Spherical Ice Maker with Cold-Air Guide for Uniform Ice Formation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice makers produce spherical ice with irregular shapes due to uneven ice formation speeds and bubble entrapment, leading to opaque and deformed ice cubes, and the upper tray is prone to deformation during ice removal, affecting thermal insulation and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The ice maker design includes a cold-air guide to ensure uniform cold-air distribution above ice chambers, a thermally-insulating portion to delay ice formation, and a shield to prevent cold-air invasion, along with an elastic upper tray to maintain shape and prevent interference during ice removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If cold-air is supplied from one side to maximize heat transfer efficiency, then cooling efficiency is improved, but ice formation speed becomes uneven across cells causing deformed ice shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cold air guide structure that directs cold air to flow through the center of the ice maker first, then to both sides. This creates different cooling zones: the center receives cold air first for rapid ice formation, while the sides receive cold air later for synchronized ice formation, achieving uniform spherical ice shapes while maintaining high cooling efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The cold air guide acts as an intermediary structure between the cold air source and the ice chambers. It mediates the cold air distribution by channeling air through a specific path that ensures all chambers receive equal cooling, resolving the contradiction between efficient one-sided air supply and uniform ice formation across all chambers
2Productivity
If ice formation speed is increased at both end cells for faster ice production, then productivity is improved, but water flows to center cells by expansion force causing shape deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The cold air guide structure performs preliminary action by pre-cooling the water in the center chamber first, causing ice formation to start at the center. This preliminary ice formation prevents water expansion from deforming the spherical shape, while still allowing rapid ice production in all chambers by maintaining high cooling efficiency throughout the process
3Strength
If the upper tray is made rigid for structural stability, then strength is improved, but the tray deforms during ice removal affecting thermal insulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an elastic upper tray made of flexible material that can deform during ice removal and then return to its original shape. This flexibility allows the tray to adapt during the ice ejection process without permanent deformation, maintaining its thermal insulation properties and structural integrity for subsequent ice-making cycles
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 achieves uniform ice formation speeds, transparent ice, and prevents deformation of the upper tray, ensuring consistent spherical ice shape and improved thermal insulation, enhancing the ice-making process and product quality.
Implementation Method 1
a thermally-insulating portion formed on one side of the upper tray corresponding to an ice chamber closest to the cold-air hole to block cold-air from invading
Implementation Method 2
a cold-air guide to guide cold-air, ice chambers arranged continuously from an exit of the cold-air guide
Implementation Method 3
an elastic upper tray to maintain shape and prevent interference during ice removal
Implementation Method 4
a shield to prevent cold-air invasion
Implementation Method 5
when water in the cells at the both ends is phase-changed into ice
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a refrigerator including a cabinet having a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment defined therein and an ice maker disposed in the freezing compartment. The ice maker includes a cold-air hole for receiving cold air, an upper tray made of an elastic material, wherein the upper tray is positioned to be exposed to the cold-air flowing from the cold-air hole, a lower tray made of an elastic material, wherein the lower tray is coupled to the upper tray to define a plurality of spherical ice chambers therebetween, a driver for pivoting the lower tray to open the spherical ice chambers, at least one thermally-insulating portion formed at a top face of the upper tray and corresponding to at least one of the ice chambers respectively, wherein the at least one thermally-insulating portion is constructed to prevent the cold-air from invading the at least one corresponding ice chamber.