Household refrigeration apparatus with a wall element and a separate positioning bracket as a constituent of a housing of an ice maker
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing household refrigeration apparatuses with ice makers face challenges in accurate and efficient assembly, leading to potential thermal insulation issues and hygiene problems due to complex housing designs and inadequate condensation water management.
Innovation Solution
A household refrigeration apparatus with an ice maker housing featuring a wall element of L-shape cross-section and a separate positioning bracket, allowing for non-destructive detachment and improved assembly accuracy, along with an integrated drain gutter for condensation water management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the wall element is attached to walls of the interior container by multiple screw connections and additionally retained by an assembler, then the connection strength is improved, but the assembly time increases and assembly accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning bracket is pre-assembled to the wall element before attachment to the interior container. This preliminary positioning action ensures that the wall element is correctly positioned and retained during the screw connection process, eliminating the need for the assembler to manually hold the wall element and reducing assembly time while maintaining connection strength.
2Strength
If the wall element is attached to walls of the interior container by multiple screw connections, then the connection strength is improved, but the assembly complexity increases and positioning accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning bracket serves as an intermediary component between the wall element and the interior container. It provides pre-formed attachment points that guide the screw connections, ensuring accurate positioning of the wall element relative to the interior container walls while maintaining strong connections.
3Strength
If the wall element is formed with a circumferential frame and bracket integrally configured, then the structural strength is improved, but the device complexity increases and ease of cleaning deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented into separate components: the wall element with circumferential frame, the positioning bracket, and the plate elements. This segmentation reduces the complexity of each individual component, making them easier to manufacture and assemble, while the overall structural strength is maintained through the coordinated design of these segments.
4Strength
If the wall element is formed with a circumferential frame and bracket integrally configured, then the structural strength is improved, but the ease of cleaning deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the housing into separate components including the positioning bracket and plate elements, the design creates more open structures with fewer hidden corners and crevices. This segmentation maintains structural strength through proper joint design while significantly improving accessibility for cleaning operations.
5Reliability
If the wall element is attached by multiple screw connections, then the connection reliability is improved, but the thermal insulation deteriorates due to impaired insulation at interfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning bracket acts as an intermediary that concentrates the screw connections at specific localized points rather than requiring multiple distributed connections. This approach maintains connection reliability at the critical interfaces while minimizing the number of penetration points that would compromise thermal insulation.
Data Source
AI summary
A household refrigeration apparatus has an ice maker with a housing. The housing is formed with a wall element, which has an L-shape in cross-section. The wall element includes a first wall plate and a second wall plate, which together form the L-shape. The housing further has a positioning bracket separate from the wall element. The positioning bracket is non-rectilinear and has a first end, which is non-destructively detachably connected to the first wall plate of the wall element, and has a second end, which is non-destructively detachably connected to the second wall plate.