Ice Storage Bin Layout With Rear Freezing Unit and Airflow Paths
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice-making machines with integrated ice storage bins face challenges in component installation and maintenance due to limited space, leading to noise issues and difficulties in scooping ice cubes from deep storage bins, as the freezing unit is positioned under the front bottom portion, restricting the capacity of the ice storage bin and causing assembly and inspection complexities.
Innovation Solution
The design features a box-shaped lower housing with an ice storage bin and a box-shaped upper housing, where the ice-making mechanism is assembled in the front portion of the machine compartment, and the freezing unit is installed behind, with an open-and-close lid and air-intake and air-discharge passages that allow efficient cooling of components and reduce noise by separating the freezing unit from the user, enabling easier maintenance and larger storage bin capacities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the freezing unit is installed under the front bottom portion of the ice storage bin, then the machine can be compact, but the ice storage bin capacity is limited and maintenance becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The freezing unit is repositioned from the front bottom to the rear portion of the machine compartment, utilizing the depth dimension of the machine housing. This spatial reconfiguration allows the ice storage bin to extend fully to the front without obstruction, increasing its accessible capacity and making ice cube retrieval easier while maintaining compact overall dimensions.
2Ease of manufacture
If the freezing unit is installed at the front of the machine housing, then assembly is simplified, but noise from compressor and cooling fan disturbs users scooping ice
Solution Approach 1:
The freezing unit, which is the noise-generating component, is extracted from the front area where users interact with the machine and relocated to the rear portion of the machine compartment. This separation removes the harmful noise factor from the user interaction zone while maintaining the functional integrity of the system.
3Area of stationary object
If the machine compartment space is limited, then the machine can be compact, but component installation and maintenance become troublesome
Solution Approach 1:
The machine compartment is segmented into functional zones: the rear portion houses the freezing unit components (compressor, condenser, cooling fan) while the front and central areas accommodate the ice-making mechanism and ice storage bin. This zonal segmentation allows efficient use of limited space while maintaining accessibility for maintenance operations.
4Quantity of substance
If the freezing unit is positioned to maximize ice storage capacity, then more ice can be stored, but the cooling air passage becomes inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
Cooling air passages are introduced as intermediary channels that efficiently transport cooled air from the freezing unit in the rear to the ice-making mechanism in the front. These passages ensure optimal cooling efficiency while allowing the ice storage bin to maximize its capacity by occupying the full available space without compromising the cooling function.
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 allows for efficient cooling of the freezing unit components, reduces noise disturbance when scooping ice cubes, facilitates easier maintenance, and allows for larger ice storage bin capacities without space restrictions, enabling the ice-making machine to be installed closely along a side wall or under a service counter.
Implementation Method 1
an air-intake passage is formed to cause outside air introduced from the front face of the lower housing to flow as cooling air into the machine compartment along inner surfaces of one side wall and the rear wall of the lower housing
Implementation Method 2
an air discharge passage is formed to cause the air after cooling to flow outward along inner surfaces of the rear wall and the other side wall of the lower housing and discharge to the exterior from the front face of the lower housing
Implementation Method 3
When the cooling fan of the freezing unit is driven in activation of the ice-making machine, the outside air introduced into the air intake passage from the front of the lower housing flows into one side of the machine compartment
Data Source
AI summary
An ice-making machine has a box-shaped lower housing with an ice storage bin, a box-shaped upper housing mounted on a rear portion of the lower housing, an ice-making mechanism within the front portion of a machine compartment in the upper housing, and a freezing unit installed behind the ice-making mechanism for supplying refrigerant to the ice-making mechanism. An open-and-close ice-access lid is pivotally mounted between the lower end of the upper housing and the the lower housing. An air intake passage introduces outside cooling air from the front face of the lower housing into the machine compartment along inner surfaces of one side wall and a rear wall of the lower housing. An air discharge passage is provided for passing the air after cooling to flow outward along inner surfaces of the rear wall and the other side wall of the lower housing to an exterior discharge from the front face of the lower housing.