Door-Mounted Ice Maker With Flood-Prevention Tray Rotation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ice makers installed inside the freezing chamber of refrigerators reduce storage capacity and often cause water to flood outside when the door is opened or closed, making it difficult to move the made ice efficiently.
Innovation Solution
An ice maker is mounted on the rear side of the refrigerator door with a rotatable ice tray, a tray cover for selective opening and closing, and water flood prevention ribs to prevent water from flooding, along with a rotation guide to facilitate easy ice tray rotation and ice separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the ice maker is installed inside the freezing chamber, then the ice making function is provided, but the storage capacity of the freezing chamber is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The ice maker is extracted from the freezing chamber and relocated to the rear side of the refrigerator door. This separation allows the ice making function to be maintained while the freezing chamber storage capacity is preserved, as the ice maker no longer occupies space within the chamber.
Solution Approach 2:
The ice maker is moved from the three-dimensional interior space of the freezing chamber to the two-dimensional surface of the refrigerator door (specifically the rear side). This dimensional transition eliminates the conflict between ice making functionality and storage capacity by utilizing a different spatial plane.
2Ease of operation
If the ice tray is opened during door opening/closing, then ice can be accessed, but water floods outside
Solution Approach 1:
The tray cover is designed to automatically close the ice tray opening during door opening/closing operations through the rotation guide mechanism. This preliminary protective action prevents water from spilling out before the harmful event (door movement causing flooding) can occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotation guide acts as an intermediary mechanism that coordinates the tray cover's movement with the door's opening/closing motion. It ensures the tray cover closes at the appropriate moment during door rotation, preventing water flooding while still allowing ice access when needed.
3Device complexity
If the ice tray is stationary, then structure is simple, but ice removal is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The ice tray is transformed from a stationary component to a rotatable one. This dynamic capability allows the ice tray to rotate for easy ice removal while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure through the use of a straightforward rotation guide mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotation guide is pre-configured to automatically guide the tray cover's closing motion during door opening/closing. This preliminary setup eliminates the need for complex control mechanisms, keeping the device structure simple while achieving the desired automatic protective action.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are an ice maker and a refrigerator including the same. The ice maker for making ice is provided on a rear side of a refrigerator door. A tray cover, a water flood prevention rib, and a rotation guide are provided to prevent flooding of water stored in an ice tray forming the ice maker while the refrigerator door is opened/closed. According to the ice maker and the refrigerator, reduction in a storage capacity of the refrigerator is prevented, flooding of water for making ice is prevented, and the ice maker can be more easily used.