Door-Mounted Ice Bin With Crushing Unit for External Dispensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators with built-in ice makers waste energy due to the need to open the freezer door to retrieve ice, which allows cold air to escape, and the ice maker's heavy weight makes it inconvenient to disassemble or transfer the ice bin for cleaning or other uses.
Innovation Solution
A compact ice maker integrated into the refrigerator door with a detachable ice bin that includes a crushing unit and transferring mechanism, allowing ice to be crushed and dispensed externally without opening the freezer door, using a rotatable blade system to convert ice cubes into crushed ice for efficient space use and easy maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional built-in ice maker is used in the freezer, then ice can be produced and stored, but the freezer door must be opened to retrieve ice, causing cold air to escape and energy to be wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The ice bin is extracted from the freezer interior and relocated to the refrigerator door. This allows ice to be dispensed externally through a dispensing port without opening the freezer door, thereby preventing cold air escape while maintaining convenient ice access. The ice maker remains in the freezer but transfers finished ice to the door-mounted bin.
Solution Approach 2:
The door-mounted ice bin acts as an intermediary between the freezer ice maker and the external environment. It receives ice from the freezer, stores it temporarily, and provides external dispensing capability, thus mediating the interaction between the closed freezer system and external ice demand.
2Ease of operation
If the ice maker includes a heavy motor and ice bin, then ice can be produced and dispensed externally, but the ice bin becomes difficult to disassemble and transfer for cleaning or other uses
Solution Approach 1:
The ice dispensing system is segmented into separate components: the ice maker unit in the freezer, the ice bin on the door, and the dispensing mechanism. This modular segmentation allows the ice bin to be independently removed from the door for cleaning or storage, while the ice maker remains in the freezer. The lightweight design of the door-mounted bin further facilitates easy handling and disassembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The ice bin is designed with dynamic characteristics - it can be easily attached to and detached from the door, transitioning between fixed and mobile states. This dynamic design enables flexible reconfiguration for cleaning, storage, or alternative uses without permanent installation constraints.
3Reliability
If the ice maker is placed in the freezer, then it can utilize cold air for ice production, but the volume of the freezer is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The ice production and storage functions are segmented and spatially separated. The ice maker occupies minimal space in the freezer, while the bulk of the ice bin is relocated to the door. This segmentation allows the freezer to maintain its full storage volume while the door structure provides the additional space needed for ice storage and dispensing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The ice storage capacity is extended into the door dimension rather than being confined to the freezer volume. By utilizing the door's internal space and structure, the system achieves adequate ice storage capacity without encroaching on the freezer's food storage volume, effectively adding storage capacity in a different spatial dimension.
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 enables efficient use of refrigerator space, reduces energy waste by maintaining cold air inside, and allows for easy cleaning and reconfiguration of the ice bin, providing a convenient method for dispensing ice without opening the freezer door.
Implementation Method 1
a crushing unit that accommodates and/or crushes the ice transferred by the transferring unit
Implementation Method 2
a transferring unit that transfers the ice from a lower portion of the case to the upper portion of the case
Data Source
AI summary
An ice bin and a method of crushing ice using the same, in which the ice bin includes a case having an upper portion configured to store ice produced by an ice maker, and a dispensing port at one side of a lower end or surface of the case configured to dispense the ice; a transferring unit that transfers the ice from a lower portion of the case to the upper portion of the case; and a crushing unit configured to crush the ice transferred by the transferring unit and discharge the ice to the dispensing port, wherein the crushing unit selectively discharges the ice as ice cubes or as crushed ice.