Ice Maker Temperature Sensor Positioning to Prevent Wire Disconnection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerators with ice makers face challenges in accurately measuring the temperature of water or ice in ice making cells, particularly when the tray bends or external forces are applied, leading to potential disconnection of temperature sensor wires.
Innovation Solution
A temperature sensor is strategically positioned among ice making cells on the rear surface of the tray, with insulation materials between the sensor and tray to prevent measurement errors and a guide to secure the wire connection, ensuring stable measurement even during tray movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the temperature sensor is disposed close to the ice making cells to accurately measure temperature, then measurement precision is improved, but the wire connecting to the temperature sensor may separate when the tray moves or bends
Solution Approach 1:
A guide structure is introduced as an intermediary component between the temperature sensor and the tray. The guide has a first portion that contacts the temperature sensor and a second portion that contacts the tray, creating a buffered connection that accommodates tray movement while maintaining wire connection stability. This mediator structure resolves the contradiction by allowing the sensor to remain close to the ice making cells for accurate measurement while preventing wire separation through the guide's mechanical coupling.
2Ease of operation
If the temperature sensor is disposed on the tray to measure ice making temperature, then the measurement is convenient and integrated, but the sensor may separate from the tray when the tray bends to remove ice
Solution Approach 1:
The guide structure serves as a mediator that maintains the connection between the temperature sensor and the tray during bending operations. The guide's first portion contacts the sensor while the second portion contacts the tray, allowing the sensor to remain integrated with the tray for convenient measurement while preventing separation during ice removal bending through its mechanical coupling mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide structure functions as a flexible connection element that can accommodate the bending motion of the tray during ice removal. By using a guide that can flex or deform elastically, the system maintains sensor-tray connection stability while allowing the necessary mechanical movement for ice ejection, resolving the contradiction between integration convenience and connection reliability.
3Measurement precision
If insulation material is disposed between the tray and temperature sensor, then measurement accuracy is improved by preventing thermal interference, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide structure serves as a thermal insulating intermediary between the tray and the temperature sensor. By positioning the guide between the sensor and the tray, it provides thermal isolation that prevents heat conduction interference from the tray to the sensor, thereby improving measurement accuracy. The guide's material properties and positioning create an effective thermal barrier while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
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 configuration allows for accurate temperature measurement and prevents wire disconnection, ensuring reliable operation and uniform ice formation across multiple ice makers without frost generation.
Implementation Method 1
a temperature sensor part being disposed at the tray and measuring a temperature
Implementation Method 2
an insulation material that s disposed between the tray and the temperature sensor
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator comprising an ice maker. The ice maker comprises: a housing providing an ice making space, a tray disposed in the ice making space and including a plurality of ice making cells, and a temperature sensor part disposed at the tray and configured to measure a temperature in the tray. The the plurality of ice making cells are provided in an odd number of columns greater than or equal to three, and the temperature sensor part is disposed (i) at a middle column among the columns, (ii) between ice making cells that are adjacent to each other, and (iii) below the tray.