Refrigerator Ice Tray Shaft Routing for Sensor Wire Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing ice making apparatus in refrigerators often experiences malfunction due to the sensor wire getting caught between the ice tray and the driver when rotated, leading to twisting and breakage, which disrupts the ice making process.
Innovation Solution
The sensor wire is routed through a through hole in the support rotational shaft, positioned along the central rotational axis, to prevent entanglement and ensure smooth rotation of the ice tray, and the support rotational shaft includes cutaway portions to facilitate easy insertion and secure positioning of the sensor wire.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the sensor wire is routed externally along the ice tray, then the ice tray can rotate freely, but the sensor wire gets caught between the ice tray and driver during rotation, causing twisting and breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The support rotational shaft acts as an intermediary component that the sensor wire passes through. This mediator allows the sensor wire to move with the rotating ice tray without direct contact with the driver, preventing the wire from getting caught and twisted while maintaining rotational freedom.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor wire is nested within the support rotational shaft by passing through its through hole. This nesting arrangement protects the sensor wire from external forces during rotation and ensures it moves smoothly without entanglement with other components.
2Reliability
If the sensor wire is passed through the support rotational shaft, then the sensor wire is protected from twisting and breakage, but additional structural features (through hole and cutaway portions) are required
Solution Approach 1:
The support rotational shaft is segmented with a through hole and cutaway portions that divide the structure into functional zones: the through hole for wire passage and the cutaway portions for wire positioning. This segmentation allows the single component to perform multiple functions while maintaining overall structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The support rotational shaft has different local structures: a through hole for wire passage and cutaway portions for wire positioning. These localized structural variations provide specific functions (protection and positioning) only where needed, rather than requiring complex structures throughout the entire component.
Data Source
AI summary
An ice making apparatus of a refrigerator and a method for assembling such an ice making apparatus are provided. The ice making apparatus may include an ice tray, a sensor installed on a lower portion of the ice tray, a sensor wire connecting the sensor to a controller of the refrigerator, a driver provided at a first end of the ice tray, a driving shaft provided at the first end of the ice tray, a support device provided at a second end of the ice tray, and a support shaft provided at the second end of the ice tray and inserted into a rotational shaft hole of the support device, the support shaft having a through hole allowing the sensor wire to pass therethrough.