Home ice maker and method for making funny-shaped ice using same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ice makers face challenges in forming transparent ice without increasing the size of the ice making tray, efficiently fluctuating ice-making water, preventing evaporation tube corrosion, and uniformly adjusting ice transparency, while also requiring additional space for ice removal and being prone to corrosion due to complex installation structures.
Innovation Solution
A home ice maker design featuring a U-shaped evaporation tube supported by a bracket connected at its upper center, a fluctuation module with a coaxially formed fluctuation part that rotates within the ice making tray to fluctuate water without rocking, and a heat transfer mechanism using a compressor to increase water temperature without a separate heat source, allowing for compact and transparent ice production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a conventional L-shaped fluctuation part is installed under the ice making plate with external vibration application, then ice-making water can be fluctuated to remove cloudiness, but the installation structure becomes complicated and requires complex detection structures
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of applying vibration from the outside of the water plate to the fluctuation part, the patent applies vibration from the inside of the water plate through a fluctuation part that extends into the water-making chamber. This inversion simplifies the installation structure by eliminating the need for complex external mounting and detection structures while achieving the same goal of fluctuating ice-making water to remove cloudiness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the fluctuation part from the external structure and integrates it directly into the water plate's internal space. By taking out the need for external vibration application mechanisms and detection structures, the design achieves a simpler overall structure while maintaining the functionality of producing transparent ice.
2Ease of operation
If the ice making plate is extended to increase rotation range for ice removal, then the rotation range is improved, but the overall size of the ice maker increases and ice making efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of extending the ice making plate in a linear direction to increase rotation range, the patent utilizes vertical space by extending the fluctuation part downward into the water-making chamber. This dimensional change allows the fluctuation function to be integrated without increasing the horizontal footprint, thereby maintaining compact size and ice making efficiency while still enabling effective ice removal through rotation.
3Strength
If a bracket is welded to the lower part of the evaporation tube to fix it, then the evaporation tube is securely supported, but corrosion easily occurs in the connection portion due to water permeation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a support part as an intermediary component between the evaporation tube and the water plate. This support part is formed as an integrated unit with the water plate, creating a seamless connection that prevents water from permeating into the joint area. The intermediary structure maintains secure support of the evaporation tube while eliminating the corrosion-prone welded connection between separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The support part is merged with the water plate to form an integrated structure, eliminating the need for separate welded connections. This merging of components ensures that there are no gaps or interfaces where water can penetrate and cause corrosion, while still providing robust support for the evaporation tube through the integrated design.
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 efficient fluctuation of ice-making water to form transparent ice without enlarging the ice maker, prevents corrosion of the evaporation tube, and allows for the production of compact, transparent, and translucent ice with improved transparency and reduced ice making time, while maintaining a compact configuration.
Implementation Method 1
The evaporation tube is installed on the upper surface of the cooling plate, and is connected to a refrigeration system. Refrigerant flows in the evaporation tube and the cooling plate and the cooling protrusions are cooled by heat exchange of the refrigerant therewith.
Implementation Method 2
Refrigerant flows in the evaporation tube and the cooling plate and the cooling protrusions are cooled by heat exchange of the refrigerant therewith.
Implementation Method 3
Ice-making water is filled in the ice making plate... Ice-making water is allowed to fluctuate without rocking an ice making tray such that transparent ice can easily be formed
Data Source
AI summary
A home ice maker is proposed. According to the home ice maker, without rocking an ice making tray, ice-making water is allowed to sufficiently fluctuate by the rotation of the fluctuation part, thereby easily forming transparent ice without increasing the size of the ice making tray. The fluctuation part and the ice making tray are formed coaxially, and when rotating the fluctuation part so as to remove ice, the fluctuation part is rotated relative to the central axis of the ice making tray, thereby realizing a compact configuration of the ice maker without requiring additional space for the ice removal.