Ice maker
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice makers produce opaque ice due to incomplete discharge of bubbles during the ice-making process, resulting in uneven transparency and quality.
Innovation Solution
An ice maker design featuring a control unit that varies the output of a lower heater to gather bubbles in the lowermost section of the ice chamber, ensuring uniform transparency by controlling heat distribution across different sections of the ice chamber.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If ice is made simultaneously in upper and lower cells using hemispherical shapes, then spherical ice can be produced, but bubbles are not completely discharged resulting in opaque ice
Solution Approach 1:
The ice chamber is divided into an upper chamber and a lower chamber with separate control capabilities. The lower chamber is equipped with a heater that can be independently controlled to manage bubble discharge, while the upper chamber focuses on ice formation. This segmentation allows different regions to perform different functions optimally.
Solution Approach 2:
The lower heater is activated during the ice-making process to preliminarily warm the lower chamber, causing bubbles to rise to the upper chamber before the ice is fully formed. This preliminary action of bubble discharge prevents bubble inclusion in the final ice product.
2Stability of the object's composition
If uniform heating is applied throughout the ice chamber, then ice formation can be maintained, but transparency uniformity cannot be achieved due to bubble distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The heater is located specifically in the lower chamber rather than being distributed throughout the entire ice chamber. This local heating approach creates a temperature gradient that promotes bubble rise to the upper chamber while maintaining ice formation stability in the overall system, achieving both transparency uniformity and formation stability.
3Device complexity
If the ice maker structure is simple with single chamber, then device complexity is low, but bubble discharge is incomplete resulting in opaque ice
Solution Approach 1:
The ice chamber is divided into an upper chamber and a lower chamber with separate control capabilities. The lower chamber is equipped with a heater that can be independently controlled to manage bubble discharge, while the upper chamber focuses on ice formation. This segmentation allows different regions to perform different functions optimally.
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 with uniform transparency across each height, improving ice quality and user experience by minimizing bubble inclusion and enhancing the ice-making process efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
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
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3A~3B
Figure 4
AI summary
An ice maker of the present embodiment, 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; a lower heater mounted on the lower support; 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.