A cooling appliance comprising an ice making assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern cooling appliances with automated ice making assemblies often unintentionally crush ice pieces during transfer, leading to decreased quality and reduced lifespan of operational parts.
Innovation Solution
An ice making assembly with an elongated ice mold and a container featuring a guide on the front wall with a polygonal cutout that aligns with the transfer opening, preventing ice pieces from getting stuck and crushed by directing them smoothly into a channel, thus reducing mechanical stress and increasing ice piece integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If transfer means is activated to move ice pieces towards the front wall, then ice pieces are delivered to the user, but ice pieces get crushed between the transfer means and the front wall
Solution Approach 1:
A guide structure is introduced as an intermediary element between the transfer means and the front wall. The guide includes a cutout that aligns with the opening in the front wall, creating a defined channel that directs ice pieces through a controlled path. This intermediary structure prevents ice pieces from becoming trapped and crushed between the moving transfer means and the stationary front wall, while still enabling efficient ice delivery to the user.
2Productivity
If ice pieces are transferred frequently, then user demand is met, but mechanical stress on transfer means increases reducing lifespan
Solution Approach 1:
The guide structure with its precisely aligned cutout and channel design serves as a protective feature that anticipates and prevents harmful interactions between ice pieces and the transfer means. By providing a pre-defined path that accommodates ice piece movement, the guide reduces mechanical stress and impact forces on the transfer means during each transfer cycle, thereby extending the operational lifespan of the transfer mechanism while maintaining high transfer frequency to meet user demand.
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
The solution effectively prevents ice crushing, enhances ice quality, and extends the lifespan of the ice making assembly's transfer means and motor by minimizing mechanical stress and improving ice piece transfer efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The ice mold, on predetermined time intervals, is configured to be twisted by means of a motor, therefore releasing ice pieces
Implementation Method 2
The transfer means is activated by means of another motor. Upon activation, the transfer means starts to transfer ice pieces towards the front wall
Implementation Method 3
The guide comprises a cut out wherein the shape of the cutout is configured to match the shape of the opening. The guide is placed onto the front wall such that the opening and the cut out is aligned and forms a channel via which ice pieces are expelled
Data Source
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AI summary
Cooling appliance comprising an ice maker assembly (1); the ice maker assembly comprising; an ice mold (2) including plurality of cavities and configured to freeze water to produce ice pieces; a container (3) placed underneath the ice maker (2) and is configured to store the ice pieces, comprising; a bottom wall (4), a pair of side walls reciprocally extending from the bottom wall (4); a front wall (5) and a back wall configured to interconnect the said side walls; an transfer means (6) extending between the front wall (5) and the back wall which upon being rotated, is configured to transfer ice pieces towards the front wall (5), wherein the front wall (5) comprises an opening and a guide (7) configured to guide ice pieces towards the channel (8) upon activation of the transfer means (6).