Vibrating Ice Tray Structure for Bubble-Free Clear Ice
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ice trays produce ice with bubbles, resulting in an opaque appearance due to dissolved gases in the water, which is undesirable.
Innovation Solution
An ice tray with a vibration-generating unit that includes a swing bar and striking pieces to remove bubbles from the water by vibrating the tray body, ensuring clear ice production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional ice trays are used to make ice, then ice can be produced, but bubbles form on the water surface resulting in opaque ice appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies mechanical vibration through a vibration-generating unit that includes an eccentric rotating member. This unit generates vibrations that propagate through the tray body to the water, causing bubbles to rise and escape from the water surface during the ice-making process, thereby producing clear ice without bubbles
2Manufacturing precision
If a vibration-generating unit is added to remove bubbles, then clear ice can be produced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vibration-generating unit is integrated into the tray body structure, with the eccentric rotating member coupled to the tray body through a mounting portion. This merging of functions allows the vibration capability to be incorporated without requiring a completely separate mechanism, thus reducing the overall device complexity while still achieving bubble removal
Solution Approach 2:
The ice-making device's existing motor or drive system can potentially drive the eccentric rotating member, allowing the vibration function to be achieved using already-available power sources within the system, thereby minimizing additional 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
The vibration-generating unit effectively removes bubbles from the water, producing clear ice by transferring vibration energy to the water and striking the tray surface, enhancing the ice-making process and improving the appearance of the ice.
Implementation Method 1
a vibration-generating member (31) configured to generate vibration; and a mounting member (32) configured to mount the vibration-generating member (31) on one surface of the tray body (11)
Implementation Method 2
a swing bar (34) extending in a longitudinal direction of the ice tray (10) and inserted into the mounting hole (33) of the shaft member (33). The swing bar (34) is configured to swing up and down about the shaft member (33) when vibration is generated in the vibration-generating member (31)
Data Source
AI summary
According to an embodiment, an ice tray comprising: a tray body configured to provide ice-making spaces configured to retain water; a plurality of partition walls extending upward from a bottom surface of the tray body to define the ice-making spaces; and a vibration-generating unit configured to vibrate the tray body. The vibration-generating unit can include a vibration-generating member configured to generate vibration and a mounting member configured to mount the vibration-generating member to a lower surface of the tray body.