Ice ball ice making mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice makers for transparent spherical ice blocks are complex in structure, increasing production and manufacturing costs, and have long ice making times that do not meet modern user demands for efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An ice ball ice making mechanism with a simplified design comprising an ice making box, spherical ice mold, water injection device, cooling device, and deicing device, featuring a rotating shaft and fixed brackets to form and detach ice making molds, reducing manufacturing complexity and time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a complex evaporator structure with multiple supports and covers is used, then the ice making capability is achieved, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The ice mold is divided into upper and lower hemispherical portions that can be separately assembled and disassembled. This segmentation simplifies the overall structure by eliminating the need for complex evaporator supports and covers, while maintaining the ice making capability through the modular mold design
Solution Approach 2:
The simplified mold structure serves multiple functions: it acts as both the ice forming cavity and the evaporator housing. The upper and lower mold portions integrate the cooling channel structure directly into the mold bodies, eliminating separate evaporator components while maintaining effective ice making function
2Reliability
If a traditional ice maker design is used, then ice blocks can be produced, but the ice making time is long (about 31 minutes)
Solution Approach 1:
The water is pre-cooled by the cooling channels in the mold before freezing begins. The cooling channels are pre-filled with refrigerant, and water is injected into the mold cavity ready for immediate freezing, eliminating warm-up time and reducing overall ice making time
Solution Approach 2:
The ice mold uses a dynamic opening and closing mechanism with rotary connecting pieces, allowing rapid assembly and disassembly. This dynamic design enables quick mold closure after water injection and rapid opening for ice ejection, significantly reducing the total ice making cycle time compared to fixed or slowly-operating mechanisms
3Reliability
If multiple components (evaporator, supports, covers, molds) are used, then the ice making function is achieved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The upper and lower mold portions are combined with the evaporator housing into integrated units. The cooling channels are formed directly within the mold bodies during manufacturing, eliminating the need for separate evaporator assemblies and reducing the total component count, which lowers manufacturing costs while maintaining ice making function
Solution Approach 2:
The ice mold is segmented into upper and lower hemispherical portions that can be manufactured separately using simpler molding processes, then assembled together. This segmentation allows for easier manufacturing of each individual component compared to creating a complete complex evaporator assembly in one piece, reducing overall manufacturing difficulty and cost
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 mechanism achieves a significant reduction in production costs and ice making time, allowing for quick and efficient production of transparent spherical ice blocks.
Implementation Method 1
the upper hemispherical mold is provided with the cooling device
Implementation Method 2
the spherical ice mold is provided with a cooling device and a deicing device
Data Source
AI summary
An ice ball ice making mechanism includes an ice making box, and a spherical ice mold and a water injection device arranged on the ice making box, where the water injection device is connected to the spherical ice mold, and the spherical ice mold is provided with a cooling device and a deicing device. The ice ball ice making mechanism provided by the present utility model is more reasonable in design, simple in structure and convenient to produce and manufacture, so that production and manufacturing costs are reduced, meanwhile, the ice making time is greatly reduced, and the time is saved, which is more conducive to meeting the use requirements of the user.