Door-Mounted Ice Maker Layout for Freezer Space and Odor Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ice-making devices in refrigerators reduce storage capacity and allow food odors to permeate ice due to their installation within the freezing chamber, affecting storage efficiency and hygiene.
Innovation Solution
An ice-making device is installed on the backside of the refrigerator door with a cold air duct providing cold air, minimizing space usage and odor transfer, featuring an ice maker, cold air duct, and ice bank designed to maintain storage capacity and hygiene by isolating ice from food odors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the ice maker, motor casing, and ice bank are installed in the freezing chamber, then ice can be made and stored, but the storage capacity of the freezing chamber is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The ice maker, motor casing, and ice bank are extracted from the freezing chamber and installed on the backside of the door. This extraction resolves the contradiction by removing the ice-making components from the storage space, thereby preserving the full storage capacity of the freezing chamber while maintaining ice making functionality.
2Productivity
If the ice maker is installed in the freezing chamber, then ice can be made using cold air circulation, but food odors permeate the ice
Solution Approach 1:
The ice maker is extracted from the freezing chamber environment and relocated to the backside of the door. This extraction isolates the ice making process from food odors in the freezing chamber, preventing odor contamination while maintaining the ice making function through a dedicated cold air supply system.
Solution Approach 2:
A cold air duct is introduced as an intermediary component to supply cold air from the freezing chamber to the ice maker on the door backside. This mediator enables the ice maker to receive necessary cold air for ice production while preventing direct exposure to food odors in the freezing chamber environment.
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 enhances storage capacity and prevents food odors from contaminating ice, ensuring efficient and hygienic ice production by isolating the ice-making process from the main storage space.
Implementation Method 1
a cold air duct provided in one side of the storage space and supplying the ice maker with a portion of cold air supplied to the storage space
Implementation Method 2
an ice maker installed on a backside of the door and making ice
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a main body having a storage chamber, a door provided to the main body, including an outer door and a door liner. The door liner includes support steps, a liner plate, and a seating step that define an installation space. An ice maker is located at least partially in the installation space. A cold air duct is provided in one side of the storage chamber to supply the ice maker with cold air. An ice maker cover is provided having a cold air inlet on a top portion thereof and a viewing window on a lower portion thereof. The viewing window allows the ice maker to be seen from outside of the ice maker cover. An ice bank is removably located below the ice maker to transfer ice received from the ice maker to a dispenser.