Ice-Making Tray Pipe Support With Integrated Drainage Duct
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerators with ice making compartments face challenges in achieving high cooling efficiency while maintaining low manufacturing costs and facilitating easy replacement and repair of ice making units.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a refrigerant pipe seated on an ice making tray with a drainage duct to collect condensed water, fixers to secure the pipe, heat-exchanging ribs for enhanced cooling, and a fan to improve air flow, along with a detachable and easily replaceable ice making unit structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If a refrigerant pipe is installed in the ice making compartment using conventional mounting methods, then the cooling function is provided, but the manufacturing cost increases and replacement/repair becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The drainage duct and refrigerant pipe support structure are merged into a single integrated component. The drainage duct body itself serves as the support structure, eliminating the need for separate mounting brackets or fasteners. This integration simplifies the overall structure, reduces manufacturing complexity, and enables easy replacement of the ice making unit as a single module.
Solution Approach 2:
The drainage duct is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it collects and drains condensed water from the ice making tray, provides structural support for the refrigerant pipe through its body configuration, and facilitates the modular replacement of the ice making unit. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed.
2Ease of manufacture
If the ice making unit is designed as a modular detachable structure, then replacement and repair become easy, but the cooling efficiency may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigerant pipe is pre-positioned and secured to the drainage duct support structure during assembly, ensuring optimal thermal contact with the ice making tray before operation begins. The drainage duct is pre-configured with the refrigerant pipe routing, so that when the modular ice making unit is installed, the cooling connection is immediately established without requiring additional field adjustments or installations.
3Loss of energy
If conventional refrigerant pipe mounting is used, then installation is straightforward, but cooling efficiency is reduced due to poor thermal contact
Solution Approach 1:
The drainage duct body is merged with the refrigerant pipe support function, creating an integrated structure where the duct walls directly contact and support the refrigerant pipe. This eliminates gaps or air spaces between the pipe and mounting structure that would otherwise act as thermal insulators, thereby improving heat transfer efficiency without adding complex thermal interface 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 configuration enhances cooling performance, reduces energy loss, and simplifies the assembly and maintenance of the ice making unit, leading to improved energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
an ice making tray, on which at least a portion of the refrigerant pipe is seated
Implementation Method 2
cold air may be supplied from the evaporator to the ice making compartment in accordance with forced convection thereof
Implementation Method 3
a drainage duct to collect condensed water falling from the ice making tray or from at least a portion of the refrigerant pipe
Implementation Method 4
condensed water falling from the ice making tray
Implementation Method 5
The ice making tray may include at least one heat-exchanging rib to exchange heat with the air in the ice making compartment
Implementation Method 6
at least one heat-exchanging rib to exchange heat with the air in the ice making compartment, which flows through the flow passage
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A refrigerator including a refrigeration cycle including a refrigerant pipe to supply cooling energy to an ice making compartment (30), an ice making tray (61), on which at least a portion of the refrigerant pipe (28) is seated, a drainage duct (80) to collect condensed water falling from the ice making tray (61) or from at least a portion of the refrigerant pipe (28), and to drain the collected water, and at least one fixer (84) to fix at least a portion of the refrigerant pipe (28) to the ice making tray (61). The fixer (84) is protruded from the drainage duct (80).