Powdered ice maker
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional powdered ice makers face issues with not-frozen water melting the shaved ice and uneven water spraying to the inner wall of the ice-making drum, leading to inefficiencies in ice production.
Innovation Solution
A shaved ice generating device with a cylindrical ice-making part, a water spray part on the shaft to uniformly spray water, a cutter part to cut ice, and rotatable water and ice trays to separate and store not-frozen water, preventing it from melting the shaved ice, while ensuring uniform water distribution and minimizing not-frozen water falling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If water is sprayed to the inner wall of the ice-making drum, then ice is formed on the inner wall, but not-frozen water falls to the ice tray and melts the shaved ice
Solution Approach 1:
The device separates the collection of not-frozen water from the collection of shaved ice by providing a water tray positioned above the ice tray. The water tray collects excess water that fails to freeze, preventing it from falling into the ice tray and melting the shaved ice. This segmentation of collection zones resolves the contradiction by isolating the harmful factor (not-frozen water) from the protected object (shaved ice).
Solution Approach 2:
The water tray acts as an intermediary element between the water spray part and the ice tray. It intercepts not-frozen water before it can reach the shaved ice, serving as a protective barrier. This intermediary structure allows the system to maintain high ice production while preventing ice melting.
2Quantity of substance
If water is sprayed to the lower region of the inner wall, then water is supplied to the ice-making surface, but the water flows downwards after failing to be made into ice
Solution Approach 1:
The water tray is positioned in a vertical dimension above the ice tray, creating a layered structure. This dimensional arrangement allows not-frozen water to be collected in a separate plane before it can fall to the ice tray, reducing substance loss while maintaining adequate water supply to the ice-making surface.
3Productivity
If a rotatable ice-making drum is used, then ice can be made by rotating the drum, but the refrigerant might leak and the loading condition of the compressor might be variable
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of rotating the ice-making drum, the invention inverts the approach by making the water tray and ice tray rotatable while keeping the ice-making drum fixed. This inversion maintains ice making capability through rotation while eliminating refrigerant leakage risks associated with rotating sealed drum structures. The fixed drum ensures reliable refrigerant containment while the rotatable trays enable continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the rotational function from the ice-making drum and transfers it to the water and ice trays. This separation allows the drum to remain stationary and sealed (preventing refrigerant leakage) while the trays provide rotational movement for continuous water supply and ice collection, resolving the reliability issue while maintaining productivity.
4Area of stationary object
If the water spray part rotates to spray water, then water can be distributed to the inner wall, but the water spraying may be uneven
Solution Approach 1:
The water spray part is designed with multiple spray nozzles positioned at different locations and angles to provide localized water application. Each nozzle targets a specific region of the inner wall, ensuring uniform distribution across the entire surface. This local quality approach achieves both wide coverage and precise uniformity in water spraying.
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 device effectively prevents not-frozen water from melting the shaved ice, ensures uniform water spraying, and reduces the amount of not-frozen water falling, enhancing the efficiency and quality of shaved ice production.
Implementation Method 1
a water spray part provided in the shaft and configured to spray water to an inner wall of the ice-making part
Implementation Method 2
a cutter part provided in the shaft and configured to cut the ice made on the inner wall of the ice-making part
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a powdered ice maker comprising: an ice-making part provided in a cylinder shape of which the inside is empty; a rotary shaft rotating around the central axis of the ice-making part; a water spraying part provided at the rotary shaft so as to spray water at an inner wall of the ice-making part while rotating; a cutter part provided at the rotary shaft so as to cut the ice formed on the inner wall of the ice-making part while rotating; a water tray rotating at the same angular velocity as that of the rotary shaft, and provided at a lower side of the water spraying part; and an ice tray provided at a lower side of the cutter part.