Ice Tray Cold Air Duct Layout for Uniform Freezing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice making machines face inefficiencies in supplying cold air to ice trays due to complex structures and positional dependencies between the cold air duct and ice tray, leading to ineffective ice making processes.
Innovation Solution
An ice making machine design featuring a cold air supply port connected through a cold air duct with a frame body that includes a cold air guide part and inclined walls to direct cold air obliquely onto the ice tray, ensuring efficient air distribution and spread across the tray's recessed parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cold air duct is integrally formed on an upper part of the ice tray, then cold air can be supplied to the ice tray, but the air passage from cold air passage to cold air duct becomes a space between wall partitioning the ice making chamber and the ice making machine, causing ineffective cold air supply when the outward shape or arrangement is changed
Solution Approach 1:
The cold air duct is designed as a separate component that can be flexibly arranged and connected to the cold air passage, allowing the system to adapt to different machine shapes and arrangements while maintaining effective cold air supply to the ice tray
2Reliability
If a cold air duct is separately provided from the ice tray and positioned closely to it, then cold air can be supplied to the vicinity of the water surface, but changing the ice tray arrangement or cold air inlet position changes the positional relationship, preventing effective cold air supply
Solution Approach 1:
The cold air duct is designed as a universal component that can be connected to the cold air passage at various positions and orientations, maintaining its ability to supply cold air effectively to the ice tray regardless of the specific arrangement or position changes
3Reliability
If a cold air duct covering the upper part of the ice tray is provided to regulate cold air flow, then cold air can be supplied to respective parts of the ice tray, but the duct becomes large and complicated, making the ice making machine large and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The cold air duct is segmented into multiple smaller ducts or channels that can be strategically positioned to deliver cold air to different areas of the ice tray, achieving uniform distribution without requiring a single large and complex duct structure
Solution Approach 2:
The cold air duct utilizes three-dimensional space efficiently by routing the duct along the sides or beneath portions of the ice tray, delivering cold air from multiple directions rather than only from above, reducing the need for a large overhead duct
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
This design enhances ice making efficiency by effectively supplying cold air to the ice tray in a simple structure, ensuring uniform cooling and improved ice production, even with changes in the ice making machine's arrangement or shape.
Implementation Method 1
a cold air duct structured to connect an opening formed in the frame body with the cold air supply port
Implementation Method 2
the cold air guide part is structured to flow cold air from the opening toward the ice tray
Implementation Method 3
the water supplied to the ice tray is frozen by cold air supplied through a cold air duct to make ice
Data Source
AI summary
An ice making machine may include an ice tray, a drive unit that turns the ice tray, a frame body supporting the ice tray and the drive unit, a cold air guide part integrally formed with the frame body, and a cold air duct connecting an opening in the frame body with a cold air supply port. The frame body includes a wall part at an end of the ice tray, the wall part is formed with the opening and the cold air guide part, and the cold air guide part flows cold air through the opening toward the ice tray. The cold air guide part is a frame body side inclined wall and the cold air duct includes a duct side inclined wall facing the frame body side inclined wall and a cold air blowing outlet includes the frame body side inclined wall and the duct side inclined wall.