer to neighboring ice making cells is minimized, allowing efficient heating of the target cell without compromising transparency uniformity in adjacent cells.
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 effectively produces transparent ice with uniform transparency and shape matching the tray, improving ice-making efficiency and ease of separation.
Implementation Method 1
a heater adjacent to at least one of the first tray assembly or the second tray assembly
Implementation Method 2
a cooler supplying cold air to the ice making cell
Implementation Method 3
a deformation resistance reinforcement part extending from the first surface in a direction away from the heater
Data Source
AI summary
The refrigerator includes a first tray forming a part of ice-making cells; and a second tray assembly forming the other part of the ice-making cells. The first tray assembly includes a first tray and a first tray case which supports the first tray, and the second tray assembly incudes a second tray and a second tray case which supports the second tray, and the degree of adhesion of ice to any one of the first and second trays is smaller than the degree of adhesion of ice to any one of the first and second tray cases or the degree of adhesion of ice to a metal.