Movable Ice-Making Tray for Transparent or Fast Ice Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice makers produce non-transparent and misty ice due to rapid cooling, which is not aesthetically pleasing, and previous solutions to produce transparent ice either require additional components or complex temperature control methods.
Innovation Solution
An ice maker that allows the ice-making tray to be adjustable in distance from the cooling device, enabling rapid ice formation in one mode and slower, transparent ice formation in another, using existing components and user-selectable operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the ice-making tray is cooled rapidly using direct cooling system, then the ice making speed is improved, but the ice becomes non-transparent and misty
Solution Approach 1:
The ice-making tray is designed to be movable relative to the cooling device, allowing dynamic adjustment of the distance between them. This enables the system to switch between rapid cooling mode (closer distance for faster ice making) and slow cooling mode (farther distance for transparent ice), resolving the contradiction between ice making speed and ice transparency
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the cooling parameter by adjusting the distance between the ice-making tray and the cooling device. By varying this distance, the cooling intensity is controlled, allowing the system to produce either rapid cooling for speed or slow cooling for transparency, thus resolving the technical contradiction
2Manufacturing precision
If a heater is applied on the bottom of the ice-making tray to grow ice in one direction, then transparent ice is produced, but additional components are required
Solution Approach 1:
The heater component is removed from the system. Instead of using active heating to control ice growth direction, the invention uses passive thermal gradient control by adjusting the distance between the tray and cooling device, allowing transparent ice formation without additional heating components
Solution Approach 2:
The distance between the ice-making tray and cooling device acts as an intermediary parameter to control the cooling rate. By adjusting this spatial parameter, the system achieves controlled ice crystal growth and transparency without requiring additional active components like heaters
3Manufacturing precision
If the temperature of the ice making chamber is set to 0°C or higher to remove air inside the ice making water, then transparent ice is produced, but ice making time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses parameter change by adjusting the distance between the tray and cooling device to control cooling intensity. This allows flexible switching between fast cooling (when speed is priority) and slow cooling (when transparency is priority), resolving the time-transparency contradiction
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
Enables quick production of opaque ice or slow production of transparent ice based on user preference, improving ice transparency while maintaining efficient operation and reducing material costs by utilizing existing components.
Implementation Method 1
the ice-making tray receives cooling energy from the refrigerant tube in a thermally conductive manner
Implementation Method 2
a refrigerant tube that extends into the ice making chamber to cool the ice-making water
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Refrigerator (1) including a main body (2) having a storage compartment (10, 11), and an ice maker (100) provided in the storage compartment (10, 11) to make ice. The ice maker (100) includes a cooling device (141) to provide cold air, an ice-making tray (110) movably provided between a first position adjacent to the cooling device (141) and a second position spaced farther from the cooling device (141) than the first position, and an ejector (130) is configured to move the ice-making tray (110). The ejector (130) includes a driving portion (133) to separate the ice produced in the ice-making tray (110).