Ice Maker Pre-Cooling and Tray Rotation to Prevent Supercooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerators lack an effective method to control supercooling during the ice making process, leading to opaque ice and difficulties in producing clean and pure ice suitable for food and beverage consumption.
Innovation Solution
The refrigerator incorporates a tray rotation mechanism controlled by a controller, which releases supercooling by rotating the tray, eliminating the need for separate nucleation agents. This method ensures that supercooling is released efficiently and uniformly across all cells in the tray.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If nucleation agents are added to prevent supercooling, then the transparency of ice is improved, but the purity and safety of ice for consumption deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the harmful nucleation agents from the ice making process. Instead of adding external substances, the patent uses a vibration mechanism to induce nucleation without any chemical additives, thereby maintaining ice purity while achieving transparency.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the chemical method (nucleation agents) with a mechanical method (vibration). The vibration mechanism provides mechanical energy to the water molecules to promote nucleation and crystal growth, achieving the same transparency effect without chemical substances.
2Manufacturing precision
If nucleation agents are used to control supercooling, then the ice making quality is improved, but the device complexity and operational hassle increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the complex storage and injection systems for nucleation agents. By using vibration alone, the patent eliminates all associated hardware and operational steps, greatly simplifying the device while maintaining ice making quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The vibration mechanism enables the water to self-nucleate and form ice crystals without external chemical assistance. The system uses mechanical energy to trigger the natural phase change process, eliminating the need for external agent management.
3Productivity
If chilled air is blown to the ice-making tray, then the ice making speed is improved, but the supercooling control deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the chilled air blowing function with the vibration function. Both cooling and vibration are applied simultaneously to the ice-making tray, allowing the system to achieve both fast ice making speed and precise supercooling control through a unified process.
Solution Approach 2:
The vibration is applied periodically during the ice making process to control nucleation timing. This periodic mechanical action works in conjunction with continuous chilled air flow to manage supercooling while maintaining production speed.
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 tray rotation method effectively prevents supercooling, resulting in transparent ice and ensuring the quality and safety of ice produced for consumption. It also eliminates the need for nucleation agents, reducing potential health risks and operational complexities.
Implementation Method 1
When supercooling occurs when water is frozen, opaque ice occurs while a phase change occurs rapidly. Supercooling refers to a state in which a phase change does not occur and latent heat is not released at a temperature the freezing point or less.
Implementation Method 2
When ice is frozen in the freezer, opaque ice is easily observed, which is the result of the supercooled water becoming cloudy due to the rapid phase change.
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~1(b)
Figure 2
Figure 3(a)~3(b)
AI summary
A refrigerator according to the present disclosure includes a tray configured to form an ice making cell, a cooler configured to supply cold air to the ice making cell, a water supply valve configured to control the flow of water to the ice making cell, and a controller configured to control the water supply valve, wherein the controller controls the water supply valve so that cold air from the cooler is supplied to the ice making cell before the water supply valve is turned on, and water is supplied to the ice making cell after the cold air is supplied to the ice making cell.