Refrigerator Ice Maker Cooling Tube for Compact Ice Compartments
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerator ice compartments are bulky, consuming excessive volume in the fresh food compartment, limiting design flexibility and ergonomic placement of ice and water dispensers.
Innovation Solution
A slimline ice compartment design that integrates an ice tray and evaporator into a single, over-molded metallic tray, eliminating the need for additional evaporators and optimizing ice production by direct contact between the evaporator cooling tube and ice maker tray, with control logic for ice making, harvesting, and maintenance using a tray temperature sensor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the ice compartment is made larger to accommodate traditional over-under ice maker and bucket arrangement, then ice storage capacity is improved, but the volume occupied in the fresh food compartment increases excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the ice maker and ice bucket into a single integrated assembly where the bucket is positioned horizontally adjacent to the ice maker rather than vertically underneath. This consolidation allows the ice-making functions to occupy a more compact footprint within the fresh food compartment, reducing the overall volume required while maintaining adequate ice storage capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a vertical stacking arrangement (over-under configuration) to a horizontal side-by-side arrangement. By changing the spatial dimension from vertical to horizontal placement, the ice compartment fits more efficiently within the available space of the fresh food compartment, reducing the volume occupied while preserving ice storage capacity.
2Quantity of substance
If the ice compartment is made taller to accommodate traditional ice maker and bucket arrangement, then ice storage capacity is improved, but design flexibility is limited and dispenser placement becomes less ergonomic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the spatial arrangement from vertical stacking to horizontal placement, allowing the ice compartment to fit within standard door heights without requiring excessive vertical space. This enables greater design flexibility for various refrigerator configurations and allows dispensers to be positioned at more ergonomic heights on the door.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated ice maker and bucket assembly is designed to be universally applicable across different refrigerator models and door configurations. By using a horizontal arrangement that doesn't require excessive vertical space, the design can be adapted to various door heights and dispenser positions, enhancing versatility and design flexibility.
3Ease of manufacture
If separate evaporator and ice tray components are used, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but device complexity increases and ice production speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the evaporator and ice tray into a single molded component, eliminating the need for separate parts and assembly steps. This integration reduces device complexity by removing multiple components and their associated fasteners and joints, while the molding process maintains manufacturing flexibility through tooling design.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the evaporator cooling tube is not in direct contact with the ice maker tray, then thermal expansion management is improved, but ice production speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The evaporator cooling tube is integrated directly into the ice maker tray through molding, creating direct thermal contact between the refrigerant pathway and the ice-forming surfaces. This direct integration maximizes heat transfer efficiency for rapid ice production, while the molded connection accommodates thermal expansion through the flexibility of the plastic material and integrated design.
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 design reduces the internal volume taken by the ice compartment, enhances ice production speed, and allows for a more compact, ergonomic installation, including side-by-side ice maker and bucket arrangements, while maintaining efficient ice storage and dispensing.
Implementation Method 1
the evaporator cooling tube is in direct contact with the ice maker tray portion
Implementation Method 2
the ice maker tray/evaporator of the present disclosure freezes the water in the mold cavities very fast
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a fresh food compartment; a freezer compartment; an ice compartment disposed in the fresh food compartment; an ice maker disposed in the ice compartment, the ice maker including an ice tray, an ice maker evaporator, and a cooling tube which is disposed between the ice maker tray and the ice maker evaporator, such that the cooling tube is in direct contact with the ice maker tray and the ice maker evaporator; and a refrigeration circuit including a compressor, a condenser, a refrigerant valve, the ice maker evaporator, and a freezer compartment evaporator. The refrigerant valve directs a refrigerant to one of a first path or a second path of the refrigeration circuit, the first path causing the ice maker evaporator to work in series with the freezer compartment evaporator, and the second path causing the refrigerant to bypass the ice maker evaporator to the freezer compartment evaporator.