Ice Maker Airflow Plate Layout to Prevent Cooling Stagnation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In refrigerators with ice makers, cool air accumulation behind the water overflow reducing plate interferes with new cool air supply, affecting ice-making efficiency when the plate is positioned above the ice tray.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design with a rotating ice making tray and water overflow reducing plate, featuring separate cool air inlet and outlet passages, allows for efficient cool air circulation and ice separation by rotating the tray once water is frozen, preventing cool air accumulation and enhancing ice-making speed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the water overflow reducing plate is positioned at the upper side of the ice making tray, then water overflow is reduced, but cool air accumulates behind the plate and interferes with new cool air supply
Solution Approach 1:
The water overflow reducing plate is divided into a plate body portion and a protruding portion. The protruding portion extends toward the ice making tray to specifically block water overflow, while the plate body portion maintains a distance from the tray to allow cool air circulation. This segmentation allows the plate to simultaneously perform water blocking and air circulation functions without interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution moves from positioning the plate directly above the tray (vertical dimension only) to creating a three-dimensional structure where the plate body is offset from the tray in the horizontal dimension, while the protruding portion extends vertically toward the tray. This dimensional change allows cool air to circulate in the space between the plate body and tray while the protruding portion still prevents water overflow.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the plate is positioned close to the ice making tray to prevent water overflow, then water protection is improved, but cool air circulation is blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The plate structure is segmented into two functional zones: the plate body portion positioned away from the tray to maintain cool air flow paths, and the protruding portion extending close to the tray to provide water overflow protection. This segmentation allows each portion to optimize its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The protruding portion acts as an intermediary element that extends from the plate body toward the ice making tray. It provides water overflow protection by blocking water paths while maintaining enough distance from the tray surface to allow cool air to circulate underneath and around it, thus mediating between water protection and air circulation requirements.
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
The design prevents cool air accumulation, increases ice-making efficiency by ensuring continuous cool air circulation, and effectively separates ice cubes without freezing adjacent components.
Implementation Method 1
a cool air inlet passage configured to allow cool air to be introduced to an area inside of the plate and a cool air outlet passage that is separate from the cool air inlet passage, the cool air outlet passage configured to allow release, to an exterior of the plate, of the cool air introduced to the area inside of the plate
Implementation Method 2
an ice making tray associated with the ice maker and configured to retain water to be frozen
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6(a)~6(d)
AI summary
A refrigerator includes an ice maker positioned in the refrigerator and configured to make ice. The refrigerator also includes a plate positioned at an open side of the ice making tray and configured to reduce water overflow. The refrigerator further includes a cool air inlet passage configured to allow cool air to be introduced to an area inside of the plate. In addition, the refrigerator includes a cool air outlet passage that is separate from the cool air inlet passage, and configured to allow release of cool air from the area inside of the plate to an exterior of the plate.