Ice maker for refrigerator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice makers for refrigerators face issues with accurately supplying a predetermined amount of water to the ice tray, leading to overflow or insufficient ice production, and existing solutions often result in water splashing, leakage, or interference during the ice tray rotation.
Innovation Solution
An ice maker design utilizing a cylindrical water container with a lid featuring holes for natural gravity-driven water discharge and a housing with a funnel-shaped holder to collect and direct water into the ice tray, eliminating the need for complex valves and preventing splashing or leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a complex valve system is used to control water supply to the ice tray, then water supply accuracy can be improved, but device complexity increases and reliability decreases due to potential leakage and interference during rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the complex valve system from the water supply mechanism. Instead of using valves to control water flow, the invention uses a simple hole in the lid through which water naturally flows by gravity into the ice tray, eliminating the problematic valve components that caused leakage and interference during rotation.
Solution Approach 2:
The water supply system operates autonomously without requiring active control mechanisms. Water automatically flows from the container through the hole in the lid into the ice tray based on gravity, eliminating the need for complex valve control systems and their associated reliability issues.
2Reliability
If a simple water container with holes in the lid is used, then device complexity is reduced and reliability improved, but water supply precision may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by strategically positioning and sizing the hole in the lid to control water flow characteristics. The hole's specific location and dimensions are optimized to ensure water flows at the correct rate and position into the ice tray, achieving precise water supply through a simple structural feature rather than complex control mechanisms.
3Ease of operation
If the ice tray is designed to rotate for ice release, then ease of operation is improved, but interference with water supply components may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes potential interference components by eliminating the valve system that would be in the rotation path. The simple hole-through-lid water supply design does not extend into the ice tray rotation area, allowing the ice tray to rotate freely for ice release without interfering with water supply components.
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 design ensures accurate and efficient water supply to the ice tray, preventing overflow and leakage, while allowing for smooth operation during ice tray rotation without interference, thus enhancing ice production efficiency and user convenience.
Implementation Method 1
a lid having a hole for discharging water in order to supply water into the ice tray
Implementation Method 2
a housing with a funnel-shaped holder to collect and direct water into the ice tray
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
An ice maker for a refrigerator is provided that may accurately and simply supply a predetermined amount of water to an ice tray. The ice maker may include an ice tray (70) for receiving water for freezing into ice, a water container (50) including a body (51) for storing and supplying a predetermined amount of water to the ice tray (70) and a lid (52) coupled to the body (51) and having holes (54) for discharging water from the water container (50), and a housing (60) for installing the water container (50) in a case of the ice maker.