Detachable Ice Bin Transfer and Crushing for Door Dispensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators waste energy and are inconvenient due to the need to open the freezer door to retrieve ice, leading to cold air escape and increased compressor work, and the ice maker occupies valuable space and is heavy, making it difficult to disassemble or transfer.
Innovation Solution
A compact ice maker integrated into the refrigerator door with a detachable ice bin that includes a transferring unit with guide ribs and a crushing unit, allowing ice to be transferred and crushed without opening the door, and discharged through a dispenser, efficiently utilizing the refrigerator's space and facilitating easy detachment for cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a conventional ice maker is installed in the freezer, then ice can be made and stored, but the freezer capacity decreases and the ice maker is heavy and difficult to disassemble
Solution Approach 1:
The ice making system is divided into separate components: the ice maker unit mounted on the door and the ice bin in the freezer. This segmentation allows the ice bin to be easily removable while the ice maker remains fixed, resolving the contradiction between storage capacity and structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The ice bin is extracted as a separate, detachable component from the freezer interior. This allows the ice bin to be easily removed for cleaning or other uses, while the ice maker remains mounted on the door, maintaining ice making functionality without occupying valuable freezer storage space.
2Ease of operation
If the freezer door is opened to retrieve ice, then ice can be obtained, but cold air escapes and energy is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides self-service ice dispensing through the dispenser mechanism on the door. Ice can be obtained automatically without opening the freezer door, eliminating cold air loss while maintaining ease of operation. The ice bin is positioned and configured to work with the door-mounted dispenser.
Solution Approach 2:
The door-mounted ice maker and dispenser act as an intermediary between the user and the ice in the bin. This intermediary system allows ice to be dispensed through the door without direct access to the freezer interior, preventing cold air escape while maintaining convenient ice retrieval.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the ice bin is made detachable for easy cleaning and other uses, then versatility increases, but the ice transfer mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The ice transfer system uses segmented guide ribs that can accommodate the detachable ice bin. The guide ribs are divided into multiple sections that can adapt to the presence or absence of the ice bin, allowing easy removal for cleaning while maintaining the transfer function when the bin is in place.
Solution Approach 2:
The ice transfer mechanism incorporates dynamic elements such as rotatable guide ribs that can adjust their position based on whether the ice bin is attached or removed. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain functionality while supporting the detachable design for cleaning and versatility.
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 allows for efficient ice dispensing without opening the freezer door, reducing energy waste and enhancing usability by utilizing the refrigerator's space effectively and making the ice bin easily detachable for other uses and cleaning.
Implementation Method 1
a transferring unit that transfers the ice from a lower portion of the case to the upper portion of the case
Implementation Method 2
a crushing unit that crushes the ice from the transferring unit
Data Source
AI summary
An ice bin and a method of transferring ice using the same include a case having an upper portion configured to store ice produced by an ice maker, and a dispensing port at one side of a lower end of the case configured to dispense ice to the outside; a transferring unit that transfers ice from a lower portion of the case to the upper portion of the case; and a crushing unit configured to crush ice transferred by the transferring unit, and discharge the crushed ice to the dispensing port.