Refrigerator Ice Crusher Blades That Prevent Ice Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ice-crushing systems in refrigerators experience a locking phenomenon where crushed ice is stopped between the damper and stationary blades, preventing proper operation and causing the damper to fixly attach to the crushed ice, especially when switching between ice cube and crushed ice modes.
Innovation Solution
An ice-crushing device with rotary blades and stationary blades that are selectively operated by an actuating unit and driving unit, featuring guide slits, levers, stoppers, and a solenoid to adjust the angle and position of the stationary blades, allowing for a damper function to prevent ice stoppage and eliminate the locking phenomenon.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a damper is disposed horizontally while stationary blades are disposed vertically to enable mode switching, then ice cube mode and crushed ice mode can be selected, but crushed ice is stopped between the damper and stationary blades causing a locking phenomenon
Solution Approach 1:
The damper function is merged with the stationary blades by making the stationary blades rotatable about a rotary shaft. The actuating lever connects multiple stationary blades to rotate them collectively, combining the damper's ice flow control function with the stationary blades' ice crushing function into a single integrated component.
Solution Approach 2:
The stationary blades are made rotatable about a rotary shaft rather than being fixed vertically. The actuating lever rotates the stationary blades clockwise or counterclockwise to adjust their angle relative to the rotary blades, enabling dynamic adjustment of the ice crushing gap and damper opening angle to prevent ice stoppage.
2Device complexity
If stationary blades are fixed vertically for ice crushing, then simple structure is maintained, but crushed ice stops between damper and stationary blades
Solution Approach 1:
The stationary blades are made rotatable about a rotary shaft rather than being fixed vertically. The actuating lever rotates the stationary blades clockwise or counterclockwise to adjust their angle relative to the rotary blades, enabling dynamic adjustment of the ice crushing gap and damper opening angle to prevent ice stoppage.
3Adaptability or versatility
If damper closes discharging port for crushed ice mode, then ice crushing function is enabled, but crushed ice accumulates and causes locking phenomenon
Solution Approach 1:
The stationary blades are made rotatable about a rotary shaft rather than being fixed vertically. The actuating lever rotates the stationary blades clockwise or counterclockwise to adjust their angle relative to the rotary blades, enabling dynamic adjustment of the ice crushing gap and damper opening angle to prevent ice stoppage.
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
Prevents the stoppage of crushed ice, ensuring smooth operation between ice cube and crushed ice modes, enhancing the accuracy and reliability of the ice-crushing process by allowing the stationary blades to function as a damper, thus eliminating the locking phenomenon.
Implementation Method 1
a solenoid 23, which vertically reciprocates when turned on/off
Implementation Method 2
an actuating lever 13 having one end inserted in the guide slits 12, the actuating lever 13 being rotated about the other end to perform a rectilinear reciprocating movement along the guide slits 12
Implementation Method 3
crushing ice by torque of rotary blades relative to stationary blades
Implementation Method 4
Ice transferred to the crusher part 55 is crushed by the rotary blades 55a and the stationary blades 55b
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is an ice-crushing device for refrigerators that is capable of crushing ice by torque of rotary blades relative to stationary blades wherein the stationary blades are selectively operated according to selected ice mode, i.e., crushed ice mode or ice cube mode, to allow the stationary blades to have a damper function, thereby preventing stoppage of crushed ice, and therefore, eliminating a locking phenomenon, which is caused by the stoppage of crushed ice. The ice-crushing device comprises an actuating unit for rotating the stationary blades clockwise or counterclockwise about a rotary shaft when a driving force is transmitted to the actuating unit, and a driving unit for supplying the driving force to the actuating unit.