Refrigerator Ice Maker Assembly With Anti-Clog Fill Cup Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ice making assemblies in refrigerators are large, inefficient, and prone to performance issues such as jamming and energy wastage due to ice buildup, leading to incomplete ice ejection and increased energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
An ice making assembly featuring a resilient mold with a heat exchanger for freezing water and a heating element in the fill cup to prevent ice clogs, combined with a sweep arm and drive mechanism for efficient ice ejection, and a secondary harvest heater to address jamming and energy efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a harvest heater is placed far from the water discharge spout, then the heater can be positioned in a standard location, but ice buildup at the spout causes clogging and requires longer heating time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by positioning the harvest heater specifically at the water discharge spout location where ice buildup occurs, rather than using a standard distant position. This localized heating approach directly addresses the clogging problem at the critical spillover point, enabling faster ice release without requiring extended heating periods throughout the entire mold structure.
2Ease of operation
If a sweep arm is used to eject ice cubes, then ice can be discharged from the mold, but water freezing in locations causes the sweep arm to jam
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary anti-action by using the harvest heater to pre-melt ice buildup at the discharge spout before the sweep arm attempts to eject the ice cubes. This preliminary heating action prevents the sweep arm from encountering frozen obstructions that would cause jamming, ensuring reliable operation of the ejection mechanism.
3Ease of operation
If a resilient mold is used, then the mold can deform to break the bond between ice and tray, but additional room is required for full rotation and twisting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the ice release function from the mechanical rotation/twisting action and transfers it to the harvest heater through localized heating at the discharge spout. This eliminates the need for large rotational movements of the resilient mold, as the heat-induced bond breaking occurs in place, significantly reducing the space required for mold operation.
4Reliability
If the harvest heater runs for a long period to melt clogged spout, then complete ice release is achieved, but energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating the harvest heater's thermal energy specifically at the water discharge spout where ice buildup occurs, rather than distributing heating throughout the entire mold. This localized approach achieves complete ice release at the critical point much faster, dramatically reducing the heating duration and energy consumption while maintaining reliable ice ejection.
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 solution results in a compact, efficient, and reliable ice making system that minimizes jamming and energy consumption, ensuring complete ice ejection and improved operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
A heat exchanger is in thermal communication with the resilient mold to freeze the water and form one or more ice cubes
Implementation Method 2
a heating element is in thermal communication with the fill cup for selectively heating the fill cup
Data Source
AI summary
An ice making assembly for a refrigerator appliance includes a resilient silicone mold defining a mold cavity and a lifter mechanism positioned below the resilient mold for selectively deforming the mold and raising the ice cubes formed therein. A sweep assembly is positioned over the resilient mold and moves to an extended position after the cubes are raised to discharge the ice cubes at a top of the ice making assembly. A fill cup is positioned above the resilient mold for selectively filling the mold cavity with water and a heating element in thermal communication with the fill cup for selectively heating the fill cup to prevent ice jams or clogging.