Ice Maker Frame Step Structure for Twist-Load Wire Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ice makers with driving units that perform twist operations on ice making trays face structural stress and potential damage due to concentrated forces, particularly when wires are not adequately supported, leading to handling difficulties and increased risk of deformation or damage to the frame.
Innovation Solution
The ice maker design includes a frame with a through unit in the first side plate unit, featuring a step unit that increases the thickness of the side plate, allowing the wire to pass through without significant bending and providing reinforcement ribs for additional support, thus distributing forces and preventing damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a through unit is provided in the first side plate unit to support the wire, then the wire handling becomes easier, but stress is concentrated on the vicinity of the through unit which may damage the first side plate unit
Solution Approach 1:
The through unit is relocated from the first side plate unit to the step unit, which is positioned in a different spatial dimension (second direction intersecting the first direction). This dimensional relocation allows the wire to pass through a region that does not compromise the structural integrity of the first side plate unit, thereby maintaining both ease of wire handling and structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The step unit serves as an intermediary structure that mediates between the wire routing requirement and the structural strength requirement. By providing the through unit in the step unit rather than directly in the first side plate unit, the step unit acts as a buffer that prevents stress concentration in the critical first side plate unit while still enabling wire passage.
2Device complexity
If the wire is drawn out from the driving unit to the outside of the frame without support, then the frame structure remains simple, but handling of the wire takes a lot of time and effort
Solution Approach 1:
The step unit with the through unit acts as an intermediary structure that facilitates wire handling without significantly complicating the overall frame structure. The through unit provides a dedicated pathway for the wire, making installation and maintenance easier while adding minimal structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame structure maintains simplicity in most areas while introducing localized structural features (the step unit with through unit) only where needed for wire routing. This localized modification approach improves wire handling ease without requiring complex changes to the entire frame structure.
3Reliability
If an attachment unit is provided in the first side plate unit, then the ice maker can be securely attached to a support, but the force applied during twist operation concentrates on the connection portion which may damage it
Solution Approach 1:
The through unit is positioned in the step unit which extends in a direction intersecting the first direction, effectively relocating the wire passage to another dimension. This allows the attachment unit in the first side plate unit to bear attachment loads without additional stress concentration from wire routing, maintaining both attachment reliability and connection strength.
Data Source
AI summary
To provide an ice maker capable of suppressing damage to a frame.In an ice maker, an ice making tray, and a driving unit structured to cause the ice making tray to perform a flip operation and a twist operation are supported by a frame. With the frame, in an inner wall of a first side plate unit, there are provided a first inner wall portion extending in a first direction along the driving unit, and a second inner wall portion extending in the first direction along the ice making tray on the other side in a second direction with respect to the first inner wall portion, and in a step unit connecting the first inner wall portion and the second inner wall portion, there is provided a cutout serving as a through unit for passing a wire connected to the driving unit.