Icemaker Sweep Assembly to Prevent Ice Clumping in Resilient Molds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice makers in refrigerators often experience issues with ice cubes sticking to the rubber mold, leading to overfilling and the formation of large clumps that are unusable, resulting in inefficient ice dispensing.
Innovation Solution
A resilient mold with a sweep assembly featuring a sweep blade and lifter mechanism that facilitates the extraction of ice cubes by deforming the mold and using a mechanical stop to move the sweep blade, ensuring complete release of ice from the mold during rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a rubber mold is used to form ice cubes, then the mold can be flexible and easy to rotate, but the ice cubes stick to the mold after multiple harvests causing overfilling and clumping
Solution Approach 1:
A sweep blade is introduced as an intermediary element between the ice cube and the mold cavity. The sweep blade physically pushes the ice cube out of the mold cavity during rotation, preventing the ice from sticking and being pulled back into the mold. This intermediary mechanism resolves the sticking problem while maintaining the flexibility of the rubber mold.
Solution Approach 2:
The sweep blade is made movable relative to the mold frame, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position during rotation. The blade moves from a retracted position during ice formation to an extended position during harvest to effectively sweep the ice out of the mold, providing dynamic adaptation to different operational phases.
2Extent of automation
If the mold frame rotates to eject ice cubes, then ice dispensing is automated, but ice cubes are pulled back into the mold causing overfilling
Solution Approach 1:
The sweep blade acts as a mechanical intermediary that ensures complete ice discharge during the rotation cycle. As the mold frame rotates, the sweep blade engages with the ice cube and pushes it completely out of the mold cavity, preventing any portion of the ice from being pulled back in during the return rotation.
Solution Approach 2:
The sweep blade is positioned and activated in advance during the rotation cycle to push the ice cube out before the mold completes its rotation back to the home position. This preliminary action ensures that when the mold returns to its initial position, the ice cube is already fully discharged and cannot be pulled back in.
3Ease of operation
If ice cubes stick to the mold, then the mold assembly must be rotated back to home position, but this causes overfilling and clumping
Solution Approach 1:
The sweep blade serves as a mediating element that enables the mold rotation operation to complete successfully without causing overfilling. By pushing the ice cube out during rotation, the blade ensures that when the mold returns to the home position, the ice cube remains outside the mold, preventing clumping and maintaining dispensing efficiency.
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 ensures reliable and efficient discharge of ice cubes, preventing clumping and improving the overall functionality of the ice making assembly.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger in thermal communication with the resilient mold to freeze the water and form one or more ice cubes
Implementation Method 2
the lifter mechanism configured to deform the resilient mold as the mold frame rotates between the first position and the second position
Data Source
AI summary
An ice making assembly includes a resilient mold defining a mold cavity for forming one or more ice cubes, a mold frame being rotatable between a first position and a second position, a lifter mechanism positioned adjacent to the resilient mold and rotatable with the mold frame between the first position and the second position, the lifter mechanism configured to deform the resilient mold as the mold frame rotates between the first position and the second position, and a sweep assembly to facilitate extraction of the one or more ice cubes from the resilient mold. The sweep assembly includes a sweep blade slidably mounted to the mold frame over the resilient mold and being movable between a first position and a second position and a mechanical stop that moves the sweep blade toward the second position as the lifter mechanism moves toward the second position.