Ice Maker Lever Mechanism for Easy Demolding in Tight Spaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice makers require significant torque to demold ice cubes, making it difficult for users and occupy unnecessary space when not in use.
Innovation Solution
An ice maker design featuring a lever that adjusts between a rest and actuated position, allowing for pivoting and twisting motion to facilitate easy ice removal, with a compact and symmetrical structure that can be mounted on a refrigerator door or as a pull-out drawer, incorporating a tray with partitioned compartments to prevent spillage and a collecting container for easy access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a motor is used to twist the tray for demoulding ice cubes, then the demoulding function is reliable, but the device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The motor is extracted from the ice maker system entirely. Instead of using a motor to twist the tray, the invention uses a manually operated lever that the user pulls to twist the tray for demoulding ice cubes. This eliminates the complex motorized mechanism while maintaining the demoulding function through simple manual operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is designed to be self-servicing through manual operation. The user directly operates the lever to twist the tray, eliminating the need for an external motor or automated mechanism. The mechanical advantage provided by the lever arm allows the user to generate sufficient torque for demoulding without complex machinery.
2Ease of operation
If the lever is positioned to provide maximum torque for demoulding, then the demoulding effort is reduced, but the lever occupies unnecessary space when not in use
Solution Approach 1:
The lever is designed to be movable rather than fixed. It can be positioned in different locations along the tray's circumference and can be retracted or removed when not in use. This dynamic positioning allows the lever to provide maximum torque when needed (by being positioned at the optimal radius) while minimizing space occupation when not required for operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The lever can be nested within or alongside other components of the ice maker when not in use. The design allows the lever to be stored in a compact manner, potentially within the housing structure or alongside other mechanical components, thereby minimizing the space it occupies when not actively being used for demoulding.
3Reliability
If the tray is made robust to withstand twisting forces, then the demoulding reliability improves, but the device takes up more space and becomes harder to mount
Solution Approach 1:
The tray is segmented into multiple sections or compartments, allowing the twisting forces to be distributed across different structural elements. This segmentation enables the tray to withstand the torsional stresses of demoulding without requiring a single overly robust structure, thereby reducing the overall space required and facilitating easier mounting.
Solution Approach 2:
The tray is designed with varying local qualities - certain areas are reinforced to withstand twisting forces during demoulding, while other areas maintain a lighter, more compact structure. This localized reinforcement allows the tray to be reliable where needed without unnecessarily increasing the overall size or mounting complexity of the entire device.
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 reduces the effort required to demold ice cubes and optimizes space usage, providing easy access for filling and removing ice while preventing spillage and ensuring efficient ice production and handling.
Implementation Method 1
a lever (20) which is displaceable between a rest position and an actuated position, in the actuated position having a distance to the axis about which the tray (1) is pivotable which is greater than in the rest position
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6~7
AI summary
An ice maker for a domestic refrigeration device comprises at least one tray that can be twisted about an axis, a lever protruding in the radial direction relative to said axis being mounted.