Ice Maker Water Mount for Quick Sensor and Pump Service
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ice makers face difficulties in accessing and maintaining water level sensors and water pumps due to complex installation methods, making routine maintenance and repairs challenging.
Innovation Solution
The ice maker incorporates a mount system with bayonet connections and locking features for the water level sensor and water pump, allowing for easy installation and removal without the need for separate fasteners, facilitating quick maintenance and repair.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If conventional installation methods are used for water level sensors and water pumps, then the components are securely mounted, but the complexity of maintenance and repair increases due to difficult access and removal
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is divided into separate modular components: a mounting structure with mounting holes, separate fasteners, and removable component assemblies. This segmentation allows the water level sensor and water pump to be independently removed and replaced without disturbing the entire ice maker assembly, significantly easing maintenance while keeping the overall installation process manageable through standardized mounting patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastening function is extracted as a separate, reusable component (fasteners) that can be removed and reused. The water level sensor and water pump are designed as removable assemblies that can be taken out from the mounting structure without permanent attachment, allowing easy access for maintenance while the mounting structure remains intact and ready for reinstallation.
2Ease of operation
If simple mounting methods are used for water system components, then ease of maintenance is improved, but positioning precision and secure mounting may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system merges multiple functions into integrated components: the mounting structure provides both structural support and precise positioning through its geometry and mounting hole locations; the fasteners combine clamping force with positioning features; and the component assemblies integrate the sensor/pump with their mounting interfaces. This merging ensures that ease of installation through simple fastening operations does not compromise mounting security or positioning precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting structure acts as an intermediary between the ice maker housing and the removable components (water level sensor and water pump). It provides a stable, precisely positioned interface that ensures reliable mounting while allowing easy removal through the use of separate fasteners. The mounting holes and fastener interfaces serve as intermediary elements that maintain positioning precision during both installation and removal operations.
Data Source
AI summary
An ice maker includes a water system that delivers water from a water reservoir to an ice formation device. A mount can hold one or both of a fitting of a water level sensor and a water pump in relation to the water reservoir. For example, the mount can include integral features that lock with the fitting to mount the fitting on the ice maker at a sensing position. The mount can include integral features that form a bayonet connection with a portion of the pump. A vertical support wall can included integrated features for supporting the mount in relation to the water reservoir.