Ice Making Assembly with Vertical Sensing Lever for Accurate Ice Measurement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ice making assemblies face issues with inaccurate ice measurement due to ice being stacked unevenly or against the container walls, leading to overestimation and restricted sensing lever operation.
Innovation Solution
An ice making assembly with an ice moving lever, a container for storing separated ice, and an ice sensing unit featuring a sensing lever that rises and falls, guided by a rotation shaft with a horizontal sensing part and vertically extended connection parts, allowing for accurate ice measurement and even distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a conventional sensing lever is used to measure ice amount, then the structure is simple, but the measurement precision deteriorates due to uneven ice stacking and restricted lever operation
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing lever is changed from a horizontal rotating structure to a vertical lifting structure that moves up and down along a guide rod. This dynamic change in movement direction allows the lever to rise above unevenly stacked ice cubes rather than being blocked by them, maintaining measurement accuracy while simplifying the overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensing lever's movement is transitioned from a horizontal plane (rotation) to a vertical dimension (lifting). By adding the vertical dimension to the sensing mechanism, the lever can clear obstacles (ice cubes) in its path and continue measuring, thereby improving measurement precision without significantly increasing device complexity.
2Reliability
If the sensing lever rotates horizontally to sense ice amount, then the operation is simple, but the reliability deteriorates when ice blocks the lever's rotation path
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing lever dynamically changes its movement mode from horizontal rotation to vertical lifting when encountering ice blocks. The drive motor automatically adjusts the movement direction, maintaining reliable operation without requiring complex manual intervention or complicated mechanical mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The movement parameters of the sensing lever are changed from rotational motion to linear vertical motion. This parameter change allows the lever to bypass obstacles effectively, improving reliability while keeping the drive mechanism relatively simple through direct motor control.
3Quantity of substance
If ice cubes are stacked unevenly in the container, then the storage capacity is maximized, but the measurement precision deteriorates due to inaccurate ice amount detection
Solution Approach 1:
By transitioning the sensing lever to vertical movement, the system can measure ice amount accurately regardless of horizontal stacking arrangements. The vertical lifting action allows the lever to reach above unevenly stacked ice, ensuring that measurement precision is maintained even when storage capacity is maximized through irregular stacking patterns.
Data Source
AI summary
An ice making assembly according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention is characterized in that the operation of the sensing lever for measuring the storage amount of ice is smoothly activated, and that the amount of ice stored in the container is accurately measured.