Motor-Driven Ice Tray with Weir Passages for Heaterless Ice Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional automatic ice makers rely on heating elements to release ice cubes, which consume energy and are inefficient, whereas stand-alone ice trays use mechanical means but have limited capacity and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An automatic ice maker within a refrigerator that uses a motor-driven, heaterless system with a specially designed ice tray having multiple rows of ice wells and weirs, allowing for the formation and release of ice cubes without heating, capable of producing over 3.5 pounds of ice per 24 hours by twisting the tray to break the ice loose from the tray.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a heater is used to release ice cubes from the ice tray, then the ice can be released effectively, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the heating element from the ice maker system entirely, extracting the energy-consuming component that caused the contradiction. Instead of using heat to release ice, the system relies on mechanical twisting of the ice tray and natural thermal contraction of ice in cold temperatures to achieve ice release without energy input.
Solution Approach 2:
The ice release mechanism operates autonomously using the cold environment already present in the freezer. The ice naturally contracts at low temperatures, creating gaps between the ice cubes and tray walls, allowing them to be released through mechanical twisting without requiring external energy input from a heater.
2Use of energy by moving object
If stand-alone ice trays are used with mechanical means to harvest ice, then energy consumption is reduced, but ice production capacity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the advantages of both heater-based automatic ice makers (high capacity, continuous production) and manual stand-alone trays (energy efficiency, mechanical operation). The result is an automatic ice maker that uses mechanical twisting instead of heating, achieving both high productivity and low energy consumption by combining automated operation with heaterless design.
Solution Approach 2:
The ice tray is designed to be dynamically twistable, allowing it to change position and orientation during the ice release cycle. This dynamic mechanical action, combined with the natural thermal contraction of ice in cold environments, enables efficient ice release without heating, thereby increasing production capacity while maintaining energy efficiency.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the ice tray is twisted to break ice bonds mechanically, then energy consumption is reduced, but the ice tray must be designed to withstand deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The ice tray is designed with flexible properties that allow it to be twisted during the ice release process. The tray material and structure are engineered to withstand repeated deformation cycles without permanent damage, enabling mechanical ice release while maintaining structural integrity over time.
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 solution enhances ice production efficiency and reduces energy consumption by mechanically releasing ice cubes without the need for heating, achieving higher production rates than traditional heaterless systems.
Implementation Method 1
The motor may then be activated to twist the ice tray a predetermined number of degrees, thereby breaking the ice loose from the tray.
Implementation Method 2
The ice maker has a frame, a motor, and an ice tray... configured to harvest a plurality of ice cubes formed within the ice wells
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a cabinet defining an interior volume and a door for accessing the interior volume. An ice maker is disposed within the interior volume harvesting ice. The ice maker includes a frame and a motor. An ice tray includes a first end engaged with the motor, a second end engaged to the frame and a plurality ice wells defined by a plurality of weirs including first and second sets of weirs positioned proximate the first and second ends respectively, and interior weirs positioned therebetween. Each of the first and second sets of weirs and the internal weirs include a passage bifurcating each weir into first and second weir portions. Each of the passages defined by the first and second sets of weirs have a cross-sectional area that is greater than a cross-sectional area of any one of the passages defined by the internal weirs.