Detachable Ice Tray Housing to Minimize Overflow in Refrigerators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators with ice making devices face issues such as water overflow and leakage during ice tray mounting, contamination, and inefficient ice cube removal, which increase costs and user inconvenience.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design featuring a tray accommodation portion with a locking mechanism and ice tray pockets that minimize water overflow, combined with a tray rotation unit for easy ice cube separation and an integrated ice-cube storage container, reduces water spillage and cool air leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the ice tray is separated from the housing and manually mounted, then the ice tray can be removed and cleaned, but water may overflow during mounting causing contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The ice tray is pre-filled with water through a water tank that couples to the housing before the tray is removed. The water is supplied through a valve that opens upon coupling, ensuring the tray is already filled when taken out for cleaning, eliminating overflow risk during manual handling
Solution Approach 2:
A water tank with a valve device acts as an intermediary between the water supply and the ice tray. The valve controls water flow automatically when the tank couples to the housing, preventing manual overflow while enabling easy tray removal
2Productivity
If multiple ice trays are provided, then ice production capacity increases, but the complexity of mounting and removing them increases
Solution Approach 1:
The water tank and valve system serves multiple ice trays simultaneously or sequentially. The same coupling mechanism and water supply system work for any number of trays, standardizing the process and reducing per-tray complexity
3Ease of operation
If the door is opened to remove ice cubes, then ice cubes can be accessed, but cool air leaks increasing power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The ice making device is segmented into a removable tray portion and a fixed housing. The tray can be partially extracted through a dedicated opening without requiring full door opening, allowing ice cube access while minimizing thermal exchange between the cold storage chamber and ambient air
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 solution effectively minimizes water overflow and cool air leakage, enhances ice cube uniformity, and reduces the overall thickness of the ice making device, expanding storage space while maintaining user convenience.
Implementation Method 1
The accommodation portion coupling unit may be implemented as a locking protrusion formed at one of the tray accommodation portion and the case, and a locking hook formed at another thereof
Implementation Method 2
a ice tray accommodated in the tray accommodation portion, and containing water to be frozen to ice cubes
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator having an ice making device, comprises: a case having an opening at one side thereof; a tray accommodation portion having opened upper and lower surfaces, and configured to be inserted into or withdrawn from the case through the opening; an ice tray accommodated in the tray accommodation portion, and containing water to be frozen to ice cubes; and an accommodation portion coupling unit for coupling the tray accommodation portion to the case. Water is poured onto the ice tray in a state that the ice tray has been accommodated in the tray accommodation portion, and then the ice tray is carried to be mounted to the case. This may solve the conventional problem that each ice tray has to be carried. Furthermore, since an external force such as hand trembling is transmitted to the ice tray via the tray accommodation portion, overflow of water is minimized.