Ice Maker Heater Control for Uniformly Transparent Ice
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice makers produce opaque ice due to bubbles not being completely discharged during the ice-making process, resulting in uneven transparency across the ice.
Innovation Solution
An ice maker design featuring an upper tray and a lower tray with a control unit that variably controls the output of a lower heater to gather bubbles in the lowermost section of the ice chamber during the ice-making process, ensuring uniform transparency of the ice.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If ice is made simultaneously in upper and lower cells, then ice production efficiency is improved, but bubbles are not completely discharged resulting in opaque ice
Solution Approach 1:
The ice making process is divided into two stages: first making ice in the lower cell only, then making ice in the upper cell. This segmentation of the ice making process allows bubbles to be discharged during the first stage before the second stage begins, resolving the contradiction between production efficiency and ice transparency.
Solution Approach 2:
The lower cell ice making is performed as a preliminary action before the upper cell ice making. During this preliminary stage, bubbles are discharged from the water, and only after this preliminary bubble removal is complete does the upper cell ice making begin, ensuring transparent ice while maintaining efficient production.
2Shape
If spherical ice is made using hemispherical upper and lower cells, then ice shape quality is improved, but bubble discharge is incomplete resulting in uneven transparency
Solution Approach 1:
The hemispherical upper and lower cells are used to create spherical ice shape, but the ice making process is segmented into two stages: first lower cell only, then upper cell. This allows the spherical shape to be maintained while bubbles are discharged during the first stage, achieving uniform transparency throughout the spherical ice.
3Speed
If ice making is performed in both upper and lower cells simultaneously, then production speed is improved, but bubble removal is insufficient resulting in dispersed bubbles in the ice
Solution Approach 1:
The simultaneous ice making in upper and lower cells is replaced by sequential ice making: first the lower cell, then the upper cell. This segmentation ensures complete bubble discharge during the first stage while maintaining fast production speed through the sequential rather than parallel approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The lower cell ice making serves as a preliminary action that removes all bubbles from the water before the upper cell ice making begins. This preliminary bubble removal action ensures complete bubble discharge while the subsequent upper cell action completes the ice production efficiently.
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 across each height of the ice, enhancing the quality and appearance of the ice produced.
Implementation Method 1
a lower support configured to support the lower tray and on which a lower heater is mounted; and a control unit configured to operate the lower heater in an ice making process
Implementation Method 2
the control unit variably controls an output of the lower heater so that bubbles included in water in the ice chamber are gathered in a lowermost section in the ice making process
Implementation Method 3
an upper tray defining an upper chamber that is a portion of an ice chamber, wherein an upper opening is provided in an upper side of the upper tray; a lower tray defining a lower chamber that is another portion of the ice chamber
Data Source
AI summary
An ice maker of the present invention comprises: an upper tray defining an upper chamber that is a portion of an ice chamber, wherein an upper opening is provided in an upper side of the upper tray; a lower tray defining a lower chamber that is another portion of the ice chamber; a lower support supporting the lower tray and provided with a lower heater; and a control unit configured to operate the lower heater in an ice making process, wherein the control unit variably controls an output of the lower heater so that bubbles included in water in the ice chamber are gathered in a lowermost section in the ice making process.