Integrated Ice Maker Tray Flow Channel for Faster Freezing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice maker trays for household refrigeration apparatuses have limitations in ice production rate, structural complexity, assembly effort, and efficiency due to separate components with positional tolerances, which restrict the ice production time and rate.
Innovation Solution
An ice maker tray with an integrally formed tray body and flow channel, where the flow channel is closed circumferentially around its axis, enhancing heat extraction efficiency and reducing structural members, allowing for faster ice production and simplified assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If separate heat exchanger and ice maker tray components are used, then heat extraction efficiency is improved, but device complexity and assembly effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the heat exchanger and ice maker tray into a single integrated component. The tray body itself forms the heat exchanger channels, eliminating the need for separate heat exchanger components. This integration maintains effective heat extraction while reducing the number of structural members and simplifying assembly.
2Temperature
If separate heat exchanger and ice maker tray components are used, then heat extraction efficiency is improved, but assembly effort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated design combines the tray body and heat exchanger channels into one component, eliminating assembly steps required for separate components. The channels are formed directly within the tray body structure, reducing assembly effort while maintaining heat extraction efficiency.
3Ease of operation
If positional tolerances between separate components are considered, then assembly flexibility is improved, but ice production time increases
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the heat exchanger channels directly into the tray body, the patent eliminates positional tolerance issues between separate components. The channels are fixed within the tray structure, ensuring optimal thermal contact and heat extraction efficiency, thereby improving ice production rate without compromising assembly flexibility.
4Stability of the object's composition
If separate components with wall areas are used, then structural stability is improved, but cooling efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the heat exchanger channels within the tray body walls, maximizing the use of existing structural material for thermal exchange. This design maintains structural stability while optimizing cooling efficiency by eliminating additional wall areas between the heat exchanger and tray, allowing direct thermal contact.
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 integrated design increases the ice production rate by efficient heat extraction and reduces assembly complexity, resulting in faster ice production and improved stability, while maintaining a compact and stable construction.
Implementation Method 1
Heat is extracted from an interior of the ice maker by this refrigeration circuit such that the liquid introduced in the ice maker tray in local form areas freezes and the ice form elements arise
Implementation Method 2
the liquid introduced in the ice maker tray in local form areas freezes and the ice form elements arise
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to ice maker trays, wherein an ice maker tray can have the following:a tray bodyform areas for presetting forms for ice form elements to be produced, wherein these form areas are integrated in the tray body,a flow channel for a fluid, wherein the flow channel is integrated in the tray body, whereinthe flow channel has a channel axis, andthe flow channel is closed in circumferential direction around the channel axis. The invention also relates to an ice maker and to a household refrigeration apparatus.