Fresh Food Compartment Ice Maker Using Direct Conduction Cooling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional refrigerators with bottom-mount configurations face impracticalities in placing ice makers within the freezer compartment due to the location of the freezer beneath the fresh food compartment, requiring elaborate conveyor systems for ice dispensing, which is inefficient and impractical.

Innovation Solution

An ice maker is integrated within the fresh food compartment, featuring an evaporator coil in direct contact with an ice tray, a heater, and a refrigerant tube that cools the ice mold via thermal conduction, allowing for ice production and storage above freezing temperatures, with a dispenser on the fresh food compartment door for convenient ice access.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If the ice maker is placed in the freezer compartment of a bottom-mount refrigerator, then ice can be produced in a sub-freezing environment, but it requires an elaborate conveyor system to transport ice to the dispenser on the fresh food compartment door

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveice production temperatureVSAvoidconveyor system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The ice maker is extracted from the freezer compartment and relocated to the fresh food compartment, eliminating the need for a conveyor system. The ice maker includes an evaporator coil and refrigerant tube that can operate independently within the fresh food compartment environment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

A refrigerant tube acts as an intermediary cooling element within the fresh food compartment, providing direct cooling to the ice mold without requiring the entire compartment to be sub-freezing. The evaporator coil serves as a mediator to transfer cooling capacity locally.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If the ice maker is placed in the fresh food compartment, then the dispenser can be located on the fresh food compartment door for convenient access, but the compartment temperature is above freezing which challenges ice production

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveice dispensing convenienceVSAvoidcompartment temperature

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The ice maker creates a localized sub-freezing zone within the fresh food compartment by using a dedicated refrigerant tube and evaporator coil. Only the ice mold area is cooled below freezing, while the rest of the fresh food compartment maintains its refrigerated temperature above freezing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The refrigeration system is segmented into a main fresh food compartment cooling system and a separate ice making subsystem. The ice maker has its own refrigerant tube and evaporator coil that operate independently to create the necessary sub-freezing conditions only where needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Productivity

If conventional convection cooling is used to freeze water in an ice tray, then ice can be produced, but it requires circulating cold air which is inefficient in a fresh food compartment environment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveice production efficiencyVSAvoidenergy for air circulation

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The convection cooling system that relies on air circulation is replaced with a direct conduction cooling system. The refrigerant tube and evaporator coil provide direct thermal contact with the ice mold, eliminating the need for mechanical air circulation and improving energy efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The refrigerant tube serves as a direct thermal intermediary between the cooling system and the ice mold, providing efficient heat transfer through thermal conduction without requiring air as an intermediate medium.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 solution enables efficient ice production and dispensing within the fresh food compartment, eliminating the need for complex conveyor systems and ensuring convenient access to ice without exposing the freezer compartment to ambient air.

Implementation Method 1

an ice maker refrigerant tube abutting at least one lateral side surface of the ice mold and cooling the ice mold to a temperature below 0° C. via thermal conduction

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Implementation Method 2

an evaporator coil in direct contact with an ice tray of the ice maker for cooling the ice tray

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentUS11022358B2Direct cooling ice maker

Publication Date: 2021.06.01 ELECTROLUX CONSUMER PROD INC

AI summary

A refrigeration appliance includes a fresh food compartment for storing food items in a refrigerated environment having a target temperature above 0° C., a freezer compartment for storing food items in a sub-freezing environment having a target temperature below 0° C., a system evaporator for providing a cooling effect to at least one of the fresh food compartment and the freezer compartment, and an ice maker disposed within the fresh food compartment for freezing water into ice pieces. The ice maker includes an ice mold with an upper surface comprising a plurality of cavities formed therein for the ice pieces, a heater disposed on the ice mold and an ice maker refrigerant tube abutting at least one lateral side surface of the ice mold and cooling the ice mold to a temperature below 0° C. via thermal conduction.