Refrigerator Ice Maker Heater Control for Transparent Spherical Ice
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerators struggle to produce ice with uniform transparency regardless of shape, often resulting in opaque ice due to trapped bubbles and inconsistent freezing rates.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator system that adjusts the heating amount of a transparent ice heater and/or the cooling power of the cold air supply part based on the heat transfer between water in the ice making cell and cold air, ensuring uniform transparency of ice by controlling these parameters dynamically.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If water is frozen simultaneously in upper and lower cells with hemispherical shape, then spherical ice can be made, but bubbles are dispersed in the water making opaque ice
Solution Approach 1:
The ice making process is divided into two separate stages: first the upper cell is frozen, then the lower cell is frozen. This segmentation of the freezing process allows bubbles to be discharged during the first stage before the second stage begins, preventing bubble entrapment and achieving transparent spherical ice.
Solution Approach 2:
The upper cell is frozen in advance before the lower cell freezing begins. This preliminary action creates a hemispherical ice structure first, then the lower cell is frozen to complete the spherical shape, allowing proper bubble management during the process.
2Manufacturing precision
If heating amount of heater is increased when water volume is reduced, then transparent ice can be made, but uniform transparency according to ice shape cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
Different heating amounts are applied to different regions of the ice making cell based on the local water volume. The controller adjusts the heating amount dynamically as water is consumed during freezing, ensuring uniform transparency throughout the entire ice structure regardless of its shape.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating amount is made dynamic rather than static, adjusting automatically as the water volume changes during the freezing process. This dynamic adjustment ensures that the heating rate matches the freezing rate at each stage, maintaining uniform transparency throughout the ice.
3Productivity
If solidification rate is increased, then ice making efficiency is improved, but convection is insufficient making transparent ice difficult to produce
Solution Approach 1:
The heating parameter is changed dynamically during the freezing process to maintain optimal convection. By adjusting the heating amount based on water volume and freezing stage, the system maintains sufficient convection current even at high solidification rates, enabling both efficient production and high transparency.
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 system effectively produces ice with uniform transparency across different shapes by optimizing the heating and cooling processes, preventing bubble entrapment and ensuring consistent ice quality.
Implementation Method 1
a heater heating water within the ice making cell
Implementation Method 2
convection occurs in the water to make transparent ice
Implementation Method 3
a cold air supply part supplying cold air
Implementation Method 4
solidification proceeds on the surface of the water
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A refrigerator according to the present invention comprises: a storage chamber in which food is stored; a cold air supply means for supplying cold air to the storage chamber; a tray forming an ice-making cell as a space in which water undergoes a phase change to ice by means of the cold air; a heater for supplying heat to the tray; and a controller for controlling the heater. The controller starts ice-making after water supplied to the ice-making cell by a first amount of water supply is completed. The controller turns on the heater in at least a part of a range in which the cold air supply means supplies cold air such that air bubbles dissolved in water inside the ice-making cell can move from ice-generating parts to liquid-state water, thereby generating transparent ice. The controller determines whether or not the heater is functioning abnormally in the ice-making process. If it is determined that the heater is functioning abnormally, the controller supplies water to the ice-making cell by a second amount of water supply, which is smaller than the first amount of water supply, during the next water supply process.