Ice-Making Tray Heating Control for Transparent Refrigerator Ice
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice makers struggle to produce transparent ice with uniform transparency due to incomplete bubble removal and uneven solidification rates, leading to opaque or irregularly shaped ice.
Innovation Solution
The ice maker employs a transparent ice heater and a controller that adjusts the cooling power and heating amount based on the mass per unit height of water in the ice making cell, ensuring bubbles are dissolved and ice is formed uniformly, using a dual-tray system with a flexible second tray for efficient ice separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If water is cooled rapidly to increase ice making speed, then productivity is improved, but bubbles are trapped in the ice making transparency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-heating the lower portion of water before ice making begins. This preliminary heating creates convection currents that will help expel bubbles during the subsequent rapid cooling process, allowing both fast ice making and transparent ice to be achieved simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses periodic action by controlling the heater to operate in cycles - heating the lower water portion during specific time intervals to maintain convection, then allowing cooling to proceed. This periodic heating ensures continuous bubble removal throughout the ice making process while maintaining high productivity
2Manufacturing precision
If heating amount is increased to suppress solidification rate and maintain convection, then ice transparency is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by heating only the lower portion of the water where bubbles tend to accumulate, rather than heating the entire water volume. This localized heating maintains convection and bubble removal efficiency while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to full-volume heating
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the heating parameter from continuous high-power heating to intermittent low-power heating. By adjusting the heating duration and intensity to match the solidification rate, the system maintains optimal convection with minimal energy input, achieving transparent ice without excessive energy consumption
3Productivity
If ice is made simultaneously in upper and lower cells to increase productivity, then productivity is improved, but bubble removal is incomplete and ice transparency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by first heating the lower water portion before ice making in both cells, establishing convection patterns that will work throughout the dual-cell system. This preliminary preparation ensures that even with simultaneous ice making, bubbles are effectively removed from both upper and lower cells
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a time dimension to the dual-cell ice making process by implementing different heating schedules for upper and lower cells. The lower cell receives periodic heating to maintain convection and bubble removal, while the upper cell follows a different timing pattern, allowing both to produce transparent ice simultaneously
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 approach results in transparent ice with consistent transparency across the entire ice block, preventing water from being trapped inside and ensuring smooth ice separation, enhancing user satisfaction by providing clear and uniformly shaped ice.
Implementation Method 1
a controller controls a heater to be turned on in at least partial section while a cold air supply part supplies cold air to an ice making cell so that bubbles dissolved in water within the ice making cell moves from a portion, at which the ice is made, toward the water that is in a liquid state
Implementation Method 2
a cold air supply part supplies cold air to an ice making cell so that bubbles dissolved in water within the ice making cell moves from a portion, at which the ice is made
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes: a storage chamber in which food is stored; a cold air supply means for supplying cold air to the storage chamber; a tray forming an ice-making cell; a heater for supplying heat to the tray; and a controller for controlling the heater. The controller turns on the heater in at least a part of a range in which the cold air supply means supplies cold air such that air bubbles dissolved in water inside the ice-making cell can move from ice-generating parts to liquid-state water, thereby generating transparent ice. The controller determines whether or not the heater is functioning abnormally in the ice-making process. If it is determined that the heater is functioning abnormally, the controller supplies water to the ice-making cell by a second amount of water supply, which is smaller than the first amount of water supply, during the next water supply process.