Ice Maker Pulsed Optical Fullness Detection Beyond Frozen Levers
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Solution Overview
Problem
In refrigerators, if the full ice detection lever becomes frozen, it fails to operate, leading to continuous ice supply and overflow from the ice container, as the controller cannot determine the ice container's fullness.
Innovation Solution
An ice detecting apparatus with a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, using pulses to determine if the ice container is full, and a controller to assess whether external light affects the detection, ensuring accurate ice level monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a mechanical full ice detection lever is used to detect ice container fullness, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the detection fails when the lever becomes frozen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical full ice detection lever with an optical detection system consisting of a light source and light receiver. The optical sensor detects ice fullness by measuring light transmission through the ice container, eliminating the mechanical lever that freezes and fails. This substitution of mechanical system with optical system resolves the reliability issue while maintaining reasonable device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an optical intermediary (light beam) to detect ice container fullness indirectly. Instead of direct mechanical contact that freezes, the light beam passes through the ice container and its transmission characteristics indicate the ice level. This intermediary approach allows detection without mechanical contact in the freezing environment.
2Measurement precision
If an optical sensor is used to detect ice container fullness, then the detection accuracy is improved, but external light interference affects the detection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic pulsed light emission from the light source rather than continuous illumination. By transmitting light in periodic pulses and synchronizing the detection with these pulses, the system can distinguish between emitted light pulses and external ambient light, thereby improving measurement precision while rejecting external light interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback control where the light receiver detects light transmission and feeds this information back to determine ice container fullness. The system monitors the light reception signal and uses this feedback to accurately detect ice level while compensating for external light conditions through the controlled pulsed emission and synchronized detection.
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 solution prevents ice overflow by accurately detecting the ice container's fullness, even when the mechanical lever is frozen, ensuring stable and precise ice supply control.
Implementation Method 1
an a transmitting unit to transmit one or more pulses and a receiving unit to detect the pulses transmitted from the transmitting unit
Data Source
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AI summary
An ice detecting apparatus for a refrigerator comprising and ice maker, a storage container to collect ice from the ice maker, and an ice detecting sensor provided at the ice maker including a transmitting unit to transmit one or more pulses, and a receiving unit to detect the pulses transmitted from the transmitting unit. A controller to determine whether the storage container is full or nearly full based on the pulses detected by the receiving unit among one or more pulses transmitted by the transmitting unit.