Refrigerator Ice Maker Layout With Upward Ice Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
In bottom-mounted freezer (BMF) type refrigerators equipped with an ice maker and dispenser, the ice maker room is often inefficiently located, leading to suboptimal space utilization and inconvenient ice dispensing due to the need for a low-positioned dispenser.
Innovation Solution
The ice maker is integrated into the freezer room, and a transporter mechanism is used to move ice from the ice bucket to a dispenser located above, enhancing space utilization and user convenience by allowing easy access to ice without the need for a low-positioned dispenser.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the ice maker room is partitioned off from the fridge at the upper corner, then the ice maker can be arranged in the ice maker room, but the fridge fails to be cube-shaped which causes inefficient space utilization
Solution Approach 1:
The ice maker is extracted from the traditional ice maker room and integrated into the freezer room. This allows the freezer room to serve dual purposes: food storage and ice making, thereby eliminating the need for a separate ice maker room and improving overall space utilization in the refrigerator.
Solution Approach 2:
The freezer room is designed to perform multiple functions: it serves as both a food storage compartment and an ice maker room. By making the freezer room universal, the patent eliminates the need for dedicated ice maker space while maintaining efficient ice production capabilities.
2Volume of moving object
If the ice maker room is arranged in the freezer, then space utilization is improved, but the dispenser for providing ice needs to be located in a low position causing inconvenience to the user
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a transporter mechanism that adds a vertical dimension to ice delivery. Instead of requiring the dispenser to be at low position, the transporter moves ice vertically from the ice maker in the freezer to a dispenser at a higher, more accessible position, resolving the contradiction between space utilization and user convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
A transporter mechanism serves as an intermediary between the ice maker in the freezer and the ice dispenser. This intermediary component enables ice to be transferred from the low-positioned ice maker to a high-positioned dispenser, allowing the dispenser to be located at an ergonomically convenient height for users.
3Ease of operation
If the dispenser is located above the ice bucket, then user convenience is improved, but a transporter mechanism is needed to move ice which increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The transporter mechanism is designed to operate automatically using the weight of the ice itself. As ice accumulates in the ice bucket, gravity causes it to slide onto the transporter, which then automatically conveys it to the dispenser without requiring external control systems or complex actuation mechanisms, thereby minimizing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex motorized or electronically controlled ice transport systems with a simple gravity-based mechanical transporter. The ice's own weight drives the transport mechanism, eliminating the need for motors, sensors, or complex control circuits, thus reducing overall device complexity while achieving the desired high-positioned dispenser.
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 optimizes space usage in refrigerators by allowing the ice maker to be placed in the freezer, enabling a higher dispenser location, thus improving user convenience and storage efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
an auger arranged inside the ice bucket for moving the ice stored in the ice bucket to the front of the ice bucket
Implementation Method 2
a blade unit arranged between the dispenser and the ice bucket for moving the ice transported by the auger upward
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3
AI summary
Ice maker (100) according to the present disclosure, transporter configured to supply ice to a dispenser (50), at least a part of which is located above an ice bucket (120) located in the middle of the main body (10), may transport the ice upward to help the user take the ice conveniently even with the ice bucket (120) located in the middle of the main body (10). So a refrigerator including the ice maker (100), according to the present disclosure, includes a storeroom to store groceries with increased utilization of the storeroom.