Ice Maker Immersion Pipe Pre-Heating to Prevent Opaque Ice Formation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice makers using immersion-type ice making units often trap air bubbles in ice, resulting in opaque layers, especially when reusing cold water, which impairs ice transparency and quality.
Innovation Solution
An ice maker design that includes a water tray member, an ice making unit with an evaporator and immersion pipe, a heating unit, and a control unit that raises the temperature of raw water before cooling, along with a movement generation unit using a wave generation plate and magnetic forces to prevent bubble formation, ensuring clear ice production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the immersion type ice making unit is used to produce ice, then the structure is simple and production is easy, but air bubbles are trapped in the ice causing opaque appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-heating the immersion pipe before ice making to prevent rapid ice formation that traps air bubbles. The control unit heats the immersion pipe to a predetermined temperature before allowing ice making to proceed, ensuring that ice forms gradually and transparently without trapping air bubbles in the process.
2Productivity
If cold water is supplied to the water tray member or remaining ice making water is re-used, then water temperature is low which accelerates ice formation, but opaque layer is formed in the ice
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by dynamically adjusting the temperature of the immersion pipe based on the temperature of water in the tray. When cold water is detected or remaining water from previous cycles is used, the control unit increases the heating temperature and duration of the immersion pipe to compensate, ensuring optimal ice formation conditions that produce transparent ice even with cold water.
3Manufacturing precision
If a complicated bubble prevention structure is added to prevent air bubbles, then ice transparency is improved, but the structure becomes difficult to control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by using the immersion pipe itself to perform the bubble prevention function. Instead of adding separate complex bubble prevention structures, the immersion pipe is equipped with heating capability that allows it to self-regulate and prevent air bubble formation during ice making, simplifying the overall system while maintaining ice transparency.
4Speed
If the immersion pipe is cooled rapidly with low temperature refrigerant, then ice formation is fast, but air bubbles are trapped creating opaque layer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-heating the immersion pipe before introducing cold refrigerant for ice formation. The control unit activates the heating unit to raise the immersion pipe temperature to a predetermined level before the ice making cycle begins, ensuring that when rapid cooling occurs, ice forms gradually and transparently without trapping air bubbles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by dynamically controlling the temperature parameters of the immersion pipe throughout the ice making process. The control unit adjusts the heating temperature and duration based on the ice making stage, maintaining optimal temperature differences that enable fast ice formation while preventing air bubble entrapment and ensuring ice transparency.
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
Prevents opaque layer formation, produces clear ice by avoiding bubble entrapment, and simplifies the bubble prevention structure for easier installation and control, while efficiently heating raw water for ice making.
Implementation Method 1
a heating unit heating the raw water received in the water tray member
Implementation Method 2
an ice making unit cooling the raw water received in the water tray member and forming ice
Implementation Method 3
an evaporator having an immersion pipe immersed in the raw water received in the water tray member, the ice making unit supplying a low-temperature refrigerant to the evaporator so as to form ice around the immersion pipe
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure includes a water tray member receiving raw water for ice-making from a water tank, an ice making unit cooling the raw water received in the water tray member and forming ice, a heating unit heating the raw water received in the water tray member, and a control unit controlling an operation of the heating unit such that the raw water received in the water tray member is heated before the ice making unit cools the raw water in the water tray member. According to the ice maker, the temperature of the raw water received in an ice-making water tray is raised to a preset temperature at the initial stage of an ice making process, thereby preventing the formation of an opaque layer in the central portion of ice.