Ice Maker Separation Control Using Adaptive Temperature Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice makers struggle to efficiently separate ice from ice making grooves due to variations in refrigerator size, operation rate, surrounding temperature, and cooling capacity, often resulting in delayed or incomplete ice production.
Innovation Solution
An ice maker with a control unit that adjusts the ice separation starting time based on cumulative ice making time, temperature, and capacitance, allowing for multiple preset times and temperatures to ensure efficient ice separation, regardless of refrigerator conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a fixed ice separation starting time is used, then the ice maker structure is simple, but ice separation efficiency deteriorates under varying refrigerator conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The ice separation control system transitions from a fixed static time to a dynamic adaptive time based on real-time temperature monitoring. The control unit adjusts the ice separation starting time according to whether the ice tray temperature has reached the predetermined separation temperature, allowing the system to adapt to varying refrigerator operating conditions while maintaining structural simplicity.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the refrigerator operation rate is low, then energy consumption is reduced, but ice making time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit continuously monitors the temperature of the ice tray and uses this feedback to determine the optimal ice separation timing. Even when the refrigerator operates at low rates, the system waits for the predetermined temperature condition to be met before initiating separation, ensuring complete ice formation while adapting to energy-efficient operating modes.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the ice separation temperature is not reached, then the ice maker can operate in various conditions, but ice separation cannot be completed
Solution Approach 1:
The system establishes a predetermined ice separation temperature as a target condition before ice separation is initiated. The control unit continuously monitors whether this temperature threshold has been reached and only commands the separation motor to operate when the condition is satisfied, ensuring reliable ice separation completion while maintaining adaptability to different operating conditions.
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
Enables efficient ice separation at the optimal time, improving ice making accuracy and capacity across various refrigerator conditions, ensuring consistent ice production.
Implementation Method 1
an ejector method in which an ice separating heater installed in the ice tray heats up to slightly melt ice stuck in the ice making grooves
Implementation Method 2
The intercooling ice making method is a method of freezing the ice making water supplied to the ice making grooves by supplying cold air that is thermally exchanged with the evaporator of the refrigerator
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are an ice maker, a refrigerator and a control method therefor, enabling the efficient separation of ice from ice making grooves in an ice tray at the time point when the ice making is completed, regardless of the size (capacity), operation rate, surrounding temperature and cooling capacity of a refrigerator. To this end, the ice maker, according to the present invention, comprises: an ice tray having ice making grooves formed therein; an ice separating motor driven so that ice is separated from the ice making grooves; a temperature detection unit; and a control unit for controlling the ice separating motor, wherein the control unit operates the ice separating motor or an ice separating heater at an ice separation starting time point or a heating starting time point calculated using temperatures detected according to time by the temperature detection unit, or a cumulative ice making time.