Oscillating Stir Stick Mechanism for Ice Container Clump Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ice clumps form in ice containers due to uneven cooling and melting/refreezing, making it difficult to prevent clumping and ensuring all ice cubes remain frozen, especially in larger containers where stir sticks cannot reach all areas.
Innovation Solution
A stir stick that oscillates and rotates within the ice container, featuring bends and a connection to a cam mechanism, allowing it to extend into the full area and break up clumps by reaching corners and all sections of the container.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a simple rotating stir stick is used, then the device complexity is low, but it cannot reach the full area of the ice container to prevent clumping
Solution Approach 1:
The stir stick is transformed from a simple rotating mechanism to a dynamic oscillating mechanism that moves back and forth along its axis while rotating. This dynamic motion allows the stir stick to reach all areas of the ice container including corners, solving the area coverage problem while maintaining reasonable device complexity through the use of a cam mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The stir stick motion is extended from a single rotational dimension to two dimensions by adding oscillation along the stir stick's axis. This dimensional enhancement allows the stir stick to cover the full area of the ice container, including remote corners that a simple rotating stick cannot reach.
2Temperature
If air is passed into the ice container to cool cubes, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but warm air enters when the door is opened causing melting and clumping
Solution Approach 1:
The stir stick performs preliminary action by continuously moving ice cubes before harmful warm air can cause melting and clumping. The oscillating motion proactively prevents clump formation by keeping cubes separated and redistributed, countering the harmful effect before it takes hold.
Solution Approach 2:
The stir stick converts the potential harm of warm air entry into a benefit by using the resulting partial melting and refreezing cycles to redistribute cubes. The oscillating motion ensures that even when some melting occurs, cubes are continuously moved and refrozen in different positions, preventing permanent clumping.
3Ease of operation
If the stir stick rotates in one direction only, then the mechanism is simple, but it cannot effectively reach corners and all sections of the container
Solution Approach 1:
The stir stick employs dynamic oscillation along its axis combined with rotation, creating a complex motion pattern that efficiently covers all container sections. The cam mechanism provides this dynamic motion with relatively simple components, achieving good ease of operation in terms of coverage without excessive complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator is provided that includes an ice making system, that generally includes an ice maker for making ice, and an ice container for holding the formed ice. The ice making system may be positioned anywhere within the refrigerator, and it may be a modular ice system. The shape of the ice container limits the amount of useable space taken up by the system. The ice container includes a stir stick positioned within the ice container. The stir stick is configured to rotate and oscillate in a direction generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the stir stick to provide movement of the stir stick into the full area of the ice container. The rotation and oscillation of the stir stick prevents ice from melting and clumping in the corners of the ice container, while also aiding in directing the ice towards a dispensing aperture of the ice container.