Ice Tray Buffering Structure for Door-Slam Water Spill Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice making apparatuses installed on refrigerator doors face issues with water outflow due to door opening and closing, leading to reduced durability of water outflow prevention structures and inefficient prevention mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
An ice making apparatus with an ice making tray featuring a buffering portion and a buffering portion cover, along with a water outflow prevention member, is designed to prevent water from flowing out by using a buffering space and a cover to redirect and reintroduce water, ensuring effective prevention without interfering with the ejector's rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a water outflow prevention wall is disposed at one longer side portion of the ice making chamber to be extended upward, then water outflow is prevented, but the motor structure becomes complicated due to alternating rotation requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The water outflow prevention function is extracted from the motor-controlled slide mechanism and implemented as a fixed structural feature (water outflow prevention wall and buffer zone) within the ice making chamber, eliminating the need for complex motor alternating rotation control
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer zone is pre-formed at the bottom of the ice making chamber before water is introduced, creating a preliminary water collection area that passively prevents outflow without requiring active motor control during operation
2Volume of moving object
If the ice making apparatus is mounted on the door to minimize storage space reduction, then space efficiency is improved, but water outflow occurs due to door opening/closing operations
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer zone acts as a cushioning space prepared in advance at the bottom of the ice making chamber, absorbing water that flows during door operations and preventing it from reaching the door surface, thus protecting against water outflow while maintaining door-mounted space efficiency
3Ease of operation
If slits are formed in the water outflow prevention plate to pass ejector pins, then ejector operation is enabled, but water flows out through the slits reducing durability
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer zone serves as an intermediary water collection area between the ice making cells and the door surface, intercepting water before it can flow through or around the ejector pin passage areas, thus enabling ejector operation without compromising water outflow prevention
Data Source
AI summary
An ice making apparatus which includes an ice making tray to produce ice and an ejector rotatably disposed at the ice making tray, including a plurality of ice making cells formed in the ice making tray, wherein each of the ice making cells includes a freezing portion in which ice is produced and a buffering portion which is formed as a specified space at one side of the freezing portion to prevent water of the freezing portion from flowing out of the ice making tray. Accordingly, even in a refrigerator having the ice making apparatus installed on a rear surface of the door, the ice making apparatus can permanently provide an effect of preventing water inside the ice making cells from flowing out of the ice making tray due to an opening/closing operation of the door.