Artificial intelligence refrigerator having ice-making function
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerators with ice-making functions face challenges in efficiently producing the required amount of ice and optimizing energy consumption, as they often require accelerated ice-making speeds, leading to increased power usage and prolonged waiting times for additional ice production.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator system that includes a freezing chamber evaporator, an ice-making unit, a cold air duct, a discharge unit, and a controller to analyze user ice extraction patterns, adjusting ice-making start times and speeds by controlling the amount of cold air and water supplied based on the analyzed patterns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the ice-making speed is accelerated by lowering the cooling temperature and increasing fan operating speed, then the ice production speed increases, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of user ice extraction patterns to predict future ice needs, and proactively produces ice in advance during off-peak hours when power consumption is lower, rather than accelerating ice-making only when ice is immediately needed
Solution Approach 2:
The ice-making speed and cooling temperature are dynamically adjusted based on predicted ice demand and real-time power consumption conditions, rather than maintaining a fixed high-speed operation that consumes excessive power
2Quantity of substance
If the ice-making speed is accelerated continuously, then more ice can be produced, but the waiting time for additional ice production increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system produces ice in advance based on predicted user needs, so when users request ice, the required amount is already available in the storage chamber, eliminating waiting time
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors user ice extraction patterns and uses this feedback to optimize the timing and quantity of ice production, ensuring ice is ready before users need it
3Use of energy by moving object
If the refrigerator produces ice only when users extract ice, then energy consumption is reduced, but insufficient ice is available when users need large amounts
Solution Approach 1:
The system predicts future ice demand based on historical patterns and proactively produces ice in advance during periods of lower energy consumption, ensuring ice availability when users need large amounts
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts ice production timing and quantity based on predicted demand and energy conditions, producing more ice during low-energy periods and less during high-energy periods
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 ensures sufficient ice production when needed, reduces energy consumption by optimizing ice-making speeds, and minimizes waiting times for additional ice, thereby enhancing user satisfaction and energy efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a refrigerator is an apparatus that can discharge cold air generated by a refrigeration cycle, which includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator
Implementation Method 2
cold air generated by a refrigeration cycle, which includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator
Implementation Method 3
a cold air duct connecting the freezing chamber to the ice-making unit such that the cold air introduced from the freezing chamber is discharged to the ice-making unit
Implementation Method 4
ice may be generated by cooling purified water through an ice-making function
Implementation Method 5
ice-making function for generating ice using purified water
Data Source
AI summary
An artificial intelligence (AI) refrigerator includes an evaporator, a freezing chamber, an ice-making unit, a cold air duct that connects the freezing chamber to the ice-making unit, a discharge unit that discharges ice, and a controller. The controller is configured to generate ice extraction information that includes an extraction time at which a user has extracted ice, and an amount of ice extracted at the extraction time, determine an ice extraction pattern based on ice extractions captured in the ice extraction information, based on the ice extraction pattern, generate an ice-making pattern that includes one or more ice-making start times and an ice-making amount corresponding to each ice-making start time, and based on the ice-making amount, adjust an amount of cold air introduced from the freezing chamber to the ice-making unit through the cold air duct to accelerate or decelerate an ice-making speed corresponding to each ice-making start time.