Spherical Ice Maker Tray Design to Prevent Water Valley Deformation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice makers form ice with a water valley shape, causing deformation and attachment issues, leading to ice cubes being stuck together during separation.
Innovation Solution
The ice maker design includes a first and second tray forming an ice making cell, with a controlled water supply and heating mechanism to produce spherical ice, where the second tray is inclined at a specific angle during water supply to prevent water overflow and ensure separate ice formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a water valley part is provided in the ice maker, then water can be transferred from the cell corresponding to a water supply point to the adjacent cells, but ice having a water valley shape is formed together outside spherical ice to deform the shape of the ice
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the water valley part from the ice maker structure. Instead of using a water valley to distribute water to adjacent cells, the invention supplies water directly to each cell independently through separate water supply channels, thereby preventing the formation of water valley-shaped ice and maintaining spherical ice shape.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the water supply system into separate independent channels for each cell, rather than using a common water valley. This segmentation allows water to be supplied to each cell independently without forming connected water valleys, thus preventing ice deformation and attachment.
2Quantity of substance
If a water valley part is provided in the ice maker, then water can be transferred between adjacent cells, but ice are not separated from each other due to the ice formed in the water valley part, and thus, the ice are separated in a state of being attached together to each other
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the water valley part that causes ice attachment. By eliminating this structure, ice cubes formed in adjacent cells remain separate and do not attach to each other, improving the reliability of ice separation operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements independent water supply channels for each cell, segmenting the water distribution system. This ensures that water does not form continuous valleys between cells, resulting in separately formed ice cubes that can be reliably separated without attachment.
3Quantity of substance
If the second tray is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the first tray at the water supply position, then water can be uniformly distributed to the plurality of cells, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local inclination only at the water supply position of the second tray, where it contacts the first tray, rather than inclining the entire tray structure. This localized approach achieves uniform water distribution to multiple cells while minimizing overall structural complexity.
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 design ensures uniform water distribution, prevents ice adherence, and generates spherical ice without water valleys, improving ice separation and storage efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a heater configured to supply heat to one or more of the first tray and the second tray
Implementation Method 2
a cold air supply part configured to supply cold air to the storage chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a first tray forming a part of an ice-making cell in which water undergoes a phase change to ice due to the cool air, a second tray forming another part of the ice-making cell and in contact with the first tray during an ice-making process, a water supply to supply water to the ice-making cell, a heater which is adjacent to at least one of the first tray or the second tray; and a controller to control the heater. The second tray is moveable with respect to the first tray, and the controller is configured to control a movement of the second tray.