Refrigerator Door Ice-Making Assembly for Low Cold Air Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators with ice-making assemblies have limited freezing space due to the installation of ice makers and ice banks within the freezing chamber, leading to significant cold air loss when ice is removed, as the freezing chamber door must be opened.
Innovation Solution
An ice-making assembly is integrated into the freezing chamber door, featuring an ice-making case, water bucket, and ice bank, with a home-bar door for ice removal, allowing ice to be drawn out without opening the freezing chamber door, and includes a water supply system and ice-separating lever for efficient ice handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the ice maker and ice bank are installed in the freezing chamber, then the ice-making function is achieved, but the freezing space is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The ice-making assembly is extracted from the freezing chamber and relocated to the freezing chamber door. The door structure is modified to include the ice maker, water bucket, and ice bank, separating the ice-making function from the freezing storage space. This extraction resolves the space conflict by placing the ice-making components in a previously underutilized area (the door), thereby preserving the full volume of the freezing chamber for food storage.
2Ease of operation
If the freezing chamber door is opened to remove ice, then ice can be accessed, but cold air loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The freezing chamber door is segmented into functional zones: the main door for general access and a separate ice bank section with its own access opening. The ice bank is positioned in the door such that it can be accessed through a small opening without requiring the entire freezing chamber door to be opened. This segmentation allows selective access to ice while maintaining the sealed state of the main freezing chamber, thereby minimizing cold air loss.
Solution Approach 2:
A small access opening in the freezing chamber door serves as an intermediary between the user and the ice bank. This intermediate access point allows ice removal without direct opening of the main freezing chamber door, acting as a buffer that enables ice access while preserving the thermal seal of the main chamber.
3Volume of stationary object
If the ice bank is positioned in the freezing chamber door, then freezing space is maximized, but the ice bank structure becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The ice-making assembly merges multiple components into the door structure: the ice maker, water bucket, ice bank, and access mechanisms are integrated into the door. The door panel itself becomes part of the ice-making system, housing the ice bank and providing access openings. This merging reduces the need for separate structural elements and simplifies the overall configuration by utilizing the door as a multi-functional component.
Solution Approach 2:
The freezing chamber door is designed with multi-functionality: it serves as both the enclosure for the freezing chamber and as the housing for the ice-making assembly. The door structure performs dual roles - maintaining the thermal seal of the freezing chamber while also providing the ice bank structure and access mechanism. This universal design reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby managing complexity.
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
This configuration maximizes freezing chamber space, reduces cold air loss, simplifies ice removal, and enhances operational efficiency by allowing ice to be taken out without opening the freezing chamber door, improving user convenience and reducing energy consumption.
Implementation Method 1
an ice-making chamber (220) formed in the ice-making case (202) to make ice
Implementation Method 2
Cold air supplied into a refrigerator is produced by the heat-exchange with a refrigerant
Implementation Method 3
The supplied refrigerant is uniformly distributed into the refrigerator by convection
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to an ice-making assembly for a refrigerator and a refrigerator including the same. According to the present invention, a freezing chamber door is provided with an ice-making assembly, and ice made by the ice-making assembly can be immediately drawn out to the outside by opening an exclusively used home-bar door. In addition, an ice-making case is coupled by a coupling means formed integrally with the freezing chamber door and the ice-making case without a coupling tool or operation. Moreover, according to the present invention, if a water bucket is installed to the ice-making case, a water supply hole of the lower end of the water bucket is opened by an opening and closing means, so that water in water bucket is automatically supplied to an ice tray. In addition, an ice-separating lever having a '? ' shape is provided to simultaneously rotating a plurality of ice trays. Meanwhile, in the present invention, an ice bank cooperates with the home-bar door to be drawn out forward as the home-bar door is opened. According to the present invention, the use convenience of a refrigerator is improved.