Insulated External Ice Container for Refrigerator Space Saving
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigeration appliances with ice containers lack effective thermal insulation, leading to reduced ice storage duration and inefficient ice removal processes, which compromises the useful volume and cooling efficiency within the refrigerator compartment.
Innovation Solution
A refrigeration appliance design featuring an ice container with a receiving niche on the exterior of the refrigerator compartment container, utilizing thermal insulation between the inner and outer walls, and a connector for easy ice access, ensuring effective thermal insulation and maintaining the compartment's useful volume by positioning the ice container externally.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the ice container is arranged inside the refrigerator compartment container, then the ice container is easily accessible, but the useful volume of the refrigerator compartment is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The ice container is extracted from the interior of the refrigerator compartment container and repositioned in an exterior receiving niche. This extraction resolves the volume conflict by placing the ice container outside the main storage space while maintaining accessibility through the receiving niche opening.
2Volume of moving object
If the ice container is placed on the exterior of the refrigerator compartment container, then the useful volume is maintained, but thermal insulation becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal insulation function is merged from two sources: the insulation material in the housing intermediate space surrounding the exterior ice container, and the additional thermal insulation integrated into the ice container itself. This combination ensures adequate thermal protection despite the exterior position.
Solution Approach 2:
The ice container employs composite insulation structure with thermal insulation arranged between its inner and outer walls, combining multiple insulation layers to achieve sufficient thermal performance for exterior placement.
3Device complexity
If the ice container lacks thermal insulation, then the structure is simpler, but ice storage duration is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The ice container employs composite insulation structure with thermal insulation arranged between its inner and outer walls, combining multiple insulation layers to achieve sufficient thermal performance for exterior placement.
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 design enhances ice storage duration and simplifies ice removal while maintaining the compartment's volume, ensuring effective thermal insulation and efficient cooling by using thermal insulation and a connector for easy access.
Implementation Method 1
the ice container has a container outer wall, a container inner wall and a thermal insulation, which is arranged between the container inner wall and the container outer wall
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigeration appliance has a refrigerator compartment container and an ice container for providing ice. The refrigerator compartment container delimits a refrigerator compartment. A receiving niche for receiving the ice container is formed in an exterior of the refrigerator compartment container. The receiving niche has an opening to the refrigerator compartment, wherein an opening of the ice container and the opening of the receiving niche are aligned flush with one another. The ice container has a container outer wall, a container inner wall and a thermal insulation, which is arranged between the container inner wall and the container outer wall.