Icemaker and ice storage system for a refrigerator appliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerator appliances face challenges with accessibility and capacity of ice storage, particularly for craft ice cubes, as the storage bin is often fixed and inaccessible when the door is open, and dual ice making systems lack external dispensing and sufficient capacity during high demand periods.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator appliance with a door-mounted craft icemaker and an ice storage system that includes a door-mounted ice bucket and an ice storage drawer, featuring a damper to transfer ice from the bucket to the drawer, and a drive motor and sensor to manage ice levels, ensuring easy access and increased storage capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the storage bin is fixed to the icemaker on the door, then the icemaker structure is simplified, but the accessibility of ice when the door is open is hampered
Solution Approach 1:
The ice storage system is divided into two separate components: a door-mounted ice bucket attached to the icemaker and a separate ice storage drawer in the freezer chamber. This segmentation allows the ice bucket to remain simple and attached while the storage drawer provides accessible ice retrieval independent of door position.
Solution Approach 2:
A transfer mechanism acts as an intermediary between the door-mounted ice bucket and the ice storage drawer. This intermediary system automatically moves ice from the bucket to the drawer, enabling easy access without requiring door opening while maintaining a simple attached structure.
2Productivity
If a dual ice making system is implemented on the door, then ice production capacity is increased, but the second ice maker lacks external dispensing access
Solution Approach 1:
The ice storage drawer serves multiple functions: it stores ice from the primary icemaker, receives and stores ice from the secondary craft icemaker, and provides a unified external dispensing interface. This multi-functionality allows both ice makers to contribute to a single accessible storage location.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the storage functions of both ice makers into a single ice storage drawer located in the freezer chamber. This merging allows users to access ice from either icemaker through one external dispensing location, eliminating the need for separate access points.
3Quantity of substance
If the door-mounted ice bucket capacity is increased, then storage capacity during high demand is improved, but the distance for ice transfer to the freezer drawer increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer mechanism is designed to be adaptable and dynamic, capable of handling variable ice quantities from the ice bucket. The system can adjust its operation based on the amount of ice present, efficiently transferring ice regardless of the bucket's capacity or the distance to the freezer drawer.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet defining a chilled chamber, a door rotatably mounted to the cabinet and rotatable between a closed position enclosing the chilled chamber and an open position providing access to the chilled chamber, an icemaker mounted to the door, and an ice storage system for storing ice produced by the icemaker. The ice storage system includes a door-mounted ice bucket positioned below the icemaker for storing the ice formed by the icemaker; an ice storage drawer positioned within the chilled chamber, and a damper mounted at a bottom end of the door-mounted ice bucket, the damper being movable between a closed position to retain the ice within the door-mounted ice bucket and an open position to direct the ice into the ice storage drawer.