Ice maker
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ice makers produce cloudy ice due to air bubbles trapped in the freezing process, leading to a complex and bulky structure, and the overlap of ice formation from different directions results in opaque ice.
Innovation Solution
An ice maker design featuring a heating ice-separator with a rotating heating rod that immerses into the ice-making water to transfer heat and separate ice, maintaining a single freezing direction and using a hemispheric container to control ice formation, along with a controller to manage heating cycles for optimal transparency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional thawing rod and ejector are used to separate ice, then ice can be separated from the container, but the structure becomes complicated and bulky
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the thawing rod and ejector into a single integrated heating ice-separator component. The heating rod serves dual functions: it thaws ice during the ice-making process and acts as an ejector to separate ice from the container by rotating and contacting the ice block. This merging eliminates the need for separate thawing and ejection mechanisms, significantly simplifying the overall structure while maintaining effective ice separation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating ice-separator is designed as a multi-functional component that performs both thawing and ejection functions. During ice making, it provides localized heating to prevent excessive ice formation on its surface. After ice making, it rotates to contact and eject the ice block from the container. This universal design allows a single component to replace multiple dedicated components, reducing structural complexity.
2Productivity
If ice formation occurs simultaneously from lateral and bottom surfaces, then the container is fully utilized, but air bubbles are trapped and ice becomes opaque
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces asymmetry in the ice-making container design by adding a hemispheric protrusion at the bottom center, which creates a preferred freezing direction. This asymmetric feature causes ice to form primarily from the lateral surfaces toward the center rather than simultaneously from all surfaces, preventing air bubble entrapment at the center while maintaining efficient ice making. The asymmetric geometry controls the freezing propagation pattern to achieve both productivity and transparency.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating rod is positioned at the bottom center of the container and provides localized heating to create a temperature gradient that influences freezing direction. This local quality modification ensures that ice forms from the lateral surfaces toward the center rather than from the bottom, preventing air bubble entrapment. The localized thermal field created by the heating rod controls the overall freezing pattern to achieve transparent ice while maintaining efficient production.
3Manufacturing precision
If the heating rod extends to the bottom of the container, then freezing direction is controlled, but rotation may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the heating rod with a hemispheric protrusion at its end that matches the curvature of the container's bottom surface. This spheroidal geometry allows the heating rod to extend close to the bottom for effective freezing direction control while maintaining sufficient clearance for rotation. The curved surface ensures uniform contact and heat distribution during both thawing and ejection phases without interfering with the rotational motion required for ice separation.
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 transparent ice by ensuring uniform freezing conditions, simplifying the structure, and improving ice separation efficiency while maintaining high transparency and durability of components.
Implementation Method 1
a heating rod extended from above a water surface of the ice-making water into the ice making container so as to be immersed in the ice-making water and configured to transfer heat to the ice-making water
Implementation Method 2
a heater configured to supply heat to the heating rod
Implementation Method 3
The ice-making compartment is kept at a freezing point of water, i.e. o°C or below while an ice making container is filled with ice-making water
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
Disclosed are an ice maker, which can make ice with high transparency. The ice maker includes an ice making container (112) configured to be filled with ice-making water; a heating ice-separator (130) comprising a heating rod (133) extended from above a water surface of the ice-making water into the ice making container so as to be immersed in the ice-making water and configured to transfer heat to the ice-making water, and a rotary shaft (131, 132) connecting with the heating rod, extended to traverse an upper portion of the ice making container, and configured to rotate the heating rod to be separated from the ice making container; and a heater (120) configured to supply heat to the heating rod. By using the heater, the ice maker can not only make the ice with the high transparency, but also make ice-separation structure be simplified. An insulation reinforcing member 414 is mounted on the ice making container to reduce the chill provided to the outer ice-making cells of the ice making container.