Multi-Tray Ice Maker Design for Crack Prevention and Ice Type Variety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice making devices can only generate one type of ice and do not prevent cracks from forming in the ice during the ice making process.
Innovation Solution
The ice making device includes multiple trays with different ice making cells, each producing a distinct type of ice, and a refrigerant system that controls the flow of refrigerant to prevent crack formation by managing the temperature differences across the trays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple trays with different ice making cells are used to generate different types of ice, then the versatility and product variety are improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The ice making device is divided into multiple independent trays, each with its own ice making cell designed for producing specific ice types. Each tray can be independently controlled and removed, allowing users to generate different ice types simultaneously while maintaining system modularity and ease of maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The refrigerant system is designed with universal applicability to cool multiple different tray types. The refrigerant pipes can serve various ice making cells with different configurations, enabling a single refrigeration system to support multiple ice making functions through standardized interfaces and control mechanisms.
2Productivity
If refrigerant flows through multiple trays simultaneously to cool different ice making cells, then the productivity and ice making speed are improved, but the temperature control precision and crack prevention capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigerant flow path is segmented into separate circuits for different trays or ice making cells. This allows independent temperature control and flow rate adjustment for each tray, enabling simultaneous ice making in multiple trays while maintaining precise temperature control in each individual cell to prevent thermal stress and cracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The refrigerant flow distribution is made dynamic and adjustable through controllable valves or flow regulators. The system can adaptively adjust the refrigerant flow rate to each tray based on real-time temperature feedback and ice making stage requirements, optimizing both productivity and temperature control precision dynamically during the ice making process.
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 allows for the generation of multiple types of ice, including different shapes, sizes, and transparencies, while preventing cracks from forming, thus enhancing user convenience and ice quality.
Implementation Method 1
A heat exchange area of the first tray and the first refrigerant pipe may be greater than a heat exchange area of the second tray and the second refrigerant pipe
Implementation Method 2
liquid supplied to the first ice making cell may be cooled by the first refrigerant pipe to generate first ice
Data Source
AI summary
An icemaker according to the present embodiment may comprise an ice-making unit which is provided in an ice-making chamber and which is for making ice. The icemaker may further comprise a cooling unit for supplying cold air to the ice-making unit during an ice-making process. The ice-making unit may comprise a first tray having a first ice-making cell in which first ice is formed. The ice-making unit may further comprise a second tray having a second ice-making cell in which second ice of a different type from the first ice is formed.